The Dragon Bond: Heirs of Lyra

Chapter 99

When Henry first heard that Mavis might be in trouble, he never thought she could be dead. Even when his parents warned him things sounded bleak, he still clung to hope. It was too hard to imagine any other world than one with Mavis in it. 

All hope died the minute he slid off the dragon.

Her village was destroyed; her house reduced to ash. Her body...even now, as he looked at her, it seemed unreal. He felt caught in some weird, alternate reality. It didn't feel like a nightmare. None of his nightmares even compared to this. This was something worse, and he didn't know how to escape. 

How do you bring back the past? It was the only question on his mind. How could he fix it, how could he bring her back? There was no solution. 

Henry was alone now. Though Mavis was there, in front of him, her spirit was gone. There was no trace of her left. It pained him to admit, but he could hardly look at her now. Not when he couldn't see her freckles. Not when her messy hair was singed away. He closed his eyes and envisioned his Mavis. He pictured the way her nose would scrunch up when she was angry with him. The way her cheeks would burn red when he nibbled her ear. He thought of the nights they had spent together, of waking up with her in his arms. 

That was gone now. The sting of loneliness was sharper now that Henry knew what he lacked. He was truly alone again, as he had been before Mavis. Everyone had someone except for him. Elysia had Shade; Ralf had Karolina; but his own love had been torn from him, leaving a gaping wound in his chest. He wasn't sure he would ever recover. 

There was a feeling inside he hadn't felt in a while, not since before he met Mavis. There was an anger inside of him, a rumbling that yearned for justice and was hungry for blood. Though grief made his legs weak, he had never felt more ready for war. 

Something suddenly caught Henry's attention. He sniffed once, urging the tears to stop so he could listen. Then he saw it. 

From under the iron bedframe, a cat squeezed its way free from the rubble. When it approached Henry with a hoarse 'meow,' he recognized it straight away: Chlodomer. Somehow the cat had survived.

It's timid nature faded quickly once it sniffed at Henry. Then the cat began leaning into Henry's leg, purring affectionately. 

Henry wiped his eyes and picked the cat up. He nuzzled its head weakly, part of him wondering why of all the people in the family, the cat was the only survivor. Still, it was a part of Mavis. Henry knew the cat would be going home with him. 

Just as he started to walk away--because standing in front of Mavis' lifeless body was making him sick--the cat squirmed out of Henry's grasp, and jumped to the ash-covered ground. 

Frowning, Henry reached for the cat, only for it to dart away, under the bed. 

"You can't stay here," Henry reasoned. He didn't care if his parents thought him crazy for talking to a cat. 

Chlodomer was persistent, squeezing back under the bedframe, and giving a loud meow as if Henry had done something wrong. When Henry stood there, confused, the cat meowed once more, carrying on until Henry knelt down to reach for it.

It was difficult, sifting through the ash and debris under the mattress. Finally, he grew so irritated, he decided to move the entire bed instead. What an impossible cat, he thought. Just as stubborn as its owner was. 

When Henry was able to shift the bed over, he took a look to see where the cat had gotten to. Then he inhaled sharply. There was a limp hand, protruding from underneath a collapsed board. 

Quickly, Henry tore off everything from on top of it, until the form of a boy was visible. Wilkin!

Henry's heart leapt with a surge of joy. He had assumed the whole family perished. Even now, he wasn't entirely sure Wilkin was alive, but somehow he had a good feeling about it. 

The poor boy's face was covered with soot, even his hair was black with it. Henry did his best to wipe his face clean.

Carefully, he probed the boy's neck, checking for a pulse. It was faint, but it was there. Without wasting time, Henry gathered Wilkin into his arms, heading in the direction of his parents. The cat fell in step beside him. 

His mother and father hurried over, inspecting Wilkin frantically. 

"We need to get him to the castle immediately," Ariana said, calling her dragon over. 

Henry nodded. "You and dad take him back. I'm going to stay."

King Alan frowned. "Are you sure?" He looked worried, almost as if he didn't trust Henry to stay and face such grief alone. 

"I need to bury them," Henry's voice was weak. The thought of such a task was enough to make him sick. But he knew he could never leave them behind like this; their bodies exposed. No, he needed to lay them to rest, together. It's what Mavis would have wanted. 

King Alan nodded slowly. "Alright. Be careful getting home. I'll alert a patrol to send you a horse."

"Thank you."

Again, his father looked torn. It was clear he didn't want to leave Henry alone with this horror, but he also respected Henry's need for privacy. King Alan could understand the need to be alone at a time like this. Abruptly, he pulled Henry in for a hug. 

"I'm so terribly sorry this has happened, Henry. I know how happy you were. Don't let it ruin you."

With that, his parents left, taking Wilkin with them. Henry walked around aimlessly, trying to take slow, even breaths. Breathing was a difficult task when the love of your life was dead only twelve feet away. 

He wanted to find a good spot for them. Somewhere they could all be together. He walked along the fields where he had first met Mavis, in the pumpkin patch. The pumpkins were long gone and the field was covered in ash. Not much further, however, was a nice, sturdy tree. Around it the field was clear, free of debris. No sign of the unspeakable horror that happened only yards away. 

Gathering the bodies was more tiring on his soul than it was physically exhausting. It took a while for him to recover any trace of the father, but eventually he found him. 

Tracking down the necessary tools to dig the graves was another difficulty. Eventually he stumbled across a shed that hadn't been completely burned to bits. He took the shovel back with him and spent hours digging the graves. 

The entire time, Chlodomer stayed with him, following him around wherever he went.

The patrol had come an hour earlier, though Henry requested they remain far enough away that he couldn't see them. He wanted to do this in peace, without prying eyes. 

The act of bringing Mavis over was the hardest thing Henry ever did. He hated the way everything smelled, the way everything felt. 

How he would have loved to press one last kiss to his sweet love's forehead, but there was no skin left to kiss. The tears never ceased. It felt as though all those years he spent being tough and brave were gone. His tear ducts were making up for lost time. 

Henry wasn't even sure how he managed to carry on. Eventually the work was done. He buried the family with as much grace and dignity as he could, vowing to return with proper headstones when he could. For now, he utilized what he had around him to mark their graves. 

When it was over, the reality of it all became too much to bear. He lost the contents of his stomach three times before he was able to trudge back to his patrol. Carefully, he settled Chlodomer into one of the saddle bags, making sure the cat was comfortable.

He took the reigns of a riderless horse silently, not making eye contact with any of the men. He was sure with just one look, anyone would see right into the trauma in his eyes.

He would be plagued by this horror and grief for years. He knew that. No matter what, he vowed to himself he would never marry another. Mavis had been his soulmate. If he couldn't have her, he would have no one. 

In regards to the person or thing responsible for this. Well, Henry knew he may never get revenge on whatever was responsible. Instead, he vowed that Niebla would pay for the sins of its leaders. He would knock every opposing soldier down, cut through anyone in his way. Lyra would win this war. Even if it cost him his life.