RHYSSAND
THE FOREST WAS EERILY QUIET, SAVE FOR THE PAINED CRY OF THE NIGHT OWL, sending a chill down Artizea's spine. Though it was nothing compared to the roar that sounded like the beast from earlier, and the scream afterward—
"Eugene!" She yelled.
Artizea broke into a sprint, her heart racing, her eyes struggling to focus while scanning the endless rows of trees.
Eugene had wandered ahead, not realizing his curiosity would lead him deeper into the woods despite her warnings to stay close. How could she lose him? Had she zoned out? When she reached the clearing, her eyes widened in horror. Eugene lay sprawled on the ground. Towering over him was the same bear. He scrambled to crawl backward, his hands glowing faintly while holding up a defensive shield.
"It is not going to hold for much longer," Eugene hisses. His hands trembled as the shield's glow flickered.
Artizea stood protectively in front of him. "I'll make it hold," She shot back, though her exhaustion was starting to show. A nagging thought crossed her mind while remembering her father saying the healers had advised her to rest rather than new adventures, not like she had a choice now.
Just as it seemed the darkness would overwhelm them, a sudden light broke through the trees. A shockwave of energy rippled through the clearing, and a golden light streaked through the air. A familiar Spear pierced the bear's side with unerring precision, and the beast roared before collapsing to the ground. Their savior? Him. Standing just beyond the clearing, bathed in the fading glow of the moon, was the Prince of heaven himself, and with a single gesture, he delivered the final blow.
Artizea's heart pounded against will and better judgment; she shook her head, snapping herself out of it, "Eugene!" she called. She did not recall dismounting, only rushing to her brother's side. "Are you hurt? Anything broken?"
"I am fine. Just not used to being in the field," he said.
He was shaken, nor did he seem harmed, aside from a few scrapes. When she turned back to Rhyssand, recognition flared in her eyes, and anger quickly followed. "You—" she hissed, drawing her sword without hesitation. She stalked toward him.
"You…" he mimicked smoothly.
"What are you doing here!" She demanded.
"Keeping my word…" he said calmly.
Artiuzea opened her mouth, ready to blister blind him with questions.
"—And what word would that be, Rhyssand?" he answered for her, "Well, my dearest Princess, I am tearing down the last of the pillars… and any remaining consequences, which have been claimed entirely by yours truly. A reward…" he added smugly, "Would not go unnoticed…especially for enduring your endless queries and concerns."
"Really, a reward?" Artizea quickly countered.
"Have I not been a good and faithful council member?"
"Depends on which title you carry when you decided to just happen to glide on by?"
Rhyssand shighed, almsot in a whimper. Pulling questions out of thin air seemed her newest hobby.
"I have eyes in every sky, Princess," He replied smugly. "One's you personally permitted to roam yours."
Artizea narrowed her eyes. "What are you on about? I have done no such thing—"
Just then, Swoosh. A blur of feathers cut through the tension. Fin swooped in and landed neatly on Rhyssand's shoulder.
Artizea's jaw dropped. She blinked once. Then twice, going on three times. "No…"
"This… is my companion. You may have seen him around." Rhyssand mused.
Artizea flinched. No, she thought, it cannot be the same bird…until she saw a smesific feather. "I knew it. I knew I was not seeing things!"
Rhyssand tilted his head, mock confusion on his face, "Ah!—"
"Ah?? You knew I was looking for him that day!"
"Funny, I distinctly remember you were looking for me."
"I was not!You have been stalking me! Admit it!" she cut off, pointing her lance directly at his chest, fury boiling.
"Stalking?" he mused.
Artizea's eye twitched, "That bird follows me everywhere. He sleeps outside my window!" Then horror slapped her across the face, "Do you see what he sees?!" She yelled.
Rhyssand smiled lazily. "I saw nothing you did not wish anyone but me to see."
Before she could blow a fuse, the damn bird opened its mouth.
"Good day, Your Royal Highness," Fin said, voice prim and chipper. "Allow me to formally introduce myself. I am, regrettably, a talking bird, bound by a debt to Lord Rhyssand. How do you do?"
Artizea froze, her lance dropping.
Eugene, on the other hand, was fascinated. "You… can talk?"
Fin fluffed his feathers, "That is what I just said, yes."
Eugene's eyes widened with childlike fascination. "Sarcasm? That is amazing!" He stepped closer, examining the sparrow like it was a newly discovered species. "What other emotions do you experience? Happiness? Grief? Existential dread? Chronic depression….?"
Fin shimmied backward, then slowly turned toward Rhyssand. "Umm… can we go? This one's frothing."
Artizea finally regained her sense of awareness, then slowly turned her gaze back to a grinning Rhyssand, wiping the blood from his blade.
"What? No, thank you?" He stepped over the bear's corpse, "Have you forgotten our lesson in manners already… Or were you too distracted?" he teased.
A person of the ordinary would barely glimpse a raging bull before meeting the gods. Artizea's glare cut into Rhyssand as his low chuckle rumbled in her ears. She strained against him, muscles trembling, strength not yet fully returned. With a ragged breath and a sudden surge, she shoved harder; the combined force sent them both skidding apart.
Rhyssand told Tall, his wings flared behind him. She lunged again. But he disarmed her with a move she had never seen before, nor been taught.
Forsaking her weapon altogether, she pulled out her dagger, aiming for his pair of irritating sunbeam eyes, but he grabbed her arm, right as it was threatening to carve out his face.
"How frustrating." He mumbled, twisting her grip until the dagger slipped free, vanishing to gods know where. Artizea let out an exasperated growl, her face inches from his. "Admit it," he teased, "You are ecstatic to see me…it is written all over your mistakes."
"I have not a clue of which you speak," she sneered, flashing him those 'I am going to kill you' eyes.
Rhyssand raised an eyebrow, his smirk widening. Challenge accepted. He stepped even closer, his other arm finding her waist, and released her arm to take her hand, guiding her into a familiar stance, beginning to mirror a familiar dance.
"Do you remember now?"
"No," she said.
His gaze held hers for a moment, "Liar,"he murmured, dipping her low. In that moment, the memory crashed back into her mind: the ball, the music, the way he had made her feel like she was the only person in the room.
It cannot be.
Artizea's heart skipped a beat while replaying her point of view with His hand in hers. The soft hum of a melody as they danced. His voice. "The stars above pale in comparison to your light, Princess." She flushed. Tsk, it was him.
Rhyssand inclined his head, "Did you miss me, Princess?"
Artizea's eyes burned with a mix of anger and confusion. "You dare show your face there after challenging my realm's throne?"
"And you dare dance with its challenger," he countered.
"You were hiding—" she accused, voice rising. She caught sight of the dagger's resting place, wasting no thoughts; it was in her grip, the blade kissing the line of his throat.
Rhyssand's wings shifted, the faint rustle forcing his momentary triumph down. His hand shot up, catching her arm, dragging her gaze back to him. "Enough. Right now in this moment? We are not equals," he growled. "If I wanted to harm you, I would not have let you go the first time, second, third, or fourth… and I just saved your brother's life. You're welcome, by the way."
The moment ended with someone yawning. Both Artizea and Rhyssand's gaze snapped toward Fin perched on Eugene, suddenly remembering their existence.
"It was the bird…" Eugene said quickly, pointing to the sparrow.
"Hey!" Fin barked. "Do you know who I am? I can pluck out her eyes faster than you can pray to a god for help!"
Eugene noted that down as if it were a new character trait: Considerable IQ… easily… threatened. He mumbled.
"Hey, No, I am not—!" Fin exclaimed again.
Artizea's gaze snapped back to a grinning fool. He offered her the dagger in peace. She hesitated, then attempted to take it, but he withdrew his hand slightly. She grunted a "Thank you," then snatched it."Why are you here, Rhyssan'dsnezhniyah? she mocked, "What do you want?"
His wings twitched between the way she called his name and the question she kept asking. It was a very good question…To which he had no mortal comprehending answer.
Why was he here? What did he want?
He was not supposed to be here, not officially. He was simply observing…only. Until he saw the flame. A small light in the depths of darkness. A woman in disguise. But what drew him closer was the single crimson feather, swept to one side. He could not see through the enchantment, nor could he remove his mask before the time.
That was the rule.
But something deeper than sight told him—It was her. He should not have known. But he did. He attempted to leave numerous times. But his gaze lingered on the woman, who moved elegantly on the floor. There was a moment when their eyes nearly met, and he felt a pang in his core being. She turned away quickly, as if dismissing the fleeting connection. He would not have it. He would not have her forget him as if what they had awakened were a mere trick of a fleeting dream, when gods know how many nights he had spent questioning the same thing. The next thing he knew—
"May I have this dance, My lady?'
It was then Artizea finally looked at him, like he was not her enemy…
"There is a mutual threat in these woods," Rhyssand said calmly. "One that concerns us both. Taking your recent report into consideration, I have tasked myself with shutting down its source—"
"Welp." Artizea cuts him off. "Best of luck to you on your endeavor, Eugene. Let's go."
"Wait—When you went to Angle Point," Eugene asked quietly, "You said you came across abnormalities…Were they anything like the one that chased us?"
Artizea stilled. Her breath caught. Her eyes flicked once to Rhyssand, then back to Eugene. "Earlier in the journey, we came across one, but she was only a girl. It was like she was understanding some spell. I could not bring her to Father, nor could I kill her, Arthur protested, obviously…"
Eugene nodded, "We have already established that Arthur is an idiot." His gaze flickered between Artizea and Rhyssand and then quickly back at her. "And the celestial being?"
Before Rhyssand could answer, Artizea stepped in, "The council came to the conclusion that the brainless fool was following orders."
"But what was your conclusion?" Eugene pressed.
Arrtizea thought carefully. "We fought… and then he was gone, vanished before I could gather more information." She did not meet the burning gaze beside her. She could not because she had just lied to her brother, for her enemy.
Rhyssand refused to miss the opportunity to get under her skin once more. He smiled in silent menace and said. "Should it please Her Royal Highness, she may stay after council to provide a full, detailed description of this… brainless fool. It would bring me great satisfaction to personally… investigate the matter thoroughly..." he stressed.
Artizea's eye twitched. "I am sure it would— And remind me what happens if you do find this poor fool."
An uncontrolled grin curled at Rhyssand's lips, "It is safe to say a lesson… will be learned." He growled.
"In that case," she sang, "You should have my report by the next council session then, along with an autopsy—"
"You may not need to." Eugene cut in, narrowing his eyes slightly at Artizea, "The source has to be linked to angel point, it is only after your expectation, beings such as these…. abnormalities rose in numbers, they could be demons, humans that are bitten are prematurely transformed, the girl you saved…must have been recently in her transformation, any longer she would have been beyond saving, He hesitated, then glanced at Arthur. "For that reason… I have to agree with your brother's point of view. Unfortunately."
Artizea's brows knitted in remembrance of the council, saying something about unexpected attacks, "Are you certain?"
"99.99%."
A heavy silence followed before "Then we must return to ring the bell—" Artizea mumbled almost as if in mourning already.
"You cannot win against the demon realm," Rhyssand said sharply.
Artizea scowled. "What the hell are you still—"
"He's right—" Eugene pressed, cutting them both off. "We cannot win, not without wiping out eighty-seven percent of the population…" His tone dropped lower, decisive. "Take me there."
Rhyssand and Artizea both flinched. "What—" both turning to face him.
"Take me to the North," Eugene amended.
"I should be taking us back to the palace!" Artizea hissed.
"What you just described that happened to that girl could have happened to our sister had we not gotten there in time, andour parents are yet to know. We have to get to the bottom of this ourselves, before they do." He said firmly. "If by small change we can shut down the ward that is bringing the demons here, there would be no need for a war."
"It is dangerous…" Artizea stressed.
Eugene folded his arms, "No Shit—I was the one who warned you, remember, and you did not listen." he unfolded them to point at her, "You said you would grant me an unrefusable request and that you would take me seriously from now on, and I am asking you to listen to me, now. Or—" He paused. "I let Father listen," taking a page out of Elaine's book.
Artizea hesitated, then sighed, rubbing her temple as the cold wind brushed her hair back. Her shoulders finally slumped. "Fine," she muttered, turning to face the path ahead. "If we are going back to Angle Point, we need to move quickly. It will not be a short journey."
"Wait— What?" Eugene blinked.
"—We would need a plausible enough excuse for father—and we will have to find a village and stock up on—"
A flicker of golden light flickered across her features, silencing her. Before them, the air rippled, bending as a portal shimmered into existence. Its surface swirled like liquid glass, and slowly, an image began to materialize within its depths.
Eugene's mouth dropped open. "Is that—?"
Rhyssand stood beside it, "Angle Point," his tone maddeningly neutral.
Before Eugene could leap forward, Artizea caught the collar of his cloak and yanked him back with a startled yelp, glaring at Rhyssand. "We do not need any more of your help," she snapped.
Eugene twisted around, exasperated. "Yes, we do! The probability of our plan with his help is 100%!"
Artizea slapped a hand over his mouth before he could say another word, her gaze never leaving her nemesis. Rhyssand raised an eyebrow, unfazed. The more she glared at him, the wider his smile stretched. Bastard. She knew if it was just her, she would shove his portal up his ass, but what she also knew were the pros and cons. The biggest con? She did not trust him, not by a long shot. A moment of weakness was not going to change that. Never Again. But time was running out, and if there was a possibility she would not have to explain any of this to her retired bloodthirsty father, that seemed to outweigh everything else at the moment.
Artizea had made her decision; the battle was in recess, for now. For the war had yet to begin. "If you try anything or even so much as look at my brother the wrong way… I willkill you and the taking bird."
"Hello—?!" Fin protested.
"Sounds fair," Rhyssand agreed, "Ally."
Artizea narrowed her eyes, "We are not allies."
"We do not have to be," he replied, "Call it a truce, for now. Are we not on the same council?"
Before she could respond, Eugene squirmed beneath her hand, muffled and breathless. She blinked, realizing she was still gripping him far too tightly. Quickly, she dropped her hand from his mouth.
Eugene gasped, drawing in sharp breaths. "I do not know about you two, but I would rather not be here before something worse shows up."
Artizea glanced once more at Rhyssand. Sighing. "Fine. But do not think for a second, I need you." His gaze shifted to Fin, "Either of you."
He smirked, his eyes glinting with hidden mischief. "Whatever you say."
Eugene, still brushing dirt off his robes. "Can we go now?" he called.
"Wait—," Artizea yelled in vain as Eugene jumped through the portal, not caring for a second if it was a trap.
"Ladies first," Rhyssand said.
She arched a brow. "I am no lady."
"Suit yourself," he shrugged, already turning. "But it does close when I go through it. So what will it be, Artizea Pendragon? Glancing over his shoulder.
Artizea scoffed at the sound of her name on his tongue; she walked past him, muttering curses under her breath. Then, with a sharp inhale, she stepped through.
Fin hopped onto Rhyssand's shoulder, attempting to follow. "While you were playing hero." He chirped, "A message came. From the Queen."
Rhyssand stiffened. "Show me."
Fin flicked his wing, and a glowing scroll materialized. Rhyssand scanned it. His jaw tensed. With a flick of his fingers, the message burst into silent flame and vanished into the wind.
"Wait until I give you the signal," he said grimly.
Fin gave a dramatic little bow, wings outstretched. "You know… it is not too late to—"
"Do as I say," Rhyssand said firmly.
"Of course, my lord."
Finally, they seeped through the portal and emerged beyond its veil. Artizea was already there, arms crossed. She wasted no time.
"And here I was hoping you had gotten lost," she muttered. "Maybe even paralyzed."
"You cannot get rid of me that easily, Princess," Rhyssand smirked. "Get high,"
At the command, Fin gave a sharp, high-pitched chirp before launching into the sky, wings flashing as they caught the breeze. He lingered at her side a moment longer, "Do not worry. I had a brother, too. Nothing will happen to him, not on my watch. This, I promise you." his voice was quieter now.
Artizea blinked, surprised to find his gaze softer than she had ever expected. He jerked his head toward the path, striding after Eugene, who looked around full of wonder. She took a deep breath, though a small smile touched her lips upon following after them.