Page 29 of The Truth

Deeper, she pushed, until both bodies were lost beneath the roots and vines, and until small pink buds bloomed, the light of the sun shining upon them.

“May you find peace where I have found war. May you rest where I wake eternal. May you love where alone I stand. I commit you to The Mother, to her waiting arms.”

Alvira stood and walked from the copse, only allowing more tears to flow as the full warmth of the sun caressed her face and her soulkin pressed his snout to her chest.

“Alvira?”

She lifted her head and turned to see Farda stepping through the flaps of one of the tents behind her. The man’s tunic and trousers were stained in a thousand shades of red and pink, and dark circles hung beneath his eyes. He staggered towards her, the exhaustion of the drain clear in every step he took.

One look into her eyes and he pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her. He didn’t ask what was wrong, he just held her.

“If the choices were easy, Alvira, any soul could bear the weight,” he whispered. “But they are not, and so here we stand. We live this life so that others will never know it. We carry the pain and stand against the darkness so that others may know the light. And we do it not for glory, nor for honour, because both are short lived and easily lost. We do it because there is yearning within us to protect. Because we were born with a fire in our hearts, a fire that keeps us walking forward when the centuries pass and bodies pile. A fire that gives us just enough warmth to survive when all others would simply lie down and die.”

Alvira pulled away from Farda and looked out at the light of the sun as it rose over Arathín. “What choice would you have made had you been in my place?”

“I would never put myself in your place, Alvira.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“It’s the only answer I have.”

Alvira turned and looked Farda. “How do I know if I’ve made the right choice?”

“You never know. Not truly. As you will never know what path we would be walking down given a different choice. All we can do is trust that we have done what is best and hold strength with the choices we make because they cannot be changed. We can learn from them, in time, but we cannot linger within them.”

Part Three

7 years before The Fall

Chapter Eight

To Be Brave

City of Ilnaen – Summer, Year 2675 After Doom

Farda stood on the balcony outside his chambers, leaning his back against the parapet, his hands resting on the warm stone, the sun at his back. He looked through the open arch into the chamber within, where young Salara played with Hana and Valyianne, chasing them around the room.

He smiled at the sight, a shred of his heart finding the meekest semblance of joy. He swallowed hard and averted his gaze. Joy was what not something he deserved at that moment.

“A question of the heart, brother?” Eltoar stood across from him, arms folded, white hair flowing over his shoulders. The elf stared at him, a softness in his usually stern face.

Farda drew a long breath in and contemplated his answer. He wasn’t sure if he was ready for questions. He wasn’t sure if he would ever be. With a sigh, he nodded.

Eltoar looked from Farda to where the twins played with Salara. “Do you blame yourself?”

Farda couldn’t help but choke back a laugh. He turned towards the city and the sun and rubbed his face in his hands. “The soul of the Draleid but the mind of an elf,” he said, shaking his head. “You’re supposed to ask gentle questions first, brother.”

“I’ve never seen the point in gentle questions.” Eltoar moved so he stood next to Farda, folding his arms over the parapet and looking out at the city.

“To soften the pain.”

“There is no such thing as soft pain, only wilful ignorance and pain unshared.”

Farda nodded silently in agreement. “Torlan and Sahira died because I was late. Valyianne and Hana are alone because I could not drag myself from Anila’s arms.”

“Torlan and Sahira died because five men murdered them and because a lucky arrow took your brother in the head. And Valyianne and Hana are not alone. They have you. And you have us.”

Eltoar turned and leaned back against the wall, Farda doing the same.