The Guardian

            It was another boring day. Gabrielle walked casually down the gaudy palace hallway, almost lost in thought. Months had passed since his return from Fatir and his last assignment as a Dionadiar of the Ard Ri. His job was simple, protect the most powerful earth elementalist on the planet from harm. On the scale of things that were boring, protecting the one person who can never be without a weapon, or be hurt, was the worst position for someone like him.

            When he thought about it he didn’t actually know why he accepted the job. Wait, yes he did, he wanted to prove how cool he was. If only he’d known just how pointless it would all be.

            A couple of servants rushed past him in a flurry of anxiety and stress. Just another normal day in the capital. Begth was an exceptional city if truth be told. The streets were spotless, there was very little crime, and homelessness almost didn’t exist. That’s not to say Ental didn’t have problems, but at least the capital was nice.

            Light caught his eyes as the sun reflected off a mirror nearby. It wasn’t like him normally but he stopped to look at himself for a moment. As much as he disliked the palace life he did enjoy the clothing he was provided. In fact he looked quite ravishing…. If that’s a word you could use for a man. His long short hair was trimmed tight to the side of his head, it was a very professional haircut. The tunic was a light green that complimented the darker green of his long-coat. His chin was sharp and even his eyes held a tint of green to them.

            The outfit probably cost more than some homes, but he tried not to think about it. Within the palace the Ard Ri’s personal protectors, the Dionadiar, weren’t allowed to carry a weapon off duty so Gabrielle had left his spear in the armory. He would pick it up before his next shift tonight. In the meantime, he would head over the training room then grab some food with Ciara.

            She was probably the only good thing about being a Dionadiar. In his years in service of the Ard Ri she had been the only person to join after him. Which is was impressive. How long ago was that? Twenty years? Still looking in the mirror he almost didn’t believe he would be 73 this year.

            Those from Ental aged at a drastically reduced pace from the rest of the world. The more in touch you were with the planet, the longer you would live. The Ard Ri had been alive for nearly 900 years now. It was rumored that he’d been alive during the great war, though only a child at the time. His ability to heal with the planets energy had that side effect.

            “Staring at yourself in the mirror again Gabrielle?” Ciara joked, appearing from behind the corner. Just the sight of her made his heart skip a few beats. Unlike Gabrielle’s dull brown hair she had the strangest purple and blue hair. He’d never seen anyone like her before. Even her lips carried a soft tint of that purple… but it was her eyes that really caught him. No true born Entalian child had anything other than brownish green eyes, but hers were icy blue. If he hadn’t reminded himself about the need to breath, he may have collapsed every time he saw her.

            “I do not stare at myself often, I’ll have you know. You just caught me at the wrong moment.”
            “I must catch you at a lot of wrong moments, old man.” Wearing her traditional Dionadiar uniform they matched perfectly.

            “Old man?! You’re only ten years younger than myself. That makes you a hag!” In mocked outrage, she placed her hang against her chest and looked shocked.

            “A hag?! Why would you even say something like that to me?” If Gabrielle didn’t know the game he would have thought he had actually hurt her feelings, but she knew how he felt about her.

            Since they met decades ago they’d spent almost everyday with each other. Only a handful of times had they been separated due to their duties but the bond they held was strong. They trained together, ate together, and usually worked the same guard shifts. The other Dionadiar knew they had an attraction for each other and seemed to accept the relationship as long as it didn’t interfere with their work.

            “I overstepped, let me make it up to you. You caught me on my way to the dining hall for lunch, let me get you something to eat.”

            “Actually I caught you admiring yourself in the mirror… but since you asked so nicely I guess I’ll accept your apology and let you get me lunch.” She grabbed his arm in hers and they began walking.