46 Oath-binder? The Legend of the Phoenix

--------She gave Lillian a hug and Liana and Liz a high-five each, then disappeared. -------------

Lillian, Liana, Liz, Robyn, Ruby and Stella were standing outside of the Clan walls. Elena had wandered off somewhere, and Jasmine and James had left already, needing to prepare something. They didn't specify exactly what, and nobody asked for any explanations.

(Lillian) "Robyn, can I trust you with Liana's safety?"

(Liana) "Hey! I'm right here, you know."

Liana said at the same time Liz said,

(Liz) "Hey! What about me!?"

Robyn completely ignored them and replied to Lillian,

(Robyn) "You can trust me. I'll keep her safe, I promise."

Lillian smiled at that.

(Lillian) "You don't need to do that, you know."

Robyn returned her smile.

(Robyn) "I know, but you'll rest easier knowing I did."

Liana raised an eyebrow, wondering what exactly they were talking about. She had an idea, but no other evidence to prove it, other than what happened the previous day.

Lillian turned to Liz and said,

(Lillian) "Stay out of trouble. Rob will be staying here at least until I come back. While she's here, she, Rose and Elena will be training the two of you."

Liz nodded, a bored look on her face.

(Liz) "I know, sis. Just please don't be gone too long."

Lillian nodded.

(Lillian) "I won't. I have a promise to keep."

Liz's eyes widened, as her gaze travelled over to Liana, who had struck up a conversation with Ruby. Lillian simply nodded.

(Liz) "Okay then. Don't die."

She hugged her sister and went over to Ruby, waiting for her to finish her conversation with Liana before grabbing her hand lightly and walking off to somewhere else.

(Robyn) "What were you two talking about?"

Liana smiled and replied,

(Liana) "Training… and Lillian and Liz."

Robyn shook her head lightly, an amused expression on her face.

(Robyn) "You've really become a battle freak, haven't you?"

Liana merely shrugged in reply, an innocent smile on her face.

*

(Lillian) "Well, we should be going, or we won't get there before dark."

Liana turned to face Lillian with a smile.

(Liana) "Okay. Be safe."

She gave her a brief hug, then shook hands with Stella.

(Liana) "Watch her for me?"

Stella chuckled lightly as she replied,

(Stella) "Chief is more than ten times more powerful than me."

Realisation dawned on her and she smiled as she said,

(Stella) "I'll watch her for you."

(Liana's thoughts) 'She's sharp.'

(Liana) "Thank you."

Next to them, Robyn gave Lillian a hug, then they extended their hands as if they were going to shake hands, but clapped their hands together, then the backs of them. They then fisted their hands and Robyn bumped the top of her fist to the bottom of Lillian's, then the other way around, ending with them fist-bumping and then a solid handshake and another hug.

(Liana) "That's some elaborate handshake you two have there."

Robyn chuckled softly as she replied,

(Robyn) "It's something we've been doing since she was about ten, I think."

She thought for a moment then continued,

(Robyn) "When we first were trying to make it, it was so funny. Either we just couldn't get it right, or we tried to make changes to it or else I forgot it."

Lillian chuckled as well, remembering the time when they decided to make like a 'secret handshake' with each other.

(Robyn) "Well, I should leave you two be."

Liana raised an eyebrow.

(Liana) "Stella is still very much here?"

Robyn simply smiled as she walked over to Stella and gestured for her to follow her, leaving Lillian and Liana by themselves, at least for a short while.

(Liana) "Is it too much to ask that you don't get injured? I feel as if no matter what happens you are going to get injured, one way or another."

Lillian gave her a small smile.

(Lillian) "I can't promise you that, but I can promise you that I'll come back to you alive, and in one piece."

Again, Liana felt there was something more to Lillian's words.

(Lillian) "You want to know why, right?"

Liana raised an eyebrow, her mind going blank at Lillian's words.

(Lillian) "The bond. Plus, you kinda directed your thoughts at me."

Realisation dawned on Liana.

(Liana) "Oh."

She avoided Lillian's gaze for a moment, then met it as she said,

(Liana) "Yes. If you would tell me."

Lillian smiled and nodded.

(Lillian) "I'll tell you anything you want to know."

*

(Lillian, through mind-link to Robyn and Stella) "We'll be a while. We can delay our departure by about an hour."

Stella and Robyn both smiled, knowing why Lillian was delaying them leaving, again. They were supposed to leave the day before, but Lillian had said that they would delay to the next day.

(Stella) "They really are…"

Robyn glanced at Stella as she trailed off.

(Robyn) "And how do you feel about that?"

Stella chuckled softly, looking at the ground.

(Stella) "At first, I felt something along the lines of jealousy and anger. Then afterwards I realised how dumb I was being."

She smiled, looking up at Robyn.

(Stella) "Now, I feel as if I just want to cheer them on, even though it's clear it won't be an easy path for them."

Robyn nodded.

(Robyn) "With the prophecy and everything, them having it easy is almost a zero percent chance."

Stella smiled in response.

(Stella) "But there's the fact that they're both already so incredibly overpowered on their own. They're practically unstoppable once they figure out just a little bit more of their powers. They're already a bit too powerful without them."

Robyn chuckled and nodded in agreement.

(Robyn) "Indeed they are. Yet somehow Lil always gets injured."

Stella nodded in agreement, the look on her face causing Robyn to stifle a laugh.

*

Meanwhile, back with Lillian and Liana,

(Lillian) "Do you know what that feeling you're feeling is?"

Liana shook her head. Lillian thought for a moment, then said,

(Lillian) "It's the feeling of an oath being bound."

Liana's eyes widened.

(Liana) "You're an oath-binder?"

Lillian nodded slowly. Liana's mouth widened slightly.

(Liana) "Every single thing or just things you decide?"

Lillian shook her head.

(Lillian) "Things that either I specifically want it like that or when the person making the oath means it like that."

Liana thought for a moment.

(Liana) "That's what Robyn did."

Lillian nodded.

(Liana) "What happens when it's broken?"

Lillian freezes for a moment, causing Liana to frown. Oath-binders are rare, so most people don't know exactly what happens, and it varies with the person. Lillian's reaction and her emotions definitely meant that hers was on the worse side.

*

Lillian finally meets Liana's gaze again but doesn't speak. After a few moments, Liana's eyes widen as she asks,

(Liana) "It- it's really that bad?"

Lillian nods slowly.

(Liana) "…Wow."

(Liana) "And if you do it?"

When Lillian didn't respond after a few moments, Liana's eyes widened drastically.

(Liana) "Please tell me it's not…"

Lillian shook her head.

(Lillian) "I won't die."

Liana raised an eyebrow at Lillian.

(Lillian) "But I will… be in a lot of pain."

Liana closed her eyes and shook her head.

(Liana) "That's if you break it or does it apply for if everyone else does it too?"

(Lillian) "If I break it that will happen. If someone else breaks it… I can choose to take it for them, or…"

She trailed off, allowing Liana to fill in the blanks herself.

(Liana) "You can do that?"

Lillian nodded.

(Liana) "Does it only apply to you or others too?"

Lillian thought for a moment.

(Lillian) "They can do that as well, but if the consequences of breaking it are like mine, I can hardly see why they would."

Liana's eyes widened and Lillian froze when she realised what she said.

(Liana) "You're saying that another person whose penalties are the same as yours could choose to take the consequences… but they will actually die?"

Lillian nodded slowly. Liana's eyes narrowed this time as she asked,

(Liana) "Why is it different for you?"

Lillian avoided Liana's gaze as she said slowly,

(Lillian) "I won't… I can't die."

Liana stayed silent, knowing that Lillian needed time to gather her thoughts and explain it slowly. Lillian breathed in and out slowly and said softly,

(Lillian) "The Legend of the Phoenix is more than just a Legend."

Liana frowned lightly.

(Lillian) "Although the Wolf Empress's animal was, well, a wolf, there was one other thing she turned into regularly. The Phoenix. However, the Prophecy of the Legend wasn't complete then and she wasn't the final Phoenix."

She took a deep breath and met Liana's gaze.

(Lillian) "I'm the final fulfilment of the Prophecy of the Legend of the Phoenix. An Oath-binder, and one half of the fulfilment of The Prophecy."

She closed her eyes for a few seconds before continuing,

(Lillian) "My heart will stop beating, but I will always come back alive. No matter what anyone does to try to kill me, I will always come back stronger than ever. Thus, I cannot actually die."

She looked at Liana, her face expressionless and strong, but inside a raging storm. Liana's expression slowly turned into a small smile and she stepped towards Lillian.

Lillian tensed up when she saw Liana's movement but relaxed the moment Liana's arms wrapped around her.

(Liana) "I'm sorry."

With just two words, Liana expressed everything she was feeling, everything else she needed to say sent straight into Lillian's brain. Lillian relaxed in Liana's arms, and although Lillian was a good deal taller than her, she felt protected. Safe.

(Lillian's thoughts) 'Safe, huh. It's been a long time.'

Lillian simply stood there and wrapped her arms around Liana's waist, allowing her to hold her.

*

After a few minutes Liana pulled away but held Lillian by her shoulders.

(Liana) "I'm here for you now, Lillian. Will you try to rely on me more after this?"

Lillian nodded slowly.

(Lillian) "We have to work together from now on anyway."

She grinned at Liana, who responded with a weak smile, glad that Lillian didn't have a skill that could read peoples' emotions.

(Liana) 'If I'm not careful…'

She cut off her thoughts, afraid that Lillian would be able to hear them.

*

(Liana) "Don't you need to go?"

Lillian's eyes widened and she smiled sheepishly.

(Lillian) "Oh. Right."

She mind-linked Stella and told her to get back as soon as possible.

(Lillian) "They'll be at least a few minutes."

Liana nodded.

(Liana) "How did you find out?"

Lillian frowned.

(Lillian) "I was fighting with some bandits one day, and I made a dumb mistake, and the guys' sword went almost straight through my heart."

She chuckled softly as she said,

(Lillian) "My sister was the one with me that day. When she saw me drop to the ground, she released a spell that killed the remaining bandits before running over to me."

She smiled.

(Lillian) "According to her, my heart had stopped beating and I had stopped breathing."

Her smile dropped as she continued,

(Lillian) "She was freaking out, not knowing what to do, but still able to maintain rational thinking. She pulled the sword out of me, for some reason it was still in me at that point, then she attempted to heal me."

She shrugged.

(Lillian) "Obviously that didn't work, but she just sat there for about five more minutes when she realised that my aura was still there. And getting stronger. She checked again and my heart was beating. She waited longer, according to her, watching my wounds patch themselves up."

Lillian chuckled a little.

(Lillian) "I woke up on the floor, my head in her lap."

Liana had an incredulous look on her face.

(Liana) "How long ago was this?"

Lillian's expression was unreadable as she said,

(Lillian) "It was a year after I became chief."

Liana's mouth opened slightly.

(Liana) "That's a long time."

Lillian nodded.