Lithoniel

Lithoniel checked their provisions and equipment for the last time. Then she nodded, evidently satisfied.

"I think everything is ready."

"It is." Rolim frowned, a bit worried as he looked at her. "You look tired."

"Just a bit." She admitted, a shaky smile on her face. "It's been a long day."

And it had been, but it was nothing compared with what she had done in the past. The fatigue she was feeling was just in small part physical. She was mentally exhausted, though she was trying to hide it.

"I have something good to show you."Rolim said, evidently choosing to change the subject even if he knew she was deflecting.

Something good?

She peered with interest as Rolim lifted the heavy leather of his tent and titled his head to the side. There was something inside.

Isn't it...a sword?

Rolim looked at the eager, almost childish expression on her face and smirked.

"I wanted to give it to you now. But if you're too tired..."

"No! Stop!" She made a step forward and raised one hand up. "I'm not too tired."

Women were women no matter the race, but even in this Lithoniel was different from the rest. She liked practical things and lethal weapons more than trinkets, perfumes and the useless junk the female elves loved to wear. That's why she had no rings, necklaces, hairpins, and bracelets but owned an entire collection of pointy objects: mostly daggers of varying shape and size.

"Are you sure? " He asked, his lips curling into a devious grin.

"Yes...I..." She started to explain but soon realized he was just messing with her. "Stop teasing me and let me see it." She had never seen him this playful, not even when they were children.

"Alright." He said, picked up the sword but when he was about to hand it over to her, Rolim's fingers closed around her wrist. They lingered there for some seconds until Lithoniel realized what he was doing and backed away, a bit flushed.

Rolim smile widened when their gazes met and faked a cough when she averted her gaze. He was trying hard not to laugh, and she knew it. Lithoniel gave him a reproachful look.

but as soon as she unsheathed the sword she didn't bother with him anymore. She had eyes only for the little beauty in her hands.

"It's beautiful" She whispered.

The blade wasn't particularly long, maybe just a bit over ninety cm, but it was thinner, narrower and way lighter than the ones the humans used to build. And yet, the black blade was sturdy like made of solid steel and flexible like a bow.

But above all, it was elegant; the contrast between the black ebonwood of the blade and the white bone of the hilt was mitigated by the runes carved in the middle of it.

Under the moonlight, they were like a magnet for her eyes.

Lithoniel gave him a questioning look. "Who...?"

"Fennan gave it to me, but it was Elwin who created it." Rolim explained.

No wonder. Elwin's craftsmanship is unsurpassed when it comes to working with the ebonwood.

"He forged it specifically for you."

Lithoniel immediately believed him. As soon as she tried to hold the longsword, she noticed it fit perfectly in her hand, the hilt fluted to ensure a better grip and wide enough for her to use it with two hands. Besides, the stylized turtle - almost like a miniature Zaruk baring its fangs - carved on the pommel was another big hint. This sword was tailor-made for her.

She was happy since a sword was a rare weapon for the elves. Mostly, they liked to use bows and daggers, sometimes even spears whey they had to hunt something big. But a sword? It was very rare. A sword was a weapon of war, made to kill people, not beasts. The elves thought it was a brutal weapon just like those who used it.

That's why though she was happy for the gift, she couldn't help but wonder...

"Why? Why did he give it to me? A sword, of all things?"

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Rolim shook his head. "No idea, Fennan didn't tell me, though it seems a lot like a bribe if you ask me."

Hearing his cynical reply, Lithoniel grimaced and Rolim hastily said: "But I have to admit Elwin has outdone himself this time."

No doubt about that.

Lithoniel looked at the sword in her hands and all of a sudden she swung it. It made a strange sound, almost like a whistle when it cut through the air. At that moment she didn't care if it was a bribe or there were conditions attached to it, she was just grateful. She belonged to her.

"It's beautiful, but..." She repeated, but she was frowning. "...what about the human runes carved on the blade? Clemenza?" She said stiffly.

Rolim opened his eyes wide. "You can read it."

The current elven language derived from the human tongue, but the pronunciation was completely different. Besides, in those hundreds of years after the cataclysm, the two languages had kept drifting, and now they shared just some words. So it wasn't so surprising if Lithoniel had trouble speaking it, as the human tongue was harsher, more guttural and less musical than the elven language.

"It means..."

"I know what it means." Lithoniel interrupted him, maybe her tone a bit harsher than intended.

Mercy. It was a banned word in the elven language. I know what it means, but I don't know why Elwin put it on my sword.

"It wasn't Elwin." Rolim answered like he'd read her mind.

"What?"

"It wasn't Elwin." Rolim repeated. "He just carved the runes on the blade, but it was the Loremaster who told him to do it. And as to why she did it...you'll have to ask her directly."

The Loremaster?

That was even more baffling. Why did the Loremaster order him to put a taboo word on her sword? There was a reason if that word didn't exist in the elven tongue. Not anymore, at least. She couldn't understand the reason, and the only person she could ask for explanations was the same one who refused to see her. It was maddening. A sword was a weird gift for an elf to begin with, but engraving a banned word, and that word in particular, was an insult.

Rolim sighed. "I have said it to you before, Lithoniel, but you have the tendency to overthink sometimes. It's just a gift, nothing else. Besides, you love that sword, don't you?"

Lithoniel nodded and tried to smile, but her heart wasn't in it.

In the elves' society, mercy was a synonym for weak and gifting a sword with such word engraved on it... Rolim probably was aware of what she was thinking and tried to divert her attention, but maybe he chose the worst way possible to do it.

"I have talked with my brother." He said out of the blue.

Lithoniel opened her mouth wide, mechanically sheathing the sword.

"You...did?" He nodded. "A-and what...did he...?" She stuttered, her words chaotic like her thoughts.

"He said he'll come" He answered, taking her out of her misery.

"Really?" Her voice cracked a little.

Lithoniel didn't know if she was relieved Kolvar didn't hate her or distressed because she had another person who depended on her.

But one thing was sure...It will be awkward. Just the three of us together.

"Yes, really" Rolim confirmed. "But you don't have to worry about him. Kolvar will listen to me."

"He will?" She could help but ask. "I mean...I know he listens to his big brother." She said seeing he furrowed his brow. "But after...what Tinesia said about us...no" She rephrased. "...after what happened at the Conclave...you know when Kolvar..." And she trailed off, realizing she wasn't improving the situation.

"What Tinesia said?"Rolim repeated very slowly as he stared at her. He had a dangerous glint in his eyes, but it wasn't his usual blank gaze, deadly almost as much as it was dispassionate. This was the opposite, a raw and wild emotion that made her feel threatened someway.

"What did she say, Lithoniel?" He said, making a step toward her. It was very deliberate and slow as he eyed her like a predator stalking its prey.

"You know what I mean." She said quietly, backing away while Rolim advanced.

"I don't think I do. Explain it to me." He made another step forward and Lithoniel another step back.

"I-Idon't think this is...the right moment. It's late and we have a long journey..." Her voice trembled and once again she stepped back only to bump into something with her foot. She looked back and saw there was a tent behind her. She had nowhere to go.

"All the more reason to explain quickly. Can you do that?" He said and she turned.

She opened her eyes wide as she saw that Rolim was just a few inches away, his deep brown eyes like braziers as he stared at her.

"M-maybe?" She was so confused it became a question. He was so close that she could feel his hot breath tingling on her forehead.

"Maybe?" He repeated, clearly amused.

"Yes. No...I don't know" She babbled, her eyes fixed on Rolim's full lips.

"Yes? No? Which is it?"

"No." She repeated, her voice firmer...until she saw the look on his face and turned to run like a rabbit. That's when Rolim first grabbed her wrist, forcing her to stay where she was, and then lifted her chin until she had no choice but to look at him.

"You know I like hunting, Lithoniel." He whispered in her ear, his husky voice sending a shiver through her body. "But it's about time you stop running."

"I'm not run..." She started to protest when he nibbled lightly her earlobe, an area he seemed to like a lot, before kissing her neck.

Lithoniel froze. She tried to escape but she was pressed against the tent by Rolim's hard and heavy body. She stifled a moan when he claimed her lips as they belonged to him and he was just lending them to her momentarily.

The kiss didn't last long, but when he pulled off her mind was completely blank.

"Don't worry about Tinesia." He said, gently stroking her chin with his thumb. "She was just trying to break us apart."

"I know, but Kolvar..."

"He'll come around. He just needs time. Trust me, alright?"

Lithoniel nodded her head obediently.

Rolim grinned. "Maybe I should do this more often."

"Rolim" Lithoniel scolded, half laughing, half pouting as she didn't know how to deal with his new side of him. "Someone could have seen..." She started when Rolim kissed her again.

If the first kiss was short and raw, the second was long and sweet. Rolim took his time exploring her mouth and Lithoniel let him like it was the most natural thing to do and they had done it one hundred of times before. When it was over Rolim looked at her fondly as he caressed her long hair.

"Yes, I should definitely do it more often." His eyes were laughing but something told her he wasn't joking.

She was still absentminded when he started walking away, leaving Lithoniel staring at his back with her mouth wide open and one thought in her mind.

It's really true. The quiet ones are usually the most dangerous.