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From their earliest years of education, Ethari and Runaan are paired together in almost every lesson and activity. What one lacks, it’s said, the other provides, and Moonshadow Elves believe fervently in the value of forming strong bonds from childhood.
Ethari and Runaan aren’t opposed to it. Rather, they revel in the challenge of trying to excel against each other. The act of playing a simple game often leads them to creating complex rule systems that no one else can follow. Running errands together becomes a race to see who can finish them faster and with more good deeds done along the way to earn even more praise afterward. It has the foundation for a feverish rivalry, except that more often than not, they’re distracted from competition by helping each other.
“Wait, it’s going to fall,” Ethari tells Runaan as they’re building a stick fortress. “We need to tie the knots different.”
“Don’t climb that one,” Runaan tells Ethari as they’re exploring the forest. “Look, this one has stronger branches.”
When they’re old enough to take lessons in stealth and strategy, one instructor makes the mistake of telling their parents, “Runaan is faster, but Ethari is quicker,” while both boys are hiding under a bush nearby.
Runaan immediately takes offense. Ethari doesn’t, but he does feel the need to loudly point out that those two words mean the same thing. (He then tries to convince the adults that the bush is sentient and very nitpicky about linguistics.)
It only becomes clear to them what their instructor meant as they’re playing capture the rune with their friends one afternoon. Ethari and Runaan are sprinting down a hill toward the opposing team’s fort when Ethari skids to a stop behind a tree and shouts, “Runaan, duck!”
Runaan ignores him, certain he can reach the fort in just a few more strides, and gets a face full of purple-dyed water from a hidden enemy as his reward.
While Runaan is arguing at the top of his lungs against the use of this tactic in future games, their team’s rune is taken by an infiltrator, and they lose the game.
Their friends on the opposing team aren’t graceful in victory, and more than one of them laughs at Runaan’s purple-smeared face and hair. Ethari, too, almost reminds Runaan that they only lost because Runaan didn’t listen to him, but instead he sighs and pulls Runaan to the river to wash the dye off his face.
He sees Runaan’s tears of frustration only after they’re out of sight of their friends, but he doesn’t comment on them. They’re both still very young, but they’ve already developed a strong understanding of each other. Ethari knows what not to say.
After the dye is washed off, Runaan asks Ethari quietly, “Did you see her?”
Ethari says, “Yeah.” Then, truthfully, “You almost got past her, though.”
Runaan hesitates, then smiles at Ethari’s reflection in the water.
Ethari smiles back, then splashes him.
When they’re taught by an elder about Moonshadow marriage ceremonies, Ethari is spellbound. His oldest sister recently accepted a proposal, and she’s been teaching Ethari the steps of a dance she’ll do with her betrothed after they exchange vows. She says she’s never been so happy, and that she hopes Ethari will find someone who makes him feel the way she does.
“I already have,” he tells her.
Out of everyone Ethari knows, he can only think of one person he wants to marry. The more he thinks about it, the more certain he is. When he can’t think of a single reason not to, he asks Runaan, “Will you marry me when we grow up?”
They’re lying next to the river when he asks, staring up at the stars through a break in the trees. Ethari waited until they were alone to ask, just because it seems like kind of a private question, but Runaan still seems stunned.
Ethari waits for him to say yes. He wouldn’t have asked if he weren’t sure, after all. They’re a team. Who else makes sense?
Then Runaan shocks him by rolling to his feet and taking off into the woods at a breakneck sprint. In seconds, it’s as if he was never even there at all, and Ethari can’t settle on a single stable emotion. Runaan…left? Why…?
For the first time, Ethari doesn’t know what Runaan is thinking, and it’s the single worst moment of his life.
He goes home, his heart stinging, and won’t tell his family why he’s so miserable. He sits in the window of his bedroom, his legs dangling outside and his heels drumming on the trunk of the tree, carving a tiny bow out of magnolia wood for one of his soldier dolls. Ethari is better with knives than most of the other children his age, but he’s so preoccupied thinking about Runaan that he almost slices his thumb a few times.
“Ethari!”
The hiss calls Ethari’s attention upward. On the bough nearest to Ethari’s window, Runaan is crouched low with both hands gripping the bark. He looks ridiculous, but his face is so solemn that Ethari can’t laugh at him.
Besides, he’s still miserable.
“What?” he whispers.
Runaan whisper-yells, “Yes!”
Ethari immediately knows what he means, but he doesn’t stop frowning. “Did you…have to think about it?” he asks.
Runaan’s nose crinkles as if he’s insulted. “Of course not!” he says, his volume rising. “I just had to ask my parents first.”
Ethari’s mouth parts in surprise.
“They said yes,” Runaan adds, hesitantly. “So…do you still want to, or…?”
It never even enters Ethari’s mind to tease him. He just shouts, “Of course I do!”
He wakes his entire family and startles Runaan so badly he falls out of the tree.
•
Rayla listens to it all tucked into her bed and practically glowing with impish delight. She loves all stories where Runaan is exposed as fallible. “Did you break anything?” she asks him.
Runaan raises an eyebrow. “No,” he lies.
“Only his dignity,” Ethari says.
“It’s still recovering,” Runaan says.
Remorseless, Ethari touches a kiss to the pad of his index finger and taps it on the base of Runaan’s left horn. It wasn’t at the time, but it’s kind of funny now.
“You’re so lucky,” Rayla whines. “I don’t know anyone I want to marry yet.”
“You could marry yourself, if you think you’re worthy,” Ethari says.
Rayla purses her lips, pensive. “That’s not a bad idea,” she muses. “Thanks, Ethari!”
Runaan pretends neither of them has spoken and pulls the blankets over Rayla’s head. “Ah, look, Rayla’s gone. I suppose we don’t have to finish tucking her in.”
“Runaan!”
Once Rayla is asleep (or at least pretending for their sake while she sneaks out again), they take to the stairs outside with mugs of honey wine. With one arm snug around Ethari’s shoulders, Runaan kisses Ethari’s temple and tells him in a whisper, “You’re the only thing that’s ever made perfect sense to me.”
Ethari knows, and he smiles, because it’s true for him too.