Bound by Honor

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Anrar reigned in his horse as the sky started to darken, the woods becoming far too dark to see properly in. They were just beyond the Elven Borders and therefore safe from any punishment of the law, but that put them in the beginning of Centaur territory and while the plan had been to skirt around the edges of the horse-lords' land, there was no avoiding settling here for the night and everyone was just a bit on edge about it. Even so, Isis and Irin seemed to actually be in better spirits now that they were away from the elves. The two ice elementals hadn't looked back, holding no fondness for the place, but they hadn't said anything against either, knowing the two they were traveling had memories there, Evel someone she cared about and the both of them WERE leaving the only home they'd every known or remembered.

The fire elemental only looked back once to behold the beauty that was Chalicia before he turned away and didn't turn again.

He'd grown up with the elves, but they had never been his people. But then...the Elementals didn't feel as such either. He still belonged no where...but at least now he belonged to someone. The thought made his dark green eyes move to Evel even as everyone stopped and started to dismount. He didn't know what he would have done all these years without her. She'd been a gift to him, such a precious part of his life and now...now she was to truly be his and the thought could not fail to bring a smile to his face.

Anrar approached her now as she started to work Epona's saddle off and his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her back into him as he lowered his head, his lips finding her jawline with a light nip, nothing more than an affectionate tease. "You should not be doing that. Don't think I've been blind to your daily training with your bow, little bird. You're supposed to be letting your body heal." he whispered to her.
 
Evel hadn't looked back, knowing that if she did, she would break down. She was leaving all she knew with the man she loved. That sounded like it deserved to be in a romance novel that the guards sometimes make fun off. When Anrar helped her off then nipped at her jaw, she felt her body heat up as a full blown blush crossed her face. In front of Isis and Irin? She thought. Really, Anrar? She sighed as she started to grab a few things to help set up the camp. "If I get rusty then how will I take care of myself if you're not around?" She said, though she knew the fire elemental would catch her hidden reason. She just wanted to feel useful again.

The small knight, or really ex-knight now, unpacked what was needed and moved to help the rest of them set up camp. Before she could do anything though, she seemed to remember something. "Oh! That reminds me..." She pulled out her book and handed it to him. "There were two situations where someone ever got to look at this with my permission... When I'm out of commission or if I become their betrothed. Since I'm your betrothed now... Here." She made sure he kept it before going to help the two siblings.

The elf was quiet as she helped, listening to directions when needed. No matter how weak Isis saw her, she was still willing to help the woman and be nice to her. The same applied to her brother, though she didn't know what he thought of her. The elf looked different as she walked around, her chest now supported instead of pulled flat and her hair longer. She looked more feminine this way.

**99-8-30

Anrar and I were sent on a mission to save the princess today. Well, not just the princess, but I feel she should have been the main point. Why save the king and queen when their child has been captured? I could tell Anrar wasn't happy about this, but we do what we must. I just hope that Laro doesn't try and provoke Anrar again... I'd hate for him to be punished.

**99-8-31

Oh God... I'm in love with Anrar... What am I going to do?

**99-9-10

Hey. I know it's been a while... but I've been doing a lot. Anrar and I nearly got caught by the centaurs, but I shot the bridge down to keep them from catching up to us. After that, we headed toward the sea where Anrar got hypnotized by a mermaid. I never felt so scared in my life... I had run after him, screaming for him, then felt like I was suffocating. The last thoughts I can remember thinking were Anrar getting torn apart by the she-devil. Thankfully that didn't happen. The mermaids kept bugging me about being a girl and binding my chest. If I didn't do so then I would be dead and Anrar would have nobody. Those idiots... Anyway, I woke up screaming and Anrar came to help me. We didn't gain much but information we already knew. However, at least I don't have to worry about Anrar dying at the hands of the mermaids. They seem to fear him.

**99-9-13

We're finally home! It's a relief to be back at the castle and in the safety of the kingdom, though the alone time with Anrar was nice. I enjoyed not having to worry about being manly and just be myself. It's like a breath of fresh air. Though, I still miss home at times. However, I've been having this suspicion... The captain and the lieutenant are up to something. They talk about Anrar like he's a... a centaur. An enemy or a threat that they needed to get rid of quickly. I feel horrible, but I have an idea... I know he will never trust me again after it, but it's all I can think of. I will protect him.

**99-9-14

That man! That stupid, forward, handsome, love of my life man! Does he not know what he does to me? I thought he would leave in the middle of the night! I didn't mean to sleep in his bed, I didn't... God! I just wanted to sleep in my own cot for once! Was that so wrong? I couldn't wake him up, he seemed so peaceful! The fates just loved taking me and screwing me over. He said he wanted to stay. He wanted to stay! That man just loves seeing me blush, doesn't he? I'll have to end here. We need to leave.

**99-9-16

It was a suicide mission. The one that the captain sent us on. I protected him, just like I promised, but I'm sure he's not happy. The centaurs ambushed me, had the princess at knife-point. I don't know what came over me. I just charged in there on Epona, hitting as many as I could. So many centaurs fell, but I felt their arrows start to pierce my back. It hurt so much... It still hurt. But, I couldn't think about that. I thought only about the princess and Anrar. Oh Anrar... The man worries too much about me. He seemed ready to cry when I woke up, though I was the one who felt guilty. I betrayed him, betrayed his trust. Yet, I still only did it to protect him. I am a horrible friend.

**99-9-17

Anrar... I'm... betrothed... How?
 
Anrar released Evel as she made it known that she wanted to help with the setting up and though he didn't actually desire to let her go, he respected her wishes and instead watched as she went about her self-imposed work. He could understand the desire to be useful again - he'd often felt the same way when he was injured - but to be useful and to be stupid were two entirely different things and she'd been toeing the line with her practice. Still, he said nothing, leaving the matter for another time - like tomorrow when she tried to do it again.

He'd smiled to himself at the thought before crouching next to the firewood Irin had gathered, starting to arrange the sticks into a small fire that would be added to as it started to burn steadily. He looked up before starting it when Evel spoke and Anrar's brows rose to see her book being presented to him. He wanted to deny it, but she seemed insistant, so the fire elemental took it with a nod before setting it on his knee and then turning his attention back to the task he'd been doing. He held out a hand and set the wood ablaze with a slightly pensive look, watching as the tiniest tingles of lightning danced over his skin. He'd not told Irin or Isis about such a thing and the reasons eluded him at the moment, but...he still didn't want to tell them. It didn't make sense, but Anrar didn't want to contemplate it right now and he pulled his hand back and then sat cross-legged, opening Evel's book slowly, treating the old thing reverently, remembering how many times he'd seen this in her hands, a pen set to the page, her nose wrinkled up in concentration or her eyes scanning about for anyone who might read over her shoulder, her shoulders hunched over as she scribbled furiously.

The mental picture brought a faint smile to his lips as he turned the pages and began to languidly read.

Anrar found himself shaking his head at parts, nearly chuckling at others and purposely trying to ignore some entries, not liking their content, but he read with respect and when he'd gone through about a quarter of the book, he closed it gently, knowing he couldn't read all tonight. Placing the thing in his pack, somewhere it wouldn't get ruined, his dark green eyes found Evel and he met her eyes with that smile he only ever gave her.

He beckoned her over to him, wanting her near.
 
Evel looked up to see Anrar beckoning her over and nodded, finishing what she was doing before going over to sit next to him. A bit of hair fell into her face as she sat down so she had to move it out of the way. She sighed. "I'll have to cut my hair soon. It's getting in the way." She pulled a bit of it back before looking over at Anrar. She knew it was hard for him. He had nowhere to truly belong to. Trying to offer at least some comfort, she took his hand.

The night approached quickly as the stars peaked out from their slumber. Owls hooted and night creatures started to go about their nightly routines. Evel was calmed by the familiarity of the night. It felt like she was on a mission, only with less fighting and more trying to find somewhere to go. The young elf leaned against Anrar a bit, tired from the day's events.

"Anrar, are you alright?" She asked, looking up at the sky. She knew she didn't have to ask, but she wanted to make sure the man was feeling alright. One could never know just what was on his mind until they asked. She wanted to make sure he was okay mentally since physically he was perfectly fine. It must be stressful finding out that your friends just finally showed up and decided you were going to save the kingdom of the elementals.
 
The fire elemental chuckled softly at her gripes about her wayward hair, but he didn't comment, content to simply be near the elf. His fingers laced through hers, something he'd wanted to do for a while now without even truly realizing it and he followed Evel's gaze up to the sky, his dark eyes finding the constellations, silently naming them to himself, remembering their stories. He glanced down at his betrothed, though, as he felt her weight come against him and smiled faintly, his free hand moving up to card gently through her blond mane, not nearly as long as his yet, but definitely longer than it had been. He rather liked it, but if she chose to cut it again he would not protest. It was her hair after all.

Her question to him was unexpected and out of the corner of his eyes, Anrar saw both Isis and Irin pause in their quiet conversation, curious as to the answer he might give. They hadn't been able to get much out of him, nor learn about how much their childhood friend had changed and this might be a perfect opportunity.

It instantly made the fire elemental want to clam up, though. Instead, he took a breath and his hand stilled in Evel's hair, palm resting on her head as he contemplated the answer. It was something he'd been trying not to think about over the last two weeks. He'd kept himself busy, focused on Evel's recovery and keeping threats she'd not known about as well as well-wishers away from her.

It had been working to keep his mind off of his own problems and feelings about those problems.

Now the fire elemental sighed and his fingers started to move again against the elf's scalp, gentle and patient with any tangles he found. "I don't know. I've...I've tried not to think about it." was the honest reply, quiet and on the verge of withdrawing completely, something that wasn't entirely healthy for him to do as it usually resulted in explosions later.
 
Evel frowned at this as she leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. She slyly handed him her piece of charcoal she used to write, moving it to the book. There was still a lot of room to write in the little thing, and she could always cut some more paper for it. She leaned against him again, closing her eyes. She hoped he would understand her intention as she just enjoyed his warmth.

The girl tensed when she heard a silent pause but relaxed when the noises returned. Far away centaurs could be heard rounding up the stragglers as they went to their nightly posts. It was good that they didn't try to come near the small little camp. Evel did not want to deal with anyone but her Anrar and only him. She opened her eyes to watch the fire, keeping close to Anrar.

Soon enough it was time to start watches and head to sleep. Evel was practically out already, leaning onto Anrar for comfort and warmth. She looked tired and peaceful as she slept against her beloved.
 
Anrar smiled a bit to receive the charcoal, but when Evel started to fall asleep, he set it and the book aside. He wasn't much of a writer and could never get his thoughts down to parchment, but he appreciated the offer anyway and would say nothing of his inner thoughts about it to Evel. She wrote to express what she felt and she'd merely been trying to help.

He kept quiet and still as she started to fall asleep against him and when it was truly into the later hours of the night, he finally moved. His fingers released the warm glow into her body, relaxing Evel's muscles and any strain riding might have caused to her healing wounds as he lifted her from the ground and took her to her bedroll. Tucking her in securely, he brushed her hair from her eyes with a fond, faint smile before he kissed her forehead and rose, moving back to his place by the fire.

Isis was keeping guard against a tree, well out of the firelight to afford herself a better visual experience, but neither of the males felt like sleeping yet. Though Irin stayed away from the fire by a good three feet, he was still within earshot for quiet conversation and his gold eyes watched Anrar closely before he finally voiced his words. "You never did answer her. Is it that you don't know what to say or that you don't want to tell her?"

The fire elemental was quiet, poking the fire with a stick and finally he sighed after a time, releasing the stick. "Both. My...my mind is all over the place, my emotions with them and Evel...I love her, but she doesn't always do well with stress and...she does yet...know how to handle me, not like I do her. I know I scare her sometimes and she doesn't like seeing me upset or when I react to being upset. She helps me keep control that way as I don't want to harm her, but..."

"It means you don't entirely trust her reactions to what you might be feeling if you know such thoughts or emotion won't meet with her approval."

Anrar nodded wordlessly. Above all, despite all they'd been through, he still feared rejection from Evel. He feared he'd do something that would make her realize he was too dangerous to be around, too complicated. She was fierce and brave, but....she always wanted to see the best in people and he didn't. She wanted happy endings and for everyone to be at peace and he knew the world didn't work that way.

He knew at some point he was going to do something she didn't approve of and because they rarely discussed the deeper matters between them...he feared it would rip them apart.
 
The next morning, Evel knew something happened after she fell asleep. Anrar was more withdrawn than usual. He seemed troubled and frustrated, and it frustrated her to no end. Couldn't he tell her? A realization struck her cold. He never did tell her. He never talked to her about anything that he was thinking, nor did he ever discuss matters with her. How could they be together without being able to understand how the other thinks and avoiding possible fights. That was just... She felt horrible. She had told him sometimes when she had matters on the mind, yet she never truly knew what he was thinking.

It was like cupid was stabbing her in the gut with his arrows. She couldn't believe how stupid she had been. That was probably one of the reasons. He thought her naïve, unknowing of what truly laid out there. She was optimistic, but not stupid. He thought she was going to be afraid of him. That one, she was sure of. Why would she be afraid of him though? He would never hurt her, she knew that, and if he did she wouldn't hold it against him. Maybe she was overthinking it.

No! She wasn't! The knight watched the scenery go by as she tried her hardest to keep her boiling thoughts from her face. For once, she was succeeding. Nothing but a blank look was all people could see. The small elf kept wondering if him not talking to her was her fault somehow or maybe the gods and stars above were trying to tell her that she didn't deserve Anrar for not being able to do this small thing with him.

When they set up camp she was still in a blank state, setting up the camp as if she were in a robotic like state. What about her made Anrar not want to talk to her? Was it her weakness? Her inability to handle stress in a healthy way, instead venting to a damned book? What did she need to change about herself to get him to trust her? That moment when she knocked him out flashed through her mind. Cupid stabbed her gut. He probably thought she was going to do that to him again, maybe even kill him. God, how stupid could she get? Evel didn't notice that she had just been staring at the ground for a good five minutes, face completely blank and body rigid.
 
Isis had watched them - both of them - for the entire day.

She'd watched how Evel remained blank, distant, maybe even cold if one thought about it, looked at it that way. She was silent, hardly speaking a word and certainly not to Anrar, but rather Irin when he offered a word here and there, but her brother was quiet by nature so there wasn't much to carry a conversation there. She watched as Anrar withdrew, his body tense if Firekicker's antsy reactions were anything to go on. There was no speech from him either, but Isis noted that often his eyes would flicker to Evel...and that those eyes were growing darker as the day passed, the heat the fire elemental was giving off elevating.

By the time they were making camp, the ice elemental had seen enough. She might not entirely approve of this match, but REALLY! They were both being idiots...and she had no problem in saying as much as Isis suddenly took a handful of Anrar's hair, eliciting a yelp from him that made Irin looked up, startled as he watched his sister drag their Prince to stand in front of Evel and Isis gave the small elf a hard poke in her shoulder, glaring.

"All right, both of you listen to me. You're being completely and utter moronic children and I'm sick of it!"

She rounded on the male blond first as Anrar was wincing, rubbing at his scalp, though his eyes grew wide when Isis' blazing gold ones pierced him. "You are not giving Eveline enough credit! Oh, you'll praise her to high heavens to everyone around you - I haven't heard the end of it! - and you'll trust her with everything but the parts of yourself you believe she can't handle. Stop underestimating her and making her decisions for her! Show her some respect in acknowledging that she's smart and is fully capable of handling herself AND you!"

Next came Evel. "And you! Stop backing down because you're afraid of upsetting him! You act like you're not scared, but you don't challenge him in any way. He needs that! He's a freaking fire elemental! They're secretive and reserved by nature and you need to learn to push him when you know there is something wrong and he's being a pigheaded moron because he's trying to protect you from his problems!"

The ice elemental looked between them both and threw her hands up. "And for the gods' sakes, stop being so paranoid that you're not good enough for each other! Geez!" With that, she stalked away and both Anrar and Evel were left to stare at each other in the silence that followed.

The fire elemental looked over the small blond before him, taking in every feature he'd fallen for, Isis' words ringing in his ears and he didn't speak, he just moved as he took a step toward her. Anrar pulled Evel into his arms then, wrapping her up securely, his head coming to rest on her own, voice a whisper. "I'm sorry."
 
Evel was surprised as the ice elemental scolded them. Normally, she would feel horrible, but she felt relief. She laughed as Anrar apologized. "What are you apologizing for? Like Isis said, we were both acting like idiots. Now come on, I wanted to talk to you anyway." She looked over at Isis and bowed. "Thank you." She said simply before grabbing her comb and dragging Anrar a way out of earshot.

She sat him down and sat on a log behind him, taking her comb through his hair. "Alright, now tell me what's going on. You're worried about something." She was gentle in her tone and how she used her comb, being careful with his hair. A stray thought of cutting her own swept through her mind before she shook it away. Now was not the time to think about hair. Now was the time to step up and ask what was wrong for once in her life.

The small knight's demons started to poke and prod her with doubts, but she ignored it for the most part, simply opting to listen to Anrar. She just wanted to be there for him, but she had to learn to actually push him if he wouldn't tell her. Her hands were running through his hair as she combed it into smooth lengths. The girl was surprisingly happy for her serious demeanor earlier.
 
Anrar blinked in surprise to be dragged away from the twins, but they merely smirked - well, Isis did and Irin grinned - and he didn't resist the elf as she sat him down. The fact that she started to brush his hair out further surprised him, but THAT he definitely would not protest to - at least he could not think of a reason he'd ever decline her actions in this regard. The touch of the comb, but more-so Evel's fingers, started to lull his body into a content state and each pass of her hands released a gentle wave of heat into her arms, spreading into her chest and then around her back, working down to her toes and Anrar growled softly, not even entirely aware he'd done so.

He blinked his eyes open at her question, though, forcing himself to concentrate when what he really wanted to do was curl up like a purring feline with his head in her lap and go to sleep.

What was going on? He was worried. Right...

"I don't know what to do. I..I have a sister, an uncle, but...I don't know them and if what Isis and Irin say is true, Annara wants me dead. I..the only memory I have of her is...a good one and I thought that...maybe if I found her again...it could be good again. And it won't be. It...I feel like I don't belong anywhere and Isis and Irin want me to lead the Rebels and take back the throne, but...I want to trust them, but...I don't remember anything!" Anrar's body tensed, his fist clenching tightly, fire flaring along his knuckles and forced himself to take a breath, knowing he'd held everything in for entirely too long.

"I don't know them. I don't know any of my people...they don't even feel like my people. I can't be a King, Evel. I can't! Not for people I don't know. I don't even know if I WANT to know them. Irin...he told me I wasn't like them, that I'm different. Fire elementals are rare and...Isis, she looks at me as if she's just waiting for me to....explode or something. They don't think I see it, but I do. They're scared of me, Evel. Deep inside, I terrify them and I don't know why."
 
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"Power scares many." Evel said, combing through the large tangles that had wound up in Anrar's hair. Did the man even own a comb or a brush? She contemplated her next words before continuing. "I'm sure they've seen what you can do... no matter how much people want to be brave and think you won't use your power on them, who's to say that you won't turn on them next?" She moved so that she could face him, dealing with the hair toward his front. "Now, I know you would never intentionally hurt someone you care about. I also know that you tend to be very... liberal with your abilities when up against enemies." She nearly sighed as she remembered how many times he got in trouble when they were in the knights and not on this crazy journey. "They might also fear you'll do something you'll regret later."

After she addressed that topic, she moved onto his memories. "You'll remember in due time. If you never do then you'll just make better memories. If they press you on it then just tell them to back off. Your mind isn't ready to deal with whatever happened in the past yet. That's why you can't remember. You can't force it to remember either. That will just hurt you more than it needs to." She stopped messing with his hair for a bit. "Your past is important, yes, but right now we need to focus more on the present. So far, Irin and Isis can be trusted from what I can see at least."

Evel hugged Anrar, careful of his hands. "Your Sister... I'm going to be optimistic. I know, it's stupid, but I think that every sane person has at least a small bit of good in them. If she really was corrupted then there is nothing we can do." She curled up in his arms, hoping he would be okay. "You don't have to lead the Rebels. It's completely up to you whether you take on that kind of responsibility or not."

She frowned a bit at him telling her that he didn't feel like he belonged. "Finding truly where you belong and who you belong with is something even elders have trouble with. Belonging to a race means nothing. Sure, it tells you a bit about your background, but sometimes where you really belong is with people who care about you and like you for you." She leaned her head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

"Thank you for telling me this." Evel said, smiling as she finally finished giving the best advice she could give. "Most of it was just my opinion, so I'm not sure if it will help a lot... by the way, have you told them about the lightning?" The elf looked up at him, hoping she wasn't pushing him too much.
 
Who's to say you won't turn on them next?

Those words stung far more than Anrar could have suspected they would and he knew it was only for the reason that he feared such a thing himself. Feared it so deeply that he'd hardly been able to put it into coherent thought, much less intelligent words. He KNEW how unpredictable he was, knew it far more than he'd ever revealed to Evel in all their years together and now....he was unsure if it wasn't time for her to know just how unstable he knew he was. She was his betrothed. He loved her. She loved him...but she didn't know everything about him - and he didn't either, but he knew more than he'd told her.

Or at least he suspected things he'd not told her.

She said he'd remember, but the truth was that Anrar feared remembering even as he longed to. He wanted to remember his family and his life, his parents and the faeries, the good things. But with that, he knew came the bad things...like his parents' deaths, the attack that had left him lost and wandering to Elven borders, memory-less. And the scenes that flashed before his eyes sometimes when he was in battle, as if he was seeing a dream, a waking dream of carnage and fire, such heat...

Anrar shook his head against such thoughts and instead he forced himself to think on the rest of Evel's words, finding a smile pulling at his lips as he looked down at her curled form in his lap, in his arms without fear of being burned and indeed she was in no danger as his flames had dampened down and gone dormant beneath his skin again at the sound of her voice, soothing away the anger and frustration. "It has helped." he assured her softly, meaning it as he kissed her forehead and then sighed at her question, shutting his jaw tightly for a moment before the fire elemental shook his head, reaching up to brush the newly detangled blond hair behind an ear before he reached down and did the same to Evel's blond locks.

"No."

Dark green eyes looked down to his hand, letting his fingers fist for a moment, watching the current of electricity visible on the inside of his wrist, under the skin and following the line of his veins. Anrar shook his head then, voice quiet. "I don't even know why I don't want to. I feel like...like if I tell them...everything will change and I will suffocate under the pressure of it all. I know it's not...rational, but....I can't explain it."
 
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Evel nodded as she thought about it. "I see... you'll have to tell them eventually... but not tonight." She leaned up and gave him a kiss before moving away and standing up. "Come on, we need to go eat." She grabbed his arm to help him up and led him over. As the food cooked, Evel was telling a few stories about Anrar and herself when they were younger. The one she was currently on was when they had accidently burned a lady's hair off.

"I swear, we had no idea that she would stand that close when we were practicing. Poor woman had to buy a wig." Evel chuckled as she leaned against Anrar warmly, glad that things seemed a whole less tense around them. She had one hand weaved between Anrar's, keeping him close. Sure it wasn't everything really on his mind, she was sure there was more, but at least it was a first step.

She watched the fire glow, for once not feeling tired as the night drew upon them. She felt content, being near Anrar after hearing his current worries. It made her feel useful, important. She never wanted to ever lose that feeling.
 
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They'd traveled another two weeks, not entirely sure of their destination, but knowing that they all wanted to be as far away from the Elven and Centaur war as possible. Somehow...it was almost nice not to have a clear agenda, or so Anrar felt. He enjoyed the slower days, traveling at a leisure speed and when they felt like it, letting the horses graze in meadows along the way, watching the ice elementals and Evel swim in a creek - they couldn't get him NEAR it, not even with cajoling or bribes - and slowly reteaching Evel's muscles to accept more strain, her skill with the bow coming back to her quickly, like an old friend.

What made him happiest, though, was watching his newly betrothed start to relax, to open up, to discover the freedom of being in company that didn't judge - even Isis didn't seem so harsh anymore - and watching her body strengthen to allow her to do the things she loved. It made him happy to see her happy.

As for himself, his mind had settled in the last two weeks. Oh, the problems were still there, but they seemed to have allowed him peace for the time being and he chose to accept it rather than question it. Now, though, they'd reached a threefold decision, a literal crossroads as they stood on the dirt road at the fork that would lead them in three separate directions. Two paths were clearly known and one was not.

To the left, the road to the High Cliff Mountains where the Griffins resided. Down the middle, the path that led to werekin - werewolves, werecats, werebird, were...anything, really - and to the right.... Few knew.

Isis and Irin, they knew, though, and they informed both Evel and Anrar of such. It was the Elementals that they would find at the end of this road.
 
After the first few days of the last two weeks, Evel got frustrated with her hair and cut it, glad to have it back to its normal length. The last couple weeks had been some of the best weeks of her life, in her humble opinion. For once she wasn't judged too harshly. It was a fun adventure in a sense and at least she could now use her bow they way she used to.

As they came upon the three different roads, Evel felt her nerves start to bug her. Griffins, werekin, and elementals. Who knew that this place was more dangerous than it was already thought to be? She knew they would head out to the elemental's path. That would be interesting. What would the rebels think when they saw their king chose an elf as his betrothed? The elves didn't have good reputations with any of the other races. Many thought because of their wisdom, they were snobby and self-important.

Hopefully they would accept her. She looked over at the others, paying special attention to what Anrar was doing. She'd have to talk to him about it a bit later.
 
Anrar was gripping the Firekicker's reigns so tightly, enough tension in his body to send the stallion half-standing on his rear hoovees with a shrill neigh of protest. And yet the fire elemental seemed not to register the animal's actions in the least, his body moving fluidly with the horse from years of riding and practice alone, but his attention on roads, the right one in particular. When the stallion came back down, Irin had already moved his horse back over to Anrar's and he reached out, taking the horse's reigns near the mouth, giving a slight tug to loosen the blond's grip and Anrar blinked, seeming to come back to himself as the leads were almost jerked from his grasp.

Dark green eyes looked to the male twin and the ice elemental gave a pat to Firekicker's neck, soothing the offended stallion before he looked to his Prince again. "There is no need to decide today." he said evenly and Isis gave her brother a sharp look, wanting to protest that immediately. The more time they wasted, the worse the situation was going to get! They needed Anrar back among his people, even if he was an Arisingr and highly unpredictable. He was the only heir to the Elemental Throne! She kept her mouth shut, though, catching Irin's warning signal and Anrar looked between the two of them, hearing clearly what was not said.

He didn't answer, his eyes flickering to Evel instead, questioning and some fear in his gaze of the choice he had to make and what it would mean.

"Evel?"
 
Seeing the fear, Evel immediately moved to stand next to him and take his hand, gripping it reassuringly. She looked at him, giving him a small smile before saying. "They need you, Anrar." She looked over at Irin. "But like he said, we don't need to decide today. If you need time then we'll give you time." She didn't want to pressure him into anything. If he didn't feel he could help them, or even if he didn't want to help them, she would be fine with that.

Epona gave a snort, wanting to keep going somewhere, but Evel shushed him. The horse had been in too many battles and was too used to constant motion. She stroked the stallion's mane to try and tell the horse to be patient. She looked out at the road, feeling a bit of apprehension to going to the elementals. She knew that she was scared of what they would think, what they would do when their prince came back to them. She gave a small sigh before turning back to Anrar. He was probably twice as scared as her. She knew he would have many upon many reservations about this. Whatever happened, she would be there.

The wind blew past the four, chilling them slightly.
 
They need you, Anrar.

The words thrummed through his head, circling over and over again, and the fire elemental shut his eyes, absorbing that. She spoke of time. Irin spoke of time, but... Anrar knew it was running out. He wasn't sure HOW he knew, but he could feel it. There was something in the air, something in the way every species around them seemed to be so on edge. Or maybe it was something else that Anrar didn't yet understand.

But one thing he did understand was Evel and she was right.

They needed him.

He just wasn't sure if he cared and it was that thought that he had to analyze. He didn't know these people. He had no emotional attachment to them, owed them nothing. There was the bond of duty of course. Duty....it came into everything and it was threatening to rope him into its vices again. He was a Prince. His duty was to his people, whether he knew them or cared about them or not. But Anrar felt as if he'd been bound by duty his whole life. Did he want it to dictate what he did now?

Dark green eyes opened, looking to the twins and for a moment, Anrar looked at them, unsure what he was going to tell them, how he was going to deny their request. And then something started to dawn on him. He didn't want to tell them no. He...cared about them. They'd become his friends - once more, it would seem - and...he didn't want to disappoint them...he was just scared to say yes to what they asked and such was the crux of his problem.

But they believed in him and Evel...

His hand turned, linking with hers and he drew in a deep breath before he finally spoke, sounding far more confident than he felt. "We'll go to the Elementals. It's time I meet my people."
 
Evel smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek before moving to get Epona to start going down the road. She felt extremely proud of Anrar. Many in his position would run away from any type of responsibility for something or people they never knew of. He was willing to at least try to help. For that, she was extremely proud. The small knight brought up the rear of the group, keeping an eye on everyone since she and Anrar were in unfamiliar territory.

As they road toward the elementals, Evel felt nervousness and fear start to crawl up her spine. This was much, much farther than she had ever gone. She was going into a kingdom where the people could literally control the elements. She knew Anrar would never let them hurt her, but she kept thinking about when Anrar was gone or other things like that. They could reject her, scorn her like the elves did.

Evel felt a shiver run up her back. She could barely relax around the siblings, how was she going to interact with the elementals? Would she freeze like she normally did around new people? Though she knew Anrar was feeling the same amount of nervousness, probably even more, she felt the most isolated out of the group. At least Anrar was an elemental so he could relate to the others somewhat. She was an elf who not only lied about her gender to get into the knights, but also was one of the local outcasts. She knew nothing of blending in. How the hell was she going to work with the elementals?
 
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