Chapter Text
The night was calm, almost as calm as it used to be in Elheim before the war. There was hardly a sound aside from the crickets and the thump of arrows as they made their mark on the nearby target. Another bullseye. It would be considered perfect to the average onlooker.
But Ridiel knew better. She’d missed her target by a hair’s breadth. Only the best would prove her as an asset to the Liberation. And while hitting the bullseye was an accomplishment to a novice, she needed precision beyond even that. No, a bullseye was too wide a target—she needed to hit the very center, no matter the distance she worked with.
So invested had she been in her training that she paid no mind to the footsteps behind her. There was a weight to their stride that suggested whoever it was had no intention of hiding their presence. Either an ally or a self-confident fool. Both of little danger, she decided.
As such, she chose to ignore them, just as she ignored the pain that stung in her fingers as she notched another arrow and pulled back her string. Nothing would distract her from her goal. Not even—
“Still training, Ridiel? It’s getting late, you know.”
Ah, that voice. It belonged to none other than the one person who seemed to have no qualms with a half-elf. At least none outwardly spoken. Though she supposed the care the woman showed her had always seemed rather genuine.
Yet despite that care Chloe seemed to show her, Ridiel continued her practice, gaze locked on her target. “I’m aware. But this is the only way I can prove I’m here for the right reasons.” She paused as another thump sounded, another arrow just barely missing its target. Not good enough. Had her arrows not struck true that day…what would’ve happened? “The only way I can make up for selling you out to Zenoira.”
A long sigh sounded out from behind the half-elf. Ridiel could only imagine the look on Chloe’s face right now. Another reason she refused to turn around. There was little doubt in her mind that she’d falter in her resolve to keep training were she to meet that face.
“That doesn’t mean you need to work yourself to the bone doing it.”
“I don’t remember asking your opinion.”
The response was automatic, one of the defenses she’d long used against others. In fact, Ridiel even caught herself off guard, responding to Chloe is such a way after all this time. Enough so that her mask slipped, a pained hiss escaping her lips as she pulled her bow taut once more. Her string escaped her, arrow landing noticeably far from its target.
In an instant, warm hands were wrapped around hers. The action was rough—commanding—forcing Ridiel to stop. Yet also gentle, careful enough not to cause her further harm.
“Show me your hand, Ridiel.”
For a moment, she considered resisting—keeping her hand clenched so Chloe would be unable to remove her glove. Though she wavered upon turning to face the woman, any retort she had now lost in her throat. Because when she met those blue eyes, all she saw was concern. Worry over her. Enough to soften Ridiel as her fist slowly opened in Chloe’s hands.
She tried to ignore the warmth of Chloe’s hands encapsulating her own once her glove had been discarded. It almost seemed wrong to focus on when her blistered and bloodied fingertips were out for the world to see.
“Blisters, just like I thought.” Chloe’s brow furrowed, her concern becoming all the more apparent as she sighed. “I’m surprised you can even hold your bow through all the pain.”
Ridiel pulled away, freeing herself from Chloe’s grasp before turning her back to the woman. She couldn’t afford this. Not now. Not when she heard the whispers of their comrades from the shadows. Ridiel was not welcome here. Even if Chloe vouched for her every step of the way, one person’s word meant nothing compared to a sea of negativity. “Well, I don’t have a choice. You know that just as well as I do.”
“You’re wrong, Ridiel.” There was that foolish confidence Chloe always spoke with. “Just think what would happen if all this strain caused you to falter when it mattered most. The others could get hurt. Alain could get hurt. And the only thing that would prove is that he can’t trust you to be there when he needs you.”
There was a dryness in her throat at hearing such words. Chloe spoke the truth, there was no denying that. But it also left Ridiel with a pang in her heart because… Well, because Alain always seemed to be at the forefront of Chloe’s thoughts.
Yes, by joining the Liberation it was a part of Ridiel’s duty to now protect the prince. But there was something she feared more than harm befalling him. Someone far more important to the half-elf than any noble in this army. And that person just so happened to be a soldier who stood close beside said prince.
And keen as that woman was, it seemed Ridiel’s own feelings were the one thing she was unable to pick up on. She almost wanted to correct Chloe, but her words failed her, the beginning of a protest dying almost instantly on her lips. “But…”
“Listen, Ridiel. I’m sure your mom would be worried too if she saw you like this. So just, take it slow, okay? You’ll get there—even if it’s not as fast as you might want.”
She breathed a sigh—almost one of relief at Chloe’s words. Her refusal to let Ridiel get another word in was a blessing in disguise. For Ridiel had no words to fight back with, only a truth she hoped to keep hidden close to her heart. A truth that she feared would only lead to hurt if she spoke it.
Taking in a deep breath, Ridiel turned to face Chloe, easing back into her mask of indifference. “Once again, you lecture me exactly like she would.” She paused for a moment, mulling over Chloe’s words. Thinking back to her own missed arrow just moments ago. And how—if that were to occur on the battlefield—it could bring harm to the woman before her. “And now that you mention it, I guess I was getting a little impatient.”
Chloe beamed brighter than the morning sun at such words. Her smile a treasure to be saved in Ridiel’s memory. It never left her face as she pulled out a small jar from her pouch, pressing it into the elf’s hands. “Then here.”
Ridiel almost wished to cherish the warm touch of her hands, but Chloe pulled away. Almost too quickly as she stepped back, creating a gap between the two that seemed just a bit too wide. There almost seemed a hint of pink to Chloe’s cheeks, but Ridiel wrote it off. She must be imagining things with exhaustion finally taking hold. “Put some of this balm on your hands, and unstring that bow for the day.”
Chloe turned around, beginning her walk back to camp. Only to pause a few moments later to look back to her friend, giving a quick shout. “Oh, and I better not catch you training like this again!”
With that, she left Ridiel standing alone by the shore. The half-elf could only sigh as she shook her head. She always spoke lowly of her mother’s interest in human men, but could Ridiel say she was much better?
She allowed a small smile to grace her lips as she realized she was just as doomed, clearly inheriting that love. As she inspected the ointment in her hands, still feeling that ghost of Chloe’s touch, she huffed out a laugh. Could she really be blamed?
“Thanks, Chloe. I won’t let you down—I promise.”