You have to look. If you want to live, you have to look into the light!
Somehow Amaya trusted her, the elf who had wanted to kill her only hours ago. The elf who called her "human", the elf who had captured and thrown her into a fire ring. The prison of the sunfire elves.
And now this elf was saving her life - just like Amaya had saved hers.
After that they'd be even. Yet the General doubted that they'd let her go.
While the dark skinned elf was gripping her, forcing her to stare into the light, her eyesight slowly vanished. She thought of her nephews, who would take care of them now? She wasn't a good aunt, deaf and mute, but soon she'd also be blind. No mother, no father, a completely disabled aunt.
Tears were streaming down her cheeks as the sunlight finally took her eyesight.
Everything was gone now. She couldn't speak, couldn't hear ... and now she also couldn't see anymore.
All she could feel were hands pulling her up and away. She let them. If it was her sunfire elf, she trusted her to bring her somewhere safe.
But why? Why did she trust her?
Because there is something between us, Amaya thought.
There was a spark between them since the beginning.
Amaya felt them placing her on something soft. A bed. A gentle hand touched her cheek, her forehead. She felt them pulling her eyes open but she couldn't see anything.
The General kept still. Had she just really thought of her sunfire elf?
She was the dark elf, the Golden Knight elf ... but not her elf.
Someone took Amaya's hand and let her grip something. Hair. Long dreadlocks.
Amaya loosened her stiff position and pulled her hands to herself, starting to form words with them as good as possible.
Thank you, she told her. Thank you for saving me. My name is Amaya.

"Amaya," Kazi told Janai. "She says her name is Amaya."
"Looks like she recognised me," Janai said with a light smile and stroke her long braids. "Can you tell her that her eyesight will soon to be returned?"
"I'm afraid not," Kazi said and touched their glasses. "She can't see."
"Try with her hands. Or wait - show me the signs, I will try." Janai leant forward and took the human's hands. She was smiling, her lips formed something.
One word, a short one.
Elf.
"Human," Janai replied quietly but she was smiling too. "Show me now, Kazi."
Kazi slowly showed Janai the words she had to form with her prisoner's hands, while Janai was ignoring her heart that was thudding fast against her ribcage. Why though?
Because that smile was irritating?
Because that human was somehow ... cute?
Her sister had told her to "enjoy her pet". Janai was still unsure what she had meant with that, the only explanation was that she had to play with her like with a pet.
I won't do that, Janai thought as her hands caressed the human's hands, moving her fingers like Kazi showed her.
Amaya's facial expression was soft, much to Janai's surprise. She couldn't hear nor talk nor see ... and yet she laid there and smiled. Waited until her eyesight came back. Brave woman. Well, she was a soldier, a General. And she seemed to trust her ...
"That was it," Kazi ended and Janai pulled her hands back.
"She now knows that she will see again?" Janai asked, eyeing the human. She looked very peaceful.
"I guess, if you moved her hands correctly," Kazi replied. "I think so, she doesn't look afraid or anything."
"Okay," Janai said and thought about what to do next. Again it came to her mind that Khessa had told her to enjoy her "pet". Pet. Janai still couldn't believe that her sister had used this word. If she only knew that this human - Amaya - had saved her life!
"Amaya," Janai mumbled. "She must be hungry ..."
"Should I go and get some food?" Kazi offered and Janai nodded.
"I guess this would be the best. I'm scared that someone would attack her if I left her alone with you."
"Please not," the young elf said, took a bow with her hands crossed in front of her face, and left the room.
Soon after they left, Amaya started making some signs again.
Janai took her hand.
"It's only me," she said, knowing that it was senseless. "I don't understand you."
Even though Amaya definitely couldn't hear her, she smiled. Again ...
She quit making signs and took the elf's hand between hers.
Her lips formed something.
Thank you.
"You're welcome," Janai mumbled. "You've already thanked me ... and I haven't thanked you before. Maybe I should. And maybe you should sleep now. Kazi will be back with food soon, I will wake you ..."
She looked around in her room.
Yes, they had brought her into her room, placed her on her own bed.
She knew she couldn't take her back to the fire prison at the moment, so she would stay here until she had her eyesight back. It wouldn't last long, only a few hours. If she slept now, she would wake up and see again.
But one thing was sure:
Janai wouldn't leave her until this happened.

Amaya knew that someone tried to feed her. At first they placed something really good smelling in front of her nose, then they placed it against her lips. Amaya didn't open her mouth though, in case they tried to poison her. She didn't know who wanted to feed her, if it wasn't her elf, she wouldn't eat it for sure.
So she kept her mouth shut - until someone stroke her cheek.
Her heart stood still for a moment. Could it be ...?
Only her elf showed affection like taking her hands but caressing her cheeks?
Amaya's cheeks were burning as the elf travelled her finger along her jawline, over lips ...
Amaya shook her head. No. It could be any of them, pretending they were her. Maybe they had seen that there was something between them and now they used this knowledge to make her eat their poisoned food.
Amaya was only convinced as the elf took her hand and let her feel her hair again.
And this time she made her hand go up, touching the headpiece that covered her horns.
Only she wore that crown that belonged to the so called "Golden Knight of Lux Aurea".
Amaya felt her cheeks heating up even more. Damn it. What was happening to her?
Like an obedient child she opened her mouth and let the elven knight feed her.

Janai could melt.
The General's cheeks were red and her eyes were closed as she finally opened her mouth.
A little moan escaped her lips as the food touched her tongue.
"There, I knew she was hungry," Janai mumbled, more to herself than to Kazi, yet the other elf replied.
"Of course. You didn't really give her a lot until now."
"Hm," Janai made and shrugged. "Don't you think it's weird that she trusts me like that?"
"Why, I think it's sweet," Kazi replied. "You don't plan to kill her, do you?"
"Of course not," Janai said quickly. "She could get quite useful for us ... as a hostage. Or just for fun ..."
"Fun, Milady?" Kazi sounded panicking.
"I don't know, I think she's a funny human." Janai had to grin. "You remember what she said? To shove my sword up my ass. Hilarious. I think we do have the same kind of humour."
Kazi hesitated. "If you say so ..."
"I definitely won't kill her. I might keep her ... not as a pet, of course. I don't know why Khessa said that." Janai shook her head. "But look at her. Deaf, mute, blind ... and still so brave. And she has a pure heart. She's something special, I just know."
Her facial expressions softened. How could she be mad at her for spitting at her sister? She had saved her life, she was an honourable warrior. She was brave, funny and good-looking ...
What?
Janai backed away at the thought.
"K-Kazi," she gasped. "Please continue feeding her, I need to ... I need to go. I'll be back soon."
She had promised not to leave her but she needed some time to think.

For a short time there was no one feeding her but then they started again. Amaya immediately sensed that it wasn't her elf anymore - the smell was different-, so she kept her mouth shut again.
The elf took her hands and formed following words:
It's alright. It's me, Kazi. The Golden Knight needed to go.
Where to? Will she be back? Amaya's hands signed and Kazi replied,
Soon. Maybe you should sleep a while.
You're right, Amaya signed. I'll sleep for a bit. Thank you for the food.
She laid down on the bed and felt how Kazi pulled a blanket over her body.
Amaya smiled. She used to hate elves ...

When she opened her eyes, she noticed that her eyesight was coming back. Her vision was blurred but definitely there.
Her heart was racing as she looked around the room she was in, a golden room.
Of the Golden Knight, she thought and looked to her right, where the Golden Knight herself was sitting and watching her.
Amaya smiled. She looked around again but didn't see another elf, which meant she couldn't talk to her elf ...
Said elf moved her lips but Amaya's vision was too blurred to make out what she was saying. She squinted her eyes and the elf seemed to understand. She came closer, very close.
Amaya felt her heartbeat speed up once again as the tall elf leant over her, her face close to hers.
She had never been so close.
Now Amaya could interpret what she was saying.
Are you feeling better?
Amaya nodded, with a smile. Thank you.
You're thanking me again, the knight replied. I haven't thanked you for a single time about what you've done for me at the breach. I should be the one who's thanking you ... I am deeply in your debt.
Amaya smiled again and shook her head. She reached up to caress her cheek as the knight had done before but before she could touch the dark skin, the elf pulled away. Amaya let her arm sink in disappointment and leant back again. She tried to soothe her pounding heart. What was wrong with her?
But soon she saw why the elf had pulled away. Kazi had returned and for a while she watched them talking.

"Let me do it," Janai insisted again. "I know you think you can't let me do it because I'm the queen's sister but I'm very capable."
"No, that's not it," Kazi defended herself. "The healer told me how to apply it, so -"
"Then show me," Janai said calmly. "She trusts me. More than anyone, heaven knows why."
Kazi sighed. "Okay." She gave the little bottle to the knight, who sat down next to the deaf General.
"I'm going to put these eye drops into your eyes," she explained slowly. "I've never done something like this before but ... I hope you trust me."
Amaya looked at her and nodded.
"The plant is called Lycium barbarum ... it's a Xadian fruit that is used for cases like this ... hold still."
She placed her shaking hand on the General's cheek, travelled up to her eye. "Trust me," she mumbled, even though she knew that the human trusted her already. The small smile of the General made her sure of that.
"Pull her lower eyelid down a bit," she heard Kazi instruct and did what they said.
"Great ... now be sure to drop one drop into her eye, only one."
Janai lifted the bottle over Amaya's right eye, tilting it carefully. A drop escaped the bottle and hit the woman's eye, who let out a hiss.
"Yes, it burns," Janai mumbled. She didn't know for sure but she suspected it to burn.
Amaya's hands moved.
"It's okay," Kazi translated. "They're just cold."
"Oh," Janai said and moved on to the left eye. "Be prepared now."
Amaya stared at her lips.
Of course, Janai told herself, how else should she read her lips?
She dropped the second drop into her eye a little faster and this time Amaya didn't hiss.
"There," Janai said gently. "It's done."
The human blinked a few times, smiled and signed something.
"It already helps," Kazi translated. "Thank you, Golden Knight."
"Janai. My name is Janai."
Amaya's eyes flickered over to Kazi, who felt lost.
"I'm not sure about how to translate your name," they said and Janai stood up from the bed, looking for a quill and a piece of parchment.
"Can you read?" she asked and blushed lightly as Amaya started grinning at her. She signed something.
"I'm deaf, not dumb," Kazi said for the General, "I can read."
"Sorry," Janai mumbled and wrote down her name, showing it to the human. "Janai," she repeated gently and pointed at herself. "My name."
And Amaya smiled at her, signing her name.
Janai got lost in her eyes and smile and suddenly she felt the urge to run away again.
She couldn't like a human. She couldn't! She was a human!
But Janai didn't run away. She stayed and sat down on the bed again.
"Tell me about yourself," she whispered.