Aneira could feel Devyn quivering, her hand practically vibrating, as they returned to the trail and began their descent. She held the other girl's hand tight, almost attempting to keep it still, but remained quiet, not wanting to disrupt the tense silence that had overtaken them. The dry dirt and rocks crunched beneath their boots. For a while as they walked, their steps were perfectly in sync, one resounding pair of feet marching down the mountain. But Devyn was slightly taller, therefore having longer legs, and so they eventually were knocked out of their synchronicity again.

The hike down the mountain seemed so different from their ascent. Part of Aneira was incredibly relieved: they'd survived Mount Nyswell, the cursed peak of legends, even after running into one of the shadow god's infamous beasts. Another part of the girl was unsure. There would be so much on the line once they returned, so much that Aneira didn't know of. What's going to be there waiting for us when we get back? I'll be imprisoned again; that much I know is true. I'm still a captured Ledian captain, after all. The thoughts only added to the tension fogging her mind.

"For the love of the shadow god himself," Devyn suddenly snapped bitterly, her hand wrenching from Aneira's grip. The sharpness of her tone and the sudden coldness of her hand tugged Aneira out of her thoughts. "That hurts." The blonde girl must have subconsciously tightened her hold on Devyn's hand. She offered her a sheepish shrug.

Devyn sighed, and for a while they walked on in silence, the dark-haired girl rubbing at her hand in a way that Aneira assumed was mostly for show. Aneira could feel the tension between them again, especially now that they weren't holding onto each other. She could practically feel it in the air, palpable and choking.

Devyn seemed to sense this as well, because she sighed again. "It's not that easy being a captain in Dreg, y'know." The words were so sudden that both girls seemed surprised by the outburst. But the dark-haired girl shot her a pointed look, giving her the inclination that she wanted to say this, and so Aneira remained silent to listen.

"I was still fairly young when I was recruited to be a soldier for the Dregian army. The war had only started a couple of years before that, and we were so lacking in arms that they lowered the drafting age. Since I was a girl I wasn't technically required to join, but I wanted to, for the good of the nation. From the way Dreg saw the war... They had laid most of the blame on Ledah, making us sound like the victims. And so, obviously, I wanted to help out as best I could." Devyn let out a derisive laugh that seemed like more of a barking cough. "Anyway. You remember my friend Rhona, the one I told you about earlier?" Aneira nodded. "Well, they managed to sneak their way out of being a soldier. And I'll tell you honestly: they wouldn't have lasted a second." Aneira wasn't sure whether the statement was meant to be amusing or not until Devyn chuckled quietly.

"I don't know how they managed that, but they weaseled their way into working with the other healers. They joined the healers' crew at about the same time I was called into real action. Unfortunately, that meant that I had to say goodbye. It was... tough. We'd never been apart much before that, so it was a big adjustment." Aneira watched as Devyn gulped, her throat bobbing a little. "It was really hard on me. I've never been 'dependent' on anyone, per say, but not having a friend there with me... I had to learn to rely only on myself. My first battle wasn't the greatest; that was one that Dreg lost miserably, and we had to retreat. A lot of lives — and limbs, for that matter — were lost that day, and I somehow survived unscathed. Which only made it all harder, actually."

Devyn quieted for a moment, and Aneira glanced worriedly over, about to murmur that she didn't have to say any more. But the dark-haired girl spoke again before she could utter a word. "Anyway. That battle passed by and they started actually drilling and training us soldiers. We got better, for the most part, and in the next battle, we were more prepared for what awaited us. So, we did alright, and we managed to get Dreg a victory." She shrugged, trailing off with a distant gaze as she considered the next part of her story. "A few more battles — all more minor skirmishes — passed by. For the most part, we won those, or barely lost. I think it was my seventh battle where it all changed. For the better or worse, depending on your view.

"I don't think you took part in this battle yourself, but the Ledian soldiers had managed to overpower us. They outnumbered us approximately three to one; they had come on dragonback, too, whereas we were stuck on the ground. Most of my comrades had fallen, wounded or dead, and I was one of the few left standing. I honestly don't remember how it all went down, but I do remember this: I stuck out like a sore thumb amidst the fallen soldiers, and I was targeted by several dragon riders. They came down upon me, and somehow... I managed to take them all down. I don't know what ever happened to the other Ledian soldiers; I assume they retreated or decided the battle had been won. Either way, I was one of only five of the hundred soldiers that had been sent there that had managed to make it out alive." She shifted slightly, out of what Aneira guessed was discomfort. "One of the other four soldiers ran to Kemble, told him something about my bravery on the battlefield, and how I had conquered the Ledian dragon riders. The chancellor called me to the throne room soon after. He promoted me to a general's position. It wasn't long after then that I made my way further up the ranks, until I got where I am now: lead captain."

Silence settled over the pair again. This time, Aneira understood that it was because she had reached the end of the tale. She nodded, mulling thoughtfully over the words. "Wow. That seems like it was... a lot."

Devyn shrugged wordlessly. "I guess so. It most definitely seems that way looking back. It was just otherworldly when it was all happening. It all came together so quickly; there was no time for me to even think about it all. And I really haven't thought about it much, until now." Her hands flexed and clenched, fidgeting in the way Aneira had seen her do before, and the blonde had the sudden urge to grab those hands, if only to still them so they didn't annoy her.

"Do you want to hear about how I became a captain?"

The dark-haired girl glanced over at her, stress and hardness giving way to curiosity in her deep brown eyes. "If you're willing to tell me, sure. I'd love to hear about it."

The words made something stir inside of Aneira, and she cleared her throat to ensure her voice would come out right. "Alright. Well, my story might not be as interesting as yours. It's much simpler, really: my parents were killed in one of the first battles of the war. Both were... I guess you could call them guards. We lived near the stronghold, before the land was cleared for battle, and they worked rather closely with the duke, keeping the stronghold and those inside it safe. The attack caught everyone completely by surprise; they'd been prepping for war, but hadn't expected anything to reach the stronghold so soon. My parents died defending the stronghold, and so I was brought to live with the duke to be raised by one of his handmaidens, who's since passed away. I guess he thought it would be safer for me to stay there, where I'd be protected; he knew the village where I'd lived would likely be hit soon with an attack."

The memories rushed over Aneira, surprisingly vivid. She remembered herself as a young girl, confused as to why there was screaming in the distance, as to why there was smoke on the horizon. Someone had raced to her house and knocked frantically at the door, a guard of the stronghold, shouting for her to run. Then the guard had grabbed her — recognizing her as a child of the duke's closest guards — and rushed her to the stronghold. She remembered hiding in a smaller branch of the spacious building with the guard, being instructed to duck her head and cover it with her hands to protect herself. The sounds of battle had rumbled on all around them like the fiercest thunder she'd ever heard, the stone walls trembling as if from fear. And then there had been silence, so suddenly that Aneira had begun to feel elated with the adrenaline associated with surviving something so huge. But, just as quickly, that feeling had been snuffed out as the duke trotted towards them and, seeing Aneira, had grimly delivered the news that her parents had departed from their world.

"So I was thrown into the chaos of politics," the blonde girl continued, blinking phantom tears from her eyes. "Which I'm sure is natural, being brought up at the center of it all. The maids and guards and ministers were all my caretakers, their children my playmates. The duke... We grew close. He had been close to my parents, so he was — he is — like a father to me." She chewed on the inside of her cheek, deep in thought just as Devyn had been as she scrambled to think of the best thing to say next. "The duke provided me with schooling and, later on, fighting lessons. I was especially great at throwing knives; larger weapons were a skill I didn't develop until later on. Seeing my potential, Duke Cadogan allowed me to enter a smaller fleet of soldiers. I suppose I eventually earned more of his respect, because as I grew older, he began to promote me further. Until, of course, I gained the position I still hold now."

Aneira moved her gaze over to Devyn again. A part of her was desperate to please the dark-haired girl; for whatever reason, she sought her approval just as much as she always sought the duke's.

"My parents were killed, too," Devyn murmured. Aneira's eyes flinched slightly wider in surprise. She'd been expecting criticism, not... Well, I definitely wasn't expecting her to say that we have more in common.

"I'm sorry," Aneira whispered, and Devyn whipped her head up to stare at her. For a moment they simply held each other's gaze, grey eyes meeting dark ones, as if searching for something within the other person. Then Aneira looked away again; it was too much to hold that hard-eyed stare for so long.

"So... How was it like when you got your dragon? Drill, right?"

"Twyl," Devyn corrected, her gaze lowering again to observe the ground as they walked. She sidestepped a large stone, nudging Aneira lightly out of the way before she could trip over the rock herself. "It was... Well, I can't think of a word to describe it. I stepped up and I just felt him, like an old friend I'd never known existed." A ghost of a smile filled with fondness rested upon her lips. "He wasn't exactly easy to get along with, at least at first, but I learned to work with him. Our stubbornness did clash sometimes, but we got over it together."

Aneira laughed. The dark-haired girl's eyes shot over to her and she opened her mouth to apologize; it was so rude for her to laugh at what Devyn had admitted to her. Then the girl flashed a grin that seemed so unlike the coldhearted captain Aneira had come to know. The blonde felt a swell of emotion fill her chest as she caught the smile and returned it threefold.

For a moment they did nothing more than laugh together, the combined sound of their amusement only making it harder to stop. Then, as they settled off into silence, Aneira picked up the conversation again easily, telling her the story of how Claer had come into her life. It was rare for her to share something so intimate with someone, as even Carys had never heard much of this, but the words seemed to come naturally. After a while, the pair were talking and laughing like they had been friends their whole lives and hadn't spent months fighting each other on the battlefield.

Aneira let out a soft sigh as another bout of laughs finally subsided and she was able to breathe freely again. It was strange how at home she felt in Devyn's presence, especially considering how harsh the two had been towards each other in the beginning. She opened her mouth to say something about it, to tell the other girl about the contentedness she was beginning to feel around her. But before she could utter a word, her foot slid out from under her as she stepped on a patch of loose silt.

She let out a surprised yelp as she tumbled forward, unable to keep her footing as the ground beneath her gave way. She raised her hands to brace herself for a fall, but she never hit the dirt. Strong arms grabbed her by the hand and shoulder, steadying her before she could make contact with the ground. Aneira glanced up, shaken by the near-fall, and found Devyn staring at her. The dark-haired girl slowly helped her straighten, her hands never leaving the blonde girl. Her dark eyes were still on Aneira, as if trapped by their spell.

Aneira's own eyes darted to Devyn's lips. It was an instinctive motion; she felt the need to check them for some reason. She felt Devyn's grip on her shift slightly, and found that she had moved slightly closer. Aneira's gaze leapt up to hers again, and she felt them both edging ever closer to the other, as if they were going to...

Devyn's eyes suddenly left hers, staring at a spot above Aneira. Her pleasant expression dropped, replaced quickly by one of fright and dread. Aneira felt some of that dread spread to her like a pox, and she slowly stepped out of Devyn's grip and spun around to see what the girl was looking at.

Something was on fire. Flames licked the sky in the distance, further brightening the starburst of colors given off by the setting sun. Smoke trailed lazily through the air to create more clouds above. Aneira suddenly felt very numb as she recognized the fuel that was feeding the flames: the Ledian stronghold.