The People We Are

Chapter VIII; Arlie

They fought on the bridge. At first, Arlie had a bit of an edge, but Anastasia would come back. The battle raged on for what seemed like forever, and Arlie got tired. She knew Xayah was watching and she would not let herself fall in front of her. Her legs were weak and her arms were sore, but Anastasia seemed perfectly fine. Eventually, Anastasia dealt her signature move and swept Arlie off her feet, plummeting her to the ground. She put one foot on Arlie's stomach and bent down to Arlie, where they were face-to-face. The world was silent. Even the river had muted itself. "Please" Arlie mouthed. "Dear friend, I must. For Iphica, for Beau, for me." Anastasia whispered before she did what Arlie never thought she'd be able to.

That seemed like so long ago for many.
But for Arlie? It felt like yesterday.
Arlie was re-remembering her teenage years.
But no matter what Ideus said, the bulk of what should have been her adulthood was lost.

After eating another breakfast of quail eggs the group took off for Zellarid. They headed south, dreading their return to the beach. Ryaxleb did his best to stay with the group, but whenever he tried to walk slowly he was still just fast walking. He stayed at the helm of the group because of this and the fact that he was the only one who truly knew the way. Behind him walked Luna and Soleil, who had grown close in the past few days. Behind them were Anastasia and Ideus, who had also grown quite close. Xayah glared at them as she walked behind her brother and next to Arlie. They had been entrusted with carrying the quail eggs, a task Arlie felt could be handled by Xayah but not herself. She stared at the basket, holding it with great care. She was terrified to drop them. Laughing to herself, Xayah broke the silence between the two. "Do you want me to carry them?" she asked, scoffing at her. "I'll be fine." she said as she stared at the basket. "Here, carry my pack and I'll carry the eggs. There's nothing breakable in here." she said as she gently set down her basket of eggs and took off her pack. Arlie took the bag after carefully giving her the eggs. She held the pack with great care too, even though Xayah told her she didn't have to be that careful.
They had made it farther than they thought, as they could begin to hear the distant sounds of the beach when night hit. They made their makeshift camp, desperately trying to make some sort of shelter but ultimately failing. In the end, they determined that the night was actually a good night for this to happen as the night air didn't get too cold. They lay in a row, gazing at the stars. Anastasia and Ideus spoke of constellations with one another, until the entire group got involved. Anastasia pointed out the ones she knew, and Ideus pointed out a skull. "That's mine!" she teased. Arlie knew Anastasia once thought she could make out a skull, but Arlie couldn't see it. All the Miri's could see it, but Arlie and Soleil could not.
The next morning they knew that they would once again face the beach. Though it was spring, the sand was always hot in the daylight and crabs ran amuck. Shattered shells crept up on the narrow shore, cutting their shoes to pieces. After giving up on them, the shells scratched Arlie's feet severely. This happened with the other's feet as well, and they ultimately wrapped their feet in spare clothes they had brought.
They made a great way on the beach that day, and decided at sunset they would rest. Crabs began to run amuck, but when Soleil changed form she was able to scare them off. They were unable to make a fire again now that they were on the beach. They huddled up together in one big circle, Arlie sitting herself between Xayah and Ryaxleb. The group split off into conversations in pairs, except Ryaxleb who was left alone with his own thoughts. Luna for the first time seemed to not acknowledge him and instead focus on Soleil, who reciprocated the action. Anastasia and Ideus once again looked to the stars as Xayah glared at them and talked to Arlie. They had gotten to know each other well, and Arlie was thankful for it. There was something about her that absolutely enthralled Arlie, though she dared not to think of it while she was around. If Xayah were to read her mind, Arlie didn't know what she would do.
The days on the beach continued, and sand seemed to become one with their skin. No matter how much you brushed it off, there were still grains all over. It would be useless to travel to the ocean to wash it off, as they would just get more on their journey. Thus, a new motive to get back was born: once back in Zellarid, they would be able to wash their legs off in the cool stream that separated the two kingdoms. Yes they wanted to return to their friends and family, yes they wanted to save Mirirejar, but they most certainly wanted to wash away the pesky sand. Though their time in the shrine had been short, they certainly forgot just how ruthless the sand was.
Alas, as they thought that they had neared the end of the beach, they heard distant noise. They saw tents and many, many people on the beach. Ryaxleb ran ahead to figure out who they were. He returned and told them all to run, so they did. Once there, they realized that they were too late. "The creatures came and attacked Capital City" Soleil's father told them. "They didn't leave there, I don't think they realize there's more to Zellarid yet." Anastasia's father continued. "Nevertheless, we were all drawn out." Arlie's mother finished. The three main royals of Zellarid talked to those from Mirirejar, as Anastasia and Soleil's mothers and Arlie's father talked to them about their time in the shrine. They showed off their new abilities to all of the citizens and royals, and even though they saw how their children had matured, their parents still did not allow them to be a part of the discussion.