Hooray, 10% through!
Little known fact is that Rivek's untamed, peregrine falcon, magic makes him one of the fastest runners in Mondigan history. He is also a very capable swimmer. However, he cannot hold his breath for very long because of smoke damage.
Fenne is the Brennan prince. He and Rivek were friends once upon a time. However, after Fenne's father discovered Rivek's dark powers, Fenne could no longer trust him anymore. The irony being that Rivek's nature was discovered when he took an arrow for Fenne, the wound revealing his black blood. Although Rivek has been officially pardoned for heresy, their conversations are still awkward because Fenne could have stopped his father but didn't.
Rivek could barely stand looking the Prince in the eye, but he tried his best to make small talk. Unfortunately, certain friendships were not meant to be recovered.
"After all these years, Falcon, you're still an infantryman?" The disbelief in his voice was an genuine as his distaste.
"Fenne." If his majesty was going to use old, familiar titles, so would he. "I prefer the term 'man-at-arms,' and, even given that, it is my choice to tread on foot." Albeit, he couldn't actually afford a proper steed on his salary. He laughed, but it did nothing to cover the tension in his voice.
The envoy reached a bridge, "Just a ways to go before we reach the outpost, your highness."
Rivek took the reigns of the prince's horse and began to guide it across the icy crossing. As they approached the high point - too far down to turn back and too far away to keep going - an arrow flew through the trees and landed squarely in the shoulder of Fenne's mount. The stallion reared. Rivek dropped the reigns. The startled beast lost its footing on the cobblestones and plunged both itself and its rider into the river.
"Haisan!" Ambush, Rivek cried, forgetting to change frm his native tongue. But with no second though, he unbuckled his pack and dove headfirst into the icy water, not even waiting for it to hit the ground. He cut throught the surface like a pike, but the sudden chill forced him to struggle back up for air.
"Fuck," he muttered, wiping hte water frm his eyes. He glimpsed something vaguely human floating downstream. "Fuck. Again."
He inhaled as much air as he could and dropped beneath the surface. He knew he needed as much speed as possible, and the ice floes at the surface could be deadly. He had to stay underwater until he reached Fenne.
Where the hell was that boy? Rivek widened his stinging eyes and saw a flash of gold hem ahead of him. It became a race against the current. Each second, his target would move away the same distance he had covered. Each flailing limb only gained a few inches in the correct direction.
Rivek tasted iron in the back of his mouth and coughed. Bubbles of precious oxygen rose to the surface. Too much longer under water, and he might drown as well.
As luck would have it, Fenne's cloak had wrapped around a rocky outcropping at the river bottom. The prince had been knock unconscious and blood was seeping from his forehead. Rivek wrenched his body through through the current in one final effort. His hands touched wet cloth, and he tried to tug the garment loose to no avail.
His lungs were burning now, and it was all he could do to keep from floating away himself. He fumbled with the cuff of his boot and released the small knife he kept there. Don't you dare complain I ruined your new clothes, he thought as he sawed through the cape.
He wrapped his arm around Fenne's shoulders and hauled them both to the surface. He sputtered, a mix of blood and frigid water spilled from his mouth and nose. He reached over to a rocky outcropping and screamed for help, trying to keep the prince's head above water.
In seconds, Bohren appeared, lowering a rope down to the pair. He struggled to hold all three items, but Rivek managed to wrap it around Fenne's waist and his arm. "Heave," he shouted over the spray.
He half-threw Fenne's body onto dry land and collapsed to his knees, coughing. Bohren was already working to revive the prince, checking his pulse and pushing the water out of his chest.
Fenne gagged as he regained consciousness, swiftly rolling over and spitting the remaining water onto the ground. He turned to Rivek, "You saved me. Again."
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