Heart of a Monster

Rana stood before the wagon as the group was making their way up the tunnel to exit Stonehaven. With a deep breath and closed eyes, the minotaur’s right hand began to glow a brilliant and luminescent green. She slowly brought her hand upwards; the action was followed by the sound of stone grating against stone. Beneath both Rana and the wagon, the ground began to rumble as the tunnel shifted. The dead-end wall of the unusual corridor seemed to sink in front of everyone when it was actually them rising upwards.

As the cavern breached the surface, the subterranean hallway was flooded with natural, and painfully bright, sunlight. Everyone was forced to cover their eyes from the blinding light that assaulted them. A pleasantly cool and gentle breeze blew through the opening and into the tunnel, the flames of the torches on the walls danced as the light wind rushed past.

Once the tunnel exit finished ascending over the surface of the earth, Rana turned to take her place in the wagon. Vidor sat with the reins to the horses in his left hand, his right still shielding his eyes from the incandescent glow of the natural sun. Rana took just a moment as she was climbing into her seat beside her brother to observed Aridean and Magdalene in the back of the wagon. Aridean was squinting her eyes trying to push through the painfully bright light so that she may see outside the tunnel. Magdalene had turned away and was covering both her eyes with her hands. Some annoyed and impatient moans escaped the girl as it was clear she was not fully prepared for such an experience.

Once Rana was seated beside him and he felt his eyes had adjusted enough, Vidor whipped the reins which got the horses moving again. With a whinny, both horses began pulling the wagon up the rest of the tunnel. Warm sunshine washed over the horses, then Rana and Vidor, and finally Aridean and Magdalene as the wagon was pulled out from the secret stone hall.

On either side of the road the wagon was now rolling down were lush green stretches of countryside. Sparsely scattered trees and many small flower patches of varying colors dotted the green fields. A deep blue pond in the distance to the east was bathed in sunlight, reflecting a both beautiful and hard to look at image. Behind them, was the forest and open tunnel that lead to their underground home. Although the group had exited the tunnel, Vidor did not stop the wagon as the tunnel slowly shrank. Magdalene, finally opening her eyes to the world, noticed this and turned to Aridean.

“Does Rana not need to close that tunnel?” Magdalene asked. Aridean shook her head before answering.

“She only needs to open and close the tunnel when we return. When a team leaves, someone is typically assigned to close it behind them. Returning teams are expected to open and close the tunnel as the magic users still in Stonehaven may not be readily available or know when the team is arriving,” Aridean spoke with a gentle tone. As though her explanation was their cue, the assigned magician made his or her presence known.

Within the tunnel, a bright green glow radiated from within the darkened hole. Having noticed this, Aridean began to point back to the tunnel. Magdalene turned, following Aridean’s pointing finger to watch as the cave-like structure began its descent. Some distance between the team and the tunnel had been made, but everyone could hear the grating of stone as the tunnel to Stonehaven closed shut again. Just like the first time she had seen the tunnel opening, Magdalene’s jaw had dropped somewhat and her eyes widened at seeing the stone move back into place.

I find it a bit odd that Maggie is surprised by magic like that, Aridean thought to herself as the road where the tunnel once stood had flattened again. Whoever had shut the entrance to Stonehaven had been thorough as the road appeared unchanged before Rana had used her magic.

“Maggie, if you don’t mind me asking, why do you seem so awestruck by wild magic? You mentioned always having been able to use holy magic, so what about a different kind is so interesting?” Aridean asked the half-elf as she turned back to face the minotaur seated across from her in the wagon. Magdalene crossed her arms over her chest and crossed her legs that were stretched over the floor of the wagon.

“What’s so wrong with me being amazed by something that I’ve never seen before? My magic is something I know, Rana’s isn’t,” Magdalene answered dismissively while turning her head. The girl looked at Aridean, who was giving her a curious stare, “What? Like you weren’t amazed by it the first time you saw it.”

Well, of course I was. It was the first time I had ever even seen magic after all. It wasn’t until two months later that Rana showed me that I could use magic. Now that I can cast fire, other magics just seem… natural? Aridean pondered to herself. Although the two had ceased conversation, the surroundings were anything but silent.

Birds sang from treetops, where branches were lightly swaying to and fro as the wind whistled past. Joining in the countryside traveling symphony was the creaking of the wooden wagon. The creaking was particularly loud as a wheel hit an above average sized rock in the road. There was also the sound of the horses’ hooves clopping along the dirt road in addition to an occasional whinny. Rustling leaves were dropping from high on the tree limbs and sailing through the air via the cool breeze that lightly whipped up Magdalene’s hair and the three minotaurs’ manes.

As the wagon passed by a shady tree on the side of the road, both Aridean and Magdalene looked up into its branches. Between the leaves, bright rays of sunlight punched through the shade. A clear contrast in color was made where the light met with shadow on the tree. The shaded side was a dark shade of brown, similar to Aridean’s dark brown mane. However, the light side was a light tan-like color, closer to Vidor’s backpack that sat beside Aridean. Wind began blowing once more and the limbs of the tree shook excitedly. Leaves began raining down as the wagon passed out from under the shade of the large tree. One stiff, crunchy, and brown leaf made its way into the wagon, landing right beside Magdalene. The half-elf picked up the leaf by its stem with one hand. She gently spun the leaf in circles between her thumb and finger, examining the dark and light sides that looked similar to the light and shadow on the tree it had fallen from.

“Sorry for eavesdropping, you two, but I’m a bit curious since you were talking about it. Maggie, where did you learn holy magic? I don’t mean to bring this up, but if Raltor had always been that monster, then him teaching you would have been dangerous to his plans,” Rana asked from the front of the wagon. Magdalene, who had spaced out inspecting the leaf between her fingers, shook her head to wake herself up again. She casually dropped the leaf over the side of the wagon where it glided to its resting place on green grass.

“Didn’t I mention it already? My sister taught me,” Magdalene replied. Rana began to move from her seat at the front of wagon to join both Aridean and Magdalene in the back. Aridean caught Vidor watching his sister. As Rana sat down beside her, Aridean saw that Vidor switched focus to Magdalene, if only for a second. His eyes rolled in annoyance as he turned back to the road.

“How much did your sister teach you? Have you ever given thought to practicing other forms of magic? Being a half-elf, you should have little trouble picking up a new type of magic. I did overhear that you seem to find wild magic interesting,” Rana continued to question with a wide smile on her face. It was at this point that Aridean understood Vidor’s annoyed expression, it had not actually been directed at Magdalene for once.

Oh, Vidor must think Rana is looking for another magic pupil. She was… enthusiastic when training me despite having an incredibly limited reach when it came to fire magic, Aridean mentally reviewed. Two months into her new life at Stonehaven, Rana had discovered that Aridean was capable of channeling magic. Not a full day later and Rana was instructing Aridean on how to use her abilities, the basics of magic principles, and weighing her down with so many different textbooks she had pulled from the library that even Aridean’s arms felt tired after returning them all. After all was said and done, Rana had surprised her by commenting that Aridean was about one-twelfth through an actual institution’s basics to magic course.

“I’ve never tried learning any other form of magic. Wasn’t really interested because I never really needed magic for much of anything. To be honest, I still don’t think I’m that good despite my sister teaching me everything she knew,” spoke Magdalene. Her tone had shifted to sound a bit more somber as she clearly thought back on her past experiences.

“Well, if you are ever interested, please let me know! I would love nothing more than to teach you what I know! Given your elven blood, you should be able to easily adapt to any element you choose. Elves were the first to discover and practice magic, after all. Oh, I remember the day we found out Aridean was attuned to the element of fire,” began Rana. Although she still maintained her kind, older-sister voice, inklings of childish glee could be heard through her words.

“Uh, Rana, we don’t have to ta--,” Vidor started, but was immediately ignored as Rana began to laugh.

“Ahaha, oh, I still laugh just thinking about it! I’ve no doubt you would have gotten a laugh out of the sight of Vidor running for the plaza fountain, too, Maggie,” Rana announced, still laughing. Vidor could be heard audibly moaning in embarrassment while Aridean sulked beside of Rana as the two seemed to have very different thoughts regarding the incident. Magdalene’s eyebrows shot up with curiosity and the girl turned to Aridean.

“What did you do to him?” Magdalene asked, leaning forward slightly in anticipation. Aridean’s ears dropped and she nervously sighed.

“…I-I got nervous… magic flared up a-and… I lit his tail on fire…” Aridean barely managed to speak. Magdalene took a moment to herself to picture the display. After thinking it over for a moment, the girl had to muffle a short laugh that tried escaping her lips. Unfortunately, Vidor still heard the hushed laugh and moaned once again.

“I would ask how, but I don’t want to hear something boring that ruins the image I’ve got now. Instead, I’ll ask Rana how she learned magic,” Magdalene stated as both her quiet and Rana’s boisterous laughter died down. A gentle smile formed on Rana’s face as she looked at Magdalene.

“Grandfather taught me what he knew. But after he had shown me what he could, I moved on to textbooks and demonstrations from other magicians,” replied Rana as the wind blew past the wagon again. “Wild magic is quite versatile, you know. Although I favor using the earth, wild magic gives me access to wind, water, and fire as well. However, I could never achieve the same mastery over fire that Aridean can if she continues to study and practice.”

“Why’s that?” Magdalene asked curiously. Rana’s smile seemed to widen as Magdalene’s interest brought out her magic tutor self again.

“It comes with Aridean’s natural attunement to the element of fire, hence why that bag burst in--,” Rana began to explain with joy.

“Rana! C’mon already!” Vidor whined from the front of the wagon, not keen on having Rana mention Aridean setting his tail on fire again. A short laugh escaped his sister’s lips before she spoke again.

“Anyway, Aridean has natural attunement to the element of fire. She was born with it and has the ability to unlock the full potential of fire magic, which is ultimately limited by her imagination,” Rana finished explaining. Magdalene brought her knees up to her chest as she curled up on her side of the wagon.

“So, Ari can burn down a village and Rana can make it anew in stone… all I can do is make bright lights…” Magdalene seemed to sulk. Rana’s head cocked to the side hearing Magdalene’s self-deprecating comment.

“What do you mean? Holy magic is immensely powerful. Its primarily utilized to bestow blessings and healing upon the ill and wounded but has other uses as well. In fact, its potential for healing goes far beyond anything I could do with wild magic,” Rana responded, trying to encourage Magdalene. From the front of the wagon, a low grumble was heard coming from Vidor. Everyone in the back turned to look at the minotaur driving the wagon.

“Uhm, Vidor, did you say something?” Aridean asked. Before speaking, Vidor let out an exasperated sigh.

“I said we… maybe wouldn’t have finished off that demon lord thing if she hadn’t enchanted my crossbow bolts and Aridean’s axe,” answered Vidor. It was clear that Vidor was reluctant to give his compliment to Magdalene. Regardless, Magdalene’s eyes lit up, if only slightly, upon hearing begrudged praise from Vidor.

Although he had never turned around to look at the girls behind him, Vidor kept his attention focused on the road ahead. Rana looked to her brother with a gentle smile on her face. Aridean look from Vidor to Magdalene, still sitting across from her in the back of the wagon. She noticed that Magdalene was holding her head low again but could just barely make out what she thought was a smile on what of the girl’s face she could see.

“Healing and demon smiting… you never mentioned the latter, but it sure came in handy…” Magdalene quietly spoke to herself. Aridean found the comment odd but elected not to press the topic further; she did not want to have Magdalene snap for her eavesdropping.

“Well, as I was saying, if you ever do wish to learn a different form of magic, you need only ask. In the meantime, are you excited, Aridean?” Rana said as she returned her attention to her fellow girls. Aridean looked to Rana with confusion, her ear flicking as her head tilted to the side.

“E-excited? For what?” Asked Aridean, much to Rana’s apparent surprise.

“Oh, did Vidor not tell you where we are going this time? We’re heading to--,” Rana began to answer.

“It’s a surprise!” Vidor hurriedly exclaimed from the front of the wagon. Rana and Aridean both looked to the male minotaur with surprise. Again, Vidor refused to turn around to look at them. However, Aridean noticed that his shoulders seemed to have tensed up as he spoke.

“Another surprise? Vidor, I told you my birthday isn’t for a while,” spoke Aridean with an embarrassed smile. Magdalene looked up at Aridean and then to Vidor with a skeptical expression. Rana simply shrugged off her brother’s odd interruption, assuming he had something planned for Aridean.

“I-I know, but this is special… I hope you like it,” Vidor replied, clearly his voice carried a hint of anxiety. “A-anyway, what is our cover this time? Are we still pilgrims with a half-elf? That’d be an odd band, right, Rana? I think we may want to think of something else.”

He’s unusually quick to change the subject… he has seemed a bit distant this morning. Perhaps he is still a bit tired? Aridean thought to herself regarding Vidor’s behavior. She sincerely hoped that she did not sound ungrateful to Vidor for having put another surprise together for her, but she had not anticipated something else so soon.

Rana crossed her outstretched legs over the wagon floor and brought a hand to her chin as she began to think. Both Magdalene and Aridean looked to the pondering minotaur as she considered her brother’s statement. Warm sunlight washed over the group as a cloud flew out of the way of the bright sun in the sky. Aridean thought the feeling of warmth was rather pleasant, as though she could fall asleep right there.

“Hmm… I suppose we would look a bit strange. Not to spoil Vidor’s surprise, but there is also the matter of where we are going. If needed, I believe our normal cover could work, but I’m open to suggestions,” Rana announced after a moment of thinking.

Not to spoil Vidor’s surprise… where are we going that Rana suddenly won’t tell me? This is a mission to find Sparrow… but I haven’t even been told where he is yet. This is a bit odd coming from Rana; she’s normally so forward with work, Aridean thought to herself. Just as she finished her thought, she let out a loud yawn. The minotaur’s yawn was followed by a quick snort from Magdalene.

“Well, you three could pretend to be my servants,” spoke the obviously trying to be facetious girl as she rolled her eyes. Vidor’s response was to grunt in annoyance while Aridean looked to Magdalene with curiosity.

“Hmm… that… could very well work,” Rana responded after another moment of thinking. Having heard her speak, Vidor turned around with a disgusted expression on his face and Magdalene looked to Rana with stunned surprise.

“I was joking,” Magdalene exclaimed.

“You’re kidding, right?” Vidor moaned. Rana’s response to both of these protests was to smile and shake her head gently.

“Whether you were joking or not, it is not a bad idea. Minotaur servants to nobles may be rare, but not unheard of. So long as you can play the role of a noble, we should have no issue pretending to serve the young Lady Magdalene,” Rana explained, finishing her thought with a short laugh. Although she referred to Magdalene as ‘the young lady’ with the same playfulness she used addressing the children in Stonehaven, both Aridean and Vidor could tell she was quite serious.

“I don’t know if I like that,” both Vidor and Magdalene unintentionally commented in unison. Despite their agreement concerning the matter, the two grunted their own irritation toward the other. Rana looked to both of the protesters to the strategy before rolling her eyes and turning to Aridean.

“Well, what do you think about it? Care to play Lady Magdalene’s servant for the course of this mission?” Rana asked with a smile. In all honesty, Aridean really did not have an opinion one way or the other over the matter.

“Well… I suppose it’s worth trying at least. So long as we don’t run into any real nobles no one else should easily figure us out,” stated Aridean before yawning again. The gentle sunshine had heated her fur to the perfect warmth that she was starting to have a hard time keeping her eyes open. Rana quickly took note of Aridean’s apparent drowsiness.

“Do you need to lie down for a while? I heard you had been at the mess hall for most of the evening yesterday because you probably didn’t know we were heading out again so soon,” Rana inquired. Aridean opened her mouth to answer but found that only another yawn escaped her throat. Trying to answer through the yawn, Aridean gently shook her head back and forth. However, it seemed that Rana did not accept the nonverbal answer as she raised an eyebrow expectantly and her smile slowly faded.

“Not that I care or anything, but when did you go to sleep last night? I went to bed pretty late and you hadn’t even gotten back to the barracks,” Magdalene chimed in with a matter-of-fact tone in her voice.

“Rana’s already figured you out, might as well just do as she says. Just take yourself a little nap; we’ll wake you if something happens,” Vidor called from the front of the wagon.

Aridean first looked to Rana, who was still glaring at her with eyes that said ‘do as I say’. She then looked to Vidor, who had turned to her to give one of his signature goofy grins. Finally, she looked across the wagon to Magdalene. The half-elf gave the minotaur a disinterested shrug of the shoulders before scooting closer to the front of the wagon to allow Aridean space to lay down. Aridean let out a tired and submissive sigh before reclining on the creaky and stiff, wooden wagon floor. She closed her eyes and quickly drifted to sleep, bathing in the warm sunlight as another pleasant breeze danced over her.

When she opened her eyes again, Aridean found herself standing in the middle of what looked like a barn without livestock. Feeling a bit confused by her sudden change in scenery, Aridean spun circles looking at the walls, the ceiling, the floor. However, her eyes landed upon something near the barn door, beneath an overhead loft. She was looking at a workbench with well-worn tools scattered about the workspace. What stopped her and made her realize why her surroundings looked so familiar was the presence of a sleeping, solid-black cat on the workbench.

Eyes began to widen and breathing was becoming a challenge for the minotaur. It was as she looked at the sleeping cat that she realized she had dreamt up a vision of home again. Despite the familiar and beloved surroundings, Aridean’s breathing was slowly becoming erratic as panic and fear gripped her mind and heart. Just as she was about to take a step toward the sleeping cat, something entered her vision. It moved past her and collected the cat from the workbench. With the cat in hand, the figure then moved toward the barn door and exited out into the yard beyond.

Aridean was horrified by what she saw. What had just picked up the cat from the workbench was none other than herself. Aridean watched as a second her carried Mott the cat away and to the farmhouse. Cautiously, she lifted a shaky hoof from the ground beneath her and moved toward the barn door in an attempted pursuit of herself. With the door only a meter away from her face, Aridean was startled by the sudden and forceful slamming of the barn door right in front of her. She had never seen the doors move so quickly; such old doors should likely have fallen off the hinges if they had been thrown shut in such a manner.

Now standing in the darkened barn, Aridean’s breath was caught in her throat. Her squeamish legs felt as though they were going to give out under her from the stress. Nevertheless, the minotaur nervously gulped and reached for the barn door with one shaky hand. Trying to push the door back open revealed that the barn door was stuck. She lifted her other hand and pressed hard against the door, feeling it budge if only slightly. Aridean dug her hooves into the dirt as she used as much of her weight to force open the large, wooden doors and was met with success.

However, the sight beyond the barn door had changed. It was now dark outside and a bright moon floated in the night sky. The world itself felt ice cold as Aridean surveyed the bleak farmland. Despite her warm fur, the minotaur felt the freezing air swirl all around. Standing in the doorway to the barn and running her hands up and down her arms for warmth, Aridean heard the farmhouse door opening. Although it was difficult to see through the darkness, Aridean could just make out what looked like herself again. She watched as her other body descended the stairs from the farmhouse porch and bolt for the road, tail flailing wildly behind her as her hooves hurriedly carried her away. Time almost seemed to stop as Aridean managed to catch her doppelganger crying on her way out of the house. Frozen in place, Aridean watched speechless as the other her continued to run and run until she was lost in the darkness.

Loud creaking was heard on both sides of the minotaur. Frightened, Aridean found herself being thrown back into the barn as the large wooden doors had slammed shut on top of her. She had been locked in the barn again, but this time having been thrown on her rear. Unlike the first time, before Aridean could even begin to stand back up, the doors began opening again. Bright sunlight flooded the barn, nearly blinding Aridean as the beams invaded the dark room. Once her eyes adjusted, Aridean saw a silhouette standing in the doorway; this one being too small to be her clone again.

Relief washed over the minotaur still sitting on the floor as she began to make out the familiar features of the one opening the barn door. Mostly black, but also graying, hair, well-toned and muscled arms, and the unmistakable boots told Aridean everything about the person standing before her. What little of his face Aridean could make out through the bright sunlight was the lightly wrinkled skin beside his eyes and what she thought might be a warm smile. A smile of her own quickly made its way to her face as she reached up to the man in the doorway. Unfortunately, her smile vanished almost as quickly as it had appeared when she heard the disappointed, almost disgusted, grunt. Then, sheer terror took hold of the minotaur girl.

Behind the man rose a familiar looking tool, one that Aridean had become uncomfortably acquainted with. She could feel it in her throat that she was screaming, but no noise could be heard. Her heart was pounding rapidly in her chest, but her entire body felt numb. Tears began to roll down her cheeks as the tool behind the man came down with tremendous force.

Aridean’s eyes shot open wide in fear. She could feel herself shaking, even more than normal while riding in the rickety, old wagon. Her face and hands felt cold, but she could not find it in herself to move. Breathing was feeling difficult, challenging even, as she rapidly drew short breaths of fresh air in erratic fashion. Within her immediate vision was the back wall of the wagon, her back turned towards the front.

It's okay, it’s okay, it’s okay… just another bad dream. They just keep getting worse and worse… Aridean thought to herself as she felt a tear run down her cheek. The distressed minotaur slowly began to collect herself, drawing in some deep breaths. Just as she began to think clearly again, Aridean noticed the surroundings around the wagon. Twilight had settled over the land and several fluffy looking clouds hung in the air. She saw in the distance behind the wagon that there was a forest with trees of varying colors. The sound of rushing water could be heard coming from somewhere nearby.

Already evening… how long was I asleep? I don’t feel very well rested… Aridean wondered in her head.

“Are you sure she’s okay sleeping like that? She sounds like she’s dying,” came Magdalene’s voice from somewhere behind Aridean. Hearing the young girl speak had slightly startled Aridean, her body tensed up despite having only just started calming down.

“Didn’t you say you woke up to see her like that this morning? Whatever; she doesn’t like talking about it but she’s always had a hard time sleeping,” answered Vidor’s voice. Aridean was starting to feel a bit self-conscious given their discussion was clearly aimed at her and her unusual sleeping habits. She could feel herself shaking again but was unable to turn over.

“You two are about the only people she talks to, right? She ever tell you what the deal is?” Magdalene continued to question.

“Aridean has been quite… reserved when it comes to that. I would guess she either has some kind of sleeping disorder or some sort of trauma that haunts her dreams,” came Rana’s voice. Aridean’s eyes listlessly gazed upon the wooden floor of the wagon as she reflected upon her inability to share her nightmares. She had always hoped they would just go away, but a good night’s sleep was a rarity to her at this point.

“Well, whatever it is, it’s weird,” Magdalene commented. Aridean felt embarrassed, but knew Magdalene was right. Aridean’s ear flicked as Magdalene continued, “So where are we going?”

“W-what do you care?” Vidor quickly returned, sounding a bit caught off guard. Aridean was starting to grow curious given Vidor’s apparent reluctance to divulge the group’s destination.

“What do I care? I’m going too, y’know. I wanna know where we’re going,” replied Magdalene with an irritated tone. Vidor moaned in frustration; his dissatisfaction was followed by a short pause. From immediately behind her, Aridean could hear Rana drawing breath to answer Magdalene’s question, but she never spoke.

“I said it was a surprise,” stated Vidor suddenly and insistently.

Oh… right… I don’t want to ruin Vidor’s fun. He has no reason to hide it from Maggie and it will be spoiled now that I’m awake. I really don’t want to make myself known since they’ve been talking about me, that’d be embarrassing. Maybe if I can just go back to sleep really fast? But… I do want to know where he was taking me… No, no, that’d not be fair to Vidor, Aridean began to consider. Despite the curiosity, Aridean closed her eyes again as she tried to go back to sleep to avoid further eavesdropping.

“Yeah, a surprise for Ari, right? So just tell me already before I wake Ari up and tell her you were sniffing her mane while she slept,” Magdalene threatened. Rana seemed to find Magdalene’s intimidation tactics rather amusing as she began to quietly laugh. Vidor, on the other hand, was less than amused.

“What?! I wouldn’t do that to her,” a rather indignant Vidor snapped. Magdalene snickered before speaking again.

“Probably a good thing, too. She’d probably pummel you with that axe of hers if she found out you did something like that,” Magdalene snidely commented, clearly trying to get a rise out of Vidor through constant prodding.

“So? I think a girl who could kick my ass is hot, what’s the big deal?” Vidor exclaimed in defense. Both Rana and Magdalene burst into laughter, which was followed by a groan of disappointment from Vidor.

That’s… sweet? Uhm… s-should I have a talk with him about that? Aridean wondered to herself. Although she understood Vidor’s words to be good intentioned, she still felt somewhat confused.

“I can’t say I see Aridean kicking ass, but I do seem to recall one of the first things you said about her when we picked her up. You said something about her having a nice ass,” Rana chimed in with even more laughter. Aridean felt her face warm with embarrassment despite technically having been complimented if in an immensely awkward manner. Magdalene also seemed to enjoy Rana’s comment as her own laughter continued.

“Ha! She said you weren’t a perv, but I knew you were,” Magdalene teased.

“I am not a perv! Rana, you know I wasn’t talking about her ass! I was telling Captain Bryn that she has a nice tail… two years later and that still doesn’t sound much better,” Vidor argued before realizing he had already lost. Both Rana and Magdalene continued to laugh. Aridean could just picture Vidor’s eye’s rolling with annoyance clear on his face, “Can’t you two keep it down? She’s finally gotten quiet; like she’s actually sleeping soundly for once.”

“Ahaha, oh, okay. So, where are we going, pervert?” Magdalene asked again with less irritability and more teasing in her voice. Vidor did not respond to Magdalene’s question, the only sounds one could hear were the birds, wind, and nearby rushing water as the wagon rolled along the road.

“I must admit to being hurt you haven’t at least let me in on your little surprise. You told me all about Aridean’s ‘birthday’ months in advance. Further, you only found out about this mission yesterday, how could you have anything planned?” Rana also questioned. Aridean was a bit startled by this revelation; she had known Rana was aware of her birthday surprise. However, Rana was right: given they were only just assigned this task, Vidor could not have a surprise set up for her. Vidor could be heard moaning in distress.

“That’s cause… I don’t have a plan, Rana. I don’t know how to tell her a-and… I’m a bit afraid to. I didn’t tell you, but one of the gifts I had prepared didn’t blow over so well, it nearly ruined the whole evening. But it did tell me a little about her… that she’s afraid of… well…” an anxious Vidor began to explain. Aridean began feel self-conscious again as Vidor had a better grip on detailing her personal issues than she did herself. Despite everyone thinking she was still asleep, she so desperately wanted to vanish into thin air to avoid the embarrassment.

It's just like the entire time I’ve lived at Stonehaven… Vidor’s always had to be the one to help me just speak. While I’m grateful he was there for me, I really wish I could just do something right myself, Aridean reflected while Vidor had ceased speaking.

“Afraid of what exactly? She is quite timid, but I’ve always assumed that was just some nerves concerning new surroundings and people,” asked Rana. Both Rana and Magdalene seemed entirely invested in hearing what it was Vidor thought Aridean was afraid of.

“She’s afraid of looking back. There’s more to it that I haven’t figured out yet, but she seems to be afraid of her own past,” Vidor finally spoke, uneasiness clear in his voice.

“That sounds fairly normal though. Why is it so bad for her? What happened to her?” Magdalene could be heard asking. Aridean could hear Vidor heaving a tired sigh.

“I don’t really know and I don’t know about asking her about it either. That gift I mentioned? I was going to have Sparrow deliver a letter to her dad. That’s why I still don’t know how to tell her that we’re going to--,” Vidor had started to reply.

“We’re going… t-to Thellia?” Aridean interrupted, finally revealing she was awake to everyone. With wide and anxious eyes, she slowly turned over to face her companions, all of whom were looking back at her.

Rana was seated near Aridean with a book in her hand. Magdalene had taken up a seat beside of Vidor at the front of the wagon, in her hands was one of Aridean’s well annotated maps. It appeared that Vidor had been driving the wagon the entire time Aridean had been asleep as he still held the reins to the horses. Rana and Magdalene both appeared to just be surprised that she was awake while Vidor’s face was full of panic.

“A-Aridean…” Vidor barely managed to call out. His voice was quiet and tone concerned.

Cold wind blew past the wagon, pulling at everyone’s hair or mane. Darkness was quickly blanketing the countryside as the sun was rapidly descending over the horizon. The brisk air could not compare to how frozen Aridean’s face and hands felt. She felt as though her heart had sunk into her stomach and a knot was forming in her throat making it difficult to breathe again. She nervously swallowed as her eyes fell to the wagon floor.

We’re going to Thellia? Vidor was trying to keep that from me because he knows I can’t do that… What… do I do now? Contemplated the distressed minotaur. Her breathing began to quicken as it also grew louder. Rana put her book aside before scooting closer to Aridean. The older minotaur wrapped her arms around Aridean in a gentle hug. She was quietly hushing the despondent younger minotaur. With Rana’s comfort, Aridean managed to calm herself with a few deep, raspy breaths.

“I-I’m okay… thank you, Rana,” spoke Aridean, nervously. Rana slowly withdrew her arms as Aridean continued to take deep breaths.

“Aridean… I-I’m sorry I didn’t tell you…” apologized Vidor. Aridean shook her head as she gathered her thoughts. After a few seconds, she looked up to Vidor with a smile on her face, but fear in her eyes.

“I-it’s fine… I-I’m okay… really,” Aridean nervously replied. “I-I think I’m going to just lay back down for a little while…”

Rana, Vidor, and Magdalene all watched as Aridean rolled back over and assumed the sleeping position she had held previously. Aridean could hear a worn-out sigh coming from Vidor; she could imagine the visible guilt on his face without even looking at him. Laying in the wagon, Aridean remained still just looking into the back wall of the wagon with wide and uneasy eyes. She lay there, waiting until she heard Rana scoot back to her spot where she had been reading. It was as she heard Rana open her book again that she made her move.

“I’m sorry! I can’t go back there!” Aridean shouted as she hastily pushed herself up from the floor and into a crouching position. Before even finishing her thought, the minotaur had launched herself out of the wagon and found herself falling toward the ground. She could hear Rana and Magdalene gasp as she hit the ground, stirring up a large cloud of dust and dirt. Despite her rough landing, Aridean scrambled to her hooves and started to run as quickly as her hooves would allow back down the long road that the wagon had traveled.

“Well… that’s new,” Magdalene indifferently commented as she watched Aridean continue her sprint.

“Shut it!” Vidor ordered before calling out, “Aridean, wait!”

After calling out to Aridean, Vidor tossed the horse reins aside and leapt from his seat in the wagon. A small amount of dust was kicked up where he landed. He did not even look back as he gave chase to Aridean. Vidor left Magdalene and Rana sitting in the wagon, Rana having moved to the driver’s seat to rein in the horses.

“I knew she was having trouble coping but hadn’t anticipated something like that…” Rana quietly commented to herself.

Aridean continued to sprint as quickly as she could, her hooves hitting the ground hard with every step. She could only hear two things: her panting and her heart beating in her ears. Nothing mattered to her at that moment though, she could not stop running. There was no way she could ever show herself in Thellia again. However, as the forest that she saw a short time ago in the wagon drew near, she slowed down. The minotaur stood only about twenty meters from the first tree before stopping.

Her breathing felt labored and her rapidly beating heart felt like it was about to burst in her chest. Even so, Aridean could not think about the intense stress on her body as tears began running down her face. She looked into the dark and foreboding forest in front of her.

“T-the… K-Konarch Forest,” Aridean said aloud. She stood frozen before the trees that were shaking in the wind. Dried and dying leaves rained down and flew past her. Her legs felt as though they were twigs ready to break under her own weight. As she stood in the middle of the dirt road, Aridean could barely hear the sound of footsteps behind her.

“Aridean… huff, wait,” called Vidor, still panting after his own sprint. It sounded as though Vidor had stopped a short distance behind Aridean. Aridean could not move a muscle as she continued to look into the Konarch Forest.

“I… I can’t go back… I shouldn’t even be this close,” spoke Aridean. “I can never go back, Vidor. I threw everything away so that he could… I was prepared to live and die alone when I left… It would be better that way; it’d be normal.”

“How could that be better? You’d be willing to live a miserable life of loneliness because you think that’d be better for your dad?” Vidor asked calmly. Aridean refused to turn and face him.

“I never deserved him… I should have just faded away with the rest of my tribe. I’d never have had to live with the humans in Thellia and he’d never have had to deal with them either,” Aridean explained weakly.

“Are you even hearing yourself? You lived with your dad for almost seventeen years and you were happy, both of you were, right? What makes you think he’d agree with that?” Vidor pressed; his tone full of concern but sounding somewhat assertive. Aridean shook her head as cold tears fell from her chin.

“He never came looking for me… And why should he have? I’m the sole survivor of the Ithlaum tribe that he led the assault on. I was nothing worthwhile to him; not even a meaningful trophy and certainly not a daughter,” an inconsolable Aridean lamented. Her entire body had gone numb. She felt like her blood had been replaced with lead given how heavy her body felt.

“Aridean, you’ve lived both figuratively and literally underground for two years, how was he supposed to find you if he went looking? Furthermore, how can you even consider that being his thoughts about what you two had? You’d know him better than anyone; surely, you’d know what he was really thinking the whole time you two lived together,” Vidor exclaimed before heaving a tired sigh. “If you could go back and keep yourself from running, wouldn’t you? Isn’t a simple life with your dad all you ever really wanted?”

“All I ever wanted? Who gives a damn about what I want? What does what I want matter?” Aridean began to question as tears continued to flow from her eyes. Vidor let out a sigh and Aridean heard him take a step closer, then another, and finally…

“I give a damn,” Vidor answered as he wrapped his arms around Aridean. “What you want matters to me. I’d go back and give you everything you wanted, even… even if means we’d never meet.”

Hearing his answer, Aridean’s heart sank in her chest again. Her body felt so cold and numb despite Vidor’s warm embrace. She began to feel a pounding in her head as she tried to process what it was Vidor was telling her. Still unable to move her legs, Aridean barely managed to speak.

“But why?” Aridean asked with a hoarse voice.

“Why? Because of the same reason you thought running was good for your dad,” Vidor replied. The male minotaur loosened his grip on Aridean only enough to turn her to face him, “love. I care because I love you. I want to see you happy because I love you and your smile.”

Aridean’s eyes filled with tears again and her mouth fell slightly agape as Vidor pulled her in close. Although her arms remained at her sides, Vidor’s kept a gentle and warm touch over her arms and back. Aridean began to quietly sob as Vidor continued to hold her. She pushed her face into Vidor’s upper chest as she began to cry.

“You don’t have to be scared; Rana and I will be with you this time,” Vidor spoke softly.

“Vidor… I’m too scared to go back there. What would everyone think? They wanted me imprisoned when I left, now they may want m-me executed! But… I’m more s-scared of seeing Simon after so long. I don’t want to go back and h-hear him say I should never have been there to begin with,” Aridean said through stifled sobs and hiccups. “After everything he’s done for me… a-and after I ran away… you should have just left me to die alone in the forest two years ago.”

“Don’t ever say that… I don’t know what you must be feeling right now, but I promise I won’t let anything happen to you. You told me just how afraid of being alone you are and I promised I won’t ever leave you alone again, remember? I’m going to keep that promise,” Vidor whispered gently into her ear. Leaves began to dance in circles around the two as the last light in the day receded behind the horizon. All that Aridean could hear was the sound of her own sobbing. She could no longer speak as her throat had tightened to an uncomfortable degree. The only thing that ran through her mind was a single word:

Why?