Chapter 02 - part 01

"Be strong, be kind...I know you will come back to me"

Five days had passed after talking in the tarven and Stranger was still at mr Geiger's house. His bruises had mostly healed and the stitches on his forehead had been removed. Even though Michael and Adam came to visit Stranger mostly kept to himself, helping out his gracious host whenever he could. He had more time than he could do with and it gave him time to think. What Adam said had made sense to him but was he really going to go through with it?... He could run like he had been doing the last few months. He oddly liked the company he was currently in and wanted to stay despite the men chasing after him. Give a man time and he will make a thousand decisions, lose hope a thousand times and finally realize what's important to him... thats the path he usually takes, whether cynical or not. What these people were planning was unnerving but eventually Stranger came to his decision.

It was around mid-day and he was in his room when mr Geiger called him. Adam had come to see him. What surprised Stranger the most was that he had come alone without Michael. The brothers seemed inseparable. Adam had a dismal expression on his face.

"Is everything okay?" Stranger asked after the usual pleasantries.

"Yes... well not exactly. I need you to come with me if it is possible." Adam replied. "It is quite chilly outside so I would advise grabbing a coat." The man said already turning.

Mr Geiger already had one in his hands and after handing it to Stranger the two men left. Even though the sun was out it was cold enough to cause discomfort. Stranger patiently waited for Adam to explain to him what was going on but the more they walked the longer the stretch of silence grew.

"Where's Michael?" Stranger finally asked after he couldn't stand the silence any longer.

"He will meet us there" was the only reply Adam gave and the silence continued. Clearly something was bothering him.

They made their way east of the hornless unicorn and past the market where different merchants gathered.

"I trust you have had ample time to think about what we talked about the other day?" Adam suddenly asked.

"Yes I've thought about it and..."

"Before you say anything else and make your final decision..." Adam interrupted. "There is something I want you to see... it is not much further now."

"What is it?"

"You will see soon enough." The pair turned down a street with workshops lined up on both sides. Adam stopped at one of them. "We are here."

'Finally.' The voice in Stranger's head scoffed. He had been hearing his father's voice more and more lately... ever since he left his village. He had to admit though he was a bit tired from walking.

It was a pottery shop and after a moment's hesitation they entered. It was a small shop and simply decorated. Different types of pottery was lined all over the room but Stranger barely had any time to admire them as they passed the middle-aged lady who seemed to tend to the shop and headed straight for the back door. Adam opened the door and Stranger followed. A short distance in front of them was another door. Adam waited until Stranger had closed the previous door before opening the second one. As he did cries and muffled screams could be heard from the room they were about to enter.

The room the two men entered had been turned into a makeshift hospital. Beds had been made and lined opposite walls of the room with a walkway in the middle. There were fourteen beds in the room and all of them were filled. The groans and wails from the injured rang loud in Stranger's ears. The room was also partially packed packed with those visiting their friends and family. There was another door at the end of the room indicating more rooms with more patients. Sitting beside the furthest bed at the end of the room was Evelyn, the waitress from the tarven. When she saw them the woman stood up but made no move to go to them.

Adam took in a deep breath as he closed the door behind Stranger and slowly walked the entirety of the room, noting every single person lying on each of the beds and the ones who were there for them. Stranger followed closely behind. His face grew more somber as they passed each bed. They reached the bed where Evelyn was and a man lay there. The woman's eyes were red, she had been crying.

"Evelyn," Adam greeted her. "How is he?"

"He is still asleep but the doctor said he is stable now. We just have to wait for him to wake up and open his eyes to the light." Her voice was strained.

"I hope that happens soon... and how are you holding up?"

"I am hanging in there. At leat he is alive... I am thankful for that much. We just have to see as time goes."

"John is strong. He will not go down without a fight."

"I hope so... "

"Ah you two haven't properly met have you, Evelyn this is Stranger. Stranger meet Evelyn, owner of the 'Hornless Unicorn' and wife of this man here."

"Nice to meet you."

"Likewise Stranger."

"Edith is tending the tarven I presume?" Adam asked.

"Yes she is, she owed me from that day you sent her to distract that peacekeeper."

"Go easy on her" Adam smiled.

"Oh I will." Evelyn replied forcing a smile of her own.

"If I may ask... what happened to him?" Stranger asked after a moment of silence had passed.

"Well..." Adam began but he was interrupted when the door next to the bed opened and a man and a woman walked into the room.

They stopped as soon as they saw Adam.

"What are you doing here? How dare you show up here! Leave now!" The man shouted getting everyone in the room's attention.

Adam however made no move. He stared back at the man.

"I'm sorry..." Stranger started not wanting a commotion and a scene to happen in a place like this.

"What do you think you are doing here!... our daughter almost died because of your stupid ambitions. We should have never agreed to this. We should have kept her safe by laying low and following orders. You just cause a rukus... cause so much trouble for others and hurt them...Trash like you can never change anything." The man snapped.

"Do not apologize Stranger, we did nothing wrong. Why is this old guy trying to take it out on us anyway?" Adam said his brows coming together, frustrated.

"We completely take responsibility for this." Stranger apologized regardless.

"Who are you anyway. Like two pieces of trash apologizing is going to make my daughter better." The father sneered.

"Just who do you think you are talking aking to..." Adam hissed, clenching his fists.

"Be quiet Adam." A voice said from behind them which completely disarmed the man. Michael had entered the room and stood beside his brother.

"My daughter has been lying back there in that bed writhing in pain." The father continued. "Her face... her body have been battered and bruised." Tears started falling. "What... what did she ever do to you?! She has been disfigured and for what?". He was met with silence.

"She was so excited when she told us..." The wife started in a wobbly voice, fighting back tears. "We know it is supposed to be a secret and we will not tell anyone. She is a good, honest girl and she is done with all this. It is a parent's job to take care of their children. When she is able to leave this place we are taking her out of here. We want no part of this and we do not want to see you again."

With that the distraught couple left.

"Remember everyone here has family and people important to them." Micheal broke the lingering silence after the door had closed. "It is our responsibility to take their tears and make things right. They are just looking for someone to blame. You do not have to apologize Adam... you just have to have a heart that cares for others. We are going to fight the empire soon. We will deal with our problems in our own world. Give them until then to change their minds and choose a side."

"You are too kind brother. I am sorry." Adam said after a moment. He then unclentched his fists. "You are right... I am glad to have you by my side."

"I know. Let's go out for a bit. We can come back later and see everyone once things calm down." He turned to Stranger. "Thank you for trying to disarm the situation before it escalated...We'll wait for you outside."

"Okay... I won't take long." They waited until the pair walked out. "You're shaking," Stranger noticed. "You should sit down."

Evelyn sighed as she sat. "I understand how they feel. It is always easy until it happens to you. The urge to protect your loved ones. I feel it everytime I come here to see John."

"I understand. Adam looked ready to explode though."

"Yes...good thing Michael was there to stop him otherwise it would have been a mess. Everyone is just afraid. Just like me... I do not want to lose him. Fear. It plays an intriguing role in our lives. How dare we let it control us... let it into our decision making, our relationships, our very livelihoods. We all react differently to it. Some choose to fight... some flight."

"Sometimes it's what we're afraid to lose that gives us strength. We can't know what we are capable of without knowing fear."

"Yes... but not everyone agrees just as you have seen."

"Give them time. I have had a lot of time to think about all of this since Adam told me you people are planning on going against the Klovos empire. It is daunting, intimidating and may as well seem impossible given they have ruled over us for so long but I want to believe in it and I am willing to give it a shot."

"Most people do not have the resolve to stand for what they believe in and give in to their fear. They take what is the safest route to them."

"That's true. What's your resolve if I may ask?"

"He is." Evelyn replied without hesitation indicating to the man on the bed.

"Tell me about him." Stranger asked as he sat down by the bed beside Evelyn.

"I would not know where to start." She said with a strangled laugh. "He is a good man. Stubborn and kind above all else. He does everything to support me. The tarven is his passion project even though he does not drink much. We opened it to create a second home and as such he made it into one. There is hardly a new face that comes along and everyone there is family to us. It is a safe place to go to. 'Just because it lost its horn does not mean the magic is gone.' John says that all the time. He is the one who sees the magic all around. He does this thing where he gets lost in his own reveries and once in a while you can almost see what he is daydreaming about. He pretends to be quiet only when I'm around because he knows I like to talk but when he gets comfortable around his friends he talks more. Johnny is a hugger first... you have to know that... but he is not afraid to fight for what he believes in. If he were awake he would have told you he was glad this happened to him and not any of his friends. He would gladly carry the pain of everyone around him if he could. We both found something worth fighting for in this war and we knew this could happen but it hits you different when it does. He doesn't deserve to be in pain like this. He is a good man. He told me this war was not for us to have a good life. We would not come out of this unscathed. This war is for the future... for everyone else to live better lives than ours. To end this cycle of suffering we agreed to join the fight. It really hurts seeing him like that... knowing he is in pain and there is nothing I can do about it. I miss him. Being home with him. Its not about the things he did or what he is capable of... but it is the moments we spend together. We do noteven have to talk about anything important but just being able to spend time with him. Sometimes we would spend whole days in bed or by the fire just so we could be close to each other. Time is the most precious thing anyone can give and he chose to spend his with me. He used to say there was nowhere else he would rather be than where we were and make memories with me. I want to spend more time with him. I don't know what he sees in me but I love him. " she sobbed. "Is it bad I do not want him to fight anymore? I too just like those people want us to return to our quiet lives away. I just want him back with me."

"I know how you feel... to be apart from someone you so desperately want. I don't think anyone would hold it against you if you want to leave."

Evelyn wiped the tears that were starting to form."Thank you for that but John would never agree to that... and I do not think I would be able to live with myself if I did. We have a lot of work ahead of us."

"I admire your resolve."

"I do not want to let my husband's actions be in vain..."

"I'm sure they will not be. This fight may be bigger than us but we still have to fight it... what I'm trying to say is don't strain yourself with things you can't control. I'm sure your husband would want you to take care of yourself too... for his sake."

"He says the same thing... you two would get along well." Evelyn said with a genuine smile.

"I look forward to the day we officially meet."

"Thank you for listening to me. I'm sure we have kept the monster waiting long enough." She said as she stood up. "You should go... I will stay a bit longer then go back to the tarven. Our door is always open for you if you ever want to join us."

Stranger stood up. Evelyn's resolve had given strength to him and he walked out of the room with hope.