Moons Apart | Ferry's Tale # 3

High meeting

"I can't..." she said. Her voice was closer now and Ferry thought she was against the door, just like he was.

"Please, Matt, let me in. I have to explain to you about Oona..."

"You don't have to explain to me, Ferry," she said, her voice breaking a bit. He heard a long sob from the other side, filling the empty corridors with the sadness it meant. "You don't have to explain to anyone. It's your life. It's your choice..."

"But you don't understand... It's not what you think. If you would just let me in... I could--"

"It's okay, Ferry," she whispered. "Sometimes things don't go the way we plan or hope... Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, some things just aren't meant to be."

Ferry rested his head against the heavy oak door. The old, rough-hewn wood scratched his skin. But he didn't care. "No, it's fine with us. We can change the course of things, Matt. If this is what we really want..."

"It was foolish of me to think that—" she softly said, "to think that it could be something—". But she stopped.

Ferry leaned against the door. To know her there, so close and yet so far from him, was breaking his heart into thousands of pieces. "Please, Matt... Please, please..." he said in a low voice, almost a whisper.

He let himself slide along the door and it seemed to him that she was doing the same. "I'm sorry..." he whispered. He then sat down and rested his head on his hands and, without realizing how, he fell asleep.

He was awakened by a strong jolt. It was Rosemary.

"Ferry, wake up," she said quickly. "What are you doing here? You should be in your room. Do you realize what it means if someone finds you here? You are lucky this part of the castle is not so visited."

Ferry stood up quickly, dusting off his clothes from the fine powder that reigned everywhere in the lowest part of the castle.

Yet he stood there, by the door,  waiting for a sound, a movement, anything from the other side that would tell him she knew his torment. But it was all quiet.

Rosemary pulled him by the hand. "Hurry up, Ferry! It is not good to be seen here. What if Sage ran into you?"

Ferry didn't have time to ask what Sage was doing there at that hour because Rosemary pushed him up the stairs and out of the castle, away from the eyes of the keepers who were as active as ants. With his mind wandering in thousands of places, he went around the castle until he reached his window. He flew through the window without being seen, quickly put on his armor, and headed for the training grotto without going for breakfast.

At the grotto, Ferry was surprised to discover Thyme among the fighters training. There were more Amalghams than usual. Wrapped in his big cape, Thyme followed Ferry's every move with his beady black eyes. Under his gaze, his movements became clumsy. His opponent, one of the elves, tried to take advantage of this, but Ferry quickly recovered and countered his blow with a quick movement of his sword. From a few other quick movements, as if he were a gust of wind sneaking through the trees, he managed to disorient the elf-warrior and win the fight. The other fighters applauded him and Ferry felt a little better, thanking them with a nod. He glanced for Raghnall, but his friend avoided his gaze again, busily polishing his armor.

"You've learned a lot," came Thyme's voice behind him. Ferry had not realized how he had reached him so quickly.

"Thank you," he said, feeling his heart pounding in his chest with pride.

"But you still have a lot to learn," added Thyme without giving him time to enjoy the praise. "In a fight, you must not let anyone or anything distract you. It's your life and that of your comrades at stake for just a blink of carelessness."