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Arnice stared at the ring on her finger, the ring that belonged to her beloved, the ring Aluche had found and helped restore her sanity. Lilysse was alive, and with that knowledge Arnice finally felt alive again too.
Following the letter Lilysse had left for her, Arnice and Christophorus came upon a small forest village, outside the reach of the Curia. It seemed like a peaceful, cozy place, and Arnice could see why Lilysse had taken refuge here, and she hadn't encountered many fiends either in the past few days. Maybe, despite being the Nightlord, she could settle down here with Lilysse for good.
"My, what a pleasant little village," Christophorus said as she touched her mask. "Almost like…"
Arnice decided not to press Christophorus. She still didn't talk much of her past, but she remembered more and more of her life before the Curia had destroyed her home and killed her human companion. If Christophorus was reminded of her past here, then Arnice was hopeful.
She unfolded Lilysse's letter, reading it yet again for the countless time. It had only been a few years since she was separated from Lilysse, and that amount of time was nothing to a long-lived demon like herself or even compared to the decades they had spent together since leaving the Curia. But Lilysse was mortal, so each moment with her was even more precious, and to have lost even just a few years…!
"Let's go, Chris," she said, pocketing that precious letter. "Lilysse wrote that she's living on the outskirts of the village."
Christophorus let out a quiet chuckle. "A heartfelt reunion is soon at hand. It's quite romantic, isn't?"
Arnice and Christophorus walked along the edge of the village, and Arnice resisted the urge to simply dash forward recklessly. Since Aluche and Liliana had sacrificed themselves to seal away Malvasia and her endless night, Arnice couldn't help but notice the parallels between herself and Malvasia. They both were demons who had fallen in love with human women, and they both had gone mad upon losing their lovers. If Aluche had never managed to save Arnice by finding Lilysse's ring, Arnice wondered if she would've eventually tried to blanket the world in an eternal night, just as the previous Nightlord was rumored to have attempted.
Despite all that Malvasia had put her through, Arnice couldn't bring herself to hate her, and even as the Nightlord she still regretted she hadn't been able to do more for Malvasia or her lover Alstromeria.
Soon she and Christophorus came upon a small cottage near a brook, and it matched the description in Lilysse's letter perfectly. "This is it…" Arnice breathed. "Lily is…"
"Then I'll leave you to your tearful reunion." Christophorus turned on her heel and glanced over her shoulder at Arnice. "I quite enjoyed traveling with you."
Arnice nodded. "Thank you, Chris, for everything you've done."
"I'll tell you what I told the other," Christophorus said, changing her voice. "Run, my friend. Run through this endless night and sing out the song of your life." She let out dark giggle, and then, in the blink of an eye, vanished.
Arnice approached the cottage, and after inhaling a deep breath, raised her hand to knock on the wooden door. Several tense moments passed, but finally, the door opened, and Arnice's heart skipped a beat. Lilysse, her beautiful, beloved Lilysse, stood before her, and Lilysse looked just as Arnice remembered. Gray streaked through her bright hair, and a smile came upon her wrinkled face. "Arnice," she said, her voice as clear as ever, "you certainly kept me waiting."
Tears rolled down Arnice's cheeks, and she threw her arms around Lilysse. "Oh, Lily, my sweet Lily," she cried, burying her face in Lilysse's shoulder. "You're alive, you're really alive…"
"It's not like you to cry so openly." Lilysse put her arms around Arnice's back, and her embrace was still just as strong. "I knew you would find me eventually."
A soft laugh slipped from Arnice's lips. "It… just took me a little longer than I thought."
Lilysse took Arnice's hand and escorted her into the cottage. The interior was as cozy as the outside, and it held a kind of nostalgic warmth, like the home Arnice had never had. Lilysse explained that she was living with a mother and her young daughter and that they were currently out shopping. "I told them that I've been waiting a long time for someone," she said to Arnice.
Arnice clenched her fist over her chest. "But you haven't told them I'm a demon, have you?"
"I'll let you in on a little secret." A mischievous smile came upon Lilysse's lips. "There are already a few demons and half-demons living here, so I don't think they'll be too surprised to see you unless you also tell them you're the Nightlord."
"So that's what Chris meant…" Arnice muttered. "I think I'll keep that part to myself for now."
Lilysse touched Arnice's cheek, and the warmth of her hand was just as Arnice remembered. "I'm sure you've been traveling a while, so would you like some tea?"
"No, ah…" Arnice shook her head; there was so much more she wanted to ask, so much she had to tell Lilysse, but now, seeing her beloved again, alive and well, it was like they hadn't been apart for those few years, and Arnice felt whole again. She held out the ring engraved with their initials to Lilysse and said, "Um, I found your ring."
Lilysse's eyes watered as she accepted the ring from Arnice, and she clutched it tightly to her chest. "Thank you…" she said softly.
"Actually, a friend found it, and when she showed it to me, I finally found my way out of the darkness." Arnice rubbed the back of her neck. "For a long time, I… wasn't myself."
"You mean because of the Moon Queen." Lilysse's expression grew pained. "Is she…?"
"You don't have to worry about her anymore." Arnice gripped Lilysse's shoulders and their eyes met. "You're safe now, I promise."
"Oh, Arnice." Lilysse rested her forehead against Arnice's shoulder. "There's so much I have to tell you."
Arnice threaded her fingers through Lilysse's soft hair. "Me too, and… it's not all pleasant."
Lilysse pulled out of Arnice's embrace and cupped her face. "But we'll have more than enough time for that later. Right now, though, since you've finally returned, how about a dance first, for old times' sake?"
"I would be honored, my lady," Arnice said with a bow, and Lilysse giggled. Arnice offered her arm, which Lilysse accepted eagerly, and they headed outside, as this cottage was far too small for a dance.
Lilysse led Arnice to a small clearing of flowers not far from the cottage, and Arnice was reminded of the Hill of Falling Stars that Aluche had shown her at Espheria Imperial Academy. Arnice put her arm around Lilysse's waist and with her other hand took Lilysse's, and Lilysse laid her free hand on Arnice's shoulder. Once together, they began to move, slowly and carefully at first. Despite not having danced with Lilysse for the past few years, Arnice's body remembered each step as if their last dance together had only been yesterday.
To a demon like herself, a few years was a mere blink of the eye, Arnice knew. But to Lilysse, a mortal woman, a few years was more than that, and her time was far more precious. Even when Arnice had merely been a half-demon, cursed by the rain of Blue Blood, she had still wasted most years just mindlessly hunting fiends, and she hadn't truly felt alive until she had met Lilysse. Their time together was marked by partings and reunions, but this time, Arnice vowed to never leave Lilysse again. She would outlive Lilysse greatly, she knew, and the thought of someday losing her beloved still hurt, but for the time they had together, Arnice would always devote herself fully to her precious Lilysse.
Their rhythm began to quicken, and they pulled apart, their fingers entwined together, and then their bodies came together once again. Despite her age, Lilysse still had a youthful aura about her, and she often reassured Arnice that she wasn't jealous of Arnice's eternal youth. But Lilysse was beautiful no matter her age, Arnice thought. Her sweet scent, her soft curves against Arnice - the memories of the tender intimacy they had shared during both day and night filled Arnice with familiar desire as she twirled Lilysse and then pulled Lilysse into another embrace, feeling the warmth of Lilysse's body against hers.
Soon their dance came to an end, and they sat upon the field of flowers, and Lilysse clutched Arnice's arm and rested her head against Arnice's shoulder. Arnice tucked a strand of Lilysse's hair behind her ear, and she smiled as her eyes trailed upward from Lilysse's ample bosom to her slender throat and then to her bright face; to Arnice, Lilysse was always the most beautiful.
"Lilysse," she breathed. "I love you."
With a soft giggle, Lilysse pressed her lips against Arnice's for a kiss, the first kiss they had shared in years. "I love you too, and I always will."
"I always keep you waiting, don't I?" Arnice let out a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry."
Lilysse shook her head. "Why don't you tell me a little about the friends who saved you?"
Arnice inhaled a deep breath, and she began to tell Lilysse of Aluche, the woman Aluche had loved, and all their beloved friends of Hotel Eterna.