Angel Wings

Chapter Four

Genevieve sat atop of Valiant, following Archer and Zativa closely. When her heart beat had finally slowed, she went over the past twenty-eight minutes in her head.

Zativa and her father had bickered and bantered for a long time, but finally they were able to compromise.

With a heavy heart, Bendrick Bluebell sighed. He looked at his daughter, his beautiful daughter. She looked so much like her mother. With long, thick, brown curls, soft ivory skin, and amazing emerald green eyes. Those very eyes were looking back at him, worried and confused. It broke his heart when he knew he must do the right thing, and so he said,

"I will give you my daughter. But on two condition!" he barked out the last four words when he saw the mocking look of triumph on Zativa's face. "First: you WILL protect her, you WILL keep her safe at all costs. Second: she is to guild you to your item. But she is not to touch it."

Zativa's jaw dropped in rage, but Archer said quickly, "As you wish, Sir. We will agree to your terms." He turned to Zativa and gave her a stern look until she nodded, with a glare on her face.

After that they bought horses to travel, and they were off.

"Are you alright?"

Genevieve jumped and turned to Archer, "Oh...Yes. I'm fine."

Archer looked at her and frowned, unconvinced. "It is okay for you to feel frightened, or confused. We came so suddenly to you and took you from your home. I wouldn't even hold it against you if you hated us for it." And just then, a ray from the sun pushed back the clouds, hitting Archer on the face so gently. His brown eyes shone, and Genevieve looked away. His eyes were that of her brothers, and it pained her to see them shining in the light just as his once had.

Archer noticed the pained look in her eyes before she turned and said quickly, "Forgive me, I did not mean to pry." To Archer though, when she looked away suddenly it was proof to him that she did indeed hate them. He looked at Zativa, who rolled her eyes at him. He heard her voice in his head,

'Stop worrying so much about it, it will do you no good. So what if she hates us? I prefer it that way." And she rode ahead of them, not wishing to be near the sulking man and little house mouse.

Soon it began to rain, and they made camp under some thick trees. It sheltered them from the worst, but Genevieve found herself shivering, her teeth clanking together painfully. She looked to the sky and wondered if lightning would flash; her mother always loved lightning.

Archer came and sat next to her, holding a root in his hands. He gave it to her and said, "Bite on this, just until Zativa can get a fire going."

Genevieve took the root and said, confused, "W-W-What do you m-mean? I-It's r-r-raining." her chattering teeth were painful, so she bit on the root. It tasted bitter, and she had to fight the urge to spit it out.

Zativa grunted at Genevieve ignorance she she gathered wood. Once she had it all in a pile, she held her hands over it. They began to glow red and she placed them on the wood. Soon a strange looking fire came to life, eating at the wood and cracking softly. The color of the fire was purple, and Genevieve stared in awe at it.

Archer helped her walk over to it because she found her shivering body hard to control. Once she was by the fire she warmed instantly and took the root out of her mouth.

She smiled at Zativa, "Thank you, this is wonderful."

Zativa stared at her, a confused look on her face. No one had ever thanked her for doing her magyk. It was...nice. "...Oh...you are welcome."

Archer chuckled, and Zativa sent a witch light at him, the scowl on her face back in its normal place. Archer dodged it, and Zativa growled and walked over to her spot by the fire, as far away from both of them she could get.

Genevieve turned to Archer and said, "How is that you two got to know each other? I highly doubt you are cousins," she laughed lightly as she thought of the lie he had told her father.

He came and sat next to her, smiling. "Funny story actually. You see I traveling alone before I met her. The day we met I was out hunting and stumbled across a terrifying sight. There was this thin, young, gorgeous, fragile looking woman, standing just a breath away from the biggest bear I have ever seen in my life. Natural I decided to play the hero and ran to her aid, my sword raised to slay the bear. You should have seen the look on my face when that "fragile woman" actually attacked me! I was so confused she sent one of her pesky witch lights at me and knocked my sword out of my hand first try. She was going to kill me - I know she was - but then the bear growled at her, as if it was telling her not to. I know, it sounds a bit far fetched but thats what happened. She helped me up and gave my sword back to me. Of course I asked her why on earth she attacked me, and do you know what she said? She said I interrupted their conversation! She was talking to the thing! I laughed, she slapped me. The strange thing about this story is that after that we just stayed together. We never said a word about it, but she simple decided to follow me, or maybe it was I following her. And its been like that for two years. We just never took separate ways."

Genevieve smiled, "Like...you have a connection?"

"Yes! It is exactly like that." Archer loved how she could put his and Zativa's bond into words so quickly, unlike most people who simply called them an "odd pair".

"Oh, this is lovely! You two are in love!" She clapped her hands together.

Archer smiled the biggest smile and laughed loudly as Zativa yelled, "WE ARE NOT!!!"

Archer laughed and laughed, and Genevieve soon laughed with him. Zativa glowered in her spot of the camp, but she couldn't hind the little twitch at the conner of her mouth.

When Archer stopped laughing he said, "No, lady, no, no! Not that kind of love. I always thought of it more as brother and sister. Isn't that right, sissy Tivie."

She sent a witch light at him, which he dodge and threw his dagger at her. She caught it in her teeth and spat it back at him and he caught it gingerly between his thumb and first figure.

Genevieve smiled as she watched them. But her heart was heavy, even through all the merriment. They reminded her of how her brother and she used to play.

Soon they calmed and all fell asleep.