Weapons, weapons befitting of a champion. This is what he had been working on for a long time. Weapons that he would give to the one that he chooses to represent him, it was a strange

thought that went through his mind. He had seen the blade that graced the hip of the champion of life and love, the lacriamium sword that tied him to Angela. The same self sword that had brought him back to life on who knows how many occasions. That blade was the link between the goddess and her champion and now it was his turn to do the same for his own.

He did not know much about his Champion, that one he would not lie about. Yet he had seen her twin blades that she wielded as weapons and figured that would be the perfect mold for what he wanted to create. And so he had the greatest smiths that he knew personally create the blades from the strongest material that they could muster. He knew it would not be as brilliant as Larciamium, but the material itself was rare and only Angela would have an abundance of it. He cared not though, for there was a way to give the blade their power.

The god walked up to the tree that stood at the center of the Heart. It was the perfect thing to make the hilts out of, as the wood had absorbed great amounts of pure aether from being the central piece of the Keep. He placed his hand upon the trunk and closed his eye, offering a prayer himself to the tree. Once he was finished he drew his blade and cut two large branches off of it, the blade cutting through them smoothly, as if the tree allowed him to do so.

Quickly he wrapped the limbs in a cloth and hucked it over his shoulder and made his way out of the heart. The door opened and a ranger awaited the god as he exited. ”Quickly take these to the smiths that are working on the blades, while the magic still flows strong,” He ordered the ranger and handed over the wrapped branches to the ranger who quickly bowed before heading off. ”And now to summon her.”

A loud and sharp whistle rang out through the grounds. A large black raven flew towards Zanar and perched on the god’s arm. “Qiche, Find Nelanna and give her the message to meet me at the Keep, I have something to give her that is long overdue.” He told his familiar who cried out in response before taking off into the sky. He knew by the time his familiar had found her the blades would be finished and arriving just on time.

Nelanna had been out in the Plains of Bohar -investigating a series of attacks by brigands who have been going after travelers near Virens recently- when she had received word from Zanar. A raven recited his summon, and without hesitation Nelanna mounted her horse, abandoning her mission to go see Zanar. Kohaku reverted back to his fox form and sat rather uncomfortably in one of the saddlebags. Then, they raced into Virens.

Nelanna was urgent and alarmed, not knowing why it was that she had been summoned out of the blue. Perhaps the Keep was being attack; the rangers and Zanar could be in great danger. Her heart squeezed at the idea, clenching her jaw with a furrowed brow and intense eyes. Zanar had been injured, lost his eyes the last time she wasn’t there to help him. But not this time. This time, she would be there to fight alongside him.

Jade Vine ran with all her might, ears laid back until they were almost flat against her head, hooves tearing up the ground with each powerful step. She jumped over everything that came in their path with urgency, yet grace, taking her owner deeper into the forest. They made it to the gates with impressive timing. Nelanna dismounted and opened the doors, lifting Kohaku out of the saddlebag, setting him on the ground, then took her horse by the reins and led them inside.

Her pace was swift as she made her way closer to the Keep, stopping before the steps leading into the main building. She turned to Jade Vine who was panting heavily and gently rubbed her neck. “Forgive me for pushing you so hard,” Nelanna whispered to the mare. Then, she turned to face the building for a moment. “I am here, Zanar,” she announced, looking around for the man with worry. Nothing seemed to be out of place. Perhaps she was just paranoid? “Has something happened?”

Qiche appeared back to Zanar through a get portal and let the god know that the Warden got the message. ”Good, good. Well done my friend rest, I’m sure it was a trip to find her.” Zanar watched as the Raven flew into the trees once again. The creature was his familiar but acted more like a wild animal than most familiars. It was rare for even Zanar to hear its voice.
He turned to face the Gate, he wondered how long it would take her to get here from where she was. He had other business to attend to while he waited for Nelanna to arrive, mainly inspecting the blades that were finished just moments before his Familiar made its way back home.

He entered the Keep hall and saw the two blades lay upon the main table. They were beautifully crafted and the wooden hilts made from the tree fit them perfectly. He ran his fingers along the flat of the blades and could feel the heat and frigid cold from them. “They took the aspect of Fire and Ice, have they? Explains their names,” He started taking note of the script engraved onto the blades. He was tempted to try the blades himself, but they were not his in a sense to do so, instead, he took the time to wrap them in cloth as to keep them clean until she got here.

A few moments had passed before the Gate finally opened. He could hear the hurried steps of a horse, the heavy breathing and the worried heartbeat. She took her duty well, that he had to admit. He walked out of the Great hall to greet his champion. ”Calm yourself, nothing is amiss my dear,” He teased her as he descended the stairs. ”Thank you for coming with haste though, it is good to see you again. Now as to why I called you here..let us enter the temple shall we?” He stepped to the side and held his arm out towards the entrance and guided her up the stairs.

They entered and the doors closed behind them. The large fire in the middle keeping the room lit along with the torches that lined the walls. ”Over there on the main table are two parcel’s for you, something that I have been meaning to give to you since you took the mantle of Champion. Take care while opening them though,” He did give her a slight warning, and perhaps a slight hint to as what they were. He took a seat on the bench of another table that was close to the main table. He would be lying to himself if he didn’t want to see her reaction. After all, it’s not every day a god gives a mortal a gift.

Nelanna hadn’t been waiting long before she saw Zanar come out of the Great Hall. She took a step towards him, eyes running up and down his person to see if he was alright before parting her lips to begin speaking. But he beat her to it. Her whole body visibly relaxed as a light sigh of relief escaped her. There was another wave of relief coming from Kohaku, before she heard a little chuckle to both pick fun at her paranoia and hide his own worry he had been feeling. Nelanna straightened her posture, smiling softly at Zanar as he began speaking again. “Yes sir,” she replied, stepping forward to follow him up the stairs. Kohaku followed, a quiet poof sounding behind her as he took up his human form.

Stepping inside, Nelanna began taking in the interior of the Great Hall. It came to her that this was her first time being in the Great Hall. The last time she had gone through those doors she came to the Heart of the Keep, which was back when she became the Warden of the Wilds. A memory she still treasures with a fond smile.

As he guided her attention to the table, her eyes followed, instantly laying on the item he spoke of that were covered by cloth. With one glance back at Kohaku and a quick thought sent to keep him where he stood, she walked up to the table, heels clunking quietly on the floors with careful steps. Then, she took the end of the cloth and unraveled it. Her eyes widened and blinked a couple of times as the swords were revealed to her; their blades were dark, shined and unmarked by prints or scratches. There was a lighter color in it, rippling through the blade and giving the appearance of water. She didn’t know what kind of metal looked like that, but it was pretty. The sharp parts of the blades were blue and red, with glowing words engraved at the top of the blades in matching colors. The script was elven, reading the words Fenrir the Ice, and Garm the Fire.

The hilts were also very beautiful, and somehow reminded her of the Tree in the Heart of the Keep. Ever so lightly, she caressed the blades with her fingertips, but drew back when she noticed the unexpected heat resonating from Garm, and the coldness of Fenrir. She smiled to herself, the smile growing larger and more brilliant by the second until she was beaming. The blades were so beautiful, and she could already tell that they are very powerful. She turned to face Zanar whom was seated nearby. Her expression was one that would make someone think the love of her life had finally asked for her hand in marriage. But that still couldn’t quite describe how joyful she was. “They’re incredible,” she said with cheeks flushed with glee. “I would be honored to wield theses blades to protect others, and fight alongside you.”

She had already knew of the Champion items granted by their deities when she met with the other Champions. Serci had made a point to show his off. At the time she wondered if she wasn’t good enough, or if her disappearance had damaged her position as Champion, that Zanar hadn’t given her a Champion item. But now she felt ashamed for having such thoughts. Weapons take time to plan and forge; clearly he had been thinking about this for a while. And his own explanation stating he had intended to give them to her when she first became his Champion proved the point further.

Words could not describe how grateful she was. But it was very difficult to keep herself from running up to him and giving him a big hug. That was how she usually expressed her feelings, with hugs and kisses. Kind of childish, really. But when she feels so much joy she just can’t contain it, usually.