A Sword For Gold

Chapter 30 - New Beginning

When Baros came to, Vaelia was by his side, watching over him as he had been sleeping soundly.

It was early morning, the sun having just risen in the eastern horizon. As he opened his eyes, he was peacefully greeted by her serene, inviting, mesmerizing, attractive, black eyes, with Vaelia smiling at letting out a chuckle and a sigh of relief as he woke up, brushing her fingers through his face and wiping off some of the dirt that had remained and brushed aside the hair that covered his forehead.

"What... what happened?" he asked, drowsily, attempting to sit upwards before Vaelia pushed him back down on the grass that he just now realized he had been laying down upon.

"Don't move too much... Baros," Vaelia discouraged, firmly yet softly planting her palm upon his abdomen, which stung quite a bit, as he gritted his teeth to endure the pain. "You sustained a lot of fire damage to your abdomen. I've been monitoring it and making sure it recovers fully. Please don't ever be reckless like that again. I can't afford to lose you."

"Ah... right..." Baros recalled, everything suddenly coming back to him. He remembered dueling against his father, how he had taken a direct hit from a fireball, and how he ended their fight by driving his word through his father's gut, before finally collapsing unto the floor.

"So... my father's dead?" he asked, making sure his memory was correct and accurate.

"Yes," confirmed Vaelia, "But not in the way that you really remember."

Baros squinted at Vaelia, pursing his lips as he was intrigued deeply by her vague answer. "What do you mean? Are you saying I didn't kill my father?" he asked.

Vaelia took a deep breath, preparing herself mentally and emotionally before beginning to narrate everything to him. After all, she was the one who had the place and the right to be the one to tell Baros everything... up until his father's final act.

"Your father... he..." Vaelia began, taking a deep breath after nearly every word, unable to find the right way to tell him. "He... he had a change of heart, Baros."

"What are you saying to me, right now?" he asked, all confused and intrigued.

"He betrayed Alyria Desolas at the very last second," she told him, deciding to just simply let it out and get it over with. "He used all of his remaining life energy to turn into a massive, living firebomb... before exploding... taking Alyria with him... as my sister transported us all out of there just in time."

"We made it in time... huh..." he figured, breathing out a sigh of relief, peacefully knowing that it was finally over, that Alyria Desolas would never come after the one he wished to always protect, ever again.

"Baros, your father wanted us to let you know..." Vaelia continued, her voice breaking slightly from the emotional weight of it all. "He's sorry, Baros. For everything. For betraying you. For telling you that you were not his son. Of course you were, Baros. He fought until the very end for you. He's up there now... joining your mother, Catherine Delvis, and I'm sure that they will both be watching over you from up above. He didn't say this, Baros... but I can tell you for sure... that he's so damn proud of you."

Vaelia did her best to hold back her tears from streaming down her face, despite her voice breaking with every sentence that she uttered from the emotional weight of having to deliver this news to her dearest friend, but the moment that she noticed a tear trickle down Baros' face, she could not hold back any longer, breaking down in tears, and finding herself embracing Baros tightly, as they hugged each other and enjoyed in each other's comfort as tears streamed down their faces, knowing full the extent of the sacrifice Balin Delvis had made for his dear son.