"Did they get...closer?" Mel asked as he landed on a beach, the frozen black pebbles that made up most of it moving underneath his paws, the ice cracking.
"They also increased in number, even more than we've been told," Kaleth added as he climbed off Mel's back, but he was still keeping a hand on it. Mel could tell Kaleth was not exactly happy about either of those things, but he also didn't seem too worried. Mel had heard some things about the Iritharian military, but was it truly that strong?
"How many do you think there are?"
"Not enough to win," Kaleth replied. A little vague, for Mel's taste, but he supposed Kaleth knew more than him about this stuff. "Either way, our main objective will be to take down as many of those aircrafts as we can. Once that is done, Irithara's ground forces should be able to stop any Eternal that makes it out of the crash."
Mel watched him take his shield off his back, revealing his sword and a sniper rifle. It was kind of amazing Kaleth could carry both at the same time, but Mel had gotten the feeling Kaleth wasn't planning on bringing everything with him during the actual attack.
That was what he'd thought until Kaleth aimed the sniper rifle at one of the aircrafts.
"Wait, we're doing that right now?" Mel exclaimed, his eyes wide as he drew his wings close to his body.
"Calm down, love," Kaleth replied, looking away from the scope with a smile. "I'm just taking a closer look."
Feeling a little foolish, Mel lay down on the beach next to Kaleth, watching the enemy cautiously.
"Hm, I'm fairly certain that a few well aimed shots to the engines would make the entire aircraft crash, but I promised Hidarion not to engage the enemy first," Kaleth said, putting the sniper rifle away with a sigh. A sudden wave of sadness crashed into Mel, which immediately made him focus purely on Kaleth.
Before breaking his heart, Kaleth added in his mind, no doubt not intending for Mel to hear that.
"I'm sorry," Mel said, nuzzling Kaleth's shoulder with his head. "He's in love with you, isn't he?"
Kaleth didn't even look fazed by Mel knowing what the problem was. He just gave one small nod and started running his hand over the scales on Mel's snout.
It really made Mel wonder though. Wouldn't Kaleth and the Iritharian king be a better match than he and Mel? They were both involved in politics, they were actually smart enough to understand politics—actually much smarter than that. Hidarion was also much more charismatic, wise, attractive—
"No," Kaleth said suddenly, bringing Mel out of his depressing assessment. "No," he repeated as he grabbed Mel's head with both his hands, making him look Kaleth in the eyes. Or he would if Kaleth weren't wearing the goggles.
"But it's true," Mel argued, his ears drooping. He didn't like the way Kaleth was emanating anger. It wasn't aimed at Mel, but he still didn't like it. He wished Kaleth would just be happy all the time, but he supposed that was impossible, especially for Kaleth. Rayni had been right about that.
"Perhaps. But I also couldn't care less," Kaleth said, his shoulders sagging as his anger seemed to leave him. "It's you I love, not him, and that's—"
He abruptly cut himself off then, staring frozen at Mel, who was mirroring the look perfectly. Then he blushed and ducked his head, letting go of Mel. "Erm, I mean—"
"I love you too," Mel said, hugging Kaleth with his wings and nuzzling his face. Kaleth actually let out a laugh at that—a real, happy laugh. It was the best thing Mel had ever heard in his life.
Kaleth kept his hand on Mel's cheek after they separated, stroking it gently. "Okay, good. Please, don't think like this, alright? I don't want anyone else."
Mel grinned at him happily. "Okay, I'll try." Then his smile disappeared as he looked down at the dark pebbles. "I just feel sorry for him."
"I do as well, but honestly, I'm surprised he hasn't gotten over it," Kaleth said, pushing his goggles onto his forehead. "It's been five years, and I've only been in Irithara for a month."
Mel frowned. "But.... We've known each other for a month. And most of that we were separated."
Kaleth opened his mouth, only to close it again immediately. His gaze softened. "It...feels like so much longer."
"I'm just saying that sometimes that's all it takes," Mel finished, nudging Kaleth's shoulder with his snout. "But I'm glad you told him how you feel. Maybe now he'll let himself find someone else."
Kaleth was now giving him a strange look. Something between admiration and disbelief, maybe?
Mel is annoyingly wise sometimes, Mel heard Kaleth think. He would take that as a compliment.
"I can't believe this is what we are discussing right now," Kaleth said a second later, crossing his arms.
"All we can do is wait anyway, right?" Mel replied, tilting his head to the side a bit.
Kaleth narrowed his eyes at him. "You have all the arguments today, don't you?"
Mel just grinned at him. He kind of understood why his sister liked teasing Kaleth. He was cute when he was huffy.
"I am not huffy," Kaleth protested, which just made Mel hug him again, even more tightly. He wished he could just never let go, but he knew Kaleth wouldn't like that, so Mel separated himself as soon as Kaleth's embarrassment began to overshadow his happiness.
They just stared into each other's eyes for a while, a soft smile on both of their faces. Despite being on the front line of what would soon be a battlefield, Mel was really content right now. But he supposed his life would never be normal, especially not with Kaleth. And Mel didn't mind at all.
Eventually Kaleth broke eye contact, sighing, and sat down onto the beach next to Mel, who used this opportunity to reposition himself to stretch out around Kaleth, so that his head was next to him and his tail was lying around him on the other side. He knew Kaleth couldn't get cold now, but it couldn't hurt. And Mel also wanted to cuddle.
Kaleth smiled again, running a finger over Mel's ear. The Eternal hummed and pressed himself closer to Kaleth, which made the man chuckle.
So adorable.
Mel grinned to himself. He liked being called that, especially by Kaleth because Mel knew he didn't mean it mockingly in any way. He raised up his wing as the wind picked up, bringing snow with it.
"You don't have to do that, love," said Kaleth, though he did sound grateful. "I would be fine."
"I know, but it's no problem," Mel replied, shifting a bit to get more comfortable. They sat in silence for a bit, the only sound the ever present howling of the icy wind. Not that Mel minded. He liked Irithara—it was very different from Enoria, but it was very nice to look at. He would have loved to explore more than just the capital, but he could tell Kaleth really wanted to leave, and Mel understood why. He did miss Enoria as well....
Mel frowned as something occurred to him. "Kaleth? Has there been any news from Enoria?"
"No," Kaleth replied gravely, looked over at him. "I'm not sure if that is more worrying than the alternative or not. All they seem to know—or what they are willing to say—is that there is an unknown third party blocking the way to and from Irithara."
"You don't think they're telling the truth?"
Kaleth let out a deep breath. "They're politicians."
Mel stared at him dumbly for a moment before remembering seeing that mentioned in a TV show. "Do they really lie that much?"
Kaleth let out a laugh, this time his regular, ironic one. "Yes. Especially the rich ones do."
Which I suppose includes me as well... Kaleth added in his mind, and Mel frowned at him.
"You're a good man," Mel said, making Kaleth freeze for a moment. The emotions he was projecting now were a confusing jumble of fear, gratitude, doubt, and shock that did not want to untangle.
Oh gods, he actually believes that, was the next thing Mel caught, and it actually sounded horrified. Mel took a deep breath. He knew Kaleth didn't have the best opinion of himself, but he wasn't a bad person, not by a long shot, and Mel would have to try to get that into his head.
Yes, he does believe that, Mel replied in Kaleth's mind, which just made the man's eyes grow wider. "And it's true."
"Mel...." Kaleth looked almost pleading now. Was that a trick of the light or were his eyes wet? He didn't want to make Kaleth cry. But maybe it would be good for him, no matter how much it would hurt to witness it.
"I've known that since I first laid eyes on you," Mel continued, not caring that Kaleth was avoiding his gaze. "I mean, I was terrified you'd shoot me, but I could tell you were just doing it because you were convinced it would help protect your people."
A soft smile formed on Mel's face. Despite how horrified he'd been during those moments, meeting Kaleth had become a fond memory that Mel wouldn't give up for anything. After a century of nothing, Mel had met his love and his twin sister on the same night, and afterward his life had changed entirely. Fate was so odd.
"But you could also tell that I wasn't a threat," Mel continued. "Rayni wanted to arrest me, but you let me go."
"Um, love, I did plant my phone on you so I could track you," Kaleth said, his voice a little strained. He wasn't crying though, which Mel took as a good sign. If Kaleth cried, he would too.
"I know. But I also know that you only did that so you would be able to keep an eye on me. I don't blame you for not trusting me. It wasn't your fault Relioth lied to your whole organization."
Kaleth stayed silent then, so Mel decided to end the discussion.
"The point is that I know who you are—someone who just wants to make the world a better place, even if the way you do it is sometimes...questionable. Even then, you are still a good man."
Kaleth swallowed heavily, rapidly blinking. "T-thank you, Mel."
Mel just nuzzled his shoulder. He was sure Kaleth was keeping his thoughts behind a wall now because he seemed too distraught for their bond not to give Mel some insight.
"No one has ever told me that," Kaleth finally continued, his voice steadier, though it was still noticeably shakier than usual.
"Well, they should have," Mel echoed their previous conversation.
Hearing Kaleth try to mask his sniffing with a laugh, Mel decided it would be wise to just let this be for now, and approach it later. Kaleth clearly didn't want to talk about this, and while Mel knew he sometimes needed a push, this was probably a wrong time for it. Maybe after the battle was won.
"I wish you didn't hide so much," Mel said, the words leaving his mouth before he could stop them. He didn't want to hurt Kaleth, but it really was bothering him.
"I don't—" Kaleth cut himself off and looked away. "I'm sorry, Mel. This is just difficult for me."
"I know, honey," Mel said, wrapping his wing over Kaleth more closely, for both protection from the snow and so they could hear each other better. Their hearing was great, but the wind was still annoying. The snow was really making it difficult to see the aircrafts now. "It's okay."
Mel really hoped saying that implied enough.
"You are far too understanding," Kaleth replied, a slightly ironic smile on his face.
"I'm old," Mel joked. He expected Kaleth to laugh, or at least smile, but instead he blinked at Mel in shock. "Did you forget that?"
Kaleth huffed, folding his arms. "I always do. You are just so...." He waved his hand, apparently not being able to find the right word.
"I'm so what?" Mel asked, already fearing the worst. And Kaleth could clearly sense that because he quickly finished the sentence.
"Full of childlike wonder, I suppose." Mel pouted. Was that good or bad? "Kind-hearted," Kaleth continued. "Innocent. It's just.... How did you even manage to stay that way?"
Mel just shrugged in reply. He didn't really think about it. He wasn't even sure he agreed with Kaleth's assessment. He did try to help people, but he was ignorant, not innocent. Maybe Kaleth was just trying to make it seem less negative.
"It just baffles me sometimes," Kaleth said, staring at the whited-out horizon, as if he could actually see anything. Maybe he could, though, Mel had no idea. "I mean.... Just look at me. I've lived through a tenth of what you have, and I'm—"
"You're a leader, I'm not," Mel replied simply. "You make tough decisions and feel responsible for the people you command. I never did anything like that. Besides, I don't think I've lived through that much more. My life has been longer, but I don't think it was anywhere near as busy as yours."
"Are you remembering more?" Kaleth asked, with both dread and hope.
Mel shook his head. "No, I just get a feeling about this. I think my memories are damaged beyond repair."
Mel did his best to ignore the way Kaleth gritted his teeth at that. He really needed to watch out when it came to talking about bad things Mereria had done because Mel was starting to fear that the only reason they hadn't attacked each other yet was Rayni, and the fact that Mereria and Edras shared a body.
"My point is," Mel continued when Kaleth didn't say anything, "just because your body's younger doesn't mean your soul is."
Kaleth stared at the frozen ground for a while, silent and pensive. Mel wanted to ask what he was thinking because Kaleth wasn't letting him in anymore, not even emotionally, but he knew he had to give Kaleth space to figure out whatever he was thinking about. It was just really difficult not to let his curiosity get the better of him.
When Kaleth finally spoke, it was completely different from anything Mel had been expecting though.
"How can you think you're not very smart, love?"
This combined with the pain in Kaleth's eyes resulted in a very dumb reply from Mel.
"Huh?"
Kaleth sighed. "You are, is what I am trying to say."
"But..." Mel protested weakly, his ears drooping, "I barely understand what you say sometimes. L-Like a few days ago, you called a building res.... Uh, res—"
"Resplendent," Kaleth helpfully added.
"R-Right, see? I just assumed what it meant. I don't know this word," Mel whined miserably, turning his head to stare at the ground on his left. Why was admitting this to Kaleth so embarrassing? He probably already knew this anyway. He was good at noticing things.
"Mel, love, it doesn't matter," Kaleth said, running his fingers over the scales on Mel's neck. Cautiously, Mel looked back him. "You think your sister is smart, correct?"
Mel nodded immediately.
"Do you think she knows what 'resplendent' means?"
"Uh, yes?" Mel said, feeling very confused now.
"No, I am quite sure she does not," Kaleth replied, a look of exasperation suddenly on his face. "And instead of looking it up, she would blame me for being too archaic." He shook his head and continued. "This isn't what being smart is."
Mel mulled it over for a bit, still feeling bad about all of this. Maybe he should write down words Kaleth used that he didn't understand and learn them. "Well, maybe, but you're still way smarter."
Kaleth gave him a sad smile. "Perhaps. But you are definitely wiser. And that is arguably more important."
With Kaleth hiding his feelings as much as he was right now, it was hard to tell if he was just saying that to make Mel feel better or not, but Mel didn't think he'd straight up lie to him, so he just pressed his head against Kaleth's shoulder. The man responded by putting a hand on Mel's forehead and stroking it.
They stayed like that for a moment in comfortable silence until the wind changed direction. Kaleth put a hand in front of his face, making an annoyed sound as snow started falling into his eyes.
"I'm sorry to say, I'm afraid we will have to move," Kaleth said, putting the goggles back over his eyes. "We need a better vantage point."
"Well, why did we stay here if you think it's a bad place?" Mel asked, getting up and stretching out, humming as his spine cracked.
"I was hoping they'd attack us," Kaleth replied, making Mel freeze.
"W-what?"
"Oh, I wouldn't let anything happen to you, love. This was a provocation of sorts. I didn't expect the conversation to get so...deep." Kaleth cleared his throat as Mel frowned at him. Kaleth could have said something earlier. "Um, apologies, Mel, but I wasn't expecting anything to happen. And it didn't. They are clearly after something other than myself."
Still feeling a bit mad, Mel narrowed his eyes, which made Kaleth wince slightly. "Okay, I'll, um, tell you next time?"
"Good," Mel said with a firm nod. For a second Kaleth was staring at him with wide eyes, but he quickly looked away and cleared his throat again. What an odd reaction, especially since the emotions Kaleth was giving off were positive. A bit hard to place though.
"Erm, right," Kaleth said, grabbing his shield and starting to walk towards the forest that surrounded the beach, using Luxarx to protect his face from the swirling snow despite his goggles. Mel ran after him, shaking off the snow off his head as he escaped into the safety of the pine trees.
He tried not to feel too disappointed when Kaleth shook snow out of his hair as Mel lay down again between the large roots of the trees. Kaleth had just looked very cute with his hair covered in snow. Mel wasn't sure why.
Despite the trees, the wind was still pretty strong and loud, but at least the snow couldn't reach them now. Suddenly Mel sneezed and shook his head as he breathed some of the snow in. Mostly couldn't reach them, then. He couldn't miss the smile Kaleth was secretly giving him either.
"So now what? We just wait?" Mel asked from where he was lying on the frozen ground. The mix of snow and dead pine needles was surprisingly comfortable. He breathed in the rich earthy scent and stretched out his wings a bit.
Kaleth hummed in reply, looking in the direction of the aircrafts. Mel couldn't even see them anymore—not one bit. Maybe Kaleth could use the goggles to help him. Mel needed to borrow them at some point, just to see what they would show him.
"It's either that or force Hidarion's hand. But attacking in this weather seems rather foolish." Kaleth proceeded to make a thoughtful sound. "Although, that would give us the element of surprise."
Well, Mel might not know much about strategy, but he did know this was a very stupid idea. "No, come on, you promised him you wouldn't. And I can't fly in this well."
Kaleth sighed, his shoulders sagging. "Yes, I know. Still, the only reason Hidarion is unwilling to strike first is because he doesn't know what he is doing."
"But you were the one who picked him to lead Irithara," Mel argued, and Kaleth nodded.
"Well, yes, but that is because he is the only Iritharian I trust. Not to mention he is also the most logical choice. However, I am not happy with the fact that Irithara is still an Empire, and even if it stays that way, Hidar is not the one who should be running it full time."
"What about Nira? You don't trust her?" Mel asked, shocked at this. What had Nira done to make Kaleth question her motives? Mel had though Kaleth hadn't suggested her to lead because she was too young and had little experience with these things, not because he didn't trust her.
"The princess is...." Kaleth trailed off as he shook his head. "There has been something off about her ever since she took in Eternal energy."
"Off?" Mel repeated, completely unsure as to what Kaleth meant. He'd thought Nira was the same as ever, aside from her sadness when it came to the loss of her mother. But that wasn't anything weird, and Mel could tell she would deal with that, especially with Nef's help.
Kaleth hummed in confirmation. "I'm not sure what the problem is, but I will continue keeping an eye on her once she returns to Enoria."
"You really don't doubt that we'll win?"
"Of course we'll win," Kaleth replied, smiling at Mel. And Mel could tell that he really, truly meant it. Even then, Mel wasn't convinced, but Kaleth had fought enough battles to be objective about it, he supposed. "Irithara has so much othrin they have thousands of bullets made of it. That makes any Eternal army very easily defeated, assuming the soldiers know what they are doing."
Mel would have to stay skeptical about this. In his experience, one could never be sure they'd win any battle, but he just stayed silent. He didn't need to undermine Kaleth's resolve.
He did want to keep discussing what Kaleth didn't like about Nira, though. However, he didn't get the chance to do so because a moment later, a loud sound pierced the woodland stillness and the howling wind. A sound above them.
"Did they—?"
"Yes," Kaleth confirmed gravely. "And we need to follow."
"But the weather..." Mel argued, which made Kaleth grimace.
"I know, love, I know," he said, running his hand over Mel's forehead. "But you have to try."
Mel swallowed, nodding, even as his heart sunk. "I'll do my best."