Chill (Klance Warmth series Book 2 of +4)

29: The Tears not Shed

Hunk sat on one of the spikes curving out of the Balmera. It reminded  him of that spiral hill which Jack Skellington walked on in that scary Nightmare Before Christmas movie.  But since he was enjoying the starlight and the soft glow of the  Balmera's freshly grown crystals, he was fine with this setup. The wind  swirled around him and tugged at his hair, like a sibling demanding  attention.

He needed to be alone to think right now. What Allura  and Coran had told him and his friends... it was a lot to take in. There  was still much they needed to discuss, but they had all silently agreed  to wait. Lance was still wherever he'd holed himself up in the Castle,  Allura had clammed up after explaining the circumstances of her family's  death, and Coran had taken the princess to her room. Pidge and Keith  had offered to stay in the Castle as guards, while Hunk stayed outside  with the Balmerans.

Apparently, none of the Balmerans in this  generation had ever set foot on the Balmera's surface before. They had  always been confined to the tunnels below the ground for centuries, if  not longer. It broke Hunk's heart; these people were so kind and gentle.  He couldn't imagine being locked underground for all his life, never  allowed to see the sun or the sky except for the few glimpses from the  bottom of deep mining shafts.

He looked down and saw a multitude  of Balmerans gathered together near the Castle of Lions and the  crystallized Robeast. The sight of the defeated monster still brought a  smile to his face. He leaned back, propping himself up by bracing his  hands behind him, petted the Balmera under his hands as he did so just  because.

"Hunk!"

The yellow paladin looked over his shoulder and smiled at his new guest. "Shay," he said happily. "You came to join me?"

"If it is acceptable, yes," the Balmeran said, smiling shyly.

"Of  course it's acceptable," Hunk said laughing gaily. "This is your home  world, after all. I'm just a visitor here. Besides, you and your people  are free now. Do whatever you want."

Shay's smile grew broad and  she finished the climb up the curved rock the sit next to Hunk with her  feet dangling over the ledge. Hunk marveled at her bravery. He valued  his life too much to let his feet dangle off a ledge so freaking high  off the ground. How high up were they anyway? Fifteen yards? Twenty?  Higher? He swallowed back a gulp of bile and focused on not thinking  about how high they were. Maybe sitting up here wasn't such a good idea.

"It's  so beautiful," Shay said, moving her wide yellow eyes over the Balmeran  landscape in awe. "These ones have never seen such beauty before," she  said referring to her people.

Hunk's smile softened. "Well, now you can," he said. "You can for as long and as often as you want."

"Because we are free," Shay said. "That is thanks to you."

"Well,"  Hunk said, lifting his shoulders and bowing his head to hide his blush,  "not just me. I wouldn't have been able to do anything without my  friends' help."

"Yes. Your princess healed our world." Shay's  voice fell to a whisper. "My people are in debt to that one. Should she  ever ask us for aid, we would be honor bound to aid her."

"She  would probably only ask you to enjoy your time as a free people," Hunk  said. "Use this opportunity to establish yourselves and find your way."

"That does sound nice," Shay murmured.

They  sat together in comfortable silence, watching the far horizon begin to  lighten as an eerie green. Hunk sat up and studied the glow in cautious  interest. The lights moved in slow sweeps across the sky, sometimes with  hints of red near the top of the atmosphere.