Malion: Royal Blood

Goodbye

I sat in the shade of the forest on the edge of the beach, clutching the grip of Alex's sword. There was an emptiness that had lingered after the Burns' had decided to prepare a funeral. My eyes flicked to the couple as they pushed a tiny boat onto shore. I saw Michelle emerge from the forest a ways away with a stack of wood piled in her arms. Her hair stuck to her face and I could've sworn that I saw tears rolling down her crimson cheeks. I lowered my gaze back to the sword and saw that my knuckles had turned white. Slowly, I let my grip relax and the redness that had been normal for my calloused hands reappeared. I took a shaking breath and let me gaze run along the blade. I noticed Elliott's folded legs near the point. My gaze flicked up to his sky blue eyes.

"Lethallin...?" He trailed off with a hardly noticeable crack in his voice.

"I... I'd like to be alone for a while." I mumbled and let my eyes flick back down to the grip of the sword, where my knuckles had paled again.

"Lethallin please. I can handle what happened, but the question is; can you? I'm here for you. I want to help you!" He insisted.

"I said leave me alone!" I yelled, whirling my gaze to glare at him. My vision was fogged by tears but I still saw the hurt in his eyes. I looked away while silence filled the air. I heard him struggle to his feet and slowly limp off. A part of me wanted to jump to my feet, wanted desperately to help him and support him, but as I closed my eyes to suppress the urge, tears dropped onto my hands. The emotionless empty space that had filled my mind began to flood with meaningless depressing thoughts, rambles and questions. At the numb pain that throbbed in my head, I let out an ugly sob. Then I saw a flash of orange and the memory of Nefeli reappeared in my head. I bent over the sword and suppressed hiccuping sobs and pleas. All I wanted was for my pain to be over. I dismissed the selfish thought as soon as it came up.

When I eventually pulled myself together, I stood, Alex's sword in hand and headed towards the beach, where I saw a linen covered corpse laying in the small boat, piled to the brim with wood. I stood back while Mr. Burns lit the boat and sent it off into the still ocean. As it drifted off, the flames crept over the cloth and sent billows of smoke into the air. A part of me hoped that Alex used the smoke as a means to escape the flames. As the sun set and the boat sank into the ocean, the small group dispursed.

Drevel and I were the only ones left as the sky blackened. It was a starless night tonight, yet the beach was still bright.

"She was like a sister to me." I heard Drevel's broken voice as he sat down in the sand. I wanted to do the same as I felt my legs weaken. For some reason I remained stubborn and stood.

"She was my best friend..." I trailed off, supressing more sobbing. I felt my grip tighten on the sword that I held to my side.

"That was hers, right? She never let me touch it." He said quietly. I heard him clear his throat. Finally, I sat down, feeling the exhaustion overwhelm me. I silently handed the sword to him, letting go of its grip for the first time and before I knew it, I curled up into a ball and cried. To my surprise, I felt Drevel's arm around me as he took me into an embrace. He was like a giant. I stayed out there for far longer than he did. I could only imagine the sorrow that he and his family carried after Alex's death.

Two weeks had past without seeing anyone. I had shut myself away from the others and only hunted at night. At first, Herross would try to pay me visits, but I would simply ignore him. I did sense a new surge in his aura. He had become more powerful... he had taken her soul. He... He was like her father. He hated it just as much as I did, if not more.

It had taken a lot to force myself to even stand in the beginning and it took more for me to force myself to open the door when the sun was still out. I headed to the beach. It had become a habit for me. Whenever I left Nathaniel's cottage, the beach was always the first place I went. When I got there, it seemed surreal, like a dream. Like a distant memory.

I looked to the sky to see grey clouds hanging above the canopy and cursed myself for choosing another rainy day to exit. I stepped onto the sand and felt the grains between my toes. For once they were warm. I looked back at the border between Forest and beach to find something new beneath an oak. There were new blooming daffodils planted around a vertically placed slab of stone. I approached it and felt my heart sink as I read Alex's full name on the tombstone.

"Alexandrite Shmidter
Valiant Heroine of Skladmir"

I knelt down in front of the dark stone and ran my fingers along her name. There was a distant hope that the daffodils on either side of the stone meant something more than simple decoration.

"Decoda?" I heard a familiar voice, "It's been a while. How're ya holding up?" I turned to see Michelle approaching me. I mumbled an indistinct reply. She knelt down next to me and smiled at the stone.

"It's ok. She's somewhere great right now. I know that for sure." She whispered. Her eyes examined the stone intently, as if she'd done it ritualistically for an eternity. She glanced back at me with a soft expression then sheepishly looked away.

"Can I have a hug? I know it's kinda weird, but I guess I just-" I interrupted her as I wrapped my arms around her.

"It's ok. I was going to ask for the same thing. I think we both need this more than we realise."