The snow came down on that winter day, and covered the ground in a white blanket, which for anyone with short legs would find diffcult to walk in. And though Veronna was quite short, she forced herself to wade through the snow to the Taras arena. She knew it would be hard to practice in, and even harder because of all the clothes she wore, but she still made her way through.
She walked through the entrance which was snow free, but the entire arena was covered with snow, about two feet deep. She heaved a sigh, and took of her heavy cloak she wore, which was made out of a real fine wool. She wore a lighter cloak under the heavy one, that would be better to fight in, though all the rest of her clothes were very thick and hard to move in.

On her hips were her scimitars, the ones she always used. But she didn't draw them yet, first she had to make it out to the arena some more. She began walking out through the snow, which she didn't mind, for if she did she wouldn't be out right now, but she wanted to get some practice in, and maybe if she was lucky someone would come by and spar with her. For soon Ocar would not let her out of sight, and would most likely not let Veronna spar or fight anyone for a long while until their child was born.
Though it wasn't real visible yet, her stomach had grown slightly, and a little more everyday, and soon anyone would be able to guess she was pregnant.

But today she was going to enjoy herself with some practice. The snow was powdery so she couldn't walk on top of it, which she would have liked it to be crusty on top so she could walk on it. But no, it had to be annoying, so she had to walk through it.
She made it out to the center of the arena and drew her scimitars.
When she held them, they touched the snow with their points.

Veronna began to swing them around in complicated motions which, if someone would be watching, would find it hard to follow. When she began to move around she nearly fell backwards as she tripped over the snow, but caught herself in time. She started over again but this time went foreward so she would fall, but that didn't seem to work very well, for when she turned and moved back she fell down on to her back into the snow. And she found herself just laying there, enjoying watching the snow as it fell to the ground to the rest of the snow. It was a pleasant day, and it had been awhile since Veronna had taken a moment to enjoy something besides swords and fighting.

A small sigh escaped Ahren's lips as he flew easily through the cold air. His breath was easily visible as he continued to pump his wings at a steady rate. Not a snowflake rested on his shoulders or in his air, and the wind swirled around him, putting him in the middle of a small cyclone. Skimming over the rooftops of Taras, Ahren felt the hilt of his sword with one hand, making sure that it was secure and wouldn't fall out if he had to suddenly change direction. His destination was clear, he was going to the arena. In this weather, few people would be there, fewer still who would fight anyone who came into view. Those hotheads would be at home out of the snow; the only people that would be at the arena were serious fighters. In truth, he was going to the arena to get away from people for the moment. Within the arena, the only sound would be the clash of steel on steel, the gentle hum of weapons whipping through the air.

Looking up, the arena came into view, it's high walls easily standing out among the shorter dwellings that had been put up around it. Flying slightly faster, Ahren quickly arrived at the arena, flying just inches over the walls. At first glance, the arena appeared empty, a white field unspotted by moving figures. After a second, Ahren spotted the figure lying in the middle of the field, simply laying there in the snow. So I will have some company. At least his prediction about it being practically empty had been accurate. There was no one else in sight, the only other people were in the streets going about their business.

Circling around, Ahren came lower and lower, making his way to the snow-covered ground. Within seconds he was gently landing on the snow. Sinking a couple feet, Ahren revised his opinion. This was going to be harder than he thought to get some practice. If the snow was this deep and too weak to support his weight, then he would have to force his way through it, meaning he would be a great deal slower. Well, he needed to be ready to fight in any weather, this would probably help, so a little hard work was easily a good investment. Walking over to the benches, he took off his bow and quiver of arrows, laying them carefully on the ground. The snow around him swirled as he had once again forgotten to still the air around him. Drawing his longsword, Ahren unbuckled his scabbard and laid it next to his bow.

Veronna saw someone or something flying above the arena, and when the figure started to get lower she was able to tell that it was mostly human, besides the wings. But she still layed in the snow for a few moments longer then stood as the figure landed, and she could tell it was a man, and she saw that he was prepared to fight or spar with someone, and if so then today was his lucky day.

As she stood she grabbed her scimitars she dropped when she had fallen. It seemed kind of embarrassing that she had fallen in the snow, but she wasn't as tall as other people. She watched the man set down his bow and arrows after he landed, and saw him unsheath his sword, which looked like a nice blade.
She walked towards the man a playful smile on her face, "I'm surprised someone else is as crazy as me to be out in this weather." Her smile widened a bit, "I'm not sure if you are someone who likes proper introductions or not, but I'm Veronna Darkblade Nydalath," she realized how long her name sounded and added, "You my call me Veronna." She wasn't sure if this man would know who she was or not, but most of the time she found it better if the person she was sparring with didn't know that she was the Goddess of Blades, because it seemed to intimidate people.

Veronna had never met this man before and she was intreasted to who he was. She never really started asking poeple their names until a little while ago, for she had just recently started being social and making friends, which went against everything she grew up with; she had blocked everyone out, not wanting to get in a relationship because it would hurt to much if that person died, and that was a risk she was taking with Ocar, and everyone she got to know and care for. But it was almost worth it to have friends.

Ahren watched as the person he had seen stood up and picked up the two scimitars that were on the ground. As the person came closer, he realized two things: the person was female, and she was a drow. From the smile, he hoped that she was not a drow that hated any other elf out there. The scimitars were well made, and she carried them as though she knew how to use them. He listened as she introduced herself, and he was comforted with the knowledge that if she was after a fight, it wouldn't be one to the death. Upon hearing her name, he had to think for a few seconds why it sounded familiar. When he rembered where he had heard it, his eyes widened for a second, but just for a second. In the next instant he was in control once again, but the knowledge of who she was sank in. She was Veronna Darkblade, Goddess of Blades. Probably the finest fighter in the land, and a person that Ranewen had mentioned a few times in their conversations.

"Darkblade?" After looking at her, he realized that she deserved that name. The way she held herself was proof enough that she was a fighter, even if he hadn't known her title. "Well, I will certainly believe that part of your name." His tone was light, simple banter between strangers that might have a few things in common. Giving her a bow, Ahren gave his own name. "My name is Ahren Elessedil. It is a pleasure to meet you Veronna Darkblade." Straightening once again, his eyes watched her face, wondering if she had discovered from his lasp earlier that he knew who she was. Undoubtedly she was used to reactions of all sorts whenever someone realized who they had been talking to. Ahren however, had been on familiar terms with two goddesses. He gave Veronna the respect of her position, but until he had seen what she was like, he wasn't going to go beyond that.

Glancing past her to the field, he frowned slightly when he saw the layer of snow upon it. If he was going to spar with a goddess, he would want nothing slowing him down. With a thought, he used the magic of his sword to create a strong breeze to blow the powdery snow off of the arena. While it was working, he looked back at Veronna, wondering what she had in mind. "So Veronna, what brings you to this place at a time like this, when most people are sitting comfortably in front of a fireplace?" He thought he knew the answer, but it would be nice to know anyway.

Veronna did see the reaction in his face when he figured out who she was, but it didn't bug her, she was just glad he didn't say anything about it. When most people found out who she was they gave her too much respect, and though she liked it when people respected her, it irratated her when they practicly fell on their knees. But she saw it in Ahren Elessedil that he would not do such a thing. Which made her glad.
"Also a pleasure" she nodded at him.
Veronna watched as Ahren used his sword to blow some of the snow away to clear a spot for them to spar, which she was thankful for because she was having trouble practicing in the snow.

She turned back to Ahren as he asked her why she was out here. She smiled at him, "It helps to practice in different weather, and snow is perfect for that because it makes you think of your balance, and if you fall in snow it's harder to get up." She told him one of the reasons she was out here, but she wasn't ready to tell him the other reason. "And why are you out here on this day?" She thought it was strange for someone to be out here to practice, but then again she was out here.

She started thinking how odd it must be to see a drow in the snow, for there was never any snow in the Underdark, and normally drow didn't come to the surface. But Veronna had gotten comfortable on the surface, and use to the seasons and the weather changes. She had stopped thinking about what her past was like, or in truth, she accepted it. Abd as she thought about it, she had stopped hating other races, nowadays she didn't think about killing anyone unless she had to.

That was one thing she had a problem with Ranewen and her war, there was no point to rage war against the mortals, it should only be the deities problem, but somehow the mortals got involved. Veronna would fight when she had to, but she never would go looking to fight...well maybe she would. But she would defend Taras when the war reached it, she would fight until the enemy was destroyed, but a lot of people, she was worried, would not follow her in to battle. She only had one person that respected her enough to follow her where ever she went. Still, onthers in Taras would fight because they had families, like she was going to have in a few months.

Ahren listened as Veronna asked the one question he had hoped she wouldn't ask. What was he doing there? Truthfully, it was his own fault, he had asked her what she was doing, it was customary to ask the same in return. Still, he doubted that Veronna would like his answer. It took less than a second to think up a believable lie. "I came her seeking solitude, some quiet rest from what has been going on in the world." Ahren didn't like lying to anyone, let alone a goddess, but it was necessary none-the-less. If Veronna knew that he was here because of the war, he doubted she would let him leave alive. Also, he would have Ranewen to face if she discovered that he had practically told Veronna that her sights were already watching Taras. Spying on people wasn't something that Ahren took pleasure in, but he had given Ranewen his word that he would help her however he could, and he wasn't going to break his promise.

Watching Veronna, he hoped that she had believed him. Actually, part of what he had said was true, he did want to be alone, but simply to rest before he continued his search. This arena was one of the few places where the only questions asked had to do with weapons and fighting skills. The outside world could have been nonexistent. Glancing at the arena once more, he saw that most of the snow was gone. It would take some time for it to reach the level it had been at, now was the time to spar if he was going to. "Perhaps you would grace me with a show of your skills in battle Veronna." He wanted to simply have a friendly spar, but he realized that this would let him see how Veronna fought and how good she was.

Walking towards the ring, he swung his sword slowly in circles with his right hand, warming up his wrist and arm. Turning so he was walking backwards, he waited for a reply from Veronna, either yes or no. "It would truly be an honor to fight the Goddess of Blades in single combat, even though I doubt I will last more than a few moments in battle." That last was said with a smile, if half of the stories he had heard about her skill were true, then he probably wouldn't even last that long. Still, he hoped for a chance to see if she was as good as rumor told, for rumor often blew things out of proportion.

Veronna listened for a reply and when he did she thought it sounded truthful, but that one second in between the question and answer made her just a little suspicious of Ahren. But she but it aside for now and would think about it later. She smiled as she watched him walk to the area without snow; this was what she was waiting for.
She enjoyed sparring with someone she didn't know, it was always interesting seeing how other people fought.

She walked to where Ahren stood and she stopped right outside the little arena. She sat her scimitars down, and unstrapped the scabbards to her scimitars and dropped them in the snow. She bent down and grabbed her scimitars and started foreward again, until she was six feet infront of Ahren. She brought up her scimitars up and smiled at Ahren, "I will just ask one thing of you, and that is no magic. It's not like I can't battle with it, it just makes things fairer." She looked at his sword and realized that it was enchanted, "Magic weapons on the other hand is fine."

Veronna normally preferred her opponents to go first, but she wasn't in the mood to wait to long. She brought her right scimitar up in a defensive position across her chest, and with her left one she let it drop to her right side, almost like she wouldn't use it. She then ran at Ahren with the little room she had. When she was two feet infront of him she kicked off from the ground and swung her left scimitar in an upwards motion, and cutting diagonally. Her right scimitar remained in place incase he tried blocking instead of dodging.

As she kept thinking about it, it kept getting more irritating; why would he lie? He did not seem like someone who would do such a thing, but sometimes she had a hard time reading people. And the only explanations she could think of was either he was a murderer, a thief getting away with something, or spy. Those were the only reasons why, and even then she herself would tell the truth...Then kill person before they could do anything about it..

With a smile, Ahren watched as Veronna dropped her scabbards to the ground, both of them were getting rid of anything that might trip them up or slow them down. Belatedly, Ahren realized that he still had a wall of wind circling him and hastily ended the magic. While it wouldn't slow down a person by much, that fraction of a second could let him get away and he didn't want that advantage in this fight. As Veronna walked forward, he flapped his wings once, getting any snow out of them, before folding them tightly against his back. That was going to be his major problem, keeping his wings out of them way. Any blow to them would be practically crippling, not to mention painful. Lifting his sword in his right hand, he held it diagonally up across his chest. His left hand he kept tucked behind his back, gripping the edge of his small elven shield that was strapped there.

Nodding his assent to Veronna's request, he watched her carefully, looking for any sign of movement. At her first charge, he realized just how skilled she was. There had been no warning as to where she was moving, no shifting of her weight, nothing. His reflexes saved him, acting without consious thought. He went with her blade, rolling to his right away from the cut. Going head over heels, he came up in the same position, not a single thing changed. She was good, very good. If he was going to win this fight, then he would have to watch for an opening because he was probably going to get only one chance, probably less than that. Working with his left hand, he released the knot that held his elven shield in place. With the ease of much practice, he slid it onto his left arm and held it ready. He would need it to overcome Veronna's advantage of having two swords.

Without a sound, Ahren raced forward, feet moving lightly over the ground, barely making an indention in the fresh snow. Swinging his longsword with his right hand, he brought it in from the side at Veronna's waist level, a sweeping arc that could cut someone in half if not blocked or avoided. He kept his shield back in front of his chest, there to guard shoulder Veronna attempt to counter attack after she blocked or ducked. All of his thoughts were focused on the fight, there was no more time to worry about whether she was suspicious of him or not, for the next few moments, it would simply be move, react, move, react. Until one of them gave up and declared the other the victor.

Veronna stopped thinking about who this Ahren might be and gave into the battle. She normally didn't have much trouble fighting and thinking at the same time, but she would rather be safe then sorry.

As Ahren dodged her attack she landed lightly on the ground, her swords now crossed over her chest. She quickly turned as he swung his sword at her. She ducked, avoiding the sword, but as she ducked she rolled to her left and around to Ahren's right side. She came up quickly and thrust her left scimitar at his side; that was what she liked about her scimitars; you could use them to slash, or stab. Her right scimitar was ready for if he backed away and tried to swing at her again.
And if that happaned she knew what she would do.

Veronna knew she was a good fighter, even before becoming a goddess, but she stopped thinking that way, since being cocky normally got people killed. Everyone said she was good, but she knew she could be better, though many people disagreed with her.

She would miss sparring for awhile, and she hoped that she wouldn't get rusty at sparring. She quickly thought about what it was going to be like having a child to take care, she wouldn't be able to do many things, but as the child got older she would be able to teach him or her how to use a sword.

(I'm sorry it's not longer... I have to go somewhere with my siblings.)

(That's ok)

Instead trying to go backwards and fight his momentum, Ahren allowed it to carry him forward, attempting to avoid Veronna's thrust. While doing that, Ahren spun around, bringing his right shoulder back so that when he stopped he would be facing Veronna once again. It was a battle to keep his balance on the snow while he was moving forward and spinning at the same time. It wasn't something he did very often, but he knew that if he turned his back on Veronna, then this fight would be over in a heartbeat. Once he was away from Veronna, he set his feet firmly on the ground, balanced evenly as he watched for that one opening he was going to need. Feeling the back of his clothes flapping loose, he realized how close he had come to getting hit by that blow. He was getting sloppy with his sword, it had been too long since he had used it with real need. Normally he prefered to use his bow to stop enemies from getting to him, but that wasn't possible here.

Ahren had known that he was going to be outclassed, but it was still startling watching the ease with which Veronna evaded his attacks. Such quickness marked her as both drow and warrior, and it made her worthy of her title. Shaking his head slightly to get rid of pointless thoughts, Ahren moved forward again, closing in with Veronna carefully. Rushing forward, he jumped off the ground slightly and thrust forward with his shield, attempting to hit Veronna with it. Shields were not often used as weapons, but they served as well as any club. It was because of this that some fighters were often caught off guard by an attack with a shield. He just hoped that Veronna had never been attacked that way before. His sword he kept back to block those scimitars of hers which he was sure would be coming after him soon.

Veronna smiled as Ahren spun away from her; that was probably one of the best moves for him. It seemed to her that Ahren didn't like staying in combat for very long, but she could be mistakened. After thrusting at him she let her left scimitar come back to her side. As he charged at her with his shield she got ready almost instantly. She saw that he had his longsword ready for blocking, as he used his shiled for attacking, which wasn't often used, and to Veronna using a shield like a club was a little too clunky for her.

As he got closer and closer she got ready for her move, which she hoped would startle him somewhat. She somersaulted towards Ahren, and going under his shield, but this time she didn't come up right away, she was right next to him, and so close that it would be hard for him to try and cut at her with his sword. Her scimitars were crossed over her chest again but then she quickly brought them up and cut at both of Ahren's arms with them. She had used that move a couple times, and it seemed to work somewhat decently.

The only problem with this move was that, since Ahren had wings, he could jump over her. But pulling away from her just ment she would go foreward even more, and stay in combat. She found Ahren to be a fine fighter, but she could tell he was better with another weapon, probably a long range weapon by the looks of him and the bow he had laid on the ground just a few minutes earlier. Veronna had always liked double weapon fighting more then single, and she would choose it over a bow any day.

(sorry for the delay)

Ahren watched, surprised as Veronna ducked down and came at him under his shield. He smiled as she brought her blades up, already able to tell where she was going. If they had been fighting to the death, then she would have either stabbed him in the chest or slashed his throat. However, the blades came down at both of his arms, a crippling blow that would make it impossible for him to use either of his weapons. He was a fool, this was what he got for trying to surprise a weaponmaster. Still, he wasn't about to let this fight end that quickly if he could help it.

Reacting quickly, he brought his blade up to attempt to block the sword that was swinging at his right arm. Ignoring his shield arm, he focused everything he had on keeping his blade so that he could continue to battle Veronna, even though he would be at an extreme disadvantage. Moving his left arm as fast as he could with the shield on it, he attempted to avoid part of the blow. Only partially succeeding, he felt Veronna's blade bite deep into his arm. At least she hadn't accidently cut his arm off, otherwise his bow would have been useless unless he learned to draw it one handed. Thrusting out his wings, he propelled himself forward, planning on colliding with Veronna if possible. A collision wouldn't help him much, but anything he could do to slow Veronna down would be welcome.

Veronna smiled slightly as one of her scimitars came away with blood. And though it wasn't at a very serius place, it still ment Ahren couldn't use his left arm. She knew she could have killed him right then, but this wasn't a battle to the death, and killing someone when they thought it was just a sparring match was pure evil, even though a few years back she wouldn't have cared if it was just practice, if she thought you should die she would kill you.

Veronna stood when Ahren moved away, and got ready for his next move. She may have not been surprised by Ahren's last move, but when he launched himself at her she was taken aback slightly. She had never battled someone with wings, and she didn't know really what to expect from someone who had wings, whether he would try and use them and knock her down or, like Ahren was doing now, use their wings and propell them foreward and hit their opponent down. Veronna had to think fast, for she wasn't sure the best way to dodge or block him. Well, blocking wasn't an oppotion really at this time because he wasn't using any weapons. She wasn't sure how well Ahren could monuever with his wings, and close to the ground.

She had to guess about that one and rolled to her right, just barely in time, as Ahren passed her. But she was a little of balance by that one, and if he swung around and attacked her, she wasn't going to be fast enough to block it. She could tell he was getting desperate, but nonetheless it was a pretty good move on his part. She should have expected him to use his wings at some point in the battle.

Ahren watched as Veronna dove to the side, avoiding his charge with seeming ease. Now, he was even more worried. If Veronna came up ready, then she would be staring at his back with no protection whatsoever. Which meant that she would have undoubtedly won this fight, and there would be nothing else for him to do but drop his weapon and declare her the winner. Perhaps it was that thought that allowed him to move, giving him strength to forget about the pain in his arm so that he could deal with what was happening now. Forcing himself to turn, he brought his sword up to his waist, ready to move up or down if he needed to block. A flicker of surprise drifted across his face when he saw that Veronna was not coming at him. Apparently she wasn't used to people attempting to run her over. With that knowledge, a mental picture that he had constructed shattered. He had thought that the Goddess of Blades would have been able to counter about anything he could think up, even turn the situation around so that it harmed him more than it had meant to harm her. Veronna was simply skilled at fighting after many years, but she was no faster or stronger than any person could become if they tried to.

Armed with that knowledge, Ahren burst into action. Charging forward, he swung the flat of his blade at the back of Veronna's knees, hoping to make her fall. He forced his left hand to close on the hilt of his blade, despite the fact that it could barely close enough to grip the weapon. If this worked, then the fight would shift in his favor for the moment. His blade whistled through the air, moving slower than he liked, but knowing that there was nothing he could do to make it go faster. If this didn't work, then the fight would be over. If somehow Veronna avoided his attack, then she would be there with his sword at her knees, and him bent almost in half. It was an all or nothing gamble, he hoped that his luck held for the moment.

Veronna cursed herself for not being ready and she knew Ahren would turn and attack, so she had to think fast. She heard Ahren's blade whistling through the air, she turned slightly and saw his blade coming in low and towards her knees. She brought up her left scimitar and pointed it down at the ground and drove it into the hard ground right near her legs so Ahren's sword wouldn't reach it's target.
As she drove it into the ground she felt her wrist snap and knew she had broken it. The ground would have been to hard for a normal person to drive a sword into, and also her swords were the sharpest in Imythess. She ignored the pain in her wrist and hand, for if she didn't then her attention would be off the fight and concentrating on the pain, and she couldn't let that happen.

After driving her sword down she flung herself around to Ahren's left and kicked with her right leg at his side. And since he was doubled over she had a feeling he would fall quite easily. She probably should have just brought her remaining scimitar up to his throat, but this way he would have to look up at her and say she had won.

She had felt him get excited when he saw she was thrown of by his attack, and she could tell he thought of her like any other opponent. But that is where any mortal would be wrong. She had had many years of training, true, but being a goddess ment she was more powerful then any mortal that was alive, and those who thought of her like a mortal would regret it later.

Ahren watched, stunned, as Veronna drove her scimitar through the frozen ground. His keen ears heard the snap of her wrist, and he realized what that had cost her. His blade struck the scimitar with a force that made both weapons shake, and Ahren smiled as he saw Veronna out of the corner of his eye. Her kick to his side was the final thing that put him off balance. With a contented smile on his face, he fell to the side, landing heavily on the snow. Letting go of his sword, he held up his right hand to stop her from continuing the fight. With his injured left arm, he levered himself up, standing slowly as he watched Veronna. "That was a marvelous fight, I thank you for the opportunity." Ahren gave Veronna a bow, picking up his sword as he did. Holding the weapon, he rested the point on the ground and stood facing the Goddess, still smiling at her despite his defeat.

With a thought, Ahren summoned his magic, making the wind carry the snow to either side of the arena. It would be the least he could do to make sure Veronna didn't have to struggle through the snow. "Well, I am glad to see that you easily deserve the position that you have. I would have been gravely disappointed if your reputation had turned out to be false." Looking down at her wrist, Ahren's smile faded, his face showing concern. "I will heal your wrist if you will allow me to." It would be another simple thing he could do for her since she had been the victor in their battle.

Veronna smiled when Ahren fell over and landed in the snow. She got ready to bring her scimitar down on him if he tried to ghet up and continue the fight. But she quickly brought her sword to her side when she saw his hand go up to stop her. She waited for Ahren to stand before she sheathed her scimitar, and when he bowed to her she bowed her head also to him. "You fought well." Is all she said as she sheathed her scimitar. She looked to the one in the ground and walked over to it and pulled it out of the ground without much trouble since the ground was hard no dirt covered the hole, she then also sheathed that one.

She smiled when Ahren cleared a pathway for her to get out, and laughed when he said she deserve her title. "If I was not as good as people have said, then I would have no honor using my title as goddess." She saw him look down at her wrist and saw the concern on his face. When he asked if he could heal it for her she thought for a second. It would save her a bit of energy if she had him heal it, but she could see that he just wanted to heal it because it was the right thing to do for her. She looked back at him, not realizing she had looked away, "Thank you, but I should be fine. It's not to bad... I don't think..." She side looking down at her wrist. She normally didn't hurt herself in a battle, and it took alot to break your own wrist. But she would have never had done it unless she knew she would have won.

Ahren almost laughed out loud at what Veronna said. Few people, few fighters, would call a broken wrist not bad. Still, she could probably heal herself easily if she wanted to. One of the advantages of being a diety he supposed. Since she wasn't going to require his healing, he decided to take care of himself. Speaking words in a whisper, he healed the cut on his arm, wiping away the blood that had been on it. All that accomplished was to smear it across his hand and arm. With a small smile, he reached down and took a handful of snow. Using the snow to wipe his arm produced much better results. With that done, he took his sword and walked to the side of the arena, picking up his scabbard and sheathing the sword. Setting the scabbard alongside his bow, he turned his head to look over at Veronna, thinking to himself.

"Now that I have seen you fight, I don't know how Ranewen plans on beating you." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he realized his mistake. Even as he tensed up, waiting for what Veronna would do, he silently berated himself for saying something so foolish. A momentary lasp because of the fight and the next thing you knew he was spouting off things that were better off left unsaid. Still slightly tense, he watched Veronna warily, ready to flee should she turn violent. He doubted that she would be very friendly with anyone that had any intentions of harming Taras. I make a terrible spy.

Veronna watched him as he healed his cut and wiped the blood away with snow. She looked back down at her wrist and began to heal it. As she was healing her wrist she saw Ahren walk over and grab his scabbard and sheath it. And when he spoke out loud something he wasn't suppose to, and her stare turned hard and deadly. Veronna had her suspicions about Ahren, but this just confirmed it. She jerked her wrist quickly and it cracked loudly. Her hands moved back to her scimitar's and rested there on their hilts, ready to draw them when she was ready. "Tell me, Ahren, have you heard of what I do to liars?" She drew her blades and began walking towards him. She despised liars and their kin, just because thats how she was raised in the Underdark and now resented that. And though most people lie about alot of things, she thought maybe in Imythess people would not lie, especially to a goddess.

"I am normally kind to people that I meet with. But those who dare lie to me, those he dare to pretend they don't mean me harm or others I know, will be punished for their actions." As she talked her voice grew angry and full of hate. Like how she use to feel all the time, but luckily she had over come that and instead of giving into the hate she could control it and use it against her enemies if need be, she was now about two feet away from him and she raised her right scimitar. "I will give you a chance like the warrior I am and the liar you are." Her eyes stared into his, "When the snow melts, we will meet here on that day, it will be a duel to the death, and if you do not show up, I will find you and and the alternative will be much, much worse." Her scimitar fell back to her side and she sheathed them both. "Now go, go tell your mistress what you have learned of me, before I kill you where you stand."

Ahren watched and listened as Veronna signed his death warrent. Even if he somehow survived her pointless duel, he would be hunted anytime he returned to Taras. It was interesting to watch her, one moment she had been friendly and relaxed, now she could have spit lightning and her gaze should have frozen him to the bone. The look on Ahren's face was unconcerned, though beneath it he was battling with a sea of emotions. That she would simply pass judgement on him like that infuriated him, yet a part of him realized that she was right. When she had clearly finished her speech, Ahren looked her in the eyes once again, wondering if what he was going to say would get him killed. "And what is it that you do to oathbreakers?" Ahren's voice was filled with anger, sorrow, rage, and regret all at the same time. "You are quick to decide that I deserve death, yet you know nothing. If all dieties were like you, I doubt many people would be left alive. I offered Ranewen my aid because she helped me. She stopped me from sinking lower into a madness that would have destroyed me. As a way of expressing my thanks to one of my oldest friends, I said that I would help her."

Memories that he had tried to forget came back to him, but he angrily shoved them down, he couldn't afford to lose himself yet. "You assume that I am fighting for Ranewen because I love killing and pain, or because I want power. No, I am fighting for her because I gave my word and she trusted me enough to honor me with a position as one of her chosen." Hands shaking with rage, Ahren continued to glare at Veronna, not caring if she took insult and tried to kill him then and there. "And I trusted her enough not to abandon those that she had chosen. If she had not helped me, then I would still probably be roaming through the underdark, avoiding the open air that whispered names to me and brought back memories of those I cared about." Defiance was all that filled Ahren now, a defiance that was practically driving him to goad Veronna. "That is why I do what I do, and that is why I fight with Ranewen!"

Veronna was surprised to see Ahren stand and talk instead of running like most people would have done. She listened to what he had to say and at the end she gave him a few claps, an evil smile on her face, "You are brave to stand up to me, and stupid." Her hands moved back towards her scimitars, her eyes now glowing red slightly and rage showing in them, "Don't tell me about madness, I have been there and back several times. But I do know how it feels when someone rescues you from the darkness, I married the man who helped me, but he wasn't just another darkness like the woman who saved you." She thought quickly of Ocar, wishing he was here for he never got angry and was good at talking with people, but he wasn't there so Veronna continued, "I pass judgement on you because you threaten everyone in this city, people I protect and they look to me, I am their leader and I will do anything I can to protect them. Ranewen has threatened Taras, as have you for following her, so I have the right to kill my enemies." Her hands were clenched in fists, her eyes still glowing, and it was apparent that she hated Ahren. "You threaten every life here, including my husband and child, but I will not kill you now, even though I would like too." She fought the urge to draw her scimitars a cut his head off. She then realized how angry she was and knew she had to stop soon before she couldn't hold it in.

She let her hands fall back to her side away from her scimitars, and her gaze coming away from Ahren's as she turned away from him slightly. She blinked a few of times and the glow to her eyes faded away. She took a couple of deep breathes and calmed herself down some. She turned back to Ahren, but realized that he looked somewhat blurry. She was confused until she felt herself blacking out and all she could think was what happened last time. This had happened only once before recently and it was something she didn't want to happen again especially now in front of someone who might take advantage of this, but there was nothing to prevent it. She felt herself fall towards the ground but didn't remember hitting it.

Like before she had a vision or something, she was not ever sure of what it was that happen last time.
Veronna found herself standing in the Taras arena like how she was just a second ago, but Ahren wasn't there, instead was a dark figure like she saw in her last vision and knew who it was. It felt like Veronna was really there, but she knew better, but one thing she did notice that was different was that she wasn't pregnant anymore, and looked down and saw a boundle in her arms, and then looked at her mother who also held a boundle. Veronna was confused by this knowing she wasn't going have twins, or was she? She didn't know, but all she cared about right now was that her mother held a child of hers, and she knew that wasn't good; her mother was evil and would corrupt any child. Veronna looked back down at the child she held and bent down and laid the boundle down. She reached for her scimitars but did not find them. So she drew a dagger she kept in her boots, but when she looked back at her mother she was fading away, "Ori'gato ussta dalhar alu, nin!" Veronna yelled at her, but her mother just smiled the same evil smile Veronna had and dissapeared.
And then Veronna blacked out completely.

Ahren listened to what Veronna said, keeping himself still in the face of her anger. If she was going to strike him down then so be it, but it would be in cold blood and he would make no move to defend himself. A small smile came across his face, an amusing thought had flitted through his mind. "I highly doubt that Ranewen would marry me, she had too much to do." It was an interesting experience, listening to Veronna, mostly because he agreed with her. If their roles had been reversed, he would have wanted to kill her for threatening the place he called home; for threatening the place where his heart was. It was a great surprise to him, as he watched her, that he saw her begin falling as she suddenly lost conciousness. For a few moments, he just stared at her, dumbfounded at what his eyes were seeing. Then, it finally kicked in, and he raced over to her side, wondering what had happened.

Upon reaching her, he made sure that her face was up out of the snow. It would be easy for her to suffocate with all of the snow that was piling up around them. Ahren thought quickly, trying to think of what to do. He had no idea where to take her, so that meant that until she woke up, she would have to stay here. Bending over her, he picked her up with a grunt. It was easier than he had thought, she didn't weigh much. Still, by the time he had carried her to one of the overhangs, he was tired. She might not weigh much, but he wasn't made of muscle. Summoning the wind, he blew the snow away from the two of them, not wanting it to get on her.

Worry filled Ahren, why would Veronna have suddenly feinted, what was the cause? It was something he would simply have to ask her when she woke up. Now, to keep her warm. Fire wasn't his specialty, so he would have to do it a different way. Taking off his weapons, he set them on the ground and backed up a few feet. Summoning up another spell, he felt the changes instantly. He grew larger, and white fur began growing on him, covering every part of his body. Kneeling down on all fours, his hands and feet grew claws and his teeth grew sharp. In a matter of moments, the spell was done, and Ahren was a fully grown polar bear. Lumbering over to where Veronna was, he lay down next to her, attempting to keep her as warm as possible until she awoke. She might want to kill him, but that didn't mean that he had to be merciless.

Veronna didn't remember dreaming, though she knew when ever you slept you dreamed. She felt herself gaining consciousness, but did not open her eyes right away. She moved around slightly and felt something fuzzy next to her, and then she decided it was time to look. She saw something big, white and furry laying next to her, and if she couldn't sense who it was she would have moved away and draw her scimitars, but she could tell who it was, even though he was in morph as a polar bear. Veronna blinked a few times to get to blurriness out of her eyes so she could see better. She slowly lifted herself up, cursing for that to happen of all times. She got into a sitting position, wondering how long she had been out for. Her gaze went up to the sky and she looked for the sun through the clouds. But she did not have to look long, for she saw the clouds were slightly red to the west and she knew it was getting late out, and she also knew Ocar would be worried.

She looked back down at the polar who was Ahren, not sure if he was awake or not, so not to disturb him, she scooted away from him a bit. She began thinking of what happened, not sure what these "Visions" were suppose to mean, if they were even visions at all. She wondered what her mother had to do with, for Veronna was sure her mother was no longer looking for her. But she could be wrong about that too. She placed her head in her hands as she tried to think what all this was suppose to mean, and wondering why there were two babies, when she was pretty sure she was only going to have one. But this dream or vision kind of scared her in a way, because it felt like she was powerless against her mother and she couldn't do anything to stop it from happening.

She let out a loud sigh as she started getting frustrated with trying to figure everything out. She had to talk with Ocar soon and see what he would think of this, and with this incident Veronna knew who would watch over her even more. Veronna smiled slightly thinking of Ocar and how he always wanted to protect her, though she normally was the one protecting him, but she never objected to him wanted to watch over her because she knew he just wanted her to be safe, and she understood why. She looked back at Ahren, a small smile still on her face. She knew that he was working with Ranewen, but obviously he wasn't pure evil, for if he was he would have killed her right when she went unconscious.

Ahren woke when he felt movement at his side. For a few seconds, he wondered where he was, then it came rushing back. Veronna, the fight, what happened afterwards. He must have fallen asleep while waiting for Veronna to awaken, and now she had. Well, there was no reason for him to remain in this shape any longer, and he wanted to talk to Veronna once again. Swiftly, he reversed the spell, making his way out of the shape of a polar bear. The fur retreated, his paws became hands and feet once again. His own hair returned, and in a matter of seconds he had returned to his own shape once again. Standing up straight, he watched Veronna carefully, still remembering that she had threatened his life not that long ago. He wondered if what had happened since then changed anything. Ahren gave a silent sigh as he watched her, guessing that she still hated him for working with Ranewen. At least he now knew when he was going to die, so he could be fully prepared when that moment came.

The silence seemed, to him, to stretch for an eternity. She was just looking at him, although he didn't know why. The fact that she was smiling did nothing to ease his mind. Several people smiled right before they did something that they knew the other person would not enjoy in the slightest. Finally, he couldn't take the silence any longer. "Are you okay?" Ahren tensed up, ready to leap to safety if he needed to. All he would need was a few feet to where he could get to the air, she wouldn't be able to follow him then. At least, he hoped that she wouldn't have a way to follow him.

Veronna's eyes never left Ahren as she watched him morph back in to his original form. When he asked if she was okay she looked down at the ground, "I don't know..." the smile faded from her face, and she really didn't know what happened to her, though she wanted to know badly.
She saw how tensed up Ahren was and knew he wasn't sure if she was still angry with him, which she was, but not as angry, for she was still thinking about the vision and not killing him. She shook her head again and stood up looking at Ahren. "I am sorry but I do not have any answers for you, I am still trying to figure it out myself." She knew he would want to know more about what happened to her but she had no answers for him, right now but maybe sometime later she would. She looked towards the exit then at Ahren again, "maybe I was fast to pass judgement on you, but if you continue to follow Ranewen, on that day when the war comes to Taras, then we shall meet on that battlefield."

She turned to leave, just wanting to get back to her temple and talk with ethier Ocar or maybe even Kona because he was there when she had her first vision. But she just wanted to rest and think about what happened, then maybe she could come up with answers. She found it funny how even as a goddess she didn't know everything, perhaps she didn't know how to use those powers? Maybe she had to train to use them or get them from Laoura, she did not know. She was worried about what would happen to her child when it was born, she didn't know what her mother was doing there or why she held Veronna's child but one thing she did know was that she was not going to let it happen.

(Sorry for the shortness... <_< )

Ahren nodded his head in agreement to her words, relaxed now that it seemed she wasn't as hostile towards him. "And if I am still with Ranewen on that day, I will gladly meet you on the field of battle, even though it should mean my death." With that, Ahren gave her a low bow, his right hand resting over his heart. Seeing her turning to leave, Ahren let out a quiet sigh, this day had been more problematic than he had thought possible. Still, at least they were not leaving full of hatred and disgust. When it came down to it, they were both fighters, and they were leaving as such. Without anger, hatred, simply accepting the fact that they would have to face each other on another day. Using a simple spell, Ahren whispered the next words, yet the wind carried them to the ear of Veronna. "I hope you find what you are looking for, and I hope that you manage to understand the problem that you face." With that, Ahren spread his wings, flapping them a few times to warm them up before leaping into the air. It was time to return to the army so that he could see what was going to happen.

For a few seconds, Ahren simply hovered there, watching the form of the Goddess as she prepared to leave the arena. The wind swirled around, carrying the snow with it, forming patterns in the ground and through the air. This fight had givenhim much to think about, and he needed time to think. Maybe he had erred greatly in his decision to fight against the innocents that simply lived in the city. With a final whispered, "Good bye", Ahren turned and gained height, going straight up for several hundred feet before turning to face the direction he knew the army to be in. It would be a long flight back to where the Army of Darkness was, there should be plenty of time for him to consider what his next course would be. With a single glance over his shoulder at the now small figure walking away from the arena, Ahren pumped his wings swiftly , searching for the wind that would help carry him to Ranewen.