SWNOVELS Chapter 33: A Hero is Born
Alyenna followed Baellnar back into town. Her heart was straining pushing to leap clear out of her chest. Her voice was locked down in the depths of her throat. Her own body held her back, her own fear of rejection had caged her soul. She did not understand why it was so hard. Why could she not just say it? She could say everything else on her mind, but in this she was mute?
When she emerged from the forest her heart found its reason. This was not the day nor the time. One hundred blood stained faces stared at her. Their eyes filled with hope and apprehension. These were to be her people, according to the prophecy and everyone around her. A position she accepted with a heavy heart. A position that had no time for the follies of a lovesick fool.
Baellnar immediately began tending to the wounded and she followed suit. Roxanne, who lacked the gift of healing, were working on clearing debris. Paul had made a mess of the once pristine town. There were traces of delicately carved awnings and entrance ways splintered and smoldering in the roads. Stained glass windows were shattered and the shards were dangerously scattered throughout the town. The hardest part for Alyenna to swallow was not the destruction of priceless architecture and craftsmanship, it was the fact that not a single villager cried. They went about their work as if it was routine. Almost like they had the ‘Mondays’.
Alyenna clenched her fists and went to work. She grabbed shreds of linen to create tourniquets and bandages. She followed Baellnar’s example and aimed for those in the most critical condition. She secretly thanked her high school for the mandated first aid class as she instinctively kept pressure and layered the bandages tightly on their blood-soaked skin. Each time she finished working on a townsman they would smile at her in relief and awe. Each time they would say, “thank you for taking the pain away.” She heard it so many times that she wrote it off as a colloquialism. Aagi was busy burying the lost. The earth gently enveloped each of the slain bodies, absorbing their lives and their souls back home to Gaia.
An older woman, and what looked to be her daughter approached Alyenna, “Eleanor, where have you been, the world is dying without you.” The old woman had pain even beyond her years hidden in her eyes, they were both accusatory and pleading.
Alyenna gritted her teeth. Not this again. She controlled her voice desperate not to offend the woman, who had gone through so much, any further. “I am not Eleanor.”
“If you are not her then answer me this. How is it you can change your form?” She pushed herself uncomfortably close to Aly, her tone was bitter and cruel.
Alyenna stumbled backward, “we are related.”
The woman raised a disbelieving eyebrow. “Sir Baellnar!” He looked up. “Who is this imposter?” A nubby and haggard finger was pointing to Aly inches from her nose.
“Elder Arelle, all you need to know is that she saved you today. Who or what she is, is not your concern.” He quickly went back to his work on the wounded. Alyenna watched him for a moment her eyes noting the careful movements of his deft fingertips. When she peeled her attention away the woman was gone.
“Please stay the night, as thanks.” Alyenna eyed her suspiciously. She had had just about enough of people mistaking her for a ghost. She did not have the time to deal with a whole village of them. The woman understood her hesitation. “Do not mind my mother. She holds onto hopes that do not belong to the Tendaaren people anymore. Please, your friends seem to be in need of a warm bed and a hot meal. It is the least we could do. Much more would have perished had you and your friends not come.”
Alyenna’s felt a sickening feeling. If I had not been nearby you all would have lived. She hated that feeling. The feeling of being out of control. The feeling of being the source of so much anguish. She could not bring herself to say the words out loud. It would not help her. The damage was done. So instead she smiled and said, “That would be wonderful.” She paused remembering the battle from mere moments before. The face of the wild-eyed child haunted her memory, “Who’s son was that?”
Tears welled in the woman’s eyes. Almost as if Alyenna’s words were on the verge of breaking her. “He was mine, and his father was killed defending the village several years ago.”
Alyenna moved her mouth trying to get out ‘I am sorry’, but before she could the woman pressed fingers to her lips. “Do not send me your sympathies. Everyone is missing loved ones. Just promise me you will stop her. Promise me that my family’s death will not be in vain. That is what I need, not your sympathy.”
“I will only promise that I will try,” Alyenna said solemnly.
“You are wiser than your ancestor.” The woman said and then left for the inn.
“She is right you know.” Baellnar stood with her. “Eleanor was raised to believe she was invincible, and we all believed it with her. You were raised to understand that no one is. Even though your past was hard, it may be the lesson that Eleanor lacked, bravery cannot be born from a life of leisure and praise. Bravery is born from the hard times. The times when the cherished few stand against adversity, where others cower in the shadows.”
“I am no hero,” Alyenna said refusing to let herself look at him, he was quickly becoming her weakness and knowing that only made it worse. “I only do what needs to be done.”
He smiled. “Believe what you will Aly.” He brushed a rebellious strand of hair from her face. “Come on it has been a hard day and it looks like these people are handling it from here.”
He led her away from the bloodstained road toward the inn. Alyenna looked around for Aagi, but he was suspiciously absent. As they approached the inn she noticed that Sadie was resting peacefully out front. She lifted her head and greeted Alyenna with a jovial whinny. Do not worry for your filly Aly I kept her safe and sound. Sadie shifted her hindquarters showing Aly the precious cargo on the side.
Aly tilted her head. She?
Yes, filly you did not know?
Alyenna felt a new sensation warm her heart. Her dragonling was a baby girl. She had no idea why that gave her so much joy but it did. She carefully unbuckled the satchel and inspected the egg for damage. Thankfully that crystalline shell seemed to be indelible.
She hoisted the precious cargo over her shoulder and followed Baellnar inside. The woman from earlier was there waiting. Alyenna learned her name was Darlene, it seemed to suit her; it was simple, feminine, and strong.
Darlene led Alyenna up to her room. Which was excessively lavish for such a small establishment. Alyenna tried to refuse. “Please this should space should be used for the wounded.”
Darlene adamantly shook her head. “They are cared for and each one has homes. This is for you, I will not allow you to refuse it.” With that, she left closing the door behind her.
Alyenna could not help but be excited. Her very own bed, her very own room. For so long she had been sleeping on cave floors, forest floors, or sharing a room with two strange men. She had forgotten how glorious it was to have personal space. The tub in the room was already filled with lavender and vanilla and the steam rose gently from the water within. Alyenna squeaked and tore off her leather outfit and practically dove into the porcelain tub.
After she felt sufficiently clean and bored she ventured out of her room down to the main area of the inn. It had already started filling up with townsfolk. When she came downstairs a monumental cheer greeted her. She blushed and turned to run up the stairs but a gentle hand on her shoulder stopped her.
“Your people need you, Aly.” His soft voice sent shivers down her spine.
“I am not a queen, these are not my people they are Allabandar’s” Alyenna whispered anxiety filled her veins and squeezed her heart.
“Allabandar is a general, you will be their queen.”
“I am not royal.”
“What does that matter Aly? Royalty is merely a word, a title created by people who feel the need to be more important than others. In the end, the people always choose their leaders. On this day they chose you.”
Alyenna looked around the room in trepidation, “I am not ready.”
“Spoken like a true leader.” He pushed her gently down the stairs and never left her side as they were swarmed by their adoring fans. Alyenna was overwhelmed she hated this, and Darlene saw it. She handed Baellnar a pair of heavy tankards and shouted something about needing to show them the wine cellar. The crowd groaned; but, allowed them to retreat. Alyenna never saw Aagi smiling at them from the corner of the room as she and Baellnar disappeared from sight.