Rust

Chapter 3

I woke up in the dirt, with Laurel standing over me. She startled me so much that I shouted, shot up, and knocked her in the face with my forehead.
"Polaris!" She screamed, clutching her nose.
"Sorry." I grinned nervously. "You scared me." I looked up at the sky. It was filled with the deep gray clouds I had seen at the edge of the valley when we first departed from my home. "How long was I out?"
"It's been a few hours." She pulled her hand away from her nose. "You're lucky you didn't make me bleed."
As she finished that sentence, there was a loud clap of thunder and rain poured down in buckets. I ducked under a tree next to me a pulled up the hood on my cape. Laurel stood out in the rain and raised her arms up to the sky.
"Get out of the rain!" I should over the din of the rain pelting the leaves around me. "Your arm will rust up!" She waved me off. I ran out in the rain to stand next to her.
"When we get back to town, I think we should get lunch together and catch up." She grinned widely.
My stomach dropped to my toes. "I'm... I won't be going back home." I mumbled. "I'm going out elsewhere, on an adventure."
"Excuse me?" Laurel asked, her voice as sharp as a knife. "No, you're not. You'll die for sure."
"I'll die without a heart, anyway. I'd rather die out there, where I have a chance to actually live, than at home with a bunch of people I don't know mourning me." I responded quietly.
"Were you not listening to a word your sister said?" Laurel demanded angrily. "If your heart has someone to beat for, it will keep beating. You won't die if you have friends and family around you."
"That was figurative. It means I'll live out the rest of my short life happy, not that I'll live." Laurel looked at me with large, sad eyes,
"But... You're the hero of the story. The hero always lives." She whispered. "That's how all of the stories go. You have to live."
"I almost killed a child. A hero wouldn't do that. Heroes save damsels and kiss puppies." I grimaced at myself. "I would've done it if it wasn't for you, you know. That baby would've been dead, and her mom."
"But you did the right thing in the end." She grinned.
I couldn't help but think, 'I'm good because I almost hurt someone, but didn't."
"You're the hero and I'm the spunky side-kick!" Laurel shouted, smiling. She motioned to the land around her. "It's been told like that for centuries. And the hero should always return home to their family. You're coming back with me, even if I have to drag you back."
And so, after a little bit more arguing, I went back home. I guess I really was the hero in my story.

Several Months Later

I sat next to many people, all wiping their noses and their eyes, as if they were sad. I hadn't ever seen any of these people, and all of a sudden, they were at my father's funeral, grieving for a man they didn't know, nor did they care about. I didn't mind though. My dad probably would've like the public grieving.
I had returned home after a few days. It was hard, but I managed to get back into my uneventful life. My dad had spent his last few days sleeping, so it wasn't very spectacular, with any final request or anything. After he died, I spent a lot of time doing work for other people. Maybe the baker needed someone to help her carry the heavy boxes of flour, or the a child at the library needed someone to grab a book on the upper shelf for them. Like my sister had said, I was trying to keep my heart beating for someone, and to me, that meant trying to help others as much as possible. It kept my mind elsewhere, which was good. Laurel left a few days before the funeral. She said that she was needed in the outside world again, and I understood. It was a little bit hurtful that she left without me, but I had my place here.
After the funeral, I was walking away, when I found a crumpled up piece of paper in the mud. Being the nosy man I am, I just had to pick it up. I unfurled it and started reading it. "Dear Laurel, I hate to interrupt your daily life, but I am imperatively in need of your assistance. It appears that something is wrong with my brother. He disappeared the other day, and I need to find him. His children really miss him. If you can't come, please send someone in your stead. Sincerely, Phi."
It may have been just a chance that I found that note, but I knew I was needed somewhere else. Laurel had left to help Phi, and I wanted to help her. As long as I was helping those that I cared for, I knew my heart would never, ever rust.