Show Me a Hero

The End

[Contest Submission]
-This is a chapter from one of my in-editing books.-
-'I Will Follow You Into The Dark' is the song the quotes in the story are from.-

"Show me a hero, and I'll write you a tragedy."
~F. Scott Fitzgerald, "Notebook E"

DANNY CHARD; Adventurer Extraordinaire!
_________________________________________

DANNY HAD NOT BEEN ON HER OWN LONG;
After saving a small town, the young adventurer had gained a bit of popularity, which meant her name was spread along. Silently was never her favourite way to play a game, and she found that life was very much life a game- this meant it wasn't meant to be travelled silently, or alone.

Along the way to becoming a real hero, someone people admire and look up to, she had met two curious figures, who aided and changed her in ways that never would've seemed possible before.

These characters were closer than Danny's family had ever been, maybe even more in a certain someone's case-
But it didn't matter now.
Now, it all seemed futile.

"No blinding light, or tunnels to gates of white,"

She doubted she would ever see her companions again- already she missed the tall woman with gray hair named Cala, the woman's surprisingly young age not matching the aging silver hair. Her smile was radiant, and all Danny could remember was how warmth exploded in her chest whenever Cala talked, this buzzing ran throughout Danny's body when Cala looked at her, and it was bliss in this moment.
The short pudgy man they'd met, Adrian, was an uptight person- even so, the sorrow Danny felt for never even getting to say sorry to him for all the trouble she had caused him along the way.
Sorry for being irritating, and disrespectful, sorry for bringing up memories that Danny knew he'd rather forget.
It seemed harmless at first.

Now she knew how 'harmless' quickly turns into 'deadly'.

"Just our hands clasped so tight, waiting for the hint of a spark,-"
------------

When Danny had left home, she knew that dangerous things awaited her. This didn't dissuade her, and she persevered through treacherous oceans, with monsters of the deep, and through dense woods with many hidden creatures lurking for the right moment to strike.

"You and me, have seen everything to see- from Bangkok to Calgary,"

It was actually in those forests that she met the radiant woman she knew as Cala-
Oh god, how Danny missed Cala.
If only she could see her one last time.

"Love of mine, someday you will die, but I'll be close behind- I'll follow you into the dark."

It wasn't long after meeting Cala that they met Adrian, and the trio stuck together to take on the world.

They travelled lightly for a while, helping where they could and doing simple work for the odds and ends money they could get- often Danny would offer her money to Cala so she had enough to eat and wear.

Then Danny decided that they should go after something big- maybe a monster or a wizard causing havoc.
They planned for everything that they could think of- giants, wizards, small dogs, even poisonous plants.
They managed their way across a large stretch of land without problem, making them think that they would be find for the rest of their journey.

It turns out the world had more tricks than they anticipated, and as soon as the group tried to make their way through a mountain pass, Danny was separated.

This seemed like hours ago, and it had snowed much more since then.
Danny was hopelessly and completely stranded, and laid down ages ago.
When was it that she had just sat down and relaxed?