What if you decided not to turn him in? What if he has to stand trial anyway? And what if you get asked to be a witness?
Would you save him? Or wouldn't you?
For Sebastian Sallow, Eleanor - Ellie - has been through hell and back. She did it all for...
The song choice for this chapter is "traitor" by Olivia Rodrigo.
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The first Puffskein I ever saved looks up at me, ready to take a bite of the beast feed I'm offering. I watch as he takes it in with its tongue, the very one Duncan Hobhouse is so afraid of.
I hear the waves crash in the distance, feel the sand underneath my feet, and the sun on my skin, warming me up. It is a nice change to the atmosphere in the Map Chamber, and I just wish I could hide away here forever.
'Elara?'
I can hear Anne's voice calling out to me. She has been doing exceptionally well in the last few days, and I sort of am happy she does, and sort of ashamed she does, because I relate it to the fact that I can't get Sebastian out of my mind.
'Hi,' I say and turn around. 'Is there something you need?'
Seeing Anne is always painful. Not because she is, who she is, but because I feel I owe something to her I can't give. I wish I could protect her but doing that would mean getting Sebastian in trouble. And seeing him rot away in Azkaban wouldn't help her either. She's not only dependent on my love for him but also on his love for her.
My hands are tied. I don't know what to do.
'I just wanted to ask if you're okay. From what I heard it was ... intense with the Keepers. And I just want you to know that I never would've wanted you to do something you're not fond of. You don't have to like Sebastian for my sake. I'll be okay, in any way.' She smiles at me in a way that breaks me to the core.
I let a bit of the beast feed crumble in my hands. One of my Nifflers runs up to catch it and eats the crumbs of the sand. I can only hope, for his sake, its stomach is somewhat able to differentiate sand from food.
Probably not.
'It's not that I don't want to,' I say and shrug. 'I really do. I know, he's your brother, and this is awful for you, but I really like him. I told him I love him, even. There is little to nothing I can do against the truth. But I just don't see a future in which any of this makes sense. He's with Imelda, anyhow. And should I just tiptoe around my mother?'
Anne crosses her arms and walks over to me. Her thin hair waves in the sea wind, and she looks more beautiful than ever. 'I'm not saying you should be with him just because. But if you love him – if that is really something you do – then it might be worth it. Your parents won't live forever. Love, however, is said to last forever. And if you loved him enough to protect him once, what makes you think you can't protect him twice?'
It's a valid point, but not one I wanted to consider. It is risky. 'I don't want to put him – or you – in danger. It's not fair.'
'We've been in danger many more times. A lot of them took place before we knew you. I don't know what Sebastian's thoughts are on this, and you'll have to ask him, but I would personally say that any risk is worth it. There have been greater love stories written about people who shouldn't have ended up together and yet they did. I don't care about myself, I really don't. This is about Sebastian. And about what kind of a brother I leave behind when I'm gone. And I would want to see him happy.'
