The Road to Forgiveness Be Damned

Return to a Paradisal Hell

Thal Esari seemed to be almost how Ven had remembered it. The same patchy dirt ground, the same old, rickety buildings, the same sunny sky... It was the perfect idyllic paradise from the outside. She, however, considered Thal Esari to be a miserable and hateful hell.

The dread she felt during the beginning of this trip grew tremendously after passing through the entrance. She never imagined being here again and her mind was screaming at her to run away. A part of her wanted to, though she knew she couldn't. She had a reason for coming back here. This was too important for her to throw away, no matter how scared she was.

After looking around a bit, Ferreth said, "Reminds me of Thesriden, 'cept it's nowhere near this... cultured, if that makes sense."

"Hasn't changed much since my stay here," she replied, taking in all the familiar sights, sounds, and smells. Everything was slowly coming back to her.

"You spent some of your childhood here, right?" he asked.

"Mm-hmm, eight years before my... banishment."

She cupped her hands over her mouth to calm her breathing. A tightly knitted knot of nerves began to unravel with each passing second. Despite how warm it was, the fact that she was here again made her shiver. Just standing here gave her more anxiety than she knew what to do with. If she was already feeling this bad, how will she fare upon meeting the person responsible for it?

Noticing her distress, he asked concernedly, "Ven, you all right?"

His voice broke through her thoughts, something she greatly appreciated. Bringing her hair over her shoulder to brush her hand through it, she said, "It's just... I'm an adult now but I feel like a little kid again. I feel like looking over my shoulder to see if I have enough time to hide. It's probably stupid to feel this way but..."

He put his hands on her shoulders. "Ven, we don't have to do this if you're not up for it. Your well-being is important so if you're feeling scared, just say the word and we'll go home right now."

"Thank you for your concern but--" she took his hands off her shoulders-- "I need to do this. It's hard for me to explain why but please understand that I feel I need to do this, okay?"

Despite the worry across his face, he let out a defeated sigh. "All right, but the second you say something, we're going home. No ifs, ands, or buts about it."

Her lips turned up into a small smile as she nodded her head in agreement. She felt lucky for having him around. He gave her some well-needed distraction at times and was reliable enough for stuff like this. He may not be able to completely understand what she went through but that was okay. So long as he listened and helped her whenever her memories overwhelmed her, she'd be okay.

"So we need to find this Filaurel, right?" he asked, hands clasped behind his head.

Glancing up to the sky, she replied, "Lady Filaurel should be at the town hall right around now."

"Then we should get going, right?"

"Yes." She brought the front of her cloak closer so as to bring herself some comfort.

So they were off to the town hall. They had some travelling to do, with them being in the outskirts while the building itself laid in the village square. Thank god it wasn't busy today; otherwise, her anxiety would be going through the roof.

As they crossed the marketplace, she felt as if she was being watched. No matter how many times she looked, people were minding their business. Then again, her being here must be really out of place. She wondered if anyone had recognized her from long ago. If so, they had to be horrified at seeing the Vlixeox they once terrorized walking around the village again. After the crime she committed, she was sentenced to never return.