The Lost Knight (Volume IV) The Lost Prince

Chapter 15: Here or There

A warm pegasus nose bashes me in the face, waking me in the most familiar of ways. Lenox is back. I sit up in a rush and accidentally whack him in the muzzle with my nose. He throws his head up.

"Oh, so you don't like when I do it to you."

I wrap my arms around his furry neck and squeeze. "I love you so much. I'm sorry I'm the reason you're dead. I would give anything, seriously Lenox, anything to have you back. If I could trade years of my life, or an arm, or whatever to undo this, I would do it without a thought."

His nose taps my shoulder as he chews on my hair. I push away. "I'm trying to have a moment. Could you please cooperate?"

He runs his muzzle through my hair. I laugh because he's funny and sweet. "I understand the elf party now. This is how I need to remember you. How you lived, not how you died? You were my first friend. You were the first one I ever loved. And you were the first one I ever told that too. I miss you, and I will love you forever."

I wrap my arms around him and squeeze him tight, but I'm waking up. Reality is setting in like a nightmare. "Goodbye, my beautiful boy."

My eyes fly open. I'm in the woods. Jonah's staring at me. There's Carfron sleeping by the fire, or more correctly, in the fire. His entire left foot is in the flames.

"How are you?" I hear the concern Jonah's trying to mask. Could he sense my dream?

"Hungry," is the only word that comes to mind. I'm still dazed but not sleepy. I'm so energized I could run home. Jonah tosses me a biscuit. "Lenox visited me last night." It's the first time I can say his name with a smile. "I'm glad I know what happened to him. When my hope of finding him vanished, it was like my soul was leaving, but now...I don't know."

"I wish I was better with words." I stuff the biscuit in my mouth and talk while I chew. "I don't think that was a dream. He came to see me to make sure I'd be okay. To remind me of who he was and get me back to who I am. I can't explain it, but it was too detailed and too vivid to be a dream."

Jonah smiles at me. "I'm glad he came to check on you. I was hoping he would. Does it give you peace?"

"Yes!" I shout, waking up Carfron. "That's it. That's what I have, peace...Oh, wait, Enjoyment in peace be upon you. I get it. I thought it was just a bunch of words that didn't translate well, but I understand now. This is the feeling I should be striving for, not happiness and joy and stuff, but peace. Something really awful happened, but it's okay. I'm at peace with it. So it's not just be in peace but enjoy it. Strive for it. Wow."

"Do you feel better?" Jonah asks.

"I feel lighter."

Jonah tosses me another biscuit. He's exceptionally quiet.

"You okay?" I ask.

"Yes, I'm happy for you."

"You don't look happy."

"What's Carfron doing?"

I look at him, and that prompts him to speak. "We need to fly."

"He just woke up, but he says we need to fly."

"He was asleep during your exchange with Lenox?" Jonah asks, then shrugs. "Well, are you ready to fly back?"

A moment of panic passes through my body. "I don't think I should leave Lenox. Can we take him back with us?"

"No. He's at rest here," Jonah answers. "I could make arrangements to bring him back, but we can't take him with us."

"Oh, maybe I should leave him here. Maybe he'd like to be with family at home. I could visit him and stuff, but maybe I wouldn't visit as often as I should, and he's better off here."