Scouting For Romance

Entry 56, Part 4

Tytus was mad at me for the rest of our final test. He constantly gave me the cold shoulder, refused to let me sleep at his side, and barely talked. When we met with other groups, like Linda and Katarzyna, he made no attempt to include me in the conversations, and spoke Lèonese as fluently as he could.

The back half of the Ashlands blend together in my mind for this very reason. Day in and day out of semi-isolation. Wake up, hunt, head east, traverse crags, don't fall in lava. A truly sad, boring experience. He didn't even insult or make fun of me, he basically just ignored me for weeks.

Days into it, I fully accepted how badly I messed up. I put my petty feelings over survival, and my friends suffered for it. I won't make the same mistake on Basugio. I won't cause conflicts when our lives are on the line. Will I ever get my revenge on Ludwik? I don't know.

Plus, Tytus ignoring me hurt my heart. I don't want him to hate me, I can't stand when he ignores me. Just being close, only talking when he barks orders in a language I barely understand, isn't nearly good enough. I want to laugh with him, share stories, compete, cuddle when one of us drifts to sleep while the other keeps watch.

Let's say I could kill Ludwik in the cruelest, most satisfying way imaginable, but I end up driving Tytus away in the process. Would it be worth it? Honestly, no, not at all and as we made our way through the Ashlands, it became increasingly clear that I couldn't have both.

During most of our remaining days in the Ashlands, I was sad and alone, not that Tytus could tell. I went over how I'd apologize to him a thousands times, but I lacked the words in Léonese to convey it. Maybe I should have just said it and let the ashlanders beat me.

Well, eventually, after a long and perilous road of zigzagging through lava streams and avoiding monsters, we reached the end of the Ashlands. There was a break between two volcanoes and I saw the ashy sky beyond it, illuminated from below by the warm-white glow of a large town in the distance. The pale white was beautiful after so long mixed between harsh reds and dull greys, I would have cried if I was capable.

Tired and hungry as we were, achy, wounded from a dozen small incidences that slip my mind, Tytus and I looked to each other. The relief was plain on his face, and apparently he even forgot how annoyed he was with me. I didn't want to ruin the moment, so I gave a thumbs up instead of speaking.

Then we ran. Ran to safety, ran to security, ran to the prospects of cold water and food and a mattress to sleep on! I stumbled a few times, but Tytus was always there to catch me. Tytus tripped and landed on his knees, but I paused to help him up. I considered throwing away the hefty sword but I realized that'd be a bad move.

As we ran, a small group of ashlanders appeared before us. I didn't recognize them, but Tytus said they were one of the groups who were following us. They began to clap, and wore large smiles, but these smiles were full of joy an acknowledgement, not sadistic like we'd grown so used to seeing.

"You did it!"

"Your final test has been completed!"

"You two are good enough for the Ashguard."

Tytus and I were exhausted and starving, but he smiled enough for both of us. A bright smile, I saw his back straighten as the weight was taken off, we were finally done.

They escorted us into town, and brought us to the main plaza. Ashlander citizens lined the streets and cheered as we approached. The citizens were, of course, peldaks who had spent various decades of their lives in the military, and most chose to dust off their uniforms for the event. Unsurprisingly, most of the uniforms were of the Ashguard branch of the military, so they were already black and featured dark cloaks lined with dark blues. The heart of the town held a tall wooden platform, where Jovaisa and all the attendants stood. Jovaisa made his way through the Ashlands, same as us, but it's no surprise that he made it back first. He looked down at us with a smile, and I even recognized a few attendants.