Weakness AND Strength

The dust floated in the air, creating a haze as the dying sunlight slanted through it in the Nagrand Arena. Biara blinked sweat from her eyes as she turned to see Kyliska engaging another foe. Her sister twisted lithely, dodging the downward swing of a huge mace, dancing lightly on her feet as if she didn't have any armor on at all. Her form fitting plate glimmered in the dimming light, hugging her like a second skin and making Kyliska appear as the perfect vision of a warrior maiden.

Kyliska shouted a battlecry, bringing her lightning-bolt shaped two handed sword up in an arc. The razor sharp point tore her larger human foe from navel to neck, gouging a fatal wound in the man and showering Kyliska with her victim's blood. Biara's sister shivered as the blood drenched her, her sword raised high over her head as she brought a heavy boot down on the human's chest. The crowd surged to its feet, screaming its approval at Kyliska's bloody display of domination. She was in her element.

There was just one foe left in the day's last match. Biara turned, scanning the haze for sign of the human. He had been elusive, dodging in to assault their trio from the shadows, never fully engaging in open combat. A sudden cry made her gasp and turn, dread filling the pit of her stomach. Behind her, Elunearia had fallen to one knee as the human attempted to bash her in the head with a heavy metal sap before drawing his daggers, intent on killing the stunned elf.

Something snapped in Biara. A rage the likes of which she'd never felt in combat before filled her, and she barked out the words to a blink spell without even thinking. Instantly she had crossed the distance between her previous location and Elunearia, recklessly surging forward, hurling herself between the priestess and her assailant. A shock went through Biara's body and her eyes widened for a moment as the man's daggers plunged into her midsection, one striking a rib painfully. With her vision turning black, she raised a hand in his face and shouted, sending razor sharp shards of ice lancing out of her palm and into his eyes.

The human fell away, his head a ruin from the deadly spell and Biara looked down, seeing her battle robes covered in gore. Her own gore. She swayed and fell to her knees.

Cyn'laure was right. Feeling something for another, caring too much, can be utterly deadly. It is a weakness that can expose us to dangers we can never imagine, something to be exploited.

Biara felt a hand touch her shoulder, and healing Light surged through her body, banishing the darkness that clouded her vision and filling her with warmth and a feeling of safety. Another hand reached down, gently tilting her chin up and caressing her face. Biara looked up to see Elunearia standing over her. The elf looked so different now, so much more alive than she ever had before. Unlike the ghost she had seemed to be, now she was filled with strength. Light flowed from her, it danced around her golden hair and sparkled in her eyes. It was the very fabric of her being, and she looked more an angel than anything else in that brief moment that their eyes met.

The look on her face was something Biara would remember forever. It wasn't anger, it wasn't a berating expression that questioned why she would throw herself into such danger. Instead it was just tenderness, caring, and love. It was compassion for someone she cared about, and a willingness to do the same for Biara if the time came for it to be necessary.

It was strength the likes of which Biara had never had before.

You're wrong Cyn, this is no weakness. It is empowering. It gives us hope to go on when all other hope has faded. The lonely heart would surrender to darkness, and would hesitate to act because there was no need. Here there is only the bond between us, and the strength it gives us.

Biara's wounds closed as Elunearia's healing magic flowed through her, and she sighed before finally closing her eyes and breaking the contact between them. Elunearia's hand lingered on her shoulder for a moment before Biara managed to get to her feet, and Biara's hand brushed Lune's gently for a moment. They both turned, hearing the crowd roar at their victory.

Biara smiled, until she noticed Kyliska giving her an odd look. What had she seen? Would she be alright with all of this? Would she understand? It was unlikely the Blood Knight knew what transpired between the two Sin'dorei, but it was high time for Biara to discuss the matter with her sister. Kyliska deserved to know the truth, even if she would probably soon be able to guess it on her own.

Kyli turned back towards the crowd, the oddity of Biara's actions lost for the moment as the crowd roared her name again. With her enemy's blood on her and her allies whole and well, there was no better feeling than this moment for her. She was in her element.

The two sisters had many secrets from one another, but the sands of the arena kept such concerns far from their minds and for the time being, there was only the now, and the pleasure and rewards of victory.