Elona Bound: Part 15
----- The Return -----
"Welcome to my homeland, welcome to Vabbi, and welcome to the Windswept Haven, our safe refuge nestled on the borders of our enemy's domain. I know this trip has not been easy on any of you, but I hope with this reprieve, you may settled and rest before continuing upon your respective quests."
Ryo looked around as Bella began inspecting his shoulder. "It's beautiful," he said in awe, then winced as Bella's heavy handedness.
Bella smiled at her husband. "At last, a quiet place to be for a bit."
Demitra nodded. "Aye. This place has avoided Joko's gaze, his destructive influences. While there are some Vabbians which praise Joko, it takes little effort (with clear eyes) to see Joko's desecration of the land outside these walls. This place, however..." She stopped herself from going on about the plight Elona faced. It had been a long harrowing journey, and the group'd moral needed rest and recuperation. "Well, there are many places here in which to rest; please make yourself at home."
"I'm never going to get the sand out of... well, everywhere!" Prymi removed sand from her ear. A few chuckled at the Asura's complaint; Khirra calmed her sister down.
Sirinous groaned, came close to stumbling, almost dropping her cain. Bella ran to help prop her up. "I can try to contact my sister; she's a healer. Perhaps she can help?"
Siri nodded, holding onto her chest as she leaned against Orabella. "I need to find a place to change my bandages soon. Not sure... how long I can wait."
Bella looked humbly at the woman. "I can try to assist, if you'll let me."
Siri flushed red. "Um... My wound is in a place... I will allow only a very few to help me with. But thank you for the offer, Bella." Her eyes trailed to Demitra, who witnessed the conversation.
Ember stood beside her, taking in the spectacle of the refuge below. "A new start..." she whispered under her breath. She reached over, took Demitra's absent arm, noticed this, then raised an eyebrow concerned. "Everything okay?"
Demitra turned to her. "Yes; I am tired from the journey, and..." she leaned close to Ember to whisper. "Would it be alright with you if I helped Sirinous? She is injured, and..."
"Fine." Ember interrupted, pulling her arm away from the Elonian's.
Demitra hesitated, worried she had been too bold in her assumptions. Clearly Ember was not okay with this, but Sirinous was injured and needed treating. "I... I shall assist you with your bandages," she announced, replacing Bella as her support.
Siri was red, her voice cracked a bit. "If… If you're okay with that…" Demitra nodded silently.
Bella rejoined her husband. "I guess we should find a spot, set up camp, and rest a bit. That journey was long and me and the baby need some rest." Ryo nodded, helped the woman up onto her griffon, then the couple retreated to the haven.
Khirra was conversing with her sister. "I had told you to wear something more comfortable. It's not my fault you were taken in by Elonian fashion!"
Prymi humfed. "Yeah, well, I still think I should get a refund."
"I'll see you both later," Demitra said. "And I shall find you, Ember, so we may speak." To her chagrin, Ember said nothing. The Elonian sighed, then led Siri to a sanctuary below. Demitra laid the woman down on a small cot, gathered medical supplies, then returned, knelt down and prepped her hands. "Where?" she asked, attempting to shun the awkwardness with seriousness.
"My… My upper thigh; on the inside…" she said as she slipped off her boots and lowered her pants. Her thigh was wrapped in blood-soaked bandages, with a wound traveling from the top of her knee, stopping right before her privates.
Demitra cleared her throat, purposefully subduing any facial expressions at both the wound and the woman's bare nakedness. "What… What happened," she asked, slowly and methodically removing the bandages.
Sirinous winced. "I… was helping the village where I ran into you guys; fighting off those damned Forged a few days ago. A small Forged I didn't see slid between my legs and gave me this while I was locking swords with another. I… I should have been more careful. I was rolling away, and his blade… it was in perfect angle to slice right into my leg."
Demitra removed the bloodied rags, came closer to examine the wound. While it was deep, it looked as though the healing process had already begun. Maybe once a qualified healer worked their magic, it would be but a small blemish on the woman's light complected skin. She took a washcloth, began softly cleaning the wound.
"I almost forgot what it felt like," Sirinous whispered the words, her eyes locked on the Elonian's beauty.
"What do you mean, 'Almost forgot what it felt like?'" Demitra asked as she carefully, gently wrapped the new bandage around the woman.
"Your touch… Your hands…" she smiled slightly.
Demitra froze, blushed deeply. Words escaped her. "I… Um… I am finished," she stammered.
Siri smiled warmly, carefully testing her leg, bending to ensure the bandage allowed for a small amount of mobility. "Thank you, Demitra. Can you help me up?"
The Elonian nodded, helping Siri to her feet, pulling her bodily onto herself and shifting all weight onto her. Attempting pressure by standing, Siri quickly stumbled and fell, her face landing in Demitra's cleavage.
"This a bad time?" Ember's voice erupted.
Demitra was a caught child. She released the woman instinctively, almost knocking her down in her scramble. "E- Ember!" The shriek was almost inaudible.
Ember frowned.
"Her wound…" Demitra stuttered, trying to explain, she was suddenly very aware Siri still stood without pants. "Her wound… It's lower… I needed to…"
Ember sighed, disheartened. "No… I get it," she said stoically. "She was there before…"
Demitra took an imploring step forward. "No, that's not what this is…" She glanced over her shoulder at Siri. "I need to… I must leave you to recover."
Siri slid on her pants. "Sure. We… We can talk later; I should go talk to Prymi anyway." She grabbed her staff, limped past the frozen scene.
Ember stared unblinkingly at Demitra, then finally held up her hands after Siri left the room. "I… Uh, I can leave you be… I can just leave you… and her, if that's what you want."
Demitra rushed to the woman, grasping her outstretched hands, stared lovingly into her eyes. "Ember… Shut up," she said as she pulled Ember to her and kissed her passionately.
Ember yelped at the surprise, and a zap of electricity felt from the woman's lips and tongue. While she wondered if this was a side effect from their recent event that happened to her, she melted in Demitra's embrace.
After a long exchange, Demitra pulled back, smiling her thick full lips. "I'm… I'm so sorry for that," she whispered.
"What… What was that," she gestured toward the scene she'd witnessed. "You… and her…"
Demitra sighed. "Sometimes the past, it seems… is not 'just the past,' but that appearance was like one of my illusions: it was simply not true."
Ember's brow furrowed. "But she wasn't wearing pants!"
"Her wound was below her waist; her inner thigh. I had to get to the dressing and reapply the bandages, Ember. There was nothing more than that." Demitra tilted her head to the side, placed her palm on Ember's warm cheek. "There won't be… Ever with Sirinous. She was someone I could see myself forming something with. That opportunity, however, was fleeting. She chose to stay in Tyria. I left for Elona; left that in the past. And then… Then I found you, Ember."
Ember nodded slowly, her worrisome expression gradually changing.
Demitra continued. "You remember when we first met, Ember? When you and I first truly talked?"
"You mean that night in Amnoon?"
"Aye. For the first time in a long while the stars were aligned the way they should be. While it may have simply been the locale, I believe, more than that, they were aligned because I met you."
Ember rubbed the back of her neck, reddened from the compliment. "I… I guess you're right…"
Demitra pulled the woman back to her, looked deeply down into her red eyes. "I shall not let someone with an infatuation for what might have been get in the way of… of my feelings now," she whispered the last part.
"Good," Ember nodded. "Then I won't let… uh… Cinder get in the way!"
The Elonian giggled.
"What? Just watch her! Cinder will try!"
Demitra pressed her body against Ember's. "I won't let Siri, Cinder, or anything else… Not the Forged, not crazed Djinn… nothing separate us now. This, I promise to you, Ember."
Ember squeezed Demitra. "I'm… I'm so glad you are so on board with me," she said cheerfully.
"And are you not 'on board' with me?'" Demitra joked. "I saw your reaction to Siri and I, the smoke rising from your head."
"But, well… she was gonna grab you! I could see what was gonna happen!"
"Have faith in me, Ember. Besides, as I know you, would you not have set her arm on fire for the act?"
"Not just her arm," Ember grinned impishly.
Demitra laughed. "So, you are 'on board with me' as well?"
Ember looked up into Demitra's emerald eyes, seriously, solemnly. "Yeah. You are stuck with me."
A loving smile came to Demitra. "Good," she said as they held each other.
Both women retired to a more intimate setting, gave in to a night of passionate romance that one only finds after that romance is questioned. Neither wanted to say the words, but both knew it to be true. In their darkest places, most treacherous journey, most challenging social awkwardness; they had found blossoming love in the deserts of Elona.
To Be Concluded...
