The Knights of Aragon

Chapter 29

The winter months have always been the hardest for us. Because of the cold weather, Papa usually sends Gideon to the markets to sell most of our produce in order to stay afloat. It's the worst part of the year. The hunger, the cold nights under a flimsy blanket, and my mother's insistence on educating me. Tonight, starts the whole cycle all over again. Tonight, is my last night with my brother for the next three months. And I hate the feeling of loss that'll feel. Gideon holds me tightly, consoling me from my sadness. I haven't been able to sleep since Papa declared that he wouldn't be going with him anymore. I sniffle and wipe my nose.

"What are caravans, brother? And why does papa get angry when you talk about them?" Gideon doesn't answer immediately. The chilly wind roaring on the other side of my wooden wall. I hate to think how it'll get when it snows. "Caravans are like a group of people that travels together," his whispers to me, "They go from village to village selling things that they've made or traded along the way. They are mostly nomadic, so they get to see the world." He sounds wistful, yearnful. I don't understand why.

"What does nom- nomadic mean?"

Gideon rubs my arms. I didn't even notice how much I've been shivering. "It means that they are constantly moving, never staying in one place for a long time." I imagine myself moving from place to place. Mama has always kept me close to home. I don't think I could manage being away from her or Papa for so long. "I wouldn't want to be nomadic. It seems awful!" He chuckles. "Yeah, it isn't for everybody." I look up at his face. Gideon's dark green eyes focus on something on the ceiling. He's not happy. I can see it in his eyes. He hasn't been happy for a while. Him and Papa have had big fights lately. Gideon says that they're disagreeing rather than arguing. Papa says that Gideon is acting like a dim-witted jackass.

"Is the world big, Gideon?" My voice is barely above a whisper, my eyelids beginning to droop. Sleep calls to me the way a siren calls to her sailor. "Yes, it is," I feel his body shift under me. "It is mysteriously big."

I snuggle closer to him, not willing to let him go just yet. "Then if you go, you'll be really far away from me, wouldn't you?" Gideon sighs and pulls me towards him. "My dear Atike, I will never leave your side," he kisses my forehead. "Even when it feels like I am far away, I will always be right next to you. Guiding you, protecting you. It is my duty as your brother, in this life or another. Do you understand?" A silent tear rolls down my cheek. Tomorrow will last forever. The next three months will feel like an eternity. "Yes, big brother. I understand." I snuggle closer to him with a smile on my face as I drift off to sleep. "Sweet dreams, little sister."

Sweet dreams, Gideon.

My eyes open to a dawning sky with a cluster of bodies slowly getting up from their slumbers. Slightly disoriented, I push myself up into a sitting position. My heart aches as sadness seeps through my veins. I forgot you, Gideon. I forgot you and all your stories. Guilt washes over my grief. Intermingling together wounding me deeper. Rhydian squats in front of me. "Sleep well?" I laugh at him. "Sort of." He holds out his hand, which I take gratefully, and helps me up. "What? No messages from wizards or boogie monsters?" I snort at his jokes and shake my head. "No, not this time but the day's still young," I look over my shoulder. Draxum's spot is empty. I turn to Rhydian about to ask about him, but Rhydian beats me to it. "He's outside gathering water and eating breakfast with the twins."

I run my hand through my hair. They're currently in waves from the braids that I had yesterday. This is going to be a pain to re-braid. "Vera and Goosey are off suiting up and Gawain is doing whatever a Gawain does." I put on my boots, quickly lacing them up. I chuckle as I begin to work on my long strands. "So," Rhydian leans against the wall, crossing his arms, "who's Gideon?" My heart skips a beat when I hear his name come out of Rhydian mouth. "Who?" I wince at an unexpected knot at the base of my neck. "Gideon. You said the name before waking up." I did? Gods, I did. I probably wished him a good night out loud. "Huh," I finish my braid, tying it off nicely before turning to him, "I don't think I've ever met anyone by that name." I inwardly cringe at the lie. Forgive me, Gideon, but I want to keep you to myself for just a while longer. "Morning!" Draxum runs in towards us with a goofy smile plastered on his face, "I've brought food and new clothes for you, Val." I bite my lip from keeping from smiling so widely.

"Thanks, kid," I grab the clothes from his hands, "I thought I would catch a cold from these pathetic scraps of clothing." I neatly place them down beside me and reach for the food. "What is it?" The texture is different from the meat I've eaten before. It's weirdly white and slightly pink. "They said it was fish?" I snort at his disgusted face. His nose is all scrunched up as he stares at the rare meat. "Ah, fish," I pinch off a piece and drop it in my mouth, "Not bad, atleast it isn't slightly spoiled rabbit from our village." Draxum gags at the memories of eating the spoiled meat.

"You're lucky you were in that mirror, Rhydian," he turns to him, "I don't even know how we survived for so long." I squint at the top of the cave. "Portioning and lazy farming. All we had were different kinds of potatoes and some mysterious meat." I turn to Rhydian. "What did you do for food, Rhydian?" I grab another piece of fish. "Time just stopped for me in the Ouroboros, so I didn't need anything," he shrugs nonchalantly, "or do anything. I was simply... there. In between plains of existence." I open my mouth to ask him a question, but another voice interrupts our conversation.

"Let's go! We're wasting daylight."

Gawain stands in the middle of the clearing. Suspicion glaring through his eyes at us. "Alright, just give us a minute, mate," Rhydian waves him off. Gawain scoffs and walks away. "I really don't like that guy." I agree with Draxum. I don't necessarily like him either, but for some odd reason I dare myself to trust him. Gawain Lot will get us across that canyon in order to be rid of us. By then, he'll be safely tucked away at the compound with his family and never see me again.

*  *  *  *  *

We run through the forest with steady determination. A laugh escapes my mouth as my limbs pump faster, making longer strides. It's funny how running without the fear of being attacked makes it so much more fun. I haven't enjoyed this adrenaline rush in nearly three lifetimes. Goosey runs ahead of me with Draxum flanking her left. The twins are ahead of them with Rhydian, Gawain and Vera somewhere behind me.

The clothes that Draxum gave me earlier are comfortable and breathable. It's a long-sleeved gray blouse that was threaded carefully by one of Vera's missing relatives. She said that they learned the craft from some countryside in the east. I kept my old trousers, but I threw away my scarps of a shirt. I was starting to get welts on my arms from the metal armor constantly digging into my skin. Rhydian wrapped them with fresh bandages as well as my old wounds-that are now pink with new skin.

The trees suddenly space out until we come into a dry, deserted land. It's a truly sad sight to see. No green in sight, at all. I slowly come into a stop as shock radiates through me. The ground crunches under my feet, unsettling the dust on the ground. It isn't the cracked, dead earth that surprises me, no. It's the miles upon miles of the eroded canyon that I once knew as the Thames River. The waterbed that used to run through here is now a dangerous canyon with absolutely no life anywhere in sight.

"Out of all the things I've seen," Rhydian says beside me, "this has got to be one of the most devastating." I walk closer to the edge and look down. Gods help me, that's a long climb down. Flashes of my last tumble down a high place resurfaces. In all fairness, I was being chased by castle guards so, in theory, I should be fine climbing down this canyon. That one ended with an arrow in my shoulder. I visibly wince at the memory of that night and the many nights after. "You still want to go through with this?" Gawain enters my peripheral vision. "Yes," I answer without hesitation, "let's go." I turn back to the group, awaiting instructions.