#soultember

    The moment of admiration quickly faded to dread. Why here? Why now? Why, her? The general looked back to her opponent, a skilled Sunfire elf. She looked just as surprised.

    Then the elf drew her sword. It was colorful, the blade being different shades of, green? No yellow. It looked lively in the same way that Sairi had told her.

    Amaya drew her sword. She looked at it, curious to see how it changed. Nope still gray. Something seemed wrong about fighting the women you're destined to love.

    Even if they were soulmates they were enemies first. They attached each other but both soldiers couldn't help but get distracted. The bright colors that surrounded them, the overwhelming feeling of the world looking so different. 

    The colors were the only destination. There was something alluring about the elf. Every part of Amaya felt that this was wrong. It felt traitorous to feel that way.  

    When their fight ended Janai wandered around, taking in the sights of the world.

    Amaya wasn't going to tell anyone. But when she arrived at the base and saw Gren she couldn't help but smile. He looked good in color. His hair was definitely not what she had been expecting. It was like a lighter version of the lava.

    'What are you so smiley about?' Gren signed.

    'Just happy to see you' she replied.

    Gren smiled. That was sweet.

    Amaya's smile slowly faded. She didn't want to lie. Gren was her closest friend, she should tell him. He was unwavering in his optimism, he'd find the positive.

    Then she looked at him. She had to come to terms with it first. She couldn't tell Gren, at least not yet.

    For the next few days Amaya wondered about the elven stranger. She was a good fighter, strong, beautiful, and dangerous.

    When night fell that day, the general rode up to the breach. She knew it wasn't a good idea but, she had to know. When she got off her horse, she went to where the two had met.

    And she wasn't the only one there. The elf sat near the edge of the path. She looked gorgeous. It pained Amaya, finding beauty in Xadia. She hated it, she hated her self for it.

    Then the elf stood. Amaya waved. The soldier looked at her, "what are you doing here?" She asked.

    'Looking for you' she signed.

    "What?"

    Grabbing a piece of paper, a feather, and an ink well, Amaya questers to the ground. Unsure the elf walked over and sat down. Then the human did.

    Amaya grabbed the feather gently and wrote, 'Im deaf.'

    The elf looked at her and reached her hand out for the pen. She took it and dipped it in the ink. 'Okay'.

    Amaya took it back. 'So, you're my soulmate?'

    'And you're mine?'

    They looked at each other.

    "This alone is treason." The elf sighed.

    'It is' Amaya wrote. 'What's your name?'

    The elf grabbed the feather carefully, 'Janai.'

    'Im Amaya.'

    "Amaya" Janai said. It sounded right, saying her name. She hated it in the best way she could.

    Maybe this would be okay. Everything had to be okay. Fate wouldn't be so cruel as to connect them only to have it be impossible to love each other right?

    'Do you like color?' Amaya wrote.

    The two's hands touched as they exchanged the feather. 'I do, do you?'

    'I do. Got a favorite?'

    "I'm not sure what it's called but-' then she pointed to a color on her armor.

    'Yellow?'

    "How do you know?"

    'My sister used to tell what the colors looked like. She said it was bright and lively; the color of the sun.' 

    'Oh, you have a sister?'

    Amaya nodded sadly. She grabbed the pen and dipped it into the ink. 'She's dead.'

    "Oh, I'm so sorry."

    Amaya didn't say anything.

    Janai grabbed the pen softly, 'What's your favorite color?'

    She pointed at the color of her armor, 'blue.'

    "How did she describe blue?"

    'The color of the sky and of the ocean but also sadness.'

    Janai tried to look at the sky but clouds blocked her way. They stayed over the breach, making the area darker than the rest of the land around it.

    'If you want we can take a walk? I can tell you what color some things are. If I'm right anyway.'

    Janai looked unsure, "to do that we'd need to leave the breach."

    'Then I'll follow you'

    "Are you sure?"

    Amaya nodded. She stood up and extended her hand out for Janai.

    Janai led the way. It was the first time in nine years that Amaya had been in Xadia. It felt different being there just to talk instead of going to kill.

    Corvus looked down at his arm, feeling a slight tingle in it. It was his soulmate. He always felt his soulmate was a little too silly for him. He was so serious and quiet but they were funny and energetic.

    Soren checked his arm throughout the day, waiting for his soulmate to respond. 'Hello????' He wrote impatiently.

    A tingle, 'hello.'

    'Oh hi! How are you?'

    'Fine, how are you?'

    'I'm good!' Soren fawned over his soulmate's handwriting. It was so clear and neat.

    Corvus sighed at his. He wondered what fate could have in store for two people who clearly seemed to be opposites. When he talked to Gren about it he said 'opposites attract.' It was the most, least helpful piece of advice he could have given him.

    Grabbing a cloth Corvus dipped it in water. He gently ran the damp cloth over his arm and dried it off. Sitting on his bed, he put water back on the floor.

    As the lines smeared, Soren took a cloth from the table. He couldn't find any water so he tried to just use the fabric to get rid of the ink. Placing the cloth of his skin he roughly pushed the cloth into his skin, trying to keep the smudging at a minimum.

    'Take your time.'

    Soren Smiled. He drew a little happy face and put the pen down. Leaving his room, he set off to get some water.

    Gren walked into Corvus's quarters. "What are you up too?"

    "My soulmate wrote. He sure likes to."

    "I think he'll be good for you" Gren smiled and walked over to the bed. "Someone has to get you out of your shell."

    Corvus ignored the commander's comment.

    "What do you know about him?"

    "Not much, we can't share our names. He's in the crown guard of Katolis."

    "See, you already have something in common! You're both in the Katolis military!"

    "I suppose we are."

    Soren walked right into Callum as he rubbed the drying ink off his arm. "Hey step-prince!"

    "Oh, hey Soren."

    Callum looked at Soren's arm, "writing your soulmate?"

    "Yep!"

    "How's it going?"

    "Good! He actually wrote back for once!"

    "Have fun with that. Tell them I said hi."

    "Will do, step prince."

    Soren rushed off to his room where he could continue talking to his mystery person. 'Im back!'

    Gren grabbed Corvus's arm, "what did he say?"

    "I'm, not sure." He drew a question mark next to the illegible words

    The guard chuckled then wrote slower. "I'm back." He spoke to himself.

    Corvus smiled. 'I see that.'

    The two wrote for a little longer before someone walked into the tracker's quarters, "both of you are needed by General Amaya."

    "Okay. Tell her we'll be right there." Gren got up, "let him know that we need to go."

    Corvus quickly but neatly wrote that he had to go. He pulled his sleeve down, leaving the ink there. Most of it had dried.

    The guard took his chance. He pulled his pen out and started to trace what his soulmate had said. Each stroke was placed with deliverance.

    Though the meeting Corvus had a hard time concentrating; the tingling feeling from his soulmate writing in his arm almost worried him.  It felt like it was always the same thing in the same place.

    As soon as the meeting was over, Corvus, followed by Gren, walked back to his quarters. He threw the door open pulling his sleeve up. There was, nothing new?

    The tingling was still there. He had to be okay. Gren handed him the wet rag and he quickly scrubbed the ink off. But nothing changed.

    Soren felt a change. He grabbed the rag by his bed and cleaned his arm off.

    'Are you okay?' This time it was Soren who drew the question marks.

    'Are you okay?'

    'Yeah why?'

    'You were just writing a lot. What did you write?' Corvus sighed and turned to Gren, "he's okay."

    "That's good."

    'I was tracing your words. I like your handwriting and want to have better handwriting so you don't have to draw so many question marks '

    Corvus smiled. 'Thats sweet.' His stomach filled with butterflies.

    'Awww thanks!'

    Gren sat down next to Corvus, handing him a rag so he could clean off his arm. He took the cloth and rubbed it on his arm.

    'Im going to go train for a little bit. I'll write to you later!" Soren rubbed everything but that off.

    'Okay.' Corvus laid down.

    "I told you it would be okay."