A Long Tiresome Journey's End

Leaving the caves long behind, I walked down the road towards the castle village, my arms trying to hold firm as I carried her home. At points it felt as if she had faded away, and then the next she'd wake from this eternal slumber, frantic, wriggling around in my arms. It was heart-breaking for me to just be a sole bystander in her pain, it grieved me to know that they were most likely left to die by my father. In my head, constant apologies echoed, apologies for nobody coming to save them, for being taken in the first place and for my inability to save her friends.

"You know where your home is?" I asked trying to keep her calm and focused. Turning my gaze to her trying to force a smile on my face as a reassurance that whilst I was there everything would be fine. To no avail, she didn't reply, she just stared at my face, like she was reliving a troubling memory from her past. All of a sudden she began to squirm again in my arms, trying to slither free.

"G...ge...get 'way!" she screamed as I tried to stop her from struggling, I couldn't understand why she wanted me to leave her.

"I'm trying to help you here..." I quickened my pace as I got a firm hold of her, the village just down the road from us.

"You're one of them!" she began to pull and scratch at my face, doing anything to get out. This time my grip loosened and she fell to the ground, I hadn't meant to at the time but in a way I didn't know how to react. As she lay on the ground, I began to crouch down next to her, keeping my hands ready for any of her 'attacks'.

"What's your name?" I remarked glancing down the road to the village.

"Why should I tell you?" she blurted back, on the verge of tears, clearly shaken by the experience.

"Well, it'd make it easier to find your family in that village right?" trying to become more light-hearted in the hopes it calmed her down. She remained silent for a small amount of time, before a deep breath.

"L...Leona." muttering just to the point that I could hear.

"Okay Leona, I'm Stavn, I used to live here, so you can trust me." ending with a quick sigh, I extended my hand in the hopes that I could just let her use me as a way to remain upright. After a few moments of indecision she reached out and grabbed my arm, leaning onto me as we stumbled into the village. Everything was still, a small mist forming over the ground as we ventured ever deeper. Leona slowly pointing at every turn we had to make before we finally reached her home. As I began to knock on the door, the door swung open, a man drowning in tears of grief and behind him a woman cursing everything and everyone around her.

"What you wan-" his gaze turning onto Leona, his eyes beginning to swell up with tears, his speech becoming incomprehensible. "Mary! Come quick! She's..." at that moment of realisation he collapsed to the ground, Mary running to see what had happened and went through the same. Leona herself had a feint smile on her face as her eyes began to fill with tears, that slowly burst and rolled down her pale cheeks. Without saying a word I let her get to her family and began to turn to face my last task, my family. As I slowly moved through the mist I could hear her father call out behind me.

"Thank you stranger!" my face broke into a slight smile, which proceeded to fade at the thought that I could only save her. As I kept moving I simply raised my right hand and waved backwards towards them, I didn't want to be praised but for once the feeling of actually being praised made me happy. Continuing ever onwards, I reflected upon how chaotic this past month had been... What do I do from now on? What is my actual goal in life? What felt like an eternity of thinking lasting but a mere couple of moments, and then when I finally began to see the start of my answer I was interrupted by one of the guards at the castle gate.

"Who goes there?" his gruff voice echoing a tiny bit due to the silence of the village. I pulled myself together before replying, taking a deep breath.

"The lords bastard, Stavn. I'm expected." the guard quickly moved off whilst signalling to open the gate, I slowly looked around the courtyard from outside as the gate slowly lifted itself open, a loud clank as it locked itself into place.

"You're early aren't you." The guard noting as he came with me to the door into the keep. Both of us stopping as we came to the door.

"I might be, not like I would care if I was late either." Opening the door and entering the keep. The main hall was still, lifeless, a cold blue on the walls. A small light flickered from the door that headed to the bedrooms, I made my way over and into the hall. The carpet under my feat a royal red, embroidered with yellow cotton. Torches lined the walls leading down the corridor, I crept all the way down and expected that I'd be able to use my old room in the castle. As I opened the door I was hit with a punch of incense, entering further I realised that there was someone asleep in my bed. Quickly closing the door behind me, one of the house servants walked up to me from behind tapping my shoulder.

"You are to sleep in the guest rooms further down." he whispered in my ear.

"Who's sleeping in my room now then?" I quietly remarked as we both moved down the hall to the guest rooms.

"It would be the Lord's mistress. Who whilst you left has given birth to the Lord's heir." he pulled out some keys and began to open the door to my room.

"Right..." I quickly entered my room, the servant following me in lighting the candles that lay strewn around the room, and made sure the bed was in good quality.

"Many things have changed around here young one. You'll find out more tomorrow." the servant bowed his head to me and left me to myself. With that, I slowly began to ready myself for bed, eventually climbing into it and for once I managed to sleep without thinking of anything. Almost as if everything that had happened had calmed me.