Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The desert sun beat down mercilessly as Raya urged Tuk Tuk forward, her heart pounding in rhythm with his rolling strides. Sand kicked up in their wake, creating a golden trail that marked their path all too clearly for their pursuer. Her fingers tightened on the reins as she risked a glance behind her.

"Get back here, Raya!" Namaari's voice carried across the dunes, sharp with frustration. The princess of Fang was barely twenty meters behind them, the lean muscles of her serlot eating up the distance between them with fluid grace. The harsh heat created shimmering mirages in the air, making Namaari's form waver like a vengeful spirit on her heels.

Raya could see the treeline ahead, where the endless sea of sand gave way to dense forest. It was their only chance. The corners of her mouth turned up in a grim smile – Tuk Tuk might be slower on open ground, but she knew her companion's agility would give them an advantage in the thick vegetation.

Just as Namaari drew close enough for Raya to hear her serlot's heavy breathing, they plunged into the forest's embrace. The sudden shade was almost shocking after the desert's glare, but Raya couldn't afford to let her eyes adjust. They weaved between the trees, the space between trunks growing increasingly narrow.

"Come on, bud," Raya murmured encouragingly as Tuk Tuk struggled to navigate the tight spaces. His armored body was too wide for many of the gaps, forcing them to take longer routes. Behind them, she could hear Namaari cursing as her serlot faced similar challenges. The massive cat was built for speed across open terrain, not threading through dense forest.

Raya's brief satisfaction at their strategy faded as she caught another glimpse of their pursuit. Despite the obstacles, Namaari was gaining on them. The princess of Fang rode with the fluid grace of someone born in the saddle, anticipating and moving with her mount's every motion. Even with the terrain working against her, she was slowly but surely closing the gap.

"This way," Raya whispered, spotting a deep ditch cutting through the forest floor. She guided Tuk Tuk toward it, already forming a plan. As soon as they reached it, she dismounted in one fluid motion, grabbing her sword from his saddlebag. Her feet had barely touched the ground when she heard Namaari's serlot snarling nearby.

"Go," she urged, pressing her forehead briefly against Tuk Tuk's. "Get to the forest's edge. I'll meet you there." Her faithful companion let out a mournful sound, butting his head against her chest. "I know," she soothed, her voice catching. "But it's the only way to keep us both safe. Go!"

With obvious reluctance, Tuk Tuk rolled away, his armored form disappearing into the underbrush. Raya watched him go, pushing down the twist of anxiety in her chest. Then she turned and began moving in the opposite direction, trying to stay low and quiet.

The crunch of a twig beneath her foot shattered the silence. "There you are, binturi!" Namaari's voice rang out, closer than Raya had expected. The sound of her serlot weaving through the trees spurred Raya into motion.

She ran, branches whipping at her face as she pushed through the vegetation. Her heart thundered in her ears, almost drowning out the sound of pursuit. Almost, but not quite. She could hear Namaari gaining on her, the gap closing with each stride.

The trees suddenly thinned, revealing a clearing – and beyond it, a river. The water churned white over rocks, fast and dangerous, but Raya knew she could swim it. Namaari's serlot wouldn't be able to follow. It was her only chance.

She heard Namaari snarl in frustration, realizing Raya's plan. There was a scraping sound, then a sharp pain exploded in the back of Raya's leg as something struck her – a rock, she realized distantly. Her stride faltered, knee buckling at the worst possible moment.

Instead of hitting the shallows where she'd aimed, Raya plunged into the deep center of the river. The cold hit her like a physical blow, the current immediately dragging her under. She tumbled helplessly, body striking rocks and branches hidden beneath the surface. Every impact drove more air from her lungs.

Desperately, she fought to reach the surface, but something snagged her foot – a branch, tangled around her ankle. The current pulled her body one way while the branch held her foot in place. Pain shot through her leg as she tried to kick free.

Her lungs screamed for air. Dark spots danced at the edges of her vision as she clawed at the water, trying to reach the surface that seemed so close yet impossibly far away.

Her fingertips brushed the surface, a last desperate reach for air. Through the wavering surface of the water, she caught a glimpse of a familiar face – Namaari, eyes wide with something that looked almost like fear. But the current was too strong, dragging her down and away.

‘I'm sorry, Ba,’ she thought as consciousness slipped away.

The darkness took her.

Chapter Text

Namaari didn't hesitate. The moment she saw Raya's fingers break the surface before disappearing beneath the churning water, she leapt from her serlot and dove into the rapids. The cold hit her like a physical blow, the current immediately trying to sweep her away, but she fought against it, eyes straining to see through the murky water.

There – a flash of red fabric, being pulled downstream.

She pushed harder, her lungs burning as she swam deeper. Raya was tangled in something, her body limp, hair floating around her face like a dark halo. Not moving. Not struggling. The sight sent a spike of terror through Namaari's chest.

‘No, no, no. Not like this.’

Namaari reached her, wrapping an arm around Raya's waist. She could feel how cold Raya was, how still. With her free hand, she drew her blade and slashed at the branches entangling Raya's leg, fighting against the current that threatened to tear them both away.

The branch finally gave way, but Raya remained motionless. Namaari kicked hard, pushing them both toward the surface, her own vision starting to darken at the edges from lack of air. Just when she thought her lungs would burst, they broke through.

Namaari gasped for air, tightening her grip on Raya as the current swept them downstream. Raya's head lolled against her shoulder, unresponsive.

"No you don't," Namaari growled, spotting a calmer section of river ahead where the bank sloped down to meet the water. Using every ounce of strength she had left, she fought the current until her feet finally found purchase on the rocky riverbed.

She dragged Raya onto the bank, laying her flat on her back. Raya's skin was pale, lips tinged blue, chest still.

"Breathe," Namaari ordered, pressing down on Raya's chest in the rhythm her mother had taught her for treating drowning victims. "Come on, dep la, breathe!"

For a terrifying moment, nothing happened. Then Raya convulsed, water spewing from her mouth as she coughed violently. Namaari quickly turned her onto her side, supporting her as she expelled what felt like half the river from her lungs.

"That's it," Namaari murmured, relief making her voice shake. "Just breathe."

Raya took a few shuddering breaths before going limp again, but this time Namaari could see the shallow rise and fall of her chest. She was breathing. She was alive.

Namaari sat back on her heels, her own hands trembling from more than just the cold. She looked at Raya's unconscious face, at the cuts and bruises already forming, and felt something twist in her chest. This was her fault. She'd thrown that rock. She'd caused this.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, pushing wet hair back from Raya's face with a gentleness that surprised even her. "I'm so sorry."

---

Everything hurt. That was Raya's first conscious thought as awareness slowly returned to her. The sharp sting of cuts and bruises across her body mixed with a deep, bone-deep ache that made even breathing painful. Her lungs burned as if they were still filled with river water.

She tried to open her eyes, but even that small movement sent waves of pain through her head. When she finally managed it, the world was a blur of greens and browns. She was lying on her side on some kind of makeshift bed made of leaves and moss, beneath the canopy of large trees.

"Don't move," came a familiar voice – one that made Raya's heart rate spike with anxiety. "You hit your head pretty hard on the rocks."

Namaari. Of course it was Namaari.

Raya tried to push herself up anyway, ignoring the warning, but her arms gave out immediately. The world spun violently, and she had to fight back a wave of nausea.

"I said don't move, dep la," Namaari's voice was closer now, tinged with what almost sounded like concern. "You nearly drowned. I had to pull you out downstream."

"Why?" Raya's voice came out as a harsh whisper, her throat raw from the river water. "You're the one who threw the rock."

There was a long pause. Raya could hear Namaari moving around, the soft clink of what sounded like bottles or containers.

"I didn't mean for you to fall in the deep part," Namaari finally said, her voice tight. "I just wanted to slow you down. When I saw you go under..." She trailed off.

Raya managed to turn her head enough to see Namaari sitting nearby, grinding some kind of herbs with a makeshift mortar and pestle. Her usually pristine clothes were still soaked, her hair falling loose around her face instead of in its usual neat style.

"Where's Tuk Tuk?" Raya asked, trying to keep the worry from her voice.

"Your pillbug is fine. I saw him rolling away while I was tracking you. He's probably waiting where you told him to meet you." Namaari set down her work and moved closer, holding out a water skin. "Here. Small sips."

Raya wanted to refuse out of principle, but her throat felt like she'd swallowed sand. She allowed Namaari to help her take a few sips, hating how weak she felt, how her hands trembled too much to hold the water skin herself.

"Why help me?" Raya asked after she'd drunk enough to ease the burning in her throat. "You could have let me drown. Would have made your job easier."

Namaari's face hardened. "Is that really what you think of me? That I'd let someone drown just because they're my enemy?"

"Wouldn't be the worst thing you've done," Raya muttered, though the words lacked their usual bite. She was too exhausted to maintain her usual anger.

Namaari flinched as if struck, her hands stilling in their work. "I deserve that," she said quietly. "But I never wanted you dead, Raya. Not then, and not now."

The sincerity in her voice made something in Raya's chest ache in a way that had nothing to do with her injuries. She closed her eyes, unable to look at Namaari's face any longer.

"My sword," she said instead of addressing Namaari's words. "Did you find it?"

"It's here. Along with everything else that was still on you when I pulled you out." There was a pause. "I haven't touched it. You have my word."

Raya wanted to laugh at that – Namaari's word hadn't meant much six years ago – but she was too tired. Everything hurt, and the world still felt like it was spinning slightly even with her eyes closed.

"Rest," Namaari said, her voice softer than Raya had heard it in years. "You took a bad hit to the head, and you breathed in a lot of water. I'll keep watch."

"So you can take me prisoner as soon as I'm strong enough to travel?" Raya couldn't help asking.

The silence that followed was heavy. "Just rest, Raya," Namaari finally said. "We can be enemies again tomorrow."

Despite her best efforts to stay awake, to stay alert, Raya felt consciousness slipping away again. The last thing she was aware of was the gentle pressure of a blanket being laid over her, and the soft sound of Namaari humming an old Fang lullaby she half-remembered from their childhood.

Her last coherent thought was that nothing made sense anymore – least of all the way her ancient enemy was treating her with such care.