Flashes of memory filled Arvel’s mind as he followed Melodia deeper into the fiendwood, away from the logging site. Every time a ray of sunlight slipped through the heavy canopy and shined across her raven hair, he remembered following those dark tresses through grassy fields, watching her curls bounce as she ran. He remembered a crown of flowers atop her head, shedding petals with every excited step. She liked wearing green back then too.

“You surprise me,” Melodia said, folding her hands behind her as she walked, “I didn’t think you still had a taste for consorting with other humans.”

“You surprise me too,” said Arvel, “Walking around here in broad daylight, using your real name, and everything...”

Melodia spun around on the ball of her foot to walk backward, smiling at Arvel, and she asked in a singsong voice, “Why not? It’s not as though anyone would remember me.”

Arvel’s blood ran cold, and he stopped walking, watching her back away from him for a few steps before she paused in a small clearing.

“I suppose nobody would,” Arvel said, a wry smirk on his lips, “You made damn sure of that.”

“Are you still pretending to be sore over that?” Melodia asked, tilting her head, “You always used to tell me that you didn’t like being around people. I thought you’d be grateful, having all of this land to yourself.”

“Is that some kind of joke?” Arvel asked, glaring sharply at her, “You thought I’d be grateful for you being a mass murderer? You thought I’d appreciate you killing men and women and children?”

Melodia’s smile fell, as she said, “You know that wasn’t all on me.”

“Like hells it wasn’t!” Arvel shouted, swinging the hatchet in front of him in frustration, “If you command an army of demons to descend on a village, it’s no different from you killing every person there! Their blood is still on your hands.”

“If I hadn’t done it, one of my sisters would have,” said Melodia, “Those people were all doomed from the start. Does it make you feel better to know that my sisters are dead now?”

“What kind of messed up moral balancing act are you trying to pull?” Arvel asked, eyes narrow, “You ordered their deaths. You benefited from it. And because it made you strong enough to kill your rivals, you want to act like it was all okay? There’s no ‘okay’ in this, Melodia. There can’t be anymore.”

Melodia flinched away from his words, as though he’d physically struck her. She heaved a heavy sigh and said, “I’m sorry that you feel that way. Now that you’re starting to talk to people again, I was hoping that the two of us...”

“Us?!” Arvel shouted, “There ain’t no ‘us’ left! Not after what you did!”

Melodia took a single step toward Arvel, and in the blink of an eye, she had cleared a distance of no less than fifteen feet, arriving immediately in front of him as her brown leather slipper gently crunched on the dry leaves beneath their feet. Arvel tensed, but she was too close to him, inside the swing of his hatchet. Though he wanted to step back, he felt frozen. Her fingertips touched his sides softly, brushing along his skin, before tracing along his lower back, until her arms were wrapped around him. Melodia rested her cheek against his chest and said, “I missed this. I missed the warmth of your skin and the smell of your sweat. You can’t tell me that you haven’t thought of me.”

Arvel lifted his head, looking up toward the lights that danced through the gaps in the heavy canopy. Breathing in the sweet scent of her hair and skin, it was so easy for his mind to drift to the sight of verdant trees waving overhead, shadow and light dancing over them as they laid in the peace and quiet of the grove, enjoying their privacy.

“Six years,” Arvel whispered, “Six years it’s been, and I think... I think I thought about you every day for a long damn time. It made me feel sick, to realize I was drifting toward the good times instead of remembering what you did.”

“A long time,” she whispered, “But not anymore?”

“I don’t need your memories anymore,” Arvel said, “I got people that matter to me. I got people who care about other folk. I don’t need to look for comfort in the arms of a murderer.”

A deep, searing pain ripped through Arvel’s back, and he let out a howl of pain.

“You’re heartless,” Melodia whispered, trembling as she dug her nails into his back, her claws growing longer as they worked their way through his ribs, “Casting me aside, after all of the precious time we spent together. If you have no use for your heart, then you won’t mind if I take it.”

The hatchet slipped from Arvel’s hands as he reached up, gripping and clawing at Melodia’s back. He opened his mouth to shout, but a gush of blood overflowed from his lips instead.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“Should I start with that blonde one you’ve been talking with all day?” Melodia asked, “The tall one who carries herself like a man. I never would’ve thought she’d be your type. Or maybe the pretty young lady, who’s too good for your muddy little farm? Or, I could go back down to your farm and find that wretched little green beast who’s been keeping your sheets warm.”

Melodia yelped as Arvel grabbed a handful of hair and yanked her head back away from his chest. His other hand lifted to wrap around her throat, his fingers shaking.

“There it is,” Melodia whispered, watching him, unbothered even as her voice was diminished to a whisper, “You tried this six years ago, but you didn’t have the commitment in your eyes. It’s there now. A shame you lack the strength to do it now.”

Arvel’s body jolted as Melodia’s claws ripped through his sides. His grip weakened, and he fell to his knees in front of her, gazing blearily up at her. His vision began to turn red as the vivid aura of his life’s energies lifted from his body, crawling across the dirt and rising up around her.

Melodia lifted one of her blood-soaked claws to her lips, licking the crimson from the edge of her nail, as his blood began to sink into her skin and through her dress, not even leaving stains in its wake. As she smiled down at him, Melodia said, “I think I know exactly where I’ll start.”

Back at the camp, as the afternoon sun was drifting further across the western sky, Lunette was anxious, but she tried her best not to let it show. For now, Rain and the other workers were calm, and she didn’t want to stir them up into a frenzy for no good reason. Still, as she took a break and sipped her water, she kept looking toward the direction that Arvel and that strange young woman had vanished.

“What troubles you?” Rain asked, sitting down on a log beside Lunette.

“Just waiting for Arvel to return,” said Lunette, “He bade me not to come and look for him, but I still want to keep an eye out.”

“He’s just having a chat with Melodia is all,” Rain said with a smile.

Lunette looked down at her waterskin for a moment, then looked at Rain and asked, “Do you recall having met Melodia?”

“How we met?” Rain asked, tilting her head, “I’m not entirely sure. I’m certain we must’ve met early on in the expedition, but I don’t think we really got a chance to chat before today.”

“What makes you so certain?” Lunette asked, “Do you remember seeing her around the campfires, or after the demon attacks? Do you recall if she ever joined the sewing circle with you and the other ladies?”

Rain’s smile drifted from her lips as she began to think back on it.

“N-No, but surely...” she whispered.

Lunette said quietly, “Because I don’t remember her at all.”

Rain looked at Lunette with concern, before glancing past her, and a smile returned to her lips. She lifted her hand to wave excitedly. When Lunette looked back, expecting to see Arvel, she saw only Melodia returning from the deeper woods, Lunette’s heart sank.

“Where is Arvel?” Lunette asked.

“Oh, he’ll be along,” Melodia said with a soft smile, “Don’t worry.”

‘Don’t worry,’ she said. Lunette’s very nature told her that such a statement meant she had every reason to worry. But somehow, this time, Melodia’s words brought her peace.

Lunette smiled a bit and said, “If you’re certain.”

“Of course,” said Melodia, waving a hand dismissively.

Lunette sighed in relief, the stiffness melting from her shoulders. It felt strange to let that ever present tension go, but it felt good, too.

“Should we start packing things up soon?” Rain asked, “There’s still a long hike back to the settlement and we shouldn’t be traveling after dark.”

“I’ll urge the men to finish their work and not start anything new,” said Lunette as she stood, and walked toward some of the workers.

As Rain started to stand as well, Melodia took her arm, and sat down beside her.

“Lady Rain, I wanted to ask you something,” Melodia said with a sweet smile.

“What is it?” Rain asked.

Melodia leaned nearer and asked, “Are you and Arvel... close?”

Rain’s cheeks reddened.

“Wh-Why do you ask?” she stammered.

“I noticed you casting glances at him,” Melodia said, “But you wouldn’t stare at him like the other girls. It matters to you what he thinks of you, doesn’t it?”

Rain fidgeted nervously, and looked away as a shy smile crept onto her lips.

“I don’t know if I’d say we’re close,” she said softly, “We grew very close for a little while, when I first came here. But now, well... I’ve been so busy...”

“That’s such a shame,” Melodia said soothingly, petting the back of Rain’s hand softly, “I hate to see the two of you drift apart. It’s almost like a fairytale, a ruggedly handsome knight saving a fair lady in distress, and living happily ever after together.”

“You heard that he saved me?” Rain asked with a sheepish smile, “I haven’t told that many people. And... Arvel isn’t a knight...”

“Arvel isn’t the kind of man who can see his own potential,” said Melodia, “But you know better, don’t you?”

Rain glanced at Melodia, and said quietly, “I know he’s a strong person, and a good person, but I don’t think he has any interest in trying to be anything to anybody. He just wants to live a good, quiet life.”

“Do you want him to be something to you?” Melodia asked.

Rain’s cheeks reddened, staring at Melodia as she quietly stammered, unsure how to answer. She glanced away and noticed some of the women packing up the food cart, and quickly stood, saying, “I should go and help.”

Melodia stood with her, and caught Rain’s hand between both of hers as she tried to walk away. Rain nearly stumbled, surprised by the firmness of Melodia’s grip, keeping her in place.

“I think we should let them go on, so we can talk a little longer,” Melodia said with a soft smile, “We can catch up later.”

Rain was concerned, but that sweet, genuine smile slowly melted her worries away. She smiled back at Melodia and squeezed one of her hands softly, saying, “Yes, we’ll catch up later.”