12 Nathan

It took longer than I had anticipated for Arabel and Dane to return but when they did Dane was laughing at something Arabel had said to him while he returned to his previous seat with Sam and Ronan. His relaxed stance immediately sent a wave of relief throughout the rest of the soldiers that was almost palpable. Arabel passed the bag of food around and I noticed that she had something long strapped across her back and wrapped in a cloth case.

"What do you have there?" I asked and she grinned, removing the item from her back and throwing it swiftly towards Ronan, who caught it easily in one hand. With a frown Ronan looked at Arabel,

"Is this what I think it is?" he asked and Arabel shrugged indifferently.

"I'm just returning it to its rightful owner." She said though her lips twitched with a suppressed grin, "although I doubt you remember how to use it." he uncovered it to reveal a long ancient looking sword.

"WOAH!" a soldier cried in excitement running over,

"Is that an authentic Celtic Longsword?" he asked and I heard Arabel chuckling softly to herself. Ronan took the sword out of the covering and sheath. It was long, as its name implied, and shone with a luster you don't normally see on metal swords. The hilt was simple as well except for a thin circle of shining diamonds at the base. It was simple and beautiful and I recognize it as a sword that was previously on the wall in her hidden room.

"Can I hold it?" the curious soldier asked. Ronan looked down at him with a smirk.

"It's heavy," he said but still handed the handle to the man. There was a thud as the tip of the sword fell to the ground and the man grunted with force. He clasped both hands at the handle and his face turned red with the exertion of trying to keep it up. Ronan chuckled and lifted the sword easily while the soldier walked dejectedly away to his comrades who poked fun but knowing Arabel's strength I wondered at how heavy the sword really was.

"Do you still know how to use that thing?" Sam sauntered up to Ronan with a familiar grin on her face.

"It's been a while, but it's like riding a bicycle," he winked and Arabel snorted in response. He held the sword in front of him familiarly and raised his brow at Arabel,

"Care to spar with me to find out?" he teased and instead of the playful banter I expected her to continue I saw her hand gingerly touch the scar on her chest and she exhaled slowly before meeting Ronan's gaze.

"No thanks," she said softly. But while I understood where this was coming from, I didn't think Ronan did and he didn't take no for an answer. So when he lunged with a playful smile my body reacted on its own and I jumped between them. With a hand raised like a fool I stopped the sword with my right hand. I felt the weight of it crush my hand and the searing pain it sent up my arm.

"ARE YOU AN IDIOT!" The windows of the greenhouse vibrated at her fury-filled voice and the chattering voices stopped, all attention focused on us. In a second she was standing in front of me taking my hand gingerly in her own.

"What were you thinking?" she asked and I still saw anger in her eyes. With my left hand I pressed my knuckles gingerly to the center of her chest. While her eyes widened in understanding she still had an upset scowl on her face. Then I felt a warmth start to seep into my right hand and tried to yank it away, ignoring the searing pain it caused.

"That defeats the purpose of me protecting you," I growled down at her and she sighs but looks up at me with a soft look in her eyes, emotions there that I hadn't seen before.

"I don't need you to protect me," she whispered softly, pulling my hand back to her and I felt as if I was kicked in the gut. I knew she didn't need me to protect her, but it didn't stop me from wanting to. The warmth from her palms travelled up my arm and I grunted at the pain of the bones in my palm putting themselves back together and I see the anger building up in her eyes again, the soft emotions there being replaced. When she was done she let her right hand fall limply to her side while I flexed my right fist and I saw the blood from the gash she took from me starting to drip down from her finger tips.

She turned her icy stare on her brother and when her lips parted smoke streamed out and I saw two glistening fangs. Ronans jovial attitude was replaced with a look of fear as he stuck the tip of his sword into the ground and then raised his hands in surrender in front of him.

"I didn't mean it," he sputtered, "he jumped in between us!"

"I'm going to kick your ass." The sentence was curt and cold and I could visibly see Ronan swallow nervously, his hands still raised in front of him.

"Come now, Arabel, your hand is injured and broken now." He said trying to deflect the focus from himself, but it didn't work and Arabel sneered as she got closer to him.

"Do you think I need two hands to defeat you?" with her left hand she grabbed the collar of his shirt and flipped him over her shoulder and further towards the windows, and I knew instantly that she wanted him to be further away from the soldiers, who were now behind her instead of him. He landed with a heavy thud and groaned as he pushed himself up to his knees, then, appearing all around him as if spontaneously combusting was a circle of burning fire. But seeing the smoke still spilling, strangely seductively, from her lip, I knew the fire was her doing. Ronan spun around realizing he was surrounded by the burning flames and then focused his attention on Arabel, bracing himself and obviously preparing to be defensive. But surprisingly Arabel's stance relaxed and a smiled curved on her lips as the ground trembled slightly and Ronan looked down. Everyone followed his gaze and although no one had seen it happen or noticed, including Ronan, his ankles were wrapped and tangled in what looked like tree roots as they tightened. Ronan looked up, his mouth gaping wide, as Arabel walked towards him. The fire began to grow weaker before finally flickering and disappearing completely. Arabel ran the fingers of her uninjured hand through her hair and sighed as she stood in front of her brother who watched her with wide unwavering eyes.

"Humans are fragile Ronan," she said calmly, the anger seemingly gone from her voice, "please remember that." She walked away leaving him there, his legs still engulfed in the roots.

"I think I take offense to that statement," Dane spoke up for the first time and Arabel shrugged in response. Then another soldier approached her, albeit nervously, she glanced down at him and he inhaled deeply,

"Y-You need that injury looked at," he stuttered softly, and I recognized the medic insignia of his uniform. A flash of pain crossed Arabel's eyes and I knew it was due to the obvious fear in the medics gaze. She smiled half-heartedly at the soldier and shake her head.

"It's ok, I will take care of it myself." She said and turned away, she brushed passed me while leaning over and to my surprise she pulled her white shirt off, leaving her only in her brassier while the soldiers stole glances. She leaned against the windows further away from the soldiers but still in view. Her scar in the center of her chest was visible now and I saw Ronan's face harden with anger as I passed him,

"Where did she get that?" he hissed, unable to go towards hers. I glanced at him but didn't answer. Instead I lowered myself in front of her and grabbed her shirt which she was trying to tear with her teeth. She looked at me and conceded, so I took the shirt and tore strips of the clean cloth. I grabbed her hand gingerly remembering the pain it had caused me. I knew there was nothing I could do for the broken bones, but the gash in her palm was deep, despite already seeing the edges starting to pull in and heal. I sighed and looked at her again, still feeling the sting of rejection at the idea of me protecting her but she didn't meet my gaze. I could see the makings of a new shirt stitching its way onto her body but it was much slower than usual and I could see the exhaustion evident in her eyes, but I don't think it was physical exhaustion but rather mental and emotional. When I finished wrapping the cut on her hand I sat next to her, my back resting against the same window. I took my arm and snaked it around her waist and pulled her against me, practically on my lap.

"What are you doing?" she asked in surprise and I lowered my mouth to her ear.

"Just shut up and sleep." I whispered quietly and felt her body shutter against me.

"That's easier said than done," she responded with a shake of her head.

"Then close your eyes." I said back. I heard a grumble from her chest but she didn't argue any further and instead I felt her body finally relax against my own. I wrapped my arms around her and leaned my forehead against her soft hair. Despite her previous arguments it wasn't long before I felt her shoulders rhythmically rise and fall and her chest heave with a soft sigh. My arms tightened around her as she melted against my chest and I left my cheek resting against the top of her head. Out of the corner of my eye I see Ronan glance at us, a look of surprise on his face. Then he changed into his wolf form to escape the grasp of the roots at his ankles and sauntered over to Sam, laying down at her feet. I closed my eyes as I felt the exhaustion seep into myself and the warmth of Arabel's body relax my own.

'Stay with her.' The ever familiar voice echoed in my head as my world fell dark with the onset of sleep. But it wasn't until the sleep came, that I learned Arabel's fight against it.

"Help me…"

"someone help!"

"Oh god, I don't want to die."

While the world around me was black hundreds of voices filled my head to the point that I worried about it bursting. The cries of pain, weeping, requests for help, my head was swimming with them. Then just as soon as they filled my head, the voices started to fade away and a bright light was shining. I found myself standing in a snow filled field the cold biting at my skin as if I was really there. I felt as if I was in a battlefield, houses were burning along with what looked very similarly to the orphanage only it was engulfed in flames. The snow-covered valley around us was littered with bodies and painted with blood and I felt my stomach lurch. Even the smell felt realistic. No amount of military deployments could have prepared me for this type of barbaric slaughter.

"Why." Arabel's voice tore my attention away from the flames. I felt like I was frozen to the ground watching something I shouldn't be able to see. In front of the burning orphanage stood a dark figure with black as night wings fluttering in the wind behind him. With terrifying electric green eyes he stared down at Arabel who had a long sword sticking out of her chest, his hand wrapped around the handle.

"I should be asking you that?" the man's voice was harsh and tainted with a sense of betrayal.

"All you needed to do was stay by my side," he growled with anger, "we would be glorious together." He sneered, as he twisted the sword. A gargled cry of pain ripped out of Arabels chest. Her eyes shown with flowing tears as blood began to trickle down from the corner of her mouth. Her white wings were limp against her back and splattered with blood she looked at the bodies in the snow and her face contorted in pain and sorrow.

"Why," was all she managed to choke out.

"We would have been gods to these people, there's no one stronger." The man sneered again, this brought a flash of anger to Arabel's face as she lunged forward, ignoring the fact that she pushed the sword deeper into her chest.

"WE'RE GUARDIANS!" she screamed, "WE ARE SUPPOSED TO PROTECT NOT KILL!"

A snarl formed on the mans lips and he twisted the sword once more but Arabel had a frozen glare on his face and didn't even flinch at the obvious damage it was causing.

"Why should we protect those sniveling brats who are terrified of us? Why should we care when no one cares for us? Disowned and hunted by Guardians, feared by humans, where do we belong Arabel? What are we the guardians of? Wolves guard wolves, snakes, snakes. What does the phoenix guard? What are we supposed to guard when we aren't even supposed to exist?" he growled at her. A grimace formed on her lips and I saw fresh wave of sorrow on her face.

"How can you kill so easily? How can you feel no remorse? Why?" she pleaded with him, wrapping her hand around the blade to keep him from thrusting it in deeper, not that it would matter. The man faltered before sneering at her in disgust. He ripped the sword out of her chest and she gasped in the pain and shock of it. He dropped the sword at her knees while she clutched at her chest. Blood began pouring out of the gash in her chest while she coughed and sputtered blood.

"Ciaran," she choked in one last attempt before shaking her head up at him. "you're not a guardian."

Her body slumped in the snow and a blast of wind surrounded everyone. The man, named Ciaran, stood over her limp body, a look of horror on his face as he stared at her body and felt the wind on his face. From him the wind came and blasted against my own face and I felt a fire burning inside of me, growing ever stronger and more powerful.

"Don't leave her Nathan," there was that voice again only instead of hearing it in my head, it was as if I heard it on the wind washing against me filling me with heat. "stay with her. Love her. Care for her. Protect her."

"Why me?" I found myself asking a question that had been on the back of my mind.

"She's been taught not to love by the guardians who fear it, because they fear her and her true purpose. Teach her what love truly is. Love her Nathan, stay with her. Teach her to love."

"I do love her." I found myself saying, explaining the feelings I have had since I first saw her. "I'll always love her."

"Show her."