Chapter One Hundred and Seventy-Four: The Blessing
Over the next few days, the village was in a flurry of activity.
People were literally outside sweeping the streets and trying their hardest to make Chisago look somewhat presentable for the coming rulers, but even Ella knew that they couldn't do much to repair several years' worth of damage within only a few weeks.
Still, it emboldened her to see everyone eagerly doing their parts.
The Sysh brothers had made a habit of perching on the rooftops when they weren't aiding the citizens of her village with tasks that required actual strength, and although they'd been invited to stay with several people from town, they'd chosen to sleep outside instead.
Ella didn't really know where, but they seemed to have made themselves at home.
Ninira and Bruno had been welcomed into Marty Crawford's household with open arms, and after about a day, their children had become quite close with Kirby. She'd seen Windal and the little brunette playing with their respective toys together like most little kids were prone to.
Gus had pretty much vanished, busy with who knew what, and Xaphile spent most of his time indoors with his little brother.
She'd also spoken with the prisoners who had been locked up in one of the four jail cells that lined the very back of the barracks, but had made no progress with either one of them about the king's plans.
All there was to do at this point was wait.
Wait for her friends to come to Nimika, wait to be reunited, and wait for redemption, and love, and freedom. Ella looked around as she walked through the streets, thinking of the one person who hadn't so much as looked at her since she'd given that speech five days ago.
Vordt.
She'd asked Xaphile about him, but he hadn't been able to tell her anything useful since his uncle had apparently been spending every waking moment out of the house and only returned when he was tired enough to sleep.
They hadn't been talking at all, apparently, and that's why she was currently looking for him.
She'd searched high and low for about three hours, but she hadn't seen so much as a glimpse of his tail. A part of her wondered if he was outside of the wall, which would have made far more sense due to the fact that he hated being around mortals, but she was reluctant to leave by herself so she eventually decided to wait outside Amelia's home until he returned.
It was nearly nightfall when she heard the telltale beat of his wings, but she only looked up when he landed on the cobblestone, meeting his eyes.
He seemed somewhat surprised and even more annoyed by the sight of her, but instead of saying anything, she stepped away from the wall and gestured with her head for him to follow her before sweeping off.
A short glance later revealed that he was indeed following.
She led him to a place that she hadn't shared with anyone, a place that she'd always retreated to whenever she'd felt like she wanted to cry: the rooftop overlooking Amelia's home.
She patted the tile beside her and looked up at him expectantly, but when he sat down, he did so with a very careful, guarded expression. She leaned back, then, staring up at the sky with a solemn feeling in her stomach.
"Why have you asked for my company?" he eventually growled. "After hearing what you had to say about me a few days ago, I'm sure your feelings are already quite--"
"You left long before I finished," she interrupted, instantly turning her eyes on him. "That was your own fault, and it was because you didn't stay that you didn't hear any of the good I had to say. Because there was a lot of good, Vordt... you've done a lot of good. For all of us."
"You described me like I was some sort of monster," he hissed, hackles rising and tail fluffing out in anger; his claws gouged the tile. "You painted me in a worse light than the tyrant who rules this country. Even though I dislike you, I would never stoop so low as to make you a villain."
"But you were a villain," Ella countered sadly; he jerked to glare at her, but faltered when he noticed the sort of expression she was giving him. "Vordt, you tried to kill your brother's child over a misunderstanding. What you did was just as wrong as what I did, and I made it very, very clear to everyone that it was a mistake. You know you've been forgiven just as much as I have."
His scowl fell into something less bitter.
"It was difficult, hearing the way you described it," he said softly. "The fear you felt, the pain, the way you were forced to watch me lie to his face about my identity only to betray him on a whim. I felt my skin crawl. I knew what I had done... but until that moment, I didn't know how badly that had damaged you. That is why it was hard to hear."
"He's your family," Ella said reproachfully. "It was harder for him than it ever was, or would have been, for me because you're his own flesh and blood. Even now, all he wants is for you to show him that you love him, Vordt... little reminders here and there, that's all. He wants for nothing else."
"Nothing but affection," Vordt muttered. "Such a foolish boy."
"Yes, but a good one, all the same," Ella agreed, smirking to herself. "A very good one."
She trailed off, letting out a sigh, staring dreamily at the sunset.
Vordt looked at her with eyes that she was sure held solid intensity, but she didn't look at him back.
"You really do love him, don't you?" he asked quietly. "Enough to dedicate eternity to him."
Ella smiled warmly, watching as the last of the sun slid down below the horizon.
"I do," she whispered, closing her eyes. "I don't know how, or why, these feelings have taken root so deeply in my heart... but Vordt, I do love him. So much that it hurts. I ache for him. I would gladly live out a life of eternal devotion, happiness, and the occasional squabble as long as he is by my side to share those moments with me. I desire this down to the core of my soul."
The faery's eyes glinted, curly hair ruffling in the breeze.
The air was slightly cooler now that the sun was going down, and Nimika was slowly moving into the autumnal months, as well, but she didn't feel cold in the slightest.
Every single part of her felt warm.
"The day that he claims you," Vordt said softly, "is the day that I will tell him that his father is still alive and well."
A thought touched her mind.
"And his mother?" she asked, glancing at him. "Do you really not know where she is?"
"No," he said, instantly looking away. "Lei... I don't know where she is. I assumed she was dead like my brother, but now I am not so sure."
"Well, if she's alive, we'll find her," Ella said simply. "We'll find Dimitri, too. I've seen so many families torn apart because of the royal family... it is my hope that some of them might be reunited. At the very least, we'll rescue Olagrell somehow, and reunite him with his sons."
Vordt said nothing, but his eyes said more than any words could have: he looked off to the horizon, a lost expression glinting in those catlike irises.
"I will no longer be needed when that day comes," he said quietly, tone surprisingly heavy. "My nephews... they cling to me only because I am all they have by way of family. When their father returns to them, they will no longer need me. Or want me."
Ella stiffened, then turned and clutched his arm, ignoring the way he hissed like a vexed feline.
He growled, baring his fangs in a frightening scowl, but she leaned forward, staring him down.
"Don't talk like that," she ordered, watching as his face contorted. "Xaphile and Adariel are going to need you more than they ever did once Olagrell returns. By the nine, even Olagrell might need you when all is said and done since he was kept imprisoned and tortured for ten years."
Vordt's eyebrow twitched, and he looked away for a moment.
"I do not desire to console him," he said coldly. "If I see him with my own eyes... just like all the other times after what he did to me, I will be thrown back to the moment when he broke me. I do not want Xaphile or Adariel to see me in such a state."
Ella frowned, then made a very daring and potentially dangerous move: leaning forward and heightening herself on her knees so she was taller than he, she wrapped her arms around his head and pulled his cheek against her chest, threading her hands through his curly black hair.
He froze, hands quivering and tail snapping around, but he didn't utter so much as a sound.
"Vordt," she murmured softly, "compared to you, who's lived for so many years and has seen more than I ever will, I'm not experienced at all. My advice is probably stupid and worthless... but I'll give it to you anyway: Xaphile and Adariel love you, because you are their uncle. You hold a permanent place in both their hearts, and your title can never be stripped from you."
"What... do... you... know?"
"As I just said, nothing, at least in comparison to you," she murmured, still running her hands through his hair and marveling at how soft it was, "but even if seeing Olagrell hurts you, if nothing else, I want you to remember that your nephews love you. If you break down before them, they will comfort you and try to lift you from where you've fallen in place of their father. Never, ever forget that."
He quiverered for a second.
"Those children should have been mine," he croaked. "Those boys were stolen from me."
Ella winced, but she didn't know how to respond.
"Nothing can erase the past," she said after a careful moment of thinking, "but we can and do have control over the future. Even if those boys aren't your children, in a way, they're still yours because your blood connects you."
"They will never be as close with me as they will their fa---"
"Enough," she murmured, fisting her hands in his hair. "It's true, Vordt, that some parents share an instinctive bond with their children, but I know a great deal of people living in Chisago who have aunts and uncles that they are far closer to than their own mothers and fathers."
He shifted, long, ram-like horn brushing against her cloak.
"Truly?"
"Yes," she confirmed. "You mustn't lose heart, all right? In fact, I believe that you should strive to become as close as you possibly can for them."
"How?" he asked in a low voice. "How can I do that?"
"Well, you can start by occasionally getting rid of the aloof and slightly snappish attitude you give off to hide the depth of your pain," she snorted, patting his head. "Instead of distancing yourself to prevent them from knowing your feelings, share your hurts with them. Even if you can't be positive about your emotions, tell them the truth... that you do hurt. And its hard."
"How can I tell them," he said in a hoarse, raw tone, "that merely looking at them brings me pain, because they should have been mine? How can I tell them that their father, my own brother, stole their mother from me for no reason aside from selfish arrogance? I desire to be close to them, I really do, but being near them is a painful reminder of his betrayal to me... and I do not wish to constantly remind them of their father's actions, because that knowledge can hurt them, too."
"Then hurt together: tell them everything, when the time is right," she said, looking at the sky. "Shoulder your way through your pain and get close to them, even if it hurts you, okay? Force yourself. It wasn't easy for Xaphile to get through his struggles, believe me, but he's doing it, and I believe that you can, too."
"Why?"
"Because even though you're sad, it'll bring you closer, which will make them happier, and it might possibly even lighten the weight keeping your heart so heavy. You know deep down how much they love you. Show them a bit of affection every now and then, even if its awkward or embarrassing or doesn't come naturally. At some point, you'll find that it will."
She knelt there in silence, stroking his hair for several moments, but then he slowly pulled away and looked her dead in the eyes.
His face betrayed none of his emotions, but his eyes did seem a bit brighter.
"I misjudged you," he said quietly. "If that is what you believe I should do, then I will do it."
Ella nodded, then looked away.
"Forgive me if I overstepped my boundaries," she murmured. "I was slightly afraid that touching your hair would get me into trouble with you, but I couldn't stop myself. I want you and I to get along, Vordt... we'll be seeing a lot of each other in the future if my dream comes true."
"It was bold, even for you," he grumbled, face souring for a second. "Still, even though you didn't have my permission, I was not offended. I find that to be the strangest part of this whole situation."
Ella chuckled, then sat back and relaxed, palms against the rough tiles.
From her perch, she could see the glinting lights of each fire around the town, both inside the houses and outside in the open air. Vordt's tail swished calmly across the rooftop as she raised her eyes, staring at the beautiful colors swirling around the shifting stars above.
For the first time in years, she felt completely at peace.
Vordt set a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently, but the moment the two of them were connected, a fierce wind rushed across the rooftop and swept over them. Ella gasped in delight as her hair was tossed back in a cloud of molten silver, closing her eyes as the warm breeze caressed her body, ruffling her tattered cloak and tugging on her clothing.
"Gods, that wind," she murmured softly. "So beautiful."
"Indeed."
Everything was going perfectly.
Too perfectly.
Ella suddenly had a sense of foreboding and turned, then.
"Protect your family, Vordt," she said to him. "Protect them and cherish them."
"Hm? What brought that on?" he muttered, scowling. "I thought that conversation was over."
"It was," she said, shaking her head, "but I'm suddenly a bit anxious. Everything is going right, which means that somewhere, something is definitely going to go wrong."
"Don't tell me you're afraid."
"Actually, I'm very afraid," Ella countered, closing her eyes as the wind slowly began to die down; her hair slid across her cheeks, soft and cool. "I'm scared, Vordt. I'm scared even though part of me knows I shouldn't be."
"I see," he muttered, brows furrowing in confusion. "Well, it is not me you should be having this conversation with, then."
"What?" she asked, startled. "What do you mean?"
He nodded towards Amelia's house, giving her a sharp look.
"There is someone in there who would soothe your fears far better than I."
"No," she said sternly, searching his face. "I feel like a cloud is on the horizon. Like something bad is about to happen. And I feel like you're the best person to admit this to."
"You don't need to worry," Vordt said, expression becoming twisted with something that had her staring at him in concern. "I..."
He hesitated, struggling.
"Go on," she urged.
He looked her in the eyes.
They were hard as steel.
"There's a rope tied to the cliff."
Ella blinked, staring at him in total confusion.
"A rope tied to... huh?" she deadpanned, brows furrowing. "Is this a riddle?"
"No."
"Okay, then... what cliff? There are no cliffs near here."
He didn't respond.
"I'll say nothing further," he said coldly, and a chilling silence descended upon them as another gust of wind tossed her hair around. "Have you thought beyond tomorrow?"
"Uhhh, no. Unlike some, it's hard for me to see even that far into the future."
"Your sarcasm isn't becoming," he said distastefully. "You should work on that."
"Same could be said of your cryptic warnings," Ella snorted. "You're exactly like Zelphira."
"No, she and I are quite different, for she would have said nothing at all," he said, then gestured to the buildings below. "Now, instead of brooding over the inevitable, try looking down at your people, Ella. What do you see when you gaze at them?"
She looked down, seeing people running to and fro, hearing the clang of tools and laughter.
"Hope," she quietly replied, heart swelling, "but perhaps that's my own perception."
"No, it is not just yours," Vordt rumbled. "Down there you have hope, and courage... because they now have everything they'll need to face the king when the time comes."
When Ella glanced up at him, she noticed that the man seemed almost sad.
"I hope so," she whispered, rubbing her arms against the onset of the night's chill. "I really do."
High above, the stars were just beginning to wink into existence, twinkling like a promise that everything would be okay. She put a hand to her chest and smiled at the twinkling lights in the sky, letting the tears come forth as her aching soul once again became whole.
After so many years of being unloved and hated, she had finally been redeemed.
Everyone had apologized.
She could finally start over, without the weight of the fallen city crushing her happiness.
"I'm free," she whispered, closing her eyes as a falling star shot across the sky.
"Go get him," Vordt said quietly, making her heart seize. "You have my blessing, Ellameira."
She gawked at him, stunned, before she broke out into a soft grin.
"I'll wait until the day after tomorrow to tell him," she whispered, shaking her head; then she rose to her feet, and stretched before holding out her hand with a smile. "For now, let's go down there and have him whip up one of his delicious meals, eh?"
Raising an eyebrow, Vordt set his clawed hand in her own and allowed her to pull him upright, and without a word, they both climbed down from the rooftop and made their way over to Amelia's home.
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Author's note: I finally finished the major preparations for the sequel's release (aka the cover art and the cinematic trailer, which turned out totally fucking badass. When this story is done, I'll post the video for the sequel at the very end. Sound good to anyone?)