Regret

---Indigo---

I stepped out from behind the tree, gripping my sword. The person gasped lightly and pushed back the hood. "Indigo?"

"Ashley?" I was surprised. "What are you doing out here in the middle of the night?" Her eyes looked around wildly, and her face was pale. She looked visibly shaken, as if she had seen a ghost.

"I-I couldn't sleep. I can't stop thinking about what happened, especially that moment when Jason died in my arms." Ashley wrapped her arms around herself and looked back at the pyre.

"I heard voices. Were you talking to someone?" I asked. Ashley turned her head to look at me sharply, her face paling more.

"Talking to someone? Me? No. Of course not. There's no one here except us." She glanced around the area again, as if to search out any hidden persons.

"But I heard voices," I insisted. "It was like a conversation, but I couldn't make out any words. You sure you weren't talking to anyone, Ashley?"

There was a tense silence in the air. I looked intently at Ashley, who did not meet my eyes. Several seconds later, she looked up. "I might have been talking out loud to myself," Ashley finally said. "I was thinking about Jason and all the things I didn't have the chance to tell him. I guess I started a conversation in my head but was actually speaking out loud. So it might have just been me being weird." She cracked a small, sad smile.

I nodded to myself. "Probably. I had a nightmare, so maybe my imagination was getting the best of me."

The two of us were silent for a while, both looking at the pyre. I tried to convince myself that it was just Ashley talking to herself, but my heart swore that I heard two voices. Was it the same voice from my dream? Suddenly, I can't even remember. Ashley wouldn't lie to me. She had it the worst out of all of us, losing both her love and her best friend in a matter of minutes. It was probably just me still being disoriented from the nightmare.

"Indigo?" Ashley's voice startled me from my thoughts. "Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, sure, anything."

Ashley stared into the remains of the pyre, some of the dying embers still glowing faintly. Finally, she spoke.

"Wh-what if we were to be tempted by evil? We're approaching Lord Victor. What if he were to use magic or something to tempt us?"

"We refuse to give in," I said firmly. "He's bound to play dirty and try to tear apart the team. But we must remember that no matter what temptations he might offer, we can achieve so much more together."

"But what if he can bring back the dead?" Ashley's voice was just above a whisper. An overwhelming sense of pity washed over me.

"Ashley, no one can do that," I said gently, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Lord Victor may be powerful, but even he can't bring the dead back to life. I know Jason meant a lot to you. We all want Jason back with us. But it's not possible, Ashley. Don't listen to the wild lies Lord Victor might tell you."

Ashley was silent for a long time. When she looked back at me, I noticed tears threatening to spill from the edge of her eyes. "Before Jason died, he had time to tell me one thing," she said softly, her voice quavering. "He told me four words: I've always loved you. I didn't even have time to say it back." The tears broke from their dam, and she broke down sobbing quietly. The heartbreak was too much for her to bear. Feeling myself tear up as well, I pulled Ashley into a hug. Ashley held onto me like I was a piece of driftwood in a storm.

"I know how much he meant to you," I said quietly. "If only you two had more time."

"I was too scared to tell him how I felt sooner," Ashley cried. "I had a crush on him when we were still at the Academy. I wanted to tell him that I liked him, but I was always too scared to because I didn't know how he would react. When we rode together, after Goldhedge, he dropped a few hints about how happy he was with me and how he wanted to spend more time with me when everything was over. That was my chance to confess. I didn't. I was always too nervous to tell him how I really felt. But now…now I'll never get to tell him. I should have told him when I had the chance. I should have been more brave."

Ashley poured her heart out to me as the tears flowed down her cheeks. "I can't stop thinking about how things might have been different. What if I had taken the knife for him? What if I spotted the knife sooner? What if I had been able to defend myself better? There are so many what-ifs, and I can't stop thinking about them. I can't stop thinking about Jason. Indigo, I'm so scared that when the time comes, I will give in to Lord Victor's temptations."

"You won't," I promised her. "You're strong, Ashley. I know it hurts now, but don't they say time heals all wounds? Jason would've wanted you to continue the mission, even if he couldn't be here with you. He wouldn't want you to bring him back at the price of turning over to the dark side."

"My heart hurts so much, Indigo," Ashley said tearfully. "I can't…"

"You can. I know you can, Ashley," I assured her. "I think everything will be better after a good night's rest. You must be worn out after today. Just try to get some sleep, and try not to think too much. We can talk more in the morning if you like."

Ashley nodded and pulled away. "Thanks for talking with me, Indigo. You're such a good friend. I won't ever forget this."

"This is what friends are for," I smiled. "If you ever want to talk about anything, just come to me. After all, we girls have to stick together."

I walked with Ashley back to our campsite and watched as she slipped back into her own tent. As I retired to my tent and drifted off sleep again, a thought popped into my mind.

What if Ashley was talking to Lord Victor, who promised to bring Jason back if she worked with him?

No. How could she even get in contact with him? That was ridiculous.

Besides, we're friends. Ashley wouldn't betray us.

Would she?