In The End

Section 1: Chapter 8

Silvana walked through, carrying both their bags on her back, and holding Naoki in her arms. She tried to stay strong for him, as he had done for her, but it was so hard. Naoki made carrying people look easy. Within a couple of hours, her already sore body was screaming. She'd tried to use the compass as Naoki had, tried to make sure the red needle was always pointing to her right. She had to concentrate, otherwise she'd start walking off in the wrong direction. After a while, she just couldn't keep going much longer. She hadn't even cast a spell, yet she could start to feel the pains and nausea that she'd come to associate with magical exhaustion.
This was bad..
Silvana put him down, and lay there for a while, panting. She was more tired than she'd been in her life. Then, she grabbed Naoki's map. From what she gathered, they were only a day away from the nearby town. She knew that Naoki needed civilisation now. Naoki was getting weaker, just as she had when she'd been separated from Nature in the army base. If they'd only planned, this wouldn't have happened. Then she thought about it, and realised they'd had no time to plan.
Silvana started setting up camp, preparing to call it a day. She'd wanted to push on through the night, but her body disagreed. As she got ready, she heard the sound of a horse whinnying. It sounded just like a horse from her world. It was barely there, but it was enough to make her heart soar.
Silvana stopped, and listened for bears. Hearing none, she sighed, and fell asleep on the ground next to Naoki.

................

Naoki curled up in a ball and tried to look smaller in the corner.
It was happening again...
His father was once again drunk, out of control, and taking it out on him. He has always been a strict man, but after Naoki's mother, Nagisa, died, he'd turned into an abusive alcoholic.
He grabbed him by the shirt and dragged him up and out of the corner of the room, slamming him on the wall painfully.
"You're such a weakling, kid! You're useless. Do nothing but cry! But you can't even obey what I tell you!"
He yelled at him again, and hit him once more.
"Please... I'm sorry... Just let go of me."
"Why should I do that? You look so adorable when you're scared. When you're angry but you're too afraid to show me it. When you're being so pathetic and you're just asking me for it. You're the reason why Nagisa is dead!"
Naoki just cried when his father kicked him.
"I'm sorry... I didn't... Please.. "
He tried to beg his way out of it, since a weak 8 year old couldn't fight a grown man. Particularly since his father was a veteran. He received another kick in the shins for his efforts.
"You're terribly weak and stupid. But I'll make you the winner. I'll mould you into the soldier you should be! A man doesn't ever shed a tear! Never forget that!"
Suddenly, the dream ended and Naoki was thrown, screaming, into consciousness. For a few seconds, he was caught up in the panic. Then, he realised where he was. His eyes and cheeks were wet. He'd been crying in his sleep. Again...
This wasn't their last camp. He'd been in the woods for long enough to tell one tree from another. Naoki looked to the side to see Silvana, asleep on her side, frowning slightly in her sleep. He decided to get up. The sun was starting to rise, or maybe it was about to finish setting? He got to his feet and his bones cracked as he moved. This was a completely different part of the woods to yesterday. What had happened? They'd met the bears, then he passed out from all the adrenaline. Silvana must have carried him here. Damn, she never failed to impress him... Naoki sat down by her body, and stared off into the sunrise, waiting for her to wake up.

........................

This was the reason that Silvana never closed her eyes to sleep, unless she really had to. Otherwise all the memories would come back.
She was frozen in place like a statue. She tried to move, but she couldn't. It wouldn't even let her close her eyes. In front of her was Lady Argenta Cain, giving a speech to the freezing, starving refugees. Silvana was standing amid Argenta's Deathstalkers. Physically, she was still a child. Mentally, Argenta's training had forced her to become an adult. She looked at her leader, awaiting instructions.
"Obey, and I can give you mercy," said Argenta, slowly, stepping towards them and stretching her hands out, "Obey, and I can give you a place to live, in the country you were born in. I can give you enough to eat, and a chance to raise your children. What more do you want? There may even come a time where you look at my rule as the better part of your lives,"
The refugees looked tempted. For a minute, the idea of food and bed was better than any politics. Then, they remembered what Argenta did to people and they came no closer, cowering and hiding. One of the stronger, braver men walked up and shook his head, "We could never join you," he said, looking at Argenta's feet, "That would be an insult to the memory of those like my brother, who died to keep you out."
"Very well,"