Beneath the Milky Twilight

by BeanBois

Summary:

The story of an arcanist and her paladin told through a series of snapshots, stories and stolen moments.

Chapter 1

Falling in love with Allura wasn’t something that Kima ever meant to do. For a long time, she wasn’t sure if she even wanted to but like so many other things in their world, it just wasn’t under her control.

At first it was her smile. That slight smirk whenever she proved one of them wrong. That polite upturn of her lips designated whenever they needed negotiating done, the look that seemed to be growing more and more necessary these days. The toothy grin of her laughing along with Drake’s jokes or at the end of a successful fight.

Then it was her voice. Her laugh. The quiet whispers of hashed out plans in the middle of the night and the shouts in midst battle. Her spells being spoke under her breath, words Kima would never understand but that Allura seemed to learn in a heartbeat. The mumbled curses under her breath whenever she messed up because she was only human after all. The tinkling giggle after one too many drinks in the tavern and the unladylike snort she let out whenever Kima herself did something particularly amusing.

But she imagined it was her eyes that really made her fall. A blue so bright that Kima could have sworn that they had magic of their own, had so often seen the crackling essence of Allura’s powers behind them even when she wasn’t casting a spell. A blue that quickly turned stormy whenever her friends were threatened, whenever her life was in risk. A blue that she’d only seen dull once or twice during hushed conversations in the night, discussions of pasts and sorrows always eased along with whatever local alcohol was available.

They had known each other for a year when she truly realized it for the first time. Their group had just finished clearing out a band of orcs who’d been harassing a small town. It had all been going well until a roar sounded in the distance and two trolls had broke through the trees, knocking Sirus to the side and nearly crushing Dohla with a club.

It hadn’t been a good time.

Even Kima, usually confident in her abilities, was starting to be doubtful of their success. What small amounts of magic she had was waning and she could only heal so fast and so often. She was bloody and bruised herself and watching Ghenn fall wasn’t doing anything at all for her morals.

Suddenly, there was the crackling sound of static and a bright flash of light with a resounding crash as a lightning bolt struck down, connecting with both the trolls. Kima turned fast enough to watch Allura as she brought her staff down to the ground again, her eyes flashing, seemingly matching the lightning she’d just summoned.
For a moment, it was silent.

Then both trolls keeled over and dropped onto the forest floor in front of them, dead.

Clean up was easy. They had a few remaining potions and the rest of Kima and Dohla’s healing spells so when they arrived back into the town, they weren’t limping and half dead. Compared to some of their other days, it was a vast improvement.

They were exhausted though, magic tapped out and muscles sore from overuse so they didn’t linger as much as they used to at the bar lamenting about their success. They stayed long enough to get a meal in them and then were heading off to their respective shared rooms for the night.

Kima sat on her bed, working at the fastenings and buckles on her armour slowly, dropping the heavy metal onto the floor for easy access in the morning. As she did, she couldn’t help but watch the arcanist on the other side of the room. Allura was always so put together, even after a battle. Not a hair out of place, her robes in near perfect condition as she folded her cloak and draped it across the one chair the room offered. She watched the woman wave her hand towards the door, setting up their normal protection spells.

“You were incredible out there, Allie,” Kima finally spoke into the quiet of the room, only left in her shift and her smallclothes now as she climbed into her bed, moving under the blankets. At this point in their travels though, the six of them were far too used to seeing each other in various states of dress. So a little lack of clothing wasn’t a problem for either of them. “I’ve never seen that one before.”

Allura was midway through the laces on her robes, undressing for bed as well and she paused, turning her gaze over to the halfling for a moment before looking back down to her fingers. “I was doing some reading. I wasn’t entirely sure that it would work,” she admitted. She slid under the covers of her own bed, still adorned in her jewelry because even with her protection spells, she would never trust a tavern like this.

Kima smiled because it was just like Allura to not admit to being as good as they all knew she was, as good as Allura herself knew she was. “Either way, I’ve never seen anything like that before. It was…” the words ‘pretty hot’ ran through Kima’s head though she figured now wasn’t really the appropriate time. “It was awesome.”

And there was that smile that Kima loved the most. The one that always accompanied that shy dip of a head whenever Kima said anything complimentary towards the blonde. She could look at that smile for hours if she could get away with it. Allura might be a little creeped out by that though.

“It wasn’t anything impressive… I’ve seen people do far more,” Allura replied now and she was still smiling and if Kima was closer she was sure that she would see a blush on her cheeks but she wasn’t. So she would just have to assume.

Kima chuckled and she slid down, curling under the blankets and letting her body melt into the bed, sore and battered from the battle. “You’re never going to let me compliment you, are you?” she hummed. “How else am I supposed to get in your good books?”

Allura’s laugh came through the darkness as she blew out the lantern, making herself comfortable in her own bed. There wasn’t a response after that and Kima let her eyes close, figuring that the other wasn’t going to give her a proper reply and she was almost asleep already when she finally heard the soft voice speak again.

“I’m sure that you’ll find a way.”

It might have been the exhaustion. And it might have been the blow to the head that she’d received mid battle but Kima could have sworn that with the lilt of her voice, that Allura was flirting with her.

Chapter 2: Chapter 2

It started with a hug. A celebratory, post-battle oh my gods we didn't die kind of hug. Nothing that they hadn’t shared before. But now, to Allura at least, it felt different.

Kima’s hugs had always been tight, grounding. It was hard not to be aware of all the armour and chainmail she wore almost constantly but none of them really seemed to mind that. It kept her safe after all. But now, Kima already leaving her arms to go and tackle Dohla in another hug, Allura stayed standing exactly where she was.

And she blinked. Oh.

She could feel Drake’s knowing eyes on her and she quickly shook herself back to her senses. This wasn’t something she could worry about as the ground around them still smoked and smoldered in places so she ignored him. She didn’t want to deal with his teasing right now, she was almost positive that she would get enough of it later.

“Alright, alright. I don’t wanna stay here all night,” Sirus spoke finally and there was a general sound of agreement around the group. They were tired. They were sore. And they just really wanted to get some sleep. Unfortunate for them, Allura realized, they weren’t close enough to any civilization and she had exhausted herself of any magic that would even have a chance to get them somewhere warm for the night.

So they gathered their things, looting the rest of the bodies for anything of use to them and they travelled a little ways off to a relatively safe clearing and they set up camp. Soon, they had a small fire to keep them warm as they laid out their bedrolls around it. Ghenn agreed to first watch, leaning back against a nearby tree, his sword resting in his lap.

Allura dropped herself down gently, waving her hands over her robes to clean off the rest of the dirt and soot and hopefully make herself look a little most presentable. She didn’t normally get too involved physically in a battle, choosing to stay safe in the distance for the most part but there were still times when she took damage or when mud would go flying. She winced at the movement though, rubbing at her shoulder where she’d taken a nasty blow earlier.

“You know, you’re supposed to tell me when you’re hurt,” came a voice from behind her and she turned her head slightly to watch as Kima made her way over, dirty and bloody as ever and yet to Allura, she’d never looked so good. “It’s kind of my job.”

Allura just waved her off, letting her hands fall back into her lap as she did. “There’s nothing to worry about. We had more pressing matters at the time,” she assured the other woman only to be interrupted by a quiet tsking noise.

“Yeah. That was then, this is now. Gimme your hands, Allie.” As Kima spoke, she was already reaching for the blonde and her firm grasp wrapped around Allura’s hands as a familiar warmth ran through her as the spell took hold and despite herself, Allura sighed softly in relief, letting herself sag ever so slightly.

“Thank you, Kima,” she murmured to her, actually having to tilt her head back a little as Kima was still standing and she offered a smile. Before, of course, she realized that the spell had been completed and that their hands were still wrapped together and she pulled away slightly, pretending to fuss with one of her braids for a moment. She glanced at the other again before waving her hand in front of her, causing the armour on the halfling to shine once more as it was cleaned.
The Halfling glanced down, humming contently, fingers tapping against the cool metal. “Ain’t no problem, Allie. It’s my job.” And she flashed her that grin of hers, wide and bright and oh, so earnest.

And it took all of Allura’s strength to not swoon on the spot.

She still wasn’t convinced that Kima didn’t have some hidden charm magic hidden under her armour.

“Yes, well… Be that as it may…” Allura didn’t really know what to say to that, hadn’t really been planning on having a conversation with the other woman that night. So she just let herself trail off, making it look as though she were just settling herself down more comfortably onto her bedroll. It was late after all, the moon already high in the sky above them though it didn’t provide much light.

Assuming this was the end of the conversation, Kima straightened out her own sleeping area around the fire, laying herself under the blanket still in her armour. She was hard to convince to be out of it when they were safe let alone when they were out in the middle of the woods. She was still close to Allura though, close enough that she could hear her after a couple minutes even though it was in a hushed whisper.

“Do you ever feel like you know everything you should know...But then something just comes around and changes your entire perspective?”

It was a loaded question and Allura watched Kima in the semi-darkness, the only source of light coming from their campfire. She watched as the woman paused, fingers wrapped around the edges of the blanket as she looked up to meet Allura’s eyes. For a moment, there was only confusion before a flicker of understanding crossed her face and her head tilted as though considering the blonde.

“Yeah...I get what you mean.” She didn’t offer anything else, just balled up the sack underneath her head and tried to make herself as comfortable as one could in plate armour, the clanking muffled by the blanket above her. “Get some sleep, Allie. You’re gonna need it.”

Allura drew her own blanket around her tighter as though to keep away the chill though she had a small smile on her lips. There hadn’t been anything said between them really, nothing of importance or substance but she felt as though something had shifted. That there was just something a little different.

And she couldn’t wait to find out.

Notes:

So here's another chapter of whatever this is going to turn into. I hope you guys enjoy! Kudos and comments are always welcome and if you want to drop any requests/prompts off, my tumblr is carpeculum

Chapter 3: Chapter 3

It was one of the rare occurrences that their group got to spend some time in a city, a proper city. Not that they didn’t appreciate the spattering of villages that had kept them warm and dry on their travels but there was just something about the opportunity to take a break. To sell their wares and purchase new ones. To just relax until their next adventure drew their attention away again.

Allura was no stranger to Emon, having grown up nearby enough to have visited before and after spending her school years in the Alabaster Lyceum. So they let her take the lead, at least for a short while.

She pointed out the districts, the markets and the shops. She waved her hand towards the Cloudtop though knew none of them would be allowed entry anyway. It didn’t take long for the group to disperse to go about their own business though, with only a promise of meeting later that night at their decided upon lodgings for the night. Drake had apparently some business to deal with some other dwarves. Dohla and Ghenn wanted to stock up their supply of health potions though she knew they were going to come back with more weapons than the two could hold. Probably. And Sirus just wanted to get laid, as he so generously told the group before departing on his happy little way.

Which left Allura with Kima.

“So you grew up here, huh?” the Halfling asked as they made their way down the street with no set destination in mind, though Allura did want to check on a few enchantments before they left the city.

“For some time, yes,” Allura replied with a soft hum, nodding towards the marble building in the distance, the protective orbs on top sparking with enough magical essence to be seen from even here. “Or, I went to school here at least.” Which, was a bit of an understatement in her own mind though she didn’t draw attention to it. She’d been the top of her class, matching even some of the professors as the years went on and she grew more used to her powers and learned how to properly utilize them.

Kima gave a hum of acknowledgement from beside her, her armour clanking slightly as they went. It used to annoy Allura, the noise of it. It had certainly caused them enough troubles on being caught when they were supposed to be quiet but now… now it brought along a sort of comfort. A reassurance that Kima was still there by her side. “Seems like the kind of place you’d like to live.”

“And that means?”

“Nothing bad, Allie. Just seems like your kind of city, is all. Busy, lots of things to do, lots of people to help.” She shrugged, her sword shifting in its scabbard on her back.

Allura considered this for a moment, glancing around the street as she did. She always had liked Emon, ever since she was a little girl. She could see herself settling down here as well, sometime far in the future. Now though, she preferred spending her days out in the world, exploring and testing her powers with her friends. “Perhaps when I’m older. I can’t see us stopping our adventures any time soon,” she chuckled quietly. “I quite enjoy spending time with you all.”

Their beginning had been rocky, for all of them. But now… Now these people were her closest friends, her family even. She didn’t know what she would ever do without them and she hoped that she would never have to find out.

“Well. It’s a good thing that I-that we like spending time with you too then, huh?” Kima replied and she flashed her one of those lopsided grins of hers, hoping that Allura wouldn’t have noticed the her slip of the tongue.

“I’m very lucky, I agree.”

It was quiet for a little while after that, Allura continuing to lead them both, winding their way through the streets quietly. It had been a while since she’d visited but the city remained generally the same. Of course there were always new shops, new buildings popping up and that was one of the perks of magic, the speed of it all. But it had the same feel to it and she knew that what Kima had said had been true. That she probably would do good here, whenever she decided to stay.

“We should probably-”

 

“Can I ask-”

They’d spoken at the same time, trailing off just to laugh in amusement and Kima waved towards Allura to speak.

“I was only going to suggest that we find something to eat. We’ve been on travel rations for an awfully long time now, after all.” Not that she would complain when it was all the food that they had but when in a city filled with culture and diversity, it wouldn’t be a problem to find some proper food.

“You know. That’s the best thing you’ve said all day.”

Allura smirked and she flicked her braid back over her shoulder where the wind had moved it. “I thought so.”

She glanced around for a quick moment to get a bearing of where they were before motioning Kima to follow her down an alley. “Now, if I remember correctly. There’s an excellent restaurant just around the bend here…”

She cut herself off as a dark figure dropped down in front of her, wrapped in a cloak so their face could barely be seen. “Well well well. What do we have here?” His voice was low and reminded Allura of the sound of two rocks scraping together under water.

There was a shuffling behind them and she didn’t even have to turn to know that there must have been more and the sound of a bolt being loaded into a crossbow only confirmed it. She could feel Kima moving, hear the sound of metal on metal.

“Touch the sword and this goes through Blondie’s head.” The voice this time was female and Kima froze, glaring across at the two figures she was facing.

It wasn’t the first time they’d been ambushed, far from it actually. And they were more than capable of getting themselves out of such a situation. But the sheer unpreparedness of it had taken its effect on Allura. Her fingers flexed on her staff and she could easily cast a spell but if they heard her speak… She doubted she would have the time to get it out.

“Lot of pretty rings you’ve got there.” The man in front of her was stepping closer now, satisfied that they were sufficiently trapped for the time being. “Hand them over.”

She hesitated. Of course she did. Of course they could always find different ways of protection and defense, different jewelry to hold spells. But she was attached to the ones she owned, especially the one given to her by her mother.

The man shook his face free of his cloak and sneered at her, his blade glinting silver at his side. “Let me restate that. Hand them over or I’ll take your fingers with them. We’ll take the rest of your riches while you're at it too.”

He was close enough now that Allura could see the ugly, jagged scar over his lip that pulled when he smirked smugly at her. She could feel Kima raring up for a fight behind her and knew that her friend wasn’t going to stay still for very much longer. So she moved quickly, starting to pull her rings from her fingers and she dropped one.

The man bent over to pick it up and Allura promptly kneed him in the face. She wasn’t very strong, of course. But a knee to the nose was enough to push anyone off balance.

She ducked in time to hear the wood splintering across the cobblestone wall where her head had just been and with a swing of metal and a grunt, looked over to see Kima lunging herself after the other two with a shout and a few choice curses.

“Why you bitch,” the swordsman had stumbled back, blood dripping from his nose now as he had reaffirmed his grip on his sword and took a swing at her. She wasn’t meant for these close encounter sort of fights and she took the slash across her stomach even as she jumped back, murmuring a spell under her breath and blasting him back against the wall where he crumpled, unconscious.

Kima had seemingly been doing well for herself. Another of their attackers lay groaning in pain but seemingly unable to pick up the daggers at his side anymore and Kima had instead decided to drop her own sword in favour of punching the woman repeatedly.

One arm clutched across her stomach, Allura placed the other on her friend’s shoulder. “Kima. We should leave before the guards come,” she managed. Not that they were at fault but she wasn’t looking to waste any of their time dealing with the officials at the moment.

Kima grunted a response, something along the lines of “these useless pieces of shit,” but she pushed herself to her feet again regardless, spitting at their would be assailants.

She finally caught sight of Allura though and frowned. “Thought I told you to stop getting yourself hurt, Allie. I can’t always be here after all.” She waved Allura’s arm away from her stomach, pressing her hands against it instead and with a warm light, the wound slowly closed up until the blonde wasn’t in danger of bleeding out anymore.

“You’re here when it matters though,” Allura murmured, relaxing slightly as she looked down to her torn and bloodstained robe now and she waved her hand over the fabric so it wouldn’t be terribly noticeable. She took one look at Kima’s armour and did the same. They didn’t need to be arrested after all.

They picked up their belongings quickly and Allura frowned as she couldn’t seem to find her fallen ring, crouched over the ground and looking through the rocks.

“Looking for this?” came Kima’s voice from behind her, the ring in the palm of her hand as she offered it to her and Allura sighed a breath of relief.

“Thank you, Kima.”

She took the ring from her, spinning it around her fingers for a long moment before sliding it back onto her finger, all the while feeling Kima’s eyes on her. It was a slightly off putting feeling, not sure as to why she was staring and she was almost convinced that she must have forgotten some blood on her face on something when Kima when spoke again.

“Hey Allie… Earlier I was going to… Can I ask you something?”

She sounded unsure of herself, which wasn’t something that Allura was used to applying to the Halfling and she shifted in her armour as though she was suddenly uncomfortable in it.

“Of course,” came Allura’s careful reply and even though there were in the middle of what was essentially a crime scene with unconscious robbers around them, she would wait to see what it was that Kima wanted.

“It’s actually not so much a question than it is a request. An’ I’m not sure how it’s going to turn out but I just…”

They were basically the same height, Allura having stayed crouched after her search for the ring so it was easy for Kima to lean in and press her lips against the blonde’s.

For a moment, Allura froze, having actually expected a question. But it was barely a second later that she was melting into the kiss, moving her hand to Kima’s armour to steady herself being she toppled and when they pulled apart, she was smiling.

“I’ve no idea if you were actually planning on that on being a question but regardless, the answer is yes,” she whispered and Kima was grinning the most beautiful smile she’d ever seen before in her life so of course the only thing that Allura could do was kiss her again.

And again once they’d left the alleyway.

And again when they arrived at the restaurant.

“Good thing I was going to ask you on a date then.”

Notes:

I have a paper due tomorrow so I wrote this instead. I hope you enjoy! Hit me up at carpeculum on tumblr if you have prompts or just want to yell about critical role with me.

Chapter 4

Allura had been worried that things would get confusing afterwards. That they would mess up the synchronism of the team. But instead, they fell into an easy sort of pattern.

The others teased them for the first while, wolf whistling whenever they would say goodnight, retreating to the same room or tent or to a shared bedroll. They could get away with a lot when one of them was a small halfling. It was all done good naturedly, of course; their found family joking and picking fun but she could see the knowing looks Drake shot her way whenever he caught her gazing at Kima for a prolonged amount of time. She could the smile that Dohla, the oldest of them all, would give her when their eyes met across the campfire with Kima tucked into her side, under her cloak despite the protests of not being cold.

Allura had been in love before, knew the feelings that it brought with and she could feel them overcoming her quickly. And yet, they were different. With Kima, it was different.

With others she had dated, Allura had been able to picture futures together. Could imagine moving in together, marrying, the possibility of children and at the time she had. But with Kima… while the images and dreams were still in mind, they weren’t necessary. She could be happy without them. Kima wasn’t just a part of her future. Kima was her future.

Sometimes the realization, no matter how many times she thought about it continued to surprise Allura. And it came at the randomest of moments. The stupidest moments. Watching Kima get excited over the prospects of chicken shouldn’t bring a wide of a smile to her lips as it did. Kima didn’t pray much, saying instead that her deity preferred action instead of words and but some nights she could hear the whispered prayers. And it shouldn’t warm her heart the way it did, causing her to hold the other that much closer during the night. It was these little things that had her falling more and more each day and Allura knew that this was it. She loved Kima, loved her more than anything.

Of course, none of that stopped her from getting annoyed with the woman.

“No, I’m not letting you carry me around the campsite just to prove that you can,” Allura barely looked up from where she was sorting through her magical stores, the components necessary for so many of her spells. She was running low on a few herbs, would need to make a stop in the next town to see what she could salvage.

Kima’s response came in the form of a whine as she dropped herself down onto the grass beside her. “But Allie…”

And Allura just knew that if she were to lift her gaze, she would see the Halfling pouting at her and well, she was only human. So she made the very wise decision of continuing to count her supplies.

Kima though, apparently wasn’t done as she continued. “Ghenn bet me my watch duties that I wouldn’t be able to do it. I can’t just lose a bet.” She reached forward, picking up one of the smooth stones from Allura’s small pile, rolling it around in her palm.

“Ask Drake, I’m sure he would love to help you win.”

There was a pause before the both of them laughed quietly as the image of Kima carrying a very likely protesting Drake throughout the camp. Oh, what Allura wouldn’t give to see that…

“I’m almost certain he’d rather be struck by lightning again than to let me do that,” there was a shifting of metal on metal as Kima rested back on her hands, braid dangling down towards the ground. “Or he’d hit me with lightning. That’s never fun, so I’d like to avoid getting roasted in my armour.”

Allura, with an amused expression, finally looked up, taking a moment to admire her girlfriend with a smile on her lips and Gods above, she wasn’t ever going to get over how lucky she was. Plate armour didn’t work for everyone but Kima wore it well. Wore it excellently.

And when she wasn’t, there was the muscle to prove it.

Oh Gods, the muscle…

Allura shook herself from those thoughts, meeting Kima’s gaze again and there was a smug smirk on the others lips, as though she knew what Allura was thinking about as the blonde's cheeks reddened slightly.

“It looks like you might just have to have double guard duty tonight then, dear,” Allura hummed in response, watching her for a moment. “I’ll feel very safe as I sleep.” Her grin was teasing as she started to collect her belongings again, reaching forward to pluck the stone from Kima’s fingers to drop into her bag, pulling the drawstring and hiding it away inside her robes once more for the next time they were needed.

Kima opened her mouth to reply but was cut off by Dohla calling across their small makeshift campsite for the two of them.

Allura just smiled to Kima as she started to gather herself enough to get to her feet. “Perhaps next time, dear,” she told her, staying low just long enough to press a kiss to her cheek before she made her way over to where Dohla and Drake were leaning over their map, a grumbling Halfling clanking quietly behind her.

Once in earshot, Dohla continued talking, finger on the map to point out where they were currently. “Can continue walking straight and it’ll be ‘bout two days ‘til we reach Byroden. But, it’ll bring us through a couple swamps. Maybe a nasty river or two.” She moved the map, showing to a different route now. “Or, we can backtrack a lil’ bit and go and take the road. It’ll take a bit longer but would probably be safer ‘less we come across some bandits.”

The group of bandits were no match for their party though, not unless it was a very well thought out ambush. And she knew that none of them except perhaps Ghenn wanted to go exploring through a swamp.

Needless to say, they decided on the road.

“I’m still not sure about us going to Byroden, Allie,” Kima commented later when they’d parted from their group again, warming themselves in front of the fire. The Paladin had half of her armour off, relaxing as she poked at the coals with a slowly burning stick. She looked contemplative, unsure and it wasn’t a look that Allura was used to associating with the woman.

When Allura arched a brow, silently asking for permission, Kima just sighed, throwing the stick into the flames and they both watched as the sparks danced in the swiftly growing darkness. “Just got a bad feeling ‘bout it, I guess. Not sitting right.”

She shifted over on the grass, closer to the blonde’s side and Allura immediately lifted her arm, wrapping it around the other and drawing her in closer. Her fingers spun the end of Kima’s braid between her fingers. “I’m sure it’ll be fine,” she murmured to her in response, her voice quiet. “There’s nothing we can’t handle.”

That awarded her a smile and she squeezed Kima gently again, careful of the armour edges so she wouldn’t give her more bruises than she already had.

“Anyway. What’s the worst it could be?”

Notes:

Sorry for the long wait but finals were kicking my ass. I'm hoping to get an update or two up during the holidays though! Feel free to comment what you liked, what you didn't, anything at all. And as also, hit me up at carpeculum on tumblr if you want to chat.

Chapter 5: Chapter 5

The destruction was devastating.

The acrid smell of smoke hit them before the town was even in sight, the nearby trees around thinning, smoldering and burning still in places. And further still lay what remained of Byroden. Shouts for help echoed through the air, a jumbling of conversations and cries and other sounds of pains.

Allura had frozen with the rest of her party, her own eyes flicking over where she could see the survivors had started to lay their dead. There were already so many rows...sheets and blankets and rugs and whatever else was available tugged over them to give some sort of respect. And still, more bodies were being pulled from the wreckage.

“We need to help,” Dohla suddenly decided and she was the first of them to move forward, to grab the arm of one of the nearby townsfolk and ask where they were keeping their wounded. Kima wasn’t far behind her as they were led off. None of the rest of them had much in the way of healing magic and not wanting to get in the way of those who could do some good, they stayed back.

People stumbled around them, calling out for children, for loved ones, for anyone that they had lost. Sirius and Ghenn moved off to help a struggling group with moving some of the rubble as the search for survivors continued and Allura felt Drake’s presence at her elbow.

“There’s not a lot of beasts that can do this amount of damage,” he commented in that gruff voice of his, his own eyes wide as he surveyed the damage in front of them. But the same thoughts were already going through Allura’s own mind.

Fire. Rubble. And destruction. Windswept trees. The looks of pure fear in the eyes of those remaining.

Their group hadn’t dealt with many dragons in their adventures, but Allura knew what an attack from one looked like.

“It came from the mountains!”

“Ships ‘ave been missin’ for weeks. They go out...but they ain’t come back yet.”

“Fire...so much fire. Wings wider than the whole town!”

They spent the next little while talking with a few of the willing townsfolk, trying to understand just what had happened. And most importantly, just where the dragon had come from. They couldn’t just ignore a threat as great as this one, not while these people and probably many others around the area were suffering.

Allura’s magic trailed off her fingers as she and Drake did what they could to fix some of the less damaged buildings. Even some sort of refuge was better than nothing.

“They’ve been calling him the Scourged Rider,” came Kima’s voice as she walked up behind them, her heavy metal footsteps announcing her presence. Logically, Allura knew that the few bloody patches across her armour were not the halflings, but knowing still it’d come from the injured still proved to set an uncomfortable feeling in her stomach.

Kima shoved a piece of stone, what could only be assumed to be what remained of a wall and dropped herself down with a groan onto the small space now available to sit on. She rubbed her hands, calloused and dirty still and looking back over in the direction she’d come. “They’ve… There’s a lot of them who didn’t make it. And it’s like this all down the coast. Not even taking anything, just...killing.” Her hand came up, wrapping around the holy symbol ever hanging from her neck and squeezing tightly as though she could simply pray away the incident.

She opened her mouth to speak again but Allura was already cutting her off. “If he’s in the mountains, we’ll find him.” She had a certain sort of finality to her words. She didn’t like seeing this sort of needless violence any more than the rest of them. And the people of Byroden, all of the people that this dragon caused harm to, they deserved justice.

And so they planned.

A dragon was no joke. But it also wasn’t something that they hadn’t handled before. A week’s or so preparation was all they deemed necessary before they set off towards the mountains edge. Any longer and it could mean more lives at risk, more innocent people to die in a fiery blaze.

They were a little low on supplies, had far fewer potions than Allura would have liked, going into a fight like this. But they had Dohla. And they had Kima. So they should be fine.

The town had sent with them a small group of guards that hadn’t been too injured in the original attack. Banged up and bruised of course, but they were trained and they were fit and there wasn’t really any reason why all of them together wouldn’t be able to take down the dragon.

The trek was long, the broken path long and winding were a sheer drop off that none of them were particularly excited about finding just how far it went down.

“You know, I don’t think we’ve ever fought a red dragon before,” Kima commented quietly from beside Allura where she was walking, keeping pace despite the heavy armour she wore. “Can’t be as nasty as that ol’ white one. Never thought I’d be warm again.”

Allura knew what she was doing, knew she was trying to distract her mind from the fight but she smiled all the same. “Kima, you buried yourself under my cloak and complained about the hole in it because it was, and I quote, ‘letting in a draft, Allie.’”

She heard Kima scoff but knew that there was no refuting it. She had Drake and Ghenn to back her up, after all. It was quiet between them for a couple of long moments as they climbed over rocks before Kima finally commented again. “Guess we don’t have to worry about being cold with this one.”

That’s was Allura was most worried about. Ice you could thaw, could melt. Poison could be treated, acid could be cleaned. But fire...fire just burned and destroyed and killed until there was nothing left. It takes and it takes and it never gives anything back.

Lost in her thoughts, Allura barely stopped herself in time to prevent bumping into the person ahead of her as it seemed that the troop had stopped. One of the scouts ahead had signaled a halt and she could hear the quiet sounds of bolts being loaded, of swords being unsheathed. Beside her, Kima gave a quick squeeze to her hand before pulling out her own weapon, ready as always.

They were preparing to fight a dragon, however, but it seemed like he’d had different ideas. They’d barely crested over onto a clearing in the mountain when the scout in front was suddenly pitched off the edge and they listened to his scream getting quieter in the distance. Until they couldn’t hear it anymore. And then it was just chaos.

Of course, they should have assumed that there would be other creatures in the mountains, should have been ready to fight them as well. But the sudden onslaught of lizardfolk did far too well of a job at surprising them.

Allura lost sight of Kima in the mess. After all, she herself had no use in diving headfirst into the fray. She was better on the outside, the background. Where she could fire her spells and protect her friends hopefully without catching the attention of any of the enemies. She wasn’t particularly the strongest after all.

Armour for Dohla, a spat of lightning on the group she’d seen advancing on Drake, a missile at one near the edge, sending him toppling over. Battle was nothing new for her. At this point in their adventures, they’d practically become experts.

It wasn’t until the leathery flapping of wings could be heard, followed by the frightened shouts of “dragon!” that Allura was really worried.

The beast was enormous, bigger than anything she’d ever seen before and the tales from the townsfolk had done nothing to help her prepare for this. Fiery red and angry, he reared his head back and roared to the heavens before landing, his claws wrapping around two of the guards and she had to look away as they were crushed within them. There would be nothing left to find.

“So nice of you to pay a visit to the Cinder King. I was getting hungry,” came this terrible, growling voice from the dragon's mouth. He snapped downwards, the spark of fire starting to grow in his throat and Allura was running before she could even think.

They needed to get out.

She could only take so many.

The shouts and calls from the townsfolk who’d joined them had died down though, even the ones in fear and she didn’t know if there were even any of them that still survived.

Her mind was on her friends though but she was too far. Too far for the spell so she kept going and had just managed to get the incantation out before the dragon's fire engulfed them all.

There was pain, horrible, excruciating pain.

Then the tight squeeze of a teleportation spell surrounded by darkness.

And finally, hard ground beneath her hands.

Notes:

Sorry for the long wait! But...life, you know? I'm trying to do this story justice and I don't want to ruin that with terrible writing. Thanks for sticking around! I love you all. As always, you can find me at carpeculum on Tumblr if you want to give a shout.

Chapter 6: Chapter 6

Allura hit the ground, coughing violently, her lungs burning as though she’d breathed in the flames and it took her a moment to realize that it was more than likely that she had. Around her, the sounds of her friends own hacking and groans of pain, while not normally a pleasant sound or one she wanted to hear, reassured her that they had made it. That they at least were still alive.

Rolling onto her back, she winced in pain. She’d cast the spell too quickly, too panicked. She wasn’t sure where they’d landed, only that it was away from the dragon. The sun in the sky was too bright and she squinted, blinking smoke and soot out of her eyes.

“You alive, Vysoren?” A hand came into view and Allura accepted it, letting Ghenn help her to her feet. He had a nasty burn across his face that was painful to even look at and she was glad she hadn’t been on the receiving end. But now that she was moving, there was a pull at her side and she hissed in discomfort, waving her hand over her robes to clean them up, to fix the hole that the flames had created.

“Just about, I think.”

A few feet away, Dohla leaned over Sirius, who’d been the closest to the dragon, her hands a soft glow of magic as she healed up his wounds. Drake was propped up against Kima, beard looking slightly singed, which he looked fairly off-put about if his expression was anything to go off of.

And Kima…

Kima looked relatively okay, all circumstances considered as she bickered with the man, wanting to drop a spell or two into him. He and Allura were the squishy ones, after all, the ones who fell most easily in a fight if they managed to get hit. The Halfling noticed her watching and offered a pained smile, eyes glancing her over in obvious way of checking just how injured she was.

Allura simply shook her head and mouthed I’m fine to the woman before moving over to help Dohla get Sirius back to her feet.
“We need help,” Drake spoke up. “There’s no way we can fight that beast without it…” It was something they were all thinking but his eyes were on Allura as he said it. And almost as though they were on the same wavelength, an idea popped into her mind.

“We could always…”

“That’s an awful lot to ask though, and we’re-”

“Not much, I know. But this is important. If he’s moving further North-”

“Kymal. Emon. Westruun.”

“They're all in danger. We have to tell somebody.”

There was a quiet clearing of a throat from beside them. “Not to burst this little brainstorming session you two have goin’ on but do you mind letting the rest of us in on whatever the hell you’re talkin’ about?”

They both turned with slightly wide eyes at the sound of Ghenn’s voice as though they’d momentarily forgotten that the rest of their troop was even there. And now were looking to the pair with expectant looks.

“The Arcana Pansophical,” Allura replied and with the general look of confusion between the other four, she continued. “Some of the world’s most powerful arcane users. They’ve formed this group that’s supposed to help throughout the lands whenever something truly dangerous pops up. If we can manage to get a message to them, they could help.”

There were plenty of problems with this idea of course. They might not be able to contact them. There was always the chance they would be ignored. Perhaps they wouldn’t even be able to help them. But it was worth a shot and right now, it was the only one that they had.

An hour or so later found them crowded around a table as Allura wrote out a message for help, explaining the situation and where they would be located (some small town they’d passed through before that Allura had landed them on the outskirts of). Drake conjured up one of his spells that the blonde still didn’t really understand herself and the letter vanished.

Exhausted, the party paid for their meals at the small inn they’d found and hauled themselves up the stairs to sleep. Dohla was already half asleep as she dropped herself in the second bed by the time Allura slid in alongside Kima, still favoring her slightly burned side. Between the six of them, they’d quickly run out of effective healing spells, though Kima had promised she’d fix it in the morning.

The halfling tucked herself in Allura’s arms, face pressed against her shoulder with a quiet sigh. “We’ve really got ourselves in the thick of it this time, haven’t we?” she murmured quietly, fingers curling slightly in the front of Allura’s clothing as though she was going to leave.

Allura would rather face the dragon again right now than leave this bed.

“That does seem to be a common outcome of our adventures,” Allura managed to chuckled quietly as she buried her nose in the dirty blonde hair of her girlfriend. She still smelled of smoke but Allura couldn’t find herself caring. None of them had time to wash and she doubted she smelled like roses herself. “We never can mind our own business.”

Kima laughed at her dry humour and pressed a kiss to the sliver of skin just above her collarbone. “Your nosiness has rubbed off on us all,” she teased.

“Oh shut up,” Allura replied, trying to sound offended but the teasing and the joking was just what she needed now, letting relax into the cushions as her arms wrapped around Kima, holding her close.

“Yeah, shut up. Some of us are trying to sleep,” Dohla grumbled, voice muffled from the pillow.

Giggling softly, the two quieted down and Allura tucked the blankets around them and sighed softly, shifting to get more comfortable with the other still held close to her body. Now that they were actually in bed, she could feel the fatigue and weariness settle in her bones and she let her eyes close. “I love you,” she murmured quietly, a whisper just between the two of them.

And the last thing she heard before the darkness of sleep overtook her was Kima’s soft “I love you too, Ally.”

Notes:

Sorry for the shortness, but I'm hoping for one more chapter of build-up before we get to the big fight. Thanks for sticking around, I love and appreciate every comment and judo I get, you guys are the best <3. As always, my tumblr is carpeculum so feel free to give a shout anytime you want.

Chapter 7: Chapter 7

It took longer than any of them would have preferred to get a plan set and ready to the point where there was a higher chance of success than failure. A slight chance, miniscule even. But a chance nonetheless.

They spent weeks hunched over books and scrolls, long nights with a few flickering candles around them and even earlier mornings, the dark circles under their eyes a testament to their time spent working. And harder still; a battle with a fire titan.

It wasn’t Allura’s preferred way of spending her time, of course. But they were doing good, they were going to help countless people and if that meant they only lost a couple months of sleep then it was damn well worth it.

“So what I’m hearing is that we’ve got to somehow get that rock,” Sirus pointed over his shoulder to the window of the shelter they’d been using for the last while where a large crystal could be seen just outside, emitting a soft red colour, “to stick to that fucking beasts chest. And then we’ve gotta somehow beat ‘em down enough so that one of you two,” He motioned between Allura and Drake at this, “can cast some fancy spell and send his ass to the Plane of Fire to bind him to some creation fountain thing. And on top of that, we have to fight him, hurt him and somehow simultaneously keep you two alive and not die ourselves.”

It was the most Allura had ever heard the man speak.

They waited a beat before-

“Unfortunately, that is the plan, yes.”

Another beat.

“I need a fucking drink.”

He pushed himself from the table their small group had converged around to disappear out the door in hopes of finding some sort of alcohol to distract himself with.

Allura knew he was only thinking rationally. It was a wildly impossible plan, nothing like they’d ever done before. And if she had the same taste for liquor that most of her companions did, she would probably have joined him. It would be nice to have something to do to keep her mind off of what they were going to do the next day.

Grunting something about making sure Sirus wasn’t going to do anything stupid, Ghenn moved to follow the other man. They didn’t want to be dealing with a hungover rogue when they were supposed to be fighting a dragon, not when they needed every ounce of damage they could get.

“This is going to work, right Ally?” Came Kima’s voice from beside her and Allura could only sigh, rubbing a hand over her forehead, over that spot that always seemed to be throbbing from a headache these days.

“I’m not making any promises. But it’s all we have,” Allura finally replied, her tone quiet as though to admit that it might not work physically pained her. But she didn’t want to lie to her friends. She couldn't. These people had become her family in the times of their travels. Of course, she was aware of how dangerous this was, of how there was a possibility that they might not walk back from this.

In their earlier adventures, they joked about being heroes, about saving the day. About there being stories of their eternal valour and prowess in battle, parades being thrown in their honour... But that’s all they were supposed to be; jokes. Campfire stories to amuse them in the evenings and dreams to keep them entertained at night. None of them had ever truly considered the fact that one day it might happen.

“Planerider Ryn said that we should expect it to be hard, but not impossible. It’s a dragon. It’s greedy. It’s vain. We just have to use that to our advantage.”

The other three remaining at the table stayed quiet after that. They’d spent so long going over the plan they needn't really speak of it anymore. Too much of this kind of talk was bound to make anyone nervous.

 

It was later that night when Kima found Allura again, seated by the window with a cooling mug of tea in her hands, her eyes cast out towards the distant mountains barely visible from where they were hidden away. “Rather hypocritical of you to be up and about so late when you were the one nagging us about getting enough sleep.” Her voice was light, that teasing tone she always carried when talking to the blonde but Allura could hear the worry underneath the defensive layer the halfling had so carefully built for herself. “Always hate waking up to an empty bed.”

She had never thought that someone else's anxiety and unease would ever upset her this much. But of course, that was all before ever meeting Kima.

Everything had changed with her.

“I know,” Allura sighed softly and she turned her gaze towards the woman. “Just… I’m fine. I promise,” she reassured her even now, not wanting the other to have too much focus on her when they should all be prepared for the next days fight.

“Now that’s a lie if I’ve ever heard one.”

Kima boosted herself up to sit on the windowsill, still having to tilt her head back to look up to Allura but their heights were a bit more similar now.

“I know you’re just as worried sick as the rest of us,” she continued then and she reached for the cup still in the blonde’s hands, prying it gently from her grasp and placing it down on the wood beside her. She turned again to wrap her hands around Allura’s and she squeezed just a little too tight but it was what Allura needed. “We’re going to be fine, Allura.”

Allura’s throat was tight, that uncomfortable burning in her chest swelling whenever she tried to bite back emotions because now was not the time to cry. Now was the time to be level-headed and calm and prepared. When the fight was over, then they could cry. Then they could hug each other and cheer and get drinks and just… go back to the way it used to be. Hell, maybe after this was the time for them to settle down somewhere. Somewhere safe. Somewhere where Kima could still go out and train and keep herself busy whenever she got antsy. Somewhere fun and relaxing but where they could still do good. Adventuring was fun and all but Allura… Allura wanted more. She wanted a life too.

So she just bit back any concerns and worries and offered Kima a tight-lipped smile, nodding her head in agreement. “Yeah… we are,” she whispered. “We always are.” But her grip was just as tight on Kima’s hand, holding onto her as though she were her lifeline in all of this. Her anchor to keep her grounded when her thoughts were flying fast enough to make her head spin.

Leaning forward, Kima rested her forehead on Allura’s arm, relaxing against the woman as she closed her eyes for a moment. “As if I’d ever let a dragon tear us apart, cause...you know” she commented quietly and she smiled and she brought her hand up to kiss.

Chuckling quietly, Allura swallowed again and she turned her gaze back out the window again. She knew they should sleep, that they would need their strength for the upcoming battle. But five more minutes in the quiet and the chill of the night couldn’t hurt. Not when it came with the promises that no matter what, they would be okay.

The two of them against the world.

“I know.”

Notes:

So this...wasn't as good as I wanted it to be. But I got it out. Big battles up next so prepare for some angst. As always, you can hit me up at carpeculum on tumblr or carpenates on twitter. Thank you all <3

Chapter 8: Chapter 8

The battle went by in flashes of heat and flame.

Of shouts and roars and pain.

The first part of the plan was a success, the fiery soul anchor glowing from the dragons’ chest as he dominated the playing field. Allura knew the risks, that until they could have him banished, the stone would strengthen him, would make it that much harder to defeat him. But this was the only way.

If they couldn’t send him to the fire plane, this was all for not.

It even seemed like it was going well. She and Drake stayed off to the back, flinging their spells and protecting their friends but mostly just saving their strength. They needed it to open the portal. They needed it to complete the ritual. Every now and then through the smoke and flames and chaos, she could see a flash of armour or weapons, hear the quick thrump as a crossbow bolt flew through the air and struck the beast, feel the spark of magic in the air. She wanted to keep an eye on Kima but there was too much going on, too many places to be looking at the once. Her robes still smouldered from where she’d been hit by the dragons’ breath earlier but they went ignored.

She had more worrying things than a little bit of fabric.

The sound of a scream cut it’s way through her spell and the magic fizzled from her fingertips, the light dimming on her staff as she watched in horror as Ghenn was snatched up in the monster's teeth and tossed around like a ragdoll until finally, his head tilted back and he was swallowed in one gulp. The screaming cut off and for a moment there was just a ringing in Allura’s ears which slowly grew and grew until she realized what it was. The horrible, grating laughter emitting from the dragon’s throat.

Ghenn…

Allura could feel the rage bubbling up inside of her again, her fingers sparking and she wanted nothing more than to just hit him with spell after spell until she was depleted and he might finally feel some semblance of pain. But they had a plan. And she needed to stick with it.

After Ghenn, they seemed to have lost any luck that they might have held.

Dohla crushed between his claws.

Sirus’ screamed echoing in her ears as he got caught in the flames.

But Thordak was weakening too. The jewel on his chest glowing brighter and brighter as she and Drake worked through the ritual with tears in their eyes, choking on smoke and soot as they poured their magic into the ruins.

It was a lot. It was exhausting. Her muscles ached, her head pounded and she let out a yell as the flames blew over them again, falling to her knees, fingers in the dirt.

There was a pulse of magic, like electricity through the air.

An earth-shattering roar and the sound of wings beating against the air desperately.

The sound of claws digging through the ground, catching on stones and rocks.

And then finally silence.

None of which Allura had time to appreciate as she keeled over and hit the ground, the world around her falling into darkness.

***

It’s cold here, wherever she is. But the inky blackness wraps around her like a blanket, keeping her safe, keeping her warm.

She can’t tell whether she is falling or not, the space around her simultaneously standing still and rushing past.

She can’t open her eyes.

She can’t feel her limbs though she knows that they are there, unable to move from the grip that the darkness has on her.

She feels nothing.

Can remember nothing.

She was doing something, wasn’t she?

Something important?

In the silence, something breaks through, a cry in the distance and she wants to move towards it. It sounds so sad. Surely there is something that she could do to help.

But she’s so tired…

There it was again. A sound. A voice. A name.

Her name.

Someone was calling to her. Calling for her.

She knew that voice.

Kima.

Kima was calling to her.

Kima was calling to her and she always listened.

She couldn’t let her down.

It was around this time that she realized she was in pain.

Feeling came back to her body and with a gasp of too hot air, her eyes flew open and she coughed violently, ash and soot coating the inside of her lungs. The brightness of the sun above her was blinding, too much too fast and she gave a groan of pain.

She had a moment, half delirious when she thought she saw an angel. She wasn’t religious, didn’t pray to any gods. But the person in front of her had to have been some holy entity.

Until a bottle was shoved between her lips and tipped back and she was forced to swallow its contents.

The world sharpened around her and she coughed again, becoming acutely aware of just how much she was hurting. And that the figure hovering above her was Kima.

“Allie! Allie, can you hear me?”

She fought through the cotton in her mouth, her tongue heavy as did her best to push herself up some, feelings Kima’s hands help her.

“Is he gone?”

There were fingers in her hair, moving it out of her face and she could only imagine how she must look at the moment. Half dead, exhausted, drained.

“He’s gone, Allie. He’s gone. You did it.”

She could feel tears on her neck from where Kima had thrown herself, her arms around the blonde and her face buried in her neck. But Allura could not find it in her to cry. She had worse questions to ask.

“The others...Kima. Where are the others?”

There was silence again, nothing but a slight shaking from Kima. “Drake’s fine. He’s okay. He’s sending for help. But I-” her voice broke, stopped and Allura knew what was coming before it was even said. “I only had one left. I couldn’t… Allie I couldn’t…”

Her eyes moved around the battlefield now that she was more conscious again. There were claw marks across the ground from where the dragon had obvious gave his last-ditch attempt to free himself. Smoke rose from every direction; trees and bushes smouldered and flames licked across the grass. In the center of it all, a crack in the ground where the rocks had separated. Where she knew Thordak had been locked away.

There was a hand on her shoulder and she looked up. Drake looked just as wrecked as the rest of them, bloody and hurt.

This was where they were supposed to celebrate. This was when they were supposed to cheer and laugh and hug each other. They defeated the beast. They saved so many people.

But the emptiness in Allura’s chest grew and grew because they’d lost the three most important ones.

How could they count this a victory when they were the ones who had lost?

Notes:

Sorry for the wait, real life got the best of me again. As always, you can find me at carpeculum on Tumblr. If you liked it, leave a kudo or a comment. <3

Chapter 9: Chapter 9

The next couple of days went by in a blur. They were congratulated and thanked and cheered for and all Allura could think about were the three letters they’d written and sent out.

Dohla.

Sirus.

Ghenn.

Gone. They were just gone. And Allura...Allura wasn’t. She couldn’t wrap her mind around that, couldn’t see why she deserved to live and carry on while the others were lost forever.

She never really had the same affinity for alcohol as the others but she still found herself sitting in some dark corner of a tavern with a mug in front of her. More often than not alone. Once their business had been settled in Emon, Drake had wished them well but he needed to return to Kraghammer. She supposed he wanted to see his family. It made sense. Allura missed her own more and more each day.

And Kima…

Kima had been distant since their first night back. And Allura wasn’t feeling stubborn enough to press. Couldn’t find the energy for it.

She could still remember the cold, the dark, the seemingly endless void that she now knew was death. Never following any Gods, she hadn’t anyone to greet her as she assumed some may. Like Kima would when her time came.

She had been dead.

She should be dead.

She was living on borrowed time and she was going to make damn sure that she made the best of it.

She found Kima the next day, just outside of the inn they were staying in for the time being. She hadn’t seen much of the woman, aside from at night. Tucked into bed, they’d clutch each other close and pretend that they couldn’t hear the others tears. It wasn’t what she was used to with Kima. But it was enough. They didn’t have to be alone.

“They’re offering us seats on the council.”

Despite everything that had happened, Allura was excited about that. This was a way of moving on, of honouring their friends memories by continuing on the fight. They might not be out slaying beasts but like this, they could do good for so many. All across the continent.

“Yeah, I, uh.. I heard,” Kima replied, her hands sliding into her pockets. She wasn’t in armour for once, letting her wounds heal. She’d refused a lot of the magical healing that had been offered, choosing instead to let them scar. She had said she wanted to remember. The new, jagged mark across her eye and down her cheek was still jarring to look at. “You’re going to do so much good on it, Allie.”

Allura opened her mouth to reply, something about having to get a more permanent residence. Something about settling and jobs and the importance of it all. But she stopped.

Kima hadn’t said we.

Her voice was quiet when she finally did speak again. “What do you mean by that?”

Kima’s smile was sad, hardly a smile at all. Her holy symbol swung against her chest as she rocked back on her heels before seemingly steeling herself. “I’m not going to accept their offer. I’m not… You know I’m not the best at keeping still.”

And she wasn’t, Allura knew.. Kima needed to keep moving, liked to keep on her feet and busy. She hated that she knew it.

Pursing her lips for a moment, pretending as though she couldn’t feel her stomach clenching already in fear and pain and loss and heartbreak, Allura just nodded her head in a silent motion for Kima to continue.

The halfling sighed and she looked down to her feet for a moment before returning her gaze to Allura’s. “There’s a skyship leaving in a couple of hours. Vasselheim. I’m uh… I’m going to go to the temples. Join the order. Politics aren’t really my strong suit, Allie.”

Allura always knew on some level that it would be hard to get Kima to settle anywhere. She had her instincts to fight and help and save. She had a God to do good by.

What she could have never foreseen was that it would be affecting them so soon.

“I hear it’s beautiful,” Allura replied instead of protesting. Instead of reaching out to hold her. To beg her to stay, to convince her otherwise, wanting nothing more than to just wrap her in her arms and never let go again.

But Kima had a duty to do. A bigger purpose. And who was Allura to stop her?

So she stayed quiet and she focused on a small tear in the sleeve of her robes, missing the flash of disappointment in the others eyes.

“Beautiful. Yeah.”

It was terrible how quickly the air between them became awkward. They had never been like this.

“Anyway, I should… I should get my things. I’ll… I’ll write you, once we’ve landed.”

There was an unasked question in both of their eyes. But what of them? What of what they’d become? The mutual silence seemed to be enough of an answer and Allura just nodded her quiet agreement.

“I’ll look forward to your letters.”

There was nothing else to say and Kima just dipped her head in acknowledgment and headed inside the building.

And Allura just let her go.

She didn’t shed any tears, not even as she helplessly wondered how everything they had meant to each other could just… stop.

It wasn’t until late that evening, once she’d retired to her room when it truly struck her again.

Her friends were dead. Drake was with family. Kima was...gone.

And Allura was alone.

Notes:

Thanks for reading! If you liked, leave a kudo or a comment, I'm not picky. Next chapter or two might be hefty. I'm still deciding on whether I want to put everything that happened from this point to the content in the show in one chapter or not. Like always, you can find me at carpeculum on tumblr or carpenates on twitter. <3

Chapter 10: Chapter 10

The weeks turned into months turned into years.

Drake didn’t have much business in Emon. Kima seemingly rarely left Vasselheim and Issylra. And Allura? She’d made Emon her home.

She moved on.

She made new friends.

She dated.

She made a name for herself like she always said that she would.

She moved from a humble home in the Erudite Quarter to an Ivory Tower in the Cloudtop District.

They slapped a ‘lady’ in front of her name.

She was making a difference.

She was helping people. That was all she’d ever wanted.

(At least that’s what she told herself those nights when she found herself deep in thought in an empty bed).

The letters between her and Kima became fewer in number. They’d remained friends, even after everything that had transpired between them. But they were getting older. They had new responsibilities, new groups, new secrets.

Allura talked of the goings-on of the city life, of the announcement of the Sovereign and Empresses’ newest child, of the young sorcerer she’d befriended trying to open up a new shop, of any bits of gossip that she figured that Kima would enjoy. She wrote some about her work, about the things she’d learned how to do, the spells, the enchantments. Kima had always encouraged her before. When they were younger. When they were travelling. Before everything they knew got caught in flames and ash and-

She didn’t write about the nightmares. About her lonely nights. About the nights that weren’t so lonely as she occupied herself with the handsome professor from the Lyceum (he lasted six months) or the shopkeeper from where she bought her spell components (she lasted three). Kima wouldn’t want to hear about that. And Allura didn’t feel like sharing.

The disconnect was odd. They were still friends. They’d gone through too much together for that to change. But they also… weren’t. Because at the same time, they’d never quite been friends; they’d always been something more, always had those extra feelings underneath everything else. And now without them, it was just…

It was odd.

As much as there was to tell, the letters remained far and few in between. She wasn’t always at her tower, wasn’t always in the city. And Kima wasn’t always at her temple.

They were both well renowned at this point. Even with every dream that Allura had had growing up, she never believed that she would be where she was currently. Joining the Arcana Pansophical, assisting the Sovereign, having her name known across the continent…

Largely though, she focused her efforts on Emon. She didn’t adventure anymore, long since retiring from that sort of lifestyle. The city itself had its plethora of issues and troubles and she did her best to see its improvements. She wanted her people to live a good life inside its walls. And for a time, they did. Not that she considered herself the sole reason but she new that they had a good council. A trustworthy group of people.

Until the attempted assassination of Uriel and his family.

Until the meetings became short and quick, with nothing getting achieved and Empress Salda present more than not, always whispering into his ear.

She’d known them for a while now and never once had they acted like this. There were cancelled banquets, the children never left their rooms, assumedly didn’t attend their classes. It didn’t sit right with her at all, leaving an uneasy feeling in her stomach.

Allura was stubborn. And a tad bit nosy. But mostly, she was worried. So she refused to let the matter drop.

And then she was refused entry to the palace. To the council chambers.

And refused again.

And again.

And then she met the most mix-matched group of people she’d ever seen in her life.

(She ignored the ache in her chest she still felt whenever she saw a young group of adventurers.)

They seemed like a trustworthy lot, at least. With good intentions though their name (who called themselves The SHITS) left a lot to be desired. But they wanted to help. And they knew things she didn’t.

It was with their Druid’s help that they found out the cause of the royal families strange actions.

Demons.

Possession.

They planned to go their separate ways. Them to follow up on a lead and her to warn the rest of the council. They would need help. Assistance. Anything to be sure that the Taldorei’s would be safe again.

Her tower, normally a safe haven, became chilled. The fire in their holders flickered and she barely had a moment to frown before she was being seized. Darkness enveloped her and she was blinded. She could barely breathe and instead, was left listening to some dark, evil voice speaking a language she didn’t know.

She couldn’t fight it.

With the last breath of air in her lungs, she whispered the spell and disappeared, reappearing down the street.

Out of breath, she turned and ran. She knew when she was outmatched.

It wasn’t too much further into the day that she reunites with the young party. The demonic entity was growing stronger, it must have known they were onto it. She feared for Uriel, for Salda, for the children.

They stormed the throne room.

Allura had never had to fight a demon before. And after that… she never wanted to again.

The royal family was alive. Their souls returned. And Allura could return to her home and perhaps sleep properly for the first time in a couple of weeks.

Months passed and the city got back into its normal routine now that the rulers were themselves once more. The city was at peace.

But Allura’s mind wasn’t.

Of course, she was used to not receiving letters from Kima for large periods of time. But this time, it felt different. She’d last wrote about some quest, a pilgrimage for Bahamut in Kraghammer.

Allura had no doubt about Kima’s abilities. Like her own, as the years had gone by they had only grown.

But she worried. No amount of time or distance could ever change that.

News had reached her ears that Vox Machina had returned to the city so she decided to pay her friends a visit.

She knew that she was offering them far too large an amount of money. But this was Kima. And she still couldn’t quite shake the need to make sure that she was okay. She was her best friend.

She left them that night feeling no better about the situation. But she trusted them. They seemed formidable. They were strong and so was Kima. She had no doubt that she was out there, somewhere, wherever she was.

She also knew that she would sleep a lot better after her return.

That night, as she lie awake in her bed, she closed her eyes and whispered a prayer to a God she had no faith in.

“Bahamut. Please keep her safe.”

Notes:

Sorry for the wait! But, I'm almost done my first year at University and I've been bogged down with an Insane amount of work. If you liked it, leave a comment or a kudo. They make my day so much better. <3

Chapter 11: Chapter 11

It’d been a week since she’d hired Vox Machina and she knew, logically, that she shouldn’t be expecting a response so soon. But every day that passed just set the worry and the guilt further into her gut as intrusive thoughts continued to poke their way into her mind.

Was Kima even alive?

Had she sent the young group to their deaths?

She didn’t know how many more deaths she could handle on her conscious.

There was the ever-nagging feeling in the back of her mind that there was something wrong. And she’d certainly learned to trust her feelings after so many years of protecting her city.

It’d been a week and time still went on. She had dealings with a few ambassadors to the city and they had a meeting with the Sovereign in a few days time to discuss some new developments, with the backlog of politics that had been pushed aside for months when the royal family was under that demons corruptions. Life went on.

It was early in the morning of the eighth day when she heard the telltale sound of her knocker at the front door. She frowned to herself, only half put together and still in her nightgown. She wrapped a robe around herself and dimension doored herself down to ground level. She dealt with the lock and cracked the door open to peek out the other side and there they were.

Vox Machina.

She was immediately awake.

“You’ve arrived!” she laughed and she hugged Vax’ildan, the first at the door. And then she made her way around the group, the door swinging wide behind her as she felt the weight slide off her shoulders. A quick, cursory glance reassured her that they were, in fact, all there.

Pulling back from Tiberius’ hug, she smiled brightly at all of them even though her gaze quickly fell to the golden armoured halfling behind them all.

Kima.

The armour was dented in places and needed some maintenance. And she looked worse for wear. Actually, she looked terrible. Worse than Allura had ever seen the woman. A lot of years had passed though… and Allura knew that she didn’t look the same as she did when she was just a young woman…

The scars…

She had half a mind to drop to her knees and tug Kima into a hug as though the continent between them for the last fifteen years didn’t mean a thing. All this time and it was like nothing had changed.

Except everything had changed.

And they weren’t alone.

So she smiled. “Kima. Welcome back.”

There was a pause. And then she forgot completely about any sense of propriety as they both took a step forward and wrapped each other in a hug. She lifted Kima off her feet long enough to feel that twinge in her back. That armour really was as heavy as she remembered.

She set her down, swiping at the stray tear that ran down her cheek. “I was so worried about you,” she almost accused. But every time she thought about a reunion between the two of them, it had always been on better terms. Not when she had apparently almost lost her.

Kima’s smile was as sheepish as she could get and Allura felt a familiar tug at her heart but she ignored it for now. That was something to consider in fewer company. “Sorry for all the trouble.”

Allura just laughed softly and she mussed up her hair fondly before turning her eyes back to the rest of the group currently standing in her entrance. “Thank you. You’ve done a great service in helping bring her back.”

She stepped back towards her tower and invited the others inside for tea. Her heel clicked against the floor of her lift and she waited for the floor to carry them to the top. She tried not to distract herself too much with worries and concerns about Kima. She’d watched her walk inside. She looked hurt.

She led them over to her kitchen, waving her hand absently through the air as she prepared the group their cups of tea and settled around her small dining table. She listened to their tale and caught them up with the goings on of the city while they were away.

A beholder. An army of mind-flayers. A Horn of Orcus.

It was a good thing she was already heading for a council meeting because this definitely called for one.

The meeting went quick, all things considered.

As per usual, her fellow council members had their disagreements about what should be done with the horn. This was the part of politics she was more than used to at this point. Everyone thought that what they had to say was better and she was no stranger to thinking the same on different occasions.

And then it was finished, the plan settled. The horn to Vasselheim with Vox Machina and Kima as its guards.

It seemed like she was just getting her friend back and she’d be saying goodbye again just as fast. But that was their lives now.

Outside of the council chambers, she talks with the group about their part in all of this, overhearing the conversation between Kima and the Goliath. Grog, she thinks his name was.

“As far as I’m aware it’s not a-a vow of chastity within the Order.”

“So you’re saying there’s a chance.”

Kima looks flustered and awkward and Allura catches her eye with an amused expression on her face even as Kima had quickly glanced away again. There was nothing here to dredge up old feelings. Not when she knew that Kima would probably have preferred to have been having that conversation with the group's cleric. Or maybe the ranger.

She deflected quickly. “I really have to go get to work on this.” And with the not-so-quiet clanking of her armour, Kima was gone down the hallway in the search of one of the cities Bahamut temples.

Allura chuckled quietly to herself and she spoke with the group for a few more minutes before she too said her goodbyes and she left, transporting herself back to her tower. She had preparations of her own to deal with; securing the artifact, making sure that there was a container that would be suitable enough to carry it such a far distance.

***

It was later that night when she heard the familiar knocking on the door. Three knocks: quick, short, efficient. Allura didn’t have to wonder who it was this time.

She popped down the stairs and opened the door, her gaze automatically dropping down. And there she was.

Kima had changed armours. Gone was the battered golden armour she’d arrived in. Now, she was sporting the proper colours that a paladin of Bahamut should wear. The silvers and blue detail surrounding the gold plate mail and she smiled for a moment. Kima still looked impressive.

“I was wondering when you’d come to visit,” Allura murmured in greeting as she stepped back to let the other inside. A hand on her shoulder, she transported them back upstairs. The elevator was only really for when she had guests. And she was guilty of wanting to flourish a bit. Or a lot. She lived in a giant ivory tower for Gods sake.

Kima stood where she was left, her hands clasped in front of her as she took a more proper look around the area now that it was just the two of them. “Sorry for the wait,” she replied. “I had to get a message off to Vord. You know, inform him about the delivery. Tell him I’m still alive. That sort of stuff.”

And it was like none of the past fifteen years had even happened. Kima was almost exactly like she had been when they were younger. She still carried herself the same, if with a bit more dignity now. Her tone still carried the same level of sarcasm in the face of extenuating circumstances. The scar across her eye had healed naturally, leaving a jagged mark across her face but it was still what she remembered. Exactly how she remembered her.

Waving her hand towards her kitchen, Allura set the kettle back onto the stove. The least she could do was prepare them a meal. She then sat herself down in a chair, her eyes staying on the halfling. She waited a moment, the silence between them heavy and full of memories. But not awkward. Not yet.

“You’ve no idea how happy I am to see you again, Kima,” she finally spoke, her fingers wrung together in front of her. “I was so worried-”

“You should know by now I’m not that easy to get rid of, Allie,” Kima cut her off with a smile on her lips and a shake of her head. “Coupl’a fucked up dwarves aren’t enough to keep me down.”

Allura wasn’t stupid. And even with the distance between them, she still knew how to tell when Kima was lying. Her poker face had gotten better and her walls were still up, guarding any emotions from escaping. But she could still tell that there was more to the story. But they weren’t as close as they used to be. It wasn’t her place to ask.

So she returned the smile. “Some things never change, hm?”

They chatted quietly as Allura convinced her to stay long enough to eat, insisting that she looked terrible and that a good meal was important. And then she promptly ignored the look that she received in response. There had been many times in the past where Allura herself hadn’t been the best at self-care. Sometimes one simply forgot to eat.

It wasn’t anything like the discussions they used to have. About feelings. About the future. About all of the possibilities that the world held for them. Instead, they reminisced. They talked about their latest travels and colleagues and ignored the fact that Kima had been tortured for days or that they had years worth of history between them.

“There’s a few days until you leave. Have you anywhere to stay?” Allura questioned during a lull in the conversation, wiping her mouth politely. Allura had a few spare rooms; her tower was much bigger than it seemed after all.

Kima burped, only barely covering her mouth and she nodded and for the first time, there was a sense of uncomfortableness between them. “They’ve got a bed for me at the temple,” she explained and she looked apologetic for a moment. But Allura wasn’t offended. They were exes. They were friends, good friends. But Kima had her order and Allura had her city and that was how things were now.

So she smiled again. “Of course,” she hummed in response. “Just remember that my door is always open.”

“If you make me food every time, I might have to take you up on that some time.”

Their eyes met again for a moment, longer than necessary. And then with a cough, Kima cleared her throat and looked away. “Speakin’ of, I should be heading back. Should be around whenever Vord gets back to me.”

There were plenty of messengers around that one of them could have taken the response to Kima if it were really that urgent but Allura understood. Perhaps it was for the best that they cut off this reunion while they were ahead before they ended up delving deeper into the past.

“I’ll see you before you run off again, I hope?” Allura replied, pushing herself to her feet so she could see her off. Vasselheim was far. It was rare for Kima to even come to this continent for work or prayer let alone for a personal visit.

Kima was flashing her that grin again. “Course. Like I said, you’re not getting rid of me that easy. Stuck like glue, remember?”

Chuckling, Allura patted her shoulder gently. “Oh, I remember.” Of course, she remembered. But when they had made that promise, it was under much different circumstances than these. “I’ll see you, Kima.”

Offering a wave, Kima left the tower back in the direction of the temple district and Allura was once again left alone with her thoughts. It was good to see Kima again. Really good. And as she moved around her quarters, cleaning up after their meal.

Maybe this time it wouldn’t take so long for them to meet up again.

Maybe this time things could be different.

Maybe.

Notes:

Hey guys! So I finally got back to writing this. School is through and I'm free for the summer so hopefully I'll get some more chapters up quicker. As always, you can find me at carpeculum on tumblr or carpenates on twitter. Leave a comment o a kudo if you like it!

Chapter 12: Chapter 12

All in all, there wasn’t much time for them to get together again. Not with the preparations for the transfer of the horn and Allura’s own duties for the city and the crown. Barely long enough for Kima to stick her head in to say goodbye and then she was gone.

She’d taken to convincing herself that the apologetic look on the halfling's face wasn’t completely all her own imagination.

And after that, things got back to normal. Or, at least as normal as they could be. There was the dinner with the Briarwoods to be considered and the deal that would hopefully spring from that. The council was still battling with Uriel’s threats of stepping down from the throne. There was some strange artifact that she had been summoned to inspect. Of course, it wasn’t anything dangerous. Just some mages idea of a prank. But with everything that had been happening to the sovereign as of late, the guards had been instructed to be extra vigilant.

And then of course, on top of that, she had her own research to tide her over in the evenings.

She wasn’t ever particularly invested or interested in politics but the job came with certain responsibilities. One of which included getting dressed up to greet Lord and Lady Briarwood to the city for the duration of their visit. A bridge to Whitestone would do wonders for trade, after all. And it was the council's duty to give a good impression of the city.

(Allura would never admit it but she had really just wanted to go to bed. It’d been one of those kinds of days.)

The dinner went off without a hitch. Vox Machina had been up to… something. Which wasn’t that surprising from what she had learned of the group. She just hoped that it wasn’t illegal. Or bothersome.

But the dinner went off without a hitch.

Of course, the Briarwoods had given off an… odd sort of aura. And Lady Briarwood had definitely had a very strong magical presence around her. Something about the entire thing hadn’t sat right with her but she hadn’t been going to worry herself about it when she was already a glass of wine in.

(Kima used to tease her about her extremely low tolerance.)

It was the aftermath that got complicated.

She hadn’t stayed. There was no need for her to really. But the next morning when she was called into the council chambers and was told the events that had transpired…

Attacking the Briarwoods.

Killing the guards. The old women...helpless. That wasn’t the Vox Machina that she knew.

Speaking with them outside on the steps had only furthered her disappointment and worry. Of course, they wouldn’t have done anything without a reason, that just wasn’t who they were. But it was already done.

And any sparks that might have been growing about Tiberius were quenched just as fast.

She hoped that they would find a way to clear their names. She hoped that they were not truly guilty of the crimes that they were being investigated for.

But there wasn’t time for her to worry too much for her friends so she let them slip to the back of her mind for the passing week or two. There was no word from them anyway and she had her own business to attend to.

A few enchantments to work on, a meeting or two with the council and another with some travelling sorcerers with some questions. Basic, run of the mill, every day Emon business. Activities she had long since grown used to.

She arrived home one evening after a few days of travel with two letters clasped in hand; one from Kima and the other Vox Machina. She knew they hadn’t been allowed to leave the city let alone travel to Whitestone. But still, she found herself reading Kima’s letter first.

She’d never been much for flowery writing or long paragraphs and that was half of what Allura had always enjoyed about their correspondences. Blunt and to the point, just like the woman herself. A good reminder.

It was full of complaints this time. About the temple, about High Bearer Vord. One would think that after spending Gods knew how long in the Underdark that she would enjoy the comfort of a bed again. Kima of course, true to nature, disagreed. But still, the letter left her with a smile on her face as she set it aside to reply to later and she picked up the second.

The smile disappeared.

Well… now that certainly explained a good number of things. Of course, even she hadn’t been expecting the rumour that Lord Briarwood was a vampire to actually be true.

She hadn’t been planning on leaving home again. She’d only just returned. But she could tell even from the letter that whatever this source of power was in Whitestone was an urgent matter. One that needed to be attended to with apparent haste. She couldn’t go anywhere until morning, however, not with her remaining magic. Was probably for the best anyway, considering the hour.

When she did finally arrive, she wasn’t greeted by a familiar face like she had been expecting but instead by a young woman introducing herself as Percival’s sister.

She could see the resemblance in the eyes and it worried her as she always thought that his eyes were that of a haunted man.

But she seemed nice enough if a bit skittish. Allura still didn’t know the many intricate details of what had gone down in the city for the past week and apparently, the last few years. But from the short walk to the castle and the mess that the town seemed to be in, it wasn’t hard to make assumptions.

She clutched her robe a little tighter around her as she descended far below the palace. She’d forgotten just how North the city was. And Allura was never really a fan of the cold.

And Vox Machina had been right, it seemed. She could feel the power thrumming as she got closer to the mysterious ‘ball of doom’ as they had so kindly put it in the letter.

It… certainly wasn’t anything that she had encountered before. It felt dark. She’d studied a lot of magic in her years, constantly wanting to learn more and grow as a mage but this… this was bad. The odd sphere. The cold darkness that seemed to seep in.

She took a break, leaving the ziggurat and relished in the feeling of her magic returning to her, warming her fingertips once again.

She really didn’t like that place.

But she was worried now too. Something of such immense power could not remain around while they still did not know it’s true purpose.

She found Lady Cassandra again, asking permission to bring another consultant to the city and within the hour, Drake had found his way to her. Just as short and charming as she always remembered. It was good to see him again.

She was only a little disappointed when he stood in front of the orb and grunted out a “Ain’t nothing like I’ve ever seen, lass.”

Of course, it would be too easy. But at least they had a little to go off of. With Lady Briarwoods apparent use of Necromancy. The Temple of Ioun that currently encased the sphere despite the… less than attractive additions the Briarwoods had added. It was a start. And she’d solved many a puzzle in her days.

She only planned to stay a couple of days. Study the orb, see what she could take back to her tower in order to further her research with her own resources and contacts. Drake had planned on running some tests as well and Lady de Rolo was more than accommodating towards them. She supposed the young woman just wanted some sense of normalcy again.

She had her head in a book when she felt it: the tug of magic and then the abrupt cutting of her ties to Emon, to her tower. It took her a few moments, eyebrows furrowed deeply as she blinked herself into the realization that there was something wrong. There weren’t very many things that could have destroyed a transportation sigil, not hers at least.

Then, barely a minute later: another snap. The Lyceum. Arguably the most magically protected building in Emon.

Something wasn’t right.

She pushed from her seat to go and find Drake and it barely took any convincing at all to get him to accompany her. Even now, he always seemed up for an adventure.

Hand on his shoulder, she closed her eyes and concentrated on the only other place in Emon she trusted to be safe.

She just hoped Vox Machina wouldn’t mind the sudden intrusion.

Notes:

A bit of a filler chapter for you guys. But stuff should be getting good for our girls in the next chapter or two so don't worry! As always, kudos and comments absolutely make my day. And you can find me at carpeculum on tumblr. <3

Chapter 13: Chapter 13

When they arrived at Greyskull Keep, Allura could immediately tell that there was something wrong. There were far too many people in the building for there not to be. As long as she’d been around the group, she’d never known them to throw parties. They never seemed to be around long enough for one to get planned. So it had to be something else. The thought alone sent another cold tendril of dread deep in her stomach.

She looked around quickly for anyone that she might recognize and spotted the elderly servant that worked in the keep. She hurried over, racking her memories for a name but ultimately decided that that wasn’t important right then. “Sorry. Excuse me. Are Vox Machina here right now?” she asked once she’d gotten his attention.

The Halfling man looked up, vague recognition in his eyes. “I… Yes. They’re just downstairs-”

“Could you tell them that I’m here?” Allura continued. She didn’t mean to interrupt, truly. But she was still frazzled. Still had an anxious bubble growing in her chest the longer that she was left out of the knowledge of whatever was happening.

He nodded. “Of course. I’ll be just a moment,” he excused himself and headed off down the hall.

Erwen, Allura finally remembered his name, didn’t take long in returning. “They wish to speak with you in the basement,” he explained and directed her and Drake towards the stairs. With a quick thank you over her shoulder, Allura hurried down after her friend into what looked to be a confrontation in the group.

“I’m terribly sorry for intruding, I just had a…” She trailed off, glancing amongst them more closely now. It almost looked like she’d interrupted a fight. “Is everything alright?”

It obviously wasn’t, if their reactions were anything to go by.

She followed the Half-Elves back into what she assumed was a workshop, glancing around quickly, her fingers, wrung together in front of her as she introduced Drake to them all. It had only just come to her mind that they wouldn't have known him. They had only ever met Kima.

“I really am sorry. But I was just in Whitestone and I had a terrible feeling come over me. I lost connection with all of my transportation sigils in the city, both my tower and the Lyceum… I had to manually teleport us here…” She glanced around at the others who all seemed to be in different states of weariness. They muttered to themselves for a moment and if anything, that only increased her worries and she shared a look with Drake before they had apparently decided on what to tell them.

“Emon is in ruins. It’s...uh. It’s been destroyed by dragons.”

“Four of them. Four ancient dragons.”

“They called themselves the Chroma Conclave.”

“And your tower is…”

“Fucked.”

Allura felt her stomach give a jolt and she covered her mouth with her hands for a moment, eyes wide. Her city… She shook her head slightly, taking in a deep breath to try and steady herself as they continued on about Uriel stepping down and some relic that they’d found but all Allura could think about was dragons.

Why did it always have to be dragons?

She focused enough to finally hear what Vex had been asking of her and she set her shoulders back, distracting herself with the identification of whatever skull that the woman had. She leaned back, frowning, telling them of her findings and just how dangerous it could be.

She really tried to stress the dangerous part.

But her mind had always been faster than her body and it was still flitting through all the different horrors of what could have happened to the people of the city. Her coworkers, her friends, burned alive or dying in acid… She reached for a chair with shaking hands and took a seat, running her hands over her hair again. She couldn’t do anything about the skull. She needed to help her people.

“Describe to me these dragons.”

She nodded slowly as they listed off each colour until they got to red. And then she froze, her body tense and her knuckles turned white on her knees. She ignored their questions and instead asked them for the names. There was more than one ancient red dragon in the world. The chances that it was… It was impossible. He was trapped. They’d done their job. But she had to know.

Vorugal. That was familiar. He terrorized the north. The others didn’t ring a bell but she assumed they were just as deadly. And they didn’t know the reds.

It couldn’t be him then. He was too self-centered. He’d have wanted his name spread like wildfire to evoke fear. She couldn’t find it in herself to relax just yet though. She met Drake’s eyes once more and could see in them the same worry that she was feeling.

“He had a message,” Keyleth finally spoke up and Allura turned her gaze onto the young Half-Elf. “He said… something about if we fight or flee we’ll be denied his mercy. And… that it was the guardians of this city that brought this upon Emon…”

Allura felt every one of those hopes that it wasn’t him crumble. If she were in a more private setting, if it were just her and Drake- who’d already seen plenty of her bad days and moments- she’d probably let herself curl up into a ball and pretend this wasn’t happening.

He was free. He was back and it was her fault.

She told Vox Machina as much. That this burden wasn’t there’s and she looked towards Drake once more for strength to continue but he looked just as lost and weary as she did. She persevered.

“This dragon… he’s gone by many names. But the one that it has taken is Thordak: The Cinder King.”

She continued with what she knew of his history. The quick version, of course. Because she could still remember the hours of research she’d put in to learning everything that she could about the beast. Analyzing every last detail that might have helped them in the fight. She spoke almost mechanically, recalling the story before she was too overcome by grief and fear to not be able to. Vox Machina needed to know.

She wasn’t really watching any of them. Had picked a point on the wall above their shoulders to stare at. So she missed the growing looks of fear on their own faces. The sudden pain and shock that came over the twins when she mentioned Byroden. She was too caught up in getting the tale over with.

She could feel the tears running down her cheeks as she spoke of her friends. Sirus, Dohla, Ghenn… that was all for nothing. Their deaths had been for nothing.

She fell quiet eventually and the others talked amongst themselves and Allura just felt lost. Her plan, the one that had cost the lives of three of her dearest friends, that they had all been so sure would have worked… It was pointless. Thordak was free once more and everything they’d done had been for nothing. He’d be stronger now. More vengeful. He’d already destroyed the city and if he truly was working with three other dragons…

Allura talked with them a bit more, trying to make sense of all of this, trying to make a hint of a plan so that they could start to do something. They didn’t know who was dead, who was still living, where anyone was… She felt another arcane snap, the tendril disappearing and her eyes widened.

“I just lost my…” she swallowed and her shoulder sunk just a little. “I just lost my connection to Westruun…”

It wasn’t just Emon that the dragons were after. It was all of Tal’dorei.

There was much left to discuss. But Allura understood that it would be best if they separated ways. And quickly. If they could cover more ground, could find which allies still remained-both inside the city and out- then they could actually sit down and start to form a proper plan. But they wouldn’t be able to know anything until they knew what they themselves had in their arsenal.

She needed research. She needed supplies. She needed a proper sleep. But even that wasn’t on the top of her to-do list yet.

They talked everything out as much as they could but it was only prolonging the inevitable. So soon, her and Drake followed them up and out to their courtyard where she could see now the majority of the people hiding were in the temple outside. She should have assumed as much.

From there, their goodbyes were quick. She didn't mean to promise that she would see them again because where she was going, she had no clue if she would be able to make it out. Hopefully, it was a promise she could keep. She wanted to see her friends again.

Waiting on Drake’s spell, they were soon transported across the continent and on the outskirts of Westruun; still under the cover of night they hid amongst the shadows and took a moment to collect themselves as plumes of smoke could still be seen in the air. They could still hear frightened cries and yells for help and all at once, Allura was brought back to the past. Of the countless towns that Thordak had razed, the people he’d killed. Fifteen years was far too long and she wasn’t near as young as she had been. She wasn’t used to this anymore.

Drake, seemingly reading her mind, took her hand and squeezed. “We did it once; we can do it again. Just like old times,” he spoke to her quietly and despite everything, Allura managed a small smile.

“Just like old times.”

Notes:

Hope you all enjoy! If you liked it, a kudo or a comment really makes my day. You can find me at carpeculum on tumblr.

Chapter 14: Chapter 14

Taking shelter in a dark alleyway, Allura and Drake gave themselves a moment to catch their breath and collect their bearings. It was impossible to know just where they were- Allura’s visits to Westrunn had been few even after joining the council. And in the dark, she simply didn’t know the city enough.

The only time she’d ever truly received a tour had been with Kima before… Before everything happened. When everyone was alive and happy and their travels had brought them into Kima’s hometown. And despite her own religious reluctances and queries, even Allura had had to admit that Buhamet’s Rest had been a sight to behold.

“The Reserves a bit further in, lassie,” Drake’s voice shook her out of her reveries and she nodded a little bit, showing that she was listening and he continued. “Didn’t want to drop us right in the thick of it- seemed a bit much even for us.”

She missed Drake; they never did get together as much as she would have liked and the last few days of research and inquiry didn’t count. She missed the late nights they used to spend sharing ideas and plans over a campfire or by torchlight as their friends slept on. They’d been so young back then, full of hopes and dreams and with the rest of their lives still ahead of them. And now Allura was nearing her forties, had aches in her back when she got up in the morning and the only reason there weren’t grey hairs peeking through was her magic keeping them at bay. She was shallow enough to want to remain looking youthful as long as she could.

Allura dragged the hood of her cloak over her head, tucking her braids inside. They would need to be quiet. There wasn’t any sign of the dragon right now but that didn’t mean that he wouldn’t return. Or that there wasn’t anything else in the city to fear. And then tightening her grip on her staff, she followed after Drake as quiet as she could, feet moving over rubble and rocks as they slinked from shadow to shadow.

They were nearing the halfway point to the library when Allura could hear the quiet thump of wings in the distance and gaining fast. She grabbed Drake’s shoulder and hurried him into a corner, covering them both with her cloak just in time for the fabric to ruffle from the gust of wind of the giant black wings overhead. They were silent, holding their breaths as the dragon landed some ways off and let out an awful roar.

“Much as I appreciate the help, lass. I am a taken man,” came Drake’s voice from where she was essentially still pinning him against the wall. For protection of course.

Allura bit back a laugh and now it really was like the old days. “Ass,” she whispered but she didn’t move until she was sure that they were still alone. She didn’t feel like dying here after all.

After that, they quickened their step. The dragon could still be heard along with the sound of splintering wood and the rough sound of stone on stone. He didn’t sound very happy.

Thankfully, the remains of the Cobalt Reserve came upon them. The once beautiful buildings reduced to crumbled rock, small plumes of smoke still arching out towards the sky. They poked around until they found a small opening and slipped into the darkness. She didn’t have the light of the full moon to guide her anymore and had to leave her hand against the wall for a moment to stay upright.

“Could you…”

But Drake was already on it, summoning a small light that illuminated the area around them but they shouldn’t give away their presence. She hoped.

What she wouldn’t have given to have full reign of this library before all of this.

“Guess we best get started then.”

She didn’t want to stay in this city any longer than she needed to. But she supposed she couldn’t do what she wanted anymore. Because if she could, she’d be able to return to her tower.

They spent the next few hours scouring through the rubble, flicking through books quickly and shoving anything of use or importance into her bag as they went from room to room. It was too big to be able to comb through the entirety of the Reserve so Allura hoped that their efforts would be enough.

She had no way of getting them out of there. And as far as she was aware Drake only had one more use of his transportation spell unless they slept. And neither of them really wanted to fall asleep in a dragon’s new domain.

The sun must have risen at some point as the light streamed through cracks in the foundation but they kept at their search. They would only get one shot at this. It would be foolish to try and return again. It was best to keep it when everything was still new and the dragon’s focus would stay on the majority of the city instead of two random souls.

After a while, half exhausted, Allura could still feel the familiar tingling in the back of her head that signaled that someone was scrying on her. It was then that she assumed that it could only be one of her allies. Hopefully one of Vox Machina checking up on her. Because if they could take the time to do that then they would be okay and their trip to Vasselheim was going well.

Dust fell down from the ceiling as heavy footfalls crunched on rocks and dirt and the two of them froze. Drake and Allura shared a glance and came to a mutual agreement right then and there that they had already spent too long here. So after grabbing the last few books in the area Allura took Drake’s hand again and they both shrunk down into the small, vibrating balls of energy that zipped down the hall and out of the city as behind them, the dragon gave one more final swoop over its prize before aiming towards the dark mountain range in the distance.

When they finally landed in Whitestone, they were half leaning against each other. Not that they were hurt. But Allura hadn’t slept for probably two days now and Drake wasn’t much better. But the tension slid off her shoulders now that she knew they were someplace safe.

They headed towards the castle, asking for word on Vox Machina only to hear that they had already left again. At least that meant that they were alive for the time being. Another reassurance that helped with the ever-present guilt she’d been battling. She couldn’t let them die because of this.

So she searched out Cassandra instead. As the woman in charge of the city, it was only smart to tell her of their arrival and to divulge any information that they might have found. It took only a couple of minutes of asking around before they were directed upstairs into a sort of pseudo office. Knocking on the door, Allura stepped inside.

Cassandra was sat at a desk, a handful of paper scattered in front of her as she rubbed at her temple. She looked just as tired as Allura felt and she could only assume that the young girl hadn’t had the chance to sleep either with everything that had been going on. The slow rebuilding of her city, the sudden influx of refugees.

Allura lingered for a moment on the fact that she was one of those refugees now, her home destroyed before shaking those thoughts from her head. That was something to worry about later.

“We’re sorry to intrude…” she started but in all honesty, didn’t know where to go from there.

But she needn’t worry as Cassandra pushed herself to her feet. “Lady Allura,” she greeted, a flash of relief crossing her face. “My brother said that I should be expecting you back soon. You’re both alright?” She glanced over the two of them as though checking for any visible injuries.

Drake waved her off. “Nothing a good night's sleep won’t fix,” he replied.

“Of course. You’re both more than welcome to the rooms you occupied before… I’m afraid the castles become a bit more crowded now. Until we find the houses to settle those from Emon we’ve had them set up here.” She looked almost uncomfortable at the idea but was quick to hide any vulnerable emotions. But Allura could understand where the fear may be coming from. From what she knew of the previous situation Whitestone was in, Cassandra would still be getting through a large deal of trauma.

Allura just nodded. “We’ve found a great deal of books… hopefully once were a bit more awake we’ll be able to make something of them,” she murmured and she patted the small bag at her side. “Thank you again, Cassandra.” She gave a polite nod of her head and with a murmured parting, her and Drake left.

“I’ll be leaving in the morning,” Drake spoke as they walked the short distance to their own guest rooms. He sounded apologetic. “I ought to be checking on things back home… I don’t mean to leave you hanging with all this, lass. And I’ll be back but…”

With a shake of her head and a squeeze to his shoulder, Allura offered him a small, tired smile. “I understand, Drake,” she assured him. “Thank you for coming when you did.”

Her hand was knocked off his shoulder and she was pulled into a hug instead; one which she melted into, letting herself be held for a long moment before they separated and she gave his hair a fond ruffle.

“Don’t get into any more trouble now, you hear?”

Allura just chuckled and she smiled once more. “Good night, Drake,” she replied and they turned into their separate rooms.

Despite the safety that the castle would bring her, Allura still murmured a few incantations around the door and the window as an added precaution. She wanted to know if anything or anyone decided to enter her room while she was asleep.

And with that, Allura discarded her travelling cloak and her bag of holding and passed out fully dressed under the blankets.

She didn’t wake until early in the afternoon the next day, her stomach grumbling almost painfully. It’d been even longer since she ate last and she didn’t particularly count the small rations that her and Drake had been lucky to have on them.

She cleaned herself up to her normal standards and made her way down to where she knew the kitchens were. It was bustling with activity now, the servants making enough food to feed the new number of people in the building.

Once she had a plate in one hand and a hot cup of coffee in the other, Allura turned on her heel to start to make her way back up to her room. She wanted to get a headstart on the books before she reached out to anyone else in Whitestone who might be able to help her. The quiet murmur of jumbled conversation was interrupted by the sharp sound of metal hitting the floor. Allura didn’t think to turn, assuming a pot was dropped but was instead surprised by an ever so familiar voice.

“It’s about fucking time that you showed your face around here.”

Allura started, a bit of the coffee splashing down onto the floor at her feet as she turned to the person addressing her. And there, out of armour but with her maul still at her side, was Kima.

The shirt looked a little big on her, tucked into the pants and obviously not her own but the look on her did nothing to quell the slight intimidation that even Allura felt. But any worry or fear was quickly quenched by an almost overwhelming sense of relief.

“Kima…”

She was alive.

She was safe.

She was here.

The other shoved another forkful of eggs into her mouth before sliding off the chair and walking over to where Allura stood, still bleary-eyed and half in shock and she tugged her out of the room.

Allura was still holding her own breakfast when Kima stopped them, blinking down at her and she slowly placed the dishes on a nearby table just in time to be caught in an almost bone-crushing hug. She had to stoop a bit to return it but Allura hardly cared.

“You stupid, prideful, stubborn excuse of a woman,” Kima spoke and she sounded almost upset but Allura could feel the fingers digging into her back as Kima clutched to her.

The feeling sent another pang through her chest that she shoved down once again.

Kima wasn’t done though. “You’re not supposed to run towards a dragon. And what do you do but exactly that? You complete… Where’s Drake? I’m going to kick his ass for going with you. I’m going to kick your ass for going.”

Allura slowly sank down onto her knees, arms still wrapped around Kima as she listened to the others scoldings. She knew she should be paying attention but Allura could really only focus on the fact that after everything, after it all… she was here.

She kept her face buried in Kima’s shoulder now and just held her close and for the first time since she’d learned of Thordak’s return, she felt like she wasn’t alone.

Notes:

Same old, same old! If you liked it, please leave a Kudo or a comment. They really make my day.

Chapter 15: Chapter 15

A few days passed.

Kima told Allura of her short adventure with Vox Machina and how they’d apparently left again for Westrunn. The city her and Drake had surely only just escaped with their lives and here they were, running head first into danger.

Every day they reminded her more and more of herself at that age. It hurt to think about.

Now that she was out of the way of any imminent dragon attacks, it gave Allura time to rest. To collect her thoughts and decide just where she was on the whole situation. And just what their chances might be. If it had been just Thordak, she wouldn’t have worried any more than usual.

But four dragons?

It was almost unheard of.

She spent long hours in the libraries of the castle, scouring through the books on hand as well as the tomes that she’d manage to retrieve from Westrunn. And when she wasn’t there, she was locked away in a chamber with Gilmore and Eskil, working on a plan to try and hide the city. It was a refuge now. A base of operations. And if the Conclave ever caught wind of it…

They needed to be prepared.

So as Gilmore healed, the three of them flipped through spell books, combining their knowledge into what was quickly becoming an idea. A smoke screen, of sorts. If they could summon the magic to be able to maintain one that big, that is…

Despite the busy hours and the nervous, anxious energy that seemed to run through her the rest of the time; Allura didn’t feel comfortable in the castle. It was beautiful, it truly was. Now that it was cleaned up and habitable for a larger amount of humans anyway. But Allura wasn’t made to live in a castle. So she brought it up with Cassandra.

And was given a house.

On loan, the young woman had said. Until Emon was safe again to return to. It made sense. They were finding residences for many of the refugees that had came through and that’s what Allura was now. Technically.

It was small; built more for function than to resemble any sort of design but it was more than enough for what Allura needed it to be right then. It was quiet. It was secluded. It would give her plenty of room to continue her research in a more comfortable atmosphere than the stone of the castle.

The desired seclusion only lasted a day.

More specifically, it only lasted until she found out that Kima had resigned herself to the barracks to live and sleep whenever she wasn’t training with anyone foolish enough to get their ass kicked by her. The city didn’t have a temple to Bahamut, didn’t have another respite for Kima to stow herself away in.

Allura decided she wouldn’t be a very good friend at all if she didn’t at least make an offer.

Of course, the offer quickly turned into Allura transporting Kima’s few belongings to the house herself when the other initially refused. Out of stubborness, she assumed. But she could never be too sure with Kima.

She wanted her to be comfortable though. After everything, they deserved to be comfortable at least for a little while.

Of course, after getting Kima settled in (it didn’t take very long. She only had her armour, her maul and some food she’d snatched from the palace kitchens on her way out) there was the issue of sleeping arrangements.

There was only one bedroom.

One bed.

Kima, of course, declared that she could sleep on the floor. Allura knew that Halflings were made of stronger stuff than humans and Kima was probably the toughest of the tough. And she knew that she was used to the cold climate that Whitestone presented, having spent so many years in Vasselheim. But that didn’t mean that it was an easy decision.

What kind of friend let the other sleep on cold wood with nought but a thin blanket?

So they shared. And it was a tight fit. It was a small bed and even though Kima was short in stature, she made up for it in bulk and muscle. And Allura herself had admittedly gotten a bit rounder around the edges over the years. She didn’t have the constant adventuring to keep her as fit as she’d been when she was younger.

“Night, Allie,” came Kima’s voice, muffled slightly from the pillow and sounding as calm as ever. As though this weren’t the first time they’d shared a bed in over fifteen years. As though the scars Allura had long since sworn closed weren’t straining for her to do something stupid, her heart beating a familiar pattern against her ribcage.

But Allura wasn’t a stupid woman.

“Good night, Kima,” she murmured, leaning across to blow out the candle as she settled herself beneath the blankets as they were plunged into darkness.

It wasn’t the first time she wished to have someone to hold in her arms again.

Or to be held.

Instead, they slept.

And when she awoke, the bed was empty.

She lay there for a good long couple of minutes, staring up at the ceiling as though the chipped wood had the answers to her many contemplations. Having no luck, she hauled herself out of the bed and readied herself for the another long day of research, migraines and inevitable eye strain.

All the while, thoughts of Kima lingered in the back of her mind.

Everything was so similar to how it had once been. The dragon causing chaos and destruction. The young party of adventurers ready and willing to put their lives on the line. Having Kima around, having Kima in her bed.

Really, the only difference she could come up with was that Kima wasn’t hers anymore.

She was graciously relieved from her thoughts by a messenger knocking on the door, passing on a scroll explaining that Vox Machina had returned to the city and that Lady de Rolo was organizing a dinner to allow them to all to catch up everything that had changed.

She ran into Kima again as she headed back home.

“You got the message too, yeah?” Kima asked, looking as filthy and beautiful as ever, obviously just returning from what was likely her beating the soldiers asses again and Allura cursed internally as her stomach clenched involuntarily at the sight.

With a nod, she opened the door, letting them both inside. “It’s good to hear that they’re safe… I was worried.” It wasn’t something she’d ever admit to them in person, or likely to anyone else. But Kima wasn’t just anyone. She was… Well. She was Kima.

“They’re tougher than they look. I’ve seen ‘em in action,” Kima was already rooting through the cupboards for something to snack on, armour clanking loudly as she bumped against the table on her way to sit down. “So. You think de Rolo will have any chicken at this dinner?”

Kima really hadn’t changed at all.

Allura hummed in amusement, summoning her mage hand to close the cupboard door that Kima had left open and set it to work on a cup of tea for herself. “I’m sure that she will,” she allowed, mostly just to appease the other woman. Which seemed to work, if Kima’s grunt of approval was any indication as she shoved another half piece of jerky into her mouth.

Shaking her head fondly, Allura moved to where she’d hidden her money, searching through the small bag for a moment to make a rough estimation of just how much she had.

There was the quiet sound of a chair scraping slightly against wood and then Kima’s voice trailed after her. “What’cha doing?”

Allura walked back into the kitchen, tucking the coin purse into the hidden pockets of her robes alongside her component bag. “Things are settling. And we’ve been invited to a dinner at the palace. I’m getting something nice to wear.” Considering she only had her robes, her cloak and the one change of clothes that she’d brought when she’d visited the city earlier. Everything else she owned was likely smouldering in a pile of rubble. “I could get you something as well, if you wanted.”

She was completely prepared for Kima’s refusal. Because Kima spent ninety percent of her life in her armour. She’d probably sleep in it if she could get away with it.

What she wasn’t expecting was for Kima to look down at herself with a slight little furrow in her brow as though she were actually contemplating it. “I mean… if you want…”

Allura’s eyebrows shot towards her hairline but she didn’t comment, knowing that Kima would more than likely just change her mind. So she nodded and stepped across the room to get her cup of tea, sipping from it quietly. “Alright then.”

Actually, she should probably leave before Kima had more time to actually think over the matter.

After one more sip from the mug, she set it down on the table in front of Kima. “I’ll be back soon,” Allura told her, grabbing her staff from where she’d had it leaning against the wall and she left to go find any of the seamstresses or shops that might have reopened deeper in the city.

When she returned late in the afternoon, Kima was still seated at the table. Though now she was busy cleaning her armour, seemingly trying to rub out a rather large dent that had appeared on the chest plate.

“I’m assuming that’s from the… what did you say you fought again? A beholder?” Allura questioned as she moved past to lay the dresses down on the bed.

“Yeah. Asshole knocked me in a pit before I could even get any swings on him,” Kima grumbled in response, looking very put out by that. She rubbed a bit harder at the golden metal, frowning as though the power of that alone would straighten it out. Shaking her head with a fond expression, Allura moved over, gently taking Kima’s hand to pull it away and let her magic do the rest, watching as the metal popped back into place. Kima grunted again. “Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.”

There was a beat of silence, Allura still standing over Kima’s form, their hands touching and she cleared her throat quietly as she stepped away again. “We’re expected at the castle soon if you want to get ready.”

She knew that Kima wouldn't get ready until it was almost time to go. While Allura had a thing about punctuality, Kima’s opinion on that sort of stuff tended to differ. So Allura took it upon herself to disappear into the bedroom again.

It wasn’t the fanciest dress she’d ever worn. Whitestone still didn’t have the supplies or time to be creating any works of art that might have come out of Emon but Allura didn’t mind. The dress was loose over her form, curling around to a tie on the back of her neck and she just waved her fingers, the laces doing themselves up as she checked over her hair even though she knew for a fact that her braids wouldn’t lose their form during the day. It couldn’t hurt to fancy them up a little though.

In that time, Kima had snuck into the room long enough to grab her own dress. At this point, after so many adventures and considering their past relationship, neither of them had any worries of modesty and it would be foolish to pretend otherwise.

Finished, Allura returned to the kitchen. And she froze in the doorway for a long moment.

She could count on one hand the amount of times she’d seen Kima wearing a dress before; the last having been over a decade ago now. And while Kima had always been muscler, the years had definitely been good to her. She swallowed past the lump in her throat and let her fidgeting fingers hide behind the long sleeves of her dress.

“I had to guess on the measurements,” she lied, as if she didn’t still have Kima’s body put to memory. “You look… stunning.” If she had more a mind about her, she’d have come upp with something a bit more eloquent. She used to be able to wax poetry about this woman.

But for now, she just did the courteous thing and ignored the light pink flush climbing the others neck.

For her part, Kima just tugged at the soft golden fabric, still looking a little put out. But she flashed her winning smile up at Allura. “Not so bad yourself,” she winked and it was so familiar that Allura’s heart ached.

She rolled her eyes instead. “Come now. Or we’re going to be late.”

Hoisting her maul onto her shoulder, Kima just gave her a grin. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

Allura just shot her a look but she knew that any argument about Kima leaving her weapon behind wasn’t going to be one that she would be able to win. Shaking her head, waved her hand in front of her and followed Kima out the door to the short trek up the cobble towards the castle.

She greeted Vox Machina with bright smiles and tight hugs, glad to see that all of them were there and well. They fell into easy conversation about the occurances of the last few days.

Unsurprisingly, after a comment about her dress, Kima continued to look grumpy about the whole ordeal and Allura just heaved a sigh. “You didn’t have to wear it, Kima. It was just a suggestion.”

Kima looked up to her for a moment and nodded curtly. “Right.” She then turned back to Vox Machina. “I’ll be right back.” And she turned off and ran back out, leaving Allura to watch fondly.

And when she returned, they were seated at the table and Kima pushed herself up into the seat right beside her, heavy maul dropping down to floor at her feet, looking all the more comfortable in her ratty travelling clothes. And even more beautiful.

And Allura knew at this moment just how screwed she really was.

Notes:

I don't really have an excuse as to why this update took so long other than it's summer? I could never seem to right the time or the right mood to get into writing. But! It's here now! I hope you all enjoy; don't forget to throw down a comment to let me know if you did! And as always, you can find me at carpeculum on tumblr.

Chapter 16: Chapter 16

The rest of the evening passed without much fanfare. They gathered what intel they could off of Vox Machina and Allura passed along her own findings of the Vestiges. Discussions were had of increasing protection, deeper research and any semblance of a plan that they could try and scrape together. All the while, Kima sat beside her demolising the plate of chicken she had in front of her.

And as the dinner came to a close, they said their farewells and started the walk towards their shared house.

“You’d think, after all this time, they woulda taken me to fight the dragon,” Kima sighed as they continued down the cobblestone. Her foot kicked out at a rock, sending it disappearing into the shadows just beyond the flickering lamp light above them.

“Yes, well. I’m sure that they’ll invite you to the next one.”

Allura wouldn’t admit to just how glad she’d been to know of the distance between Kima and any dragon. If she could keep her here, if she could just keep her busy…

But that wasn’t fair. Whitestone wasn’t Kima’s responsibility. It was barely Allura’s. And Kima had a duty and a purpose bigger than anything that Allura could ever give her. The symbol hanging around her neck gave enough proof of that. And Allura figured she’d angered enough dragons in her lifetime that she didn’t need to add one of a diety status to that list as well.

The rest of the short walk was filled with Kima’s quiet grumbling but by the time Allura was unlocking the front door, she seemed to have gotten most of it out of her system. She’d need to find something to hit eventually though. She never did do well in one place.

They seperated, reading themselves for bed and Kima was under the covers before Allura could return to the room, book in hand from where she’d been intending on getting through some more of her readings.

“Don’t even think about keeping that light of yours on all night. You’ve plenty of time to read in the morning.” It was spoken fondly but with enough sincerity that she knew Kima meant it seriously.

“Kima-” she’d barely started when the halfling was rolling over in the bed and succesfully blowing out the candle, plunging them into darkness.

There was a long pause and Allura, with the full knowledge that they both knew she could easily summon any amount of light, only sighed. “You know I can’t see in the dark.”

It was met with a chuckle, and a rather smug one at that and Allura was left to carefully cross the short distance from the archway to the bed. “You’re terrible.”

She had research to complete. Jobs that needed doing. An entire city to protect. And she just slid into the bed to make herself comfortable. One more proper nights rest before they really got at it shouldn’t be too much to ask for. So with a pat to Kima’s shoulder, she closed her eyes.

She was asleep for what felt like minutes when she was awoken with a sharp kick to the shin.

Grunting in surprise, she rolled over to see what Kima wanted just in time to feel something heavy hit the mattress between them, filling the silence with the distinct sound of ripping fabric as something was torn.

On instinct, Allura lifted her hand, stammering out the first spell that came to mind as a small firebolt flew through the air and hit the figure at the end of the bed and they were briefly illuminated, giving her a vague idea of where they were.

It was also long enough for her to see Kima reaching down beside the bed and bringing her maul up in a heavy swing to hit against the intruders collarbone with a heavy thud and the sharp sound of breaking bone. They reared back, giving a cry of pain before moving forward again for a lunge towards Kima this time and Allura pushed herself downwards quickly, foot aimed blindly and with some sheer luck, came in contact with their thigh, pushing them off kilter just enough for Kima to dodge the blow and return one of her own. And another. And another.

And Allura watched as Kima effectively put an end to that issue.

The candle flickered to life again with a wave of Allura’s fingers as she slowly sat back up, blankets still sort of cluched to her chest, eyes wide.

Kima was in the process of patting him down, yanking the dagger from his now still fingers. “Doesn’t have anything on him. Just a couple of gold,” she straightened back up again. The blood had splattered across the bottom of her nightshirt.

They shared a look.

“We should go to the castle,” Allura made the decision for them and she slid from the bed, wrapping her dressing gown around her form.

Kima made a quiet sound in approval and she heaved her mace over one shoulder, grabbed the foot of the very dead almost assassin and started dragging him outside. Allura followed.

A meeting in the lobby was enough to prove that they hadn’t been the only ones targetted. For selfish reasons, she was glad that they seemed to be the only ones who hadn’t gotten hurt. But those thoughts were quickly covered by the almost overwheleming relief at seeing everyone there, alive at least with the looks of some of their wounds.

A late night planning session hadn’t been at the top of her to-do list but here she sat slumped over a cup of tea, listening to the story of what had happened and inputting her own details of the attack and further ideas of increased protection.

They parted ways again once more and when Allura hit the pillows she was out like a light, exhausted.

Even so, she was up near the crack of dawn, ignoring the grumbling half asleep Kima as the other rolled over and went back to sleep. Allura readied herself for the day and headed back to the castle’s library, to the corner she’d essentially claimed as her own as she spent a few hours pouring over her research.

Her, Eskil and Shaun had wanted to attempt a sort of ward around the city. She knew of the powers of dragons, of others with any magic in their blood. She’d failed Emon. She wasn’t about to let the same happen to Whitestone.

Of course, any protection of a size big enough to cloak an entire city was going to need a lot of magic. And to prevent the future possibilities of being scryed on? Allura just hoped that between the three of them they would have enough power to make it possible.

A few hours passed and Allura was making her way around the city, judging distances, inspecting the arcane laylines that ran from underneath the Sun Tree in the centre of town, leaving small markings on the further most parts. They wouldn’t be able to cover the farms, whatever barrier they could muster would be laid too thin. The majoity of the city would be have to be good enough.

“Y’know. When Zahra told me you’d gone outside, I wasn’t expecting to have to trek halfway ‘round the city to find you,” came a familiar voice from behind her. Kima walked up, fully armoured again as she came to a stop in front of her, leaning against one of the nearby trees. “What’cha doing?”

Allura smiled down to her for a moment. “If we’re to give the city a blanket protction, we need some sort of perimiter. Shaun’s doing the south part of town. The sooner we can get it in place, the sooner we can put our efforts towards finding more on the dragons,” she spoke in response as she turned for a moment longer to finish up marking the spot for later. Satisified, she brushed any nonexsistent dirt off her fingers on her robes and started towards the next spot.

Kima caught up with her again quickly and matched pace.

“Shaun hasn’t had any luck scrying on the green dragon,” Allura sighed quietly. She’d try herself, but she hadn’t been in Emon, she didn’t know what she even looked like . There wasn’t enough information. “If we could just… find out where she was, what she’s ruling over, it could make this all so much easier.”

The white dragon, they knew where he was. Gilmore had seen the destruction the beast had rained down upon Draconia.

Kima was quiet for a moment as they walked down the street. Shooting her a glance, Allura could see an almost contemlpative look on her face.

“You’ve been spending an awful large amount of time with Gilmore…” Kima started and paused as though she wasn’t sure of what she even wanted to say. “He’s a...he’s a nice guy. Bit eccentric though.”

There was another pause.

“Didn’t really think he was your type.”

It took Allura far too long to understand what it was that Kima was getting at. And when she did, she laughed.

She stopped at the slight scowl growing on the others face. Prehaps some topics were always to be a bit tense between them.

“I’m not seeing Shaun, Kima,” Allura replied and her voice was still tinged with amusement. “Besides, even if I were interested, I do believe it would be me whose not his type. Vax’ildan, perhaps. Or Drake. Or any number of fine masculine suitors,” she teased and she smiled to herself at the blush creeping up Kima’s cheeks.

“Oh.”

Allura gave a quiet hum of acknowledgement. It wasn’t easy to get Kima to blush and Allura was reminded of many years ago of all of the ways she’d managed it. Many, many times. She cleared her throat and pressed on, stopping again to continue with the outline of the barrier.

The silence between them grew for another couple of long moments as the walk continued.

“So… there’s no one, er- special then?” Kima probed. When Allura glanced back, the other was looking firmly at the ground in front of her, refusing any semblance of eye contact.

The question caused a little flutter of hope to bloom in her chest. Which she quickly banished. There was no need to bring feelings into this again.

“Hardly a time for romance, Kima. With dragons wrecking havoc left and right?”

“Meant before that, ya’ daft woman,” Kima sighed. But she didn’t press anymore.

The rest of their walk was in silence.

Allura met with Eskil and Gilmore again that evening just as the sun disappeared over the crest of the distant mountains. They gathered in the tallest tower, their plans and notes and research laid in front of them. It wasn’t an easy ritual by any means. But they had to get it right. Who knows if they’d even get a second shot.

And a painstakingly long amount of time later, Allura returned to her small home. There were no candle lights signalling Kima being awake and she didn’t habe the magic remaining to light any so she just stumbled through the dark as quiet as she could. Barely succeeding with a half-assed job of taking off her robes and changing into a nightgown.

She crawled into the bed, dropped her head onto the pillow and was out before she could count to ten.

Notes:

Hey guys! So, no, I didn't forget about this fic. I absolutely intend on finishing it. I got wrapped up in real life stuff and I'm back to school again and it's just been real busy between that and that I'm actually rewatching campaign one to make sure I get all the important relationship/plot bits for the story. This chapters mostly filler but I wanted to get something written to get back into the swing of things. To anyone still reading, thank you! I love you all for sticking around. As always, you can find me at carpeculum on tumblr so don't be afraid to say hi!

Chapter 17: Chapter 17

When Allura wasn’t maintaining the barrier or doing further research on dragons and rituals and spells, she’s getting whatever sleep can be afforded to her. After the first day, Kima returned to the house midday to find the blonde asleep at the kitchen table, a cold cup of tea teetering dangerously close to the edge of the table and her spellbook being reutilized as a pillow.

Allura didn’t adventure anymore. She didn’t have need for any large expulsions of magic. She did her research, she enchanted every so often to pull a profit, she’d hlped with little things around Emon that needed a more refined touch. None of that left her feeling drained and exhausted. And she hated it. But she knew it was necessary. They needed to keep the city safe from any prying eyes or scouts. If Whitestone were to fall, so would all their plans.

Despite her newfound tendency to pass out on every vaguely horizontal surface, she still didn’t get the amount of sleep that she needed. She’d befriended Zahra and spent hours in the library, pouring over notes and tomes for a miricle. She walked the castle with Cassandra, giving the young woman any advice she could muster. She worried over Vox Machina and wondered when they would be hearing from them next, hoping that all was well.

It was trying on Kima, she knew. The halfling would push her towards the bed whenever she would start to nod off, would urge food into her hands, insisting that she wasn’t eating enough and that she needed to take care of herself if they ever wanted this to work.

Allura knew she was right. Didn’t make her hate it any less.

She was tired. She was scared. She was in a bad mood half the time. And though she knew it came from a good place, being babied by someone never felt good. And the fact that it was Kima…

“You know, you don’t actually have to be up here with me,” Allura commented one evening as she sat up in the tower, focusing on the barrier above them and pouring her energy into the same beacon they’d set up as a focal point. “You complain everytime. No one is forcing you here.”

There came a grunt from behind her and Allura glanced back to watch where Kima had lounged out on a chair. She wasn’t in her armour; she’d finally decided to make herself comfortable in the castle. At her feet her maul still lay, ready to grab within a seconds notice if anything were to go wrong.

Kima swung herself down off the chair and she walked over in Allura’s direction, moving past to lean against the window in front of her and look outside. The sun was just setting. Once upon a time, she would have considered the image of Kima set against the dark reds and creeping blues and indigo to be beautiful.

She’d be lying to herself to say that she still didn’t.

“Well someones got to make sure you’re not digging yourself an early grave by staying up here longer that you’re supposed to again.”

Allura bristled silently. It wasn’t that it didn’t feel good, having someone care about you after oh so long.

But the extended period of time was most of the problem.

Sure, they’d remained friends for all of those years. But in Allura’s mind at least, Kima hadn’t seemed like she cared too much when she left all those years ago.

When Allura had needed her most; when they needed each other most, she’d just left.

And now it was fifteen years later, the executioners axe hanging precariously over all of their necks as they waited for it to fall with one fell swoop of wings and Kima was continuing to act as though nothing changed between them at all.

When Allura didn’t reply, Kima turned and leaned back against the wall to consider the blonde sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of her. She arched a brow. “Nothing to say?”

Allura let out a quiet breath, her palms remaining upturned as she kept her concentration on her spell. She didn’t want to pick a fight. Not now. Not when death could be around any corner. Not when she’d gotten her back in her life for even a short period of time.

 

But she also wanted Kima to feel the same cruel sting of rejection that had been festering in her for so long. It wasn’t fair. Kima had had her reasons for leaving and Allura had understood and accepted that.

Didn’t make it hurt any less.

“Allie?”

It was the return of the nickname that did it.

“I was simply commenting on the fact that I don’t need you watching over me, Kima. I am a fully grown woman, in case you’ve forgotten.” She closed her eyes, keeping close attention to the warm tug in her chest as she maintained the spell.

“Well if I don’t, who will?”

“I’ve been managing well on my own for fifteen years. I don’t see why that has to change now.”

A beat of silence. Allura could hear the quiet movement of fabric as Kima shifted but made no effort to come any closer to her.

“Ally, that’s different.” Kima’s voice sounded strained now and Allura felt a surge of pride with herself for making her squirm. It was quickly followed by such a rush of guilt that she hardly got to enjoy the little victory.

“I don’t really see how,” Allura continued all the same. “Just because there’s a new threat doesn’t make me any less capable.”

“I’m not sayin’ that you’re-”

But Allura was on a roll now. She had years of pent up disappointment and regret and anger thanks to Kima. And her exhaustion had whittled down any layers of restraint she normally held. So she cut Kima off before she could even finish her sentence.

“I don’t need you to protect me, Kima. I haven’t needed you to do that for years and I don’t see that changing in the future.” It pained her to say that out loud, especially after her recent realization of just how much she wasn’t over her. “You made your choice. You left when I needed you. You don’t get to come back like you didn’t…” Break her heart. “Like it didn’t happen.”

She opened her eyes to watch Kima straighten herself up, the woman’s immediate social defence, trying to give herself any extra height that she possibly could. “I was following my path. You knew that.” The holy symbol around her neck swung and Allura was reminded that half the time she hated Bahumet.

“I did. And I do. But you still left.”

Another break in conversation. Allura’s fingers trembled slightly as a decades worth of emotions threatened to burst from her chest.

Allura understood that Kima had done what she needed to do. That she had a destiny beyond her. But the much more vivid memory of Kima telling her she was leaving and packing up that very night remained in the forefront of her mind. She’d left her all alone.

It didn't look like Kima was going to say anything. So Allura continued. “We were done fighting. We’d taken down...we’d thought we’d taken down Thordak and we could have been done. We could have been happy, Kima. Weren’t we happy?”

She wasn’t being fair, she knew. It wasn’t just Kima’s fault. Allura should have fought for her. She should have spoken up instead of letting her slip through her fingers. She could have made her stay, could have found Kima some adventuring around Tal’dorei. Could have done anything to try and keep her a little longer.

But it wouldn’t have been fair and it wouldn’t have been right and Allura would have hated herself for keeping Kima from what she could have become, for what she was today.

Kima had hardened in front of her. She wasn’t ever one for a confrontation she couldn’t swing a sword at. Words had never been her strong suit like they were Allura’s.

“Yeah, we were happy. But it was… it was for the best, wasn’t it? You know I wouldn’t have been any good on the council. That’s not the kind of life I wanted to live. ‘Sides, it wasn’t like I heard you asking me to stay,” Kima shot back at her and gone was her friendly, warm tone from earlier. Allura had angered her and she sounded it.

And that was what Allura had been scared would be thrown back in her face, the very fact that she didn’t put any effort in trying to keep her at her side. She closed her eyes and she put her focus towards the hot tendril of magic she was supposed to be paying attention to. She took a deep breath. Her hands still shook.

“I’m tired, Kima. I’d like to be alone.”

“But Allura-”

“Kima. Please.”

Her eyes stayed closed and she didn’t watch as Kima moved to the side and grabbed her maul again. She didn’t watch her walk away and leave the room. Her shoulders only slumped at the sound of the door closing just a little too harshly.

They could talk when Allura wasn’t exhausted. They could talk once she cooled down and wasn’t on the verge of a breakdown. She didn’t want to hurt Kima. She wanted to get past this.

But then Vox Machina returned, bringing with them a dead Percival and news of a dragon to fight.

But then Kima left for Draconia.

And Allura watched as she left her once again.

Notes:

I swear I'll get better at updates one of these days. School is just...school. Fun fact: this fic is over a year old now and it's the biggest work I've ever tried. It's been a slow go, but I made a promise to myself and to you all who are still reading this to finish it. Thank you so much for reading, I love you all more than you know. <3

Chapter 18: Chapter 18

The group were only gone for a few days but it seemed as though the entire castle waited with bated breath, those who knew about Vox Machina’s plans anyway. And those who didn’t… well rumours were a funny thing and they seemed to be filling the ears of everyone else. If they were successful in killing this dragon… this would truly start the war.

It would turn the hourglass that would count down to their victory or their demise. There was no in between anymore.

It was to Allura’s great relief that all hearts were still beating when the troop returned to the city and were called almost immediately to a meeting of the war council. Once news got to Thordak of Vorugal’s defeat… they needed a plan. They needed to act first. They couldn’t let Thordak and his army come to them. If they found Whitestone… Tal’dorei would crumble and they would all go with it.

Allura avoided eye contact with Kima the entire meeting. Which wasn’t too hard once it came out that Assum was actually the green dragon and that they’d been working with her all along. Funnily enough, finding out that there was a dragon in your midst made for an excellent distraction. It didn't help that she was already on edge though. And as they listened to the imposter- Raishan- tell her tale and fill their heads with excuses Allura's fingers only curled that much more into the polished wood of her staff. As if one ancient red dragon wasn't enough. Now they had to worry about the one that had slipped past their defences.

It caused her headache to worsen and Allura stifled the sigh she wanted to release. Vox Machina had made some... questionable decisions in their past she knew. But she was fairly certain that this took the cake. Working with a dragon? Specifically a chromatic one? It was unheard of. And yet... here they were.

It were times like these that Allura wished she liked alcohol.

The council meeting disbanded and Allura watched Kima disappear out of the room out of the corner of her eye. There was a new sword on her back . If they were on better terms she'd have asked about it. But they wouldn't be fighting forever surely. They... didn't do that. They didn't fight. They'd had disagreements before in the past, when they were young and foolish and more hot headed than now but they never fought.

Another pang to Allura's chest. She hated this.

Vox Machina stopped her before she could get too far out of the room herself and discussed the trip to Daxio. She remembered promising Kima before that when they went to battle she'd take her.

She didn't.

She left.

And she returned in the evening. Vox Machina would be gone for a few days, they said. And Allura hadn't had the time to finish up her work in Whitestone. There were still loose ends that she needed to work out.

And if she specifically avoided Kima during that time she tried not to think about it.

But as luck would have it, she didn't need to go looking for the other woman. Kima came to her.

Allura was in the library, tucked away in the secluded corner that she'd claimed for herself the first time she had stepped foot inside the room for an extended period of time. Zahra's research lay scattered across two tables in the middle of the room though the tiefling herself was no where to be found. Sleeping hopefully. The woman deserved it. Ironic, she knew, coming from her. But Allura had never really been the one to focus on herself first.

Kima's arrival was announced by the sound of someone tripping and bumping into a bookcase followed by a couple of muffled curses. Despite herself, Allura smiled. Though she quickly schooled her features when Kima came around the corner and made herself comfortable in the other chair that had been dragged in here. The one that had been specifically for Kima to keep Allura company when the blonde was working.

"Alright look. I gave you a day. But I'm not letting us ignore this, Allie," Kima spoke and her fancy new sword clattered down to the floor beside her.

Allura could feel eyes on her. But she didn't look up from her parchment until she'd finished her letter and scribbled out her signature on the bottom. She closed her eyes, focusing on her magic and the parchment disappeared from her hand. Finally, she looked to Kima. She wasn't in her armour, instead dressed in common clothes and Allura didn't know whether she preferred it this way on not. She didn't quite meet her eyes. She didn't want to crumble. "I think we have more pressing matters to focus on right now, Kima. I'm working on something right now, so if you could just-"

"Bullshit."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me," Kima shook her head a bit and she sat up as much as she could in the chair to force Allura to look her in the eye. "I'm calling bullshit on your 'more pressing matters' shtick. We're not doing this again."

"What are you-"

"Just give me five minutes, Allie. Five minutes. Please? And... if nothings changed after that I'll get out of your hair."

It was silent between them for a moment. Allura had opened her mouth to speak before thinking better of it. She pursed her lips together before she nodded her head to Kima to signal that she could continue.

Kima took a breath as though she was steeling herself for a battle. And then she reached into her trousers and pulled out what looked to be an old and faded piece of parchment. She placed it in front of Allura. "Don't open that yet. Just... just listen, okay?" She waited a beat before continuing. "I wrote that the first month I left and I never sent it. And... And I don't regret that. But sometimes I..." She took another breath and Allura couldn't remember seeing Kima this unsure about something in a very, very long time.

"Sometimes I think about what would have happened if we hadn't gone our separate ways. If... if you hadn't taken the job on the council or if I didn't run off to Vasselheim. I wonder what we could have been cause we... we were good, Allie. We were so good. And I know- I know that it was forever ago now and that we're not the same people anymore. But the last couple of weeks here... It's almost like we were back, you know?" Kima finally took a breath and she pursed her lips for a moment, fingers flexing in front of her and it was a testament to how much Allura knew her because she knew she wanted to reach for the closest weapon and just hit something. Because Kima was always better at action than she was at words.

There was a long moment of silence and then she continued.

"And I... And I know that it's not just me. 'Cause I know you, Allie. A-And I know how you act and I know how we used to be. I'm sorry if I'm making assumptions. I'm probably making an ass of myself. But we could die soon; everyone might die soon. And I can't go and fight without knowing if-" Kima cut herself off and she shook her head. Her braid was a mess around her head. She probably slept in it and didn't bother to try and fix it. There was not point really. There wasn't really anyone in Whitestone that she would have needed to impress.

Kima cleared her throat. Her tanned cheeks were flushed red and she was still fidgeting where she sat. "I'll just.. I'll leave you to your work. I'm sorry for bothering you."

And she slid off the chair, landing back on her feet and Allura almost didn't stop her.

Thankfully, she wasn't a complete moron when it came to feelings.

"Kima, wait." And Allura leaned forward, fingers wrapping around the other woman's wrist. Now Allura's psychical strength was abysmal but Kima stopped dead at the touch. She didn't turn to face her. But she didn't leave.

"Kima," Allura repeated quietly.

There was another of those pauses. The silence that used to be comfortable between them now wrought with tension and anticipation; both waiting for the other to say something and neither wanting to start. They were on the cusp of something. There would be no coming back from this. Either they worked everything out or... they didn't.

Allura swallowed past the quickly forming lump in her throat and she didn't relinquish her hand on Kima. She would be a liar if she tried to claim that she hadn't had the same thoughts, that she hadn't been thinking the exact same thing as they spent the last few weeks sharing a home... sharing a bed. It was just like the old days except for a few more wrinkles and a lot more scars. But they were still... them. When it came down to what mattered anyway.

"You're not wrong," Allura finally whispered, her eyes on the back of Kima's head. She took in the tenseness of the others shoulders, the willingness to just jump up and run at a seconds notice. She fought back her anxieties and continued. Kima was right. They couldn't continue on without addressing what was between them. It wasn't fair to either of them. And they'd both been through enough in their live that they owed this to themselves.

"You're not wrong, Kima," she repeated quietly, wetting her lips. Her throat felt dry and her stomach slightly queasy with nerves. "It has been good. It's almost been like the old days, just you and me and I... I think part of that scared me."

It was like the past was reliving itself if she were being completely honest. Thordak was back. People were dying. Her and Kima were spending more time together than they had in over a decade. And if all of that could happen again, then so could the aftermath. So could the pain that she'd felt losing their friends and then losing Kima and not putting up a fight for her and just... being left alone. And Allura didn't want to have to go through that again.

Kima turned to face her now, slow and calculated. She didn't pull her hand away from Allura's and Allura counted that as a win. She didn't say anything else either.

Allura let out a breath.

"I don't know how to do this anymore though, Kima. I don't know how to be... us anymore. Like you said, we've- we're not those people anymore. We were young and foolhardy and we've changed so much."
Allura regretted that she hadn't been there to see it happening; Kima growing and changing into the incredible woman that she was now. Just like she regretted not fighting for her to stay.
She swallowed.

"But I'm willing to try it again."

Of course she would be willing to try them out again. After all of the years apart from Kima, she would have thought that she would have moved on. That even if she hadn't found someone else she wouldn't have still had these warm feelings expanding in her chest every time she looked to her. She had thought that being continents apart would have given them enough space to grow apart and learn how to be just friends.

There was a part of Allura, hidden in the deepest parts of her brain that always knew that they wouldn't ever be able to be just friends.

Another beat of silence. Kima's eyes never left her face. And then a slow, small smile cracked her lips and her smaller hand covered Allura's and she squeezed. "Yeah?" she asked, soft and gentle, both words never normally associated with Kima but Allura knew better. She knew the Kima beneath the armour she hid behind.

"Yeah," she echoed.

There was still a lot to be discussed between them. There was still a lot to be considered and a lot to be worked over. But Allura felt happy in a way that she hadn't in a very long time and it was refreshing. In a time of absolute chaos, they had found each other again.

It was almost prophetic. Thordak had torn them apart once before. And now, he brought them back together.

Notes:

Hey guys! So, I'm not dead. School just got a lot busier than I was expecting. But I've got three weeks off now and I'm planning on churning out a couple of chapters in that time to make up for my absence. For anyone still reading, I absolutely love you and thanks for sticking around. As always, I live off kudos and comments. And you can find me at carpeculum on tumblr.

Happy Holidays!

Chapter 19: Chapter 19

Despite the necessary conversations that the two of them knew they needed to have, they were still on a deadline. They couldn't put away a day or two to work through their issues when they were planning an assault to happen as soon as humanly possible. They needed to plan, they needed to think of defences, they needed to be prepared for the worst.

They slept in the same bed again that night and when Kima rolled over in her sleep, arm wrapping around Allura's waist and face pressing in against her shoulder, the blonde just smiled at the ceiling and turned her head towards the woman and she felt at peace.

And in the morning she packed up her bag as Kima worked through the process of buckling up her armour and making sure she was secure and when they were both ready she teleported them back to Fort Daxio. It was about the same as when Allura had left; the soldiers in constant action as they prepared for the war. Allura went to find General Elle again. She introduced her to Kima and they discussed any changes and Allura watched Kima head off to go help with whatever she could.

Allura headed to the makeshift war council room with Elle to discuss battle arrangements and sketching out attack plans. This wasn't really her area of expertise. But her magic could provide some extra protection. From the looks of the soldiers she was one of the only magic users in the fort at the moment, which set her a little on edge. She understood the importance of strength and and brawn and muscles- she'd fought side by side with Kima for years after all- but she always felt a bit better when they were a few more mages on their side. But Vox Machina would be back before anything ever started to happen so there wasn't anything they needed to worry about.

Except for a dragon, an upcoming war and their possible inevitable deaths.

A day passed. Allura and Kima didn't have the opportunity to spend much time together. Allura was sending messages back and forth between Syngorn and Whitestone, making sure that everyone was on the same page and that everything was still on schedule. And Kima- who'd started getting antsy with nothing to do in Whitestone- was in her element. She directed a few of the soldiers around, making sure that they were in fighting shape. She helped rebuild some of the defences. She popped in every now and then to make sure that Allura was eating and smile on her face made Allura melt almost every time and she couldn't believe that there was ever a time she thought that they wouldn't have returned to this.

It was getting into the late afternoon when there came a knock at the door and General Elle stepped into the room Allura had been occupying. "Lady Vysoren, you've got a visitor." She looked suspicious, like she wasn't sure about the whole thing and Allura herself looked confused until the door opened further and Kima walked a harried and bloodied man into the room.

It took a moment before the recognition clicked in and Allura pushed herself to her feet. "Dear Gods, Xanthas." They'd been assuming that everyone they didn't hear from was dead. It was easier that way, than hoping that there would suddenly be more people to help. And Allura had heard what happened to the Lyceum so she'd assumed that everyone inside would have been caught in the destruction. She took Xanthas gently by the shoulder and led him over to the chair to have a seat.

The man had certainly seen better days. Allura had rarely seen him out of the Lyceum and here he was looking like he'd fought for his lif. But this was good. This meant that there were more survivors after all.

"You have... no idea how happy I am to see you, Lady Vysoren," Xanthas commented quietly and he wiped blood from his brow as he allowed himself to catch his breath and take stock of his injuries. "I have only just escaped... the dragon..." he just shook his head and Allura rubbed his shoulder. She hadn't been close to him. If anything, she'd always found him a bit prickly and off putting. But he was an ally. And one from inside the city at that. They needed any information that they could scrounge up at this point.

"And how did you escape then?" Kima was still standing in the doorway, glancing between the two. She wouldn't know Xanthas of course. She hadn't spent enough time in Emon for that. And when she did, Xanthas wasn't exactly the one that Allura was planning on introducing her to.

"The dragon has many eyes on the city," Xanthas started quietly and he seemed to eye Kima just as much as she did him. "Wyverns. Lizard-folk. Any number of fiery beasts. Half of the city is destroyed. I was... injured from the initial attack. Once I healed enough to travel I crept by a little each night. I hadn't heard of Fort Daxio's destruction so I hoped it would still be standing strong and I'm ever so pleased to find that it is."

"We're glad that you found us," Allura nodded earnestly and she moved back to her desk for a moment, rifling through a few papers. There was nothing about Xanthas' behaviour that seemed suspicious to her. And they could use any help that they could get. "How much would you be able to remember of the defences they have in place? Could you map it out for us?" she continued and she glanced towards the man.

He gave a nod. "Yes... Yes, of course. Whatever I can do to help, you have it."

As Xanthas started to describe what he could remember of the Cinder Kings main defences or anything of importance that he'd spotted while making his escape, General Elle was trying to get Kima to return to where she'd been helping her with the soldiers but Kima was more hesitant this time.

Allura caught her gaze and she offered a soft smile. "It's okay, Kima," she promised the woman. "I'll be right here." She trusted Xanthas at least. Beside's: she was far more powerful a mage than he was even if he wanted to try something.

Kima still looked like she didn't want to leave. But she took Allura at her word and she nodded and she turned and she left the room. The door closed with a quiet click behind her.

And Allura turned back to Xanthas where he was sketching what looked to be a rough outline of the city's main gates. He glanced upwards. "Lady Vysoren, may I ask you something in return?" At Allura's nod, he continued. "All of this planning... can I assume that you're helping preparing an assault? An attempt to finally regain the city?"

Despite Allura's trust in him, she wasn't that much of a fool that she was going to tell him important secrets such as these. Still, she nodded. "An eventual one, yes." The fact that it was only a few days from now was a minor detail that Xanthas didn't need to be aware of unless it proved that he would join them in it.

Outside, there was a shout, quickly followed by another. And then a loud explosion and Allura pushed to her feet once more to the window. Small dark shapes outlined the sky in the distance, one falling quickly from what was clearly a hit from a trebuchet. But more were quickly swarming and Allura watched as smaller figures leaped off to engage with the soldiers below.

"We're under attack," she spoke, surprised and immediately nervous. They hadn't been prepared yet for this. She could hear Xanthas moving behind her.

"Yes. You are."

Allura cried out as she was wracked with pain for a short moment, falling against the window frame, listening to the sounds of Xanthas searching through the desk quickly before retreating from the room.

And Allura just felt numb, her brain felt fuzzy and useless and she blinked as she looked around the room she was in. Her shoulder hurt from where she hit it and she rubbed it for a moment. Another explosion sounded from outside and she jumped, bumping into the wall behind her once again. Fear. Fear and pain. She couldn't think of the words but she knew the feeling and she mumbled intelligibly. Fear. Pain. Run. She had to run. She had to get away to safety.

She crawled to her feet, her hands clutching the desk and she flinched when someone screamed from down below. Eyes wide, she searched the room for threats. Run... or hide. Hiding worked. She knew how to hide. The desk was dark. And she shoved the chair aside and she curled up underneath it, curling in on herself. Hiding would keep her safe. No one would look for her here.

No sooner had she considered that thought, the door slammed open, smashing against the wall behind it and Kima ran into the room, looking harried and worried, shouting something that Allura didn't understand. But she knew it was loud and it sounded upset and her first instinct was to flinch back further and hide in the shadows.

Of course, she wasn't really aware that bright blue robes did a poor job of camouflaging her. Kima spotted her and she hurried over, ducking her head to look down at Allura and she spoke something else in a language Allura couldn't understand. But that didn't matter to the blonde. She knew Kima. Kima meant safety and she lunged forward, wrapping her arms around her in such a hurry that it caused the normally very sturdy halfling to sway and drop her sword as arms came around her to help hold her up.

Allura buried her face into Kima's neck as much as she could with the woman's armour getting in the way, trembling and scared as her fingers scrambled for purchase on the smooth armour. She wanted something to grab onto, something to hold. Another explosion shook the castle and she squeaked in fear and pressed impossibly closer. There was a hand on her back and one on her hair and Allura still didn't know what Kima was saying but she felt immediately better just having her here with her. Kima was safety. Nothing else could happen to her if she were with Kima.

And just when she was starting to relax again, Kima pulled back. The hand in her hand moved to her cheek and wiped away the tears on Allura's cheeks. She was asking her something. At least, that's what Allura thought she was doing. But all she could do was mumble in response. She didn't know how to answer.

Kima looked angry and Allura flinched away almost immediately and Kima was quick to school her features. She cupped Allura's cheek again and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Allura didn't know what she wanted but when she was beckoned to get back to her feet, she followed, whimpering at the loud sounds of fighting from outside. Allura kept a firm grip on Kima's hand as she was brought over to a chair in the corner and directed to sit in it.

She watched at Kima stood up on her toes and she rested their foreheads together. Her voice was soft when she spoke and Allura reached for her when she pulled away. But Kima shook her head, looking apologetic as she retrieved her sword.

And she left the room and Allura was alone once more.

The sounds were louder now that she was once again by herself. The door was closed and she could see it. That was where people seemed to come and go. The bad man. Kima. People. She couldn't trust the door though. It could lead to bad things.

The castle shook once more, worse this time, followed by a crash and an ungodly screech and Allura brought her knees up onto the chair with her, arms wrapping around them tightly and she hid her face. She wanted to run again. Run far, far away from whatever was so loud. But Kima had brought her to the chair. Kima was a friend. Kima was safe. Kima wouldn't hurt her.

She rocked back and forth for an undetermined amount of time. Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. The fighting had quieted eventually but Allura didn't lift her head. She didn't know what to do so she decided just to stay where she was put.

The door open again and her head shot up, prepared to scramble back and defend herself if necessary. That overpowering feeling of fight or flight overtaking her and just as quickly as it'd appeared, it was gone when Kima was the first one through the door.

There were more. Many more. And it took longer to recognize her friends as when it was just Kima but she knew these people as well, even if the names escaped her and she jumped up from the chair and she wrapped the tall redhead in a tight hug. They were talking to her as well and she just mumbled in response, looking sad and scared but a bit more relaxed now that she had more people that she trusted in here with her.

Her fingers twisted together as she watched them discuss something and the small one stepped forward. Her hands sparked with magic and Allura flinched away but then there were hands on her cheeks and warmth flowing through the touch and through her body and Allura's eyes fell shut as the fog lifted from her mind. She sighed and she opened her eyes once again, looking down to Pike and she just smiled for a moment.

"You are a godsend, my dear," and she picked her up into a hug, immediately regretting it as she lifted the weight of not only Pike but also her plate armour and Allura had next to no strength on the best of days. "Oh, you're heavy, ow."

The group laughed and Allura straightened. She barely got a few words of thanks out of her mouth before there was another figure moving towards her. Kima, who in the split second that Allura could see her face, was showing all of the emotions that Allura had been feeling for the last... who knows how long. Heavy armoured arms wrapped around her middle, Kima's face pressed to her chest and she rubbed the top of her head for a moment. She'd seen the tears on Kima's cheeks. She wasn't going to comment on it. "I'm sorry, I should have been more careful," she murmured quietly. She was very aware of Vox Machina also in the room. But Kima... Kima was more important. "We needed allies, I didn't know-"

"You shut up."

There was a hand on her cheek and Allura was pulled down and suddenly there were lips on her own. Allura's heart skipped a beat or two and then it flew into overdrive.

It'd been so long since she'd kissed Kima.

It felt like coming home.

Kima pulled away and buried her face back against her and she shook with silent sobs and Allura just rubbed the back of her head again and she held her close and she looked back to Vox Machina. She thanked them properly and then discussed how this attack changed things. How they weren't able to wait for an opportune moment anymore. They would need to attack soon, they would need to attack now. Before Thordak's forces just started picking them off one by one.

Kima finally pulled away, sniffling and she wiped her fist under her nose before she punched Allura in the shoulder. It hurt, a little bit. Not enough to cause damage. But Allura complained over a stubbed toe. She rubbed her arm and her gaze turned down to the other woman and she offered a small smile. "I know," she murmured quietly. They were private people. They weren't about to discuss anything with an audience. But their feelings for each other went without saying.

Kima just nodded and she pulled back a little bit. "You know." Another curt nod and she wiped away the tear tracks on her cheeks as she turned to go help Vox Machina with collecting Xanthas' body for questioning and anything else they would need to prepare here before they would return to Whitestone.

None of them had the magic to return them to the city that day so they waited until morning. Allura curled up in the small bed that night with Kima at her side, experiencing that same feeling of safety that she'd so desperately been craving when under the influence of the spell.

"I've got you, Allie." Kima's voice was quiet and her arm around Allura tightened and Allura just smiled and she nodded and she patted her hand on her stomach, lacing their fingers together.

"I know."

Notes:

Here's another one, folks! As promised, I'm hoping to get a couple chapters out over my break. Thanks for everyone whose commented and left kudos, it means a lot! As always, you can find me at carpeculum on Tumblr. Happy holidays to you all.

Chapter 20: Chapter 20

They find themselves in Whitestone early the next morning; still tired from the battle that occurred the day before. Well, Kima was, by the looks of it. Allura hadn't actually fought. But the feeblemind spell had its after affects, leaving her head feeling heavy and sore. So now she had that to worry about on top of everything else that was going on.

They split up, for a short while at least. Kima to the barracks; Allura to the war council. She wouldn't say it aloud, but she was sure that whatever tentative agreement Vox Machina had with Raishan wouldn't survive through a meeting with Kima. Not with her God being who he was. It was essentially the halfling's oath to stop any chromatic dragons.

Besides; Kima needed to prepare for the battle she would be taking part in the next day. There was a big difference between an ambush from some wyverns and a fire giant as opposed to Thordak himself. Allura wanted her at her best. She wasn't going to be there to protect her... She wouldn't know the outcome until they returned... or they didn't. She was already feeling the nerves build up in her gut.

And then they asked her to go with them. Her or Shaun. One would need to remain so that the barrier could be held. And Allura would be lying if she said that the offer wasn't tempting. Shed started this all those years ago. She wanted to see it through. She wanted to make damn well sure that that dragon was gone and dead for good. But at the same time it terrified her. Despite the time that had past she could still feel the flick of flames against her skin and she could remember the cold darkness of her almost death. She'd almost died before. And she would be willing to die again if that was what it took to end this once and for all.

She would be lying even more if she wasn't filled with an almost immediate rush of relief when they ultimately decided to take Gilmore instead. She would hold the fort. She would make sure that Whitestone remained for them to return to at the end of the fight.

The meeting ends and Allura retires to the house her and Kima had been occupying. If Kima was going to fight, Allura was going to make sure that she had all of the protection that she could possibly give her. She poked through her remaining jewelry. Kima wasn't one to wear anything flashy but she figured that for a fight of this magnitude that she would accept it.

A necklace and a ring. Nothing powerful enough that it would override any of Kima's enchanted armour pieces or her shiny new sword. But enough to hopefully provide some higher semblance of safety. Anything to give Allura a little peace of mind.

The door didn't open again for another hour. Allura had made sure that there was dinner on the table. She found that she couldn't sit still for a particularly long amount of time. Her head throbbed a dull beat; she could vaguely remember being under the influence of the spell and she didn't want to relive it. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so... helpless. And she wasn't looking to ever feel like that again.

With a flick of her fingers towards the kettle, she started the water boiling so she could have something hot ready for Kima to drink. She listened to the clanking of armour in the other room and Kima finally walked into view midway through unclasping her sheath from her back and she leaned the entirety of the weapon against the wall.

"Something smells good," she commented, moving to climb into one of the chairs, working at the buckles on her gloves and she dropped them onto the floor underneath the table with a sigh. It was always an endeavor, taking off and putting on that armour so Allura knew that she chose to wear it most of the time out of ease. And because it made her more comfortable too, she'd been told.

"I thought you might like something to eat before you head off later," Allura spoke quietly and she rubbed her shoulder as she passed by, dishing up the two plates and the tea making itself off to the side. She set the plates on the table and she snatched the two slightly hovering mugs out of the air and brought them over to the table and she took her seat. "You should rest too. I know it's only a few more hours but still..."

Kima just smiled at he, expression warm and fond and it brought a light blush to Allura's cheeks; the clear admiration in Kima's gaze still something she hadn't gotten used to again. "Almost sounds like you're gonna worry about me, Allie. I'm an excellent dragon slayer, I'll have you know." Her tone was light but with the obvious indication that Kima's true feelings might not be as confident as the air she was trying to exude.

Allura tossed a bit of bread at her with a quiet chuckle and gave a small shake of her head. "I've never doubted your abilities, my dear," she promised her and it was amazing how at ease Kima could put her with even just a few words. It was easier than she thought it'd be, to fall into their old patterns, the give and take, the casual affection and stolen kisses and everything that came with the two of them being a couple. "I just hope you remember to take care of yourself during the fight..." She wanted-no needed for Kima to come back to her. She'd only just got her back and she wasn't planning on letting her go again for a very, very long time.

Kima let the bread hit her and she just picked it off the table and popped it into her mouth. Then she smiled at Allura once again. "I won't be gone long, Allie. Back before you know it," she promised. She stretched her arm out, palm facing upwards and Allura took only a moment before she laced their fingers together and gave a gentle squeeze.

"I'm going to hold you to that," she smiled and then she promptly shoved another bite of the bread into Kima's mouth to cut off the obviously dirty joke she was going to say from the look on her face. Allura just shook her head. "None of that until after the battle. Now eat."

Kima's expression softened once again. She squeezed Allura's hand and brought it up to press a kiss to her knuckles. "Yes ma'am," she replied fondly. And she settled in to eat the meal without complaint.

Allura kept Kima there until she had to leave and even then she'd hugged her against her chest and kissed her good luck. They didn't say goodbye. They still never said goodbye. Because they would always see each other again.

And then there was nothing to do but wait.

Allura returned to the castle quietly, her cloak bundled up around her chin. She still wasn't quite used to the colder temperatures that came from living in Whitestone. She missed her home in Emon. Hopefully, if they were successful today she would have something to go back to.

She climbed the stairs to make herself comfortable in the topmost room to focus her efforts onto the barrier. Her eyes closed and she did her best to keep her mind off of her friends fates.

A few hours passed and she was partially zoned out when she heard the door open and she cracked open an eye to watch Cassandra make her way into the room. The girl was holding two steaming mugs and offered a calculated smile as she closed the door.

"Thought you might appreciate something warm," Cassandra explained quietly and Allura's returning smile was warm and grateful as she thanked her for the drink and accepted it, fingers wrapping around the mug to let it heat her hands.

"Thank you."

Allura had spent a fair amount of time with Cassandra as she'd been doing her research in Whitestone, keeping her informed both of any important information that might have to do with the Conclave as well as filling in the gaps of what Vox Machina got up to and might not mention to her. It was obvious that she was Percival's sister. They had very similar mannerisms. Both young, both born into nobility and acted like it, both far too young for the amount of responsibility that was on their shoulders.

However, from what Allura had gathered, Cassandra seemed far more suited to the stability and mannerisms that came with running a city for any particular length of time. Percy seemed the type to roam, Cassandra not as much. But really, what did Allura know?

"I don't suppose you'll have an easy rest tonight either?" Cassandra looked poised and proper as ever though Allura could see the furrow in her brow and the way her fingers fidgeted against her mug. She knew that she would be worrying about her brother. They both had loved ones on the line.

"I wasn't aware I was so transparent," Allura replied with a quiet chuckle. Though the laugh was hollow and she raised the mug to her lips. It wasn't a drink she was familiar with and there was the underlying taste of strong alcohol. Allura didn't normally drink; she didn't like the taste and she didn't like the feeling that it gave her. But if there were ever a time that liquor was needed, it was today. She took another sip.

"There isn't much that goes on inside my castle that I'm not aware of, Lady Vysoren," Cassandra replied and she offered the blonde a smile and Allura just chuckled.

"Please. I've known you long enough now. It's Allura."

Cassandra made a non-commental hum in response and turned her gaze out the window. The two fell into silence again and Allura dropped her head a little bit to return her focus onto the barrier above the city. It was late. She'd to sleep. No was no promising that Gilmore would return and if he didn't she'd need to keep the protection above them for as long as possible.

Allura pushed herself to her feet, mug still half filled but she dusted off her robes and she rolled her shoulders back. "I think I'll retire for the night," she told Cassandra. She pocketed her book and she retied her heavy cloak around her shoulders and she paused by the girl still leaning against the wall by the door. And she reached out, hand resting on Cassandra's shoulder and she gave a gentle squeeze. "He'll come back, dear," she told her quietly and offered her the most reassuring smile that she could.

Cassandra didn't reply and Allura took that as her signal to leave. She nodded her head to her and she continued out the door, heading down and out of the castle to return to her and Kima's little house for the night. She was more than a little paranoid. She wished she could know what was happening across the continent. But... her gut told her that it was still okay. She had always had good instincts about these sort of things and for now, her stomach didn't tell her that there was anything wrong.

For now.

It was only that feeling that let her fall asleep at all that night, too far into the early hours of the morning for her liking but she eventually drifted off to sleep, a thankfully dreamless night ahead of her.

Notes:

I'm surprising myself with the speed of the updates too, don't worry. :) As always, kudos and comments are greatly appreciated. Thanks to everyone whose commented or messaged on Tumblr, I love each and everyone of you. You can find me at carpeculum on Tumblr. Happy Holidays!

Chapter 21: Chapter 21

Allura didn't know what is was that woke her in the morning. The sun had long since risen in the sky, the quiet sound of the native birds ringing in through the windows and she blinked groggily up at the ceiling. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and sat up, sliding from the blankets. The air was chilled-as per usual- and she wrapped herself in her dressing gown, tying it at the waist and stepped from the bedroom. 

If they'd returned, surely someone would have come to fetch her so she assured herself that they just hadn't managed to find their way back to the city yet, that was all. Nothing worse. Nothing... dire. She refused to accept anything like that. 

She poured herself a mug of tea to help wake herself up and she was just sitting at the table with some breakfast when the door pushed open quite loudly. A few seconds later, there she stood.

Still covered in gore and dried blood and Gods knew what else. Her armour was dented in places and her braid was a bit singed and there looked to be a bit of dried blood on her temple. But she was grinning tiredly and looked extraordinarily beautiful. 

"Honey. I'm home."

And Allura didn't care about the blood or the mess or the state of her robes as she pushed from the table and she dropped to her knees and she wrapped Kima in the tightest of hugs that she could manage while the other was still in armour. She didn't even say anything, just held the other woman to her. 

She felt Kima's arms wrap around her and she smiled as she buried her face into her neck, fingers digging into the grooves on the back of the armour. "You're back," she murmured and she pulled back enough to meet Kima's gaze and she cupped her cheek, glancing her over for any superficial injuries. Of course there were probably some that she couldn't spot but she'd just have to check later. 

"We did it, Allie," Kima replied and she pulled Allura into a burning kiss before just resting their foreheads together, her eyes closed. "He's finally dead."

And Allura couldn't describe the amount of relief that she felt. 

They could have stood there like like for minutes or for hours, Allura couldn't tell the difference. But eventually Kima pulled away and she offered Allura another tired smile. "As much as I'm enjoying this... I could really use some sleep," she gave a dry chuckle and Allura just cupped her cheek again, wiping away a little bit of the dust and soot. " 'Sides, they'll probably be calling for you up at the castle soon. Hell of a lot to talk about and I really don't want to hash through it again."

Allura kissed her again. And she offered her a smile and she nodded her head. "Of course," she murmured and part of her was still just so amazed by the fact that they'd come back at all and the rest was so... proud. "I'll do up a bath for you while you get out of your armour." Kima probably just wanted to pass right out but Allura knew that she would feel better in the long run if she was warm and clean by the time she crawled under the sheets. 

She left Kima in the kitchen, putting the stopper into the bath and filling it with water, heating it to a comfortable temperature with her magic and finding Kima something to change into when she was done. She left the shirt folded neatly on the floor and she passed Kima on the way out of the small bathroom. She squeezed her shoulder. There as a knock on the door- it seems that Kima was correct in saying that she'd be wanted at the castle- and she wrapped her robe a little tighter around herself. No time to get dressed then, it seemed. 

"I won't be long, Kima," she called back into the small house before she stepped outside and she walked the short distance back up to the castle again. 

There, she found Vox Machina, looking just as haggard and exhausted as Kima had. But they had the signs of triumph in their faces as well as the looks of people who had fought and almost lost. By the looks of some of them, they'd been near death if not having experienced it.

She got a more accurate rundown of the battle, what had occurred, how Vax'ildan had struck the killing blow and how Raishan had turned and attacked them all before escaping to some unknown location. She'd been hoping that they would have been able to finish it all off in one go. But what was one more fight? After all, they'd already killed the most powerful of the conclave. 

So it was decided that they would let the group of them sleep and gain their bearings and they would go after the green dragon that night. Allura had agreed that she would go along with them this time. She wanted to see this end. There was no reason for the barrier to be held anymore. She wasn't needed in Whitestone anymore. Now that Emon was liberated... she could go home. 

Of course, she knew there would have to be an awful amount of work to be done and policies to be into place and roles of leadership to be filled but they could all work on that as it came to it. Vox Machina had assured her that the city was safe for now and she took them at their word. 

All in all, it was shaping up to be a much better day than she'd feared from the beginning of it. She did make the mistake of taking Grog up on his offer of alcohol though. Whatever it was tasted Gods awful and though it didn't seem to affect her as quickly as she'd watched it take hold in the others, she could feel the fuzzy numbness on the tips of her fingers and on her tongue and once she'd started to slur she absolutely refused to speak. 

They parted ways. Vox Machina to go sleep and her to head back to the tallest point of the castle, to where they'd placed their ritual down and begin to go through the process of removing it. There were parts that Eskil and Gilmore would have to change whenever they found the opportunity but to Allura, it was an incredible weight off her shoulders. Now that she didn't have the consistent demand of maintaining the barrier at the back of her mind, she felt much more free. 

She departed from the castle to return to her and Kima's house. She wasn't surprised to find the Halfling sprawled in the bed, water still dripping from her hair and dampening the pillows underneath. She just smiled and moved closer to the bed, taking hold of the blankets and carefully drawing them up over her body to tuck her in. She leaned down and she pressed her lips to her forehead before backing up again to let her get some sleep. 

She spent the next few hours properly going over her enchantments and her jewels and making certain that she had every necessary component for any of the spells she might need. She checked and double checked her spell book. She hadn't gone into a battle herself in a very long time and she was more than likely out of practice. But she had become far more powerful than she'd been when she'd begun adventuring. She had far more knowledge and life experience and half of her was hoping that that would be enough in the end. 

The hours passed and the sun slowly set in the sky and by the time Kima crawled out of the bed, bleary eyed and yawning, Allura was finishing up on last rune on the handle of her staff. She lifted her head to look to her and offered a smile. "We're fighting Raishan tonight," she informed her in way of a greeting and she leaned her staff against the table to fully turn to Kima. 

Kima tilted her head a bit. She was dressed in one of Allura's shirt- her excuse of a night shirt, claiming that the silk was far more comfortable to sleep in. "We?" she asked. 

Allura just nodded. "I've elected to join you. I want to help put a finish to this, once and for all."

There was a pause. 

"Allie, are you sure that that's-"

She cut her off before she could get any further in that argument. "I'm going, Kima. It's already been decided."

Another pause. And then Kima gave a nod of her head. "Just like old times then?"

And Allura's shoulders relaxed a little bit and her smile grew a tiny bit. "Just like old times." 

Notes:

Hey guys! Happy New Year! After this, updates are going to be a bit slower now that I'm back in school and need to keep up with all of that. Thanks for sticking around, I love you all and as always, you can find me at carpeculum on Tumblr. :)

Chapter 22: Chapter 22

Fully armoured and equipped, they met with Vox Machina and they walked down to the Sun Tree in the center of the city for Keyleth to take them to the island. As much magical transportation as Allura had done in her life, there was still something about running through a tree.

From there, they worked there way across the island until them came across the cave. Like she'd been suspecting, inside it was laid with traps and monsters and a great number of unsightly things. Allura could feel the necrotic energy in the area and she didn't like it at all. It set an uneasy feeling in her stomach but she pushed through and continued on with the rest of the group regardless. Kima alternated between walking behind her and beside her and Allura knew that it was because she was worried that she would be hurt.

It really did feel like the old days when Allura could be knocked down with one or two well placed hits and Kima and Dohla were running around worrying about keeping the rest of them on their feet the entire time.

They'd done it then; they could do it now.

Finally, they came upon the dragon's lair itself and they snuck into the shadows, creeping along quietly as Keyleth argued with Raishan in front of them. Kima was beside her for a moment and Allura felt her hand in hers. And she squeezed. And she felt safe. And she stepped aside so that they wouldn't be all clumped together because she she still knew how to work in a battle.

And then cracks appeared in the ceiling above them and rained hell down upon them.

She vaguely remembers seeing something huge headed in their direction before she was knocked unconscious and there was nothing but darkness.

And then there was pain and Vex'ahlia was hovering above her on that broom of hers and Allura groaned in pain, flat out on her back, the sounds of fighting nearby. "Oh dear."

The dragon still hadn't made herself visible and Allura peeled herself off the ground, eyes flicking around the room for Kima. the sound of her cursing out the invisible beast was almost music to her ears and she was reassured that she was still up and in the fight.

After a failed attempt of a counter-spell, Allura was almost regretting her decision of joining the troop on the adventure as she was hit again.

She was out for longer this time. She could feel that unfortunately familiar feeling seeping into her bones. And then she was coughing and shivering as she was brought back, knocking ice off her robes. This fight had to stop. And it had to stop now.

Everything hurt but Allura pushed herself up as much as she could. There was movement in the shadows, dust moving off of one of the rocks where no one stood and she reached out, casting a dispel magic and suddenly Raishan appeared in front of them all, snarling angrily. But before she could attack again Allura watched the intelligence melt from the eyes of the dragon and listened to Keyleth shouting "It worked!" in the distance.

After that, the fight was over quickly. She listened to Vox Machina calling out to each other, checking who was still there, who needed help. Kima jogged up to her, a slight limp in her step and could obviously use healing herself but she pressed her hands to Allura's stomach and dumped whatever her minimal healing abilities would allow into her.

"You look awful, Allie," was the first thing out of Kima's mouth and Allura could only pet her hair and bring her into a hug, clutching her close for a moment of respite, eyes squeezed closed.

"I know," she just murmured and she straightened again. There were distressed voices from the other side of the cavern wall. "We should go join." And they walked over together, Allura leaving her hand on Kima's shoulder.

Percy was barely alive.

And Scanlan wasn't.

They needed to get back to Whitestone and fast. So they trudged along out of the lair and the cave when Allura's first transportation spell fluttered to a failure. And once they were down on the beach she crouched in the sand, tracing patterns in a pattern that was almost second nature at this point.

The circle crackled to life and Allura straightened and she stepped into it.

And was deposited into the shocking cold of the ocean instead of what should have been the lobby of Whitestone castle. She spluttered, coughing out salt water and swimming up to the surface from the little bit she'd sunk, just in time to watch another figure drop down not too far from her.

It was dark. And it was icy. And Allura hadn't had any oxygen in her lungs when she'd walked through the spell. But she would know that armour anywhere.

She pushed to the surface, sucking in air when she emerged, her eyes burning from the salt. "Kima!" Silence was her response, nothing but her own laboured breathing as she did her best to keep herself above the water. "Kima!"

The water broke in the distance the sound of coughing and choking following swiftly. And Allura didn't wait before she started to swim in that direction. Her robes were heavy, water logged and long and they pulled at her legs as she kicked. She was already so exhausted from the fight, had wounds that weren't even healed yet.

But Kima was in armour. Ridiculously heavy armour and that was the only thing Allura could focus on. No matter how strong Kima was, she knew she wasn't going to be able to keep herself above water for very long by herself.

"Allie?!"

"I'm here! I'm-" Allura coughed, spitting out more seawater as a small wave hit her. But then her hand smacked into something cold and hard and she clutched onto Kima, pulling her upwards as much as she were able. She felt Kima's arms go around her but Allura mostly just focused on keeping both of their heads above the water.

"It's alright. We're alive," she spoke and she looked around them. Nothing but water in everything direction. "I... don't know where we are. But we'll figure this out." They always did, no matter what. Her grip on Kima tightened when she felt the other slipping. "We'll figure this out."

Kima was panting slightly, catching her breath and Allura could feel her legs kicking alongside her own, trying to keep herself up. "Allie, my armour. I can't... You can't-"

"I'm not letting you go," Allura replied firmly and she gave a shake of her head. That was the last thing she would ever do. She ran through their options quickly in her head. She had spells left; a few at least. None of which were going to be very useful in the middle of... whatever ocean they were in. There was always the possibility that they weren't as far from land as it seemed. All they needed was an island... somewhere they could sleep and she could regain her spells and get them home.

She grunted as she pulled Kima upwards again. She didn't have much muscle. She was already overworked and sore. "Come on. Keep your arm around me," she instructed. And she turned slightly in the water and started swimming towards the setting sun, hoping that it would be the correct direction.

It was very slow progress, dragging the two of them along, Kima spluttering along beside her, barely able to keep her head over the water half the time.

They'd survived dragons. They weren't going to go down like this.

She couldn't tell how long they'd be swimming and almost thought she was hallucinating when she heard a familiar voice and she looked up to Vex'ahlia hovering above them in the water, yelling for them to hold onto the broom.

"That's the best thing I've seen all day," Allura breathed, throat sore from the salt water but she reached up. Her fingers slipped on the broom initially but she eventually got a firm grip and she looked back to Kima. "Hold on!"

And her hold on Kima's hand grew impossibly tighter. She wasn't letting her go. But Gods, if that armour wasn't heavy. She could feel the weight of it pulling at her shoulder and she was fairly certain that something tore. But she refused to let go. Just this once, she could be the strength that was needed.

In the distance, she could see another figure coming towards them: Percy on their flying carpet and she judged the distance with her eyes carefully. Almost... almost... And then Allura whispered under her breath and the two of them disappeared for a split second only to tumble onto the carpet, spent and exhausted. Percy looked tired and dazed but he gave a nod and just turned the carpet around and headed back towards the beach.

Allura groaned as she pushed herself up a little bit, dripping wet and already shivering and she just latched onto Kima again. The cold of the armour didn’t help. But Kima’s head against her shoulder did as they both gasped out quiet breaths, letting themselves calm down now with the knowledge that they hadn’t died.

“Fuck dragons,” Kima mumbled against her shoulder and she coughed and Allura could only laugh and she squeezed her as much as she was able. They were quiet until they reached land and they both slid off of the carpet. The group decided that any transportation magic on the island wasn’t going to be successful so they returned to the tree in which they arrived and Keyleth brought them back to Whitestone.

Allura sat with Kima outside of the temple, leaving the group inside to resurrect their lost friend, her head in her hands. She was filled with a sense of… relief, almost. She’d seen the destruction of the Chroma Conclave through to the end. She had her city back. She could go home. But at the same time… they was some small piece of her that just felt dread. And it was an emotion she couldn’t place an explanation to and it just furthered her frustration.

Kima was pacing, the quiet clank of her armour on the cobblestone and she stopped in front of her long enough to press her lips to Allura’s forehead and the blonde smiled, reaching blindly for her hand and she just held on.

They were safe.

Once assured that Scanlan had pulled through, the two headed towards their house with the knowledge that the next day they would finally return to Emon. Allura could feel the exhaustion in her bones and she stripped her robes off the second her foot stepped into the bedroom, tossing the salt stiff cloth off to the side to deal with in the morning and promptly collapsed onto the bed.

Kima joined her a little while later. Allura would have helped, but she could feel the twinge in her shoulder from where she’d held her up so long and despite being out of the water for a while now, her fingertips felt numb. She’d be more of an annoyance than she would be a help.

But she warmed significantly when Kima’s body curled against her front and Allura’s arm wrapped around her and she drew her in close, fingers curling around her shoulder to keep her there.

“I think… that was my last fight,” she murmured quietly into the darkness in the room. “Gods, I’m getting old.”

Kima made a sound of complaint against her chest. But she turned her head so she could speak and her voice was more quiet then Allura had been expecting. “I’d forgotten how scary it was… watchin’ you go down like that.” She shook her head and Allura tightened her grip on her and she buried her nose into her hair.

“Kima, I-”

“I know,” she was cut off. And despite everything, Allura could feel the smile against her collarbone and she chuckled tiredly and she sighed and she kissed her hair.

“You know.”

With Kima in her arms, she didn’t have to think about rebuilding a city. She didn’t have to worry about Emon or Whitestone or how to protect her people from the next time that they were attacked. She didn’t have to worry about how the Council would be in charge of Emon, the very Council she was a member of. She didn’t have to worry about anything. Because she had the woman she loved. And that was all that mattered.

Notes:

Hey guys! It's been one hell of a time. But I can never really find the creative flow I need when I'm in school and I want to do this story justice. As always, kudos and comments are my lifeblood. And you can find me at my new sideblog on Tumblr: carpeculum . That's where I'll be posting all my writing from now on! Hope you enjoy <3

Chapter 23: Chapter 23

When Allura woke in the morning, the sun was already high in the sky and streaming through the window. Outside the voices raised and drifted off as people walked past and she smacked her lips, mouth dry and tasting of salt. It took a moment to remember the day before and when she did, all the aches in her body returned at once. She sighed and cracked open her eyes with a sleepy grumble. She could feel the bruises that formed across her body over the night. They’d sting for a while.

Turning her head, she looked to Kima. And despite the pain, she smiled. The halfling was still fast asleep, sprawled on her back and snoring, arm half outstretched to where Allura lay on the bed. She reached over and brushed her thumb down the scar across her cheek and she smiled as the woman snorted, nose wrinkling and she just grumbled.

Allura wanted to wake up like this forever.

She wanted Kima forever.

She pushed from the bed slowly so as to not disturb Kima and she wrapped her dressing gown around her shoulders and with one last look towards the bed, headed towards the kitchen.

Allura moved to the kettle, lighting a fire on the stove and resting it over top, moving to the cupboard to find a mug for herself. She didn’t bother with her magic, wanting to do something with her hands to keep herself occupied, trying to keep her mind distracted before her thoughts could get too harried and she was quick to snatch the kettle before it could whistle and wake Kima.

But once the process of making her tea was finished and she’d sat herself at the table, her mind started to wander.

It felt like last time. The overwhelming relief of defeating an evil, celebrations prepared, new responsibilities to be taken…

Maybe it was too much like last time.

Because she could remember last time, she could remember riding that high and feeling like she was at the top of the world for it all to come crashing down around her when Kima boarded a boat instead of saying in Emon.

And she knew it was for the best. She knew that they grew back together and that they were stronger because of that but there was some small, growing irrational part of her brain that was paranoid that it was going to happen again and she wasn’t sure if she would be able to handle it again.

She’d thrown herself so far back into love she doubted she could ever make it stop.

And now that the fight was over. Now that there wasn’t any reason to stay in Whitestone, or in Emon…

Allura jumped slightly when she felt someone touch her arm and she was glad that she hadn’t been holding her tea. She looked down and there Kima stood, bleary eyed and in one of Allura’s own nightshirts.

“Hey,” Kima murmured and she rested her head against Allura’s arm for a moment before continuing on to push herself onto the other chair. She took Allura’s mug to take a drink of and wrinkled her nose when she found out it was tea and not coffee. “I called your name a couple of times… what were you thinking ‘bout?”

Allura blinked and then she offered a small smile. Because her worries melted away for the moment at the sight of her love. “Just...Emon. Dragons. Everything,” she murmured in response. “Terrible breakfast conversation, I assure you. How did you sleep?”

Kima gave a shrug of her shoulders. “I think everything seized up, honestly. Could probably sleep for three more days.” That lopsided smile that Allura loved so much grew on her lips. “Would’ve been nicer walking up in your arms,” she added.

Allura’s cheeks reddened and she hid her smile behind her mug. “Smooth talker.”

“I try my best.”

They quieted again and Allura sipped her tea. They would have to leave soon, if they were going to join Vox Machina on their return to the city. And Allura could finally see the destruction that was done to her beloved city.

They ate a quick breakfast and returned to their room long enough to dress for the day. Allura hissed quietly as she bent her arm back to lace the back of her robes and immediately Allura felt the familiar warmth of a healing spell and she looked down with a fond smile to Kima. “Thank you darling.”

Kima just smiled. She eyed her armour. It was dirt and blood covered and filled with whatever nameless mucks that might have been found in a necromancers lair. She hadn’t had the time to clean it. And Allura knew that she preferred to take the time and care to tend to her armour and weapons by herself so she hadn’t just magicked it away.

So when she was finally dressed in some common clothing (but of course with her sword still strapped to her back) Allura took her hand and she led her out for them to meet the young adventuring group.

One simple teleportation spell later (one that didn’t drop them in the ocean) left them at the entrance of the Cloudtop district. Or… at least what was left of it.

Smoke still rose high into the clouds, marking the sky with grey and black and it brought an acrid smell to her nose, causing it to wrinkle in distaste. Part of the wall lay crumbled and she knew that it was only the beginning of the destruction that they would find inside. People moved in and out, carrying rubble and supplies and what Allura presumed to be bodies. Her heart panged in her chest. She had many friends in the city, most of which she’d had no way of contacting. She wondered how many she had lost.

It didn’t take long for the general to find them and Allura pulled him aside for a quick conversation. They would have to find the remaining council members. And for whoever hadn’t survived, they would have to find replacements. The city would need some semblance of government until they figured out what to do with Uriel’s absence.

Everything was going to change soon.

Once they were finished covering important logistics, Allura turned to return to the group just in time to hear a conversation between Kima and Grog.

“You want me… to lie?”

“Nah, big man. I’m just saying… If you run into Vord and he asks about me. Tell him you didn’t see me.”

“But…”

Kima patted Grog’s arm with a grin on her lips. “You’ll get there, fella.” And when she turned and met Allura’s eyes, the grin grew impossibly wide.

It warmed her heart.

Vox Machina were planning on visiting their keep and they did not linger for too long with the two of them and finally it was Allura would stood with Kima outside of the ruined remains of her home district. She cast her eyes towards the gates, guarded now, though the traffic in and out was still plentiful.

“Shall we?”

Kima grinned again. “Lead the way, pretty lady.”

They walked a while. The flames had been fought down and all that returned was the slowly hardening magma in the middle of the district. The palace was ruined. The houses brought down to the ground. It hurt to see the once thriving city reduced to such rubble.

They continued, Allura unknowingly walking a familiar path until they stood in front of the remains of her tower. She’d known that it had crumbled, but had not been able to see the proof. The ivory was cracked and shattered, collapsed into the roofs of nearby buildings. It looked looted, even with how destroyed it was. She wondered how many of her belongings remained and how many had been tossed into the dragon’s own treasure pile. It wasn’t as though Allura had been poor, she’d had a fair amount of gold.

But worrying about material things wasn’t going to get her anywhere.

Kima kicked at a piece of stone. “You know. This place has really seen better days.”

Allura laughed quietly, wiping a hand over her mouth. It was one thing to hear about your home gone. It was another thing altogether to see it with her own eyes. All of her work...all of her livelihood...

Kima must have seen the anxious look in her eyes because she turned to take her hand and press her lips to her knuckles. “Hey.”

Allura looked down to her again and Kima offered her a small smile. “Hey. We can rebuild, Allie,” she promised her and she squeezed her hand again. “It’s gonna take some time, sure. But nothing’s gone forever.”

It was quiet for a moment. Allura wet her lips.

“You were talking with Grog earlier… you’re not going back to Vasselheim?” she asked quietly, not exactly on topic. But it was something that Allura needed to know.

Kima’s brow furrowed a little bit, her head cocking to the side. “Why would I go back? We’ve got work to do here.”

“And once that work is done?”

Kima was quiet for another moment. And she stepped closer and she laced their fingers together, holding both of her hands now, looking up to her. “Allura… I’m not going anywhere,” she promised her, her voice softer than usual but with a genuine sort of sincerity. She motioned to the chain around her neck, her symbol hidden beneath her shirt. “Not even He could make me walk away from you this time.”

Allura couldn’t help it. She knelt down in the rubble and she wrapped her arms around Kima and she pulled her to her and she just held onto her, lost for words. She loved her so much. She loved her like she’d never felt anything else before and even after all this time, Allura didn’t know what to do about it and she just held her. “I love you,” she murmured aloud, realizing that she hadn’t been voicing her thoughts aloud.

And Kima laughed softly and she squeezed her. “I know,” she murmured and her lips pressed to Allura’s head and she smiled. “I love you too.”

And they spent a few more minutes like that, wrapped around each other in the ruin of her beloved city. With Kima though, she was convinced that it could all get better.

Notes:

Hey guys! I promise, once school's over I'll be getting chapters out more regularly and hopefully wrap this story up over the summer. Thanks for sticking with me! You can now find me at carpeculum (my new writing sideblog) on tumblr if you want to come say hi! <3

Chapter 24: Chapter 24

It was slow work even with the assistance of magic. The Cloudtop district had taken the brunt of the damage, it seemed. Though the ports and the temples had not been left unscathed. A general supply stock was created, gold was distributed and trade was inching along at a snail's pace. But it was progress. It was a start.

Kima spent most of her time with Pike healing the wounded or ordering soldiers around the city and lifting heavy things.She always returned tired and sore but in a general good mood compared to the last few weeks of fear and anxiety that had hung over them all.

It was nice to see Kima smile.

Allura spent her days with the newly formed council trying to bring order back to the city. Thankfully, its occupants wanted life to return to normal just as quickly and were more than happy to help with repairs once their own affairs were handled. With the Council at the head of things, Allura suddenly had a lot more responsibility thrown her way and lot less free time. Not that she’d had any to play with before but now it seemed all the more prominent how long and how much she had to work. She never complained. She loved her city and she wanted to see it rebuilt stronger than ever.

Days turned into weeks which turned into months and the progress was evident. The cavern in the middle of the Cloudtop district was filled in, any and all magma was removed and buildings were halfway to completion, waiting for people to return to them. Her own tower was growing stone by stone, climbing higher into the sky and she smiled at the sight. Though most of her things had been scavenged or destroyed, she’d missed her home terribly.

And Kima… Kima was still there. She’d left a few times- scouting missions, supply runs- but she never stayed away for longer than a few days and she was always back at Allura’s side without question and Allura didn’t know what to do about it. Despite all of the assurances and the promises, part of her had been so sure that Kima would still eventually leave to return to Vasselheim and her deity's work.

But she never left. And it warmed Allura’s chest and made her smile every time she saw her tangled in the sheets of their too large bed, snoring onto Allura’s own pillow.

One such night was a little different from the rest, however.

Allura returned to their temporary home late in the evening, another meeting keeping her after hours and she opened the door quietly in case Kima had gone to bed early. But she was struck with the smell of slightly burnt food and the sound of Kima cursing the oven in the kitchen and she moved that way in curiosity, setting her staff down against the wall.

Kima was standing on a chair and glaring down at a pan of roasted potatoes that looked more charred than cooked and when she caught Allura’s amused gaze from the doorway, turned bashful. “I thought I’d try and have a meal put together for when you got home. Guess the meal didn’t want to cooperate.”

It wasn’t a secret that Kima wasn’t a good cook so Allura didn’t do anything other than smile to the other woman, walking over and leaning in to press a quick kiss to her lips in greeting before looking down to the potatoes as well. “I’m sure they’re still salvageable, dear. Was… it only potatoes?”

Kima’s eyes grew wide. “The chicken!”

And she hopped off the chair to go and retrieve the chicken from the oven, setting the pan on top and frowning when it had evidently received the same treatment as the potatoes, sighing heavily.

Allura went to find a knife so she could scrape off the charred bits, glancing over to Kima again. “It smells lovely, Kima,” she assured her to which the Halfling grumbled in reluctant response.

“No it doesn’t, it smells terrible. I just wanted to do something nice for you and I can’t even do that.”

Allura’s expression softened and she smiled over to the other woman for a moment. She finished with the potatoes and she moved to her side, leaning down enough to press a kiss to her lips, her fingers lingering on her cheek. “Thank you, Kima,”she said genuinely and she kissed her forehead before standing back up again. “It’s perfect. I mean it.”

Still looking a little unsure, Kima had at least relaxed a little bit. And with a curt nod she went to find them plates and cutlery to set the table.

Over their meal, they shared stories about their day and chatted. Despite Kima’s worries about the food, it was delicious and Allura was thankful for the home cooked meal. With the two of them being so busy, they’d taken to eating at taverns or buying something precooked to take home just in an effort to make sure that they actually ate something that day.

When they were finished they retired to the sitting room, Kima making herself comfortable with her head in Allura’s lap. Allura smiled, fingers running through her hair, working its lengths out from the tight braid that it was kept in all day as she listened to Kima complain about some of the soldiers she was working with that day. The Halflings nose crinkled and her expressions were as vibrant as ever and Allura couldn’t help but smile. And she was getting distracted, just watching her love. And she couldn’t think of anywhere else she would rather be… now or forever.

“We should get married,” Allura spoke, cutting Kima off mid sentence and it caused the other to blink in mild surprise and the hesitation was enough for Allura to quickly add: “if you want to, I mean. I love you, Kima… we’ve lost enough time due to our own stubbornness. I don’t want to miss another day with you.”

Kima was still quiet, eyes wide and Allura shifted just a tiny bit on the couch, her fingers long since still in her hair. And then Kima grinned, a little lopsided and warm and oh so perfect. “You want to marry me?”

“I want forever with you, if you’d have me.”

At that, Kima sat up, perching herself in Allura’s lap and she was still grinning and Allura could practically feel her heart fluttering in her chest as Kima leaned up to kiss her. Her hands were warm and rough on her cheeks though no less soothing as their foreheads pressed together. “Of course I’ll have you, you beautiful foolish woman,” she chuckled, voice thick with emotion.

So Allura did what anyone would do and she kissed her again.

And again.

And she laughed when she could still feel Kima grinning against her mouth, pulling back a little bit. She brushed away a few of the fly-away hairs in front of Kima’s face, tucking them behind her ear. Her fingers traced the old scar across her eye and she could do nothing but smile. “I love you,” she whispered again. “More than time, more than air… more than anything. I don’t ever-”

Kima chuckled quietly. “I know you like to talk a lot, Allie. But save it for the vows, would you?” she teased.

Pausing, Allura smiled again, her chest warm. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been this happy. After everything she’d been through, everything that they’d both been through after all of these years. There was nothing that could take Kima from her now.

Notes:

Hey guys. So, this took a lot longer than I was expecting but I had too much going on in my personal life to get to sit down and continue writing all this. But I'm back and I still have every intention in the world to finish Allura and Kima's story with all of you. For everyone still reading this, thanks for the continued support and thank you for sticking around. Every kudo and comment has meant the absolute world to me. <3