Age of Heroes (Age of Heroes Chronicles)

SEA WORTH CASTLE

1013 AF LIGHTMONTH

DAY 46

"I'm not going to marry him, father!"

The wood in the fireplace crackled, and the blaze of flames jumped to illuminate the furious expression on the girl's face. The weary old man in front of her sighed.

She looks at her father like she could not believe what she just heard.

"But he is your betrothed," he said, though he knew it was no use. He scans her expression and he knew her daughter would not marry her bethrothed.

"And from the moment I could think for myself I told you I did not want to marry him. He's arrogant!"

"Was! He was arrogant," Helia's father said. "He's changed. You only knew him as a child, young and eager to show off. How could you hold it against him?"

Helia frowned and then shakes her head

"My answer is still no," said Helia. "If you only wanted to discuss marriage why did you bother summoning me?"

Helia was already preparing to leave. It was dark outside, but she had traveled by moonlight before.

Arial had taught her how to navigate. He had taught her many things, obscure knowledge and survival tips.

God did not just give them eyes, he also blessed them with the sense of touch, of hearing, of smelling. Night was nothing but a minor obstacle.

"No, you must stay," her father rushed to her side, desperation in his voice.

Helia had noticed her father had been acting strange for a while. He hadn't allowed her to leave the castle grounds in almost a month, and she hadn't heard a word from outside.

Her forehead scrunched up as she began feeling something very wrong in the pit of her stomach

"What's going on?" Helia asked, eyeing her father with suspicion.

"Nothing, nothing dear," Helve stammered. His eyes darted around the room and sweat began to form on his neck. He had never been a master of deception.

Maybe to others, he could easily deceive them but not to his own family.

"Something's happened," Helia said, staring at her father. "Something's happened that you don't want me to know about. Tell me, or I'm leaving!"

She began walking away as the feeling in the pit of her stomach strengthened. She felt like something bad is about to happen…or it might already happen.

"Guards!" yelled Helve in panic, and instantly a guard was in front of Helia. The guard tries to grab her.

Her eyes shines.

Before his hand could reach her, Helia unsheathed her sword and held it to the man's neck. If she moved even one inch the tip of her blade would pierce the guard throat.

The other guards that were approaching hesitated.

Helia knew they wouldn't hurt her; she was the daughter of a lord, and their lord at that. She looked at her father. He didn't want this anymore than she did.

She sighed internally at what is happening right now.

When she had returned home, things had been different. There had been no talk of marriage, no forcing her to stay.

It what drove her away in the first place.

It was like she was back in old times, good times.

For a while her family was united again. There is hope for reconciliation.

But about a month ago she noticed he was giving out orders in hushed tones, speaking in whispers which abruptly stopped when she entered the room.

She thought it was nothing important. But she should have seen all the signs. She just denies it because she felt like she was back in the past.

It was only now as she unsheathes her sword and held the guards of her house by the tip that she remembered.

Her father during her childhood had always whispers like that when ordering people to cover some of his unsightly deed from her…...and from her mother.

Her mother loves him…. severely. And she suffers for him

Her mother is now dead, leaving her to meet the Lord Above, nothing but a speck of memory now. She should have noticed. That feeling then is the same as the feeling now

He is lying to her…. she just does not know what it is about. And why? Did he think to force her to marry to West?

Or is there something else that she didn't know.

"Helia, enough!" her father said, staring in shock at the drops of blood forming at the tip of her sword.

Helia suddenly stared too, horrified. She hadn't realized she was putting pressure on the sword. She lowered her trembling hand.

She looks at her father and there is regret in her eyes. She didn't want to fight again. She is tired of fighting with her own father.

Years and years of fighting. She wants to return home happy and feeling safe in her home.

Not constricted and being choked with all the untold rules. She wanted to have …. her family again

After all, there is only two of them now.

"Tell me father," she said, her tone gentle. "Just tell me what's going on. Please…. just be honest for once. Let me share your burden."

Helve was taken aback.

They had never been honest and open with each other.

There were so many lies slithering through the house that a word of truth seemed frightening.

He stuttered, and Helia came closer and hugged him. His tears soaked into her clothes and without realizing it she began to cry too.

"You're my princess, Helia," said Helve, his voice muffled by her shoulder. "I only want what's best for you."

'I know…. I know you always want only the best for me. But I'm happy now' He smiles bitterly.

Helve eventually released his daughter and sat down.

Helia lowered herself into a chair beside him and, with trembling hands, he told her the story of Aries Vermont and Henry Palais, of the exile, of Arial.

The content of the story was shocking and hearing it Helia almost felt like her heart will drop.

As soon as he was done Helia raced out of the castle, choking on unreleased tears of panic, took her horse from the stables and set off at a gallop through the cold night air.

She was level-headed. Among the Four Greats she was known as the Joiner, mending what was broken.

Lisa and Kyle always fought against each other but their heart is true. They loved each other like any normal sibling would do.

And while they fight against each other most of the time, when there is an enemy that tries to harm any one of them, they will fight together like a well-oiled machinery.

She remembers Lisa word after Kyle nearly got killed in one quest.

"No one tries to kill my brother and survive. Only I can do that" before she charged with Arial and slice the criminal that tries to kill her brother into two.

Lisa loved her brother. And her brother loved her.

But her? She is level headed and calm. She needs to be.

Kyle is the one that is always charge ahead, while Arial and Lisa is the smart one. Being a part of their group, she sometimes felt that they didn't need her.

She remembered a night when she had stood with Kyle in the Academy garden.

Kyle... In a way, she remembered the night when they…when she thought that he likes her…and she almost embarrassed herself.

But it happens a year ago and she gave up on him. She was so close to being in love…with her best friend.

But seeing that…. remembering another moment…. she knows she is not meant to be.

It was because of that night that she had found comfort in Arial.

Arial is cold and a private person but he is also very understanding. He is stoic. He does not whine.

He accept and embrace the things that happened to him, always chasing this dreams of his…whatever that is.

With Arial, she felt like she belonged. She found her place in that group. The horse whinnied. Helia looked at her horse.

"Sorry, but I need to go fast" she urged the horse to ride again.

Clinging tighter to her horse, they galloped faster.

As she rides through the night she reminded herself.

She is their joiner.

She is level headed and calm.

She is the soother, the conflict resolver.

Either it because of Kyle hot headedness, or Lisa domineering personality, or the cold logic of Arial, she went and solve their conflict for among the Four Greats, and that is hard considering each of them have very different personalities.

Lisa even though is very smart but when it involves her brother she couldn't stop braving any dangers while Kyle is rash but usually his heart in the right place and he is talented in battle.

Arial is the cold one.

To solve a quest, he sometimes did things that the siblings couldn't agree with but usually it turns alright.

It was almost like he could predict certain events.

There was one killer that Arial refuse to kill, while Kyle was already brandishing his sword, ready to chop the head of the criminal, and Lisa was already preparing to release an arrow to the killer forehead

Yet Arial refuse.

No one understand why.

Two days later the killer got caught by the nobles in the land that he was killing, and was sentenced to die by drowning.

And sometimes there are certain things, certain decision he make that the rest of us never comprehend, saying it was all for the Greater good.

But if she is level headed and calm why can't her heart slow down. Why does she felt so angry and wanting to rush to meet Arial?

She is his companion. One of the closest. But she felt something more. And she thinks Arial felt that too.

And hearing of the exile, she worried.

Worried for him. Thinking about him. Her heart cannot stop beating. She wants to see him. To make sure with her own eyes that he is fine and safe.

And she realized at that moment. It is not brotherly love like she felt for Kyle or the feeling of friendship like she felt for Lisa.

It's love. The word that is sung by the minstrels and bards, in the stories of Knights and great heroes stretched across the starry sky.

'A thousand, and a thousand more, and a thousand more, glimmers of their battles, of hope and love and their struggles' she mused

And admitting that fact to herself make her half excited, half scared. Excited to see him. To tell him about this feeling

Yet at the same time she is fearful of the rejection.

And the horse keeps galloping while the stars and the moonlight shine her way.

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