Barbara the Belonging

Loss and Sorrowful Vengeance

It felt like he was in a dream where he was carried around by a figure in a suit of armor with stone creatures staring at him.

He finds out that figure was his own mother.

She revealed to him her secret, the reasons for her absences, and her strange behavior.

It turns out, it was no dream and apparently his memory was erased due to a ritual that was supposed to cure him from a wicked enchantment.

Jim wakes up in a cold sweat after seeing one glowing eye piercing through the darkness and a blade slashed towards him.

The boy clutched his shoulder and felt the stitches on his hand.

Then, he looks down to see Claire resting her head on the edge of the bed, and holding his other hand.

Now he knows this wasn't a dream as he remembered what happened hours prior. But the question is, how long has he been asleep?

He looked up to see the clock on the wall, it was still late, and he had gone to sleep for an hour and a half.

Then, Claire slowly wakes up.

"You're awake. How are you feeling?" She asked.

"Fine... I guess." Jim mumbled, and it concerned the girl.

"Are you sure? You look... sweaty."

"It was just a weird dream I had. Shouldn't you be heading home? It's eleven thirty, the dance should be over now."

Claire sits up and squeezes his hand, showing that she really didn't want to leave him.

"I don't know, I don't want to leave you all alone." The girl sighs.

"Claire, I'll be fine. I don't want your parents to worry about you. Besides, I'll probably come home by tomorrow, maybe we can hang out when I'm feeling better?" Jim suggests and flips her hand over and gently rubs her palm.

The touch was soothing and reassuring enough for the girl to make up her mind.

"Alright. I'll see you soon, Jim. Take care." Claire gets up and hugs him, and he hugs back.

"I love you, Claire."

She went stiff for a moment upon hearing those words and she smiled with her cheeks turning slightly red.

"Love you too." She replied back and they split from the embrace, and before she left the room, she turned to get one last look of him, and finally left.

Jim finally exhaled from holding in his breath after she left, he couldn't believe he just confessed to his crush, and he was so glad that he did, even though he wanted to tell her at the dance, but this was good enough.

He had been waiting for quite awhile to tell her how he felt, and was even happier that she loved him back.

Strickler groans when something hits his head and looks over to see three trolls taunting him below his cage.

"Only an impure would be stupid enough to raise Angor Rot. Gunmar can't save him now."

"Not so tough without your assassin, are ye?"

Two of the trolls laughed and continued throwing rocks at him.

"You throw like a sloth-kin." He retorted, then he quickly moved back when a larger rock hit his cage.

"Let's get him down from there and really have some fun."

When the cage began to lower to the ground, the changeling started to panic.