New Story: Falling for you
She just needed a little air and time, a moment’s reprieve from the smoke filled common room that even now rang of jubilant laughter. It wasn’t that she didn’t love Dragosani and the others, but somehow she felt in their eyes she’d eternally be their little girl that always needed protecting. Lifting her gloved hand there was a sudden sharp twinge of self pity, an emotion she loathed though lately was seeming to become problematic. Loving your work was one thing, becoming your work was something entirely different.
Opening onto the roof, she stepped out and the door closed silently behind her. The cold crisp air filling her lungs. It felt good, even as her eyes lifted upwards expectantly to gaze upon a sea of stars. The constellations displayed before her were new, and there wasn’t a book in existence where they could be found. She knew this because they weren’t real, just the ambient light emanating from countless pockets of Aura-Steel residing in the rock outcroppings far above the city of Winter’s Shard. It was a city that would never know the light of day. A city locked beneath miles of earth and stone.
“How depressing”, she spoke softly, if only to hear her own voice. Everyone else was inside, except Charley. After dinner he and that elf had left abruptly. She’d wanted a moment alone with him but Zaravin had insisted she remain for dessert, some concoction of elven sweet bread. It was terrible, awful stuff with an almost chalky texture. Dragosani couldn’t get enough of it and she hadn’t the heart to tell any of them. Ever sense the incident that crippled her body, she couldn’t taste the flavor of sweet. It was gone like most of the sensation in her hand.
Her eyes dropped back down and she clutched it reflexively before another wave of self pity erupted within her. “Fucking Charley”, she whispered. Where the hell did he rush off, what could be more important than spending a moment or two with her? Ok ya, she’d all but ignored him on the way to the city. Big deal.
A sound pulled her from the inner monologue.
Laughter, was that Charley? No, the elf. She was sure of it.
Creeping towards one the roof’s many courtyard overlooks, she winced fearfully that the leg was making a little too much noise. Best to be careful, she knew if Charley was with the elf his hearing would be keen enough to alert him to her presence. Not to discount elven senses, but that boy’s ears could even put Uncle Riley to shame. She inched forward, peering quietly over the side.
It was a good thirty feet to the ground and another forty to where the three figures sat in a perfect triangular pattern. She sighed in relief after making a quick mathematical calculation; it was far enough for even a whispered conversation to go unheard. Math was easy, boys however where a foreign concept. She never seemed to understand them, than again they never seemed to understand her. It was frustrating.
Who was the third person, a woman? Shit Zanni. The large back wings were a dead giveaway. Glancing behind her, Ari made sure she wasn’t casting a silhouette. The Ahre’el had amazing vision, could spot a man two miles away and tell if he were smiling. But in the dark, she was no better than anyone else. Where the three sat within the illuminated courtyard and the roof being steeped in shadows, she was confident there wasn’t much chance of anyone one spotting her.
Ari could feel every labored breath she took in, by now the cold would have forced a lesser soul back into the heated common room. What the hell was going on, more over why should she care? Stalking about like someone unable to escape a childhood crush.
“This is ridiculous”, the whisper escaped her lips before she could stop it. Her hand instinctively went to cover her mouth but no one seemed to have noticed and she breathed a sigh of relief. No way she wanted to be caught spying of Charley. That thought brought a blush to her face. The others would never let her live it down. Thinking it best to just avoid all the trouble, she made a motion to slink away but found herself stopping.
Charley was talking of his shirt.
She suddenly felt flushed and her heart pounded against the stone overlook where she lay. A part wondered if it could be heard. Another part thought the stone would give way. None of that mattered as the elf removed his shirt as well. What was the elf’s name, she knew she had heard it somewhere.
Both of the young men, nearly half naked, stood facing each other in the bitterly chilled air while wisps of heat rose from their bodies like auras of twisting apparitions. Gone was the clumsy boy, the gangly youth who on occasion she protected from the school yard bullies with her clever wit. What moved within the confines of courtyard now was something ethereal, strong, and confident.
Each bore the scars of their successes and their failures, the two men weaving as if in perfect harmony. Were they fighting or dancing? That’s when she noticed the blood. Small cuts glistening crimson upon their muscular but sinuous forms in the pale Aura-Steel light. She stifled a gasp but heard it anyways.
Wait, that wasn’t her gasp.
Glancing to her right, Ari noticed another woman, an elf with long silvery white hair. It might have been blonde but the light of the courtyard seemed to bleach the color out of everything. The woman had crept up as silently as one of the four moons passing through the night sky. What the hell, she hadn’t seen this many elves in one place sense the Thalwah invasion six years ago.
Suddenly realization dawned, that was Alex down there locked in a duel with Charley and this was his sister Alexis. There were rumors about the two, nothing validated. But she knew enough about rumors that they often held a grain of truth even if it was nothing more than a simple misunderstanding.
About to scream at the woman, Alexis hushed her by placing long delicate fingers against Ari’s lips. Shaking her head the elf beckoned her to follow and they made their way quietly to the other side of the building’s roof, opposite of where the two men fought entwining about one another in the yard far below. A place where they could talk and not be overheard.
Air’s began, not being one who let many shush her. Though she was secretly thankful, if Charley had found out she was watching him she would have died of shame and embarrassment. “What the hell”, aggravation raising her voice.
“We can’t let them know we were watching.” Alexis’s voice was calm, not devoid of emotion, just soft and wistful.
“I don’t like being snuck up on.” Ari’s snipped.
“And I don’t like girls watching Alex.” Alexis intoned coolly.
Flustered Ari retorted before thinking, “I wasn’t watching Alex.” The response caught in her throat, the denial made it obvious. She might as well have shouted Charley’s name.
The elven woman was cunning, having lured her into a form of admittance. So not to divulge anything else too embarrassing, Ari simply looked away and shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly.
After a moment of reflection Alexis leaned against a stone battlement, gazing out into the sullen lights of the city. A town really, comprised of perhaps three-thousand living, breathing people from every walk of life, all just trying to survive in one of the most hostile environments known, the very belly of Everwinter.
“I don’t really care what they say about me. But I don’t like it when they speak in hushed whispers about Alex.” She breathed.
Ari frowned, she didn’t really want to talk about them and whatever twisted things others imagined them doing.
Turning from the lights of the city, the elven woman focused her attention on Ari and for the first time Ari could see Alexis wasn’t a woman, rather a girl. Perhaps in elven years, Ari would have been her elder. “You like him.”
“Who?” Ari tried to be uninterested.
“Your too obvious to be coy. You know I’m talking about Charley.”
Ari Shrugged.
“Why should you care what others think, their petty worries and concerns? I love Alex because he is kind, always thinking of others in a world where everyone thinks about themselves. Good men are hard to find, great men impossible.” Turning Alexis glanced across the roof to where the courtyard would be, “more precious than Tynidium.”
“And?” Ari tried to be snide, wanting to hide her embarrassment. Charley, her Charley. Even when bullied at school he would smile his worries always for others. He even sacrificed himself when the traveler came. Choosing destiny though he knew it would pull him into this unforgiving place and away from her for so many years. How could he leave her? Now she wanted to cry.
“And is all you have to say?” Alexis forcefully calmed herself, “And you’re just like the other worthless slack jawed troglodytes.”
Ari blinked. She wasn’t sure how she should take this and most certainly she knew she hadn’t liked being called a slack jawed troglodyte. Before she could offer a retort Alexis snapped, “Alex is my brother, not only that but he’s my twin. The most honest, kind, and caring man I’ve found in three worlds is simply unobtainable because I was unlucky enough to be born right next to him.”
She looks as if she might cry, but Alexis steeled herself, “Taboo,” She scoffed, “The kind of man any sane woman would want to kiss away their tears and I can’t have him. That’s a curse.” Continuing, she added, “And from what I can see, your only worry is about rejection or being embarrassed. Concerned what someone else might think. This Charley, he deserves better.”
Anger flooded Air’s mind, unceremoniously fogging it. Why had she allowed this elf to get under her skin, how has she even managed it in the first place. Where was her wit when she needed it so desperately right at this moment? How dare she chide her about love. All she could think about now was that she desperately wanted to throw things. Heavy things. But the anger had a bite to it, something else. Was it regret?
She briefly thought of just hitting the elf, but her fist could seriously hurt or even kill someone. Yet she still needed to release her frustration out on something. With a snarl and a growl Ari wound back her fist, striking the stone battlement. The rock was soft, crumbling easily. Too easily.
Her eyes widened as she lost her footing, her momentum carrying her forward. Desperately she flailed her had to catch hold of anything and she found the silken hands of the elven girl. Ari teetered there, a thirty foot drop onto granite avoided by Alexis’s firm grip.
The sound of idle chatter came from below the two.
Alexis glanced over the edge and smiled mischievously, “Fates a funny thing. You’re welcome Ari”. Fingers slipped away as she lets go. The fall felt like eternity, the cool crisp air filling her lungs as if she’d just opened that door on to the roof not so long ago.
She plummeted into surprisingly strong arms. It was Charley, her Charley. However she was heavier than he’d expected. Much heavier, like wearing a suit of unseen chainmail. The young man’s knees gave out with an unexpected ‘Ooofff’, the two collapsed into a pile.
Alex, still with a towel wrapped about his shoulders, half naked and glistening with sweat began to laugh. In a heavily accented voice the elf alighted, “It’s raining pretty girls! Charley, by the gods of your world, I love this place.”
A second later Alexis spryly dropped down from the battlements onto his shoulders. The unsuspecting Alex ending up sprawled out on the ground next to the forms of Ari and Charley.
Both the young men now where howling with laughter.