The Anthology of Erythis Firestorm: Six

The Anthology of Erythis Firestorm

Six

Sub-Tags: [Erythis][Kainn][Melathara][Katsin][Viletta][Sparring][Drama][Domestic Violence(Mild)][Romance]

  "Is that the best you can do? How pathetic!" Viletta Sunlancer held her sword in two hands. The blade, large and stained a deep violet, was made of ornate steel and had a swirling cut-out in the shape of a heart. It was nothing like traditional Sin'dorei weaponry, but the knight seemed to know her way around a broadsword. She charged at her opponent, who was masked and covered, head-to-toe, in deep crimson armor. The two clashed, the femme-knight's eyes glowing ferociously. She was out for blood; when steel met with steel, she gave an animalistic growl and yelled out in her fury. The eyes of a killer were ever present, and set on the man before her, in all of his silence. They fought, and fought. Viletta never seemed to tire, and never once faltered. It was the male knight who first initiated a cease with the removal of his helm. Beneath it, long crimson locks emerged and framed a handsome face: that of the Duke of Felo'Danil, Katsin Firestorm. 

     "Sweetheart, please. This is going to go on forever." He held out his hand, flashing a broad smile. 

     "I. Don't. Care. If you're tired, that's your problem!" She laughed at him in that shrill voice and made another charge, but for an instance, she let her guard down. He kicked her, square in the stomach, with one of his heavily plated boots. Flying, the knight shrieked out in pain and crashed against the stone floor. There was a moment of silence after her yelp, and eventually, Katsin approached his fallen bride and scooped her up into his arms. Her armor, while still made of sturdy-plated steel, was lighter than his, to allow more mobility. 

     "Are you finished, now?" The male knight spoke in a softer tone, cradling his lady tenderly.

     "Yeah-..." She coughed a few times, shuddering. "You win. For now." He carried her over to a nearby divan and lowered her, kneeling upon her side. Though instead of showing gratitude, she reached up and flicked at her betrothed's nose. "I'm still better than you."

     "You're crazy, you know that? You looked like you wanted to kill me."  At the very corner of the room near one of the entrances, Erythis Firestorm had been listening from behind a curtain. Her presence was not known to them, and she intended to keep it that way. She listened, feeling pangs of worry as their conversation continued. What if Viletta had wanted to kill her brother? Before she knew it, her mind started to build on newfound conspiracies. She craned her neck, just enough to peer over at the two without standing out, and saw them then, kissing. The heiress, in her disgust, turned and walked away.

~*~*~*~*~*~

     "Viletta the Vile!" Melathara Firestorm was fuming, regarding her twin with frustration. "Do you know what she did, earlier?"

     "What did she do?" Erythis listened fairly calmly, sitting on the edge of her sister's bed. 

     "I was having a conversation with one of the retainers, and she strolls up and starts batting her lashes at him, like some sort of-...harlot. She was flirting with him!"

     "Does brother know?"

     "Of course not."

     "Well-...we should tell him, shouldn't we?"

     "Why? You see how they are. He'll just say that we misunderstood what we saw and take her side. Oh, Katsin, I wasn't flirting. He was hitting on me, and I was trying not to be rude! That's what she'll say. And then he'll just look into those doe-eyes and fall for it. Can you believe she's going to live here? I'm going to go insane!"

     "Calm down, Mel. I'll see if I can talk to him."

     "If anyone can get through to him, you can. You're his favorite. Well, second favorite, now." Erythis couldn't help but sneer. It would seem both twins were feeling certain tugs of envy. 

     "I'm meeting with someone, and then-"

     "Meeting with someone? Who, your new boyfriend?"

     "He's not my boyfriend, just my date."

     "Be careful, or Viletta the Vile might swoop in and bat her eyes at him!"

     "That's not funny." Erythis shook her head dismissively and exited her sister's chamber, entering her own a few strides down the hall. For a moment, she needed silence. And in that silence, came an idea. 

~*~*~*~*~*~

     "You want me to do what, exactly?" The man named Kainn sat upon the park bench with one leg crossed over the over, leaning back and looking at Erythis with a perplexed expression. 

     "All four of us will sit down, and I'll make a reason for brother to excuse himself. During that time, I'll bet you she hits on you. And when she does, you'll make a remark as soon as he gets back. The woman is evil. I can't let him marry her."

     "Evil seems a little strong. Are you sure you're not just jealous about losing him?" The heiress paces back in forth, seeming a bit frantic. 

     "First of all, I would never lose him. And second of all, you don't know her. You haven't seen what we've seen. She's certifiably crazy."

     "I've been told that I'm a little crazy. And yet here you are. Why do I have to do all this? I said I'd take you to the wedding; you wanted to go, didn't you? And now you don't want there to be a wedding? It's all very confusing. I didn't sign up for family antics."

     "You don't understand! My brother is all I have. I don't want him to get hurt just because he can't take his eyes off of her." Erythis leaned over him, setting her hands on his shoulders."Please, do this for me." 

     Kainn gave a sigh, brushing her arms away. "Alright, fine. I'll do it." He stared at her, smirking. "I just hope I don't get hurt because I can't take my eyes off of you." Erythis straightened, then. 

     "Good thinking! If I wear something very extravagant, she'll feel threatened and try harder!" 

     "Hey, Red." 

     "It's Erythis-..." She looked at him and raised an eyebrow as he reached up and grabbed her by the hips, yanking her slender frame forward and pulling her into his lap. 

     "You're wrong. He's not all you have." The sorceress reddened, shying her head away from him. However, as his hand reached to her face and brought her in close, she didn't fight him. He kissed her, and she melted against him. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

     "Tell me. Kainn, is it? What family do you hail from?" Katsin Firestorm, sitting beside his bride, looked to the younger couple with a courteous smile. 

     "House Darkmoore, your grace." Erythis was stunned. Not only did she learn the surname of her would-be-lover, but she discovered that he did have manners! For the first time, the other magi's upbringing was noticeable. 

     "Ah, yes. Your family has close ties with the human population, doesn't it?"

     "Yes, yes it does." While the two carried out their conversation, Viletta and Erythis exchanged warring glances. Erythis, wearing a long, scarlet-colored dress, was a sight to behold. Her youth but a distant shadow, she filled out hers with a sultry elegance. Those lengthy locks of hair were tied up high, tresses falling in curls down to the middle of her back for a more formal style. Viletta's attire, while a little more revealing, was not as expensive looking. It was sheer around her chest and shoulders, leaving her tanned skin halfway exposed and her cleavage, as always, present. The rest of the fabric, a deep navy-blue, clung to her skin and fell to the floor. Her platinum hair, also pulled back, swished back and forth as her head tilted. 

     "Erythis, did you hear me?" 

     "What?" Katsin's voice brought her out of something of a trance. 

     "I said, you found a suitable bachelor. And I'm a good judge of character." He looked to Viletta then, who smiled for a brief moment. Though that smile was far from innocent, and quickly shifted into a triumphant smirk. Her eyes, narrowed, shifted to Erythis, and then to Kainn. 

     "Oh, brother! I almost forgot." 

     "Hm?" Erythis slid a hand under the table and the fabric of its cover as it gave off a dim glow. While no one could see it, the magistrix knew that in her room upstairs, she had triggered her plan. 

     "I left some candles on in my chambers. After the fire, I swore I would be more careful. Will you go upstairs and put them out for me?" His chair slid back against the floor as he rose, Katsin nodding in agreement to her request.

     "I will be right back, then." As his back turned and he exited the dining hall, Viletta made a move- but not the one she had expected. The femme-knight leaned forward and, entirely intentionally, spilled her glass of wine all over the younger woman's dress. 

     "Woah!" Erythis stood, frantic and taken by surprise. 

     "Oh, I'm so sorry." After a moment, the dark-skinned woman let out a slight giggle. "I'm so very clumsy. Why don't you go and change, dear. I'll keep your suitor company." It was at that moment, Kainn's eyes started to wander. It was that dress: that sheer fabric and the thicker material that barely covered Viletta's chest. Erythis saw him staring at her, and in her frustration, turned and left the room. "So tell me, dear. Have you and her-...you know. If you're looking for someone a little more experienced, I may be able to..., well..." The woman leaned over, gingerly trailing a lengthy fingernail along the front of the magister's throat. Though to her own surprise, something was very wrong. "What the-.." Starting at the shoulder, ice began to creep along the entire length of the arm she held up, eventually freezing it solid. She shrieked, practically flailing. "What did you do!? How dare you. Fix this at once!" 

     "I see why Erythis doesn't like you." He added, after a pause, "I don't like whores either." Katsin, who was down the hall and heard his bride-to-be yell, stormed into the room. 

     "What's going on here!?"

     "This freak froze my arm!" Kainn scoffed at her. 

     "She was about to jump my bones; her touch was making me uncomfortable. You might want to re-consider sleeping with this one, you don't know where its been." Erythis entered the room and suddenly felt relief. It looked like she didn't have anything to worry about after all. 

     "How dare you spout such filth in my home! Get out!" He stood in front of Kainn as if trying to intimidate him, but Erythis slipped in between them, facing her older sibling.

     "Brother, stop! He's telling the truth! You can't marry that woman!"

     "Get out of the way, Ery." 

     "Please, listen to me-..."

     "I said, get out of the way!" His hands grabbed her and, in his rage, Katsin Firestorm threw his younger sister into the nearby wall. It was as if, in that moment, time stopped. Everyone's eyes widened, including the duke's. There was a long pause of silence; Katsin was the first to speak. "Oh, Light." He knelt to his sister's side immediately. "Ery-..." He set a hand on her shoulder and she curled away from him, sobbing. The room was filled with her quiet little cries. "Ery, I'm sorry. I don't know what I-..." He feltsick. Never in a million years, did the duke once think he would ever lay a hand on his beloved sister. Somehow, in his rage, he forgot that she was the person he wanted to protect most in the entire world. 

     "I take it back." Kainn, wearing a stoic expression, approached Erythis and scooped her up into his arms. She pressed her head into him, hiding her face as she cried. "You two just might deserve each other." He gave the couple a cold, hard stare as he held to the grief-stricken sorceress. After another long moment of silence, he carried her away: down the hall, to the lower level of the manor, and then away from Felo'Danil completely. He walked for miles, carrying her, wordless. 

~*~*~*~*~

     She had no idea how long it had been since she left home, nor how far away they were. When Erythis Firestorm finally shifted her senses back to reality, she was on a beach, laying upon the shore. Her dress, in all of its luxury, was damp and covered in sand. "Kainn?" She spoke his name softly, sitting upright, and looking along the coast. He was nowhere to be found. They must have made it to Azurebreeze, she thought. Oh, how she loved to play there as a child. Suddenly, as if a gust of wind flew by, his arms were around her. She leaned back into him, her vulnerability entirely tangible. 

     "Has he ever done that before?" It was a rather straightforward question. She sorceress shook her head at him. 

     "No." She paused, and then shuddered. "I can't believe he-..." She felt Kainn's lips press to the back of her neck. It was soothing, and yet still found a way to make her skin flush. 

     "Shh..." He hushed her quietly. 

     "I'm so sorry. I should have never brought you there, or..., or made you make all of these promises to me. You don't have to go to the wedding with me, I-" Tears welled up in her sapphire eyes.

     "Erythis." The heiress was taken aback by his use of her name. So many times she had wanted him to, perhaps even yourned for him to. He said it so very softly, like he knew that she needed to hear it so. His hands were on her, and they turned her: forcing her to face him. In his arms, she was rolled under him; he hovered above her, pinning her there beneath him in the sand. Her eyes, still full of tears, stared up at him. "I can't promise I'll never hurt you." He spoke in hushed, whispery tones. She parted her lips to speak, but couldn't find any words. The truth was, she didn't have to sayanything. His lips were on hers, and then at her neck. His hands bunched up the fabric of her dress at her waist, and touched to her legs. She was vulnerable, and her heart was screaming for him. "Will you give yourself to me, knowing this?" He gave something of a low grunt, kissing between her collar-bones as his hands revealed more of her, sliding red, silk tresses away from her. Even then, as he asked her this, she could find no words. Her reply, in all of its simplicity, was in the form of a kiss. A heated, wanton kiss.