The Voyager and the Rogue

Chapter 39

Whispering in the wind encouraged me to open my eyes.

I felt my hair being gently tugged by the gusts of wind around my face. I felt the wet chill in the air, shivering at the sensation. Upon opening my eyes, I saw myself in my old clothes from before, which now seemed brighter in color. And I noticed I also had my bag with my belongings inside. I didn't know how on earth that was possible, but I guess the gods wanted me to be prepared.

As I took in my surroundings and the new sensations, I heard a loud squawk beside me.

I nearly jumped out of my skin as I whipped my head around to face a large boulder protruding from the ground. And standing on the boulder was an unusually large raven. I watched the raven awkwardly, and it watched me back, cocking its head.

"Uh... I don't suppose you know where I'm going...?" I grunted in frustration, pinching the bridge of my nose. What the hell am I thinking? Talking to a bird?

It squawked at me again, watching me intensely before taking flight and waiting for me. Considering what I knew about ravens, I determined it was wise to follow them.

With my stuff in hand, and the raven leading me, I made my way up the familiar rocky path to the Celtic village.

I wasn't nervous. But determined. If I could fix this, then I knew Eyarr and I would be okay. The faces of the people I'd become friends with all came running up to me with expressions of delight and confusion. Morgan was the first one I recognized.

"We're so glad you're back! We've been waiting for you!" She said, bringing me into a tight hug, "you were greatly missed." As she led me deeper into the village, I noticed she didn't wasn't leading me down the path toward mine and Eyarr's house.

"Morgan, where are we going?" Morgan looked at me.

"Well, uh... perhaps Eir should show you." I raised an eyebrow but followed her nonetheless, and now I was getting worried. Was someone sick? Dying? Dead? Morgan led us to Eir's house.

"Well, look who finally showed up." Eir's scratchy voice came as soon as we passed the threshold.

"Thanks for the pleasant welcome back," I replied.

"Eir, what's going on? No one will give me a straight answer." The old man sighed, closing his eyes. It was a sigh of disappointment. Out of instinct, I put my stuff down and immediately made a beeline for the backroom where Eir typically had the sick or injured stay. I somehow knew exactly what I was about to come face to face with.

I pushed the heavy curtain to the side, and directly in front of me, on the straw and linen bed, was Eyarr.

I can't quite describe the rush of emotion that ran through me. But I hurried to his side, evaluating him. His hair and beard were a mess. Hadn't been washed or trimmed in gods knows how long. He was covered in bruises and cuts, and several bandages were wrapped around his arm.

"Eir... What happened to him?" I questioned, mouth agape.

"To make a long story short, his past came back to bite him in the ass. He did fight valiantly alone, but he was unfortunately unsuccessful. One of our men found him in the local tavern drinking off the pain." I couldn't believe what I was hearing. This mighty young man, my guide, my best friend, a trainer... a partner. He just fell apart.

"How long ago did this happen?"

"A couple of weeks after you left. Maybe a month. He's been in recovery since. He often speaks of you."

"In what way?"

"He regrets what he said during your fight. But he feels like he has nothing to live for. He became a different man after you left." Eir said. It was the way he said that... it tugged at my heart. It brought me some relief that he felt bad, but at the same time, I felt... exhausted. Guilty that he fell into this state of depression without me. I sat there, letting it all sink in. And then I remembered one of the final things he said to me.