An unlikely Alliance

"And that's what happened." Oreon sighed. "That was ten years ago. After the fight with my mom and sister, he took me and tried to turn me into…" Oreon gave a faint shake of his head. "I don't know… some high-ranking soldier, I guess. But I wouldn't move. I wouldn't listen. I just sat there. That's when the whippings started…" His eyes narrowed. "Not long after, Aura broke me out of my father's grip and left me with Meara… and I haven't seen her since." Oreon exhaled, the weight of it finally leaving his voice. "So, yeah. That's my story."

When Oreon's story came to an end, the sisters' faces told two different truths. Celestia gasped and covered her mouth, while the suspicion and anger in Sylvanie's eyes began to fade.

"I..." Celestia faltered as her hands fell from her mouth. "I don't even know where to start... To witness something like that..." She paused and swallowed hard. "To lose everything in a single night, and then..." Her gaze dropped. "You're no different from us," she said, looking back up at him.

Sylvanie stayed silent for a while, her eyes fixed on Oreon, before letting out a tired sigh. "So that's why you were so—argh." She clicked her tongue in frustration. "Damn it. And here I thought you were some secret Order lackey, leading us straight into a trap." She grabbed her head with both hands and rubbed her temples.

"Well," Celestia said, glancing at her sister, "Mother always warned you not to judge a book by its cover." She moved closer to Oreon. "Still, to endure all that as a child..." Her gaze drifted back to the tall building on the cliff, its holy emblem watching over the land.

"Even now, I'm reminded that there is no depth the Order will not sink to." She turned back to Oreon. "Even as our kingdom fell, we saw them harm anyone who stood in their way—man, woman, or child. So, though we have only just met, please accept my deepest condolences. And... thank you. I know we haven't earned your story, but thank you for sharing it with us." Celestia bowed her head to Oreon.

Oreon blinked, clearly taken aback by Celestia's dignified gesture. "I... you don't have to bow," he said quickly, his voice awkward. "Really, it's—I mean... you shouldn't..." He rubbed the back of his neck and looked away, embarrassment written across his face. "Just... don't bow, okay?"

Celestia raised her head back up, a small smile on her face. "It's how we show thanks in our kingdom. Gratitude for the story that you shared and the trouble that we have caused, even indirectly." She glanced behind her, her eyes falling on her sister. "Speaking of trouble."

Celestia rushed to Sylvanie, seized her by the ear, and marched her toward Oreon. "Get over here and apologize."

“Ow, ow, ow!” Sylvanie yelped, stumbling forward as Celestia dragged her by the ear like a scolded child. "Celestia, what the—let go! I'm not a kid anymore! Hey, why are you pulling so hard?!"

"Because you've been acting like one!" Celestia snapped, still dragging her sister by the ear. "You called him an Order spy, threatened him more than once, and attacked him without hearing his side!" Her eyes narrowed. "The least you can do is properly apologize to the man who freed us! Now apologize!"

"Fine, fine! Just let go of my ear already!" Sylvanie hissed, swatting at Celestia's hand until her sister finally released her. The dark elf stumbled forward, glaring as she rubbed her sore ear. "Honestly... treating me like some common brat..."

With a stern look, Celestia folded her arms. "Well? We're waiting."

Sylvanie shot her sister a glare before reluctantly facing Oreon. She froze under her own sharp stare, but this time, a flicker of annoyance—or maybe shame—crossed her eyes.

For a moment, the two only stared at each other. Then Sylvanie finally opened her mouth. "Look..." At that single word, Oreon and Celestia both perked up, waiting for the long-overdue apology. "I..." Sylvanie tried again. "I... I..." Then, all at once, she turned her face toward the forest, puffed out her cheeks, and folded her arms like a sulking child.

"I won't apologize for slapping you or trying to snap your neck."

Her words broke the silence, and Oreon and Celestia hilariously tumbled forward onto their faces in response.

"Sylvanie!" Celestia cried, her composure slipping as she pushed herself up and glared at her younger sister. "That's not an apology! That's literally the opposite of an apology?!"

"I said what I said!" Sylvanie shot back, still refusing to look at Oreon. "He could've still been lying for all we know! I was just being cautious!"

"Cautious?!" Celestia's voice rose—a rare crack in her usual composure—as the sisters plunged into a full-blown war of words. "You've threatened to kill him multiple times! Multiple times?!"

"Well, excuse me for not trusting every random human who just happens to show up out of nowhere!" Sylvanie snapped back, finally turning to face her sister. "What was I supposed to do, huh? Besides, all those things were because of him anyway! It's his fault!"

"What kind of crazy Elven logic is that?!" Oreon took his turn to scold the dark elf. "You held me up by my throat against a tree! I could have died!"

"But you didn't! So, what are you so mad about?!" Sylvanie whirled around as the two were right back in each other's faces.

"Are you serious right now?!" Oreon shot back, his voice rising as he stepped closer, matching her intensity. "You literally tried to kill me!"

"And yet here you are, still breathing!" Sylvanie gestured wildly at him, her eyes just as defiant as her attitude. "So clearly, I wasn't trying hard enough!"

"That's not the point!" Oreon threw his hands up in the air.

"Then what is the point?!" Sylvanie challenged, leaning in even closer, their faces now merely inches apart.

"You're unbelievable!" Oreon started.

"ENOUGH!" Celestia stepped between them, pressing a hand to each of their chests as she forced them apart, her voice cutting through the argument. "Both of you, cease this childishness this instant!"

They looked away from one another, arms folded, displaying identical, stubbornly irritated expressions.

Celestia pinched the bridge of her nose, taking a slow, measured breath. "By the ancients..." She said, attempting to calm herself down from the childish tantrums they both were throwing. "Sylvanie...Please. Apologize. Properly. You know you were in the wrong." Her voice softened slightly.

Sylvanie clenched her jaw and glanced back, catching both her sister and Oreon in her sights. For a moment, she seemed ready to argue again, but Celestia's quiet, patient disappointment stopped her short, making her deflate slightly.

"Tch..." She clicked her tongue again, turning around slowly to face Oreon again. "Fine. Whatever..."

"Sylvanie—"

"I said fine!" the dark elf snapped, then took a breath, her shoulders dropping. She still wouldn't look directly at Oreon, her gaze fixed somewhere over his shoulder."

"Okay... I'm... I'm...Thank you for breaking us out." She turned her head to the side, causing both Oreon and her sister to lower their heads and sigh.

"That's still not an apology!" Their voices blended into a single sound as Celestia and Oreon spoke.

"Ugh...Just forget it." Celestia finally said, her regal self completely gone from exhaustion, as she turned her head back towards Oreon. "I apologize for my sister's..." Celestia paused, searching for the right word. "Lack of social graces." She began.

"Hey?! I'm standing right here, you know!" Sylvanie protested, whirling back around.

Celestia ignored her, keeping her focus on Oreon. "She means well, truly. She's just...protective. And stubborn. Very. Very stubborn."

"I heard that too!"

"You were meant to," Celestia replied coolly, not even bothering to look at her sister. A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips—barely there, but present. "She's grateful, I assure you; she just has a... unique way of showing it."

"Unique is one word for it," Oreon muttered under his breath, though loud enough for both sisters to hear.

Sylvanie's gaze narrowed as she snapped her head back in his direction. "Treading water, human!"

"Sylvanie, please," Celestia said, her tone weary as she rubbed her temple with her fingers. "Can we have one conversation without threatening him?"

"I'm not threatening—" Sylvanie started, but Celestia cut her off with a single raised hand.

"You literally just threatened him. Again." The older sister's blue eyes locked onto Sylvanie, making it clear she had reached the end of her patience.

Sylvanie opened her mouth to protest, closed it, then huffed and looked away. "...Whatever."

Oreon let out a small, disbelieving laugh at their exchange. After the escape, the story he had shared, and the fight with the corrupted elf, watching the sisters bicker felt strangely normal.

"You two really are sisters, huh?" he said, a hint of amusement creeping into his voice.

"Unfortunately," both sisters said simultaneously, then immediately glared at each other.

"Don't copy me!" They said in unison again, which only made them glare harder.

Oreon blinked, then actually smiled a real, genuine smile. It felt foreign after everything, but...there it was. "Yeah, definitely sisters."

Celestia's expression softened as she noticed his smile, her own lips curving upward slightly. "I suppose we do make quite the pair, don't we?" She glanced at Sylvanie, who was still stubbornly looking away but had the faintest hint of pink on her cheeks.

"Anyway..." Celestia cleared her throat, straightening as she struggled to reclaim her regal composure. "Setting that aside, it seems we share more than a common enemy. Rot's final words sounded like a warning about the Order's next move. Whatever they are planning, it is bigger than any of us. They have already taken families and kingdoms... and now they seek a power that could destroy everything."

"Or everything non-human." Sylvanie retorts.

"At least those who rebel," Oreon added, his expression turning grim.

"Exactly, no race is safe." She turned her gaze towards Oreon. "But hearing your story does explain things a bit better. But you're not purely acting out of vengeance, are you?" She questioned him lightly.

"No, it's not only vengeance—at least, I don't think so." Oreon fell quiet for a moment. "What my father did back then is a big part of it, and angering the old man is just a bonus. But he has to be stopped. If he isn't, everyone in this region will be forced through the same cycle again." Oreon finished and looked back at the elves.

Celestia nodded gently, her gaze fixed on the human, as she began to understand him. "A noble goal, then. Not just revenge, but prevention." She paused, her gaze drifting toward the distant stronghold again. "Though I suspect the line between the two can blur when the stakes are personal."

"That's mildly putting it, but you're spot on," Oreon stated as Sylvanie stepped up, adding her own interpretation.

"So, you want us to help you get revenge on your father," she stated, not a question but an observation. "And that's why you freed us." She added, obviously misreading the entire meaning of everything that Oreon shared. "A wise choice, human."

"I don't think that's what he said at all." Celestia countered gently.

"That's definitely not what I said," Oreon added.

"Isn't it, though?" Sylvanie shot back, raising an eyebrow. "You free us, tell us your tragic backstory, told us that your father is the purifier of the Order..." She counted on her fingers mockingly. "Seems pretty straightforward to me. You want allies. We want revenge. Sounds like a win-win."

"Sylvanie, you're oversimplifying," Celestia started.

"Am I?" the dark elf cut in, turning toward her sister. "I'm not saying it's a bad plan. If anything, it's smart. We need help getting back at those zealots, and he clearly knows more than we do." She gestured toward Oreon. "So why pretend otherwise?"

Oreon rubbed his face with both hands, letting out a long, tired sigh. "Because that's not why I freed you..."

"Then why did you?" Sylvanie pressed. "Out of the goodness of your heart? Please. Nobody risks their life like that without wanting something in return."

"Maybe some people do," Celestia interjected softly, her gaze meeting Oreon's. "Not everyone operates on transactions and debts, sister."

"In our world? They do." Sylvanie's voice sounded bitter. "Trust me, Celestia. Nobody does anything for free anymore. Not after what we've been through. The things we've seen."

There was a heavy pause for a moment before Oreon decided to break the silence.

"I freed you because it was the right thing to do." He spoke in a quiet, firm tone. "That's it. No hidden agenda. No grand plan to recruit you." He looked between both sisters. "You were prisoners. And I had the chance to do something about it...So I did."

Sylvanie frowned a bit, as if Oreon's statement were a foreign concept to her. "So, you're saying...you don't want anything from us?"

"Nope," Oreon said.

"...Nothing at all?"

"Emm mhmm." Oreon continued.

"Not even a favor? Or an allegiance? Or—"

"Sylvanie," Celestia interrupted. "He's telling the truth."

The dark elf looked between her sister and Oreon, clearly struggling to process Oreon's actions. "That's...stupid," she finally said, though her tone lacked its usual defiance. "No one does something for nothing." She grumbled.

"Maybe not where you're from." Oreon replied, "But I do and have."

Suddenly, the unexpected sound of a horn echoed from the fortress, interrupting their talk and making them turn their gaze toward the noise.

"That's an Order patrol horn," Oreon said in a calm voice. "They're sweeping the forest. I'm pretty sure by now they probably found the body we left for them." He turned around, facing the path they had already chosen. "Come on, town isn't that far ahead. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can rest up and..." Oreon paused and turned around, staring at the two sisters for a bit. "You two need better clothes." He quickly turned his head as he limped forward.

Sylvanie opened her mouth to argue, then glanced down at her ragged slave garments in visible disgust before looking at Celestia's equally disheveled state. "He's not wrong," she muttered, tugging at the frayed hem of her thrown-together garment.

Celestia nodded in agreement. "A fair point indeed," she admitted, also tugging futilely at a torn sleeve. "Proper clothing would indeed be...Prudent."

"Prudent?" Sylvanie scoffed, falling into step beside her sister as they followed Oreon. "Try necessary. I look like I was dragged backward through a goblin den." She tugged at the ragged fabric with a grimace. "I'd kill for my old armor right now—or at least a decent cloak."

As Sylvanie examined the rips and stains on her clothes, a mischievous smirk tugged at her lips. The tattered slave garments they both wear barely cover their bodies, revealing almost everything. "You know, I wonder if you've held that thought since you first laid eyes on us. Have you been staring, human?"

Oreon nearly stumbled mid-step, his ears turning red. "W—What?! No! I—That's not—!" He sputtered, whipping his head forward so fast he almost gave himself whiplash. "I wasn't staring!"

"Oh, really?" Sylvanie's voice turned teasing as she quickened her pace, sliding up beside him with her usual smirk. "Then how did you notice our clothes were in such bad shape so quickly, hmm?"

"Because they're literally falling apart!" Oreon shot back defensively, still refusing to look at her. "It doesn't take a genius to see that!"

"Sylvanie," Celestia warned from behind them.

"What?" I'm just asking an honest question—" Sylvanie teased, leaning closer to Oreon as they walked. "Besides, we were locked in cages for months. It's not like we had access to proper clothing. So, if someone did happen to glance our way..." She trailed off meaningfully, her crimson eyes gleaming with mischief.

"I didn't glance anywhere!' Oreon insisted, his voice pitching slightly higher than normal.

"Uh-huh,"

"I didn't!"

"Sure—"

"I'm not!" Oreon exclaimed as he continued to limp ahead, trying his best to keep his head forward. "I'm just saying we don't want to make the town's people uncomfortable or..."

"Oh, I'm definitely not opposed to making some of these humans...Uncomfortable." Sylvanie replied with a sly smirk on her face. She kept her eyes on Oreon.

"Sylvanie, enough," Celestia said more firmly this time. "Stop tormenting him."

"I'm not tormenting anyone!" Sylvanie protested innocently, though her grin said otherwise. "I'm simply observing his reactions. Carefully, very...carefully." She emphasized the last two words while still walking slightly behind Oreon.

"You're impossible, you know that?" He groaned.

"I've been told," Sylvanie replied cheerfully.

"Multiple times," Celestia added from behind.

"By multiple people," Sylvanie continued without missing a beat, completely unbothered by the observation.

Oreon let out another long, suffering sigh. "Great...Just...great." He muttered, rubbing his temple with his fingers. "How did I end up with you two again?"

"You freed us, remember?" Sylvanie chirped. "Your choice, human."

"The biggest mistake of my life," He spoke under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing! Look, can we please focus on getting to town before those patrols catch up?

"Fine, fine," Sylvanie relented, though she didn't move away from his side, her hands clasped behind her back as she leaned slightly forward. "But you didn't answer my question"

"What question?!" Oreon snapped, finally glancing at her—then immediately regretting it when he caught sight of just how revealing her tattered clothing really was. His eyes darted away so fast it was almost comical. "I—You—Forget it!"

Sylvanie's grin widened into a wicked smirk. "Oh, you definitely looked."

"I did not!"

"You just did!"

"That doesn't count!"

"It absolutely does count!"

"Ugh!" Oreon groaned loudly, rolling his eyes as he continued to walk as best as he could.