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Stepping across the white bridges arching across the slow paced rivers of their woodland city, Maya paused for a brief second, hand lifted to catch a flitting sparrow on her finger.
It tilted its head at her, curious, eyes wide. With a little chirp, it opened its wings, and Maya gave it the little lift it needed to set itself into flight again.
She watched it ascend higher into the fall, auburn trees that decorated the high cliff walls around them. Normally during autumn, Maya would have been in the forests nearby, searching for the rarest of flowers, ones that only bloomed on the precipice of fall and winter — Maya found their pure, snow white petals to be the most beautiful of all, a worthy gift for one she loved so dearly.
And yet, here she was, donned in a cloak for travel, hidden golden armor underneath, a sword at her hip and a bow and quiver at her back.
Despite her outfit, she continued her leisurely stroll across the remarkable, millenia old city, casting her eye upon its buildings that blended so smoothly with nature’s hand; trees encroached over stone white buildings, with smooth waterfalls all around, the sun watching from high above. Long had she memorized her home’s beloved scenery; something she’d taken for granted. She wondered when she might see this place again — or even if she would.
When she came to an alcove pocketed next to a gentle waterfall, she paused at the arched entrance, softness in her expression.
There she found Claudine, seated on a marble bench, head tilted down to peruse the text of an old, leather-bound tome. Many times, Maya had seen the morning sun’s golden rays, but they always paled to the warmth and glow of Claudine’s hair, the way it shone in any light. They could live another thousand lifetimes and the sight of her could always take Maya’s breath away.
As she stood there, admiring the view, Claudine said without looking up, “Come to find me so soon?”
“How could I not?” Maya asked softly. She came forward a few steps. “We’re to leave soon.”
“We leave in a few hours,” Claudine said, flipping a page. She lifted her hand to tuck a strand of hair behind a pointed ear. “There’s no need for haste, Maya.”
“I believe it apt that we prepare the best we can in the time we have. You’re not getting dressed?” Maya asked. Claudine was still in her casual attire; a white dress accented with gold, though she always had at her side her own sword buckled to the belt at her hips.
Claudine chuckled. “It doesn’t take me as long as you to put on clothes for travel, Maya. I can enjoy the time we have here before we depart.”
“Then might I ask that I get to spend that time with you?”
At that, Claudine did look up, a smile at her lips. “There’s never any need for you to ask.” She reached a hand out, and Maya obliged; kneeling down, Maya’s lips first ghosted across her lover’s knuckles, then Claudine tilted her hand so Maya might press a kiss at her wrist.
“My beloved,” Maya murmured. “How the morning sun and the evening stars but pale in comparison to your radiance, and how the ages of eternity feel only like an eden with you at my side.”
Claudine’s hand cupped Maya’s chin, lifting her head. “Your way with words has not waned in skill after these long, passages of time,” she said, humor in her gaze. “And yet even still, I find myself seeking your undeniable flattery.”
“One of my many charms, no?” Maya said with a grin.
“Your only charm, but it’s enough.” Claudine leaned down, and Maya obliged her with a full kiss on the lips, humming in satisfaction as Claudine deepened it; for just a breadth of a second, one of infinitesimal, the world was their own.
As they parted, Maya sighed. “We will not have many chances to do this, once we leave,” she said quietly.
“No,” said Claudine, sadness in her gaze. “But we leave so that we may have many more chances to come.” She did not voice what they both were thinking; it was a thought too heavy, too painful to fathom or say aloud.
“I know.” Maya brought Claudine’s hand to her cheek, reveling in the warmth of her palm. She turned her thoughts away from what might come. “I only hope that we will have brief reprieves in which I might be able to indulge in affection with you, so that I might see your smile before each new day comes upon us on our journey.”
“As do I,” Claudine said, gentle. Her words always brought comfort to Maya’s heart, her touch always able to calm her and steady her from the uncertain and unknown. “Come, sit at my side. Know that your presence with me, despite your dramatic flair and excessive poetry,” she chuckled. “Is a welcome relief to me in these troubled times.”
Maya did as she was asked, and Claudine leaned her head on her shoulder, relaxing against her.
“Though I seek only to bring you solace, I am curious; may I ask what you’ve been studying?” Maya slipped a finger underneath the corner of a page, noticing the yellowed age of the parchment, the faded black ink of old script. “The legend of the Ring of Power?”
“Yes.” Claudine pursed her lips. “We all saw at the meeting that Karen does indeed possess it. The only true solution is to destroy it, but...I am concerned with the passage there to do so.” Maya took her hand away as Claudine flipped the book to a page at the beginning; a map of the land. “There are many directions and paths we could take, but all are no doubt watched by our enemy’s eye. The only way to avoid it—”
“Is to take the paths less traveled,” Maya murmured. “The ones considered dangerous and the most likely to put us in mortal peril, even to us Elves.”
“Even with the gathering of the most capable for our fellowship,” Claudine said. “All nine of us can’t possibly be prepared for what lies ahead — and this assumes it even goes to plan.” Worry in her brow, she curled her hand into a fist over the map. “Our enemies will no doubt plan ways to impede us, and we have to watch for the Ring itself.”
“Lord Souda did say it always had a mind of its own.” Maya pinched the bridge of her nose, recalling the millenia old story Souda had told her. “Souda had been there, the day they’d defeated the Dark Lord. That first human king—”
“—Ignored her pleas to destroy it, and instead caused this entire mess.” Claudine sighed. “Men always were a mixed bag, but they are also unfortunately the most susceptible to the Ring’s dark influence.”
“Do you believe then Futaba and Kaoruko are unfit for our journey?” Maya asked with a raised eyebrow.
“No!” Offended at the mere thought of questioning their allies, Claudine shifted away and met Maya’s gaze with her own. “No, not in the slightest. However, we have to consider that despite their strong will and resilience — even our strong will and resilience — that we could fall to the Ring’s powers at any time. We have to watch not only each other, but ourselves. Even the dwarven warriors will be susceptible. As the legend says, we three races were given lesser rings of power, and we are therefore the most likely to desire the greater Ring.”
“So we have to place our hopes in hobbits,” Maya said with a bit of reluctance.
“Don’t say that like it’s a bad thing, Maya.” Despite her words, even Claudine looked a little unwilling to place her bets on such a literal small chance of succeeding. “We must have faith in them, and support them. We cannot leave them to do this task alone — this is something all of us must do.”
“I do agree with you,” Maya said. “But do you truly believe Karen can deliver the Ring all the way, even with us at her side?”
“I have to say I do.”
“Even though, despite the railings in our city being as tall as her,” Maya said, trying to hold back a laugh. “Karen still found a way to fall into a waterfall?”
“Didn’t Hikari go in and save her?”
“She went in, but then recalled she also could not swim, much like Karen. Mahiru saved them both.”
Claudine snorted, then sighed; still, there was a small smile at her lips. Shutting her book, Claudine said, “As...almost incapable as those two are, I somehow have the strangest inkling that those three can wiggle themselves out of any situation, no matter how precarious.”
“I have the same feeling.” Despite the humor of their new companions, Maya still found herself thinking of the road ahead. With a heavier tone, she said, “Though I too have faith in the hobbits and their ability to resist the Ring’s power, you bring up a good point in us. Should...should I fall to its dark influence, you would—”
“Don’t.” Claudine’s tone came harsh and fast. “Don’t. It won’t. It can’t.” Despite her forcefulness, it wavered just the tiniest bit.
“Claudine.” Now it was Maya’s turn to reach her hand up, to cup Claudine’s cheek against her palm. “I need to know. This is above all of us,” she said softly.
“And what would you do then, if it corrupted me?” Claudine asked; her eyes shone, glistening. “What would you do?”
Though Maya opened her mouth, a chill went down her spine, freezing the words in her throat. She’d only thought of herself; it was so unfathomable to think that her beloved could possibly be tainted by the touch of the darkest, oldest evil. How could it possibly touch all that was good in the world, all that was lovely and beautiful, holy and sacred — how could it possibly touch her Claudine?
“I—” Maya choked, unable to even utter an answer.
Claudine leaned in, her forehead against Maya’s. For a moment, there was only that space between and around them, the quiet rustle of the wind in the leaves of the trees above, the gentle rushing sound of the waterfall nearby, and their unsteady, shaken breaths. Mortality so rarely came to the minds of the immortal; to be so abruptly met with it, to think of it, to even plan for it, was so difficult to do.
Closing her eyes, Maya breathed, “I...I would go with you. After. If...If that’s what I would have to do. A day without you — it would feel like an eternity of torment to me. I...cannot bear to be parted. You are as much a part of me as the air I breathe, the water I drink; a world without you would not be a world of the living.”
“Then you know exactly what I would do should it get to you,” Claudine said just as softly. “We have not been apart from each other since...I cannot even recall, not even with our long memory. But you have always been the light that guided me, the hand that pulled me forward, the voice that gave me direction. But this journey, Maya,” Claudine’s tone shifted, and Maya opened her eyes to see Claudine’s ruby gaze coloring with courage. “Even if we do avoid the power of the Ring, this journey is one that may part us physically, if we may go on different paths should we be separated due to danger or peril. But know that I will always try and find you.”
“And I will always do the same. I know the stars will guide me to you, with the wind at my back so I may see you all the much sooner.” Maya tilted her head, and Claudine kissed her back with all the love in her heart.
They’d been in their peaceful, eden home for so long that neither were ever a day’s run from each other. To know they were embarking on a mission that would be filled with twists and turns, with death no doubt sure to hound their tails; it was the first time in a long time that either of them felt apprehension, even fear at what lie ahead.
As they broke apart, Maya asked, “We have still, a few hours to ourselves. Would you return with me, to our home?”
That got Claudine to crack a small smile. “Really? In the time we have left, you want to make love? Weren’t you the one asking me if I should spend this time preparing?”
“I believe we would be preparing. It’s good to limber up before going off on a long, arduous, no doubt taxing foray across the country.”
“You insatiable, insufferable—”
“Lovely, and handsome elf,” Maya finished for her with a lazy grin “I admit, I too quite like your prose and poetry, my love. So scathing, yet so sweet, at the same time. It truly sets my heart aflame with adoration.”
Heaving an exasperated sigh, Claudine stood up, tucking the giant tome underneath her arm. “You are an impossible enigma that I will never be able to fathom, no matter how long we’ve been together.”
“Mystery adds excitement, doesn’t it?”
“In your case, it but only adds annoyance.” Claudine departed the alcove, with Maya at her side.
“Your scathing, biting rhetoric makes my heart pound with such intensity, to know that you have such passion in your emotions for me.”
“If only I could find the words to silence you.”
“You do not need words to do that, Claudine. In fact, the lips that you use to utter said words could very much do the trick to silence me, if placed upon my own.”
They bicker and banter, and yet — all the way back to their home, across the bridges and rivers, they tightly held hands, fingers entwined with the other’s.
—-
(Later, in their quarters.)
“Maya, you have your armor on—”
“I can take it off—”
“It takes you hours to get dressed, Maya, you spend a majority of the time admiring yourself in the mirror—”
“But you admire me all the ti —oof—”