The Forsaken Hero

The next time I woke up, Elise sat in a chair beside my bed, reading a thick tome. She set it down as I yawned, a smile breaking across her face.

”Good morning!”

”How long’s it been?” I mumbled, rubbing my eyes blearily.

”Only a day.”

I yawned again. ”Not a week? Thank the gods.”

She smiled. ”I’ll admit it was something of a scare, but R’lissea determined you just pushed yourself a little too hard. Fate wasn’t happy about it, but we managed to push the blame on Lord Ernyst.”

”They shouldn’t have been fighting,” I mumbled, closing my eyes.

The previous day’s events were all jumbled in my mind, giving me a slight headache. The light in the inn room was faint but distracting, so I rested my head back on the pillow and draped an arm over my eyes.

Elise laid a hand on my forehead. ”Everything alright? You feel a little warm.”

”Just thinking. And it’s your fingers that are cold.”

She chuckled and moved her hand up, caressing my hair. Her finger caught in a snarl, and I winced. The small tug of pain helped clear my mind, and things quickly slotted into place.

I let my arm fall back to the bed. Elise leaned forward, and I swallowed, a lump building in my throat.

”Was he really worried about me? Luke?”

Her mouth dropped open. ”That’s the first thing you ask?”

I cringed, biting my lip. ”It’s not...I thought that...”

”You remember about folding fate, right?”

I ducked my head, a strand of crimson hair falling over my face. She brushed it aside, not letting me escape her gaze.

”Um...was he?”

She shook her head in disbelief. ”Yes, Xiviyah, he was.”

”Really?” My tail started to swish beneath the covers.

Elise stood and stretched, her skirt rising above her knees. ”I’d say so. Jessia had to drag him away to deal with demon matters personally, else he never would have left your side.”

I shivered, clutching the blankets to my chin. My cheeks warmed as I pictured Luke sitting beside me, watching my sleeping face.

”He didn’t...do anything weird, did he?” I mumbled, screwing my eyes shut.

Elise giggled, reaching out to pat my head again. ”What do you think?”

My tail lashed, breaking free of the covers and curling around the bedpost. ”N-no?”

”Guess you’ll have to ask him. Now, come on, let’s get you dressed.”

She grabbed my hand and, ignoring my protests, pulled me from the security of the blankets. My tail continued to swish to and fro as she tugged my night dress off and riffled through my spatial ring, finally selecting a dress.

”Why that one?” I asked, shyly fingering the fabric as she held it up to me. It was soft satin with a neckline that went far enough down to expose some modest cleavage.

”It matches mine!” she said, lifting her own skirt and showing off the beautiful white gown with short sleeves and a gold sash. ”Now turn around. Let me help you with the ties!”

The dress was tied with a long, red ribbon laced up the back. Once the dress was tight, she looped the ends and tied it into a wide bow, resting just beneath my shoulder blades. I did a little twirl, closing my eyes and relishing the silky swish of the fabric around my thighs.

A knock at the door caused me to jump, cheeks flushing pink. A visitor? Was it Luke? My heart fluttered at the thought, and I tugged at my skirt, trying to get it to cover more of my thighs. Elise giggled and danced over, opening it to reveal R’lissea. I sagged, still gripping my skirt, heart thudding in my chest.

”You look beautiful,” the elf said, gliding into the room.

Elise took me by the hand and spun me around, running a hand through my tangled hair. ”Her hair could use some work.”

”I-is it that bad?” I asked, twirling a strand around my finger.

”Definitely. Come here; I’ll brush it for you,” R’lissea said.

I sat on the chair beside the bed, tilting my head back. R’lissea hands encircled my hair, gathering it together before drawing it out behind the backrest. Her comb descended a second later, and I closed my eyes, tail curling apprehensively around the chair leg.

”I’m ready,” I said.

R’lissea smoothed down the length of my hair, picking out a thick clump of strands. ”This isn’t a fight, Xiviyah. I’m just brushing your hair. You don’t need to be--oh, sorry. That one was tougher than I thought.”

”It feels like a battle,” I mumbled, griping my skirt to keep my hands from pushing her away. ”You’re worse than Korra.”

”She must be kind and gentle, then. As much as I love brushing hair, I think I’d cut yours before trying to comb it out,” Elise said with a grin.

R’lissea’s comb missed a stroke as she shrugged. ”It’s a month’s worth of bed-head, after all. And I’m sure you will someday. Luke said his scouts found the Last Light Company’s trail deep in the empire.”

”That’s what Fyren said, too,” I added.

”I wonder why they didn’t stay in Brithlite. As much as I loathe to say it, the gods know that kingdom could have used their help rebuilding,” Elise said.

”The elves...aren’t we going there too?” I asked.

R’lissea answered, saying, ”I hope so, but Luke hasn’t committed to anything other than toppling the empire. He said we’re going to remain here in the city until the rest of the apostles catch up. Another time, I heard him mention something about finding a few demon gates to fill the ranks in his army.”

”A break, then,” I said softly. ”Thank goodness.”

”Yeah,” Elise said. ”Especially after yesterday. I think we all underestimated how fragile your breakthrough left you.”

She walked over to the window, parting the curtains with a hand. Streams of starlight fell into the room, making her hair glow.

”I-I’m fine now,” I said.

”I’m not so sure about that. Were you feeling tired yesterday before you fainted?” R’lissea asked.

I shook my head thoughtlessly, jerking the comb out of her hands. It caught on a snarl, swaying gently in the air.

”Oww,” I muttered, rubbing my head.

Elise giggled. ”You sure you’re alright? Maybe you should rest her for a few more days. I don’t think Fate would let us off the hook again.”

”What? No!” I gasped, looking up sharply. The starlight no longer made her seem soft and warm, but cold like midnight shadows.

R’lissea glared at Elise. ”It’s fine, so long as she avoids stress and overexerting herself.”

”Like teasing,” I muttered.

”So no Luke?” she asked with a grin.

My heart fluttered at his name, sending a burst of red across my face. ”I-I won’t even think about him!”

”As if that could happen. Admit it, when I chose that dress, you wondered if Luke would like it.”

”No, I--”

”Elise! Cut that out,” R’lissea scolded.

”I’m just teasing her,” Elise grumbled.

”Please, I know you’re happy she’s awake, but think for a second. I was just telling you not to stress her out!”

R’lissea jerked the comb in agitation, tugging a lock painfully. I groaned, eyes watering. Rubbing my eyes didn’t help, and soon, tears gathered on my eyelashes, threatening to fall. As I sniffled, R’lissea dropped the comb, smoothing my hair out in a panic.

”Sorry! I’m trying to be gentle!” she cried.

I sniffled as the elf’s frantic motions turned smooth and soothing, patting my head like I was a child. Shame colored my cheeks, but I only half-heartedly pulled away before giving in, letting her caress between my horns. My eyes blurred, and I sniffled, dragging my sleeve over my eyes.

”I’m sorry, it’s not your fault. I just...Luke, he’s...”

I choked on a sob, causing both R’lissea and Elise to stiffen. My face burned as their eyes filled with worry, but even more powerful than the shame was the hollow emptiness inside, yearning to be filled.

I looked up at R’lissea, my lower lip quivering. My courage fell shy of verbalizing anything, but her face softened, and she enveloped me in a hug. Gentle sobs shook my shoulders as I wept, wetting her sleeve.

Word by word, the story tumbled out, a jumbled waterfall of pent-up grief, fear, and stress. They had no context for any of it, nor could they hope to empathize, but I shared it all. From the anguish of the abandoned city and terror of the Inquisitors to the long, lonely solitude of the visions and memories I would never get to experience.

In the center of the storm, however, was Luke. I knew nothing about him, yet everything at the same time. Our souls had entangled, giving me a view to the darkest parts of his mind, and yet... I didn’t even know why he was so determined to protect me.

As my sobs finally stilled, the tide of thoughts and questions came to an end. Elise was holding my hands, and at some point, the R’lissea had begun caressing my horns. Her touch sent warm tingles through my entire body, easing the tightness in my chest.

”I’m sorry, ” she said, hand darting away. ”I know your horns are sensitive, and I didn’t mean to--”

”It’s alright, I...like it,” I whispered, nuzzling her hand with my cheek. ”Sorry for telling you all that. It doesn’t really matter, so please forget it all.”

”I could never do that,” she answered softly.

”Nor could I,” Elise added. ”I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were feeling like that. After yesterday, I assumed everything was fine.”

R’lissea nodded. ”Me too. But Xiviyah, we’re here for you. There’s no reason you have to bear all of these burdens alone. You’ve suffered so much darkness...please talk with us next time. Don’t let it build and overwhelm you.”

”That’s right. Everyone needs a shoulder to cry on,” Elise said.

She squeezed my hand and gave me a reassuring smile.

”Thank you,” I whispered, letting their warmth wash over me. I hesitated a moment, cheeks warming, before lowering my head. ”T-There is one thing...”

”Yes?” they both asked, leaning forward.

My face warmed slightly, and I bit my lip. ”I-I don’t understand. Um, about Luke. Why does he keep coming back?”