Hunter's Return

Chapter 23: A Good Friend

Robert's POV

I opened my eyes to see a familiar face. "A-Aaron? What are you doing here? Where's your armor?"

"Armor is... Useless a-against... Hunter..." Aaron spat.

The heaved dagger was impelled straight into the heart of Aaron. I quickly looked away because the sight of blood was disgusting.

"D-don't worry... A-about me... R-Robert, I-I will be... F-fine," Aaron stammered.

My best friend was about to die, and I was not gonna let that happen. I turned Aaron around and removed the dagger impelled through him.

"I'm not gonna let you die Aaron," I said to him. I made him lie down on the cold floor and spoke to him quietly.

Aaron had been my best friend ever since I started protecting the kingdom.

Before I knew it, a flashback entered my mind.

"Stay away from that guy," I overheard a group of guards talking on my first day.

"Yeah, he even made a child cry. Who does that?" The other said.

"It's not like I wanted to," I muttered as I continued to walk down to another room. "They don't understand me."

I sighed, opening the door to my room. I was hoping I'd have no roommates, but it seemed that no force wanted to heed my prayers.

Another person my age was in the room, sitting on his bed as he lifted his gaze from the book he was reading.

"Hello there." He smiled. "So you're my roommate, huh?"

"Yeah," I said awkwardly.

A moment of silence followed.

"Aren't you gonna bully me for my past or something?" I said bitterly. "Just like the other guards."

"Why should I?" he asked as if not sensing my bad mood. "You're a very interesting person."

"Uh, thanks...?"

"Do you mind if you explain the incident the guards always chit chat about?"

I exhaled. "Thank God someone wants to know my side of the story," I muttered. "Okay, so before I became a guard, I was a teacher for a CoEd school.

"There was this kid who was really rude to me. I tried to tell him off nicely, but he continued his behavior. I had no choice but to raise my voice. The student cried afterwards and told all kinds of untrue stories about me. No one believed my side of the story.

"I resigned, hoping to get away from all the lies, but apparently, the rumors reached even the guards."

"Ah." Smiling, Aaron clapped his hands together. "You were simply misunderstood!"

"How do I make them understand?"

"Try talking to them," he suggested.

"All right then."

~***~

About an hour had passed. Drinking tea gloomily, I sat on the chair in Aaron and my room.

"I hate the other guards," I muttered.

"It's just that they're stubborn," explained Aaron. "They don't want to believe your story is true. They don't want to accept that they had been wrong the whole time."

"Why can't people believe me?"

"It means they are scared to loose against someone smaller than them. It's really clear to see that they're afraid."'

"Gosh, I am incredibly lonely!"

"No you are not. All you need is a true friend that you could trust till the end. A friend who would always stick by your side and a friend who will always be loyal to you."

"Yeah, and where could I find a good friend?"

"I have one question for you Robert,"

"What is it?"

"Can I be that friend?"

I just wanted to saya big thank you to my friend RanieAccendo or Ranie for writing this chapter for me :)