Love Can Save {An Aphmau Fanfiction}

Laurance

The day started with a bang. Literally. I jolted awake when I heard a door slam somewhere downstairs. The ladder creaked, and I groaned under my breath. Looks like someone forgot about us sleeping up here.

I turned on my side, desperate to fall back asleep. I had been up all night thinking about... people, and I hadn't fallen asleep until the twilight hours. And now here was an idiot waking me up the second the sun broke the horizon.

Not even a minute later, I heard a thud coming from the balcony. This time I was on my feet, grabbing a dagger from under my pillow. No, it's not comfortable to sleep that way, but it means I'm ready for anything. All of that noise was uncommon in the barracks, even with Richard being one of the clumsiest people I've ever met. Either someone had been drinking too much root beer with Dale, or there was an intruder, albeit not a very good one.

I slipped out of my room, praising Ire- no, praising the Six, that I had oiled the hinges on my door last night. I saw Richard already by the doors to the balcony, dagger halfway out of its sheath. I nodded at him. We caught each other's eyes and mouthed to three before we leaped into the doorway, daggers ready.

That's when we discovered Garroth lying on the ground, arms propped up. There was a bit of blood on the back of his head, and he was staring towards the railing as if he had seen a ghost.

"Garroth! Is everything alright? What happened?" I knelt down beside him, grasping his forearm to pull him up. He grabbed my shoulder in return, and I then noticed the turmoil in his eyes.

"I... I... I saw her... " I frowned, pulling him to his feet.

"I think you need to get to bed Garroth. Come on, walk with me." I placed my arm around his waist and led him towards his room. He was shaking so badly he could barely keep his balance.

Finally, we made it to his room, and I helped him to his bed. He was able to untie his boots after a long minute, and he placed his belt by his boots. He was still obviously shaken up, but I had to ask.

"Garroth, what did you see?" Garroth looked up at me with blank eyes, mumbling something under his breath. I sighed, realizing that he was in no condition to speak. "I'll send Thalia to come and check on you later, alright? Get some rest." I shut the curtains in his room before leaving, quietly shutting the door behind me.

Richard was still standing on the balcony, searching around for any clues. His face was contorted in a frown, and I could tell he hadn't found anything.

"I don't understand." He shook his head, pushing himself to his feet. "There's nothing here. No traces of a fight, no footprints under the balcony, nothing that could've given him such a fright."

I sighed, shaking my head and rubbing my eyes. "I don't know. Maybe we can ask him when he calms down. I'll ask Thalia if she can come and take a look at him in a few hours." Richard nodded, trying to stifle a yawn. I chuckled, patting him on the shoulder. "Go and get back to sleep. Remember what's planned for tonight." Richard's face lit up, a glow in his eyes making me smile.

"Oh right! I almost forgot about that!" He grinned as he walked back to his room. I smiled, but almost as quickly it left my face as I turned back to the balcony and the taunting smell of vanilla and honey. Something happened here. But what in Irene's name?