"Some people climb trees for adventure; others do it to prove a point. Unfortunately, Seilorah was firmly in the latter category."
The idea had come to her during breakfast, when Zeyro’s latest smug comment pushed her patience to the edge.
“You know,” he’d said with a lopsided grin, “for someone so eager to break the curse, you do spend a lot of time tripping over your own plans.”
She had glared at him, spoon frozen midair. “I don’t trip over my plans.”
“No,” he’d replied, leaning back in his chair. “You leap headfirst into chaos and hope it sorts itself out.”
By the time Yelle burst out laughing, Seilorah had made up her mind. If Zeyro wanted to act like he had all the answers, then it was time to remind him that even smug shadow-cursed pseudo-villains had their limits. Hence, the tree.
“Are you sure about this?” Yelle whispered from her hiding spot behind a bush, trying—and failing—not to giggle.
“Absolutely,” Seilorah whispered back, eyeing a sturdy oak tree with low-hanging branches. “This will be perfect.”
Yelle stifled a laugh. “Just don’t fall and break something, okay?”
“I’m not going to fall,” Seilorah replied, hoisting herself onto the lowest branch.
The plan was simple: climb high enough to make it look convincing, pretend to get stuck, and then call for help in the most dramatic way possible. Zeyro would come over, probably annoyed, and she’d savor the sweet satisfaction of knowing she’d wasted his time. Easy. Except, climbing the tree was harder than it looked.
“Why is this so difficult?” she muttered, struggling to pull herself onto the second branch.
“Because you skipped arm day?” Yelle offered helpfully, earning a glare. By the time Seilorah reached the third branch, she was out of breath but determined.
“This is fine,” she said, adjusting her position. “I’m ready.”
Yelle gave her a thumbs-up from below. “You look stuck already. Perfect!”
Taking a deep breath, Seilorah cupped her hands around her mouth and called out.
“Zeyro! Help! I’m stuck!”
It didn’t take long for Zeyro to appear, his shadowy figure emerging from the nearby clearing. His expression was a mix of mild irritation and curiosity.
“What now?” he asked, crossing his arms as he looked up at her.
“I climbed too high, and now I can’t get down,” she said, infusing her voice with as much melodrama as possible.
Zeyro blinked. “You climbed... a tree?”
“Yes!” she exclaimed. “And I need your help! Please!”
For a moment, Zeyro just stared at her, his face unreadable. Then, with a sigh, he muttered, “Of course you do.” He approached the tree, his movements calm and deliberate, as though he had all the time in the world.
“You know,” he said as he reached the base, “most people don’t climb trees if they can’t get back down.”
“Well, I’m not most people,” Seilorah retorted, clinging to the branch for effect.
“Clearly,” he replied dryly.
Zeyro reached up, his hands easily gripping the branch she was sitting on. With a strength that seemed almost effortless, he hoisted himself up, his movements smooth and efficient.
“Move over,” he said, his voice level but firm. Seilorah obeyed, inching to the side as he joined her on the branch.
“Now,” he said, glancing at her, “what exactly is the problem?”
“I can’t climb down,” she said, trying to sound pitiful.
Zeyro raised an eyebrow. “You climbed up here, didn’t you?”
“Yes, but it’s different going down!” she argued. “It’s scarier.”
He sighed again, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Fine. Let’s get this over with.” Without waiting for her response, he grabbed her arm and guided her down to the next branch.
“You know,” he said as they descended, “there’s a technique to this.”
“Oh, really?” she said sarcastically.
“Yes,” he replied, deadpan. “It involves not climbing trees in the first place.”
By the time they reached the ground, Seilorah was thoroughly annoyed, while Zeyro seemed as composed as ever.
“See?” he said, brushing off his hands. “Not so difficult.”
She glared at him. “You’re insufferable.”
“And you’re reckless,” he replied, smirking. Before she could respond, Yelle emerged from her hiding spot, clapping dramatically.
“Bravo! That was chef’s kiss perfection,” Yelle said, laughing.
Zeyro glanced between them, his smirk fading slightly. “Wait. Was this... a setup?”
Seilorah froze, her cheeks flushing. Yelle, however, had no such hesitation. “Oh, 100%. She wanted to test your patience.”
Zeyro’s eyes narrowed as he turned back to Seilorah. “You staged this?”
She crossed her arms, lifting her chin defiantly. “Maybe.”
He let out a low chuckle, shaking his head. “You’re unbelievable.”
Despite her embarrassment, Seilorah couldn’t help but notice the faint trace of amusement in Zeyro’s expression. It was rare to see him genuinely smile—an observation that annoyed her even more.
“Next time,” he said, his tone lighter than usual, “try not to make it so obvious. And for the record, there are better ways to climb a tree.”
“Noted,” she muttered, turning away to hide her blush. As they walked back to camp, Yelle fell into step beside her, grinning like a cat with cream.
“That went well,” Yelle whispered.
“Define ‘well,’” Seilorah said, shooting her a look.
“He didn’t leave you up there,” Yelle pointed out. “And he didn’t throw you out of the tree, so I’d call that a win.”
“Barely,” Seilorah muttered. Back at camp, Zeyro was already seated by the fire, his expression unreadable as he poked at the embers.
“You know,” he said as they approached, “if you wanted my attention, there are easier ways to get it.”
Seilorah’s jaw dropped. “I wasn’t trying to get your attention!”
“Sure you weren’t,” he replied, smirking.
Yelle snorted, clearly enjoying the exchange. Seilorah sat down across from him, glaring. “You’re impossible.”
“And yet, you keep trying to test me,” he said, leaning back against a log. “Makes you wonder who the real fool is.”
Despite her irritation, Seilorah found herself biting back a smile. For all his smugness, Zeyro had a way of turning their arguments into something almost... entertaining. Almost, she reminded herself.
"Sometimes, the hardest battles aren’t with curses or creatures but with the people you least expect to rely on."