Helon stood guard outside the classroom. He'd been standing there for a couple of hours but time had run fast with so many new sights to behold. That morning when the General had ordered him to go topside immediately, he was shocked but welcomed it, especially when Duncan had been allowed to go as well.
Everything was so much cleaner here. It was strange. Students gave him looks, which he enjoyed. Dark-elves were not common in Arathorn, and on top of that he was a Krisric. Unlike others of his kind, Krisric's had black raven hair instead of white and his eyes glowed like pure gold instead of dark red. Helon remembered his mother telling him how high-elves grew jealous because of the dark-elves beauty. Probably one of the many reasons why Erolith despised him so. At this moment it didn't matter. He was here and Daro was not. That stuck-up elf was probably still recovering at the healers after his fight with Senjumon. A smirk escaped his lips when he thought about it.
Suddenly the door behind him swung open and the girl he'd escorted earlier ran past him and disappeared around the corner.
"Trisphyra! Come back!" Guprix shouted after her.
Helon stood fast, not sure what to do. His orders were to guard the Master, but an itch at the back of his head urged him to follow the girl. The old elf seemed distraught, breathing heavily, "Foolish girl!"
"Everything alright, my lord?"
"Did you see where she went?"
Helon hesitated for a split second, "N-No, sir. I wasn't paying attention."
Guprix cursed to himself, rolling a flower in his hand. It was black, almost as if it had been scourged.
"Well, help me find her then."
"My advice when a girl runs away is to leave her alone, sir." He chuckled.
The master glared at him. Helon immediately cleared his throat. "I didn't ask for your advice." Guprix sneered, "She's no ordinary girl either. Her situation is unstable and it's important that she gets back here immediately."
Helon nodded, "Of course, sir."
"I'll go check by the Merge, that's where she usually goes. You check this floor." He ordered.
"Yes, sir."
Guprix stormed downstairs. Helon waited for his steps to fade out before he went to the corner he last saw the girl. His keen senses picked up a faint but distinct scent. It was musky and sweet, like a forest flower. He decided to pursue it.
Although he'd been introduced to the layout of the upper levels, he was amazed at how large it was, especially in height. He climbed stairs for what felt like an eternity. Sightings of students and teachers became scarce. The sound of leaves and birds took over. The marble floor became thick tree branches wide enough for twenty people to walk beside one another. The girl's scent blended well with this nature, but years of training allowed him to stay on the right path. He spotted stone platforms being held by the enormous branches. To think that this place had stood the same for so many centuries. It was hard to not stop and admire it all.
Trisphyra had found herself by a small circular pool of water, surrounded by stone pillars covered by moss. She was leaning against one of them, sobbing. Her whole body was shaking from exhaustion. Her palms were stinging from the burns. It had taken all of her energy to conjure that stupid shield. The flower had crumbled immediately when the attacks came, yet Master Gurpix had kept going. She'd been able to hold the shield up quite a few times but when she'd asked him to stop he'd simply ignored her.
She felt helpless. Angry with both herself and her Master. Could nothing for once just work her way?
Suddenly, a strange sensation went down her spine. She sat up from the stone and looked around. A wind swept through, creating ripples in the water. A whisper came through from the water, "Someone's coming."
She wasn't sure if she'd heard correctly.
"There you are." A voice spoke. She turned her gaze from the water and towards the entrance. His golden eyes inspected her closely. Trisphyra slowly stood up. Helon knew what she was planning, he'd seen that look a million times. As soon as she tried to dart away from him, he grabbed her wrist firmly, but not so hard as to hurt her. Her hair swung around her head as she turned to look at him, clearly amazed that he managed to get her so fast, but those wide blue eyes soon flickered into anger. She tried to pull free. It was Helon's turn to be surprised, "Hey, hey! Where are you going?" He tried to calm her down.
"Let go of me!"
"Calm down." He kept his voice low.
"No, I'm not going back there!"
Without so much as an effort he pulled her in close, grabbing her other wrist. He glared at her with a puzzled look, "Who said I'm taking you back anywhere?" He noticed the burns on her palms, "Did he do this to you?"
She did another try to pull free and this time he let her go. Her eyes flared at him. No one had ever treated her this way before. Despite her anger, his look of concern melted all of it away. She looked down at her palms, red and bruised. The tears came back and she felt her knees give away once more. Helon was quick to move to her side, keeping her upright.
"I got you. It's okay." He picked her up and looked for a place to put her. His eyes caught sight of a soft patch right by a small purling waterfall. The girl was still sobbing in his arms. He never recalled a moment when he had to comfort someone and felt a bit out of place, but he had to try.
"At this point I think it's about time we introduce ourselves, huh? My name is Helon."
"You don't know my name?" She said as if he'd just asked the most ridiculous question.
He chuckled, "Not yet, but I'd like to."
"I thought all guards who worked for Guprix knew who I was."
"Like I said, I'm just taking orders."
He sensed her scoff slightly in his arms and couldn't help but smile.
"It's Trisphyra."
"Trisphyra." He tasted the name in his mouth, "I like it."
He settled her down on the patch and opened his hands to her, "May I take a look?"
Nothing about this man felt threatening to her anymore, so she lended him her hands. They fitted perfectly in his palms. He leaned in closer. Trisphyra felt her cheeks flush. She could almost feel his breath on her. Again, almost as if he had a sixth sense, he peeked up at her and smiled. She looked away.
"The burns don't look too severe." He gently caressed her palm with his thumb. She winced, "Still hurts though."
"I can take you to the healers if you want."
She sighed, "I don't think I wanna go anywhere right now."
"Very well then." He stood up and took his helmet out, turning it upside down. He waddled a few steps out into the pool and began filling it with water. Once it was filled he gave it to Trisphyra, "Stick your hands in there. It should help a little."
"Sir, you didn't have to-"
"Please, call me Helon. At least when it's just the two of us, and yes I had to."
He decided to sit down on the grass in front of where she was and let her inspect him. Her eyes lingered on him for a while. She was very shy, that much was clear. However, her face was like an open book and he could tell she was curious about him.
She dipped her hands in the cold water and gritted her teeth at the pain. After a while it became soothing and she felt herself relax at last. Helon was looking out on the water, playing with a straw he found on the ground. As her shallow breaths faded he glanced in her direction. She seemed a bit ashamed, turning away from him as soon as their eyes met. Why wasn't he asking her any questions? Any other guard would've urged her to go back to her room by now. Instead, Helon seemed so relaxed. He was gazing at the nature around him. She could see how his eyes took in everything he saw. Almost in the same way she does. This time when he looked at her again, she didn't turn away. He smiled, "You seem to have something on your mind."
"You're a… dark-elf?"
"Dark-elf, cave-elf, we have a few names but yes, I am."
"Yet you seem different, somehow."
"That's a bold statement." He leaned in closer towards her. "I think I'd say the same thing about you. Why?"
"I can't say I've seen many of your kind around. Dark-elves like caves and dark places."
"Really?"
"As far as I've been told, I guess." She blushed.
He chuckled, "That's where my ancestors used to live but I guess you can say my family has moved past that. Ever heard of the Krisric's?"
She stayed silent again, a little embarrassed. Helon rested his head on one of his hands, "You know, for a student of Arathorn you seem to be a little out of knowledge, my lady."
Tris sighed sadly, "I know."
His face shifted, "Shit!" He cussed to himself. "I made her upset. Great job, you moron!" He sat up, "It's fine. I mean- I-I'm sorry." He laughed at himself, "Guess I'm a little out of knowledge myself when it comes to talking to… people who aren't recruits."
She giggled and his heart skipped a beat, "I guess we can learn a thing or two from each other in that case."
"I think so too, Trisphyra."
They smiled at each other and sat in comfortable silence for a while. Both were new to the sensation. Trisphyra looked down on her hands, the redness had already started to fade.
"I hope your helmet doesn't rust." She said jokingly.
He seemed amused and raised an eyebrow, "Don't worry about it. In the worst case, the General will order me to make a new one."
"Oh!" She definitely didn't want him to be in trouble and poured out the water, handing the helmet back to him as she knelt down beside him.
"No, no! Please, it's alright." he placed his hand on top of hers. They both noticed how she wasn't in pain anymore and let go of the helmet. It rustled loudly as it fell to the ground.
"What the?!" Helon inspected her hands, there was no trace of the burn. No redness, no blisters. Nothing. "How?" He asked her.
"I-I don't know." She looked at her palms, they were still wet and cold from the water. Her head turned to the pool beside them, whispering to herself, "Master Guprix said I had a special connection to water. That would explain it."
"Not even the healing spirits work that fast with such an injury." He exclaimed and smirked, "Maybe I'll start coming to you after my training routines."
"Please don't say that, I'm nothing compared to the nurses."
There was a slight disappointment in her voice as she said that. Helon picked up on it immediately. He grabbed her hands and held them up. Trisphyra met his gaze.
"This isn't nothing." He gestured to her palms, "I may be a simple soldier but I've seen my fair share of what healing magic can do. THIS is something."
She took her hands back over her chest, "You're starting to sound like Master Guprix."
"Is that a good thing?" He asked nervously.
"You admire me for abilities I have yet to show." She stood up, "I'm not sure how much more of this I can take."
She heard him chuckle and looked at him slightly offended. He was shaking his head as he stood up, smiling at her apologetically, "I know that feeling all too well."
"You do?" She asked.
"The pressure, I mean. When they have such high expectations that they've already planned everything you're going to do before you even thought about that yourself. It's exhausting. You never hear the end of it." He looked down, afraid he'd revealed too much. It was probably the first in a long time that he'd talked about this with anyone.
"What do they expect of you?" She asked. His words had struck with her. He'd put it so clearly. She'd never imagined anyone would understand. He took a pose, inspecting the pool of water, "Look at me and tell me what you see."
Her eyes went up and down. She pondered for a moment before she answered, "A knight. Strong and determined. A man who believes he can take on anything."
"You flatter me." Amused at her forwardness.
"Yet… someone who seems… alone."
His smile faded for a moment as he felt his gut twirl. In an attempt to cover up his emotions he chuckled, "Well, I did ask, I suppose."
Trisphyra began playing with a string of her hair, sensing the awkwardness, "I'm sorry. That was insensitive of me."
"No, that's okay. I appreciate your honesty. My point is, people take one look at me and decide for me what I am before I get a chance to do so myself. See what I mean?"
"I do. My situation is a bit different, however."
He crossed his arms and leaned in closer, clearly curious, "How, you mean?"
As she opened her mouth she caught herself and turned away, "I'm not sure if I can say. I might get us both in trouble if I do. I'm sorry. You've been so open with me thus far and yet I cannot share a single thing in return." She cursed herself. Her first ever real conversation with a normal student and it had to be like this.
Sensing her stress, Helon looked around for something to take her mind off of it. He found just the thing. Smiling, he went over to a pack of flowers growing out of the stem wall.
"Don't be hard on yourself, Trisphyra." He pulled a bouquet free, "I understand your situation with Guprix makes things perhaps… complicated."
She had to peek to see what he was doing. A handful of flowers were presented to her. Her eyes turned to Helon, who was smiling at her, "He doesn't seem easy to deal with. I won't push any further if that makes you uncomfortable."
"Thank you." She took the bouquet, "You're very kind. I wish I could tell you but-"
"There might be another time for that." He winked. She smiled shyly, feeling her cheeks heat up.
"Now isn't this an interesting surprise." A voice came from the branches above them. As they looked up they could see the shape of a slender female figure. She jumped down. A high-elf with black hair, standing at 5'7 feet tall. Her big hazel eyes inspected them whilst biting her lower lip with a smirk.
"Helon Krisric and Trisphyra Lathalas. Both high up in the treetops in my humble abode."
"Who-" Helon couldn't ask before she leaned forward and interrupted, "Now you always come across as such a wise-man, Krisric! Guess?" She grinned.
It dawned on him and he pointed at her, "You're Taenya Joharice! Head of the Agents!"
"Very gooooood. You don't disappoint, do you?"
Trisphyra looked between the both of them in confusion. Taenya pouted her lips and petted the moon-elf on the head like one pets a dog, "Aww, hasn't Lombard talked anything about me?"
"I don't-" She stuttered, not amused by her gesture. Helon took a step forward and the high-elf backed away. She rolled her eyes, "I suppose he's turned into a bit of a stuck-up ever since he became Head of the Mages." Her head turned to them both again, "You should see how he's ravaging on down there. He really wants to find you, child."
"Lady Trisphyra doesn't wish to see the Master right now." Helon tried to disclose.
"Oh but that's not really up to her, is it?" Taenya put on a fake smile.
Helon could finally understand the stories he'd heard of the lady. Many students call her crazy-eye because of the way her expression always seems so unhinged. She was known to be unpredictable, but what could one expect from an Agent of Arathorn? They were the school's spies and infiltrators. No news escaped them.
"You should thank me, actually." She continued, "If it wasn't for my little bird's misleads, Guprix would've found you both a long time ago."
"Why would you do that?" Helon asked.
She shrugged, "I like to mess with Lunie. I understand he was particularly rough this morning." Gesturing to Trisphyra. The moon-elf looked down on flowers in her hands. Taenya chuckled, "I think he's learned his lesson by now. If you want to get out of this easily I suggest you both come with me downside. He'll be more angry with me if I show up with you."
"Are you going to tell…" Trisphyra was afraid to even ask.
Taenya gazed upwards as she pondered on the question. She smirked, "Nah. I have a better story."
She crossed her arms behind her back and began leading them away, "Come now, children. This is the area for the agents, after all. You're not allowed to be here unless you train."
Helon and Trisphyra walked quietly behind her. The moon-elf hugged the flowers. They somehow made her feel better. Was it the flowers themselves or was it because of…
She looked at the dark-elf. He noticed her eyes and smiled back. She whispered, "Do you think she'll keep her word?"
Helon had to lean down in order to hear her properly, "I don't think we have much choice. How are you feeling?"
"Better, I think. Nothing hurts."
"You look like it. I'm glad."
"Thank you."
"Anytime, my Lady."
Her shoulders tensed up, almost as if she was holding something back.
"What is it?" He asked her.
"Will- Will I see you around often?" She kept her eyes on the ground. Embarrassed to ask such a thing.
Helon hated the answer he had to give her and sighed, "I- I'm afraid not. The General has only permitted me to patrol the Upper Levels once a week."
A part of her felt relief. She'd feared his reason would be something different, "That's okay." She smiled up at him, "I guess I'll try to see you again next week, then?"
A spark of joy lit inside of him, "I'd like that very much."
Taneya pretended not to hear the conversation. She was amused. This was going to be interesting, for sure.
Once they came down to the merge, all eleven hells had broken loose. Guprix had gathered six guards to accompany him in the search, spread out across the area. Helon could see Duncan among them. The half-elf's eyes widened as he saw them approach.
"Hey, fuck-face!" Taenya shouted to the Master.
Guprix turned around angrily, clearly upset by the name but his face turned even more grim when he laid eyes upon the agent and rushed over. Trisphyra instinctively took a step backwards, bumping into Helon. He placed his hand on her back and she felt herself calm down.
"Joharice!" Guprix roared.
"Lombard!" She answered in amusement.
"What is the mea-"
"Ah ah ah ah." She hushed and grabbed his chin, giving him a peck on the cheek, "Good to see you too, Lunie."
Both Trisphyra and Helon looked at each other with wide eyes. What was happening?
Guprix was taken aback and dried off his cheek with the back of his hand. Taenya looked as smug as always.
"Guess I shouldn't be surprised."
"That I always have to pick up after you? Nah, I guess you shouldn't at this point."
"You always meddle in other people's business." He looked behind the high-elf, "Trisphyra."
"I found the lady quite distressed so I gave her a tour of the treetops. She seemed to quite enjoy it. I thought you were supposed to take care of her, Lunie? I have enough on my plate."
Guprix approached his pupil. She was avoiding his eyes. He took a deep breath, "May I see your hands?"
"I'm fine, Master."
"Let me see."
He took her hand. There was no trace of any burns. He spoke with a cold voice, "I told you."
"I'm sorry."
"I'm just glad you're alright." He softened and turned to Helon, "I told you to bring her to me."
Helon was about to answer but Taenya stepped in, "Oh, he tried." she answered, "But I ordered him to stand down. He was a good little dog and followed along as I showed her the premise."
"I'm sorry, sir." The dark-elf lowered his head.
Guprix looked between the two, trying to dissect the truth.
"What is the meaning of this?" The clopping sound of hoofs echoed through the buildings. General Ismastis came trotting towards them, "I hear my guards have been taking off their routes."
Both Taeyna and Guprix pointed at the other. The centaur snarled and rolled her eyes, "You're both wasting my time! How many times have I been forced to leave my grounds because of you two?"
"But Ponytail." Taenya grinned, "Lunie here apparently needed them to find his lost student."
"That SHE kept away from me!"
"I've been told she fled the classroom."
All three started to shout amongst each other. The guards and students around them didn't know what to do but look amongst themselves in confusion. Helon felt Trisphyra shake beneath his palm. She was clutching the flowers desperately. He swallowed and took a step forward. All three Masters looked at him. He turned to his General, "I'm sorry. This is all my fault. Had I done my job properly and stopped the girl from running away in the first place we wouldn't be in this situation. I'll accept whatever punishment you bestow upon me."
Ismastis sighed, "I warned you, Krisric. Any minor slip-up and you'd be out."
"No!" Trisphyra whispered underneath her breath, "He didn't do anything wrong!" She shouted. Guprix stared at her in disbelief. This was the first time she'd ever raised her voice. Her eyes lowered, "Both he and Master Joharice tried to take me back but I wouldn't let them. I… If you're going to punish anyone, it should be me. I'm at fault for all this."
There was a long paus. Helon wanted to approach her but had to hold himself back. Everyone was watching.
"Well." Taenya was the first to break the silence, "The girl has a reputation for running away. She ain't easy to deal with, your delicate flower." She smirked at Guprix.
He didn't answer but kept staring at Trisphyra, "You know I don't tolerate disobedience."
"I know, Master." The girl answered.
"But." He sighed, "I admit we may have crossed a line this morning."
'You mean, you did.' Helon thought to himself.
"It's okay, Master. I'm fine now."
The old elf turned to his colleagues, "Perhaps we should simply put this behind us?"
"I don't think so." Aaliyah of the Elder Council emerged from the staircase, accompanied by a handful of soldiers. Unlike Helon, Duncan and the other guards who wore silverplate, these wore the iconic white armor of Arathorn.
The three Masters bowed to her. She looked amongst the people below her. This commotion had to be solved quickly. Disarray amongst the ranks could not be tolerated.
"General. Lombard. Joharice. Please come with me." She tapped her staff, "The rest of you, be on your way. Back to your duties."
"You two." Ismastis turned to Helon and Trisphyra, "Stay here."
The crowd scattered. Trisphyra could feel the eyes on her.
Duncan walked up to Helon who still looked after the Master ascending the stairs.
"Are you in trouble?" He asked his friend. Helon ignored his question and grabbed Trishpyra's arm, "Why did you do that?"
"I won't let you take the blame for me. It's not right."
"I can take the punishment! You-"
"As can I!" She snarled, "There's little else he can do to me at this point." Her eyes turned to her hands.
"Trisphyra…" He pleaded.
"I appreciate your help. I really do." She smiled, "But please don't assume you have to step in every time. I don't want you to get in trouble."
"Hey." He spoke softly this time, Cupping her cheek, forcing her to look at him. He smiled gently, with that playful look in his eyes that she'd come to recognize, "It's no trouble if I get to do it for you, my lady." He proceeded to kiss her hand, not breaking eye contact, "But I understand. I will follow your wishes."
"T-Thank you." She stuttered, taken by his gesture.
"Ahem!" Duncan tried to fleek in, "Care to fill me in here?"
Trisphyra immediately pulled her hand back. Helon kept smirking.
"Sir, Duncan! I hope my Master wasn't too hard on all of you."
"He is one stressed man, that's for sure. Funny you were able to avoid that, Helon! How did you two come by each other by the way?"
The dark-elf shrugged, "I'm just lucky."
Trisphyra felt her heart flutter at his comment. Duncan seemed to remain unamused, "Mhm. Great. Pray the General won't be on your ass."
"She looked very angry." She couldn't help but to comment.
"Nah." Helon dismissed, "She just looks that way."
"I guess she and the Master have that in common. Maybe that's why they get on each other's nerves." She chuckled. Both the men looked at her. Helon raised an eyebrow. This girl kept growing on him. Duncan scoffed, "That's actually kinda funny."
She tensed up, "I didn't mean to offend."
"Don't worry, my lady." Duncan crossed his arms, "In the lower grounds we always joke about our commanders."
Helon leaned in closer to her, "You'd fit right in with us."
"Strange." She muttered, "Other guards have said I wouldn't like the lower grounds very much."
"You like me, don't you?" Helon asked.
"I do." She smiled shyly.
"Then you'll love it." He whispered.
Duncan smacked him on the shoulder, "Please, if half the soldier acted like you, we'd never have an army in the first place."
Helon laughed and grabbed his friend around the neck, rubbing his head, "No, half the army would kick the other half's ass. Perhaps then it'd be a proper one."
"You always have to win every argument, don't you?" Duncan responded jokingly and tried to fend his friend off.
Trisphyra felt so relaxed all of a sudden. She wasn't used to this sort of openness amongst students. Helon easily held Duncan down while the half-elf swung his arms around in an effort to pull free. Seeing the two fight brought out a laugh from her lips. It filled Helon's ears and he froze, looking at her. Even the flowers in her arms seemed to enjoy the sound.
"Lady Trisphyra." An aquanian man approached, interrupting their fun. His blue skin was highlighted by the colorful clothing he wore. This was Veheres Manral, one of the lead mages who taught at Arathorn. He reached out his webbed hand, "I've been told to escort you to my class this evening. I'm afraid Master Lombard will be quite busy the rest of the day." He spoke with a heavy but charming accent.
"What about us?" Duncan asked.
"You are to resume your guard duty or report back to your commanders. That's all."
Trisphyra grabbed his hand and got pulled along. She turned to look at Helon one last time. He waved and smiled. She had no idea how scared he was that he might never get to act as guard again after this.