Iris stood up, taking a step away from what was now Jehrth's ashes. Whispering a small prayer, she started to walk away. She noticed rather quickly that the general wasn't following her. She turned to look at him... finding him placing some of the ashes in a small waist-satchel. It wasn't the proper funeral urn just yet, but it was the best they had for now. Iris couldn't help but notice now, as Zayn turned to the side, that blood poured from the whip wound on his cheek. The cut looked deep.
"Sit down," she ordered, "I need to have a look at your face."
He didn't question her, or say anything actually, he just did as she wished. As soon as he was relaxed, she knelt down beside him and began lightly brushing the blood from his face. He just watched her. Iris's gaze was soft as she let her hand move across his skin.
Quietly, she placed her hand over the wound. With a gentle touch, she felt around the edges. The pulled the bottom flap down to gauge the injury's depth.
"Shit," she whispered after a second, "This is deep."
He wasn't sure how to respond. She looked into his eyes.
"We have to get this cleaned up."
Zayn looked around. "We don't exactly have the time for that. The emperor bids we leave."
"The emperor also bids I die. Right now, I'm not concerned with whether or not he's angry with me." She looked to the door. "I'm going to get some water. Stay here or I swear to gods I'll give you a matching set."
She didn't wait on an answer, but scurried off through the back door. The thin fabric of her skirt flew elegantly behind her as she walked. General Zayn sighed, and just kept sitting. Might as well stay. What did he have to lose?
After a moment, she was back... this time, carrying a satchel over her shoulder, and a small bowl and washcloth in her hands."
"What's that, Iris?"
"Supplies, General. From the emperor's previous room." She sat the bowl down and pulled a couple things from the pack.
"You don't have to call me that, you know? I'm no longer your General.
"You're my general until the day I die," she answered, dipping the cloth into the water.
With a defeated sigh, he looked to where she was threading a needle. He knew she intended to stitch the wound after it'd been cleaned. He chuckled, "You sure you know what you're doing?"
"I didn't save your life three times to kill you now," she pointed out, and starting washing his face.
And once she was done, she stitched. As she pierced his skin with her needle, the general sucked in a breath. It made a sort of hissing noise through his teeth. After a few minutes of cleaning up the blood, Ra walked in. With wide eyes, he simply stared at Iris and Zayn in disbelief.
"What are you doing?" he called out.
His presence didn't seem to surprise Iris.
"Stitching," came her simple reply. "I'll be out once I'm finished."
Ra nodded without a word, and went outside.
The general flinched when she poked again after the minute's break.
"Are you alright?" Iris asked, concerned.
"I'll be fine. Sure isn't worse than getting stabbed in the stomach, I suppose," he sighed, "let's get it over with."
"What?" Iris asked, halting what she was doing.
He remembered now that she hadn't been there for that. He cursed inside his mind. He'd likely hear about that later if not right now. Zayn saw the needle was still in her hand and cringed. "Ah, don't worry about it. I'm fine. Just got roughed up on the way here. Healer cleaned it right up."
"You're under-exaggerating, I bet. That explains why you were late getting here," she grumbled, but continued her work without another word.
"Perfect," she said to herself after a few long minutes, admiring her work.
"Thank you, Iris."
"It was nothing," she answered, "Just be careful. Only touch it when you clean it. You'll have to look at the rest of them once you can get out of your armor."
She wiped her hands clean.
"Not just for that," he spoke quickly, "Not just for the wound. But for coming here, even when I told you not to. If you hadn't, we all would have died. We were defeated by Erodyne. If you hadn't come... I'd have the deaths of all those men on my hands. I would be dead too. So... thank you. I'm really not sure what to say besides what's already obvious: I was a fool not to let you come. I know that. I should've known better... but I couldn't let you die."
"You were a fool."
"And now, now you're going to die anyway." He looked distraught. "I... what a fucking world we live in."
"Zayn."
He looked to her. "Iris."
"I don't have to die, Zayn. I don't have to. As long as I am remembered, I am alive. I've told you that before. Leave here, and keep me in your heart. Leave here... and save the both of us. Remember me, Zayn. Remember that I mattered."
"I don't want to have to live on your memory."
"But you will," she said, nodding as if things were final, "I will join the emperor now. If you're a smart man, you won't. There's a map of the place downstairs; go there and grab it. Leave and hide. You don't deserve this."
"I am a man of honor. I will go back with you. I think you understand that."
"I do," she whispered.
And then, he reached out for her. It was hesitant, she noticed, as if he wasn't sure she would respond. But she did. With a step closer, she felt his hand touch her shoulder. It was warm against her skin. The heat comforted her. While being a soldier was the greatest experience of her life, she missed this part of living. She missed being close with another human being, whether it was family or someone else.
She raised a hand and squeezed his. All he could do was stare at her face.
"We should get going if we're going," she sighed, "As wonderful as this place is..."
He didn't move from the spot. He couldn't move from the spot, not knowing that he would walk toward their demise. Seeing that he wasn't going anywhere, she just stayed still, wondering what he was thinking. With a breath, he raised his other hand until it was an inch from her face.
"May I?" he asked.
"If it pleases you," she answered.
He cradled her cheek with the palm of his hand. It was warm and flushed with color, he noted. At the contact, she shut her eyes and for a moment, let herself just focus on it. His fingers grazed over her face and then made their way to the back of her neck, lingering there for a while.
She opened her eyes to find his immediately. He was simply looking at her as if he were trying to figure something out.
"What?" she asked.
"Nothing," he chuckled, "Just the way you are."
"And that means?" she asked, taking a small step backwards.
"It means you're you. How else can I explain that? You're... something very special, Iris. The world is better for having you in it."
"You have a way with words," Iris snorted, unsure of how to respond. After a second, she softened. "I... thank you, though."
Zayn chuckled. "No need." He looked to the door. "But we should go."
----
All the soldiers, Lillian, and the emperor had all traveled together all day long. By nightfall, they had made a comfortable camp in a little spot that they'd cleared, setting up tents and bedrolls and starting a fire. They'd all taken turns bathing in a stream located nearby as well, thank the gods. The cool water felt good to Iris's injuries and she did her best to clean and bandage them after she'd gotten clean.
After everyone was washed and they had gotten the fire started, Dregar and Iris dueled with sticks. Geh'lien and the rest just sat and watched as she whirled around him, popping his unarmored body with the branches. He seemed to be annoyed at her dexterity.
After that, though, everyone settled in to sleep.
Everyone was tired from the day, so it wasn't long before multiple snores could be heard from the campsite. As per usual, Iris was still awake, twirling her knife in between her fingers. The general went and sat beside her.
"Ah, just like old times," she smiled at the ground.
"Not quite," he said and snaked an arm around her waist. She did the same.
"Perhaps not," she sheathed her knife, and looked at him.
"Perhaps you should." After a long second, he chuckled. "But I'd rather you talk to me."
"Alright," she nodded, "Fair enough. But we might want to get away from the campsite for that. I'd hate to wake the emperor up. From the time I've spent with him, I've noted that he seems to enjoy his sleep. Anyways, we won't go too far."
Once they were out of sight of the camp, Iris finally sat down with the general. They'd made it about a mile away from the campsite. Once he sat, Iris dared to pull his arm around her waist. Zayn found himself pleasantly surprised, but simply held tight to her waist. Looking up, Iris noticed that she could see the stars through the branches. They, and the moon, shined brightly tonight. And for that, she was thankful.
"I like nights like these," she told Zayn, "Even if it is a little chilly."
"Nights like what?"
"Where the moon is full. Makes for pleasant scenery," she finished, looking back at him.
He curled his arm, bringing her a bitcloser to him. He wrapped his other one around her as well.
"You know... you're absolutely the most formidable person I've ever met," he said quietly, "I wish it didn't have to end like it is. You deserve more than this. You deserve to be happy, to live a life of honor and integrity. I wish I wasn't the only one who saw that. Truly. You've changed everything... for the better."
She didn't respond, just leaned over and kissed him with fervent lips. His hands found hers as he returned it. His mouth was as soft as she remembered. Heat entered her blood as it continued, and her hands moved out of his and over his the muscles in his arms. It didn't take much for her to discover that she liked the way they felt.
The fire building up inside her was a new sensation for her. She wished she could live to experience it a thousand times, but she knew that she wouldn't. No.
But she also knew that she wasn't dead yet.
Her arms moved to his chest, now unarmored, and his shifted from her neck to her collarbones. Even though it wasn't much, her skin tingled where his fingers grazed it. It had never done that with Shad, she noted. Zayn rubbed her arms as well, softly. He noticed the edges in her muscles.
While that might have been strange to most men, he thought it was perfect.
And then, with a quick breath, she repositioned herself to where she sat directly in front of him, perched on top of his knees. It did well to take the strain off her neck. Placing her hands on his cheeks, she knelt his head back against the tree behind him. Her tongue traced his lips, and then it found his own. Not wanting to take it too far, he simply wrapped his hands around the sides of her ribcage. She smiled for a second, savoring the touch.
Iris didn't know how long she kissed him after that... only that after a while, she had to break it to take a breath. When she did, the general got a good look at her face. He finally said, "you care for me."
Iris snorted. "Perceptive of you."
"I..." Zayn took a breath. "I knew that. The last month has been hard to digest. I'm sorry.
And then she placed his lips to the skin behind his ear and shushed him quietly. The light touch caught him off guard, but he let her do as she would. He wrapped an arm around her waist, heart beating rapidly in his chest. A minute passed, and she removed her mouth from his skin and just looked into his eyes.
"What was that?" Zayn couldn't help but ask.
For once, Iris hardly knew. "It was living, Zayn," she told him, not sure how else to answer, "Because after we get to Oraborn, I'll no longer have the chance. It's surreal. Knowing you're in your last days. How do you fill them?" Iris thought. "Actually, I have an idea." And oh, did she ever.
"What are you implying, Iris?" he questioned.
"Don't tell me you haven't figured it out," she gave him a disbelieving look and spoke through her nerves with all the confidence she could muster up. "I've made it no secret. Hell, I'm in your lap."
It didn't take long for it to dawn on him.
"Wouldn't that be improper? I mean, I'm no expert on anything when it comes to this, but isn't this generally frowned upon?"
Iris let out a loud laugh. "So is being a female soldier." After a second, she sobered. "What do you say? Do you want to live a little before we die?"
He took a deep breath.
"Are you sure you... I mean, you know what you're asking?"
"Of course I do."
"I..." he mumbled, "I am lost for words."
And with that, she placed a hand on his cheek, feeling the heat of it immediately. He knew by the look in her eyes that she felt for him as well. She opened her mouth, as if to say it back, but she didn't. She said something else.
"Then you don't have to talk."
Even with the light-hearted words, the real conversation sat in the way they looked at each other. This would be the last man who would ever hold her heart, and vice versa. She could feel it. He could feel it. It was only too bad that he wouldn't hold hers long before the both of them met their gods.
She took his hand, she took to his mouth, and led him further on.
And for that night, even with the promise of death looming overhead, Iris lived.