Heart Over Sword
Chapter 192: One master, dragons, magical sword..

Chapter 192: One master, dragons, magical sword..

The small group of four continued their journey; the quiet tension was palpable as the only sounds between them were the clinking of weapons and their boots hitting the ground. The chat was light, though it never lasted. Garrett and Arawn walked ahead, leading the way, while Evanna and Ronan were behind, glancing at their surroundings.

Ronan appeared warier in the company of the two elves before them, and the long grass towering over them made him jump at the slightest of sounds. Now, Evanna knew why Direwood forest had such strange creatures like the giant insects. She would not be surprised to find them there. She scanned the waves of green around them but was not alerted by anything.

Though Evanna remained vigilant, her body felt as though someone had smacked her with a hammer. There were no bruises, but invisible ones covered her body. It wasn’t just the fighting but the use of her powers to such a great degree.

"What is that?"

Evanna looked at Ronan and then followed his gaze to the extra sword sheathed behind her back. "That.. is called a sword, my dear friend," Evanna smirked at his eye roll, then pulled the newfound sword from its sheath and handed it to him. "Cedric gave it to me." At their sudden discussion about the sword, Arawn and Garrett turned to look at what they were doing.

Ronan balanced the blade before him, gazing at the little dragon and sapphire on the hilt, then swung it in a motion that made the elves raise a brow and the right side of Arawn’s lip tilt up. "Cedric?" Ronan looked at her with a frown before handing the sword back to her. "You have become quite close to ’them’, I see."

Evanna bit the inside of her cheek as she felt Arawn’s gaze on her face again, studying her, waiting to hear her answer. "I never meant to be an enemy of the Flori," she replied, earning a scoff from Garrett.

But before Garrett could jump in with a remark about her stealing from the kingdom, Arawn spoke first, staring ahead. "That sword was not Cedric’s to give." He continued with a topic for lighter discussion than that of all the rules she broke, especially as a Princess of a kingdom that was in a peace treaty with the Flori and Lyvarian kingdoms.

Evanna watched Arawn’s back, the elegance of his steps, the sway of his long hair, the very well-placed and hidden blades against his shoulder blades. He was tall, looked lean, and now being in his arms, did she know what hard muscles were beneath that clothing. She gulped and silently scolded herself for getting distracted. Only then, noting Ronan was watching her study Arawn and her cheeks heated. She looked away and sheathed the sword behind her back.

"He said it needs to be used. Or do you mean I should not be the one to wield it?" Evanna questioned as she scanned her surroundings again. There wasn’t much to it at the moment, and it was frankly quite boring, staring at the tall grass like they were tiny people. Or like Nesrin, a small fairy.

Arawn clicked his tongue and fell back in step beside her, skilfully squeezing in between her and Ronan, silently staring at Ronan to leave. Her friend frowned again, glancing between them before walking beside Garrett, who made Ronan look tiny compared to his stocky frame.

"This sword gains power from those it harms." Arawn had already removed her sword again, his fingers gliding over the surface of the blade where small inscriptions were engraved on it. Evanna could not read it, but the symbols were similar to that of Muranthian. It must have been an ancient tongue identical to that of elves.

"When you say it gains power..." Evanna began, placing pieces together in her mind. There were a few possibilities, so she voiced at least one. "Do you mean to say the person wielding the sword gains another’s skillset? That would be quite awful if the swordsman or woman was terrible.."

The corner of Arawn’s lips quirked up, and his eyes became alight with amusement. "Close. But not quite." He tapped her nose playfully. "This one, in particular, has magic that takes from dragons; it will also heal you by using the blood of your enemy."

Evanna scrunched her nose from the idea of another’s blood mixing with her own. "The blood seeps into the blade, and from the sword’s magic, it will heal you," Arawn explained after watching her face. "The sword.. can only have one master each lifetime."

"One master... Dragons.. Magical sword.." Evanna murmured as she scrutinised the sword. "What powers would the sword master gain from such a creature? Though there are no dragons.. It can still be used as a normal sword, no?"

"It is still only a blade." Arawn was now the one to throw the blade up skilfully and caught it effortlessly, smirking in Ronan’s direction, who scowled at him before the Prince handed it back to Evanna. "But it is a shame for it to not be used properly.. The powers gained depend on the type of dragon. But it could be something as simple as the beast’s hearing, sounds from across the realm could be heard, or an extended life if the bearer is a human. Besides.. Who said there were no more dragons?"

"Wait.. What!?" Excitement shot through her at Arawn’s statement. She clasped his arm, stopping them as she stared up into those endless blue orbs.

Arawn smiled, a full-toothed grin as he gazed down at her, his hand sliding over hers. "The world is much bigger than that the maps of men make, *my dearest Evanna.* The dragons have just changed to easier

hunting grounds. They can be quite lazy like that.. "

A blush grew on Evanna’s cheeks. It had nothing to do with what they were speaking of and more with the closeness of their bodies. She had been leaning in closer to him, with wonderous fascination at how much Arawn knew. There was so much more to learn and understand, and without realising what she was doing, her eyes lowered to his lips. Those lips that kissed her so passionately not long ago and spoke of a proposal she had yet to answer.

Evanna met Arawn’s gaze again as a growing tension between them crackled. A heat flourished across her skin and her core clenched. His eyes smouldered, making her forget entirely about their conversation.

"Not all maps are made to be so small," Ronan piped up and quite awkwardly stepped between them. Arawn and Evanna’s hands pulled away from each other, as did their bodies from the sudden disturbance of a particular monster hunter. "I, for one, have seen much more than most in Dunhurst and Hatherland." He spoke only to Evanna while glaring at Arawn.

Evanna’s lips parted, flustered and wanting to comment, but she shut them as she glanced between the two men. But her elven Prince found the situation more entertaining than annoying, shaking his head as he glided back to Garrett a few paces ahead.

"These plains, for one, are not much safer than Direwood. I’ve hunted and slain monsters here with Ger and Axel. Though, we were seeking them out..."