"For someone that's not fireproof, you're awfully close to catching fire." Reesha growled, a dangerous look on her face as she stepped one step closer, tossing her ball of flame from hand to hand. She could see the sweat gathering on Haven's forehead from the unbearable heat, and it simply made her more sure of her power in the situation. The heat was barely making her feel warm, even with the flames dancing around her arms.
Taking a few more long seconds to calculate whatever her betrothed was going to do, she decided that just acting was the best option. And so, she did just that. Starting out small, she held the ball of fire and separated a small portion of it from the rest, taking the section and tossing it towards him, watching the red-orange flames soar towards his stupid grin. If he wanted to keep his precious playboy face safe, he would have to step out of the way, either back out of the ring, or towards her circle of fire.
"I'm hot enough not to burn," Haven said, grinning. "You can't fight fire with fire."
The ball of flame came toward him, and he didn't spare it a glance, continuing to hold Reesha's gaze. But, just before it hit him, it completely vanished. Or, at least, that's what appeared to happen.
In reality, his position had been perfect for his power. Yes, shadow was weak against light, but the more light there was, the darker the shadow. There was never one without the other. (cough cough these two thickheaded idiots cough) He had simply called the shadows to swallow the flame, the ice-cold material of the dead quenching any heat. It was a trick that had taken years to learn, even more to master, and so he was glad it worked.
He raised an eyebrow like nothing had happened, as if to say, "What did I tell you?"
(These two are from a special breed of idiot)
Rolling her eyes at his stupid comment, she didn't even try responding. None of her brain cells needed to be wasted coming up with a response to him.
Triumph was clear on her face as she saw the fire near him, but she couldn't stop the confusion that came with the sudden disappearance of her fire. The last time they had fought, her fire was her strength. He had no power against it. Reesha knew they had both grown stronger in the years, but she wasn't expecting him to be able to counteract her so well.
Before he could catch her off guard, she pushed away her confusion and growing curiosity and readied herself once more. Her flames danced on the ground and on her, and she narrowed her eyes, watching carefully. If she couldn't hurt him with her fire, she would just have to find some new way to cause damage when he decided to attack.
(They really are. It fills me with joy XD.)
Shadows were the absence of light. It didn't make it easy to attack, which Haven often resented. But he had to do something. His shadows spread along the ground, dancing in between her flames, and started to leech away the heat at the base of her flames - which also happened to be the hottest part, making this 100 times harder than it had to be. It also didn't help that Reesha was incredibly strong, stronger than she had been before.
He kept his gaze even with hers, watching to see her reaction. Her previous reaction had been hilarious and satisfying, but he couldn't rely on her not picking up on his trick.
For the first few moments, Reesha was too stuck watching Haven to realize that some of her flames were dying down. He didn't move from his spot, and his eyes didn't stray from hers. Those two things kept her watching long enough for her fire circle to drop a fair amount.
It was only when she went to step forward that she realized that her circle had weakened. The flames seemed cold, and when she reached for the power in them, it took her much less strength to move them. Her eyes widened at the realization and she broke eye contact for a moment, hissing in frustration when she saw what was happening. It wasn't worth drawing out her strength to build up the flames again, but she did it anyway, making the remaining flames jump back to life, just to spite her old friend. Almost immediately she could feel more of her power leech away from her, but she ignored it. She hadn't trained for years to only be able to pull off a simple fire ring for a few minutes.
"Try again, Havey," She spat, using one of his many nicknames just to spite him.
Haven's shoulders tensed at her use of the nickname, the first sign of stress and anger he had shown to her since… well, since they had had that argument so many years ago. He did his best to hide it again, but he knew, perceptive as Reesha was, that she would have noticed.
He just smiled, hoping she'd forget, knowing she wouldn't, and rocked back on his heels, acting for all the world as if they were just having a polite conversation, and not trying to rip each other to shreds with their powers. "Must I try again, though? Why? What purpose is there to try again? Will I get something?"
Since the first time since Reesha had seen Haven in the capital, she hadn't seen him look tense. Only when she used one of his nicknames did his posture stiffen, one of his telltale signs of frustration. The action made her eyes light up with smug power. She still had ways to dig into his pride, and she loved it.
"Oh there's no reason for you to try again," She replied, only barely veiling her still steaming anger with a thin layer of manners, "You will get nothing but an injury to your pride and maybe a new black eye. It would go lovely with your rotten heart." Reesha promised herself that he would get much more than a black eye if he stayed around. She had more power than she had when they were young, more power than Haven would be aware of, and she wanted to use it.
"Please, darling, yours is the only rotten heart." Haven gave a carefree smile. "I don't actually have a heart, so it can't be rotten now, can it?"
He sensed her desire to go further, to use her power to obliterate him. He had more than half a mind to let her try, and was about to say so, when he sensed a presence watching. Right. He wasn't supposed to be powerful. He was supposed to be a playboy, nothing else. He couldn't risk his reputation.
He stepped back. "As much as I'd love to continue this, Reesha love, duty calls." He bowed low, mockery in every part of his act, although only those who knew him could tell, and turned to leave the ring.
She didn't even listen to his comeback, knowing that he would never turn down the challenge of fighting with her. All she could feel was her fire, begging to burn anything or anyone, including Haven.
Just as Reesha figured he would let loose his power, he stepped away, bowing in mock respect. The action alone made her anger soar, but she was also pissed that he actually backed away. "Do not call me love," She hissed, glaring daggers at him while he stepped away. He had more than enough nerve to walk away from her. She knew that. But she was sure as hell going to make him regret acting on his nerve and ruining her chance to rip him to shreds.
"Bastard." She spat, her flames growing ever taller before she pulled them in, very faintly controlling her annoyance and anger in a veil of calm, "I'll make sure you'll regret this later. Have fun Havey."
This time, Haven was waiting for the nickname, and the only reaction was the slight twitch of his fingers. "I'm sure you will, love. I'll be expecting your… revenge." He winked at her and moved out of the ring, where he found a messenger waiting. The poor kid looked terrified, and maybe even a little awed, that someone had stood up to the Princess, while she was on fire, no less, and made it out alive.
"Hey, kid," the white haired man said with an easy grin. "Who's the message for?"
"Y-you, Lord Carroway," the boy stammered, still staring up at him in admiration. He handed Haven a letter.
The contents were simple, and Haven sighed and rolled his eyes. "Naturally. I get to spend a lovely dinner with my family, instead of my lovely fiance. Really, Mom?" He raised his voice. "Later, Reesh! Don't miss me too much!"
"Oh I won't miss you," She called back, adding a very fake hint of sweetness to her tone, "I hope you choke on your food and end up dead." Reesha didn't bother to match her face to her tone, still glaring like she was going to strangle him herself. If they weren't in public, her words would be much worse, but seeing as there were several people wandering around outside, she did her best to keep it to small threats. Not that anyone would tell on her. She was the Princess after all, and it would be brushed off as either a lie or unimportant.
Still, she didn't want to push her luck. She barely reigned in her fire when her nickname was called, but she focused and calmed the flames, killing the ones that burned on her, and bringing the rest down until they dissappeared. Without a challenge, it wasn't worth wasting her anger. Reesha watched Haven and the servant boy walk off, leaving her alone in the ring, much to her annoyance.
(Do you have anything you'd like to add here? Or should we skip to the next scene?)
(Nope nothing to add! We can skip, do you have any ideas on what we go to? I can pull together a starter, if we figure out where we're starting up again)
(Hm… should we do an announcement ball, telling the nobles officially who Reesha is marrying? I think we should have a few more scenes, like maybe the wedding, before Haven leaves for the war again. What do you think?)
(we could do another ball, maybe it would be a good time to set up the start of the drama before he has to leave? Or we could wait to start things at/after the wedding? I'm good with anything Im just excited to see them interact again)
(I honestly think either of them would work! Which do you think would do more damage to their relationship?)
(hmmmm…maybe the second one. I do think they'd still fight at the announcement ball, but having Reesha start something the day of/after their wedding would be extrememely detremental)
(True… Okay! Do you want to start or do you want me to?)
(Completely up to you! If we want to keep going in order your post would be next, but I can just as easily get something up :) )
(Nope, I got it! Just give me a little bit, and I can get something.)
Haven knew that fancy clothes were uncomfortable, but his wedding suit seemed to take the cake. With a white shirt, a white vest edged in gold, and a white jacket, he was sweltering under the layers. His shoes were black, but his pants were white.
Seriously, who thought this was a good idea? He wondered, picking at his collar. He didn't even have his sword. It was considered 'improper' to have a weapon in a wedding. His side felt bare without it, and he didn't want to be this defenseless.
He stood in one of the palace chambers, waiting to be called. He felt too humiliated in his glorified costume to see anyone he knew; in fact, when his youngest sibling, Lilliana, saw his outfit, she burst out laughing.
"What?" He had asked defensively.
"You look so uncomfortable," she had replied, giggling. "The clothes are fine, but you look like you want to run and hide." She had patted his shoulder mockingly. "You're getting married, not executed."
Maybe they're the same thing, he thought to himself now.
(More accurate representation of what I think her dress looks like)
Reesha had very little say in her wedding outfit, much to her annoyance. Marriage had many traditions around it, that she couldn't exactly throw out, her dress being one of them. It wasn't a horrid thing, that much she was relieved by, but it wasn't her favorite. The dress was pure white, the color of snow, with an off-the-shoulder neckline and a form-fitting bodice. The bottom of the gown was full –not too large to get in the way– but still full, and it just brushed the ground when Reesha stood on her tip-toes. Pairing with the white was many gold accents, decorating the bodice of the gown and continuing onto the rest of the dress. Even the accessories to her dress used the same color scheme and design, from her small heels, to her earrings, necklace, veil, and bouquet of flowers.
Still, even if she wished she could change her dress, she wasn't going to deny that it made her look good. From the light chatter of the girls that had got her ready, she wasn't the only one who thought the dress looked alright.
Another frustrating tradition was where she was supposed to actually get married. It had to be at the palace, but with her overall protest, she had been able to change the location from the ballroom, to the palace gardens, taking advantage of the wonderful weather.
She wasn't sure how long she had been instructed to stay out of the way, but she had done as asked, wondering why she was nervous. It was only a wedding, and it was to someone she hated, which meant she should have been far from nervous. As one of the server girls came to get her though, she felt her nerves increasing. Meeting her father at the doors to the gardens, she could just see glimpses of the setup outside, even spotting her future husband waiting for her.
Haven waited at the alter, clasping his hands behind him to stop from fidgeting with his collar. It was too tight, and gods, it was bright. And hot. And uncomfortable. Of course, he was the best looking there, and everyone else knew that. Or, at least, he liked to fancy that they thought that. He couldn't actually read minds unfortunately… his thoughts trailed off as he realized how truly tired he was if he was thinking thoughts like that.
He hadn't fallen asleep for a long time the night before, the memory of his soon-to-be bride's glare ingrained in his mind. When he did eventually sleep, he dreamed of knives and cruel smiles and blood splattered on the walls, of splinters of bone and pain, always pain. He had awoken in a sweat, body throbbing with phantom pain.
It's over, he told himself now. Never again.
"Announcing Crown Princess Reesha Eyer! All rise for the bride!"
He glanced over, the shadow of memory already gone from his clear blue eyes, replaced by an expectant smirk. When he saw her come down the aisle, arm in arm with the king, he blinked, the only sign of how much that dress affected her. She looked- fuck. She was gorgeous.
Reesha wished she could wipe Haven's smirk off his damn face, or smack it off with her bouquet. Arm in arm with her father as she walked down the aisle, a dazzling fake smile sat on her face, but as she looked towards the altar, all she could see was his stupid smirk. She was well aware of how his suit fit him perfectly, and gods did it make his blue eyes seem even brighter, but the look on his face simply pissed her off.
Before she could let herself get worked up over him, she pushed the thoughts out of her mind and focused on the remaining steps forward. There were faint tears in her father's eyes when they reached the end of the aisle and he let her go, retreating to his seat after whispering "Love you." She smiled in return and mouthed the words back before turning to face Haven.
With all eyes on the two of them, she couldn't show how much being around him frustrated her, but she was sure he knew. All she could hope was that the ceremony went quickly so she didn't have to stare at him any longer than she had to.
"You look like you want to strangle something," Haven said quietly, smiling in a way that probably made most of the audience think he was speaking warmly to her. "I would smooth your face, Reesha love, or someone might think that their future monarch isn't as stable as they originally thought." His expression was warm and innocent, except for the devilish gleam in his eyes.
He didn't want to look her directly in the face. It seemed like she was glowing, almost like that bride glow, although he knew that that wasn't it. She hated him. It was probably the dress. He wasn't afraid to admit that she was gorgeous. She was, it was just stating the truth - however, he would never say it to her face. It felt as if doing so would destroy his pride.
"Oh but I do want to strangle something." Her words were sweet and calm, and she forced a naïve, start struck smile on her face, "I would love to strangle you, though sadly I can't." She flicked her gaze over him for a brief moment and whispered out a final sentence, though it was a blatant lie, "You look horrible."
Even if the suit made him look good, or more than good, she was never going to admit it. Doing so would just give him a bigger head than he already had, and she would never hear the end of it.
She went silent as the ceremony started, keeping the loving, star struck smile on her face. She had to look happy. Even if she wanted to kill him. At least she could know the feelings were most likely mutual. That made planning his imaginary death much easier.
"I mean, you could," Haven said sweetly, taking her hand and giving it a light kiss, which under any other circumstances would result in a beating. "However, I don't think the wedding guests would appreciate it. It's bad luck to strangle your spouse on your wedding day, you know. Even if he is the most handsome man on the planet, like I am."
The ceremony started. With his training as a soldier, it wasn't hard to not move, to not shift on his feet and look like he'd rather be anywhere else. He just looked into Reesha's eyes and smiled, which ended up starting a staring contest, a test of wills.
Naturally.
Just having Haven grab her hand was enough to make her loose most control over her anger and it took all of her remaining self control to not smack him. She wanted to respond, but as she worked up what to say, the ceremony started and she had to stay silent. Reesha knew she should listen, but she didn't locking eyes with Haven as she tried to mentally show just how much she hated him.
It wasn't just him that she hated. It was everything about him. His cocky attitude, his stupid charm and his disgusting ability to seem like a good guy even if he was far from it.
And as the officiant spoke, she realized she was going to have to deal with him much more often now. She kept a soft smile on her face, going through the motions that were required of her. It seemed to drag on the longer she was forced to stand there, but ever so slowly, things were creeping onward. Towards the moment she would have to kiss the horrid excuse of a human in front of her and say the vows that would chain them together.
"… You may now kiss the bride," came the master of ceremony's voice, which filtered through Haven's ears and took him a moment to actually process. And then the panic set in. Yes, he tried to get Reesha as his wife, but he hadn't thought… beyond that. And now he had to kiss his former best friend and soon-to-be wife, despite the fact that she might melt his face as soon as they were out of public view?
He was a general, feared throughout the land, known for his courage and his spur-of-the-moment moves. However, in this scenario, he had no idea what he was going to do.
And then, suddenly, an idea struck, as bad ideas often do. With a slice of shadow, he slit the band holding his hair up, letting his hair fall down over his face. He bent Reesha slightly at the waist, so that their faces were hidden, and smirked at her face, inches from his own. "I don't really want to kiss you, either," he muttered, smirking. "You're welcome, darling."
