Darkness Vanquished (A Loki Love Story) Book 3 in Darkness Series

"Let Me Go"

(Daegan's point of view)

It has been a little over five months since I have arrived here in Talmadge Forest. Serina was overjoyed to have me stay with her and her family. And they have all been nothing short of wonderful in their acceptance and kindness towards me, with the small exception of her overly protective Father. He has been amiable enough, but I immediately sensed upon my arrival that he was not as fond over the idea of me moving in with them. At first, I thought that it was simply because he did not like me. But, Serina quickly explained that it was only because she is his only daughter. She has three younger brothers, all of whom are still in grade school. And whilst the three of them have shown nothing but sincerest joy upon having me in their home, Serina's father was very distant to begin with. According to her, he has always been immensely protective of her and only worries that her wealth shall be taken advantage of, seeing as their family owns the largest carpentry business in the whole of Medina. So, I had no choice but to comply and attempt to understand things from his point of view. But, in all honesty, his approval was far from my main concern at that point. My main priority was essentially just to survive, to make it through the first day without completely succumbing to my soul-piercing grief.

The first weeks were more than difficult. I admit that I slept more in the first few days than anything else. No doubt from the depression of my troubles. But eventually, it was Serina and, surprisingly, her Father who were responsible for giving me the shove that I needed to start moving again. She inquired as to what had suddenly made me so melancholy, to which I offered a lie in return. I told her that I was grieving a lost, loved one. Which, in a sense, is partially true. I AM grieving someone that I love, but I did not lose her. For she was never mine to lose to begin with. But as I gave Serina my answer, she sweetly stated that the best remedy for a grieving heart is to fill it with happy things. I scoffed at her for this remark at first, stating that this was a silly notion. But I quickly ate my words. Only the next morning, her Father practically threw me out of the house and told me not to return until I had done something productive that day.

At first, I just simply wandered around the village, unsure of where to go. I could quite plainly see that there was much work to be done; fences to build, houses to repair, fields to tend to. But nothing really seemed to catch my interest. I was used to attending important meetings, writing orders of royalty down onto miles of parchment per Loki's request. The only time I really did anything rough with my hands was when we attended warrior training. I was not skilled with building things or planting fields as these locals were. But as I finally came upon a slight, grassy hill, I noticed two men standing in its center surrounded by an enormous herd of sheep. I immediately assumed that they were the ones who tended to them and kept them from running off. I know not why, but for some reason, this seemingly boring occupation interested me. I have always so enjoyed taking care of my own horse and all other animals. In fact, before I became a warrior, I was set on devoting my life to working at the ranch under Landyn and his father. But life obviously threw me a different course.

Still, I saw this as a chance to somehow get that old dream back; to relive my younger, more carefree days. So, I made up my mind to inquire as to how I could go about assisting them. At first, I received looks of complete shock. They immediately inquired as to why, out of all the jobs in the village, I wanted to be a sheep herder. I explained to them of my experience from working at the ranch, and that I enjoyed working with animals and desired an occupation that would allow me to work out of doors. This seemed like a more than reasonable enough response for them. So, they willingly allowed me to stay the for remainder of the day and watch as they worked.

Something about being out in the open solitude of the field was inviting to me. It lured me in almost as powerfully as that of her angelic voice. And only after a few short weeks of familiarizing myself with how to properly follow the animals' routines, I was officially hired on as a shepherd of Talmadge. I found myself almost becoming too willing to take the other men's shifts just so that I could remain in the quietness of the forest valley. It seemed to bring comfort to my writhing soul. Plus, this was only aided all the more as Serina would make trips up the hill almost daily to bring me bread, fruit, and water.