Breath of Mist

T H I R T Y - Ariana

All the Lysians were busy being productive except for one lounging by the fire accompanied by Edda. Iver's and Edda's laughter greeted me as I approached them. They were both giggling to themselves, probably at the expense of someone else.

"Ah! Princess!" Iver welcomed me, patting the ground beside him. "Come, join us."

Edda snorted. "She is no princess. She is the leader superior now, you clever little Lysian."

"Little!" he exclaimed, "have you by chance seen your own size?"

"Physical size has nothing to do with it," I commented.

"Indeed, you are correct." Iver grinned, turning to observe Edda. "There is certainly something darkly dangerous about you." The way he said it made it sound more like a warning than a joke.

Edda laughed lightly. "Of course there is." She then yawned. "I'm exhausted. Most of us did not have the Lysian King acting as their personal armchair to sleep against during this leg of the trip." She arched an eyebrow, and I felt my cheeks warm. When I did not rise to her bait, she got to her feet. "Goodnight," she said with a small smile.

I didn't respond, still harboring anger and hurt from the time she ripped into me about my relationship with the Lysians.

"Sweetest dreams to you, old-timer," Iver commented and turned his attention to me. "My brother run away from you?"

"He didn't run away," I stated flatly.

He laughed. "Sure, whatever you say."

"What did you mean about Edda?" I asked, watching her as she walked towards the single massive tent, disappearing into its shelter.

Iver leaned back onto the grass, placing his hands behind his head, observing the night sky overhead. "I'd like to think I am a pretty spot-on judge of character. Give me a few seconds looking someone over, and I could tell you just how annoying or dumb they may be with remarkable accuracy."

I rolled my eyes. "You cannot possibly know all that just by a quick glance at someone."

"That's where you are wrong, my tiny princess. I can." The confidence coming off of him was substantial.

"Fine, say I agree with your ridiculous skill of being able to judge one's entire being with no knowledge of their experiences, thoughts, or feelings. What do you make of Edda?" I inquired, playing along as if agreeing with his ridiculous skill.

"She gets by having everyone around her think she is some sort of loony old woman, but she is much more devious than that. Apart from myself, I think she may be one of the smartest people in this camp, which makes her dangerous."

It was difficult to keep my jaw from dropping with a remark like that. "Do you ever tire of thinking so highly of yourself?"

"Never, only cuz it's true." He grinned at me, flashing his teeth.