Dear Rival (2 page)

What was most interesting about the situation was that Kero didn't appear inclined to abuse this knowledge. Anyone else would have made some use of this weakness. Valtiel was glad for Kero’s continued restraint, though he couldn’t be sure that it wasn't just an act. For all Valtiel knew, Kero was merely waiting for the right opportunity to expose him in the most embarrassing manner possible.

Groaning, Valtiel shook his head. He was being ridiculous, worrying about something that might not ever happen. Kero might have been  an unbearable moron, but that didn't mean that he was a danger.

Valtiel eventually stood, brushing off his pants. It was time he headed in for dinner, as the sun would be setting soon.

While he was on his way back to the fortress the frost elves and dragon knights inhabited, his thoughts once more drifted. How had it come to the point that his fellow frost elves had chosen to make allies, not with another elf tribe, but instead with the dragon knights, with humans? There had been many other possible alliances, but out of all of them, they’d chosen to cohabitate with those who were their complete opposites in both beliefs and traditions. Kero was the incarnation of everything Valtiel regarded as barbaric, uncivilized, and unworthy. He relied overmuch on strength and stamina, using powers made for destruction, and had an unseemly appetite for the carnal pleasures in life.

Valtiel snorted as he remembered how they had met the first time. They’d challenged one another to a fight, Kero relying on his brute strength and Valtiel on his own remarkable agility. Surprisingly, the fight had ended with a draw. Valtiel was still convinced he should have won, but he was at a loss as to why that had not come to pass.

When Valtiel was being honest with himself, however, he had to admit that without the support of those they had always considered lesser beings, the frost elves would not have survived this long. When the shadows began their assaults on the borders of Ythrasia, the frost elves had been more focused on defending their position and attempting to avoid being overrun by the strange, otherworldly creatures.

With the help of the Dragon Knights, they had managed not only to keep their position, but to push the lines of the shadow creatures back and reclaim lost ground. Valtiel didn't want to consider what would have happened without the support, but he knew they would have eventually fallen.

Sighing deeply, Valtiel stopped to lean against the warm walls of the fortress. He wanted to hate Kero and all of the dragon knights, but he couldn't find it in himself to do that any longer.  His opinion seemed to have suffered from the long influence of the dragon knights fighting alongside them.

Dinner passed uneventfully, and afterward, Valtiel decided to relax in the hot springs. Beneath the fortress, a natural cavern with several pools provided this luxury. Frost elves and dragon knights alike took the time in the spring as an opportunity to relax sore muscles and discuss more idle topics than defending the walls or battling shadow creatures.

Valtiel chose one of the smaller pools a bit away from the crowd and sank into the relatively cool water. He needed to relax again, or else risk going crazy dwelling overmuch about how the hell to assess his feelings regarding Kero. To him, nothing Kero did made sense, at least, not in Valtiel's eyes. Were their differences so great as to prevent any kind of understanding?

He relaxed for a time, only opening his eyes at the sound of several others entering the cavern. Glancing to the side, he saw a group of dragon knights, Kero amongst them, sit down at a large hot spring nearer Valtiel than he liked. Narrowing his eyes, he felt the urge to leave, but hesitated, not wanting to retreat before Kero twice in one day. His curiosity about what the dragon knights would talk about won over the urge to leave, which was why he simply leaned back and focused on the small group.

Kero released a sigh of relief as he stretched his legs into the warm water. "This day has been strange, I tell you. The shadows attacked at mid-day, which has never happened before. They seemed much weaker than usual and were driven back more easily than usual; either they are desperate, or they want to fool us into thinking they are."

The knights around him muttered in agreement, then one of the younger ones spoke up. "But it could be they really are desperate, couldn't it? We should strike while they are still recovering!"

Instead of agreeing, as Valtiel would have assumed, the dragon knights began laughing about that suggestion. Valtiel was surprised, used to thinking of the dragon knights as impulsive and rash, likely to rush into important decisions. Confused, Valtiel continued listening as the young dragon knight, a barely scarred youth named Dyvn, went on talking, determined to convince the older knights.

"If we don't, we'll regret the missed opportunity!"

"Really now, Dyvn. Why do you think we should risk rushing forward with naught more than the hope they won't be able to counter our assault? I'll not participate in such madness."

"Oh, come on, Kero, I thought you'd understand me! Aren't you tired of waiting, too?"

"No, not really. It's more likely that you still haven't learned to be patient. That will break your neck one day soon, cub."

"It won't and don't call me cub! I'm not a baby!"

The dragon knights laughed as Kero pulled Dyvn close like a child, ignoring the litany of curses coming from Dyvn. Valtiel couldn't understand what was so amusing about their antics. Dragon knights were just a bunch of children, it seemed, albeit children with enough power to down trees with a single, well-placed blow.

Valtiel was so distracted, he didn't notice Etoille and Avalon's approach until he heard the water splash quietly as they slid gracefully into the pool.  He nodded at them, having calmed down from their earlier antics, and the two offered idle apologies.

Yet another marked contrast between the elves and the dragon knights:  frost elves didn't show affection openly, whereas the dragon knights never left out an opportunity to bond in a way. In their own way, Valtiel suspected all three of them envied the little group of dragon knights.

"What are you thinking about, Valtiel?"

Valtiel glanced up at Avalon, shrugging his shoulders lightly. "I don't know; it's all a mess. Hasn't been a too good day for me."

Etoille smirked at Valtiel before glancing at Kero. Rolling his eyes, Valtiel looked away, although ignoring Etoille seemed to just encourage him, and Etoille slipped closer and loosely wrapped an arm around Valtiel.

"Admit it, Valtiel, you are thinking about it."

"Whatever you mean, Etoille, I most certainly am not."

"Don't lie, your thoughts always seem to circle around to Kero of late. I think you are attracted to him, but don't want to admit it."

Huffing in annoyance, Valtiel shook his head just to feel Avalon on his other side. They had  become much more familiar in the last few months, which he blamed entirely on the dragon knights' influence. He didn't want flirtatious friends, but it seemed as if this mingling of  cultures was inherently changing how his friends acted.

Yes, he was thinking about Kero, but he refused to admit that to his friends. Kero's constant presence made it impossible not to think of him, so it was expected Valtiel would be concerned.

As Valtiel's silence continued, Etoille and Avalon eventually grew bored of teasing him.

"Valtiel, have you never imagined what a dragon knight might be like in … different situations?" Etoille asked, his curiosity plainly showing.

Valtiel shook his head, disgusted by the mere thought. Really, what had gotten into Etoille that he was even considering such a thing?

"The question isn't fully without reason, Valtiel." Avalon leaned back, looking all too thoughtful. "I mean, you were the first one to duel with Kero, and you watch him almost all the time. "

Valtiel nodded faintly, but refused to elaborate. Finally giving in to his unwillingness to talk, Avalon changed the subject. "It seems so strange, being allies with the dragon knights."

He let Avalon and Etoille carry the conversation while he watched the dragon knights. They were sitting in silence, apparently meditating. He might have initially opposed the prospect of the dragon knights as allies, but even Valtiel had to admit that some of their qualities charmed him:  discipline, responsibility, and a healthy sense of justice, none of which he had ever found in humans before.

Kero and Dyvn seemed to be quite close, as they acted as if they were brothers. It probably wasn't too far off, actually, seeing as once a human became a dragon knight, that was all he ever knew. They also resembled each other greatly, though that could have been said about many the frost elves—or any other elven tribe.

Leaning back, Valtiel let his gaze drift over the small group of dragon knights. Kero was the one with the most scars and most likely the oldest amongst them. He was teasing Dyvn, who was flushed in either embarrassment or anger,  though it was hard to be sure. Valtiel knew it wasn't from the heat of the hot spring, as the dragon knights  seemed to radiate heat as a side effect of their ability to breathe fire, a gift of the dragon's spirit that was fused with their soul.

The extent of Valtiel's knowledge on dragon knights was greater than most would  have expected, given his refusal to acknowledge them as equals. Wary of their new allies, he had researched the strange order, including their rituals and traditions. It hadn't been easy to find, but Valtiel had been persistent enough to unearth a great deal of information on the topic.

They had formed centuries ago, a group of solitary men coming together when a war had gripped all of Ythrasia a millennium ago. Living like monks, those original men had not resembled the warriors of today, though they had carried a piece of the dragon's spirit as well. They had changed over the course of a war that had annihilated several cultures, leaving only ruins and scattered documents as a testament to their existence.

Eventually, the war had subsided, and the remaining nations of the giant continent had agreed it had been a pointless travesty, bringing the people nothing but suffering and loss. The only refusal to a universal treaty had come from a tribe of barbaric humans, backed by several other human groups and, surprisingly, the swamp elves. They all vanished in the years following the war, but they had left the seed for the next threat to Ythrasia's peace. Those that Valtiel and his compatriots currently faced were merely the first small wave.

Even after the war, the dragon knights maintained their new way of life. A barrier was erected across the continent where all the bloodthirsty tribes lived, separating them from the rest of Ythrasia by a massive wall. Someone had to make sure the wall would lock the humans and swamp elves away from those who wanted to live in peace, so the dragon knights created a fortress near the barrier and lived there to this very day, opening it to the elves as they joined forces to hold the wall against this new threat.

Valtiel admitted that he had been impressed to find such a story behind this gigantic fortress. Built so close to the wall, it was the first target of any attack, which seemed to be the dragon knights intentions, even if it brought many risks. They might have been defeated had they simply stood on their own, but the inhabitants of Ythrasia had learned well from its past. The frost elves, realizing the threat, had acknowledged their best option was an alliance with the dragon knights.

Originally, Valtiel, and nearly the whole of his tribe, had been against the alliance. But now, he couldn't count how many shadow creatures had been slaughtered in the past few months. Hundreds? Thousands? No one could say for certain, but they all knew the number was devastatingly high. The shadows were sneaky and sturdy, constantly getting past the wall and approaching the fortress. The thought that more powerful shadows could follow made Valtiel's insides clench. As much as he wished it were different, he was glad for their allies.

Shaking his head, Valtiel tried to think of something else. For example, Kero was alone at the pool now, the other dragon knights having retreated for the night. Valtiel noticed the somewhat tired melancholy in Kero's eyes. So the Dragon Knights had their little worries, too, he mused.

While Avalon and Etoille were caught in serious debate over some battle they'd recently seen, Valtiel found himself  leaving their little pool and approaching Kero. He was grateful his friends were too distracted to notice. Kero smiled as Valtiel neared, nodding in greeting and gesturing for Valtiel to join him. Sitting, Valtiel didn't bother to test the waters; it was obvious the temperature was far above what a frost elf would find comfortable, but typical for a dragon knight.

"Greetings, Valtiel. It has been quite the day today, I would claim."

"I didn't think it was any different from the others," Valtiel said dismissively.

"That might be," Kero agreed, seemingly amused. "But then, it's been quite a month."

Valtiel shrugged, holding his hand over the steaming pool. He couldn't have bathed in such water, yet Kero seemed to be perfectly fine with letting his legs hang into the pool. Kero seemed quite content in the boiling water. "I couldn't help but wonder about you and the other dragon knights. It seems very strange that you show affection so openly."

"It may be unusual to you, but to us it's completely natural. We are taught to respect each other, and to openly show what we feel to avoid misunderstandings."

The silence carried on until Kero finally asked. "I'm curious now, why did you come over to me? You seemed to be happy in your cooler pool."

"I don't know myself," Valtiel replied, surprised at his own honesty.

Kero laughed at that reply, shaking his head. "You are strange," he said, though his tone was friendly and sounded... almost fond. "I suppose I'm just as strange to you." Valtiel merely nodded.

"Do you enjoy being here?" Kero eventually asked.

Glancing at Kero, Valtiel shrugged his shoulders. "I suppose it's better than waiting in our village for the bulwark to fall."

Kero grinned, shaking his head. The thought of the wall being overrun  no doubt seemed ludicrous and impossible to him, but he at least appeared to understand Valtiel. Waiting would had been a strain, causing naught by anxiety, while actively defending their land gave them something to hold on to.