The Winds of the Past [Rune Factory 4]

Chapter 28

Arthur, Avani, and I returned to her rooms shortly past 21:00. I helped her make a quick supper while Arthur rested. He looked pretty worn out, but he'd done fairly well given the limitations of his gear and physical condition he was in. By the time our meal was ready, he was looking much better.

"You know, Arthur," she said as we sat before the fireplace to eat, "you really need to get in shape. Your health is important!"

He smiled as he reached for some pickles. "Yes, I know. It's a matter of finding the time. But I appreciate your concern."

"At least promise me that you'll get in and see Jones soon. How long has it been since you last had a physical?"

"Ahh, well... rather longer than it should be, I know. Jones has been after me to get over to his clinic, but then I get busy with work and forget all about it. I'll try to get over there soon."

"I would recommend that," I interjected with a grin. "Otherwise he might sic Avani on you."

He looked over at her as she aimed a kick at my leg, then quietly said with his enigmatic smile, "I don't know that I would really mind that so very much." She stopped and stared at him in astonishment, her cheeks turning pink, and I burst out laughing.

************

After the prince left, Avani turned to me with a raised eyebrow, saying, "Well, even though you pulled a dirty trick on me, I did promise that we could do something you wanted to do next. So... what will it be?"

"Dirty trick?" I exclaimed in protest, widening my eyes in mock innocence.

"Dirty and mean!" she replied emphatically, but with a wide grin—and I knew that I'd been forgiven... but also that she wouldn't soon forget. I'd need to keep my eyes open for a while, that much was certain.

I grinned back at her, and said, "Well, then, My Lady, you'd better get yourself undressed and right into that bed." She complied with my demand, slowly—even teasingly—removing her clothing and setting it aside to be laundered the next day, then slipping under the covers. She lay on her side, her head resting on her hand, and looked at me through her long eyelashes, a smile on her lips.

I whisked off my clothing, tossing it on top of hers, and slid into bed next to her. I leaned over and gave her a long kiss as I caressed her back and shoulder, then I whispered, "Good night, My Lady," rolled over, and blew out the lamp.

She let out startled exclamation, and I said, "What? Were you expecting something else?"

"Uhh... I guess? I mean, kind of... well, yeah!" she said, sounding perturbed and maybe more than a little disappointed.

"I said something that I wanted to do, if you recall. I never said what that would be."

After a moment, she said, "Then... what you want to do is just go to bed early and go right to sleep?"

"I suppose that's one way of looking at it. Of course, the way I see it is that the thing I want to do will be early in the morning. So it's best to get to sleep now, or we might oversleep," I said, chuckling into the darkness.

************

I awoke Avani well before dawn with breakfast in bed. Afterwards, I led her through the fading darkness to the northeastern corner of the town, to the observatory there. We climbed the long, spiraling flight of stairs to the top of the tall tower, then stepped out onto the observation deck just as the sky was lightening in the east. Avani darted to the fence enclosing the deck and exclaimed in delight as the sky turned shades of rosy pink and dusky lavender that gradually warmed to peach and amber as dawn approached.

"Hey, you. Come over here," I said to her, holding out an arm to her. She snuggled up to me, still gazing east, the muted colors of the sky reflected in her green eyes and on her fair skin.

"What a beautiful sunrise!" she sighed, leaning into me as I put my arms around her. We watched in silence as the sun slowly rose over the horizon, turning the sky shades of blue and gold and casting both light and shadow across the colorful valley before us.

I'd seen this view many times before—and not just recently. Thinking back to a distant time, a time when a younger, more innocent me would watch the sun come up over these very hills, I suddenly felt an ache of nostalgia—and loneliness. Although the hills and valleys were the same, they had changed, too, and in both distinct and subtle ways. And it was the more subtle alterations to the landscape I had once known so well that caused the deepest pangs in my heart: the changed boundaries of the forests; ancient, old-growth patriarchs of the woods that, in my youth, had been mere saplings; the altered courses of the rivers and streams; the profiles of mountains that had once been craggy and young but now were more smooth and rounded with age.

Holding her tightly to me as I looked out across the landscape, I asked, "Tell me, what do you think of the view from up here? How does it make you feel?" I watched her as she looked down across the valley and the town below, and to my surprise, I saw a tear glittering like a tiny jewel in the corner of her eye.

"I...." she started hesitantly, then stopped.

"Yes? Go ahead, My Lady. You can tell me anything," I said softly, giving her a gentle squeeze.

She swallowed hard, as if forcing back tears, and said, "It makes me feel... lonely. Isolated." I started, too startled by her words to respond. She looked quickly up at me, asking, "Is something wrong?"

"No," I said, smiling at her. "I was just... surprised. Surprised to hear you voice my own thoughts."

"You feel the same way up here?" she asked me curiously.

I nodded, looking back across the terrain again. "It's the same view I remember from my childhood, yet it's not the same... not quite. And that just reminds me anew of all that I've lost—how so much that was once familiar to me has vanished and been forgotten with the passage of centuries. Being the sole living relic of my era... it's a lonely feeling. Sometimes I almost feel crushed under the unbearable weight of the ages that separate me from my home."

She nodded, a wistful look in her eyes. "I think I understand what you mean. With me, I feel like I don't really belong here. I mean, everyone's been so kind and welcoming and friendly. It's not that. But... most of the people in town have roots here. They were born here, their parents were born here, and so on, for many generations back sometimes. And even those who moved here from elsewhere, like Vishnal, still have well-established roots nearby. But you and I—and the other three Guardians, too—we don't have any roots anymore. We've all lost ours, one way or another. We're transplants in an alien world—outsiders looking in at the window. Being up here on this tower, looking down at the town below, just increases that sense of detachment. And that makes me feel lonely... even when I'm not alone."

I gave her another squeeze, and we held each other tightly as we watched the town waking below us, Avani leaning her head against my chest. And I believe... I believe she really did understand.