Rise

24

*Caden's POV*

Elora and I sat in the carriage as we made our way up to the battlegrounds. The carriage bouncing with the rough road we followed. Vivian and Farrah stayed outside to make sure we wouldn't get attacked.

Elora sat across from me with her head resting on her left hand as she looked out the window. Her red hair glowed in the sunlight that shown through the windows, lighting up my world with her beauty.

I could tell she was nervous as she was devouring her fingernails. I grabbed ahold of the hand she was biting to the bone and caressed it with my thumb. Her dark blue eyes still had some light in them when she looked at me. She could kill me with one look.

"Don't be scared, my love." I said to her in the softest voice I could.

"I'm just worried that something will happen to you or Farrah. I couldn't care less about what happens to me. I would die for any of you." She answered proudly.

"Don't say that. Nothing is going to happen to us. Trust me when I tell you I'm not going anywhere." I attempted to reassure her.

She shook her head, it wasn't helping, "If you die then I die too. So no matter what, heaven, earth, or hell, I'll be by your side."

My head faced downward. I didn't want to think about her losing her life. She meant the world to me. I never thought I would find someone when I was stuck in that god forsaken palace.

By sheer luck I met her at the winnowing. Anyone else could've been picked besides us. And of course, it had to be the girl who I was sworn to hate by Amara. She painted an awful picture in our minds about her family and what they did.

If I could go back now I wouldn't change anything. I think that everything had to happen this way so I had to end up with her. Sure, it's not the best of paths to get to where I am, but she makes it all seem like nothing. The only thing I would change was when I was rude to Elora. I never want to hurt her again.

But now, thanks to Vivian and her impulsive behavior that Amara taught her, she's bound to me against her will. She can't leave my side, go on a trip, or be free to live her life as she wants it because she was forced to be sewed into my side for the rest of her life.

I should've stopped Vivian sooner.

"Caden?" My attention was averted.

"Hm? Sorry, I was thinking."

"I could tell." She gave a little laugh, "What were you thinking about?"

"I just think I love you..."

She blinked a few times. My heart was pounding in my chest, Farrah could probably hear it from the outside. I shouldn't have said anything. I treated her like shit and then I kissed her and then I saved her life and then I kissed her again and now all of sudden she knows I love her.

"I love you too."

*Farrah's POV*

"Alright love birds, we have a battle to win." Vivian said, rapping on the door of the carriage. A very flustered looking Caden and Eli stepped out, but I ignored it. There were more important things to worry about than romances. I surveyed the plains before me, a gentle breeze was blowing the short grass, the only thing ruining the idyllic landscape was the encampment a mile out, with a sea of leather tents and black plumes of smoke rising up into the celeste blue sky above.

"We all know what we need to do, correct?" I asked, strapping on my fitted bronze armor over my thick leggings and tunic. The rest of the group nodded solemnly, the weight of our task hanging heavy on our minds.