The Island With No Parallel

Qundi

"The Aracs. The monsters they summon wreak havoc in Crila, much more than in Ecencia or Elven country. Well, not that Ecencia is any better, I'm learning. And perhaps not even Elven country. I suppose it's just more obvious the way they dominate our upper class society in Crila than in other countries."

"In what way?"

"They killed my parents," she supplied, and Manuel instantly regretted having asked. Her eyes started getting misty and her bottom lip quivered ever so slightly as she tried to mask her reaction by looking away. "Anyone that deals with the Dark One must pay a cost. I don't really know too much of the details, but I've heard stories. The Dark Ones will fulfil whatever task that you cannot, and will execute it without question. But when they ask for payment, it's always something ugly. A death, a sacrifice, a dark promise. When the summoners make their payment, they usually just let the Dark One free on the streets of a small town, wherever they think that no one cares about what happens to its victims. Someone, somewhere, must have asked for something of a Dark One, and they used my parents to repay their debt. At least, that's what I assumed was the reason why one day when I came home I found my parents–"

She couldn't finish, her sobs cut her off in mid sentence. Manuel froze, his arms twitching at his sides. Should he comfort her? Would she reject him if he tried? Deciding quickly, he gently wrapped his arms around her, pulling her towards his chest and feeling her calm down in his arms. Taking a deep breath, she continued, "To this day I don't know what happened to them. Who did it? Why? What did they need so badly that they would just let that Dark One free to slaughter them like animals? The death of a political figure? To steal another man's riches? I'll never know. That's why I hated the rich. They pretended to be so self righteous and above people while they know that everything they owned was built on murder, lying, coveting their way into whatever they wanted. And I hated them. That's why I left Crila and never came back."

Another lapse of time fell between them as she just breathed for a few moments.

"I'm sorry. I know it's like to grow up without your parents. It's hard. But I know I at least had my servants, like Maria and Roberto who always took good care of me. I can't imagine what it must have been like being completely alone."

"I've had to live alone for a long time now." Her hands rested on his arms, as if drawing strength from them. Seeing her like this, he was willing to give her every ounce of it he had to give. But at least she was calming down. "I've gotten used to it." Her voice came out in a squeak. "When I was found by the servants' keeper at the Ecencian castle and Cadri took a liking to me, it was like a dream come true. Since I was 13, I've worked in strangers' homes as a maid, a nobody without a family or anyone to look out for me. In the safety of the castle, I didn't have to be afraid all of the time of being robbed or attacked. And trust me, I'd gotten in enough of my fair share of scuffles. Then I met the princess. It was so foreign to me to be noticed by that time that I almost didn't know how to react when she spoke to me. Finally, as I opened up to finally being able to have a friend, it was the first time I ever opened up to anyone about my past. And now she's gone, and I have to save her now."

Manuel was silent. There were no words. He learned that when his father died. Someone could say as many of them as they liked, but not all of the words in the world could change facts, or the reality one had to deal with on an everyday basis. Right now the best thing he could do was just be there for her.

But then as he started thinking, he found some words he could offer that might have served as encouragement. There was no telling her than everything could be alright, because he knew from experience that it was the last thing that ever helped. But perhaps another look on her reality would shed a light on her darkened heart, one that she never made a burden to anyone, he realized, but was a burden he now saw that she carried constantly.