Aide Me

Chapter Twenty-Three - Hurt Me

Dashel gaped. "Holy-- How did you-- I mean, wha—"

"Aide's been teaching me, remember?" Emaia reminded him. "I'm not some little girl, Dashel. I've grown up very much since I started this trip. I might have been innocent when I left Rochess, but I'm not anymore. I've killed a man," She said and felt her throat tightening. "And I've been looking at Aide for a long time now. I've been... falling in love with him."

Dashel looked like he had swallowed an onion. "I just don't get it, Emaia. Him? He's an elf, for crying out loud! Have you lost your mind? That's—"

"That's what?"

"That's..." Dash seemed to struggle for words. "It's against nature! It's weird! Elves and humans together, it's like..."

"Why?" Emaia snapped. "Just because he has longer ears, I'm not allowed to love him?"

"It's not just the ears, it's everything about them!" Dashel argued, but then frowned. "And you love him?!"

"Yes. I do. I love him, and there's nothing you can do that will change it. I love him."

The more she said those three little words, the more her stomach tightened. She really did love him, and it scared her a little. She had never felt this way about anyone, the way she felt about Aide. To know that someone had such a strong grip on her heart, it scared her. But it also strangely made her feel safe. Aide would always protect it.

Dashel mumbled something incoherent. "For God sake, Emaia. I just can't believe it. How long has this been going on?"

Emaia thought about it a little. "I don't know. It just sort of happened. I didn't expect to fall in love, it just sort of snug up on me."

Dashel sighed and went up to the bullseye. He pulled out the knives. "I just don't know what to think. It weird. Elves and humans, together, that way. It turns my stomach."

"It shouldn't," Emaia argued. "It's no different from how two men can fall in love up here, and—"

"God, Emaia, you're not helping," Dashel said and turned around with a queasy look on his face. "I've been with women before, and I could never imagine being with a guy that way. It's just wrong!"

"-How would you know if you've never tried it?" A new voice suddenly chimed behind them. They both turned and saw Kai coming up to them with a smirk on his face. "Pardon me, I couldn't help but overhear that last bit."

"Oh, great," Dashel mumbled and rolled his eyes. "Here comes the speech."

"I'm not much of a speaker," Kai scoffed. "I prefer doing other things with my mouth, so I'll just leave you with this; Who you fall for, or who you love, has nothing to do with genders. I don't look at my mate and think 'oh, he's a guy'. I look at him and see the love of my life," Kai walked up to him and looked soberly at Dash. "When it comes to love, nothing matters. You either love them unconditionally, or you don't love them at all. Period."

Dashel frowned up at Kai, but he had a thoughtful look in his eyes. "Right, okay. I'll keep that in mind."

"Good," Kai said and nodded. "I think you'll find open mindedness will help you everywhere around the world. And who knows, it could happen to you, too," He winked and smirked. "Like I said; how do you know, if you haven't tried it?"

Dashel grimaced, as Kai turned to leave. Before he did, he winked at Emaia. She smiled back gratefully. She really did like Kai. He was awesome.

"Can you see what I mean?" Emaia said and turned to look at Dash. "Love isn't something you choose. It just happens. No matter who it is."