The Winds of the Past [Rune Factory 4]

Chapter 25

"What? Really? Seventeen, huh? I thought he was fifteen at most. Interesting," I interrupted in surprise.

"Yep, he'll be eighteen on his next birthday, which is early Winter," she continued. "Doug just turned nineteen, Vishnal will be twenty in Winter, and Arthur and Dylas are both twenty-three now. Dylas was sealed practically as soon as he turned twenty-one, which I guess was the age of majority at that time. Or at least that's what Venti told me."

"She would likely know," I agreed.

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The shadows were lengthening and we were getting hungry, so we dressed and gathered up our things and our buckets of fish. Avani cast Escape and we returned to her room, where one of the butlers had built up a nice, roaring fire to welcome us home. I told her that she could have all the fish I'd caught if, in return, she'd prepare all the lamp squid and rainbow trout for me. She laughingly agreed and placed our catch in her refrigerator.

After dinner, we spent the evening quietly, sitting together in front of the fire. I read, and Avani brought out a small harp, saying she needed to practice. She'd recently begun taking lessons from Meg, and from the sound of it, she was a quick learner—her performance was quite pleasant, if unpolished. After she set it aside, she picked up her history book and read for a while before we prepared for bed. She gently brushed my tail out for me, which I found far more relaxing this time. Once in bed, I kissed her good night before she blew out the lamp, leaving the room bathed in the flickering amber glow of the waning fire.

I was just drifting off to sleep a few minutes later when I heard her whispering my name. "Hmmm?" I responded drowsily.

"I'm sorry if I'm disturbing you, but... could you... could you just hold me, please?" she said, sounding slightly anxious.

"Anytime you wish, My Lady, and for as long as you wish," I replied, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her close to me. She rested her head against my chest with a sigh, and I asked, "Is anything wrong, My Lady?"

She hesitated for a moment, then said, "I... I just suddenly felt incredibly sad and alone. I guess it was talking about everyone's ages and how even my birthday isn't really my birthday. It just hit me all over again, about not knowing my past, I mean. I think that's why I like to read history books so much—because I have no history of my own, at least, not from before I came here. I've been trying hard not to worry about it... but sometimes it just hits me again."

I gave her a squeeze and said, "I understand. In a way, we have similar problems. We've both lost our past—you to amnesia, and me to the passage of centuries. And I'm not even sure which is worse... knowing what you've lost, or having no idea at all. But neither one is much fun, is it? Still, keep your chin up, My Lady. Even if most of the townsfolk can't understand how you feel, I think I do, and I suspect the other Guardians would, too. So just remember—you're not alone."

She snuggled a little closer to me, whispering, "Thank you, Leo," and soon we were both asleep.

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The following morning, after Avani returned from her chores, I asked her if I could borrow her study for the day, or if she'd rather, I could return to my room at the inn and use my own desk. "I really must spend the day working on this translation, My Lady, so I'm afraid I won't be able to take you anywhere fun today."

"I don't mind," she replied, "help yourself. And that's fine about today. To be honest, I need to spend some time thinking today, anyway. I need to figure out how I feel about Dylas now, and decide what I'm going to tell him if he shows up tomorrow. So I kind of wanted to get away from town, maybe do a little monster hunting, and just mull things over."