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Rivayn sat on one of the numerous pieces of rubble scattered throughout Rhalgr's Reach, fiddling with his knife. Lyse had told him to meet her there, but she was nowhere to be found. As he looked up at the slowly setting sun, he was starting to wonder if he'd gotten the time wrong.
He gently tossed the knife up in the air, watching as it twisted and turned before falling safely back into his hand. Rivayn tossed it again, but this time he caught a glimpse of Lyse approaching out of the corner of his eye. His eyes widened and he was sure his mouth hung agape as she approached, and he jumped slightly as the knife landed square in the dirt between his legs, narrowly missing his foot.
Lyse strode toward him with a mixture of confidence and utter self-consciousness, dressed in what Rivayn knew to be ceremonial highlander garb. He had seen it before, but somehow this was different.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," she apologized as she stopped in front of him, nervously glancing down at her out outfit as Rivayn stared at her.
Lyse wore loose-fitting white pants cropped just below the knee, trimmed in intricate golden embroidery. Above it, she wore a brilliant crimson vest and judging from her expression it covered far less than she was comfortable with. It gathered together just below her ribs and connected to a long flowing skirt of sorts, though it was open in the front.
"Well, what do you think?" Lyse asked, twirling around. The skirt caught the wind in a way that made Rivayn feel as though his heart had skipped a beat. "I know it's a bit old-fashioned, but in a traditional sort of way."
Rivayn tried to find the words to answer her, but his wits had completely failed him.
"Well don't just stand there gawping," Lyse complained with a frown and what Rivayn was sure was a blush. "If you don't like it, just say so!"
"It's not that," Rivayn assured her, jumping to his feet and holding out his hands to calm her. "I just... it's so..." He waved his hands haplessly.
"Oh, I know, right?" Lyse agreed with a sigh of relief. "All these stupid frills everywhere..."
Rivayn chuckled. "I guess I'm just used to seeing you in those sabatons of yours."
"You and me both," she agreed with a laugh. "My kicks might not land as hard, but I can move so much faster." Lyse paused, taking a moment to look down at herself, before continuing. "Yda use to wear this whenever she could. Not that I'm trying to be her again or anything, I just..."
"You wanted her to be here for this," RIvayn finished for her with a warm smile.
Lyse nodded. "If this is the last battle we fight to free Ala Mhigo, then she ought to be a part of it."
"I understand," Rivayn replied, crossing his arms. "Well, you look... you look amazing."
Now Lyse was definitely blushing. "It's nice of you to say so," she told him with an awkward smile. "And a bit embarrassing. But mostly nice."
Rivayn wasn't sure what to say, and there was an awkward moment of silence between the two. Lyse shifted uncomfortably when it became clear that he wasn't going to respond.
"Anyway, the real reason I asked you here was to sneak in a warm-up before the final battle," she explained after a moment. "There's this place where monks used to spar as part of their training. Care to join me?"
"Where...?" Rivayn trailed off as he noticed Lyse's eyes glance upward. At the statue of Rhalgr. "What, up there?"
Lyse grinned at him. "Not afraid of heights, are you?"
"Well, no, but..." Rivayn turned to stare up at the top of the statue. Lyse clearly intended to have their little sparring match on Rhalgr's outstretched palm. "How in the seven hells are we supposed to get up there?"
"You've bested about a thousand primals by now," Lyse reminded him with a smirk. "Can't do a little climbing?"
"You're joking," he accused. Lyse simply turned and headed toward the statue. With a groan, Rivayn turned to follow her.
"I'm impressed," Lyse admitted, panting heavily as she circled him.
"I had a good teacher," Rivayn returned with a grin. It hadn't occurred to him that when Lyse suggested sparring, she wasn't about to let him bring a blade. No, she had meant hand to hand combat, where she had a distinct and overwhelming advantage. Somehow he was holding his own, although he wondered if she was going easy on him. She had taught him well, but not this well.
As she dashed forward toward him, Rivayn found his suspicions confirmed. She swept her leg forward, hoping to catch him by surprise. Rivayn nimbly leaped out of the way - or so he thought. He suddenly found Lyse's hand on his chest, and Rivayn's body unceremoniously flew backward. He landed on his back with a thud and a groan.
Get up, you fool. Rivayn pushed himself to his feet, grumbling in annoyance as he saw Lyse's delighted expression. She really had been going easy on him. "You can do this," he muttered quietly to himself.
This time Rivayn went on the offensive. He struck toward her with a closed fist, which Lyse easily batted away. She used his momentum against him, hooking her leg around his and sending him tumbling onto his back yet again. Rivayn quickly found himself on the ground with Lyse sitting on his chest and his arms pinned.
Lyse's victorious grin softened as she stared into his eyes. It was a look Rivayn had seen dozens of time before. It was a look he prayed he had the self-control not to return.
"You win," Rivayn told her with a slight smile, breaking the silence.
Lyse smiled back, blushing slightly. "You did really well."
"Thanks," he replied. "You, uh, want to...?"
"Oh, right." Lyse's blush deepened as she rolled off of him and got to her feet. She held out her hand to help him up.
"You were going easy on me that first round," Rivayn accused with a grin as she pulled him to his feet.
"Maybe," she admitted with her own grin. "But you really did do well."
"Well, I don't think I'll be punching my way to victory any time soon," he told her with a smile. She still had that look in her eye, though he was sure she didn't realize it.
"I don't expect you to punch Zenos to death," she returned, the smile on her face suddenly fading.
"Everything's going to be fine," Rivayn assured her, a warm smile on his face. "I promise."
"I don't know how you can be so sure of that," Lyse said under her breath.
"Extreme wishful thinking," Rivayn replied with a grin. Lyse did not return the smile. Rivayn moved forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, everything's going to be fine."
"Can you promise that?"
Rivayn hesitated, and he knew immediately that she had noticed. "Everything's going to be fine," he repeated.
"I'll believe that when I see it."
The sun was starting to set, and Rivayn sighed as he looked at the horizon. Gyr Abania was beautiful, which was the only thing about it that he remembered from his childhood. But looking out over the landscape from atop the statue of Rhalgr gave him a new perspective.
Rivayn turned his attention back to Lyse. "Trust me."
She looked up at him, her eyes full of doubt. "I want to," she finally replied.
"Good," Rivayn told her with a smile. He slowly walked toward the edge of Rhalgr's palm and glanced down. "So, getting up here was hard enough..."
"Rivayn, are you afraid of heights?" Lyse asked, a playful tone finally returning to her voice.
"No," he replied, far too quickly.
Lyse raised an eyebrow. "I learn new things about you every day."
"Look..."
"Race you down," she replied with a grin.
"That's not fair!" Rivayn complained as she disappeared beneath Rhalgr's hand. "Come on...!"
Rivayn sighed heavily to himself. At the very least, he'd managed to delay a difficult conversation a little bit longer. At best, he would have to conquer his fear of heights and find a way to the ground. What a curious 'at best' that was.
"Well," he said to himself, "at least this will be easier than fighting Zenos." With a deep breath, he approached the edge of Rhalgr's outstretched palm and peered over the edge. You're the Warrior of Light. You can do this.