Silverton's Journey

Chapter 10

Ophelia woke up with a dull pain in her back. The words of the book were still vivid in her mind-the magnificent stories of Nordlys.

She realized she had fallen asleep while reading and was wearing an extra cloak along with her one. It was slightly warm.

The girl guessed that the cloak belonged to Leon. She did not see him, but she knew he was there. Her eyes searched across the room for him and stopped at a corner. A cold wind ran down her spine.

It was right beside the gigantic glass window. An intricate shadow surrounded someone, creeping and crawling all over the darkness. When Ophelia looked more carefully, she saw the faintly glowing skin of Leon in the middle of the shadows.

The view was frightening for her, but she felt like she had seen it before. She could not remember when.

"S-Sir? Are you alright?" The words slipped away from her lips with a tremor.

Hearing the echo of her voice, Leon's eyes snapped open. He jumped up and all the shadows were gone. Ophelia stared at him with widened eyes and an unsteady breath.

Leon came forward to her and smiled nervously. "Why do you ask? Are you alright?"

Ophelia noticed him carrying a thick, heavy book in his hands. He kept in on the reading table and placed the back of his hand on her forehead.

The girl flinched a little and leaned in foolishly. Leon removed his hand; a smile forming on his lips. "Nothing seems wrong. Now, shall we go outside for a while?"

Ophelia nodded.

She followed him out of the old building with a faint feeling of trust growing deep inside of her. As she stepped out of the building, the cold air stung her, but she did not care. It was dark outside and Ophelia could barely see any blue beyond the clouds. Still, there was something comforting about this abandoned place.

"This place is beautiful."

The words slipped out of her lips nonchalantly as the two of them walked, heading nowhere.

"It used to be even more beautiful."

Ophelia looked up at him, only to see a wry look on his face. His gaze was oblivious, lost. His eyes were dark and colorless; the shade concealing the deepest secrets of himself.

The girl broke the musing silence with her curious words. "Does nobody come here?"

Leon replied, voice emptier than before. "No. This place has been abandoned for sixteen years."

Ophelia let out a cordial smile. "At least we're here."

The man looked at her for the first time since they had come out of the library. There was a spark in his eyes that was gone within a blink. The corners of his lips rose to form a slight smile.

"You are right."

Ophelia wished she could see another spark in his eyes, but he was careful enough to not let it show.

The two of them stood in the middle of a stone-paved road with colossal buildings on both sides. Shrubberies ruled along the walls of the old, damaged structures. A berry vine caught Ophelia's eyes. She ran towards it and pointed at the berries. She asked Leon, "Can I eat these?"

Leon looked at the vine and said, "No, they are poisonous."

The girl jumped away from it and Leon chuckled. "I was joking."

Ophelia picked a berry and put it in her mouth. She smiled while chewing on it, saying, "Liar."

She picked a handful of berries and returned to him, beckoning him to take some. Leon took a few and they resumed their walk; this time a warmer one.

He asked her about what she had read in the library earlier. Ophelia described everything vividly, with a level of enthusiasm Leon never expected her to have. She included everything she had read so far: the story of two separate kingdoms uniting for the sake of protection.

During the entire conversation, Leon listened to her with great consideration. Time flew like storm winds though their promenade was blessed with serenity.

***

Another round of silence passed; it was broken by Ophelia's sudden question: "What could Alice be doing now?"

The two of them were on their way back to the library with a long path ahead of them. Ophelia was melancholic; Leon assumed she might have said it out of the blue. Nobody knew how much time had passed; the two of them had walked until their feet began to hurt. Leon had not bothered to check his watch, losing track of time for the entire night.

"Perhaps she is happy that you have returned to where you belong."

Leon knew his words would not satisfy her. Ophelia decided not to talk about it anymore, knowing his answers would not bring her any comfort.

Instead, she looked below, at his feet. His shadow was barely visible in the darkness, but she could guess that it was nothing peculiar. A question slipped out of her lips.

"Were you the one who helped me that night? The night when... you first brought me to Nordlys."

Leon looked at her with slightly widened eyes of surprise. For a moment, he was questioning himself. How did she know?

She had already known, so there was no use in lying. "Yes, I was," said Leon. He added, "Why was he troubling you at that hour? Who was he?"

Ophelia replied, "Richard. He wanted to marry me but I disagreed. Maybe that's why..."

"I see."

"Thank you for saving me. He could have done worse."

Leon chuckled, "You don't have to thank me. I wouldn't want the precious Ophelia Silverton to be hurt before everything begins."

Ophelia smiled, her eyes nearly closing because of fatigue. She never realized that she was still wearing Leon's cloak. Leon did not ask her to give it back, either.

They reached the library; their feet sore from walking. The first thing Ophelia did upon reaching there was take off the leather boots. She stretched her toes and exclaimed, "My feet are burning!"

The two of them went into the same hall as before. Ophelia sat on a chair and rested her head on the table. She said, "I'm really tired, I need to sleep. What are you going to do, Sir?"

Leon sat on another chair, a little far from her. He took the heavy book in his hands and flipped through the pages, saying, "I will guard this place... and read."

Ophelia yawned and said, "Aren't you tired, Sir?" The man shook his head.

She fell asleep in an instant. Only Leon was wide awake in this enormous library. He knew Ophelia was safe from Nathaniel here, but he feared that the enemies of Nordlys might still be roaming around the abandoned cities, looking for her.

It was never safe.