When Darkness Reigns

Part 13: Maybe

Zeon's POV:

Without thinking I tackled the witch to the ground, pinning his small body under mine. I glared down at him harshly, watching as MY coat slid down his shoulders exposing his....bare chest? Wait! Why wasn't he wearing anything underneath my... Oh. Everything of his was soaked in water and snow.

He stared up at me with pleading eyes, his bottom lip quivering slightly.

"Please don't. I- it will only take a few hours for my clothes to dry. Then I can wash these in the creek if I have to." He rambled, his voice shakey from fear. I stared down at him in wonder, watching how his eyes refused to meet mine. How his pale skin seemed to glisten in the light...how frail he actually was. It would only take a quick flick of the wrists from me to snap his neck, but I couldn't do it. Because he already looked broken.

"Keep the coat." I huffed, letting my eyes linger a few moments longer on his small body before moving back to sit a few paces away from him. He stayed where he was for a while, as if frozen in place, but eventually he did move to a sitting position, his eyes occasionally darting to me.

"Th-thank you." He whispered, and I forced back a smile.

"What ever. It's just a coa- son of a bitch!" I gasped as a sharp pain shot through my back. Something warm and sticky oozed down my skin in a sickeningly slow pace and I winced. The Witches eyes grew wide and he rushed towards me, reaching out to touch my back. Instincts kicked in and before he could touch me I had snatched his hand out of the air, capturing it in mine.

"Just what are you planning on doing now?"

"Oh shut it oaf. I'm trying to help." He huffed, pulling his hand away harshly. I glanced down at him, a puzzled look plastered across my face.

"You snapped the stitches when you tackled me, so unless you want to bleed out, I suggest you lie on your stomach and keep still." He mumbled, pulling my satchel to himself and snatching the medical kit from inside.

"Stitches? I didn't have any stitches." I whispered, lying on my stomach none the less.

"You did once I saved us from the bear and treated your wounds."

"Then why didn't I feel any pain till now? I know for a fact there was no way you could sew everything that well. Hell, I don't even think a surgeon could either." I rambled. He paused for a moment, taken a back by my statement.

"There's a thing called light magic you know." He finally mumbled.

"Hold up! You used magic on me?!!"

"Calm down and stay still. It was light magic. And all I did was heal some of the more serious wounds."

"That doesn't change anything. You used magic on me!" I seethed, wincing as the needle dug into my skin. He sighed in frustration, yet he still worked on, his hands steady and calm.

"Sorry for almost killing myself to heal you." His voice was a soft whisper that I had to strain to hear, but I herd him none the less.

"What?"

"It's called an energy healing. It's something all light children learn to do, all though, it is supposed to be a last resort kind of thing, because it drains a lot from us." He explained. I looked back at him in utter shock, a small frown playing across my lips. Only now did I finally notice just how exhausted he looked. His already pale skin had somehow managed to lose even more of it's color, and his movements seemed more sluggish than before.

"Why would you do that for me? After everything I've done to you and your kind."

He glanced up to meet my gaze, his brilliantly bright eyes swarming with sadness.

"It's what Mamma taught me to do. It's what all of my kind were taught to do. Heal those who are in need, even if they hate you for it." He turned away from me, placing the needle and thread back into it's case. I watched him intently, my eyes following each glistening tear he tried to hide. Each drop that trailed down his face.

"I didn't choose to be what I am okay. I never had a choice in the matter. I can't change what I was made to be. Why can't people understand that? Why can't people realize that we aren't all bad?"

I scooted closer to his trembling figure, unsure of what to do. Over the years, I've seen countless witch...light children, cry. Most of them cried out of knowing what fate had in store for them, others begged for their lives, but none of them, before today, ever cried for the suffering of their people. None of them have ever cried because they were born.

"Hey. Don't do that kid."

He sniffled, turning his attention back to me.

"D-do what?"

"The tears." I mumbled, reaching forward and brushing his tears away, something I used to do for my little sister when she was upset.

"You'll scare the birds away."

A small giggle escaped his lips and he smiled, those bright green eyes of his shimmering once more.

"Maybe I should cry a little harder then. Scare you away."

It was now my turn to laugh.

"Oh yeah I'm petrified beyond belief. Have mercy." I exclaimed sarcastically. His smile was such a great improvement. It really lightened everything.

"I shall consider it."

He held his chin high like he was the king himself, and I let out a chuckle once more. A comfortable silence hovered over us and I sat there for a few moments, content with my surroundings, but the longer I sat there, the more reality kicked in.

"Well. It's time for you to take your leave." I whispered, the familiar frown setting in once more.

"Wait...what?" He stared at me in utter confusion and I sighed, running a hand through my hair.

"If the king gets ahold of you, your as good as dead. You saved my life, so now I'm returning the favor."

"No. I'm not running away."

"Don't you get it?!" I barked, grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him roughly.

"You'll die! You have a chance to prove to the world that not all of your kind are evil, staying with me will end all of that."

He stared up at me just as strong as I gazed down at him.

"Running away won't prove anything." He mumbled, his words cut deep like a blade, and his eyes blazed with hope.

"Why? Why risk so much when you could have a way out... A chance to live your life?" I asked. He smiled up at me once more.

"Because maybe, if one of my kind is brave enough to speak out, then maybe, just maybe, some of your people will be brave enough to listen."