A/N -- I am on a writing rampage and I probably should slow it down because I feel like you guys might miss something I'm going so fast! So, I've written like 2 chapters in the last couple of days... so make sure you're caught up! Every chapter is essential now.
Hench sat beside Iris, who just looked around the area they were now sitting in. It was a pretty enough area. It was actually a clearing about a mile away from the sanctuary --an area where the copse of trees went very thin to let the sunlight in. There was an assortment of stones that was almost perfect for sitting down and eating a picnic. A small creek babbled a few feet away, and Iris was entranced by the assortment of wildflowers that grew near the water.
"Nice place," the rogue commented as her mentor got situated.
"I agree," Hench replied. "It's nice this time of year. Flowers are pretty." She motioned to the the plants on the water-bank.
Iris looked over at Hench. "You like flowers?"
Hench turned an eye to Iris. "I do," she said. "I'm still a girl, believe it or not." The words were spoken with a husky laughter. For a moment, they both just took in the beauty of their surroundings quietly, and Iris was reminded how serene nature made her feel. The sound of the running brook alongside the steady birdsong and insect chirps reminded her a lot of the days she'd once spent with her mother.
Iris shut her eyes and took a few deep breaths in. She was at complete peace.
"Girl," Hench called her out of her serenity. "Look alive."
Iris whirled around just in time to be assaulted with something. A meaty presence landed right on her cheek, and out of the bottom of her eye, Iris could see something moving. Something was tickling her face. She went to swat it off but the damn thing bounced right as her hand got close, right into her hair.
"Is that a bug?" Iris asked, frenetically trying to find it in her tresses. "Did you throw a bug at me?"
"I did not," Hench said with a chuckle. "It bounced out of my hand. Here, be still." Iris felt her mentor pluck a presence from her hair a few moments later. Hench showed Iris the little creature. It's minuscule, brownish-green form sat singing its song calmly in her mentor's palms. "Nothing to flail around about. It's just a cricket." Hench wore a small smile on her face as she cradled the thing.
Iris just stared hard at the bug. In the back of her mind, she wondered why everyone had called her sister cricket. It bounced away, breaking the moment. "Interesting little creatures, aren't they?"
Hench snorted and shook her head. "Indeed."
"Well," Iris said, further changing the subject. "Who first? What am I allowed to ask about?"
"You first," her mentor answered. "And, like I told you at the beginning of all this, you're allowed to ask me anything you want. Answering your questions is my choice." When Hench saw Iris's look of disappointment, she couldn't help but laugh. "None of that now, girl. I'll answer what I can bear to. I'll even do my best to answer embarrassing questions."
Iris grinned. "Okay." She looked Hench up and down. "I suppose I'll start simple. How in the world did you get to be so... so massive ? And I mean that in the best way."
"The answer to that, is as you can imagine, lots of exercise," she replied. "I've been doing hard physical training for over a decade now. I enjoy it. It's an escape --kind of like reading. Hence, the muscles. If you're talking about how I got to be so tall," she paused. "Same way you got your black hair. Your brown eyes. My father was a tall man --guess I got that from him."
"Fair enough," Iris conceded. "Your turn."
Hench thought for a minute. "Alright, girl... what happened to your first engagement? Tell me about that."
"Oh gods." Iris palmed her face for a minute before meeting her mentor's gaze. "Well, I was a fool, I guess. I got engaged after five months to a man I thought I loved. We were nothing. I truly see that now in hindsight. I guess he saw it then," Iris paused. "I guessed he decided I was boring and that it'd be more fun to lay down with painted whores. Oh! And other village girls, too."
"He was unfaithful to you." Hench looked beyond irritated. "Did you hit him?"
Iris laughed. "No," she answered. "But I wish that I had. I didn't even end things. He did, when he decided Emery was better than me. I suppose I was afraid of the shame. I suppose I was afraid of the judgment." Iris looked away for a minute. "Didn't matter. I got all that anyway. I was a bit of an outcast after that. For a while, actually. No one wanted to talk to me --mind for my aunt and my father."
"Piece of shit," Hench grumbled. "All of them --except for your family, of course. I would've talked to you." Now, a smile lit the mighty woman's face. "It's good you got the last laugh."
"I sure did," Iris said. "Now for you! Since we're talking about betrothals, tell me about Azabela. Was it ever strange that you're both female?"
"It was strange at first, but it was never because of that." Hench sucked in a breath. "It was very hard for me to trust or love anyone after all the shit I'd been through. I went pretty crazy for a while, actually. I still have bolts rattling loose up in my head, I think. But I'm a great deal better than I was."
Iris's next expression was a shit-eating grin. "How much do you trust her with?"
Hench narrowed her eyes. "I get an extra question after this," she pointed out. "But what do you mean? I trust her with everything I have."
"Everything?" Iris asked with a raised brow, and looked Hench top to bottom to top again.
"I sense you're being foul." Hench clucked her tongue at Iris.
"I completely am, but it's leading up to my real question so bear with me," Iris admitted freely. "I'm curious. I've asked before, and I'll ask again. How does all that stuff work? I've never seen the likes of you and Azabela anywhere else I've been. Usually a ship pulls up to port and docks. But how does it work when there's two ports instead and no ship in sight? I mean... is it even possible? "
Hench couldn't help herself, she let out a bellowing laugh that scared some of the birds out of the trees. "That's an analogy if I've yet heard one," she finally got out. She sobered enough to talk. "Girl, I'm not giving you a play by play. But it's indeed possible. If you don't know by now that there's more than one way to skin a cat, then I don't know what to tell you, girl. Use your wildest imagination." Hench suggested, and Iris was surprised her mentor had answered that at all. "What's the real question?"
"The real question is this," Iris paused, sobering. "After what happened, was it hard to let Azabela love you that way?" It was a real, honest question, one that put the conversation back on a serious note. "I can't imagine I'd let anyone near me again after... well..."
"I see," Hench sighed. "The answer to that is yes. That part took years. For me. But she was always patient with me. I truly couldn't ask for someone better than her. For me." Hench met Iris's eyes. "My question now. And you can be honest. Does my choice of partner bother you at all? Even a little bit?"
Iris was taken aback at the question. She could see that somewhere within Hench, she was perhaps worried. "Why should it?" Iris finally answered. "I only care that you're happy. And if you are, then I'm happy for you. By what right should I do anything but love you? You're perfectly fine the way you are."
Hench's eyes watered a bit, and she brushed an arm over them before they could spill. "Ah, damn it, Iris. Don't be doing that, now." It only took a second for the mighty woman to compose herself. "I really appreciate that, girl."
"None of that needed." Iris waved her off. "You get another question."
"Very well. How about this one? Are you nervous about your trials?"
"Should I be?" Iris asked, but it was rhetorical. A soft laugh erupted from her throat. "Honestly, yes. I just hope you don't kill me. If I have to beat you in single combat, then I might as well kiss my own ass goodbye." Both the rogue and her mentor shared a grin at that, and Iris reached a hand up to squeeze Hench's shoulder. She wasn't surprised that she was met with sinewy resistance.
"I won't kill you, girl," Hench assured Iris. "But I will test you."
"So," Iris took her turn. "What was your hardest trial?"
"Well." Hench pinched the bridge of her nose. "They put me through a physical trial, which was easy. I suppose that was because they wanted to make sure a girl was capable. The second trial was telling Master Dyran exactly what had happened to me. As you can probably guess, talking about myself is quite a weakness of mine. I suppose that trial was to help me better my ability to come to terms with things, as sometimes guardians see some gruesome things, as you've already witnessed with that hamlet. It taught me that I couldn't withhold truth on missions. That trial was bad. Oh, but the third trial..." Hench looked horrified. "They tested my ability to trust my fellow man, which is necessary. They gathered all the guardians around in a circle. They tied me down in the middle of all of them. I was forced to sit there amongst them all for five hours. I'll admit, I nearly failed. The trauma was nothing less than overwhelming. But I did it."
"Gods," Iris whispered. "That's awful."
"It was," Hench conceded. "But you do what you have to. And then you're a guardian." Hench shook it off. "Here's a question for you: what's the best thing that's ever happened to you?"
"That's a hard question," Iris admitted. "There's been a lot of good that has happened to me. Living through the war is up there. Getting the chance to find myself and be myself is definitely a contender. Getting to come here is also one of the highlights. But I'd say the best things that have ever happened to me are the people I love. That sounds sappy, but it's true. I would have never made it without them --and that includes you now." Iris offered a serene smile. "We might not share blood, but you'll always be my sister at heart, Rhalla."
"I know," she said, only barely stifling a laugh at the irony. "Anyhow, you're up."
"You said before, when um... you found out Azabela was missing that you had to work to love your son," Iris mentioned. "What did you mean by that?"
"Did I say that?" Hench looked surprised. "I figure I did." For a moment, Hench had to collect her thoughts. "When I said that, I meant exactly what it sounded like. I didn't love my son when he first came out of me. In fact, I hated him at first. Maybe that makes me a piece of shit, I don't know. All I could see was the eyes that weren't mine --the gaze of a monster that had hurt me and took advantage of me. Dane was a reminder of how I'd never fully escape that horrid place. He was everything bad that ever happened to me. He was the torment of childbirth, the parasite. That's what I thought when I was pregnant. That's what I thought during the time I was undergoing mental recovery."
"And then?" Iris whispered.
"And then?" Hench asked, and her brown eyes shone. "I was so wrong. For two months, I watched Azabela from afar as she took care of him --loved him. And there was one night," she whispered. "It was so terribly late at night, and he wouldn't stop crying. For nearly his entire life at that point, all he'd do was cry. I listened in the other room for what felt like the millionth time at Azabela trying to soothe him. It didn't work. It never worked. Which was horrible because I was so tired and I wanted to sleep. As awful as it was then, I was raving and was just going to stick him outside until he stopped. And then I got up and walked in the room. I think that was the first time I ever really spoke to Azabela. I'll take him, I said." Hench's eyes glistened. "She was so surprised that I'd come out of the guest room. So surprised that I'd talked. I remember her just choking on her breath as I walked to her. I grabbed him, the screaming, wiggling little thing. I didn't know how to hold him, so I just tucked him near me the best I could. And then," Hench whispered, "he just stopped crying. He just stared at me with his little, tiny eyes for a very long time. They looked so wondrous. I just..."
Hench was overcome for a moment. "That was the first time he'd stopped screaming. Like he finally got what he wanted since the day he was born. And then, Azabela spoke to him. That's your mama. That's mama. she said to him in a tiny, sleepy voice." The mighty woman paused. "And I was. At that moment, some bond clicked in place, and I was his mother. And he was so small... and there was a moment where I remembered how small I'd felt in the world just a few months ago. I just wanted to hold him --to shelter this tiny, innocent thing that I'd made. To not let anything happen to him like it happened to me." The guardian's eyes found the horizon. "And for whatever reason, I sang to him. He fell asleep in my arms for the first time that night, and it healed something in my heart. That was the very first night I was halfway sane again --became me again. Became someone who could guard this little child." Hench found Iris's eyes again. "He truly became my son that night. My sweet Dane."
Iris couldn't help the tears that streamed down her face. The rogue was left speechless.
Hench let out a light laugh. "I'm not the most conventional mother you'll ever see, but since that night, I've always done my best by him. Even when it was hard. I've always loved him. So has Azabela. We fell in love because of him, actually. She helped me raise my son and took care of me when I was mentally ill. She's truly seen me at my worst and still stayed by my side. You just don't find that often in this world. Take that from me."
"That's a beautiful story," Iris said in a quiet voice.
"You're the only one I've ever told it to," Hench admitted. "Make sure you always treasure those that love you."
"I will," Iris promised. She had to collect herself. "Your question."
"Were you scared the night you left to save your father?" Hench said after a second, "Or did you want to be more than you were at that moment? Did you want to be a hero?"
"I was scared out of my mind," Iris answered truthfully. "I left hoping that I could bury myself in the background and get by. But, then Kayde happened. He came and trained me. He stuck by me at the beginning when I was nothing and helped me to believe in me. That's when I wanted to prove to the world I could be more than just some outcast girl in a village. And maybe that's why I wanted to be a Remorda Guardian. He inspired me. Maybe I can do that for someone else one day."
"You've stirred thousands already," Hench pointed out. "Myself included."
"Not to the degree in which he inspired me," she argued. "But one day, I hope I will." Iris chuckled. "But it's my turn to ask. You're a family enthusiast. What's stopping you from finding your old family?"
Hench sighed. "I can't answer that, girl." The powerful woman looked away. "It's just the way that things are now. I don't know how else to explain it." Hench met Iris's gaze. "But I have you to count as family now --you said that yourself, so that's something isn't it?"
"And I meant that," Iris emphasized. "With all my heart, I meant that. But that's not the same as having your real family."
Hench chuckled. "It's closer than you think."
Iris opened her mouth to say something else, but Hench cut her off with a hand. She wasn't going to talk about it anymore than that, and that was now obvious to Iris. The rogue couldn't help but wonder what her mentor was so afraid of. Could any family she have left truly hate Hench, even after all she'd been through? The whole situation left a bad taste in the rogue's mouth. What kind of people were they?
The rest of the day was spent in lighter conversation. By the time Iris and Hench were walking back towards the sanctuary, Iris realized again that she'd found a true friend in her mentor. For all Hench's bravado and all of her big muscles, her heart was equal in size. They were laughing together as they walked back through the front gates of the guardian compound.
Iris's heart was full.
They didn't make it far. About two minute after arrival, a familiar voice called out to Iris. "There you are!"
Both Iris and Hench whirled around to see Kayde, who approached them on fast feet.
"Kayde," Iris said warmly. He offered a smile in return. "I didn't see you at breakfast," she pointed out.
"I've been in my father's office," he told her and looked around. "I wish I had time to talk more. But everyone's been looking for you, Iris." Now, he looked from the rogue to Hench. "Both of you, actually."
"What?" Iris was confused. "Why?"
"We got a visitor today here at the sanctuary," Kayde said quickly. He didn't have time to explain the circumstances or how exactly a visitor here was even possible, leaving Iris and Hench both vastly confused. "Hench, Master Dyran has summoned you to his office as soon as possible. And Iris?" he paused. "Our visitor asked specifically for you."
A/N -- Hope you enjoyed! I'd love to hear your thoughts!