Holly

  The silence that followed the battle felt almost unreal. The canyon still shimmered with lingering heat, the molten glass hardening in ripples that caught the faintest glint of gold. Holly stood motionless, hand still clasped in Ariel’s, her breath catching against the weight of what she was seeing.

  Ariel’s fire was dying away.

  The great wings of flame folded inward, feathers of molten light flickering out one by one. The heat that had filled the air softened, drawing inward to her chest until it was only a pulse; a faint ember glow. The molten armor that had cloaked her form cooled and dissolved in a wash of red and orange, revealing the familiar silhouette beneath: a form that looked less divine now, more human. A garb of soft green and violet shaped like living leaves and woven light.

  The leaf-patterned bodice gleamed faintly in the afterlight, its edges singed and marked by battle. The layered petal skirt, frayed but whole, fell around her legs in soft motion. The capelet pinned by the vine-shaped brooch fluttered in the settling heat. The violet gemstone at her waist still glowed faintly, alive with the echo of what she’d been.

  Holly’s throat tightened. She couldn’t move, couldn’t speak. It was as if the sight alone was enough to unravel her. This wasn’t a dream, wasn’t another cruel illusion. Ariel... her Ariel... stood in front of her, breathing and alive.

  The adrenaline that had kept Holly upright bled away, leaving her trembling. The air still tasted of ash and fire. Every part of her wanted to collapse, but she couldn’t look away. Not now.

  Ariel turned slightly, her eyes, once molten orange, now soft green again. They found Holly’s face and lingered there, quiet and searching. A faint, almost shy smile tugged at her lips.

  “You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” she said, her voice hoarse, breaking the silence.

  Holly blinked hard, a sound between a laugh and a sob catching in her throat.

  “You… you have no idea.”

  For a moment, Ariel’s smile deepened, but the mask of calm couldn’t hold. Her expression faltered, an emotion flickering raw and naked across her face.

  “I guess… I still haven’t learned how to make a great first impression.”

  That broke something in Holly. Whatever words she’d been trying to find vanished. She pulled herself close in an instant and threw her arms around Ariel, clutching her with all the strength left in her body.

  Ariel gasped at the impact, stiff for only a second before melting into the embrace. Her arms came up, circling Holly’s waist, pulling her in tight. The warmth of her body pressed close, solid and real. Holly buried her face against her shoulder and let the tears come.

  The sound that left her was not graceful. It was a broken, shaking cry that tore through years of grief in a single breath.

  Ariel said nothing. She only held her, her own breath catching as her forehead came to rest just beneath Holly’s chin. The world around them stilled until there was nothing but the echo of their heartbeats.

  Holly didn’t know how long she stood there holding her. Time felt suspended, like it was patiently waiting for them to catch up. The heat of Ariel’s body seeped into her arms, proof against every nightmare she’d ever had. Slowly, the ragged sobs faded to quieter breaths, though she still clung to her, unwilling to let go.

  “I missed you,” Holly whispered against Ariel’s shoulder, her voice raw, breaking around the words. “God, I missed you so much. Every day. Every night. I kept thinking I’d forget the sound of your voice, or the way you laughed. But I never did.”

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  Ariel’s arms tightened around her, the gesture almost fierce.

  “I can’t believe it’s been thirteen years,” she murmured. “I only woke up here about a week ago”

  Holly stiffened, pulling back just enough to look at her. “A week?” Her voice was small, disbelieving.

  Ariel’s brows furrowed slightly, as if confused by her reaction. “Yeah… maybe a little more. Why?”

  Holly didn’t answer. She just stared at Ariel, the realization hitting her like a slow tide: Ariel looked exactly the same as she had the night she died. Her skin still soft and pale, freckles scattered like constellations across her cheeks. Her red hair still framed her face in loose, glowing curls. Not a line, not a mark of time had touched her.

  Holly’s chest tightened. She couldn’t stop herself from thinking about what she must look like now: forty-four, streaks of gray at her temples, the faint wrinkles that grief had carved over the years.

  Ariel’s eyes softened as if sensing Holly’s worries. She reached up slowly, her fingers brushing Holly’s cheek. Her thumb traced a gentle line beneath her eye, warm and steady.

  “You’re just as beautiful and warm as I remember,” she said softly.

  The words cracked something open inside Holly. She closed her eyes and leaned into the touch, pressing her hand over Ariel’s, as if to hold it there.

  “I love you so much,” she whispered, trembling. “I didn’t think I’d ever—”

  “I love you too,” Ariel interrupted gently, her voice just as unsteady. “Every part of you.”

  Their eyes met again, green and violet shining through a film of tears. The silence stretched, heavy with all the things they couldn’t say. Then Holly leaned in and their lips met. Tentative at first. A breath. A test of what was real.

  And then the dam broke.

  The kiss deepened, hungry and desperate, filled with thirteen years of loss and love and longing. Holly’s hands framed Ariel’s face as tears slipped down both their cheeks. The taste of salt and warmth flooded her senses. Her heart pounded in her chest, wild and alive, almost disbelieving. Ariel’s lips were soft but urgent, and every motion carried the ache of all the years between them.

  For Holly, it was like breathing again after being buried for a lifetime. The heat of Ariel’s plush body pressed into hers, familiar and new all at once. She could feel the tremor in her own fingers, the soft quiver of Ariel’s jaw beneath her palms.

  The world melted away. There was only the press of lips, the sound of breath, the trembling pulse of something rediscovered, and the impossible certainty that love had survived even death.

  When they finally parted, they were both gasping softly, foreheads resting together. Holly’s tears still fell, but her smile was small and trembling.

  “Please don’t leave me again,” she whispered.

  Ariel’s answer came like a promise: “I won’t.”

  The silence between them lingered, tender and heavy. Holly drew in a shaking breath, her pulse still racing from the kiss. The air smelled faintly of ozone and cooling ash. The heat that had once blistered the canyon now pulsed gently, a residual heartbeat left behind by the fire.

  Ariel’s gaze softened as she brushed a strand of hair from Holly’s face.

  “We can talk more soon,” she said quietly. “But first, we need to finish healing this island.”

  Holly’s eyes darted, taking in every feature of Ariel’s face, as if to frame it, before nodding. She loosened her hold as Ariel stepped back a little and lifted one hand.

  Across the canyon, something stirred. A faint hum rose from the glassed ground as Ariel’s staff, half-buried and scorched, jerked free and hurtled toward her. She caught it midair with ease, fingers closing around the shaft as though gravity had obeyed her call.

  Holly’s breath caught. The staff’s design pulled at her memory. The curling vine carvings, the faint glow of the runes etched into it. Something about it felt familiar, but she couldn’t place why.

  She opened her mouth to ask, then stopped as Ariel turned to her, voice calm but filled with quiet determination.

  “Are you ready?”

  Holly hesitated for the briefest moment. Her heart was still pounding from everything they’d just shared, but the look in Ariel’s eyes anchored her.

  “Yeah. I’m ready.”

  Ariel’s lips curved into a small smile before she turned toward the far end of the canyon, where the mouth of a dark cave waited beneath the fractured cliffs. A faint natural glow shimmered off the stone walls ahead, threads of residual magic tracing the way forward.

  Hand in hand, Holly and Ariel began walking toward it, the echo of their footsteps united and steady in the silence.