Misadventures Of Two Lost Souls

Chapter 10: In Love And War

Hyaci was absolutely terrified. 

More fight was coming, more war.

It was war.

And she didn't think she was ready for more bloodshed.

Hyaci Xenoia and Alric Swiftwind were frightened. Of course they would be, they were about to fight against dark creatures once more. In a larger scale. And with more things at stake.

Safe to say, they didn't want to die.

Would they?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They were told by the royal advisor that they had about a week or two before they expected confrontation. It was not much time at all. They were given a day to decide whether they were going to fight or not.

They left with their heads hanging low and a feeling of nausea and numbness taking over their bodies.

The drops of water hit their faces now at the bottom of the staircase leading up to the castle. They stood there for minutes in silence, getting soaked in the rain. Hyaci broke the stillness.

"I'm going to Otione's temple." The gravity and the emotion in her voice made Alric's chest ache, he had never seen her so upset. Well, made the aching worse.

She turned around and walked away from Alric with quick steps, and he followed a few steps behind her. 

Neither wanted to be alone. Yet neither fully wanted to seek comfort in the other. Alric fell behind, and only watched her go, and he headed away soon.

They didn't see each other until the next day when Hyaci went to knock on his door and he opened before she could even gather the courage to knock. 

They stared into each other's eyes, both silent. He opened his mouth, yet closed it without uttering a word. He tried again. "I'm ready to go see the king, are you?"

Not another word was said as they made their way to the castle for the third time. The lumps on their throats and the rain made it hard for them to even open their mouths without nausea taking over.

Both approached the castle in silence, only hearing the white noise the rain had become.

Up the staircase, there was somebody waiting for them. A short grown man with thick and not exactly clean blond hair and beard, eyes dark like charcoal, wearing leather and some metal on him, and some sort of tools strapped to his belt. Alric's face lit up as he made a beeline towards the man, Hyaci following in confusion.

"Gibson, what are you doing here!" Alric asked strangely cheerfully as he leaned down and hugged him, as this Gibson chuckled and patted his cheek.

"What did you expect boy, I'm here to see if my tools and I can be of any help!" This drawf spoke, voice gravelly and a bit raspy, and then saw Hyaci standing there trying not to stare. "I can figure out that you are the one that has stuck up with this brat here, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Alric rolled his eyes with a smile and let go of Gibson as she replied with a small smile. "Yes, I'm Hyaci, you must be the friend Alric mentioned, the pleasure is mine."

The formalities and the friendliness out of the way, the three of them were taken inside and presented to Lorchermill. He recognized the three of them, surprisingly. "It is good to see you three, although I believe we had not called you, Leathergrog."