The Alfheim Archives

A Friend and an Ally

She smiled slightly as she stood outside of my tent, waiting patiently for my reply. I considered for a moment inviting her into my tent to sit and talk but instead, I stood and walked out of the tent barefoot and all, thinking better of it. She straightened and begun walking alongside me. Neither of us spoke as we walked around the camp in comfortable silence. After some time, we came to a stop at a freshly fallen tree trunk and I sat down on one end and she on the other. I looked at her briefly, wondering if she knew of the incident at the stream, and came to the conclusion that I should start the discussion. With a quick breath in and out, I looked at her with a slight smile and begun talking. "So, Isilnyor...what is it that you wished to speak me about?" She seemed hesitant as she bit the side of her lip and then opened her mouth to speak before closing it again. Realizing she wasn't yet ready to speak to me about what she wanted to talk about, I branched off-topic and began asking other questions instead. "So I caught on that you use a weapon iced garrote. May I ask where you got it? It seemed quite lethal. Might get one myself if possible." She stayed quiet before muttering something to the effect of... "It was my brother's. I don't know where to get one." She left it off with that and continued studying our surroundings. As I began to speak again, she cut me off with a sigh as she turned to look directly at me. Her eyes were cloudy at first but in split second, they were hardened and focused once again. "Rune. I know my sudden reappearance was rather unusual and unexpected but you need to understand that I do not plan on sabotaging you or harming you. It's as the Commander General said earlier. I was sent to evaluate your battle prowess and trustworthiness and report to my boss my conclusion. However, for me to do so, I'm going to have to stay very close to you most hours of the day for an indefinite amount of time. Except for the obvious moments and when we are resting in our individual tents, I will be with you. The general and I have already spoken of my being partnered with you except he asked me to speak to you and find out how you feel about it. He seems to respect and trust you greatly regardless of having only just met you recently. Anyways. I need to know how you feel about being paired up with me as a partner? Preferably sooner than later." This entire discussion really threw me off guard. Firstly, I hadn't thought she was out for my blood or anything. Secondly, I definitely didn't expect a partner this soon. Thirdly, why was I being evaluated? What for? And fourth, She does has a point as to how fast he came to trust me. I hadn't noticed really. Last. I don't think I'd mind being partnered. I think we could work rather well as a team actually. As I realized this, I turned to her and answered her before she moved on. "I'll be your partner. I don't have to think about it. I trust the Commander General and if he trusts you then you must be alright. Also, I think we would make a pretty awesome team." She stopped and looked at me before smiling and relaxing her shoulders. She began to laugh quietly, and she looked at me. "And here I was afraid you'd be paranoid of my presence or refuse to partner up with me. That was a lot simpler than I thought it'd be." She shook her head and stood up still snickering and began to walk away. But she stopped feet away from where I sat and looked over her shoulder at me. "I'll let the General know your decision immediately. I'll keep you posted." With that, she turned and began walking away silently as I watched as the fireflies in the clearing flutter around her unphased by the presence cutting through their light-filled gathering. Once she was out of my view, I stood and began walking in the direction of my tent, envisioning the future battles to come and the outcome of our partnership. I came to a stop at my tent and paused for a moment. After a few moments of consideration, I grabbed a change of clothes and began walking towards the stream to bathe and enjoy the quiet away from the commotion. I stopped on the banks of the stream and undressing quickly, jumped into the river and began to swim back and forth reveling in the feel of the cool water running along my skin and the sounds of nature around me. The chirping of the crickets, the low voices of the frogs downstream, the owls in the trees calling each other, and the rustle of leaves as they were moved ever so slightly by the gentle breeze. After mere moments, I decided to return to the side of the stream and sit on a submerged rock so that my upper half was still exposed to the breeze passing through the space around me. I wasn't sure how long I sat there but I thoroughly enjoyed every minute until Mother Nature's normal orchestra of noise and songs came to an abrupt halt. In the distance, I heard the slow footsteps of someone approaching the stream. And within seconds, the nearby foliage rustled alarming me of the new arrival. As I glanced up, I saw Isilnyor walking along quietly. Because of a split-second decision, I used my powers to mask my presence. She studied the area around her closely before sitting on the bank's edge and letting her bare feet dangle in the stream water. She audibly sighed and looked up at the sky with a worried look on her face. She hesitated to look around once more before returning her gaze to the sky which she began to talk to. "I'm sorry, Brother. I swear I'm trying as hard as I can. Were it my choice, I'd be doing this a lot differently and faster. But I'm not in a position to do anything against orders. But I swear I will do what I can to be there soon. I met someone recently that I may be able to trust and ask to help me save you from that hell. I happened to find him again today. He seems like he may be willing to help if he knows. But I have to know if I can trust him first. My Commander's order to study and evaluate him was perfect for me to know him better. Soon, Lyonidas. Soon, I promise. We will see each other again soon.