An Attack by the River ((Súl Iolar, Lori))

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It seemed like nothing could go wrong on this day. Thick golden rays of flawless sunlight shone down onto the bright green grass, highlighting the trickling river that flowed down in the valley below. It was truly a beautiful sight. Blue flower heads nodded around the blonde-haired Lori as she travelled with her friend, who is known as the Marksman of Amos. A.K.A., Súl Iolar.

Well, truth be told, Lori had begun to see the man as more than a friend. . . But of course she would never tell him that. Imagine the many things that could go wrong!

Lori looked down at the valley, smiling. "Look. . . Isn't it beautiful?" She paused for a moment, drinking in the gorgeous sight. She even closed her eyes to feel the warm sunlight beat on her eyelids. Then she looked at Súl, smiling. "Do you want to go down there?"

Súl smiled as he noticed Lori do the same. He enjoyed being around her, and honestly liked when they just relaxed like this. Knowing that they had each others backs, no matter what. Plus, it was nice to have someone around instead of being alone.

The Marksman then heard Lori say he should have a strawberry. He noticed a certain look on her face before she tossed a strawberry up to eat it. It was a look they had both had from time to time. Súl really didn’t know what it meant, but he simply decided to respond as he picked up a strawberry, trying to hid his own affection in the process.

”I was going to let you eat them, but if you insist.” The man ate the fruit in his hand. It really was delicious, and he was always happy to try and oblige his friend’s requests.

Lori giggled. "Well, I wasn't just gonna sit there and have them all to myself without sharing." Smiling, she stood to her feet and moved to the fire. There, she went to her knees and held her hands to its light. It was always a relaxing sensation, feeling trickles of warmth seep into her muscles and just letting it take over. Sighing, she closed her eyes and just relaxed for a few moments. It was always nice to just close your eyes and chill out, only you and your own thoughts. . .

Súl watched as Lori got closer to the fire. He was happy she liked it. The man went to grab some more berries when he heard something.

Being the somewhat paranoid man he was, the Marksman walked over to the edge of the cave. He was sure he heard something. But he couldn’t see anything outside. Súl looked for a moment longer before walking back to the fire. He figured it was just some creature scurrying about. He then lend in a bit, though not at close as Lori.

It was only a few minutes later that something louder came from the opening. This time Súl knew he wasn’t crazy. He gripped his bow and knocked an arrow. He was ready for a fight, but got another surprise.

A bolas was thrown through the entrance, wrapping itself around Súl’s legs and knocking him over. Another was thrown towards Lori before a group of three men entered the cave. The men were quick to try and grab the pair before they could do anything.

Lori opened her eyes when she heard footsteps. She looked up to see Súl walk to the edge of the cave, looked around, and moved to the fire with Lori. She smiled up at him lazily, the fire making her feel warm and fuzzy, even a little sleepy. After a few moments she closed her eyes again. She didn't feel a need to speak. . . Talking was like ketchup. If you are happy with your food, you don't need it. If you're happy with the company you have, just their presence giving you happiness, you don't need to talk. But that doesn't mean that conversation isn't welcome.

Lori felt like laying down for bed when she heard Súl Iolar knock an arrow. Her blue eyes snapped open in alarm just in time to witness a bolas tackle her friend. Eyes widened, she cried out. "Oh my gosh, Súl!!!" She darted towards her friend, reaching her hands to him before she felt the tangle of a bolas engulf her, the force of it tossing her small body back. She landed on the cavern floor in a tangle, away from the Marksman of Ammos. Stars corrupted her vision, and the cave walls were spinning. Grunting, Lori attempted to move before she felt a pair of hands grab her. She only whimpered.

"Súl?"

Súl looked over at Lori, about to say something before being pulled up roughly. He could feel the bolas being untangled from him, but the rope was quickly tied around his wrists. He was finally able to look up, seeing the same thing happen to his friend before both were sat on a wall.

The Marksman looked over at Lori, worriedly asking ”Are you ok.” One of the men then came closer, holding one of Súl’s arrows in his hand. He looked rough and ragged, but still quite threatening. He waved the arrow at the pair before chuckling, and then spoke with an oddly light voice.

“We’ve been looking for you, archer. Súl, I believe your little friend called you. That name sounds familiar, you know.” Súl looked at the man before turning back to Lori.

Lori was surprised that the ground wasn't shaking, her heart was beating so hard. Her chest heaved as she was sat on the wall alongside a warm body. . . As the stars faded from her vision, she realized that it was Súl with a bolas around his wrists. First, she didn't answer his question. They were both facing three trappers, all the while they were sitting right before them with tied wrists. No, Lori did not think she was okay. As she did when she always felt fear, she began to shake and replied to her friend with a simple nod. She had to be careful what she said. . . She didn't want to provoke the trappers into doing something rather gruesome.

All Lori could do was glare up at the trapper who spoke to Súl Iolar, narrowing her sky blue eyes into slits. Although she was fearful, she tried not to show it and attempted to look intimidating instead. "I. . . Uh. . ." Dangit, her voice cracked from anxiety. "What, um. . . Do you want?" Despite her stuttering the lady tried to speak calmly as if nothing has happened and they were having a tea party or something of the sort.

The trapper looked at the adventurer, seeming to have a smug smile. "Well, lady, we want your friend here. He's caused us a good bit of trouble." Súl was unsure how this would go, but knew he had to try something.

"If your fight's with me, then leave it that way." The man just smiled as he turned to the archer, almost happy to hear this response.

"If you say so, Súl." The man then leaned down to him. "Where did those dragons go? We need them back, so where are they?" The Marksman of Ammos managed to keep a stern face, but he worried on the inside. What would they do if he didn't answer. Would they hurt him? Lori? He managed to keep these worries in his mind as he finally responded.

"I was just hired to do it. I don't know where...." The man the gave Súl a kick, not liking the answer. He then looked at the archer.

"Sure. But I think you know where the dragons are?" The Marksman looked at Lori, clearly in some pain, but not much.

Blue eyes met blue eyes as Lori looked at Súl Iolar. Her eyes were a little wide, terrified. She did not like what that trapper just did to her friend at all. She wanted to tell him that it'll all be okay and the dragons will be safe and just to think of El, waiting for him to return home. . . This will all turn out okay. . .

Right?

Shaking, Lori turned back to the trapper. Quickly thinking, she made up a story. "I don't know what you're talking about. . . I just met Súl today. Plus, I have never seen a dragon in my life!!" She tried her best to keep a straight face. This, of course, was a lie, but she just had to hope that the trapper would believe her.

Shifting, Lori looked back into Súl's eyes. "Are you okay?" She wondered if they would be able to get out of this one. Together, they had been able to slip out of dire situations, but what if their luck ran out?

"I'm good," the archer said as the man watched. The trapper looked at Lori. He didn't quite trust what she said, but maybe she was telling the truth. He just eyed her, like a wolf eyeing its prey. He finally spoke with a slightly skeptical voice, but one with a hint of belief.

"Ok ma'am. If you just meet him, why are you worried about this man?" He then looked at Súl again, seeming to have another question. "Ok. So let's say you're speaking the truth. Who hired you?" The Marksman just looked at the trapper, not sure what to say. All he could do was fall back on truth of a merc's profession.

"What kind of sellsword would I be if I told you...." He was hit again, and once again eyed Lori, looking worse this time.

"I'm not going to stand by and let you beat him up!!" This was one of the rare moments when Lori raised her voice to a yell.

There were tears in Lori's eyes now, silent rivers running down her pale cheeks. She was desperate, wanting Súl to go away and find someplace safe. Yet at the same time, she knew that being the noble, honorable man he was, he wasn't going to leave her with these untrustworthy men. If Lori were to speak the truth, she'd switch places with him in a second.

"Well, he answered your question, didn't he? Or he tried to before you were all rude!! So I think you should just let us go and go away." As an afterthought, she added, "Please."

The trapper just looked at Lori. He had seemed to notice something, but was keeping quiet until now. He pointed to the woman, and one of his lackeys picked her up. He then looked at both Súl and Lori, seeming to have something in mind.

“You know, my father use to say that you can tell a lot about people like you two by what they do in times like this.” He then unsheathed a knife. “And I see something between you two.” He then points to Súl, and the other man picks him up. “So let’s see if I’m right. If you have to choose one of you two to stay. Who would it be?”

Súl already knew his answer, and spoke quickly. ”Just let her go! I’ll stay.” The man just smiled.

“And you miss?”

The calmness of the man's voice angered Lori. It made her clench her fists in fury as the lackey picked her up. She didn't struggle or fight. She was staring at the trapper with such anger that she was wishing that just the total amount of emotion in her gaze would have the power to strike him down. But this was not a fairy tale. Lori did not have silver eyes.

Almost at the same time as Súl Iolar, Lori said, "Me, make me stay, use me for ransom or something!"

Lori blinked in surprise at Súl's words. She was rather touched. She looked at him in silence, hoping the gaze that she gave him uttered a million words.

The words the trapper spoke before sounded fishy to Lori, almost as if they were about to be tricked. . As if things couldn't get worse. But if it meant that Súl could escape this and go and see his daughter. . . So be it.

Súl looked at Lori in a shocked and touched look. She was willing to stay here for him. And the look that she gave him.... It was like something clicked in him mind, and it showed on his face. He realized just how much Lori meant to him, and how much he seemed to mean to her.

As the two exchanged silent looks the trapper seemed to just chuckle, like he had just proven a point. “Well, it seems you both would rather stay and let the other leave. And you definitely know each other.” He then got a devilish grin and placed his knife near Lori.

“How about you talk, or unnecessary blood can be spilt.” This brought pure shock to Súl’s face. He... he wouldn’t. He’d never let the man do it, but he decided it was now or never. The archer jumped up and ramed the trapper, not even sure how he did it so quickly.

Súl then quickly moved Lori away from the others. He then came up to her, pulling her sword out some, and sliced his bonds. He the quickly gripped his kukri, and freed Lori.

All Lori saw was a sudden flash of green before she felt someone leading her a little away. As she focused her eyes, she realized that it was Súl. Gasping as she pulled her hands apart, finally free, she grabbed his hand, pulling out her small dagger. "This is bad this is bad we need to go!" she whispered under her breath to him, cramming all the words into one huge sentence. Her heart was hammering in her chest, mostly from the fear of being captured once again, but also from the fact that she just shared a huge, silent moment with Súl. This was something Lori really wanted to say, if they weren't in a dire situation.

I love you.

Lori looked back at the trappers, horrified of what would happen when they came to. However, she turned her gaze back to Súl Iolar, waiting for his call.

Súl looked at Lori, realizing that she had taken his hand again, but not really caring. He had finally realized why he was so comfortable around her. Maybe even why he told her what he really did when they first met. He would’ve said what was on his mind, but now wasn’t a good time. All he could do was tighten his grip on Lori’s hand and think.

I love you, Lori.

As this happened, the trapper got help up from his partners. He angrily looked at them before yelling “Where are they?! Well find them!” If the Marksman had his bow this would already be over, but was still near the cave opening. The one advantage they had was they were hidden, which meant an ambush was easy.

”Ok, he whispered. ”The only plan I’ve got is get them to come here and give them a surpri....” Something else then came to Súl’s mind. ”Or... depending on how much dragon you’ve learned,we may be able to scare them.”

Eyes wide, Lori looked up at her friend, her grip tightening on his hand. She flinched at the sound of the trappers finally coming to.

"I'm not as good as you are, but I still know a good bit," she whispered to him quickly, her hand shaking. Lori forced herself to stop. She had been at this for months now, yet she was still scared of a few trappers, despite she and Súl having the advantage. Although, perhaps this was more of the fact of that they were just so close to a gruesome moment and, thanks to Súl, they escaped by a hair. "What do you have in mind?"

Súl could feel Lori’s hand shaking. He didn’t blame her, especially after what that trapper tried. He gave the woman a reassuring look, hoping that it would help some of her nerves. He then whispered in a calm, but slightly nervous, tone. ”Well, most trappers talk a big game when it comes to dragons, but are cowards if one isn’t trapped or caged. We may be able to scare these guys outta here.”

As he said this, one of the lackey trappers began to call out. “Come out little annoying folks. We won’t hurt you much.”

The look that the Dragon Tongue gave Lori did a good bit of help calming her nerves. As she listened to his idea, she nodded thoughtfully. It was a good idea, and Súl Iolar would know this stuff better than any human. It was this reason that Lori took a deep breath and nodded yet again, her eyes closed. As she opened them, she flashed Súl Iolar a feeble smile before saying under her breath, "Okay. Let's do this."

Still holding his hand, Lori raised her voice and began to speak in a series of growls and chirrups, saying, "I  think you troublemakers should leave. You caused way too much conflict here." She glanced at Súl again, smiling nervously. However, just looking into his eyes made her calm, like she was relaxing in a comfy chair near a warm hearth.

The archer gave Lori his own slightly nervous smile before hearing the trappers’ begin to talk.

“Wow. B-boss. I think we’re in a dragon den.”

“I have ears, numbskull!”

Súl held back a laugh before doing his own work, growls and hisses coming from his mouth as he did.”Yes. Leave now before we have to make you leave!”

“That one sounded angry!”

“Sh-shut up!”

Lori couldn't help but be slightly amused by the frightened voices of the trappers. Even after barely scraping out of the previous situation unharmed (Well, mostly, Lori thought as she remembered the physical pain Súl Iolar was in), it felt rather satisfying to be the ones with the advantage, the ones in control.

Her nervousness ebbing away, Lori grinned devilishly before adding to Súl's threat to the trappers, "Yeah, we eat little trappers like you for breakfast! Yum yum!" She used the hand that wasn't holding Súl Iolar's to cover her mouth in order to deafen her giggles. Despite being amused, she was still a little afraid. She really hoped that the trappers fell for the trick and fled.

The trappers became more fearful as Lori spoke in dragon. The Dragon Tongue then decided to add a simple, angry growl as a final nail in the coffin for their bravery.

"I don't understand dragons, but they sound mad!"

"L-lets get outta here!"

"Wait for me!"

As the men ran, Súl couldn't help but bust out laughing. Even in all his time the dragon freer, the man had never seen trappers that fearful. Once the laughing subsided, he noticed he still had Lori's hand in his. He remember back to the look they had between them, and the feeling he had when the trapper threatened her. The Marksman look at the adventurer with the same look that he had with her earlier, and spoke with a calm, but nervous, tone.

"Um... Lori?"

A sigh of relief escaped Lori's lips as the sound of thundering feet told Lori that the trappers were fleeing. Her shoulders relaxed and she finally began to giggle. That was definitely a close one and, if you ask Lori, she thought that they were rather lucky to escape without any critical injuries. She had to admit though, that situation was rather scary.

When the laughter stopped, Lori looked up at Súl Iolar. She saw him look down at their hands, which were still together before he looked back at her with that same expression they both shared mere minutes ago. She could tell he was rather nervous, and Lori was as well. She smiled shyly, blushing pink.

"Súl. . . ?"

Súl look into Lori's eyes, blushing a bit as he thought about what he was going to say. Dang this was harder than he thought. He could even feel his heart pounding like a drum. It took only a moment for the Marksman to take a breath, finally ready to speak.

"After what happened tonight... I realized something." He paused for a moment, looking more nervous then ever. "I...I love you."

At this confession, Lori's heart leapt into her throat, eyes widening. Her lungs stopped working for a moment before she processed what Súl Iolar just said. He loved her. . .

Lori blushed wildly and was silent for a few moments. Then, she smiled joyfully before giving Súl a full hug. Being short, she hid her face in his chest, grinning like crazy. "Súl, I love you too. . ," she replied, her voice muffled. It was strange. Lori felt like this was the happiest she's ever been in her whole life, but tears of joy were springing to her eyes. She hid them by continuing to hide her face in Súl Iolar's shirt. Suddenly, Lori looked up, smiling happily. "I really do. . . I have, for a while now," she added shyly before hiding her face bashfully again.

Once Lori wrapped him in a hug, Súl knew she felt the same. Her words only confirmed what he saw, but still couldn't believe it. He hugged her back tightly, just as happy as she was. She then looked up at him, saying that she had loved him for a long time.

This surprised him too. Sure, he only realized he loved her now, but looking back he had felt the same.  He looked down at Lori, with the nerve in his voice gone now. "Same here, Lori. Same here."