AUTHOR'S POV
"You both will let me die after all we've been through?!", Vesta grunted as she land heavy punches with her fists on the two paladins. "You jerks!", she infuriatingly shouted as the two men snickered in laughter. Then, she cleared her throat and set her eyes back on Helena. "We haven't been properly introduced. I'm Lady Vesta of Aria, paladin crusader of the Kingdom of Nether.".
"Alesso of Beorg, the greatest paladin of all", Alesso brushed his hair back and offered his hand to Helena, but Stellan took his hand instead and gripped it tightly.
"Nice to meet you Alesso, greatest paladin of all", Stellan glared at the wincing paladin archer.
Helena chuckled softly, admiring the friendship of these three share. It was a kind of bond that she share with Atrius, Jacomus, Ottis and Umbriel. At this moment, she couldn't help but miss her friends. "Helena… of Aelmere. Daughter of Tris and Gaius".
"Hmm… Humbling.", Vesta squinted her eyes on Helena, admiring her modesty given that she's one strong celestial soul traveler capable of great things. "Pleasure to meet you Helena. And I send my gratitude for saving my life. I am not fond of soul travelers, if you must know but after what I've seen, I may have a change of heart. Come along, we shall be partners from now. I'd love to fight alongside of you.. Forget Stellan, he's a dumbass fighter….", Vesta continued as she drag Helena away.
They all trudged down the mountains, on their way back to the rebel camp. As they look over the cliff, they found two dark cloaked ghastly figures and a few men on horses engaged in a rumble. There's no other way but to take this particular path. After all, being with not just one but three paladins, Helena no longer feels fear... and with Helena, the dark healers no longer concerns the paladins.
"I hope you all don't hate flying", Helena gathered the strongest gust of the winds, circling in the ether. "See you all down there", she jumped down as she float in the air. Stellan immediately jumped off without a blink of an eye, following Helena. Alesso turned around and laid down in the cushion of cool breeze as he winked at Vesta, falling down with style. Vesta, who never adores heights, groaned at Helena's daring idea. With eyes tightly closed and her labrys tucked on her back, she jumped off the cliff screaming at top of her lungs.
"Let's not do that again", Vesta almost died of anxiety from that free fall. She could feel her legs have gotten wobbly, as she catch her breath. Eyes up, everyone was already vigilant with the hollering piercing tones the dark healers cry out. Realizing the men who the dark healers were chasing out were actually General Aether and some royal knights, Vesta scoffed a laugh for a deserved destiny the traitors get to have.
Trapped in her own body where she could see and hear everything but could never intervene, Vesta have seen before how Aether became the King's loyal and uncouth dog. The general followed Galen's every order, and answers to his every call. She thought he's dangerous that way, who blindly adheres to the King without an ounce of conscience. Seemingly, they were all cursed with the stone petrification power of the dark healer's wrath. "I think our job is done here", Vesta said as she watch them run for their lives.
"Helena, shall we put our archery lessons to practice?", Alesso handed over his bow to Helena, encouraging her to hit the dark healers with a few bolts of her power.
Helena bit her lip at the great expectation placed upon her. She's no expert in handling weapons, especially firing arrows. Besides, she only tried to successfully fire an energy arrow once... and never tried to do it ever again. With a lump in her throat, she held the bow at a fine stance... and exhaled from her pursed lips. She stretched out two arrows, and peered at her targets.
Suddenly, Stellan held her hand with the bow and turned it horizontally. He then stood right behind her, with his head by her shoulder. "This would work just fine", he whispered, as Helena release the arrows after being flustered from Stellan's warm breath blowing in her ear. Vesta rolled her eyes at the paladin knight's boldness towards Helena, yet, she couldn't be more happier to see him at this state. Alesso snorted in aloofness realizing that Stellan is simply building barricades around Helena, like a wolf marking his territory.
Surprisingly, Helena's arrows hit the dark healers straight to their heads as they dissipate in the air. Tired and hurt, Aether stumbled on the snow clutching on his burned arm. The other royal knights couldn't even lift a finger, from both the biting cold and exruciating pain from the dark healers' dark orbs.
"Way to go!", Alesso nodded in awe.
Seeing Aether and his knights wailing in pain as they crumble on the deep snow, Helena felt anguish and naturally, felt the urge to heal them. "I should heal them", Helena said that surprised the paladins.
"Don't even think about.", Vesta bring Helena to a halt. "They are here for you, do you know that?"
Helena thought that even enemies deserve a chance at life. "They are people too", Helena's eyes were screaming with fire of her desire to help the others.
"Helena, if you heal them and they attack, we will not think twice to kill them", Stellan reasoned out.
"Let the natural way of their demise do its course", Alesso said.
Helena lowered her gaze, remembering how she healed Galen from his deathbed. She didn't know Galen would end up to be atrociously vile, and yet, she doesn't regret the deed that she have done. Her kindness shall continue on, that whenever she's around… everyone gets a chance to be healed. "Then we'll see if we would still get that point", Helena left Stellan's side and approached Aether who's grimacing in pain. Before she laid her hand on him, she senses someone by the foot of the mountain.
Bloody yet healed, Celeste appeared with her hands raised in the air. Glaring with heavier angst and torments, she mumbled a chant that filled the air until the words were audibly heard. "Descendere Nivis… Facere Montem Cadentem! Descendere Nivis… Facere Montem Cadentem!!", she uttered repeatedly.
"That's Celeste", Helena was surprised to see the sorceress still alive.
"What is she saying?", Vesta squinted her eyes looking back.
With a disturbing malevolent guffaw, Aether he clasped on his arm staring blankly at Helena. "You are all going to die here.", he coughed some blood with his eyes looking fixedly on Helena. "We are all going to die!!".
"Shut up!", Alesso grunted.
The earth began to shook, and the winds violently blew. Helena tried to control the current of the air, but Celeste's power was stronger. Alesso fired energy arrows however, his arrows didn't even reached halfway to Celeste. The winds became more brutal, that their legs slip a few feet. Vesta strongfully bashed her labrys on the ground and held on it tightly, avoiding being blown away.
Moments later, they heard a loud roar coming from the mountains. The ground suddenly feels hollow underfoot. Even with the whistles of the strong winds, they could hear the sound of the snow collapsing. And then, a large mass of snow slid down the mountain slope, headed to their direction. It picked up a speed as it move downhill creating a river of snow.
"Helena!!!", Stellan widened his eyes as he call for Helena, who's out of his reach.
"Stellan!!", Helena kept her head low, as she slid away from Stellan. Her tiny legs couldn't stay in place.
"Vesta! We have to let go!", Alesso thought it's best to let go and ride the wind, or else they will all end up get buried in the chunkc of ice. Vesta was unsure, but she have more trust on Alesso than herself. And so, they both let go before the avalanche devastate the lower ground.
More winds challenged Helena, until she could no longer bear the turbulent act of nature. She realized that she should have not left Stellan's side. For the first time, the wind does neither listen to sound of her voice, nor obey the flick of her hands.
Amplified with his aura, the paladin knight moved his legs towards Helena as hard as he could, however, he only ends up sliding away from her. He wouldn't want to let go along with Alesso and Vesta, without Helena in his arms. With his eyes on her, he grunted heavily as he kept trying to get to her until the mass of snow buried them both.