Sapphire Swords

Tavra’s mother brushed her hair, “You look so precious. You're really gonna like this prince, didn’t you see that ceremonial sword he proposed with?” A week ago Tavra was sent a proposal from some prince in a nearby kingdom. As part of tradition he also sent a custom sword, adorn in many patterns and gems.

“It was tacky,” she sulked. 

Her mom pretended not to hear her. “Oh and we started fitting you for the wedding armor!”

“Mom! Isn’t it too soon? I haven’t even met the guy.” Right? She hasn’t even given him an answer.

“Well you most certainly haven’t tried to meet someone and as the oldest daughter you have to get married sometime! Your father and I have waited so long. We’d like to meet our grandchild and heir to the future throne someday before we die.” 

“Okay! Sheesh, fine.”

  At the dinner the prince was a 2 foot tall dwarf. Cheesily handsome and zero personality. She immediately left the dinning table without even excusing herself. 

“My apologies, my daughter has come down with a ferocious cold it seems,” her mother tried assuring the guests. But Tavra was already putting a bag together full of things she may need. That cold night air smelled like freedom as she sneaked out into the forest. The thick brush of autumn leaves crunched under her, only the face of the moon lit her way. 


Neena was being sent off on her quest by her captain and family. Her backpack of gear weighed heavy on her shoulders as she waved goodbye. This is it, she thought. Her chance to become a full fledged Royal Guard. After spending all those years training to be a knight. All she has to do now is- Rustling in the leaves made her jump. Suddenly she propelled forward, away from the sound but off the trail where she fell off a cliff. Groaning came from under her, she realized she had landed on someone. Long elegant braids crowned her head that lead to a puffy bun. A scar rested on her cheek and she had fiery red eyes. But then Neena notices the royal blue garments and the BloodMantle crest etched in the maiden’s necklace. This person is a noble! She kneeled, “My deepest apologies, your highness!”

“Ugh for the love of- Get up. I’m not a princess anymore. As of today I am an adventurer like you.” Neena slowly got up. “So what are you doing out here anyway?”

“ I- i have to go on a quest  to graduate my training to be a knight,” she stammered. 

“So… you’re on a quest? Hmm I shall join you!”

“But- but I was instructed to do this on my own.”

“Don’t worry, no one needs to know.” She drew a finger to her lips and winked with a cheeky smile. “Anyways, What’s your name?”

“Uh Neena Roseshield, your highness.” She stuttered, bowing again. 

Tavra picked her up again, “Just call me Tavra.”


They made it to a town and found a tavern. A post board stood at a far wall, covered in mismatched papers of different quests to go on. One catches Tavra’s eye and she snatches it. A necromancer in a nearby mountain. She goes to the bartender for more information.

A tall orc lady, a single thick braid hung over her shoulder. Her tusks gave her a slurred accent as she talked.“Aye! There have been sightings of the undead around these parts. Supposedly a lich in a dungeon beyond those mountains. A necromancer gone mad with a ring of immortality.” 

“C- can’t we take a less scary mission?” Neena’s legs were shaking as she stood.


“If we’re going to go on this perilous quest then we should upgrade our armor.” In a nearby shop she spends more gold than Neena has ever seen in her life. When Tavra steps out with her new armor Neena can feel butterflies in her belly. A small but mighty strong warrior. She looks scary but also beautiful.

“Let's go,” Tavra said as she followed the map.
—-

Not much conversation happened, just the sound of their steps in the crunchy leaves as Tavra led the way. Until an eerie chattering noise from a distance caught their attention. A few skeletons roamed about, unaware of Neena’s and Tavra’s presence. Tavra rushed in before Neena could stop her. She drew her sword  and slayed two of them. “Princess!” Neena called out while she raised her bow. Tavra turned to a skeleton nearly inches from her. An arrow pierced through the skull. The magic faded from the skeleton as it did in the others, leaving a pile of dusty bones. 

“S-sorry!”

“Don’t be, that was actually a pretty good shot.” Neena blushed at the compliment. They get to the cave and two zombies guard the entrance. 

She stopped Tavra this time and was able to shoot both without being noticed.

“That's pretty cool, but where’s the fun in that? I'd like to get closer to the action.” 
Neena switched her bow for a sword. 

The inside was incredibly dark, weird symbols were etched into the rocky walls. Skittering echoed in the cave, putting their guard up. Green acid dripped down from above them, a giant spider with ruby eyes peered down and hissed at them. It fell from the roof skittering closer to them, Tavra rushed in again, slashing the foe in one of its many legs. The spider went for her first, pinning her under a giant leg, spraying venom that seared through the cloth in the gaps in her armor.  Neena’s, who was frozen in fear, finally moved her body. She dashed and launched her steel into the abdomen of the spider. It snarled and scurried away. Neena kneeled next to Tavra.

“Are you okay?” 

“Yeah, tis’ but a flesh wound,” she joked through a wince. 

“I have some herbs to heal you,” she pulled out some glass jars of herbs and started dressing the wound.

“Amazing, how’d you learn to do that?”

“My older sister taught me first, but it’s required for knights to know basic healing.” Tavra watched intently to Neena’s rich umber colored hands, her slender fingers weaving the fabric gently. Something welled in her chest. A warm, bubbly feeling she has never felt before. She shook it off and pushed forward into the cave. 

The ground began to rumble, it caved in, dropping them into an underground lake.  They struggled as they swam to the shore, hacking and coughing up the water they swallowed. Old pieces of wood were scattered on the ground, they used it to make a fire. Drenched clothes were set out to dry, leaving them in their undergarments. Neena peeked at Tavra who washed off in the lake. Her elegant braids had all been sent loose, leaving a heaping pile of dark curly hair cascading down past the small dwarf woman's back. When she rung out her hair Neena could see the scars that painted her body, displaying her strength and experience in battle.They dried their clothes and washed up. They split the rations of their food as they sat by the fire.

“P-pretty” Neena said, still looking at Tavra’s hair.

“Hm?” She caught her staring.

“Oh! S-sorry. I just never say anyone with such long, pretty hair.” She reaches out and Tavra lets her touch it by leaning towards her. 

“The length of a dwarf’s hair is linked with their honor. We will never cut it unless we are to declare war.” She paused for a moment, “I think your hair is pretty too. Can I?”

“Oh! Of course” She bends down. “Fuzzy…” Tavra thought while she rubbed the short pink hair. Neena was nearly bald besides the tufts of hair that made up her bangs and sideburns. “We cut our hair when we start our military service. Most of my family are soldiers so I’ve never seen such long hair before.”

The flames crackled soft in the background, making soft shadows that carefully highlighted their features. The shine in eachothers eyes pulled them close. They gravitate to each other's lips. For a moment it felt natural to Tavra but she pushed her away.

“I-im so sorry, Princess!” 

“No! I’m sorry!” She began sobbing. “It’s me. I’m engaged.”

“I see… so your heart belongs to someone else.”

“It does not! It’s an arranged marriage but I've only ever met the man once and-.... and I don't  think I ever fell in love before.” 

“I’m sorry princess…” She tried to console her, "let's rest.

Neena woke up from her nap to Tavra gone. Her bag and armor was gone too.. She must have gone deeper in the cave. In a rush, Neena put on her armor too to find her.. Tavra had already killed the last of the monsters, she pushed through horde after horde by herself. Old blood stained her face. At the end of the tunnel a giant locked door led to the lich's chamber. 

From off in the distance Neena panted out of breath trying to catch up to her.

Tavra was balled up on the floor next to the puzzled door. “I was trying to hurry and get the ring for you so we could go our separate ways… I’m sorry for being so cruel.”

“Don’t worry about it!” She said between breaths, “Are we still friends?’ She asked while lending out a hand to help her up.

“You… still wanna be friends?” Neena answers with a sweet smile. Tavra could not contain herself and lept into a hug. She breathed in the sweet scent of her cloak. 

“So the lich’s chamber.” They looked at the puzzle and at the patterns on the wall. They studied the symbols together until finally they figured it out. The stone door slid open  and the putrid stench of rotting corpses spewed out. The lich looked to be asleep in a throne, dust and cobwebs covered this old bony man. When they stepped closer he came to life, green, glowing orbs filled the sunken in eye holes. All Around the walls of the chambers caskets filled with the undead flung open, releasing zombie after zombie. 

“They keep coming!” The corpses did not stay dead once slayed. Green magic brought them back together and they would keep attacking.

“The lich! It's his power!” Tavra charged at the lich but slipped on her hair and fell at its feet. The lich’s skeletal hand wrapped around her throat and picked her up. It muttered a curse, decay stretched from its hand and began marking her flesh in dark tendrils.

“Tavra!” Neena cried out. She let go of her sword and pulled out her bow. An arrow shot the lich right between its eyes. But as the magic faded one last zombie chomped down on her shoulder. 

“You could’ve died!” Tavra shouted at her for letting go of her sword, sacrificing her own safety to save Tavra. 

“What about you? Are you okay?” She cupped Tavra’s face, the look in her eyes genuinely concerned.

“Y-yeah, I'm fine.” This time Tavra patched Neena up, dressing her wound on her shoulder. They made it back to Neena’s kingdom somehow by sunrise.  While the druids healed them the Captain talked to them. 

“Good job on your quest,” He said inspecting the ring. “But who is she?”

“Oh um..” Neena began.

“She rescued me when some skeletons attacked.” Tavra lied. 

“Lady Neena is healed up now, but it will take longer to clear out the curse.” A druid said out from under the robe. The dark tendrils had mostly cleared up by now but the effects were still wrechinghavoc through her body.

“Then you can come with us. We need to discuss your graduation and your new duties as an officer.”

“O-okay.” Tavra sighs and some time later a new druid had appeared to replace the other. She had similar pink hair to Neena.

Tavra giggles, “So you're my new nurse? You know, Neena, I don't think you needed to dressup to come see me again.”

“I’m not Neena,” They pulled down their hood, intricate tattoos covering her face. But she had the same droopy lavender eyes as their sister. “I’m her sibling, Troi.”

“Oh.” Tavra blushes. 

While Troi healed her. “I can read energies. What ails you sister? Your heart speaks of conflict.”

Usually Tavra was more tight lipped but somehow she felt safe enough to let some words spill. “It seems my heart has started beating for another when I'm engaged. I don’t know this guy I’m supposed to marry. But I only just met this other person too.”

“Does she feel the same too?” 

“I-I think so?”

“I think you know so. Worry not for the heart’s desire and one's happiness matters more. Life is too fleeting as you already experienced earlier.” She motioned to the curse scars. “Love is love, remember that princess.” Before Troi left she turned and said one more thing. “There has been word of a rogue princess. Be careful hiding your identity.” Later that day was the ceremony. Tavra watched as Neena received her badge but as she went to leave someone had snatched and carried her away. 

Tavra sulked in her bedroom while she waited to be married off. She thought about what Troi said and of Neena. Of the times they spent together, and how brave she was. She barged into the main throne room to confront her parents. 

“I'm not getting married!”

“We talked about this!”

“No!” She shouted. “B-because.” She pulled out a small dagger and sliced through her hair. The weight of it all, the expectations, fears holding her back, lifted. She felt light; for once in her life she felt actual freedom. “My heart belongs to another!”

Just as she declared that the castle doors flung open. “Princess!” shouted Neena. “I heard you were kidnaped and-” She stopped, shocked at Tavra’s now short hair. “Your highness...”

Tavra wrapped her arms around her. She turned to her parents with a glare. “This is who my heart belongs to! Lady Neena Roseshield. Now a royal guard of Rivenbell.” Silence flooded the hall for several moments, once the King’s initial shock had subsided he approached.

 “Rose Shield? I recall that name. Your parents fought beside us in a war long ago. To have a strong child to grow into their footsteps… It would be an honor to share royal blood with one whose family was more than willing to spill blood for us. From now on you will also be a royal knight of my kingdom as well.” For the first time in a while the King wore a smile.

—-

Tavra was much happier wearing her wedding armor now. “My daughter is finally getting married!” her mother cried, but her dad sobbed even more. Tavra laughed and comforted them before walking down the aisle. The silver plated armor glowed with each step as she approached her knight and princess to be. Neena stood before her, awestruck. 

“I-is it weird that I wore my uniform to the wedding?” She whispered to Tavra at the altar. She was also wearing beautifully plated and chainmail armor, a green ranger’s cloak now adorned with two badges of high honor. 

“No! Not at all. In fact, nothing is more charming than a lady in uniform,” she flirted. The priestess cleared her throat to tell them it was time to start the ceremony. As part of their custom they exchanged hand crafted ceremonial swords. Tavra gives an elegant sword with a blue gem in the hilt, because it “matched her eyes”. And Neena gives her a sword carved in elvish magic, to protect her in battle when Neena could,’t be there.They said their “I-do’s” and kissed as white flower petals rained from above.