Ahrden cherished the spot he'd chosen. It was south-east from Belentedor at the edge of The Valley, a lone cliff hanging out from the mountain chain. He had found the location a while ago, and he immediately knew that it would be perfect if he ever chose to do what he did. The cliff hung out from the vertical mountain, but there was also a little cave-like dent in the mountain that could provide cover for the house which he had placed just inside it, where the mountain hung above it. The location was midway up the mountain, with virtually no way to access it without magic. The clearing had gathered dust and dirt over the many centuries, which resulted in it having actual soil with grass and flowers growing out of it, but what surprised Ahrden the most when he first came here was the small creek that ran along the small plateau then tumbled down the edge of the cliff, spraying its fresh water into the air. The small brook didn't have enough water to form a steady stream of waterfall all the way down so it didn't draw any attention.
The place was indeed magical. On one end, the clearing ended in a steep overhanging mountain from which the creek originated through a small spring and on the other end, there was nothing but the edge of the mountain. The spot was high enough to see a large section of the Valley but low enough to not have to deal with the hostile mountain climate that ruled the top at all times.
When Ahrden set his house down, he was heavily panting from the strain of the spell and felt lightheaded. The house survived the trip; his extensive strengthening of it had actually paid off. The ground was even, so he didn't have to worry about that, but he didn't dare to go in and assess the damages just yet. The glow quickly faded as he lifted his hands off and ceased the channelling of arcane. After a few creaking sounds, it seemed that all things were settled and that the structure would survive. He looked at it with joy and pride, then turned around to look at his new garden.
As Ahrden walked on his clearing, his legs shook, and his vision blurred, but he kept on going. He wanted to stop, and kneel down to examine a flower and the depth of the soil, but his mind was unable to focus onto any of these things so he just shuffled on. When he eventually knelt beside the creek and tasted its water by forming a cup from his hand and bringing it to his mouth, it was refreshing and pleasant. No matter how much he would have liked another gulp, he didn't find the strength to achieve it. He collapsed by the creek and fell into a deep slumber.
--
When Ahrden awoke, he didn't know how much time had passed. It was late at night, and the star dotted sky looked stunning from up here. He still felt drained and tired, but the thirst he felt woke him up anyways. He sat up and regarded the sparkling water that ran by his feet. With a move of his hand, a small stream broke off from the rest and floated upwards towards his mouth. He drank until he couldn't anymore then got to his feet.
Trying not to scare his sleepiness away, Ahrden staggered to his front door, opened it with a spell and went in. The living room looked almost normal, with a few pieces of furniture tipped over, but when he entered his study, he was saddened by the scale of the mess the teleportation had caused. In that state, all he could do was to further it by sweeping all the books that fell on his bed to the floor, and once he collapsed onto it, he was asleep in a matter of seconds.
--
Ahrden enjoyed living here. He didn't have to go anywhere to be alone. He didn't have to put on an act whenever he left the house, nor worry about what others thought of him. Now that he wasn't confined in his study, he realized how close it had grown to his heart, and he often found himself just sitting there, breathing in that exotic smelling, intoxicating air, despite how freely he could have just walked anywhere.
His nation could never truly accept a mage as one of their own, no matter how hard Ahrden tried to make them see how valuable such rarity could be. He was never a welcomed member anywhere, despite what he or his family had done for the nation. Now that he was gone, he wondered if the people's perception of him would change. If looking back, they would see what they had lost, what they had forced out of their nation, or they would just further fuel the misconceptions about the arcane arts that were burnt into their brains. Ahrden was certain that he was never going back to live there, but he couldn't let go of the entire nation just yet.
They were on the verge of a war none had seen before in a very long time. Ahrden felt that he personally played a more significant role in it than anyone else. Malitez worked hard to conquer the whole Valley, and only two nations stood against him now. He could rest assured that no matter what he did, these two nations would never unite even if their extinction depended on it. This meant that despite what he said during his ego filled speech in the Map Room all that remained a threat to him was Ahrden, the mage whom he could not destroy despite what he sent at him.
Ahrden could not leave his nation on its own when such dire times were coming. He felt obliged to aid them when it would be needed. And he very well might, thought Ahrden as he sat on that bench that he had made and placed on the very edge of the clearing, looking out into the vast landscape that spread out before him. He enjoyed sitting here and seeing just how enormous this land they all shared was; it helped him put things into perspective.
Now, as he looked out upon the Valley that was so calm, filled with blossoming nature, he wasn't sure how he would decide when the time came.
--
Ahrden materialized in the middle of the street with people around, but his arrival went unnoticed. He mastered teleportation to the point that he could make such jumps without needing to worry that he would end up arriving where another person also stood. He was also so proficient with the cloaking spells that the chance of detection was slim to none among the common folks. He knew this place would be quite popular this time around, but he came here nevertheless because he didn't want to wait any more. He couldn't wait a moment longer.
He was standing right outside the Wooden Jug, just as people started flowing in. He had to step aside a few times when the people eager to have their first jug quickly walked towards the building, unaware that he stood between them and the pub.
Extending his senses, Ahrden could tell that the medallion he had given to Alia wasn't in the pub, which didn't surprise him because he knew that she liked to arrive later with the other rogues when all the tables were already occupied and only hers was left untouched.
From his stalking days that followed their first encounter, Ahrden knew very well where Alia lived. In seconds, he was standing on a roof that offered an excellent view onto her balcony, but it was empty. Ahrden had no need of it anymore, so he dropped his cloaking spells and concentrated on the medallion. Not sensing it could have meant that she was either not there or that she had covered it with that special oil again, but it was all irrelevant now because Ahrden could vividly feel the medallion as it was elegantly moving around the house below him.
Ahrden could hear the soft scraping of a songbird's nails as it was jumping on the roof not far from him, which gave him an idea. It was late at night for such a small bird to be out here, but Ahrden was glad for the presence of this little fellow. He carefully turned towards the little bird, concentrated on the spell and cast it with precision. The enchant took effect faster than the bird could have flown away, and in a few seconds, the little bird was Ahrden's to command.
In the past, Ahrden had tried this spell on other animals, too, so he knew how to command this little bird. The spell itself wasn't difficult; the challenge was to maintain the connection and control the animal in a way that didn't sabotage the fragile bond. Another thing that helped Ahrden, in this case, was the size of the animal because the smaller it was, the easier it was to take control of it. He had successfully commanded deer before, so this little peach sized bird was no more than fun for him to guide.
Once the bird calmed and understood what was going on, Ahrden tried his spell by calling it to him. Like a bullet, it shot towards him and elegantly landed on his extended index finger. Satisfied, Ahrden stroked the little head of the bird, which seemed to have enjoyed it, but he couldn't tell for sure. He then looked up towards the balcony and whispered the command to the bird. With the same speed, the bird flew from his finger, and in seconds it was on the fence of the balcony facing the open door that was covered with a soft curtain.
Next, Ahrden recalled the right incantation and with it asked the songbird to sing. He had to smile at just how beautiful it was to listen to the soft but vivid singing of this little creature. In these hours of the day, it was highly uncommon to hear something like this, and Alia was already blessed with always alert senses. Sure enough, Ahrden didn't have to wait long before she walked through the open door with the curtains hugging her body until they ran out and fell behind.
Alia looked intrigued by the little bird as it sang the song of its life to her. She walked up to it, and Ahrden made sure that it jumped in her hand that she extended towards it. She too stroked the bird's little head, then looked up and started scanning the surrounding houses. It didn't take long for her to find Ahrden, who remained there motionless, marvelling at the screen below him.
When they locked eyes, the connection between Ahrden and the songbird slipped, if only from a moment, and the bird was gone, but neither of them cared for it. Alia wore a light garb that wrapped loosely around her, and some distant light briefly reflected off from the medallion that proudly hung from her neck.
Ahrden was hardly lurking, but the roles have still switched momentarily with him on the roof and her on the safe balcony. Despite the distance, he could see a small smile forming at the base of her lips, and he didn't want to waste more time being away from her.
When Ahrden materialised beside her, she was already turning towards where he now stood. He felt somewhat uneasy at barging on her unannounced, but he tried to look confident and unapologetic.
Their greetings were something they couldn't yet work out, so Ahrden decided to go ahead of the situation and went straight to the point.
'Are you ready?' asked Ahrden.
Alia knew what followed after such a question, and despite getting more and more used to it, she was never truly ready for it. She flexed every muscle in her body, then took Ahrden's held out hand. He looked at her, and she imperceptibly nodded in such a way that Ahrden couldn't help but smile. In the next second, they stood at the clearing where Ahrden now lived.
In the beginning, Alia needed a few seconds to orient herself after the jumps, but as she was becoming more and more attuned to the process, these seconds were decreasing to mere instants now. When she felt steady enough, she let go of Ahrden's hand and straightened up. Ahrden could see that she wanted to say something, but her words got stuck in her throat as she looked out and into the Valley. Other than when he had taken to her the place he met Kadelinas, it was improbable that she had ever been this far up in her life before, and her expression confirmed this.
'You mentioned how you didn't find it fitting that you didn't know anything about my home, while I knew so much of yours. So tonight, I brought you to my home.'
It was almost a full moon, and its light shone brightly along with the many, many stars that dotted the evening sky. What Ahrden said was enough to tear her eyes away from this stunning evening view and look at him questioningly. As she turned her head, she spotted the house at the base of the mountain, and she was at a loss for words again.
'Come, there is a bench just over there by that little creek. I've prepared some snacks and wine. I believe you have a lot of questions that need to be answered.'
They walked over to the sturdy bench, sat down on it, and Ahrden talked. He told her everything; for the first time, he opened up about his true life, not just the shining arcane-covered part of it. He talked about what he had to go through after he chose mage as a class — how he was looked down on not just by every single person in the city but even by his own parents. When it came to magic, the ones that were truly on his side were the late Berton, but their relationship was cold and professional, and Felinda, whom Ahrden wholeheartedly could call his friend.
Ahrden told Alia about how he was trying hard to do good for everyone in the city, how he was serving them with everything he had ever since he was powerful enough to do so, despite receiving nothing but resentment in return. Ahrden told her about how he saved dozens of soldiers from certain death multiple times, how he rescued a scout from unimaginable agony, how he stopped Inferno when it was sent at them by Malitez, who was behind the recent attack with the Thing that could have wiped out every ruling member of his nation. Ahrden told her about how he was treated after all he had done — how, at his school, the one girl he liked, and who also liked him back, was driven away by the nature of his class.
Tears started forming at the base of Ahrden's eyes as he relived all these sorrowful memories, yet he didn't stop the flow of his past; he wanted to get it out of his system, tell it to someone whom he truly trusted — someone who didn't turn away from him because of his class but instead was drawn to him by it. Alia could potentially become another firm pillar of his life, a kind he had never had before. Alia was the perfect person in Ahrden's life.
After Ahrden finished, they just sat there in silence. So far, his relationship with Alia was a peculiar one. The physical attraction and the tension that came from it were ever-present between them, but neither had acted upon it. They met up every once in a while, but these meetings were always odd in some way. They had talked about the state of their nations if something was threatening either of their people. They had talked about Alia's skills as a rogue, what Ahrden needed to know about rogues in general, and she even taught him the basics. Due to her unquenching thirst for everything that had to do with the arcane, they also spent a lot of time on what Ahrden was capable of. Upon being asked, he told her about what he was currently studying or working on. Even though he couldn't teach her much, he educated her about what signs indicated that magic had been conducted or what runes to look for when it came to items possessing magical qualities. But besides these, they rarely talked about personal things other than on two occasions. What Ahrden told her now was surely going to change everything for better or worse.
Alia finally broke the stretching silence by standing up, walking to the cliff's edge, and looking out at the Valley.
'Now that you told me about your old neighbours, I'm glad I only got to see your new ones,' she turned around and faced Ahrden. 'And remember…'
Ahrden choked on his breath as he saw Alia lean backwards and fall into the abyss. No matter how skilful he was in the arcane arts, when he saw her disappear from his view, he forgot the fact that he knew magic at all. After a stride forward, Ahrden dived over the cliff, and once he saw Alia's upside-down body, he teleported to her. They grabbed onto one another and fell together, head forward with eyes and bodies locked.
'…You have me now,' Alia finished her sentence, then leaned in and kissed Ahrden.
The gushing wind, the impending death, and every other distraction disappeared in that instant. Ahrden had been happy in his life; he had felt joy many times before, but what he experienced at that moment redefined everything and gave a new meaning to the word itself.
The warning of his extended senses snapped him out of the moment, but he was glad that Alia, the best rogue there was by his estimates, didn't show any sign of wanting to end that kiss. When Ahrden's senses were screaming, he finally drew back. Alia opened her eyes, and she looked calmer and happier than Ahrden had ever seen her before. When the first leaf came into Ahrden's view, he acted instinctively.
The air was knocked out of both of them when they fell on the soft grass by the little creek. This being something Alia was more experienced in, she recovered faster.
'I admit, some of the fault is mine.'
Ahrden's body was under Alia's, so he took up most of the impact, for which Alia gave him a little time to recover. When she deemed it enough, she leaned in and kissed him again.
When she leaned back, Ahrden could see the sly spark in her eyes.
'You still haven't shown me your house.'