God Rising: Battle of Atela

The candle's flame appeared in his eyes. He sat straight on the thick velvet cushion seat in the grand dining hall and stared at the lineup of food they both knew they couldn't finish.

Nalia took small bites from her fish supper, and the youthful servers wearing white tunics moved silently to and from the table, keeping the platters and glasses full.

She moved her hair to see if Darren was eating or not and if he'd started reading the love letters she claimed were anonymously composed.

Darren's face was rigid with tension. Two possibilities occupied his head.She didn't guarantee him she'd offer the pearl; he wondered if everything was just a waste of his time and if it was best to let the gem be and move to another. But Artemis's hand…

"Why aren't you eating? It's part of the requirements."

"I don't think I can" His stomach knotted. And he couldn't explain why he was feeling so fidgety when they were left alone.

"Eat sir, Darren. I'll add to the possibility of me lending you the gem."

He gulped, then grabbed the fork and knife before putting a thin beef slice in his mouth.

"When you're done, please look at the letters, and I want you to tell me what you think of them. Also, how you would respond."

Cold sweat glistened on his furrowed brow as he continued to force himself to eat. He didn't want to mess up the only chance he had, and to do that he had to pull himself together.

"I'm ready to read the letters."

"You may begin."

He pulled out the first one, and she commanded him to read it out. She wanted to make sure he reads it and not say a random comment regarding it.

He cleared his throat, "To whom never noticed me. I sympathize your with your pain whenever I see you. The desperation and misery clawing at the little sunshine of your mind, basking it with complete darkness, and leaving your soul quiet and empty like a vacant shell. You helped me overcome my depression once with your sweet words, and I wish I had the chance to do the same to you. You help others, you don't hold a grudge, people say you're weak, but I know you have a strong and forgiving heart. That's what I like about you. I wish people could learn from you and not look at your weaknesses. They should see the positive side of you. Make you grin, give you joy and the harmony you merit. This is the first of my collection, and I'll write more, hoping one they I'll be bold enough to give it to you."

Silence swept the hall, and the breeze hushed by. She was crying, and the words moved Darren. Too bad it wasn't for him.

"Whoever wrote this did a wonderful job."

He said it so casually, but she didn't blame him. She lied about the writer after all.

"There~ are~more" Her voice wavered, and Darren wondered why it made her cry. Maybe she was reminiscing, maybe she hadn't read it herself. Could she read? He pondered deeply on why the princess wanted him to read the letters, and why she didn't do so herself.

The more he read, highlighting his favorite parts of the letter, the princess was happy and also sad.

"You really have a lot of admirers Nalia." His face emanated how impressed he was by the writer(s)

"I don't." It was about time she confessed, "The letters weren't written to me."

Darren was surprised, but her next statement took him to the level of total shock.

"I wrote them to you."

He didn't know what to say. 'Would thank you be enough?'

She sniffled, "I'm sorry, but I couldn't hold it in anymore, I like you. You don't remember our first encounter, but ever since that day, I couldn't stop thinking about you every time we crossed paths. Whenever I can't see you In the academy halls, I picture you with me, helping me conquer my lonely hours. I'm not forcing you to have feelings for me. That wasn't part of the requirements, because I know how impossible it is for someone to have feelings for someone as ugly as me."

Darren parted the thick hair covering her face, and her breath ceased. She didn't notice when he'd gotten up from his seat, and she focused more on the sound of her environment, more than stressing to move her hair every now and then.

"How? When did you…" She wanted an explanation, but she only got a breathtaking smile. Her face heated, and he could feel the warmth of her cheeks as he cupped her round face.

"I like your writing style. Thanks for pouring out how you feel for me, I actually enjoyed reading every word your letter contained. What I want to find out is why you hide your cute face?"

'Cute' she wondered why he was lying.

"I'm not as pretty as Lunar."

"Why do you compare yourself with her."

"Because she's competition."

"Well, not anymore. I like the view before me. I used to play with my mom's hair, so let me see what I can accomplish for you."

She stayed still as he meshed her hair into a decent twofold twist, and he could now observe her face clearly.

"If you hide your face forever, how would people know how pretty you are?"

"You call me pretty, but you don't like me."

He shifted the corner of his lip to the limit then sighed, "It's not only about the looks, princess."

"But the other girls pick on me because of my face."

"Because they're jealous."

"I heard it from some males too…"

"Why don't you try being positive about yourself without waiting for someone to do it for you. Stop hating yourself unnecessarily, Nalia. Don't make the mistakes I did."

"I'll take all you said into consideration because you called me pretty, sir Darren. Thanks for spending time with me"

"Pleasure is mine." He wiped her tears and leaned for a kiss, but withdrew before his lips could touch hers "I'm sorry but... how old are you?"

He ruined the mood.

"You're small and I wanted to make sure…"

"I'm 17."

"Good."

***

"What took you so long?" Artemis asked, but Darren didn't answer. He tossed her hand then showed her the opal.

"I can't believe you did it? When? How? Where?"

He had no interest in answering.

"We should go." He stated, and she tailed him out of the cell. He had flashbacks of the prior night, and it carried a grin to his face, and Artemis was suspicious.

Darren also recalled the promise they both made about their happiness and objectives. He was sure she could do it, and he didn't want to have second thoughts of succeeding in his quest for powers.

As for the fountain, She'll have to work on a medic substitute for the interim, plan an excuse to give the elders and risk getting scolded by them. Aside from that, everything else was okay.

Darren sat astride his horse and headed for the gate while Nalia sat down to compose a letter expressing her absolute gratitude and her wishes for a successful journey "Good luck Sir Darren." She couldn't get him to love her, but she got him to be her first friend.

"Hey!" Artemis called but Darren ignored. "Is someone going to tell me how I can attach my hand back? Zircon? Darren? Come on!!!"

"Is that simple Artemis Rivera, tell him thank you."

She chewed on her lower lip, then called out his name at the top of her lungs. He stopped to look at her, and instead of appreciating him for his kind act, she raised her middle finger then stuck her tongue out.

Zircon opened up, and formed a large "*sigh*"