Lovely Dark Things

SECOND PART: ONE (ISELEN POV)

Ten years later.

"Good... a little higher..." I obey raising my arm to stop Ruby's sword, the assassin turns around quickly to try to attack me from a different angle but I'm ready and move my shield to protect my side. "You're doing so well, my love." I smirk mischievously in my mind when she gets closer to attack me again and I stop her sword with my shield before grazing her mouth with my lips moving faster than a snake, Ruby trips over her own feet because I've caught her off guard and I lean the tip of my sword on her neck.

"I've won."

"That's not fair: I can't focus on the fight if you kiss me," she complains angrily.

"Don't let an enemy kiss you, then."

The assassin laughs amused and drops her weapon before walking towards the bench under the cherry tree where I left a bottle of cold water, I follow her moving a little slower given that all my muscles hurt after this hard session even if I've been training with Ruby for years and I've become an acceptable warrior. She'll always be faster, nimbler, crueller, more lethal and sarcastic, more arrogant and stunningly beautiful and this is how it must be... I wouldn't love her otherwise. My precious dark elf... Who would've thought I could love such an extraordinary creature and, which is weirder, that she'd reciprocate those feelings.

This past decade has flown by but I've enjoyed every second at the same time, there were laughs, mutual understanding, adventures, some fights, hot sex... Every day was different, a challenge, a new opportunity to know Ruby better feeling closer to her while the assassin was trying to handle her new feelings and confusion and, in addition to that, she mourned her brother... She insists on the fact that dark elven families are different and she never felt that Argyle was her blood brother and yet, it couldn't have been easy for my girl to assume she had to kill him to save me. I noticed that her anxiety skyrocketed every time she believed she was losing control of her feelings for me and this is why I taught her to do yoga to keep her busy, she taught me some simple magic tricks she'd learnt at the temple of the God of War in exchange, I taught her how to make a firebomb... Finally, it seems to me that we've reached some balance and we both are satisfied with this relationship.

"This is the first day of good weather this spring, finally... Winters are getting colder and longer in this Empire lands." My girl frowns before shrugging and drinking a sip of water. "I don't mind, in fact, I love snow but it's a problem for humans and their crops... Anyway, do you think we should leave next week?"

"Whenever you want," I answer setting the table for lunch. "Bags are almost ready... Are you hungry?"

Ruby takes her plate and starts eating the stew made with rice and venison she hunted herself while I copy her movements, lost in my thought. She's right, winters are getting harder, there have been floods in spring and hailstorms in autumn, there's a shortage of food because crops were ruined, wolves are getting bold and roam closer to our cabin and our chickens during winter. It could be a completely natural change of weather or it could be something else... sometimes I feel there's an odd tension growing around us, everywhere, but it's not easy to describe this sensation with words and maybe it's just my imagination.

Luckily, we have enough money to buy food despite the rise in prices and Ruby has made a name for herself as Khrise, the mercenary, so she always finds work. We're also hired to solve mysteries and robberies as if we were Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson taking advantage of my intelligence and her skill with weapons... My pretty elven girl didn't understand the joke and I had to explain it, telling her some stories by Agatha Christie while we were traveling from here to there looking for her mates, gathering information and finding new jobs. We've come across some dark elves who told us interesting anecdotes about how they escaped from Baalberith, Ruby has made some good contacts that will help her in the future but she doesn't seem to be in a hurry to go back home and I won't put pressure on her to do it soon.