Vaehandre: Where The Stars Fall [Under Revision]

Chapter 48: Confessions

Young Reeve watched as Hesev trotted out of the gates towards the rest of his men. He nodded one last time at the boy. The boy wandered into the training grounds where he saw Elite soldiers training young squires.

"Reeve," Henry said to him.

"Elite Knight," he said back in a rather crossed manner.

Henry glanced sharply to the side. "Thank you for your help yesterday. It was very brave of you."

"The mages are here to help he shouldn't have hurt her." He looked at Henry and back to the training grounds. "Could I train here?"

"If you want to."

"I'll have to ask, mother. Could she stay here with me? While I—" For a brief moment Reeve widened his eyes. "My mother is safe, right?"

"Hesev is smart. He'll have sent men to protect your mother.

Reeve nodded his head.

"I'll see what I can do, young bear."

Up on the window of the great hall, Ingrid was watching them. So much so that she didn't notice Aiden approaching her.

"Ingrid? You've regained your strength I see."

She smiled. "I can't say the same for you, my lord."

Aiden sighed. He cast his eyes on her. "Remember in the terrace, when you saw my memories in the North Castle?"

She glanced at him half longing, half dreading. "How could I forget."

"Sometimes—Sometimes I wonder if you still feel for me as you did then... I care about you Ingrid, more than I admit to myself."

Shifting her body, she faced him. "When I read your mind that day on the terrace." She breathed out. "I felt like I knew you in an instant. You Aiden." She smiled sideways and looked down briefly.

Aiden could see the tears well up in her eyes.

"It's hard not to love someone when you know everything about them. All their joy. All their pain. All that they love and hate."

He brushed away a lock of her hair, held her gloved hand up, and kissed it.

"Sleep and be at peace, Aiden."

"Alright, my lady."

Ingrid watched him go back to his quarters and looked back at the training grounds. Reeve was alone. She glanced at the door and saw Henry with a smirk.

"You know you should mind your own business," she said to him.

"I can't help it. You know I'm happy for you."

Placing her palms on the sill of the window, she let out a deep breath.

"You don't look happy."

"It's Brum."

He looks at her sincerely "Ingrid, you know I can't read your mind."

"It's that I was attracted to a man whose heart belonged to another at the time..." She pressed her palm against her forehead. "And to forget about such notions chose to lead someone else on on false hope at my indecision—his best friend no less."

"You know, Brum would want you to be happy, Ingrid with anyone, just as long as you were happy."

She glared at him at the mention of his name.

"I'm sure he wished it would be with him, but... he's gone."

He placed his hand on her shoulder. "I know what we should do for the people."

"What?"

"I'll be back."

Henry walked past Gytha who was carrying two bowls of food.

"Where's he going?" Gytha asked while looking back at Ingrid.

"I have no idea."

After checking on a fast asleep Aiden, Henry made his way to the center of the city.

Tieing his horse to the post, Henry glanced around. Everything seemed to be returning to normal. The bakers were happily baking. The nearby pub didn't look so menacing. And Henry swore he saw smiles on the people who left the infirmary.

Distira approached him as he neared the entrance. "You left the Lord of Rathorn."

"Uhm." Henry took a step back. "Good morning to you too, Lady Distira."

The Southern mage raised a brow.

"My best brigade is on guard in the castle."

She still stared at him in silence.

"Ingrid's there."

Finally, Distira breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm just saying, me being who I am, that would have been a great opportunity to strike."

"Now why would you say that," Henry replied with indignant surprise.

"Forget what I said. I have good news."

"Go on."

"There are no new patients."

Henry smiled and glanced around. "By the light. It's a miracle."

"Given the circumstances of this plague, I guess their plan failed."

"I hope that will be the end to it. Good work here."

Bowing her head, Distira replied. "There's no need for praise, it's what we do."

Proceeding to Bear Paw Pub, he asked for Hesev. "Daybreak tomorrow, don't be late."

"Has something happened?"

"No, just be there."

● ● ●

The Lord of Rathorn awoke at midnight, where the stars were bright and clear. Aiden looked up at the sky "It's been hard to move on, to carry on without you. Alas, you died so that I may live... I don't even know if you've heard what I've said to you all this time. I wish you would let me know if you did. These past three years I've chosen to forget and distance myself from love—but I hope I can love again without dishonoring you. Even though I'll never love another as I did you," he tearfully confessed.