Joy in the Fire

An Expected Betrayal

When the breakfast bell rang, Edward watched the people swarming in in search of Elizabeth. He was distracted by one of Adrian's acquaintances, who impatiently shoved a little boy of two or three out of the way. The boy fell, hitting his head on the cavern floor, and began wailing. Edward made haste to reach him, and picked up the child. He had hit his head badly and it was bleeding. Edward soothed the child him and carried him over to one of the few "seats," a large stone, which was occupied by a girl about Elizabeth's age; the one whom Elizabeth had seen painting the walls frequently.

"Arianna," he addressed her, "Do you mind?"

At the sight of the injured child, Arianna jumped up quickly and stood by the rock as Edward sat with the child in his lap. "Is he alright?" She asked incredulously. Edward was examining the wailing child, comforting him every once in a while. "No sign of concussion or any serious injuries...shh, it's alright, 'Xander. Here, Arianna, will you hold him while I get my kit?"

Arianna took the child with a smile. Edward thanked her and hurried off. When he returned, Arianna had got the child to sleep. He smiled for a moment at her, then began fixing up the boy's injury. Arianna sang softly while he worked, and providentially the child did not wake while Edward stitched up the gash in his forehead. "There," Edward said when he had finished. He added a kiss for good measure, and then looked up at Arianna. She had stopped singing at was smiling. "This is Alexander Brown, is it not?"

Edward nodded and suddenly remembered something. He glanced around the room quickly, then said, "Could you see that this little fellow gets to his mummy? I've got to see if 'Lizabeth's all right."

Arianna nodded. "She's really upset about her father, isn't she?" She asked quietly. Edward sighed. "She hasn't got anyone else besides Adrian, and last night when she went to him for comfort I got the impression he didn't care. She seemed upset and went back to bed."

"But she has all of us!" Arianna interjected. "The whole church, we're all her family."

Edward smiled. "Right as always, Arianna," he said, and she looked at the floor but seemed pleased. Edward grinned and walked off to the women's room. Elizabeth lay asleep on the floor, one arm flung out wide with the hand open, as if reaching for a hand to hold. A pained expression filled her face. Edward sighed and knelt by her. "Dear Elizabeth," he whispered, "Can't help but wonder if this is partly my fault. But you're so much like Lizzy, I couldn't help wanting to be your friend; your brother. Would you have listened if I was just a doctor to you?" he slipped his hand into her empty one and as her fingers tightened around his hand, she seemed to relax in her sleep.

"Dear thing," Edward continued, "You really need someone, don't you? Can't I be that someone? Adrian's no help. But I know; I can relate; I can help you. If only you'd let me, I could." He sighed again, wriggled his hand out of her tight grip, and stood up. "I'll be back in a bit, Beth."

Elizabeth woke in a cold sweat. She sat up panting and then burst into tears. Her nightmare had been terrifying, but reality was worse. No one else was around, so she assumed she had slept in and everyone was at breakfast. But then she heard distant footfalls nearing her. She laid back down again and pretended to be sleeping. The footsteps stopped, next to her, and a voice said, "I know you're awake, Elizabeth."

She opened her eyes to see Edward smiling wistfully down at her. "I'm a doctor, and I can read minds—well, expressions. Did you think you could fool me by faking sleep?"

Elizabeth sat up and made an effort to smile. Edward sat next to her. "You alright?" he asked concernedly. Elizabeth shrugged. "Why are you here?" she asked. Edward glanced at her. She didn't sound annoyed, just...a bit confused. "I was just coming to see how you were faring," he said, "Everyone's worried about you, y'know." He thought of adding, "Everyone but Adrian, that is," but Elizabeth looked heartbroken enough as it was.

"Why?" She asked bluntly. Edward furrowed his brow. "Because, Liz, they care about you!"

Elizabeth frowned at the sobriquet but pondered this. She hardly even knew anyone's name. Why should they care about her? Edward cleared his throat and Elizabeth glanced at him. "You want some dinner?" He asked.

"Dinner? Oh, but I thought it was breakfast!" She exclaimed. Edward half-smiled. "You slept through breakfast. I didn't want to wake you up," he answered.

"Oh." Elizabeth looked at her lap. "Where's Adrian?" she asked timidly. Edward bit his lip but responded, though hesitantly, "I don't know. I'll help you find him if you'd like."

Elizabeth smiled slightly. "Thanks," she said. Edward jumped to his feet and helped her up. She followed him out of the room and into the middle room. After searching for a while, they could not find Adrian among the diners. Edward frowned. "He must be in the other room," he said. Elizabeth frowned and followed him out of the room and into the adjoining one. Edward let out a shout. Adrian had Arianna pinned to the wall, while she repeated, "I won't, I tell you, I won't!"

Edward sprinted towards them and set his fist to Adrian's head. Adrian stumbled back, his nose bleeding. He scampered out of the room, eyeing a very angered Edward nervously. Edward grabbed Arianna's shoulders and shook her. "WHAT DID HE DO TO YOU?!" He shouted at her. Arianna shook her head, sobbing, "Nothing, Edward. He didn't do anything."

Edward let out a small sigh of relief. Then he remembered Elizabeth and turned to her. She stood, watching everything with a blank expression. Then she suddenly turned and ran out the room. Edward glanced back at Arianna, who reassured, "I'm alright, Ed. Go, she needs you more right now." With one last wistful glance at Arianna, he raced after Elizabeth.

Elizabeth ran out of the room, and as dozens of eyes stared holes in her, she ran past the diners and out the cave into the shockingly cold winter air. She scrambled over rocks and jumped down to a relatively smooth place where she buried her head in her knees and began to sob. A voice behind her said bitterly, "He doesn't understand." Edward jumped down and sat next to her. "He's still got his mum and da."

Elizabeth glanced over at Edward and sniffed. "And you—you don't." She said softly, more to herself than to him. Edward shook his head. "Just be thankful, Elizabeth. Your mother—died naturally of a sickness. Your father—you don't even know for sure that he is dead. Could still be alive."

Elizabeth frowned. "But, how—how did your...?"

Edward looked out at the great forest below them, hundreds of treetops white with snow. Finally he spat, "murdered." Elizabeth gasped. "Oh, Edward. I'm sorry. I never knew. But...why?"

He looked at her for a moment; then back out at the landscape. "It hurts." He whispered. "It hurts to—" he swallowed, "—to talk about it."

Elizabeth actually felt sorry for him. She tried to think of something to say, to distract him from his sorrows, for his face was twisted in pain now, remembering a certain fateful day, and he looked about ready to scream. But something idiotic in her had her ask instead, "How is it you look so happy all the time, then?"

Edward turned his head and smiled. "I am, most times."

Elizabeth did not quite follow this logic. How could you live a nearly-always-happy life when your parents had been murdered and—from what she could tell from his face—you had even been there and watched them die this cruel death? She furrowed her brow and asked, "But do you not think of them ever?"

"Oh, I'm thinking of them nearly always," was Edward's response. Elizabeth sighed. He didn't grasp what it was that she didn't understand. "But doesn't it make you sad to think of them?" She prompted. Edward's answer came bluntly, "Not unless I'm selfish." As Elizabeth looked simply more puzzled at this, he continued, "When I think of them I do not think of how they left me, but how they are now. I think of them in Paradise; never to be bothered by poverty or oppression of the wicked again. I think of how happy they must be, and that makes me happy, for them."

Elizabeth sat pondering this. She thought she heard a noise such as that of stones underfoot. Edward must've heard it as well, for he looked up, and as the sound grew more distinct, looked down the mountain and over to the right. An armoured knight was climbing the mountain, trying to reach them, and not doing a bad job of it so far, either.