You're the Chosen Ones

---Aaron---

I couldn't help but take in a sharp breath. How much do they know? I felt Katherine stiffen beside me at Lord Victor's name. What do we say? How do we respond?

Seeing our uneasiness, Matthew gave a small chuckle. "Relax, if we were allies of Lord Victor, we wouldn't have saved you."

Martha noticed our tension as well. "Matt, dear, I think you're scaring them. Why don't you let me do the talking?"

"Alright Martha, you do it then." Matthew leaned back in his chair. "Kids were always scared of my bushy eyebrows." He wiggled them menacingly. Katherine smiled a little.

"Children, I know you two are very uncomfortable. I'm sure we're about to intrude on some very sensitive topics here, but you can trust us. Would it make you feel better if I told you that Elder Thomas and Elder Johanna are our lifelong friends?" Martha smiled kindly at us.

"I guess so. After what we've been through, it's just hard to trust anyone," Katherine explained. "Even our friend turned out to be a traitor…" I knew she was thinking about Ashley again. If even her best friend turned me over to Lord Victor, who else could we really trust?

"I'm sure it has been a difficult journey," Martha said sympathetically. "Matt and I, well, we have our suspicions about you two. I'm just going to come right out and say it, and you guys can tell us if we're right or wrong. Is that alright with you?"

I looked at Katherine. She stared right back at me. We reached an agreement.

"Okay," Katherine finally said. "Tell us your suspicions."

This time, it was Matthew and Martha who shared a look. Then, Martha spoke. "We think that you two have something to do with the Rosewood Prophecy."

The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. I didn't dare look at Katherine again because that would give too much away. But what do I say? Can we really trust Matthew and Martha? I'm sure our silence already told them what they needed to know, but we still needed to give them an answer.

I exhaled. We might as well just tell them, given that they already have their suspicions. After all, Katherine and I were prepared to die. What more did we have to lose?

"Yes, you're right," I said quietly. "We were sent by the Elders to fulfill the prophecy."

Martha gasped. Matthew sat up in his chair. "Are you two…?"

I nodded. "Yes, we're two of the Rosewood Seven."

"Good heavens!" Martha's eyes shone with excitement. "Two of the chosen ones, in our humble cottage! What are your special powers?"

"I'm the warrior, which means I'm just really good with my sword," Katherine explained. "Aaron can control the wind in addition to being decent with a sword."

"How wonderful! Can any of you do magic?" Martha asked.

"I can do a bit of healing magic, but that's it," Katherine replied. "My friend Ashley was the spellmaster."

"What happened to the other five? It's supposed to be the Rosewood Seven, is it not?" Matthew cut into the conversation.

Katherine looked down at the dining table. Martha and Matthew waited for our response. I took a deep breath before speaking. "They were all killed by Lord Victor. We saw it with our own eyes." The mood in the room turned grim once more.

"Oh dear. Oh, you poor, poor children…" Martha murmured. Even Matthew's expression softened. "But how did you two manage to escape?"

Katherine began to explain how she and I were captured by Lord Victor, how we witnessed our friends' deaths, how we escaped, and how we jumped off the cliff, fully expecting to die. "I really didn't think we were going to make it out of there alive," she said. "Given our conditions, I was surprised we even made it that far."

"You two were cut up pretty badly," Matthew said. "Martha and I were inside while the children were playing outside. Then Christina comes running in, shouting about dead people floating by on the stream. At first I didn't believe her, but she had brought one of your swords with her to show me. We went outside, and sure enough, the two of you were washed up on the bank, bloody and pale. We thought you were dead, but luckily, there was still a very, very faint pulse."

"Katherine, you had a broken leg, which told me that the two of you fell down from above." Martha continued the story. "And Aaron, there were still two arrows stuck in your chest, and a gaping wound on your shoulder. It was a bloody scene, that's for sure. I didn't think you two would make it at first, but Matthew insisted we do everything we can to try and save you two. Whether or not you pulled through would be up to you."

"Thank you for saving us," I said gratefully. "If you weren't living here, we would've died for sure."

"It must be your destinies," Matthew said. "The prophecy must be fulfilled, and so you must live. But I thought three were supposed to make it till the end?"

"That's what I thought too," Katherine agreed. "But there are only two of us left. Aaron and I saw the wreckage left behind by the bomb. There is no way anyone survived that blast."

"Regardless, two of the Rosewood Seven are still alive, and that's good enough," Martha said. "As long as the chosen ones don't die out, we will have hope. Where are you two headed next? Not back to Devil's Peak, I hope?"

"We're going to the Northern Mountains, where Lord Victor's source of magic lies. We have to destroy his source of power to defeat him for good. We were hoping to get there before winter sets in." I answered.

"We can't thank you enough for saving us," Katherine added. "We've been enough of a burden. If you don't mind, we'll stay here for a couple more days, and then we'll be on our way."

"No, you absolutely will not! In the conditions you two are in, you'll be dead before you make it to the Northern Mountains." Matthew said firmly.

"Matt's right. You have to stay here and recover fully before you can continue your quest," Martha agreed. "Especially you, Katherine. You have several wounds that haven't healed since you got them. The one on your stomach is going to cost you your life if you don't stop tearing it open."

I looked at Katherine, noting her pale cheeks and frail body. I'm sure I don't look any better. As much as I want to continue the quest, I knew that we needed to rest.

"You're right," I said quietly. "It's just that…we've been on the run for long, we've grown accustomed to the pain and never-healing wounds. There was never a safe place for us to rest anyway."

"You don't have to run anymore," Matthew said with surprising kindness. "This is a safe place. No one knows of this place. You two can rest here without worrying about people coming after you."

I looked at Katherine again. She hesitated for a few more moments before speaking. "I suppose so," she finally relented. "If you really don't mind, then Aaron and I will stay here for just a while longer."

"Oh, we won't mind at all," Martha said with a warm smile. "I think the children would love to have someone else to play with instead of their grandparents."

I glanced out toward the living room and saw Charles and Christina's faces pressed on the window. I smiled at them, and they smiled shyly back. Their innocent, childish expressions filled my heart with a sense of peace. It's been a long time since I felt this way.

Perhaps, it will be okay if we pushed off the quest and stayed here just a bit longer.