Somewhere far away

>>Enri

I was on my break and sat in the empty training grounds on the bench at dawn. Today, ever since I woke up, which was in the middle of the night, I've been getting a bad feeling. It feels like something is about to go wrong or like I'm going to lose something. It's weird, I don't know how to explain it.

I shook my head as I sighed when I heard footsteps. It alerted me because usually no one is up this early. I shot my head back and saw a familiar person walking towards me.

Sorin?

Out of all the people, I wasn't expecting her. She had been very much on edge the past few days and we didn't exactly talk.

So seeing her approach me out of nowhere was a little surprising. I kept my eyes on her as she came and sat down next to me.

"Good morning," She greeted softly but I didn't really reply to her with a return greeting. I was a little skeptical after all.

"I thought you were angry at everyone." Today, she looked relaxed for some reason. Well, she did look a little relaxed on the day Leon and Kaan were sent away too but today, something is a little different. On the day of send off, she looked like she was forcing herself but today, she genuinely looks at ease.

"I was," She answered, "But I'm no longer mad." She rested her head on my shoulder out of the blue which startled me. What is she doing? Why is she doing this?

Am I actually not awake?

"Why not?" I asked

"I received the news," She seemed happy but, "The peace treaty has now been officially signed," She also seemed rather sad, "We'll have peaceful years ahead of us." She hummed.

A wave of cool morning breeze passed by us that made us both take deep breaths into it.

"Yea," some locks of her hair came on her face, "It's spreading everywhere." I moved my hands and gently tucked her hair behind her ear, "Common folks are actually happy about it."

She closed her eyes then, "I feel like I've accomplished everything I had to do here."

"Really?" I wanted to tease her, "This early? That's all the goals you had in life? That's lame."

I expected her to get a little mad but she instead chuckled, "I am lame." She snuggled closer into me and while it was making me nervous as a man, at the same time, the weird feeling I had been getting since I woke up got heavier.

My thoughts started to jumble up and I decided I wanted to ask her something.

"Sorin?" I called her name out softly.

"Yes?" She answered,

"Who's Elayne Heart?" I've been curious ever since I heard that name.

"Elayne Heart is someone who existed once," She gave me an ambiguous answer, "But she also didn't…"

That was a confusing answer.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.

"No one knows her," She said, "Except me." Her voice was getting lower as time passed for some reason. It was familiar to a person who was losing the volume of their voice because they were falling asleep.

"Is this supposed to be funny?" I asked and she giggled.

"Maybe," she replied, "But Elayne is important to me." She looked a little heartbroken when she said, "She's very important to me." And it made me wonder, who is Elayne really?

"Is she alive?" I asked

"Not exactly." She said, "But I wish she was."

So she's dead?

"I have something else I'm curious about." I asked, "What did the Oracle say to you that day?" I glanced at her, "For you to get so upset? You stopped talking to us, even ignored us most of the time."

She was looking far into the distance but at nothing in particular, "She told me the truth." A rather broken smile appeared on her face.

"And that was?"

"That I'll be going somewhere far away." Her voice was losing volume.

"Where?" I asked out of curiosity, not understanding the deeper meaning lying under her words.

"Somewhere no one will reach me I guess…" She raised her hand up in front of her, stretching it out as if wanting to grab something, "Somewhere, far far away. Where I'll be happy."

"You're not happy here?"

"..." She didn't answer immediately. There was a pause of a whole minute before she replied, "Not really, no."

"I see," I pretended to get it when I didn't understand shit, "Is that why you sent Leroy away too?" I glanced at her again.

"Mmhmm," She nodded

"You sent him to the west. That's far away from the capital. Near the borders."

"I know," She replied, "I hope he'll be happy there." She smiled, "I want him to be happy."

"Won't you be sad without him?" Soft breeze blew every now and then, making the mood rather sad for some reason.

She finally glanced back at me and smiled, "Yea," She nodded with an emotional look, "I'll miss him a lot." Then she looked straight back again with her head still on my shoulder.

"So~ when's he gonna come visit?" I asked.

"He's coming today." She replied.

"Ah~ I see…"

A gentle morning breeze blew by and it would have been a perfect romantic morning if it wasn't for the ominous feeling that wasn't leaving me.

"Enri?" Sorin called my name.

"What?"

"I'm sorry that I yelled at you and about my behavior too."

"That was unexpected," I was truly surprised, "But since you're apologizing, I'll let it go." I smiled.

"I'm glad I got to know you." She said softly.

"Are you flirting with me?" I teased her but she just giggled in reply.

"I mean it." She said it very softly, "We probably won't be meeting again…" Her words were a mere whisper at the end.

"What?" I asked her but all of the sudden, her arm dropped down lethargically and her entire body weight shifted onto me.

…

It was a very quiet sunrise. For some reason today, I didn't even hear the roosters' alarm. Everything just felt very slow.

"Sorin?" I called her name but got no response, "Sorin, did you just fall asleep on me?" Everything was quiet, "This isn't your bedroom."

I chuckled at first and nudged at her, "Sorin come on, wake up." I nudged at her again but she was quiet

Dangerously quiet.

…

Everything was soundless yet I couldn't even hear her breathe.

"Sorin?" My heart began to tremble as I moved a little towards her but she lifelessly collapsed on my lap. The movement stunned me, horrified me, even made my mind go blank for a few moments, "Sorin…" I slowly moved my hands and grabbed her shoulders.

She didn't move.

My hands began to tremble, just like my heart, "Sorin?" I shook her, "Sorin!! Wake up!!??!"

But no matter what I did, she didn't wake up

***

Leonidas came back home along with Kaan. They both had shocked expressions on their faces and Leon kept shaking his head as he ran towards me.

"It's not true!" He ran up to me and grabbed my arms, "It can't be true!" Disbelief, horror and denial was written on his face.

Kaan was right behind him but he just watched us with wide eyes and an agape mouth. He looked like a lost child.

I had nothing to say to them. What could I say to them?

Death had no solace because the people left behind will always be hurt.

I grabbed Leon's hands and brought them down, "The Funeral's starting." I said, "You're just in time."

My words broke them both but I understood. I knew it was hard. We all had known Sorin for a pretty short while but somehow she managed to leave an impact on all of us. Which was quite weird, I wasn't expecting to get this attached to her.

I led them both to the funeral hall where the process was being handled by the Oracle herself. That usually doesn't happen but the Oracle offered to do it and Leroy agreed.

I felt like there was something they both knew that no one else did but what did it matter?

The person in question was gone.

I looked at her open casket and saw Sorin's peaceful sleeping face along with a look of slight satisfaction, it brought her words back to me.

Her words, where she said she was going far away, to a place where she'd be happy.

…

It hurt my feelings but I prayed that wherever she was now, she was happy.

As expected, the funeral was very quiet, there were no whisperings, no talk, people just paid their respects and went on their way. No one stopped to pray for her and it just reaffirmed the fact as to why she wasn't happy here.

It was understandable.

I never thought about it before, but it was actually heartbreaking.

I guess that's why she left us all without a fuss.

And just like that, the procession ended, the day bled into nightfall and King Sorin Maximillain became the late king Sorin Maximillian.

Volume 1 end