The fiery orb still burned in the sky when Violet suddenly stopped. She stood with her back to Amanda, her shoulders trembling. One second. Another.
Then she spun around and rushed back.
Amanda saw it and instinctively took a step backward. Then a second. Then a third.
No. No-no-no. What is she doing? Why is she running? Why is she—
“STOP!” Violet cried out, and there was no command in her voice — only a plea.
Amanda turned and tried to walk away. Not running. Keepers didn’t run. But very, very quickly. Her golden armor glittered in the sunlight, and she hoped it would blind Violet, slow her down, give her ti…
Violet was faster.
Her arms wrapped around Amanda with such force that she let out a soft gasp. The embrace was tight, hot, almost suffocating. Violet pressed herself against her, hiding her face in Amanda’s shoulder, her whole body shaking.
“Thank you,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”
Amanda froze. Her arms hung limply at her sides. She didn’t know what to do. Hug her back? Push her away? Stand there like a statue?
She’s crying. The Archmage of the Empire is crying. On my shoulder. What have I done? I just said so nonsense about fire. I don’t… I don’t deserve this.
“You don’t understand,” Violet sobbed. “Seven years. For seven years I tried. morizing spells. Studying artifacts. I thought power was control. That the more I knew, the stronger I would be. And you… you just said ‘ask.’ And it ca. As if… as if I had been blind all this ti.”
Amanda slowly, hesitantly raised her hand. Her golden gauntlet lightly — almost weightlessly — touched Violet’s back.
“It’s all right,” she said, her voice quiet, almost human. “You weren’t blind. You were just… trying too hard.”
Violet lifted her head. Her violet eyes were red from tears, mascara smudged, and she no longer looked like the Archmage of the Empire — only like a woman who had been strong for far too long.
“Can I…” she swallowed, “can I stay? Next to you? At least for today?”
Amanda looked at her. Who was now trembling in her arms and asking permission to simply stay close.
“Yes,” she said. “Of course.”
The entire camp saw it.
Soldiers training on the field froze with their swords raised. Those sharpening blades forgot their work. Even the old veterans, who had seen it all, stared wide-eyed.
“She… hugged the Keeper?” whispered a young soldier.
“And she’s crying,” added another.
“And the Keeper… she’s comforting her.”
The old veteran — the sa one who had ordered everyone to stay far away from that spot — slowly shook his head.
“I told you, lads,” he said. “We don’t want to go anywhere near that. We won’t understand it. No one will.”
“Is it magic?” soone asked.
“That, boy,” the veteran said, looking at the golden figure on the hill, “is sothing stronger than magic.”
They watched. Everyone watched. Even Randel, who had been commanding a squad at the far end of the camp, noticed the commotion, lifted his head, and saw.
Two won. One in gold, the other in violet. Embracing. And the one in violet was crying.
Randel frowned. His hand tightened around the hilt of his sword.
“What… what the hell is going on?”
He took a step toward them. Then another.
Violet didn’t let go. She stood pressed against Amanda’s shoulder, her breathing gradually steadying.
“Tell ,” she asked softly. “About the person who taught you.”
Amanda froze. Everything inside her dropped.
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Who taught ? No one. I’m a fraud. I read a book and watched ani. I’m not—
“There was one man,” she said, and the words flowed on their own, as if soone else were guiding them. “A long ti ago. A very long ti ago.”
Violet lifted her head. Curiosity sparked in her eyes.
“Was he a mage?”
“A great mage,” Amanda said, gazing into the distance where the sky t the mountains. “His na was Akley.”
Akley. I just made that na up. Sounds ancient. Should work, heh.
“Akley,” Violet repeated with reverence. “I’ve never heard that na.”
“He was erased,” Amanda continued quietly, and real — not pretended — sadness colored her voice. A sadness for sothing she had never had. “He was the Chief Keeper of the Forests. Before .”
Violet held her breath.
“He taught everything,” Amanda went on. “Not spells. Not rituals. He taught how to listen. To the forest. The wind. Fire. Water. He used to say: ‘Power isn’t in commanding. Power is in asking… and being ready to accept the answer.’”
“He was… your teacher?” Violet asked carefully.
Amanda looked at her. The longing in her eyes was so deep that Violet forgot to breathe for a mont.
“He was my first love,” Amanda said. “I would have done anything for him.”
She didn’t know why she was saying it. Maybe because Violet looked at her as if she believed every word. Maybe because she was tired of being strong. Maybe because, in this lie, sothing suddenly felt real — a longing for a feeling she had never known.
“And then?” Violet whispered.
“And then he left,” Amanda’s voice trembled. “The forests called him. And he answered. I… I stayed behind.”
“Why?”
“Because I wasn’t ready,” Amanda stared at her hands — at the golden gauntlets that made her a goddess. “I was too young. Too foolish. Too… scared. And by the ti I realized I was ready, it was already too late.”
Violet looked at her, and her eyes filled with tears again.
“Is that why you’re like this?” she asked. “So calm. So strong. Is that why you don’t let anyone get close?”
Amanda didn’t answer. She simply stood there, gazing into the distance, feeling sothing tighten painfully inside her chest.
I’m lying. Lying to her. Lying to myself. But why… does it hurt so much?
Randel stood twenty paces away. He had heard everything.
He had approached quietly. He hadn’t wanted to intrude. He had simply wanted… to make sure everything was all right. But when he heard her voice — quiet, almost tender, nothing like the chanical tone she used with the generals — he froze.
Akley. Chief Keeper of the Forests. Her first love.
He stared at her profile. At the golden armor that made her look like a goddess. At her hands gently holding Violet’s. And he felt sothing tighten painfully inside his chest.
She was ready to do anything for him. And for ?
He didn’t know. He wasn’t sure. She was here. She had let him kiss her. She had said she was afraid. But was she ready to do anything for him?
Jealousy rose within him, dark and sticky. Jealousy toward a man he had never seen. A man who might have been dead for a thousand years. A man who had taught her everything. Who had been her first love.
And ? Who am I to her? Just a boy who doesn’t understand? Just… soone who happened to be nearby?
He took a step forward. Then another. His boots crunched on the gravel.
Amanda lifted her head. Their eyes t.
“Randel,” she said. There was no surprise in her voice — only weariness. “You heard everything?”
“Enough,” his voice was steady, but inside everything was boiling. “Your teacher. Akley. Was he… worthy of you?”
Amanda looked at him. In his eyes she saw what she feared most: jealousy. Pain. A question she had no answer to.
“He was wise,” she said. “Strong. Calm.”
“And you loved him.”
It wasn’t a question. It was a statent.
“Yes,” she said. “I loved him.”
Randel stepped closer. His hand landed on her shoulder — harder than necessary. Almost painful.
“And now?” he asked. “Do you love anyone now?”
Violet froze. She watched them, and in her eyes was sothing Amanda hadn’t expected — understanding.
“I don’t know,” Amanda answered honestly. “It’s been so long since I… I’ve forgotten how it feels.”
“You haven’t forgotten,” Randel pulled her toward him. “You’re just afraid.”
“Yes,” she whispered. “I’m afraid.”
“Don’t be,” he brushed his hand across her cheek and gently removed her helt. “You don’t have to be afraid. I’m not Akley. I won’t disappear into the forest. I won’t leave you. I’ll stay by your side. Always.”
Violet watched them, tears shining in her eyes. But these were not tears of jealousy. They were tears of sothing else. Relief? Hope?
“You deserve each other,” she said softly. “Both of you. You’ve both been alone for far too long.”
She took a step back, giving them space.
“I’ll go. I have… fire I need to learn.”
She smiled, and in that smile was sothing Amanda hadn’t seen before — warmth.
“Thank you. For everything.”
And with that, she left.
They were left alone. Randel held her in his arms, and she could feel his heart beating against her.
“Akley,” he said, and there was no jealousy in his voice — only pain. “Did you really love him?”
“I thought I did,” Amanda replied. “I was young. Foolish. He was strong. Wise. I thought love was when soone taught you. Protected you. Saved you.”
She lifted her head and looked into his eyes.
“But that isn’t love. That’s… gratitude. Fear. The desire to be needed.”
“And love?” he asked. “What is it like?”
Amanda looked at him. At this man who was not a great mage. Who was not a wise teacher. Who was simply there. Who believed in her even when she didn’t believe in herself.
“Love,” she said, “is when you can be weak. When you’re not afraid to show that you’re afraid. When soone looks at you and sees not a legend… but simply you.”
She touched his cheek. Her fingers trembled.
“You saw the real . And you didn’t turn away.”
“Never,” he whispered. “I’ll never turn away.”
He kissed her. Right there, on the hill, beneath the fiery orb that still burned in the sky. And the entire camp saw it.
But no one laughed. No one joked. The soldiers watched them, and in their eyes was sothing Amanda hadn’t expected — respect.
“They’re watching,” she whispered, pulling back slightly.
“Let them watch,” Randel replied. “Let them know. Their Keeper is not a goddess. She is a woman. Who is afraid. Who loves. Who will fight for them. And I will fight for her.”
Amanda looked at him. For the first ti, she could simply… be.
“Randel,” she said. “I…”
“Not now,” he interrupted gently. “First the horde. Then everything else.”
He took her hand. His fingers intertwined with hers.
“And after that,” he smiled, and there was a promise in that smile, “you’ll tell everything. Not about Akley. About yourself. About who you really are. All right?”
“All right,” she said. “I promise.”
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