The Final Hour

Chapter 3

By the time I can finally see the castle, it's completely dark outside. I'm exhausted-but I know I'm not getting any sleep whatsoever. I mean-how could I when my best friend was murdered hours ago?
I look at Kaone. She looks miserable. I forgot that Laura was Kaone's friend too. I'm not the only one grieving.

I wearily hand my horse off to a servant and stumble inside. It's almost relieving to be home. Away from Byfay-away from the tragedy that took place there. All I want to do is go to my room and be alone. But I have no such luck.

"Where on earth have you two been!" Mufar stomps towards us. Behind him lag Briss, Derrin, and Jaosh.
I swallow hard.

"I'm really not in the mood Mufar." I sigh. He doesn't seem to hear me because he keeps ranting about stupid stuff. I look around. I just want to get out of here.

"Eadu it doesn't matter about them. We're at war! Byfay is dangerously close to the Echidninare border! Byfay isn't as important as you are." He tells me sternly.

I glare angrily at him.

"Actually Mufar, my best friend just was killed there. Her grave is in Byfay. So yea-it's important to me." I yell at him. I hear a gasp. I don't stick around to find out who it's from. I take off running down the large hall-flying past servants and guards alike. I don't want to talk to anyone.
I just need to get away.
I stumble into my room and bolt the door. I fall onto the bed and bury my face in my soft pillows. I scream-the pillows muffling the sound of my anguish. How am I going to survive without Laura? Even in the couple months she wasn't around, she was still alive. She kept me going when all else failed. I don't know who I am without her. In some strange way, Laura was more like my family then my actual parents.
And now she's gone.

I lie on my bed for what seems like hours, but I'm sure is only mere minutes. Eventually my dry throat and rumbling stomach draw me out of my bed, and out the door.
I slip silently towards the kitchen. Most people have gone to bed by now, so I don't run into anybody. I flick the lights to the kitchen, and put some water on the stove to boil. I sit on the large table in the centre of the workplace and dangle my feet absentmindedly.

"Looks like we had a similar idea." A voice at the door makes me jump. I turn around. I guess Derrin takes this as a invitation to come in. In truth, I wish he would leave so I could be alone. To keep myself busy, I walk over to the stove. The water looks hot enough, so I walk over to the cupboard. For the first time since he came in, I acknowledge Derrin.

"Would you like some tea?" I ask. My voice is hoarse from screaming. He nods, and I grab two mugs. I throw teabags into them, then pour the scalding water over the teabags. I grab them, careful not to spill, and walk over to Derrin. I hand him a mug, and sit down at the table. He stands.

"You must be hungry." He says. I shrug. Derrin frowns.

"I know you're hurting, but you're not helping anybody by starving yourself." He says. I roll my eyes.

"Fine then. Prepare your finest meal chef. " I say dryly. It was a attempt at a joke, but my voice breaks halfway through.
Derrin puts down whatever he's holding and comes over next to me. He pulls up a chair across from mine. He grabs one of my cold hands between both of his. Usually I'm not one for affection, but I let him take it. Maybe I feel less lonely when I have somebody to support me.
Derrin looks at me for a second.

"You haven't cried yet." He states. Finally I meet his eyes.

"Should I be?" I whisper. I mean to sound defiant, but I come out sounding like a vulnerable little girl.

"Not necessarily. I just mean, most people cry when they are hurting like how you are hurting right now. Why aren't you?" He murmurs. I sigh. I don't speak for a long second.

"It's like there's a brick wall in my heart. If I let my guard down-even for just a second, then that wall will collapse, and everything I've bottled up over the years will come flooding out and drown me. If I start crying now, then I don't know if I'll ever stop." I whisper.

"You're so strong Eadu. But you don't have to be strong around me. You never have to. I'll always be here for you." Derrin tells me, squeezing my hand. I sigh.

"Thank you." I murmur. He has no idea how much that meant to me. He gives me another sad smile before standing up and walking behind me. I can hear him moving stuff around in the kitchen.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asks from behind me. Usually I wouldn't want to talk about it. Usually I'd keep it all to myself. But I don't want to be alone tonight.

"Ok." I say. I think for a moment before speaking.

"We arrived in Byfay around 2 o'clock. Oh man-it was awful. Survivors were huddled together in the square, and dead people were lying everywhere. You could smell the blood." I shudder, recalling the awful feeling that came over me when I arrived in Byfay.

"I handed out blankets and food while looking around for...her. After a while, she was still nowhere to be found, and I began to think she wasn't there. All of a sudden I heard a scream and saw somebody running at me. Laura pushed me into a snow bank just as a Echidninarian soldier shot a arrow at me.
I went after the man and killed him. Oh gosh-I killed somebody. I didn't even think about it! He's dead now, because of me." I state in shock. I completely forgot about the man I killed. Somewhere, his family is mourning him like I'm mourning Laura. Maybe he had a wife, children too. That man was just doing his duty to his country.
I bury my face in my hands and close my eyes. I feel a comforting hand on my back.

"You did what you had to do. Anybody else would of done the same." Derrin mutters. He's right. Technically I was justified for killing the man. But that still doesn't take away the hollow feeling in my stomach.

"Yea...you're right. Anyways, I killed him, then went back to Laura. She died in my arms. She died for me." I finish off. I recall the moment in my mind-the panic, the heart breaking agony, the anger-the pain. I fold my arms against the table, and lean my head on my arms. Derrin sits next to me.

"Eadu-remember when we first met? We had just been kidnapped, and you were unconscious on the floor. Everybody was impressed with the fact you stood up for yourself-that you didn't go as easily as the rest of us. You had a fire that kept burning, no matter what. I've seen it countless times over the nine months I've known you. You have this passion inside of you-something that always keeps you going on. It inspires people everywhere." He whispers. I look up at him. He meets my eyes.

"Where's that fire now?" He asks softly. I close my eyes.

"It was put out the moment Laura died." I murmur. I feel a hand on my shoulder.

"Then light it back up again. Laura wouldn't want you to be like this! She would want to keep going. That's one of the many things your amazing at. You always keep your head held high even when your facing terrible odds. You were on deaths door, yet you dragged yourself up a cliff, walked into the arms of your enemy, and defeated the Amazon's.
You spent three days hanging from the dungeon ceiling on dislocated arms all for one little rock.
You've done so many incredible things-don't give up now! Your people need you!" Derrin says.
I shake my head.

"I don't know my identity without Laura. She was one of the reasons I could bear that stuff. And please-I was just doing what I had to do. You could do it too." I say truthfully. It's Derrin's turn to shake his head.

"There's no way I could do what you did. I would of given up long ago. And as for Laura, Eadu-she's still with you. She'll never leave you." Derrin says.
I know he's right. I know right now, Laura is in a better, happier place. She'll always have a special place in my heart.
Suddenly it feels like weight has been lifted off my chest. The ache is still there, but I feel lighter somehow. I give Derrin a hug.

"Thank you. Thank you so much." I whisper. Then I get up and leave the room.