"Hello, Soli," she said forcibly. "Do you have an eye on your Commander? I am supposed to meet him."
She liked reminding the warrior that Nadir was, in fact, her Commander, as it usually made Soli shift and sometimes glare.
Soli did as Bala wanted, and then she gave an upwards nod out to the logs at the end of the jetty. "Balancing with the Second Sun," she informed her.
Bala followed her point out to the jetty, and she saw the pair. She gave Soli a nod and then made her way out, dropping her bags on the sand before moving to the rocks.
The sight nearly made her laugh.
Nadir and Lex, rolling and balancing on the great log in the calm alcove, sticks in their hands as they crossed one another. Lex kept up with him, a determined look on her stern features. It was the sight of how disheveled she was that made Bala's head tilt.
The tight-fitting scaled armor pants, the oversized sage green tank with open sides, the leather strap across her breasts under the shirt. It was so long, Lex had it tucked into the front of her pants, revealing the belt on her hips, the great Belwark sword on her side. Wisps of her now shaggy blonde hair fell over her eyes as she gritted her teeth and blocked Nadir's blows. Seeing Lex relaxed in this garb as compared to the stuffy gambesons she'd first met her in was night and day.
She and Bael had been the ones to meet Lex and Nyssa when they'd rode into the Forest to check on Aydra that day. They had been on patrol in the trees just outside the kingdom. The wind had brought the noise of two riders, and the pair had drawn arrows in ready.
Lex dropped down from her horse. At the time, Bala hadn't known who she was, but when she shook her hair from her face and glanced up, Bala's bow had sagged in her hands at the sight of her. Because the woman was stunning and fierce, bright cheeks glowing against the darkness of the woods, short blonde hair swept back off her forehead, a single unruly piece that curled down over her eye. Her eyes were round and wide, taking in every detail of the forest around her. She spoke something to the girl still on her horse and reached a hand back to steady the reins.
"I know you're here," Lex had called out. "We mean to see the Queen. We are her Second and the Princess."
Bala exchanged a glance with Bael, who shrugged. Bala nodded, and she jumped down from the tree first. The wind caught her as she leaped down the forty-foot drop, and it slowed her so she could land safely on her feet. Lex pulled her great sword the moment the wind whipped. Bala landed with her own swords drawn, and for a moment, neither moved.
Lex's darkened green gaze wandered over Bala, and her sword limped in her hand. "Hi," she had said as she straightened.
Bala eyed this beautiful woman as well as the girl still on the horse. "Second Sun and Princess?" she repeated as she straightened. "What—no great army to retrieve Her Majesty?"
"I am the army," Lex countered. "Take us to our Queen."
A quiet chuckle emitted from Bala, and she glanced back to Bael, who shared her amusement. "Take you to your Queen?" she repeated. "Never walk into a kingdom not of your own and try to give out demands, Second Sun," she mocked. "You'll embarrass yourself. Especially in this one."
Lex was clearly taken aback by her words. "I'm willing to take that chance if you're unwilling to cooperate."
"Lex—“ the Princess called out, “—taking her head is getting us no closer to seeing Drae," she said quietly.
Lex's gaze didn't leave Bala's, and the smugness rising on both their faces challenged the other.
"Lex?" Bala repeated, the name sounding familiar. "As in Hilexi Ashbourne?" She'd heard stories of her trials through the years, how she'd defended her Second Sun title multiple times over and was rumored to be the fiercest warrior in the west.
A crooked smirk lifted Lex's lips. "Glad to see my name trickles all the way across Haerland," she uttered arrogantly.
Bala scoffed, whirling her blade in her hand. "You should listen to your Princess, Belwark," Bala said in a low tone.
"And you are who to be giving out such orders?” Lex asked. “I was not aware the Venari allowed their beautiful women to hold positions of power. "
Bael openly laughed. "One more thing you do not know about the people you have deemed beneath you for a hundred years," she muttered. "My name is Balandria Windwood, and I am the Venari Second."
"You're the next Venari King?"
"I am," Bala replied. "You should remember it."
"Whoever you are," the Princess said then, her horse beginning to get restless, "we are wasting sunlight. Do you think you can stop leering at each other long enough to show us to your kingdom? I cannot imagine what sort of tortures you've put my sister through. We need to see her and get her back to the safety of her own people."
Bala considered the Princess a moment, nearly laughing at the words that had come from her mouth. She glanced back to Lex. "Quite the attitude," she muttered.
"You think I don't know?" Lex muttered back. "Do you want her? We can do an exchange."
To this, Bala grinned. She gave her a once over before sheathing her blade and glancing back to Bael. "Bael, take the leads from them. We need to get back before everyone wakes and there is an ambush." She turned back to Lex. "If your coming gets us any closer to being rid of your Queen, by all means. Please come along."
Lex chuckled under her breath. "Glad to know she's not lost her fight while being in her enemy's kingdom."
