FrivYeti/CalinPg9
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Amanda and Bryce strolled through the woods, quiet in each others company. Bryce looked around and smiled. The woods were quiet and peaceful, today, and Bryce couldn't help but smile. Sunlight filtered through the trees, dapping the ground with shadows, the rocks of the hills mixing with the light trees, and birds twittered quietly in the background. Bryce looked over at Amanda, looking radiant herself, and his smile widened.
"A koku for your thoughts?" Amanda smiled back at Bryce, before glancing around for any pockets of herbs nestled under trees. "You look very thoughtful today, Bryce."
"Just thinking about the beauty of the day... and of my companion." With a lopsided grin, he looked around the forest. "A day like this, it's like a gift from the... the Dragons." Amanda glanced at him for a moment, and then shrugged and nodded.
"I'm just glad that we had it together. Bryce, when I first heard what had happened, I was so worried."
"For me?" When Amanda nodded slowly, Bryce chuckled. "Amanda, by the time you heard about it, it was over, and I'm the one who was fine. You don't have to worry about me."
"You could have been killed!" Amanda spun, giving Bryce a push; surprised, he took a step backwards. "What if that snake hadn't scattered the goblins, huh? They would have murdered you and eaten you! Of course I was worried! Why weren't you?" She glared up at him, tears in the corners of her eyes, and he raised his hands defensively.
"Woah, easy!" Bryce reached out a hand, and then hugged Amanda, pulling her close to him. "Amanda, I'm sorry. I didn't realize that you were that affected. The truth is, I was scared out of my mind, but I wasn't really thinking about it until after it was over. By then, I was just relieved to be alive." He hugged her for a moment more before letting go, and shook his head. "I was angry more than anything else."
Amanda chuckled, wiping her eyes. "That I can believe. You never worry about yourself, Bryce." She reached out for a moment, and then stopped, turning away, and started off the path, kneeling to rummage in the undergrowth. "You need to watch out. I don't want anything bad to happen to you."
"I do my best." Bryce scratched his head embarrasedly. "It's not like I go out looking for trouble."
"Don't you?" Amanda sighed, and began picking herbs and placing them in her basket. "You've been going out all week, alone. I noticed. It's not your fault, what happened to Brewan and Adar. Don't get yourself killed trying to help them. Promise me, Bryce."
"I'm not going to get killed." Bryce looked away, his heart heavy.
"Bryce, I'm serious. Promise me you won't get yourself into that kind of trouble again."Amanda looked up from her herbs at him, and a faint sense of worry ran down Bryce's spine, as his secret reared itself within his mind. He knew, deep down, that he was a Chosen of the Sun, something that he couldn't ignore. The situation with the Fair Folk was mild compared to what he - or at least, someone who was partially him - had once done, and he couldn't make that kind of promise.
"Amanda, I -" Bryce paused, searching for words. He knew that he couldn't lie to her about this, but at the same time he couldn't explain to her why this was his destiny. Admitting to being one of the dreaded Anathema... it wasn't something that he could do, not and stay. He tried to find a way to avoid the question.
"I'm terribly afraid, my dear, that such a promise would be perfectly impossible to keep." Bryce turned in shock as a shadow filled the wood. Behind him, Amanda froze in fear and stared, herbs falling from her fingers.
Stars filled the woods as the black serpent reared up, its wings brushing the trees, and Bryce drew his spear, letting Essence flow through his body to toughen it, and discovering to his mild surprise that he was no longer affected by its malevolent aura. Only then did he notice the woman standing at the serpent's base. It was impossible to mistake her for mortal – her skin was white and pure, and her hair shimmered, fading into such fine ends that it was impossible to tell exactly where it ended and the wind began. She was wearing a green evening gown, which rustled across the forest floor without growing dirtied or muddy, and which flickered around her feet. Smiling thinly, she nodded to Bryce. "You injured my master's serpent, and he does not take kindly to such actions by his morsels. The time has come to pay the price."
Bryce's jaw clenched, and he set his spear, without a trace of fear on his features, completing his preparations. The Fair Folk blinked in surprise, as he smiled ever so slightly, and grimly. "Come and get me, then."
