Ealdor has been a region of great conflict and is always under attack by one demon or another. The lands of Ealdor were blessed by all the high gods with unimaginable power.
The prince of Ealdor - Nova - has always been inclined towards books rather than sword. His father, the king, frowned upon his only son for sitting in libraries among some dusty books instead of learning to fight the real danger. Everyday the anger of his father nudged the little rebel inside him to take his stand. Until one day in the middle of the night Nova packed some books and food and ran away.
Nova started walking faster, breathless, taking long steps to cover more forest ground. No matter how hard he tried, he could not shake the slow creeping feeling of being followed. A sound came from the bushes prompting his measured strides to quickly shift to haphazard running. He has never been much of a fast runner or fast anything for that matter.
Weak! You are pathetic Nova. Now pick up that damn sword and fight me! His father’s words echoed through his head as he tried to outrun whoever was following him.
I am not weak, I will prove it. He whispered to himself hoping to rekindle some washed up confidence.
“Will you stop? You are going to kill yourself breathless” a familiar voice stopped Nova. His cheeks burned red with exhaustion and sweat trickled down his auburn hair. His vision blurred as he lied down on the uneven forest ground to catch his breath. Blue sky danced and wavered in front of his eyes.
A girl appeared from behind the trees, black robe covering her as she placed her sword down and offered Nova some water from her leather satchel.
As oxygen filled Nova’s lungs once again, his vision cleared and instead of a hazy figure, a girl with golden hair appeared.
“Amber!” Nova shouted in surprise, “You were not supposed to follow me.” A clear disappointment in his tone.
“You should have been more careful while running away then,” Amber snatched her water satchel from him, tying it back to her waist.
“This part of the forest is not safe, we need to keep moving,” Amber picked up her sword and offered her hand to Nova who was still lying on the ground.
Nova rolled his eyes and stood up on his own. Amber was his only friend who would have understood why Nova ran away from home. Also the friend who his father was proud of more than him. Nova has always been jealous of her for her fighting skills and the way his father looked at her- with a spark of pride in his eyes, that should have been for Nova.
“You know I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself,” Nova started defending himself, “You better go home and bask in the glory of being the best fighter in all of Ealdor.”
Amber shifted her golden gaze on Nova, ready to answer him back when she heard something.
“It’s not like anyone cares for me back home. I will find the demon of karathak with my books here…” Nova pointed to his bag full of parchments and books. A hand covered his blabbering mouth and an unmistakable jasmine essence invaded his nose, seeping in every part of his body.
Amber pinned him to a tree, gesturing him to be quiet.
“Someone is here.”
A deafening hissing rolled over their eardrums as their hands covered their ears.
The blue sky turned grey and a chill in the air dried their throats. Or maybe it was fear.
A shadow appeared from behind the trees and dragged Nova by his collar as Amber unsheathed her sword to fight another.
“Shadows of Karathak, slaves of the demon. Try to stay alive Nova” Amber shouted as she skipped the deadly nails of a shadow and barreled away from it.
“I am not sure I can do that much longer, Amby,” Nova’s voice choked beneath the tight grasp of the shadow.
Amber ran towards him, dodging the attacks. The shadow wrapped its hands tightly around Nova’s neck. Amber’s heart skipped. “No..!!” she shouted as she pierced her sword through the black figure choking Nova.
Gasping and panting Nova stood up and unclutched his knife from his belt as the shadow above him disintegrated into nothingness.
“Guess you needed me after all,” winked Amber. “Now run! I am right behind you,” Amber whispered as she turned to fight other shadow slaves.
Nova need not be told a second time. He grabbed his knife tight and ran deep inside the forest.
Amber slashed and pierced her way through the group of shadows. Her strength wears down with each blow. Only one remaining. Her warrior mind did quick math but her body was already weak with all the fighting. One blow from a shadow and she flew away many paces before striking against a tree. Her sword was nowhere in sight as the shadow approached her.
She dragged her body to sit against the tree.
This is it! This is how I die.
She closed her eyes. Her life rewinding in her mind. At least Nova is safe, she thought and a slight smile curved her pink lips.
As the shadow lifted his arm for a death blow towards Amber, a warm black liquid splashed across Amber’s face. Her heart beat fast. Still beating!?? How is that possible? She opened her eyes to see Nova tearing the shadow apart with his knife.
A huge grin spread across Nova’s face as he offered his hand to Amber.
“I was supposed to protect you! Not the other way around.” Amber’s tone shifted, the relief of recently dodged death clear in her voice as she took Nova’s hand.
Nova pulled her closer and planted a kiss on her lips. A kiss that conveyed how much Nova was scared of loosing her. A kiss that excited every nerve in them with a new found thrill of being alive. Being together. A warmth spread through Amber’s cold body as she placed her hands on his chest. Leaning into the perfect kiss.
Amber placed her forehead against his as he breathed in the jasmine.
“How about we both protect each other?” Nova whispered before placing another soft kiss on her lips.
Note: Above pictures were taken from Pintrest with the sole purpose of creating aesthetics for the story.