The Believer

Chapter Five: The Geodonna Manor

"It's all so... quiet."

The three travellers walked along a road along the Tawno River. Grand, empty houses loomed over them, and the rushing river was their constant companion, but even with the noise of the Tawno, Wilky was spooked by the silence. There were no children wading in the water, trying to catch minnows with their bare hands. There were no adults sitting in the backyard, gossiping and drinking tea. There were no servants hanging up the laundry.

Casey put a hand on Wilky's shoulder, as she tightened her grip on her staff.

"They... they couldn't have taken everyone... could they?" she asked Casey. "So many are missing..."

"The Cordians can be ruthless," Casey replied. "They must have been desperate for some kind of aid."

"I hate that war!" Wilky burst out. "It's been going on so long now, why can't they just get along?"

"It's not that simple," Thea sighed. "Unfortunately."

"It's because of the war that my parents forbid me to learn Kownian," Wilky admitted. "I wanted to learn it, but they refused to allow me. Maybe you could teach me!" Wilky said to Thea, brightening.

Thea shook her head. "I don't know about that. I'm not really a teacher."

"Oh. I guess so. I mean, you could try..."

"No." Thea stated firmly. "Come on, are we done here? We need to keep going."

"We're almost to my house," Wilky said, turning her attention to the manors they were passing. "Here, this is it!"

She ran ahead, pushing open the familiar iron gate and stepping into the yard of one of the manors. The manor still stood tall, its pale blue exterior summoning a feeling of memory and nostalgia in Wilky.  The gardens were trampled, red and purple and blue flowers crushed upon the ground.  Far from the warmth and laughter the house once held, the whole place had a barren, empty feeling.

Something had changed for the worse.

"Wilky wait!" Casey called, as she dashed up the front walk and through the front doors. The entrance hall was more or less in ruins. The walls were still standing, at least, but all the furniture was gone or broken. The valuable vases, the chairs, the tables, the paintings and picture frames, even the stained glass in the windows by the door, everything remotely valuable was gone.

Wilky now realized how unlikely it would be to find any of her family here. The manor had been ravaged by thieves, and would, in time, make a home for insects and rodents, if it hadn't already. This was no longer her home. Her only hope was to find Destin in Lorea, then return to rescue her family from Cordia.

It hit Wilky that she might never see any of her family again. Wilky would never again tousle little Warner's blonde hair, or be interrogated by Willow, or fall victim to one of Warner's lame pranks, or look into Winnie's eyes as the girl placed a crown of daisies on her head, or watch Wesley spin like a whirlwind, wielding her shining blades. She would never see her siblings grow up, never meet their husbands or wives or children. She would never finish teaching Willow self defense, or Winnie to count to one hundred in Orian.

So many memories, so many regrets. So many moments she could never return to. Her childhood, playing with her brothers and sisters, believing, knowing, that they would always be by her side, no matter what. Everything was gone, all her hopes and dreams and imaginings of the future, gone in an instant, like the tufts of fluff from a dandelion. All that was left was uncertainty, and a big, wide, unfamiliar world that had always been hidden behind a luxurious golden curtain.

Wilky didn't realize she was crying until she was sobbing. She collapsed onto the stairs as memories flashed, only ghosts of the past.

Suddenly, Casey was sitting on the stair beside her, resting a hand on her shuddering shoulder.

"I'm all alone," Wilky cried, turning to embrace her newfound friend. "M-my family is all gone, and I'm all a-alone and I don't know where I'm going and I don't even know w-where I am... anymore... it feels a-all wrong... I don't know my home anymore... it's so empty... so lonely..."

Casey, feeling tears spark in his own eyes, gently stroked her hair. "Don't worry, Wilky. I'm not going to leave you any time soon, I promise. We'll get to Lorea and find your Destin and no, things aren't going to be what they were. But maybe they can be just as good, or better."

"Thank you," Wilky whimpered, leaning her head against his chest. "Y-you're so nice... I wish everyone in the world was like you... then none of this would have happened..."

"Well, a world full of me would get pretty boring after awhile, dontcha think?" Casey asked, with a slight grin. Wilky laughed through her tears and sat up.

"Then maybe just one of you is enough," she resolved, climbing shakily to her feet.

"Good, because duplicating oneself is rather difficult," Casey replied.

Wilky realized that Thea was standing in the doorway, looking around at the once grand manor.

"You're a lucky girl to have such fond memories of your childhood," she spat bitterly, before turning to leave.

"Like I said, she's got a past," Casey muttered.

Wilky frowned sympathetically. Who hurt you? she wondered, watching Thea's retreating form.

Sorry for such a short chapter today, but I felt this part deserved a chapter all by itself.  Next chapter will be published on Friday!  In the meantime, thank you so much for reading, and please leave a vote or a comment if you enjoyed! :)