Rivalry and Friendship

“You nicked me!” A slim eyebrow rose above laughing eyes, the offending weapon resting lightly against a petite shoulder. Xyre gaped at his opponent incredulously. “I can’t believe you nicked me!”

“As I recall, this is not the first time. How many years ago was it now that I pummeled you in a fistfight?”

He scoffed. “I’d hardly call it ‘pummeled’. As I recall, you got a lucky shot, and then had to spend the rest of the fight on the defensive for fear of me.” Popping a hip, the aging Portmaster returned the smirk that was slowly growing on a tanned face. The expression blossomed quickly into a grin.

“Oh, is that right? If by ‘defensive’ you mean blocking your feeble punches and returning them tenfold, then of course! Yes, yes, I recall it now: you hitting the deck with that glorious sound, then stumbling about the port for the rest of the evening. Now, I might have imagined it, but didn’t you catch slack from Wren over the black eye you had that night? I think his male ego was injured vicariously by your losing to a woman– oh, wait, girl.”

He attempted to scoff again, but this time the sound emerged more as a choke. The silver eyes upon him, glittering with humor, slowly weighed on his will to argue. Finally, he sighed loudly and waved his rapier dismissively. “Believe what you must, Rabbit.” Turning his back, he tread across the grass of their training grounds to retrieve his jacket and discard the sword. She followed with a triumphant chuckle, scarlet hair twirled up into a half-formed bun upon her head and skin gleaming with sweat from their battle. Beyond the patch of land where they had fought, the castle rose sharply into the sky, the sun peeking from beyond one of the parapets to light the field. As they both retreated back towards the castle, they could see the silhouettes of their friends in the distance: Wren apparently asleep on the grass, Trey entertaining the growing brood of children, Kiran reading near the double doors with a baby nestled in one arm. Terrel had disappeared.

Xyre shook his head at the sight of it all. “Things have changed a great deal since those days when I first met you,” he heard her say quietly, thoughtfully. Yes, it had. Lazily, he slung a friendly arm around those small shoulders, pulling her close despite the heat of the day. Her own arm snaked around his waist.

“That’s for sure. I’m far more reluctant to beat you senseless now that you’re a Queen.” Her laughter, as it had for almost ten years now, made him smile.

~ by eeratka on February 12, 2008.