Reluctant Beauty

“Okay, okay, I hear—” at first his face was lined with annoyance, but when he saw the little girl…

…and her.

His jaw dropped in awe as his copper-brown eyes locked at her cobalt-blue ones.

He was definitely sure this time that it was Sedina. The piercing stare she was giving him was a dead giveaway.

The little girl yanked his sleeve, pulling out of his daze. 

“She’s hurt,” was all she said, pointing at the Bowmaster’s right arm.

And sure enough, there was blood flowing from an open wound.

Instinctively he grabbed her arm. Which she pulled away in an instant, as she took a step back.

“Your arm’s bleeding,” he said to him calmly.

“It is of no importance,” she said defensively, as she took another step back.

The little girl pulled the elf’s hand again, towards the Inquisitor. “That’s why I took you to him. He can heal you, right Brother Aeth?”

The child’s eyes were lined with worry as she looked at him.

He finally stood up, and willed his doubts away from his mind as he took a step towards her.

“Let me help you. Please, Sedina.”

Despite her stoic, pensive stare, he saw a faint of surprise that he recognized her in an instant.

The young girl was persistent in pulling the elf’s over and over.

Two minutes. Two silent minutes before she stepped closer to him, warily.

“Now, hold still if you please,” he said to her, as he hovered his hands over the open wound, and began to recite a prayer. 

A faint, yellow light began to glow over the bleeding, as the warmth slowly closed the wound.

“There we go,” he said after he finished the prayer. The elf’s ears twitched as she inspected her arm.

“See, see? Brother Aeth did it!”

She turned her attention back to him, her gaze as stoic as ever.

He felt cold all of a sudden.

“Thank you,” she simply said to him.

The afternoon at Hermalte Port was lively with people; one would assume that the war is an exaggeration. But only a few knew of what’s really happening around them.

The young Inquisitor fidgeted in his place, as not far from him, sat the elven archer he had just healed awhile ago. He sneaked a quick gaze or two at her, but the elf’s attention was on the children who were playing, just a few yards away from them.

The long silence was deafening him. He wanted to speak up, but doubt and crept inside him again.

“Aethanael?”

He sat upright in surprise.

“Y-yes?”

He slowly turned his head, and saw that she was still looking at the children.

Another moment of silence passed before she spoke up again.

“My sister,” she mused, her voice low and modular. “She said you were supposed to say something to me?”

She remembered.

“Uh…,y-yes.”

He couldn’t tell whether she’s mad, she’s curious, or she’s sarcastic. Her stoic gaze was hard to read.

“What was it that you were supposed to tell me?”

She was very direct, that kept him off-guard.

His throat felt dry.

Then she turned her head towards him.

It felt that her cobalt-blue eyes seemed to look deep inside his soul.

“I’m sorry…,” his voice was ragged, but cleared his throat afterwards. “I…I apologize for my behavior back in Black Mountain.”

She merely tilted her head slightly to one side.

“I’m sorry for dragging you to something that you didn’t want to do, Sedina.” 

“Why were you so desperate to save them?”

He was caught off-guard again with such a question. He was silent for awhile, as he carefully chose the words to utter in his mind.

“Because…, I just couldn’t leave them to die.”

“You could have just called for aid from army of Saint Haven, then.”

“It would’ve been too late if that happened.”

“The risk was too great if you have done so alone.”

“I…I know,” he said, as he clenched his teeth beneath his lips. “But still, I’d do it.”

They locked gazes once more. And silence blanketed the two for awhile.

“I forgive your actions, Aethanael,” she spoke first, but her eyes lined up into a scowl. “But never do such a thing again.”

“Not to me, nor to anyone else.”

He nodded, his face lined with sincere determination.

“But I am glad that the people we helped escape were all safe and accounted for.”

That made him raise his brow in wonder.

She cared…?

She ignored his surprised look and turned her attention elsewhere.

“You can visit them in the orphanage if you want to,” he blurted out all of a sudden.

The elf merely looked at him with a raised brow.

“Well, the children…, they wanted to see you, really,” he added. He was be unsure, but there was no turning back.

She slightly bowed her head at him. “I am honored, Aethanael, but I must decline your offer for now.”

At least he expected that.

“Well, that offer still stands whenever you want to visit Saint Haven,” he added, slightly letting out a smile from the corner of his lips.

She nodded once more, then the two of them turned their attention back to the playing children from a distance.

And fifteen minutes later, he was by the central fountain of Saint Haven.

Aethanael sighed, his shoulders slouched as he scratched his head in confusion. He didn’t want to go out, and not feeling so… embarrassed as well.

Do something about it, Terramai’s words burned in his mind once more. It was the one thing that kept him awake some nights ago.

At first, he felt he did the right thing; he rescued the children and the wounded from becoming food and slaughter for the orcs and kobolds in Black Mountain.

But the reality crept up to him after his report with his superior: he forced someone to do it with him.

What’s worse was that he coerced an elf. And that particular elf was a member of the Silver Crescent Archers.

But what was he to do? On the one hand it was an opportune moment the he seized. Yet how he did so was unbecoming of a cleric.

The young man sighed as he walked to and fro near the fountain. The streets lightly buzzed with activity, and the sun was shining brightly over the city of Saint Haven. To some, it seemed like peace has blanketed over them.

He sat down on one of the empty benches to mull over his thoughts. One way or another he has to face her, and apologize to her.

His hands covered his face as he thought things through.

Apologize, that’s what needs to be done, he thought to herself.

Not to mention it’s your chance to meet her again… 

He shook his head. He simply wanted to show his sincerity to her that he meant no ill-will against her or her kin.

Yet, his imagination ran in his head once more: how deft she was in evading those kobolds, how lithe she was when she jumped over them...

…And her beautiful face, though serious and pensive all time… 

AAAHHH! he pulled his hair, frustrated. Of all the time that I had to be imagining, it’s this… 

Then from the corner of his eye, he saw.

Slowly he pulled his head up, and strained his eyes to just by the trading house.

It was her.

His heart seemed to leap up, but he just froze there on his bench.

It was definitely her.

The golden blonde hair, tied to a high ponytail, the leaf-shaped ears, her majestic cobalt-blue eyes, the forest-green uniform of the Elven Queen’s army.

Sedina. He wouldn’t forget such an elven name.

It was a slow day at the trading house, as it seemed she was the only one who was interested in looking at the wares that were for sale. She kept looking to and fro, clicking her heels on the hard earth as she walked about.

It was also the perfect time for him to approach her, as the last thing he needed was additional embarrassment in front of other people.

His legs were hesistant, but his mind forced his body to stand up. He was slightly quivering, but when he took a step, he regained his composure. He took another step, and another.

Until he was just about at arm’s length from her.

Her back was in front of him as he took a deep breath, then gently reached out with his left hand, and tapped her by the upper sleeve of her uniform.

The elf turned around, her face lined with slight annoyance. The young cleric’s eyes were mesmerized at her cobalt-blue eyes, but his mind quickly shrugged it off. “Uh…, hey there,” he spoke to her, his hands clenching and unclenching on his sides.

The archer merely raised a brow and tilted her head to one side, obviously puzzled. Silent as ever, he thought. “It’s me…, Aethanael, remember? Back in Black Mountain, I, ah…, well, you see…"

Don’t be tongue-tied now, idiot. 

Before the elf could open her lips, he continued. “I just…well, I wanted to say, I’m really, really sorry what I…, well, how I asked for help back then. Truly."

“I know my intentions were sincere, but how I did it…, I’ve regretted how I coerced you for help. I was really desperate, y’know…"

She merely stared at him with a raised brow, her head still tilted slightly to one side.

“And it’s been three weeks, I know…, it may look like I’m taking my sweet time and all, but I was trying to, y’know, find the right moment and all that. I was embarrassed, and well…afraid. But I had to see you."

“I mean, see you so that I could apologize over the matter,” he quickly recovered himself from the slip of his tongue. “Our two races were forced into an uneasy alliance because of this war, yes, but I don’t want that cooperation between us…, I mean, we humans and elves, to crumble because of this misdemeanor."

“Believe me, I’ve been reprimanded by my superior already. And it’s my responsibility. So please, accept my humble, honest apology Sedina."

He bowed his head to her, his eyes closed tight, his fist clenched on his sides.

It was quiet for a few moments, until he pulled his head up, and the elf before him spoke a single word:

“I’m Serethil."

His eyes widened as his face contorted into a quizzed look. The last time he remembered, her name was Sedina, and she spoke in a deep tone, not like...

“Sister?” another voice spoke up, this time with the familiar deep, modular tone. And it didn’t come from her.

He turned his head slowly and just behind him, was her.

…What in the Goddess’s—?

Was he seeing double?

The newcomer elf, who bore a striking resemblance to the elf that he was talking to, wore a pensive scowl, and stared at him with such piercing eyes.

Those were the same piercing stare that he got when they were back in Black Mountain… 

The two elven archers stood side by side in front of him, his mouth trying hard not to gape in surprise. Although one was already had a smile on her face, the other one had this eeriely familiar stoic and poker-faced gaze.

Yet the two of them looked so similar. And so subtly different.

“Wait…what?” was all he could muster to speak in front of them. The elf who called herself ‘Serethil’ had now a closed fist on her lips, as she tried to hide the widening smile of hers.

“Is this man bothering you, Sister?” her apparent doppelganger spoke up again, the sound of her voice familiar to him as Sedina. His eyes kept moving back and forth at the two of them.

“Oh no, not at all, Sis. Aethanael… wasn’t it? He was just trying to apologize to me for something that should've been said to you."

Sedina raised a brow at her, then gave the young cleric a silent scowl.

He still couldn’t believe what he was looking at.

“Let us go, Sister,” the Bowmaster finally said, seeing that Aethanael seemed had nothing else to say in his bewildered predicament. She pushed past by him, as she ignored his stare that followed him as she walked away.

The young cleric scratched his right temple in embarrassment, when a sudden jolt of a slap on the back of his head startled him. The other elf trotted in front of him, a teasing smile plastered on her face.

“Looks like all that effort in apologizing was for naught, Aeth,” Serethil said to him, her cobalt-blue eyes twinkling. 

“Uh…"

“Couldn’t tell the difference between me and Sis? I suppose the one who could differentiate us hasn’t been born yet,” she giggled, then simply turned around and ran on tiptoe, towards the same direction as the other elf took.

By the time they’ve reached the foundry, the blacksmith quietly took their gear and started to work on it, while the two stood by the corner of his shop as the Acrobat continued on. “Why didn’t you tell Ekara Ithilien the whole thing?”

“I did tell her everything, Sister. What I reported to her was the same as what I have told you when I came back from Black Mountain.”

“Oh no, Sis. You didn’t,” she said back. “I remember you saying you were ‘coerced into helping this cleric just to get the imprisoned humans out’ to me,” she added, as she imitated her sister-at-arms’ deep and modular tone on the last statement.

The Bowmaster just gave her a slight irritated gaze, yet her voice was calm. “Yes I did, but if I did so, it would have only complicated things.”

“You, worry about ‘complicating’ things about our kinda-strained relationship with them?” Serethil raised a brow in genuine surprise. “I never thought I’d hear that from you, Sis.”

“I am still annoyed at Aethanael’s method of persuasion, yes,” Sedina said, her gaze locked at the sound of clanging metal as the hammer pounded on the anvil with distinct ring on it. “But I also cannot deny his capability of improvising a plan while we were there.”

“If I am to judge on his abilities alone, he is very competent.”

“Wow. Just, wow, Sis,” Serethil let out a low whistle. “Am I hearing a hint of…admiration for this Aeth person?”

“His name is Aethanael, Sister.”

“And you’re starting to even care for his name.”

“I am merely stating it not as a contraction, that is all.” Her cobalt-blue eyes avoided her gaze.

The Acrobat stifled a soft chuckle under her closed fist. “So have you seen him again here in Saint Haven?”

“No. And why should I? He has completed his task, and I have no reason to aid him of anything else.”

“He sounds like someone with a colorful personality. Doesn’t that pique your interest as well?”

She fell silent once more, while another archer stood beside her. Her appearance and features were uncannily similar to the Bowmaster, from her golden blonde hair, cobalt-blue eyes, slender figure, down to their attire.

“I’m curious, Sedina,” Ithilien continued her query. “I know you’re not one on helping out the humans so easily."

“Why this one, and why now?"

Sedina took a deep breath before she answered. “He was… headstrong and insistent on completing the task, even though he had no plan at hand."

“That still doesn’t answer why."

“Aethanael… persuaded me to rescue the children and the wounded, as he said that rescuing them would lead to confusion and disarray within the enemy, and in their frustration, would turn on one another."

“His reasoning seemed sound enough that I gave my aid to him."

“Aethanael, is it?"

“He introduced himself first; it was only respectful that I tell him mine, Ekara."

Ithilien walked to and fro in front of her two lieutenants, the clicking of her heeled boots made a snapping sound on the hard earth. She pondered silently for a few minutes.

“What do you think, Serethil?” she then spoke up to the other elf.

“I’m sorry, Ekara?” she finally spoke up, her face slightly startled at the question.

“What can you say of your sister-at-arms’ explanation for her recent… behavior?"

The other elf’s eyes blinked, then looked at the Bowmaster, who remained stoic and poker-faced. She studed her face for a moment before she answered her superior.

“Well, Ekara,” she poke in a pitch that was a bit higher than Sedina’s. “I see nothing wrong with it."

Ithilien tilted her head at the two, as Serethil continued. “As my Sis explained awhile ago, she never fired a single arrow when she and… Aethanael executed their rescue mission."

“Not to mention he did most of the work: and his ruse of using the lifeless bodies of the kobolds and orcs, and making it look like those monsters turned on one another… I’d say it was a pretty novel idea."

“If they suspect anything, my best bet is that they’ll be blaming each other for the mess."

The Master Archer walked to and fro once more, then after awhile, stopped and turned to them. “If your sister-at-arms vouches for you, then I understand your actions, Sedina,” she said to the two.

“Though may I remind you of our precarious relationship… or rather, alliance,” she immediately corrected herself. “Between us and these humans of Lagendia."

“Always keep that in mind."

“You may."

“It's my duty, as caretaker of these orphans, to ensure their safety and security, isn’t it? That’s reason enough for what I did…"

“Yes, ensuring their safety and security, which is first and foremost, Aethanael,” Terramai replied back, his arms akimbo now as he stood in front of his subordinate. “That which, from the looks of it, you did poorly."

“And that is why I had to correct my mistake."

“And by which you mean going to Black Mountain on your own and rescue them from the enemy?"

The young man simply nodded at his superior. “Believe me when I say I first asked for help from my brothers of the cloth. But with the Templar Knights scattered all over the continent…"

“And how about the Adventurer’s Guild?"

“I went there next; but all seemed to be focused in logistics and security. I even asked the Fairystar Sisterhood…, yes, I was that desperate for help."

“And when I’ve come to realize the gravity of such a task, High Father, I prayed to the Goddess for aid so that I may succeed."

“And by ‘aid’ you meant the elf you met earlier?"

“Yes. Her. Sedina. Of the Silver Crescent Archers.” Somehow his voice seemed…excited, as Aethanael stammered to him. Was that a smile Terramai saw for a moment?

The child in the caretaker's arms stirred a bit, but his eyes were still closed. The High Cleric was quiet as well, pondering on his words. Finally he breathed a sigh and looked at him sternly.

“For the record, what you did was reckless, and downright foolish. And as such a severe punishment must be meted out upon you,” Terramai said in a commanding voice. The young cleric tried to open his mouth to retort, but his superior made a gesture, and he stopped. “But in this case, Inquisitor Aethanael, you are already removed from active duty of our Order. I think this is more than enough of a punishment."

The young cleric blinked, then understood his words. He got a slap on the wrist this time.

This time.

“But, as I said earlier, Aethanael,” the Cleric Leader added, his arms akimbo once more. “You are in a very precarious position right now."

The Inquisitor blinked questioningly.

“The elf was hesitant in aiding you, as she was only ordered to do a reconnaisance mission. You know how strained our relationship is with them, and now this."

Aethanael gulped. The war thrust the two races to work together, albeit in not-so-friendly terms. Some of them looked down upon the humans with open disdain, despite of their Queen’s call for an alliance...

And his superior was right. This.

“I suggest you do something about it, and quickly,” Terramai noted, as he turned around. “If we are to win this war, unity between humans and elves is the only way."

“Yes, High Father. If that is your wish,” the young cleric said in a serious tone.

With lightning-quick reflexes she was able to draw and released two arrows at once, and before the orc could growl aloud it fell on the dry earth with a resounding dull thud.

She hissed at herself, for her carelessness. She entered Black Mountain unseen, past the supposed sentries that she memorized their patrol walks, yet she never saw this one.

Maybe it was just an orc who just wandered around. Or not.

Nonetheless, she knew the impending danger of staying in that area for too long; her stealth was now compromised, and she has no time to hide the corpse. She has to escape undetected.

Hanging her bow around her chest, she quickly ran to the opposite direction, but not before breaking the arrows that were embedded onto the orc captain’s body. The enemy must not know that an elf was able to infiltrate their base of operations. They cannot risk a retaliatory attack so soon, not with Saint Haven’s force still in disarray.

Her lithe legs brought her enough distance to slow down just a bit, but she knew not to let her guard down; she can only call it safe if she reaches the foothills of Black Mountain as quickly as possible… 

Suddenly her ears twitched at the sound of moaning. Stopping on her tracks, she turned her head around to look for the source. The moanings became louder as she stealthily reached to some sort of pen… 

…where human children, wounded soldiers, and common folk were rounded up like caged animals. Goblin magi guarded the kennels, while kobolds eyed their prisoners, their tongues salivating heavily.

The elven Bowmaster hesitated. But as quickly as she made up her mind, she turned around. Her duty came first. Reconnaisance of the enemy force in Black Mountain, she said to herself. Then report back to Ekara Ithilien… 

Nothing more, nothing less. And nothing else.

Without warning a hand grabbed her by her left arm, and she quickly whirled around, her other free hand formed into a fist, and lunged.

Her fist was easily caught with another hand, and her sight was now locked onto a pair of jet-black eyes that seemed to pierce her soul. His attire was consistent of those who were of the cleric order of Saint Haven. “You’re one of the Silver Crescent Archers, right?” he hissed in a low tone.

She studied his face for a moment. And simply nodded.

“Then you have to help me,” he quickly added.

“Help you? With what?” she finally spoke up. Her tone was deep and modular, unlike the other elves that this young man had seen and heard in Saint Haven.

“The children. The wounded soldiers. The people in there,” he said, his voice now raspy. “We have to get them out of there."

“That is impossible, human,” she hissed, her cobalt-blue eyes now squinted in annoyance at him. “I do not know how many kobolds are there guarding the pens. And I doubt you even know the enemy’s strength…"

“To heck with that,” he hissed back at her, as he released his grip on her fist and arm. “We have to save them!"

Suddenly her ears twitched, then without warning she grabbed him by the collar, then pressed his back onto the rock wall that they were hiding in. Before the cleric could even protest, she put her forefinger across his lips to silence him.

The sounds of two kobold guards came nearer at where they were. Both elf and human stood still for what seemed like a very long moment, then the monsters went away.

She disengaged her grip on him, as he sighed in relief. “As I said, human, it is futile and foolish to rescue them alone."

“I’m not alone; you’re with me!"

“I am not consenting to such a reckless course of action."

“Fine, then I’ll make you help me."

“‘Make me?’ What nonesense are you talking about?"

“I’ll just get their attention here by being noisy, and you’ll be forced to fight; and odds are you’ll have to fight your way out as well if that happens…"

The elf glared at him. But he stood his ground, and looked backed at her.

After a few moments, she spoke up again. “Very well then. But we do this quietly."

Finally, he thought. He nodded at her.

“But you will follow my lead, human."

“I have a name you know,” he retorted in an annoyed tone. “It’s Aethanael, elf."

She gave him a piercing gaze with her squinted cobalt-blue eyes. The way he said ‘elf’ had a sarcastic tone on it. “My name is Sedina,” she said, then turned around.

“Sedina, eh? That’s a good name for an elf like you."