Chapter Text
Rian was not the type to wait calmly and quietly for an impending battle. After speaking into the fire of the crucible—miraculously sending his message out to all Gelfling—and then banishing the image of the Skeksis Emperor in a shower of orange sparks, his veins were thrumming and his hands itched to do something. He knew what must happen, yet was afraid his people wouldn’t arrive before the Skeksis, or that even if they did their efforts wouldn’t be enough. Rian didn’t want to kill anyone, but he knew a battle was inevitable. He just hoped the Gelfling made it through.
The warrior of Stone-in-the-Wood halted his pacing with a sigh. This wasn’t helping anything. He wanted to talk to Deet, the Grottan always seemed to know the right thing to say, but she’d told him she had something to prepare and then disappeared. She’d sounded so serious, it hadn’t felt right to follow her.
Setting the dual glaive on the ground and sitting on a nearby stone, Rian pulled out Brea’s journal and started idly flicking the pages. Part way through a drawing caught his eye, and his breath hitched. It was him and Deet. They were standing next to each other at the edge of the Crystal Desert, her eyes were closed and she was resting her head on his shoulder. Rian’s face softened into a smile as he gazed at the image, remembering. The event in the drawing didn’t actually happen; nevertheless, Rian knew he’d looked at Deet differently that night.
His mind had been swirling with thoughts and emotions during the ceremony; his friends were singing for the All-Maudra—and the young warrior also honored her memory—but mostly he was thinking of Mira. Of his father. For the first time since leaving the castle of the Skeksis, Rian’s heart eased; finally he released the pain and rage of his losses. Their absence would always hurt; but as he sat near the fire, with friends new and old, the brown-haired Gelfling felt he could live, could move into the future. The song had swept through him, and though it was bittersweet by nature it lifted Rian’s spirit; and he joined his voice with the others. A moment later his gaze fell on Deet across the circle, her ears flicked back shyly yet eyes shining with kindness. The warrior didn’t even realize he’d stopped singing as they looked at one another; the sight of her little smile filling him with an unexpected warmth.
Rian gently traced the drawing with his fingers, mind drifting from the fire circle to their evening in the home of the heretic and the wanderer. It was one of the very few—practically only—times during their journey that he and Deet had gotten to talk properly; just the two of them.
Once he explained about the berries, the Grottan’s ears drooped, and she murmured to herself. “Everything up here is strange. I miss my caves. My family.” Rian’s heart clenched upon seeing her sadness. Stepping slightly closer, he spoke gently. “Tell me about them.” The smile that brightened Deet’s face could have melted any Gelfling’s heart; and the young warrior’s was no exception. “Well, I have two fathers and a brother…” He listened attentively as Deet cheerfully prattled on about her life in the Caves. He loved her enthusiasm for the little things, admired her sweet innocence and zest for life that had not dimmed despite the hardships she’d faced recently. And when she mistook his silence for judgment; Rian wished he could show all the Gelfling who thought she was a dirty nobody just how wonderful she truly was. Since that wasn’t possible he settled for reassuring Deet; telling her honestly that he didn’t think she was weird at all, and that her rump dress was quite lovely.
They were silent for a few minutes, the warrior’s mind swirling with things he wanted to tell her but didn’t know how. “Thank you,” he said suddenly. A pair of curious brown eyes turned to him. “For what?” The brown-haired Gelfling fiddled with his hands for a moment, trying to find the right words. “For not being afraid of me. For believing in me right from the beginning; no one else would even listen at first.” Rian started to ramble, “And, I mean, it’s true that when we met you hadn’t heard the rumors about Mira, but you obviously did eventually. My own clan cast me out, and you just—took me for who I am.” He looked at her, his face raw and open. “You never asked me anything about Mira, didn’t need to Dreamfast for proof. You simply put the pieces together as we went along, and you always stood up for and encouraged me.” The young warrior gave the beautiful Grottan a small, tremulous smile. “That means more to me than I know how to say.” Rian’s heart lifted as Deet got a soft look in her eyes; she opened her mouth but before she could say anything the hanging cloths were parted and the Wanderer stuck his head in, startling them out of their little bubble.
The warrior lifted his eyes from the journal, staring off into the distance as the memories reverberated in his mind—the fire circle, the Circle of the Suns—and most notably, Deet’s confession in the Caves of Grott. Rian’s chest grew warm just thinking about the beautiful words she’d shared. He had to tell her, she deserved to know that he felt the same. A battle was coming, and this might be their only chance. Mind made up, the blue-eyed Gelfling was about to go look for her when a sudden explosion nearly shot him out of his skin.
“Deet?” He looked around frantically, seeing a giant dust cloud but no Grottan. “DEET!” A second later a familiar head of wild blond hair popped up, and Rian could breathe again.
“Uh, fine! I’m fine!” She looked a little frazzled, but thankfully uninjured. Rian hurried over, rounding the corner of the ledge and running up to Deet, whose back was turned to him. “What in Thra was that explosion?” He panted faintly, “Are you alright?” The female Gelfling spun around suddenly—as if she’d only just realized he was there—and gave a tiny gasp. “Rian! Of course, I’m fine, how are you?”
The young warrior sighed with relief, though he couldn’t help thinking something was off. Looking around, he saw a neat workbench laden with stones, string, and piles of what looked like black moss. Rian turned to the Grottan suspiciously. “Uh, um…Deet…Have you been making bombs?”
“No,” Deet said nervously, and Rian looked at her skeptically. “Well,” she relented, “Smoke bombs, so—yes?” She started rambling in an overly cheerful voice, speaking faster than he’d ever heard. “It’s an old Grottan trick for clearing out hollerbat nests, oh it stings the eyes something fierce! My father got a face full of dust one time and he couldn’t see straight for three days!”
Rian couldn’t help chuckling as she finished, “Grottan have a lot of tricks.”
Deet shrugged her shoulders slightly. “I guess so!”
The smile slid off his face as he remembered why she was making them in the first place. “We’ll need them if the other Gelfling don’t show up,” he said solemnly.
The Grottan looked at him sadly yet seriously. “They’ll be here.”
“How can you be so sure?”
This time Deet smiled, eyes brightening and ears flicking up. “Hope.”
The Stonewood Gelfling let his breath out. How does she always know just what to say? “Um, I uh…” he stepped a little closer. “I was thinking. I—never properly got to see the Caves of Grott…” Deet slumped slightly at the reminder, but Rian didn’t notice; so caught up was he in what he needed to say. “…Maybe we could go back when this is all over? When everything’s back like it was?”
She sighed sadly. “I don’t think anything will ever be like it was again Rian.” As soon as she spoke he realized his error; Rian could have smacked himself in the face for his poor choice of words, the whole conversation really. What had he been thinking? He was going about this all wrong! Deet’s home was currently being torn apart by mad nurlocs, unless they somehow found a way to remove the Darkening on a large scale the Caves of Grott would never be safe for Gelfling again. They couldn’t go back. His resolve was slipping, but he made one last desperate attempt to communicate his feelings. Eyes never leaving her face, Rian gently took one of Deet’s hands in both of his own. “Maybe someday it will be better.”
The beautiful Grottan held his gaze for a fraction of a second, then let out a tiny gasp as she looked down and saw their joined hands. Pulling away abruptly; she turned her back to him. “I, I should get back to work.”
Stunned, and feeling slightly hurt, Rian apologized even as he took a couple bewildered steps back. What did he do wrong? Hadn’t she willingly placed her hand on his just a little while ago when he’d finished speaking into the crucible? Why was she suddenly so distant from him? It seemed like she was hiding something. Be reasonable, Rian told himself. She’s just lost her home, and we’re about to go into battle against the Skeksis and we have no idea how many Gelfling might come to help. That’d make anybody act rather differently than normal. But the dark-haired Gelfling couldn’t shake the idea that it had something to do with him as well.
Deet watched as Rian gave her one last look before walking away, downcast. She’d tried to act normal around him, but she knew he’d seen through her just now, even if he didn’t understand why she was being strange. His hurt and confused look made her heart fall, and she longed to run after him and explain. Apologize. Kind, brave Rian; he meant so much to her, and he deserved to know the truth. But as she looked down at her hands, Deet saw to her dismay that they were now covered in glowing purple lines; the insatiable energy of the Darkening pulsating just beneath her skin. How could she tell him that the Sanctuary Tree’s gift came at a price, that she could feel the Darkening growing, eating away at her; that she knew it wouldn’t be long before her body succumbed to it completely? She couldn’t, she just couldn’t. There was a battle coming, and Deet knew Rian couldn’t afford to be distracted with anything. Smoke bombs notwithstanding, he and the dual glaive were their best chance. And if she was being honest with herself, Deet was afraid that voicing it would make it undeniably real; take away her ability to pretend that somehow everything was going to be fine.
The Grottan gazed despondently at the spot where Rian had rounded the corner and disappeared; remembering when she’d blurted out that she loved him. It had been only yesterday. Deet didn’t regret taking this burden and continuing on in the Sanctuary Tree’s place. But she was devastated that her dreams of being with Rian no longer held any hope.
Pulling her sleeves down in an attempt to hide the purple traces on her green-tinged skin, Deet vowed to do everything she could to keep Rian safe; telling herself that him making it through alive had to be enough. Even if they could never be together.