Love Can Save {An Aphmau Fanfiction}

Thalia

"You're all set!" As I finished tying the bandage around Dimitri's arm, I gave him a hard look. "Tell Travis that he better be more careful when you're sparring next time or I'm going to have to have a few words with him." Dimitri laughed, promising that he would before leaping to his feet and running out of my shop, determined to get back to training with Katelyn and Travis.

I shook my head, a smile slipping on to my face as I began cleaning up the materials I had used to patch up the scratch Dimitri had received. It seemed like every other day at least, Dimitri was coming to me with a new injury from his training sessions with Travis and Katelyn. He didn't seem to mind however, and I knew he loved the time he spent with them everyday.

The silence in the shop was disturbed as the door creaked open. Putting the bundle in my hands on top of a nearby table, I looked up toward the newcomers with a smile. "Richard! How are you doing? What can I do for you?"

Richard wore his armor, and I assumed that he had just come from guard duty. His face was solemn, and I couldn't tell if he was tired, confused, tense, or a combination of the three. He gave a brief smile before tilting his head back slightly. "Hi Thalia, um, I found someone outside the gates, and she can't speak, so I was wondering if you had anything that could help her before we go speak to Lord Levin." He stepped to the side, revealing a familiar figure leaning against the door frame. My heart skipped a beat, and my legs almost gave out as I realized who was standing there. "Thalia? Are... are you okay?"

The corners of my eyes burned, and the sudden sensation of deja vu swept over me in waves. My jaw began to tremble, and my hands balled up the fabric of my dress in fistfuls. "Evelyn?" I could barely hear my voice over the pounding in my ears, but I watched as the blonde woman before me dipped her head. Letting out a broken laugh, I took one step towards her, then another.

She surprised me by springing forward and running into me, arms wrapping around me in a tight embrace. Her chest was shaking with sobs, the only sound being her raspy breaths. After a second of shock, I returned the embrace and almost swept her off her feet. "I thought I'd never see you again," I whispered, letting the words hang between us. When she didn't reply, I leaned away from her, a frown sliding across my features, She looked up at me with joy in her sky-blue eyes, and only as I was looking down did I see the ugly white scar stretching across her neck, from one side of her chin to the next. Richard's words came back to me then. She can't speak. "Oh... Eve..."

"I'm sorry to disturb you," Richard's voice cut through my thoughts like a sword through butter, and I turned my attention from the young woman in my arms to the young man still standing in the doorway. "But can someone please tell me what's going on?"

Taking a deep breath, I extricated myself from my best friend's arms and led her to a cot, finally taking in the state she was in. She was dirty and disheveled, and a good meal could probably do her well. Bustling around the room to make a quick meal, I began explaining myself to Richard, sending glances to Evelyn the whole time.

"Over four years ago, I used to live in a village called Sterica. It's far south of here, and it's a pretty small place, but it was home. My dad was the lord, and I lived there my entire life. That was actually where I met Kacey, about five years ago, when he arrived in Sterica following rumors about Katelyn. And Evelyn here grew up there too. She... she was my best friend." Stopping before my friend, I placed a ham sandwich in front of her, and she looked up with gratitude and love. I rubbed her shoulder before looking back at Richard.

"Um, it was my eighteenth birthday, and my dad was stepping down from his lord position and handing it to me. Evelyn was becoming the head guard that day, and... I heard that my boyfriend was going to propose soon. Life was great. But... like with everything, the damned Shadow Knights ruined everything." I turned my back to both of them, barely able to control the emotions raging throughout me. "Our town was so small, and there was no reason for the Shadow Knights to go there, but of course they did..." Shuddering, I buried my face in my hands, trying to block out the whole world. "They stormed into the village, took my father and me and Evelyn and the old head guard, and they gathered us in the village square... they were going to kill everyone important, and then kill the rest of the village. And I... I couldn't let that happen. The-the sword was cutting into Evelyn's throat, she-she was almost... almost dead, so... I pushed her out of the way and next thing I knew... I-I woke up in... the-the... I woke up in the..." I dug the palms of my hands into my eyes, hot tears burning tracks down my cheeks.

"Irene... Thalia... " The cautionary steps that Richard took towards me rang throughout the small shop. "You don't have to continue. I know that you... I know where you used to be before Vylad rescued you. It's alright. No one holds it against you." I sucked in a breath, hating the weakness that I was showing. He placed his hands on the sides of my face, wiping away my tears in such a brotherly show of affection. "I can see how much Evelyn means to you. I know how much you trust her. Come on, let's get the two of you cleaned up and then we can go talk to Lord Levin." I nodded and he smiled. 

Richard turned to Evelyn, clearing her already empty plate. "I can get a hot bath for you if you'd like, or would you prefer to talk to our lord first?" While Richard spoke to my best friend, I hurried upstairs to compose myself. I never saw any of this coming... but what does this mean for the future?