When Ayumi opened her eyes, she was expecting herself to be in a much worse shape or condition. But the princess of fire had merely punched her softly, probably using some kind of a sleeping spell rather than punching her into unconscious. Ayumi was not even bound, her crown untouched by her side. The princess of fire was making a loud and clear statement that she was not threatened the least bit by her nor her power of the light. The girl looked around; the place was a barren land; trees stuck out in terrifying shapes, their branches entangled in a distressful way, as if scorched my a merciless fire. Other than this observation, nothing in that territory donated a fiery element, it resembled Chiyasu's territory; bare and desolate.
Ayumi guessed that she was at the princess of the fire territory, held a hostage, or a bait as the princess herself had stated earlier before kidnapping her.
"Just, what are you after?"
The girl asked, furious at the idea of being used as a bait to harm others. She reached to the crown. The princess of the fire glanced in her direction upon hearing her voice, noting the reach to the crown but she still did not show any fear or readiness to fight. Not yet.
"Is not it a relief to know it is not you?"
The red haired princess answered, gaze focusing once again at a certain spot in the surrounding barrier shaping the territory's borders.
"I would be more relieved if you tell my who you are actually after."
"Someone who has betrayed me, breaking a sacred promise made with blood and wine!"
"So you burnt people alive as an invitation signal?!"
Ayumi demanded, her anger rising at the princess's dismissal of humans' life, even Chiyasu in her pursuit of Ayumi and intent to kill her, did not target anyone else but her. But again,the princess of fire was not even looking at her. She responded seeming absent - minded.
"I have no obligation to answer to you, get this through your thick head. I don't know what other princesses of nature you have met, and what ideas they have planted in your empty head but you are not my queen, I am bound to you by no oath, neither do I intend to. A flame shines most prettily when standing alone, untouched."
Ayumi looked at this princess carefully, she could sense a dangerous aura emitting from all over her body. Truly, she stood graceful and confident, to the point of vanity, but nonetheless, beautiful and resolute. She was not an easy foe. Yet her words bore a contradiction. She was seeking revenge for a betrayal she'd clearly been the subject of, but at the same time she was priding herself in glazing alone in her untouched flame.
"You speak of being betrayed, but have you not yourself betrayed your previous queen?"
The golden orbs drifted dangerously in Ayumi's direction, making her instinctively hold to the crown tighter. But the princess's face relaxed, as she lit a small flame in the palm of her hand, passing her through her lithe fingers like a dice, declaring without shame or regret"
"There is a difference between breaking an oath of unconditional bondage, and that of friendship."
The girl opened her mouth to protest but she was at loss of words, and at her reaction, the other princess eyes widened with a sly grin. Ayumi could not argue about that matter, she needed to understand the circumstances of Amaterasu's coronation and the pledge the princesses had offered her before she could counter this argument. However, there was a more pressing matter right now.
"What do you mean? Who are you after?"
A thought flashed in Ayumi's mind, unable to believe it but the pieces put together a very plausible picture... dropping by to prevent her from interfering, stating she will handle things on her own, and clearly knowing yet hiding the criminal's identity all along… was the fire princess accusing Reiha of betrayal?!
"Are you referring to the princess of the …"
"Now, the true star of the stage has finally arrived."
Ayumi followed the princess's gaze, a gate in the territory opened at the fiery woman's command before closing immediately after a figure had walked inside, with whiffs of a a raging wind surrounding the new comer who accepted the invitation without hesitation, and walked to the trap with her own free will. Ayumi's guess was right; it was the princess of the wind, Reiha.
"The princess of fire, Enya."
Reiha spoke, the glare in her eyes matching the flame the princess of the fire was playing with. The latter tilted her head to the side, her crimson locks sweeping over her shoulders with the motion that mockingly imitated being touched by a show of affection.
"I am surprised you still recall my name, as you chose to forget so many things about us."
"There is no us."
Reiha stated with a decisive calmness, then shifted her eyes toward Ayumi, giving her a reprimanding stare similar to the one a parent would give a child for going against her warning and getting herself in trouble.
Enya, the princess of the fire, was straining every muscle in her body and face, and her vocal cords as well, to appear and sound poised and unbothered, her efforts doubling and tripling since Reiha's arrival, the latter's indifferent statement shattering that visage and sending the woman into a fit of rage that she tried so hard to keep under control while her body shivered and her lips twisted with indignation.
"Indeed, traitors like yourself do not even have the decency to admit their wrongdoings, retelling facts as they please!"
"Wait a minute, I cannot allow you to address Reiha like that! She would never break a promise she made!"
Ayumi found herself speaking without thinking, rushing to Reiha's defend although the accused princess herself did not show any sings of offense or interest in the matter.
"And with what authority are you speaking with? Were you there, at the great war?"
"The great war?" Ayumi wondered to herself, is it the war where the previous queen of light was overpowered and killed? Ayumi wanted to snap a reply back but Reiha dismissed her with a gesture of her hand, bidding her not to talk any further as she spoke herself.
"You can insult me all you like, but sending such an evil yet desperate signal to draw my attention is low, even for the likes of you."
"The likes of me?"
Enya was no longer trying to control her anger, two flames spawned in an instance from each of her palms. Reiha, on the other hand, kept the same stony face she possessed, a hard sculpture no ax or hammer could leave a dent in. Even her voice carried no changes or infliction in its tone as she spoke.
"It is only befitting for someone who is affiliated with treason to spot another traitor."
"So you are finally admitting to your act of betrayal toward me?"
The princess of fire questioned partly amused and partly enraged, as if despite all what had been done and said, she was still waiting for a proper explanation, a long - owed apology, hanging to a nonexistent thread of hope and forgiveness.
"I have never denied it."
The red - glossed lips of the princess of the fire seeped with blood as the latter bit harder into them at this devoid of emotion, whether regret or pride, confession Ayumi was even more shocked by Reiha's simple cold answer than the princess who was seeking justice for being betrayed.
"I don't believe…"
Ayumi tried to interfere, but the situation had already grown out of control. Enya spoke as the flames in her hands grew more erratic, in consonance with the flaring colors of her eyes.
"You speak and act like a noble soul, yet you have been running away from me like a coward for centuries and only came when your newly proclaimed queen was in danger! How hypocritical!"
The princess's flame morphed suddenly into two giant fiery whips, and with a speed matching lightning, she launched herself at Reiha who shielded herself with cold breezes to bring down the damage of the fire, but she did not get out unscathed. Grey fumes scorched her hair and hands, even her clothes had burning marks where they tore.
"Reiha!"
Ayumi ran toward her shouting worriedly, ready to join in the battle. Enya merely glanced at her a warning not to interfere, and Reiha insisted:
"Stay out of this Ayumi, you have nothing to do with this. It is my score to settle!"
"Yours? How impudent!"
Enya's eyes burnt with disdain, every syllable she uttered through her gritted teeth seething with venom. Her attacks became more powerful yet more erratic at the same time. The two princesses chased after each with an incredible speed, clashing for minutes through which they exchanged powerful blows, one using her fiery whips, the other copying the same weapon but out of air before the separated only to clash again. Ayumi was barely able to keep up with their movement and chase after them. At one point, all she could see were the whips of fire and breezes of the wind wrecking havoc upon the territory. Tired of this cat and mouse game, the princess of fire sent a huge fireball that Reiha blow away with a storming wind that nearly caught the fire princess if the latter had not retreated few steps back. But she was not concerned that her attack was thwarted. Quite the opposite, she grinned satisfied.
"Have you forgotten? This is my territory… all dried and burnt up by my sole desire to exact my revenge on you!"
It did not take Ayumi and Reiha long to understand the meaning behind the princess's of fire words. Reiha's wind had literally fanned the fire and sat the dry land ablaze, a huge fire that would only harm her and Ayumi as Enya, its princess and mistress, stood untouched like an angel of death whose scythe cannot harm it.
"Ayumi, use the crown to shield yourself!"
Reiha commanded firmly, as if she was the queen and not the subject. Ayumi did as told before the fire was about to catch up to her clothes, then worriedly, she shouted back:
"What about you, Reiha?"
But by that point, Reiha was already immersed in her fight with the princess of the fire, braving the flames as if they were gusts of her wind. Moving and soaring above the smoke like a dignified bird, lithe and elegant like nicobar pigeon yet precise and sharp like a hawk. Her wind assumed the shape of spears; raining down from everywhere smoothly and dreadfully like feathers sharpened to kill. Enya was not unfamiliar with Reiha's semi – limitless abilities to bound the wind into different shapes and weapons by her will, but she herself had no less similar tricks. Commanding a giant lasso of fire, she deflected the wind spears as she spun around herself, a pompous smile flourishing her excitedly blood - thirsty features. She danced amidst the wind, ablaze and refined like a cardinal flower.
"At last you will pay for your betrayal, Reiha!"
The princess of fire yelled, sending Reiha falling down with her fiery whip, eating at her clothes and flesh alike yet before she could deliver a more devastating blow, Ayumi had left the protection of her crown, sending a beam of pure light in Enya's way. The latter was so thrilled by her beckoning victory that she did not sense the light attack, that pure - hearted strong light she had betrayed centuries ago, until it was too late to evade. Even while blocking the hit with a shield of fire, she did not manage to deflect the attack completely and was pushed as well, miles away, injured in her bare arm and across her chest. Ayumi's light purified the vengeful flames, taking down their heat and lust, but she remained unable to put it off entirely as she still lacked the power to command the light to its full potential.
Ayumi had to take this chance before the two fighting princess recovered and continued fighting, she stood between them like a teacher yelling at her misbehaving students.
"Please, you two! Are you not both princesses of the nature? You are saying you used to be friends! I don't know why you betrayed the previous queen Amaterasu but she is no more, yet Reiha is still her, and I am here now… I have only known Reiha for a short while, she might have promised to betray a queen alongside you and I don't care for this! But I am certain that she is not someone who can betray a friend!"
Reiha, who had just gathered her strength and got up from the fall failed to conceal her shock at hearing these words; she had always been composed, her features and reactions were as easily to control as her wind. She never gave anything away… yet why was Ayumi defending her blindly, with such sincere and faithful confidence and trust? It was not as if she had given Ayumi any indication to doubt her, but she also did not give a solid reason not to. In the past, indeed, Amaterasu had trusted her above all the other princesses, the only person she had trusted more was her priestess Noriko. But while Amaterasu's reasons for trust was Reiha's straightforwardness and frankness in telling her points of views and spotting and declaring wrongs in others, including the late queen, without hesitation or fear of retribution, another reason was her practicality and efficiency in completing missions. However, Ayumi had no such reasons yet. What the girl had said was entirely true, they had only known each other for a short while, and while she, the princess of the wind, did not fail to perform her duties in protecting and guiding her against all types of threats, even those relating to the other princesses and forces of nature, for a careful wise queen, such as Amaterasu was, that alone was no reason to found trust upon. Yet there she was, the girl who held Amaterasu's power, who was still learning of them and still weakened by using them, there she stood defending her against a truly menacing mad princess, so passionately and sincerely as one would defend indeed, as the girl had said, a friend, not a subject or a follower.
"Please, let's talk things down! Is not there a bigger threat we should unite against? Your are wasting your powers going at each other's throat like that… while you two could help out misfortunate people with these same power… please!"
Ayumi pleaded, trying to knock reason into the princess of fire. But all the while, Enya was listening with an expressionless face, which was more terrifying than her furious one. Like a rustling cannon fuse, ready to catch on fire at any moment and explode.
"Not capable of betraying a friend?" The princess calmly questioned, paying no attention to Ayumi's words, still hung at one particular sentence without addressing anyone in particular. She finally moved a little, turning to gaze at Reiha asking her again with a solemn voice.
"Then tell me Reiha, what was I to you?"