“What are we doing here, Brayden?” Bree questioned her brother as they stood on the center platform, just outside of the entrance to the Trials of Mar. Light trickled down like beads of rainwater through the broken cracks in the rock above, illuminating the area just enough so that they wouldn’t need their flashlights. “Huh? What do you mean?” “Don’t answer my question with another question. It makes you sound like an idiot. So, again, why are we here?” Bree was already aggravated, and Brayden, wasn’t helping. “Why are you asking such stupid questions?” “Stop doing that! I swear to God! If you do that one more time, I’m going to shove your scout rifle so far up your ass, you’ll have to open your mouth to fire.” Bree snarled under her helmet. “Why don’t you try making some f*cking sense when you talk? How about that?” Brayden’s churlish attitude was really starting to show itself, something he rarely did when it was just Bree, and himself. “One more f*cking question, Brayden…” “Ok, ok. No need to go and get all butt-hurt; save that for Zavala,” Brayden sneered. Bree moved faster than a jungle cat. Her right foot planted itself on the ground between Brayden’s feet. Her right arm intertwined with his left, and her left hand gripped tightly to the base of his neck. Bree slammed her hip into his midsection while twisting her upper body away from his. In one fluid motion, Brayden was laying on his back, looking up at her. She slammed her foot down on his chest piece, pinning him to the metal plate they stood on. “I’m done playing games, Brayden. Why are we doing these f*cking Trials? And don’t you dare say that it’s for us, because that is total bullshit,” she stood tall, and strong over him, as she often did in most of the combat situations that arose before them. “We have a chance to make history. The first Guardians, ever, to unlock the secrets inside. Not only that, the chance to take down one of the most deplorable juggernauts ever to have existed; Dredgen Yor.” “But why, Brayden? Why should we give a f*ck about Dredgen? What’s more, why should the [i]Queen[/i] give a f*ck about Dredgen? Not only that, why was she so quick to help us, when she should have had us killed?” “It’s simple,” Brayden replied with a magniloquent tone, “The Queen is looking for a way to get into the Vanguard’s good graces. Think, the best way to do that, would be to take down one of the most revered Guardians in the Vanguard’s history. You heard her say it with your own ears. She doesn’t have the resources to do much of anything but sit on her junky thrown and be the Queef.” “Listen to yourself, Brayden, you sound like you’re one of [i]them[/i]; is that what you want? To be hailed as a hero? A conqueror of evil and darkness? Have you forgotten who you are?” Brayden’s hands latched onto Bree’s ankle, and with a vicious twist, he wrenched her foot and shoved his body away from her as he rolled. She tried to maintain her center of gravity, but the surprise of the maneuver caught her off-guard, and she toppled down over, Brayden. They came together in a clash of armor and metal, as their little skirmish began. Wild rabid punches, haymakers were thrown blindly; Bree was able to land a solid blow with her elbow, directly to Brayden’s helmet, as Brayden was able to retaliate with a sharp punch to her kidneys. The punches that were thrown, had little effect on either of them, as their armor wouldn’t allow such a miniscule amount of force to damage the integrity of the plating. They continued to thrash and snarl at each other like a couple of wild alligators performing a death roll. Finally, the Queen’s Vandals who remained quiet throughout the whole ordeal, eventually stepped in to separate the quarreling siblings. Two Vandals held Bree while the other two held Brayden; even though it took four of them to break up the fight, Bree, and Brayden, still tried to go after one another. “Who the f*ck do you think you're talking to, Bree? Huh?! Don’t you dare try to tell me that I don’t know who I am!” Brayden roared in fury as he tried to reach, Bree, with his outstretched arms. “Somebody has to because apparently you forgot!” Bree tried to push the Vandals off of her, but they held her in place quite firmly. “I know who I am. I am Brayden, I’m the one who is always there to pick you up when you fall down, the one who holds you through your nightmares. I am the one who is always f*cking there for you! No matter what! I was always f*cking there!” “That’s news to me because from where I’m standing, all I see is nothing more than a slave to the same system we have been fighting against. That very same system we swore to bring down, and here you are, trying to run over to their side. Mr. Hero, Mr. Guardian of the Galaxy. It was supposed to be me and you against the world! But you know what? You’re nothing but a f*cking sellout.” “Are you kidding me? You have no idea what the f*ck you are talking about. Everything that I’ve done, I’ve done for us, and to aid us in our attempt to rescue those mindless drones, but you are too blind to see it. It’s always about you? Isn’t it? ‘Waah, I feel betrayed, I feel let-down, I feel hurt’ well you know what, Bree? You’re not the only f*cking one who feels that way,” they screamed at each other until their voices were broken and raw. Bree and Brayden shoved against their captors, pushed and heaved, trying to break free; until finally, they tired themselves out like two children throwing a temper tantrum. -------------------------- Bree and Brayden sat next to each other, staring at the ominous words that leered at them from the metal. “You will be buried, next to me…” Bree softly spoke the words to herself, her eyes were red from her tears of anger and disdain towards, Brayden. “So,” Brayden finally spoke after an eternity, “Are we going in, or not?” Bree could only nod, “Yeah. I guess we are.” [i]Thank you all again for your continued support! Any feedback is greatly appreciated![/i] [i]Trials of a Guardian: The Trial of Shadows (Chapter 6)[/i]: https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/112242209 [i]Trials of a Guardian: ALL Chapters (Appendix)[/i]: https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/105589170/0/0