Chapter 4 Fireballs And Fish: A Love Story (Probably)

When they reached the river, Aelries immediately sought refuge under the shade of a large, sprawling tree, its branches thick enough to shelter both of them from the afternoon sun. She sighed, leaning against the trunk, finally allowing herself a moment of respite. That moment lasted exactly three seconds. Because Mixarnt, without a shred of shame, stripped off his clothes right in front of her. Aelries's face burned crimson. "Y-YOU SHAMELESS BRUTE!" she shrieked, whipping around to face the tree, her ears practically steaming. Mixarnt, now clad in nothing but his boxers, blinked at her. "Huh? What's wrong?" "PUT YOUR CLOTHES BACK ON!" "But I'm fishing," he said, as if that explained everything. Then, before she could protest further, he dove into the river with a splash. Aelries groaned, rubbing her temples. "Why… why was I stuck with this idiot?" From the water, Mixarnt thrashed around like an overexcited otter, wielding a sharpened stick like a spear. "Hah! Take that! And, woah! Almost got it!" Aelries watched, torn between irritation and reluctant fascination, as he flailed after a particularly large fish. Then, "HEY LOOK! I CAUGHT ONE!" Mixarnt triumphantly held up his prize, a fat, wriggling river fish, just as it violently twisted free from his grip. SMACK! The fish sailed through the air and slapped Aelries square in the face. There was silence... The fish flopped to the ground. Aelries stood frozen, her expression deadly. Mixarnt's grin faltered. "Haha… er, sorry?" he said grinning awkwardly. Aelries's eye twitched. Then, "GRRRR… YOU SAVAGE MAN!" FWOOSH! A barrage of fireballs erupted from her hands, hurtling toward Mixarnt. "HOT HOT HOT HOT! I SAID I'M SORRY!!!" he yelped, diving underwater just in time to avoid being roasted alive. Later That Evening. The fish (now mercifully dead and cleaned) sizzled over the fire as Mixarnt turned it carefully on a makeshift spit. The smell of cooked meat filled the air, but Aelries's mood remained decidedly unimproved. Mixarnt glanced at her, trying to gauge her temper. "Hey… are you still angry?" Aelries harrumphed, turning her nose up. "Don't talk to me, you lowly human." Mixarnt sighed. "Damn. They did say elves are proud and super stern. Guess it's true." Aelries's head snapped toward him, her glare sharp enough to pierce steel. "Excuse me?!" Mixarnt's brow twitched. "Oh no." he muttered. Before he could react, Aelries marched over and sat right next to him, her posture rigid with indignation. "You dare generalize my entire race?!" Mixarnt swallowed. "Uh… no?" "First, you strip naked in front of me!" "I was wearing boxers." "Then you assault me with a fish!" "It was an accident." "And now you have the audacity to call me and my race proud and stern?!" Mixarnt opened his mouth, then closed it. He knows there was no winning this. So, he did the only sensible thing. He tore off a piece of perfectly cooked fish and held it out to her. "... Fish?" Aelries stared at it. Then at him. Then at the fish. Her stomach growled. With the dignity of a wronged princess, she snatched it from his fingers and took a bite. "Hmph. It's acceptable," she muttered, chewing grumpily. Mixarnt grinned. "Told you I'm a good cook." Aelries shot him another glare, but this time, there was no fire behind it. Just exhaustion. And maybe the tiniest hint of amusement. But she'd never admit it. ------------- The fire crackled between them as they finished their meal, the last remnants of daylight fading into a star-speckled dusk. Mixarnt lazily picked at the fish bones, tossing them into the flames before stretching out on the grass. "So," he began, chewing on a stick, "do you have any plans?" Aelries paused mid-bite, her mind blank. "Plans?" Today had been a disaster, a rollercoaster to be exact, she'd gone from a simple patrol to being chased by a monster, stumbling into a pocket dimension, witnessing Mixarnt casually violate Sylphara, and now she was stranded in the middle of nowhere with him. "Well, I…" she trailed off, staring into the fire. She pulled out her map again, scanning the vast grasslands. "My kingdom lies to the southeast," she said finally, tracing a path with her finger. "But we'd need to pass through three territories and multiple cities along the way." Mixarnt nodded sagely, then, without warning, dropped a question. "So, do elven women have large breasts?" he asked curiously. "W-WHAT?! WHERE DID THAT COME FROM?!" Aelries shrieked, her face exploding into a furious blush as she instinctively crossed her arms over her chest. Mixarnt blinked, unfazed. "Er, icebreaker? Haha…" Aelries's eye twitched. "PERVERT!" "Hey, I'm just asking 'cause I'm curious!" Mixarnt defended, raising his hands. "The book I read about elves said so, you know." He tilted his head, studying her. "Then again, you're pretty irritating—always angry, stern, and insulting me." Aelries lunged forward, grabbing him by the collar. "THAT'S BECAUSE YOU ALWAYS DO STUPID THINGS!!!!" she roared, her nose practically touching his. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to release him before she committed a justifiable beating. "And don't base us elves on some stupid book you read!" she snapped, pressing a hand to her chest. "We are more than that!" Mixarnt's expression was uncharacteristically thoughtful for a moment, before he nodded to himself. 'Yep. The book was right.' he thought. "Haha… Right…" he said, clearly not convinced. Aelries groaned, rubbing her temples. "I swear, if I survive this journey, it'll be a miracle." Mixarnt grinned. "Relax, we'll be fine! Besides, if things get rough, you've got me!" Aelries stared at him. Then at the sky. Then back at him. "That's exactly what I'm worried about." She said with a resigned sigh. Mixarnt just laughed, as he lay and stretch out on the grass like a contented cat. "Man, you're so easy to tease." Aelries contemplated pushing him into the fire. But for now, she settled for stealing the last piece of fish before he could get to it. Petty revenge was still revenge. "Damn... And I'm saving that fish for tomorrow," Mixarnt muttered, watching helplessly as Aelries ate the last piece with deliberate slowness, her emerald eyes glinting with petty satisfaction. "What about you?" she asked between bites, dusting her hands off. "What's your plan? Who are you anyway?" Mixarnt, stared at the stars as if they held the answers. "Me? My plan... hmm..." He snapped his fingers. "Ah! I'll just look for an elf princess to marry! Alright, that's my goal from now on!" "Ghk!" Aelries choked on her fish, coughing violently as her face flushed crimson. 'This idiot wants to what?! Dark Elves might tolerate his boorishness, but no noble elf, let alone a princess, would ever consider such a buffoon.' she said in her thoughts. The irony burned: she was a princess, and he'd already cemented himself as the worst possible suitor in history. Not that she'd ever reveal her title to Mixarnt, seeing him as a menace. "Stop kidding yourself," she said, recovering her composure. "No princess would fall for a pervert who strips naked in public, throws fish at women, and treats sacred relics like firewood." She licked her fingers pointedly. "You'd be lucky if a tavern wench tolerated you." "Haha... You really can't let that fish incident go, huh?" Mixarnt's eyebrow twitched, but his grin didn't waver. "Hmph. Well, at least you're useful when needed," Aelries conceded grudgingly, recalling how he'd sliced open a dimension like parchment for them to escape. "Annoyingly competent when it suited you." she added. "Hey, did you just compliment me?" He rolled onto his side, propping his head up with a hand, his stupidly handsome face alight with amusement. "Tch. Don't talk to me, you lowly, perverted trash of a human," she snubbed, storming off to sharpen Sylphara with a smithing stone, and to imagine stabbing him in her head. Every interaction with Mixarnt was a fresh hell for Aelries, all of his antics since they met made her feel exhausted. Behind her, Mixarnt chuckled, undeterred. "Y'know, for someone who hates me, you sure talk about me a lot~" Aelries' grip on the blade turned white-knuckled. "Seven gods, give me strength." she said in a whispered voice. "Haha, guess you really like me, huh? Too bad, I like a princess, not some elven knight who gets lost in her own forest despite—" WHUMP! Aelries' supply bag, now suspiciously lumpy, slammed into Mixarnt's face with perfect aim. The clack of rocks shifting inside echoed as he reeled backward. "Ghk! What the?!" Mixarnrt said surprised. Aelries clenched her fist in triumph, whispering a fierce "Yes!" under her breath. Finally, payback for every infuriating moment since they'd met. Recovering, Mixarnt rubbed his nose, grinning with annoyance at the smug elf. "You filled it with rocks?!" "Goodnight~" Aelries sang, flopping onto her bedroll beneath the tree. "I'll sleep here. You stay there, two meters away. Shoo shoo." She flicked her fingers dismissively, mirroring his earlier tone with satisfaction. Mixarnt's eye twitched. 'Oh, she's enjoying this.' he said to himself. "You elves are impossible," he grumbled, flopping onto the grass. But as he stared up at the star strewn sky, his irritation faded into amusement. "... Heh. Not bad, Princess." he muttered. Aelries' ears pricked at the muttered words. "Wait, did he just?" She whipped her head around, but Mixarnt was already feigning sleep, his stupid grin barely hidden in the shadows. "That insufferable...!" Turning away with a huff, she yanked her cloak over her head. "I hate you," she said into the fabric. From two meters away, Mixarnt grins before he slept peacefully.