Heart of a Monster

“Aridean, what are you doing back here?” Simon’s voice asked from behind. Aridean, startled, raised her head from where she had buried it into her knees. Fur on both her face and legs was visibly wet with tears. The young minotaur slowly and reluctantly turned to face the man.

There stood Simon, looking down at Aridean as she sat behind a large tree in the pasture behind the farmhouse. Although the man’s face was shaded as the sun was setting in the distance behind him, Aridean could see everything so clearly. His face had its usual tired and solemn expression as he slowly crossed his arms over his chest. Aridean could see bright and shining streaks of silver in his otherwise dark, black hair. The man exuded an aura of patience despite almost looking displeased as he spoke.

Aridean opened her mouth to answer but found that nothing would come out. Sniffling, Aridean turned away again and planted her face back into her knees. Quiet sobbing could be heard from the clearly distressed minotaur child. Simon let out a long and weary sounding sigh before slowly sitting down beside Aridean. The man wrapped an arm around the minotaur child and pulled her close to his side. Almost immediately, Aridean wrapped her own arms around Simon’s torso and pushed her face into his chest. Her small but sturdy horns were firmly and uncomfortably pressed against Simon’s ribs which the man chose to endure.

“Were the children at school mean to you again?” Simon asked gently as Aridean slowly hushed her crying. Simon tenderly and softly ran a hand down Aridean’s mane as he tried to calm her down. A cool rush of air blew through the pasture, rustling the leaves of the tree. Sheep were crowded near the barn and their bleating could be heard all through the pasture. The croak of frogs and the chirps of crickets were also starting to join in the countryside symphony that was beginning to perform for the evening.

“T-they said t-that I-I’m just a m-m-monster. T-they s-said that w-we can’t really be f-family,” Aridean stuttered through stifled sobbing. “I-I don’t want to g-go back to the village.”

“If you’re a monster, then what does that make me?” Simon muttered as he exhaled another disappointed sigh. Aridean’s ear flicked having heard the presumably rhetorical question her father posed.

“W-what?” Aridean asked, confused by Simon’s words. She felt Simon’s hand pause its stroking of her slightly unkept mane. Slowly, Aridean lifted her head from Simon’s chest. Her tear-filled eyes looked up at the calm and collected Simon as he seemed to gaze off into the distance. His stoic expression did not give any indication as to what he might be thinking which only served to confuse Aridean further. Simon’s eyes shifted down to meet Aridean’s as she continued, “Everyone says you’re a hero. They think you’re crazy for letting me live with you, but you’re a hero to everyone, father.”

Simon maintained his unreadable face and worrying silence. Aridean, still wrapping her arms around Simon’s torso, continued to look up at the man as she waited for his response. After a moment, Aridean felt Simon’s other arm snake its way across her back. Simon pulled Aridean in close before taking a deep breath.

“I’m no hero, Aridean,” Simon spoke. Aridean’s eyes widened, stunned by Simon’s statement.

“B-but everything you’ve done for the Em—,” Aridean began to say.

“I’m not a Crusade Captain anymore. I’m not a hero. My accomplishments are nothing but distant memories now. Now, I’m just a simple shepherd, living in the country on the outskirts of a small village. I don’t need those people’s approval, their praise, their adoration,” Simon continued to hold Aridean close in a snug embrace. Aridean could feel herself choking up as Simon finished his monologue, “All I need… is you to keep calling me your father.”

Aridean looked up to Simon’s face again with even wider eyes. She held her breath as she saw the man’s face with the orange sunset behind it. Simon was giving her the gentlest smile she had ever seen. Before, his eyes appeared calm or perhaps even apathetic, but they now looked so kind and inviting. Aridean could feel tears starting to well up in her eyes again just looking at the man that she called her father.

“I’m no hero, Aridean, and you’re no monster. No matter what they think of us, we can be family to one another. We don’t need them to accept us; we don’t need their permission. Hell, we don’t even need to be the same race,” Simon proclaimed to the awestruck minotaur child he held in his arms. “All we need is each other. As long as we have one another, we can always call ourselves family. This is the love we share. That’s just what love is.”

Aridean was left entirely speechless after Simon had finished speaking. After a moment of processing what it was she had just heard, Aridean tightened her embrace on Simon. She could feel that Simon had started to stroke her mane again. The minotaur child pushed her face into Simon’s chest again, more gently than before. Simon, still smiling down at his adopted daughter, took a deep breath and looked out over the pasture again.

Love… this is what love is? It’s… nice. Thank you, father, Aridean thought to herself as her eyes slowly closed. She felt Simon’s chest slowly push against her face and then retreat as the man breathed. She listened to the rhythmic pounding of Simon’s heartbeat, mesmerized by the beat and warmth of Simon’s embrace.

Time passed and the sun had completely set behind the horizon. A darkened sky, lit by a dim moon and many small stars loomed overhead. Simon looked down to Aridean again, hearing a quiet snore coming from the child. The man smiled again before standing while lifting Aridean. Having fallen asleep some time ago, Simon carried the minotaur girl back to their farmhouse for the night.

A cool breeze blew through the open pasture, shaking leaves on trees and causing the tall grass to dance. Morning had finally come as a bright sun was slowly ascending over the horizon. Dark, thick clouds, however, were slowly moving overhead from the east and a quiet crackle of thunder could be heard in the distance. To the west, one could see the smokestacks from the village fires were growing smaller and smaller as the situation was being controlled.

Despite the clear threat of the ill-tempered weather, Aridean sat before a large tree in the middle of Simon’s pasture. Dew from the grass that she sat upon was soaked into her pants, fur, and onto her tail, but the cold, wet feeling did not seem to bother her. Her tired eyes looked almost lifeless as she focused solely on what was in front of her. At the base of the tree was a large mound of dirt. Planted into the dirt mound and leaning against the trunk of the tree was the blade that Simon had been using in Thellia.

“Aridean? Why don’t you come back to the house before the storm hits?” Vidor asked, standing a few feet behind Aridean. Aridean did not respond as her empty eyes remained fixed on the dirt mound in front of her. Still as stone, Vidor was beginning to grow worried that she had stopped breathing. The male minotaur let out a depressed sigh.

“Why don’t we just give her some space for now… it’s been an eventful night and I imagine she’s still sorting out her feelings,” Rana suggested as she gently rested a hand on her concerned brother’s shoulder. Vidor turned to Rana, his worry for Aridean clear upon his face, and reluctantly nodded. He looked back at Aridean again before heaving another sigh.

“I still just don’t believe it. That guy tried to kill her, but he… he was her dad. Not only that, but Ari can put on an act? That was a real surprise,” Magdalene muttered, her tone filled with disbelief. Vidor appeared immensely annoyed by Magdalene’s second comment, but let it slide regardless. Along with Rana, Magdalene turned and began to walk back to the farmhouse. Vidor continued to watch over Aridean for a few moments before depressingly shaking his head. He turned and went to join Rana and Magdalene in the farmhouse.

Aridean remained still, sitting just a few feet from the base of the tree and dirt mound. The warm sunlight that had been shining on her back quickly receded behind the storm clouds that approached from the east. A cold wind raced through the pasture, whipping up Aridean’s mane and shaking the tree vigorously. The minotaur continued to gaze upon the mound of dirt, an apathetic expression drawn on her face.

Almost seventeen years… we lived together for almost seventeen years. Yet, in all that time, I was just a monster to even you? I never could understand why you chose to raise me… now I never will, Aridean thought to herself. The events of the previous night continued to loop in her mind. Aridean saw flashbacks to having discovered Thellia on fire, seeing the monsters that slaughtered the villagers, and having rescued the few she could. However, what most prominently stuck out to her was seeing the knight that had been the true cause of all the chaos in the village. Even more horrifying was the realization that the knight, who burned her hometown and threatened her life, was her adopted father.

The land had become darkened as the storm clouds floated overhead. Aridean could feel the beginnings of the rain starting to lightly drizzle down from the sky as raindrops landed on her head. Cool and strong gusts of wind swirled around her as the leaves of the tree were rattled and tall grass in the pasture danced. A bolt of lighting lit up some of the clouds behind Aridean, followed by another crack of thunder. Despite the encroaching weather, Aridean ignored everything around her as her only concern was what was running through her mind.

After all this time, you finally tell me what you really think. I think I already knew though… why would anyone, least of all you, feel anything for a monster like me? Looking back on it all… I, Aridean continued to internally monologue. She paused for a moment as the rainfall began to gradually increase.

Aridean held her head low, rainwater having soaked into her mane began to run down her face. Tufts of hair from her mane had fallen into her eyes. She looked as though she had been crying for a while, but not a tear was shed as only rainwater soaked her face. Aridean took a deep breath and felt her hands ball up into fists.

“I… I can’t bring myself to hate you, even after seventeen years of lying to me. Is that because… I still love you? Is that a part of what love is? Or did I love pretending to be your daughter? You never really thought of me as a daughter, did you? What was your real reason? Why did you keep me? I don’t understand, fath… Simon,” Aridean exclaimed, her voice full of distress. She could feel her throat tightening with each word that left her mouth. As she finished speaking, Aridean exhaled and allowed her shoulders to fall slack. Her entire body felt absolutely drained and her mind was just as exhausted.

“He did love you, you know?”

With a startled gasp, Aridean lifted her head to look at the dirt mound again. She then turned to her immediate left and then right with widened eyes. To her surprise and confusion, only vacant pasture surrounded her as the rain fell all around. There was no one around; Aridean was still all alone underneath the tree. After a moment to process what she had just experienced, Aridean covered her wet face with her rain-soaked hands and shook her head.

I guess grief is already making me go crazy… Aridean thought to herself. The minotaur took another deep breath and looked up at the shaking tree branches overhead, droplets of rain falling all over her exposed face.

“Arid--,” Vidor’s voice shouted, his call to Aridean having been drowned out by the rain and wind. Aridean slowly turned her apathetic gaze in the direction of the farmhouse. She could see Vidor entering the pasture through the gate. He was wearing a large cloak to keep himself dry and was holding a spare. Aridean heard Vidor call out to her again as he made his way toward the tree she continued to sulk under.

Just like Simon, he’s always looking out for me. Just like Simon, he acts like he cares about me. Just like Simon… he said he loves me. What the hell… does he mean by that? Aridean mentally considered as she rose from the ground. The rain had absolutely soaked her pants and shirt through to her fur, which in turn was quickly becoming plastered to her skin by the cold rainwater. Despite feeling cold, Aridean ignored the rain and looked over the dirt mound again as Vidor approached.

“Aridean, why don’t we head in? Even with a fur coat, you might catch a cold out here in this storm,” Vidor gently suggested as he offered the spare cloak to Aridean. Aridean turned her attention to Vidor; he looked almost afraid from seeing the emptiness in Aridean’s expression.

“Yeah…” Aridean responded as she slowly accepted the cloak that Vidor offered. The minotaur slung the simple garb over her shoulders and brought up the exceptionally large hood over her head and horns. Now protected from the rain, Aridean looked Vidor in his eyes. Vidor gave a gentle smile, but the worry in his eyes was obvious; it seemed as though he had something on his mind but refused to speak.

Another bright flash of lightning illuminated the darkened and cloudy sky. The loud crash of thunder almost immediately followed. Vidor put on as confident a smile as he could given his obvious concern. He moved to stand beside Aridean where he cautiously lifted his arm over her back and rested his hand on her shoulder. As though not even registering his gesture, Aridean began to walk back to the farmhouse while Vidor’s arm slipped down her back. An uncomfortable groan could be heard coming from Vidor.

“Rgh… C’mon, of course she’s not up to it right now… What do I do?” Vidor asked himself before rushing to catch up with Aridean.

Creaking of the wooden steps beneath their hooves could only just be heard over the rain as the two ascended to the front porch of the farmhouse. Aridean stopped at the front door, holding her head low again. Vidor watched as Aridean slowly moved her hand to the doorknob. He heard her sigh deeply before seeing her twist the knob and push open the door with a loud squeaking noise.

Inside the house, much of the ruined furniture and destroyed amenities remained as they had been found the previous evening. Magdalene was busy trying to clean up the kitchen space while Rana was finishing scrubbing the floor just in front of the door Aridean had opened. Although the furnishings had been demolished, the living space was mostly clear of small and broken pieces. It appeared that the team had not gotten around to the dining table yet as splintered wood and broken chairs still littered the floor. It led Aridean to believe that the rest of the house was in a similar shape. Although she had been warned by Vidor about the condition the house was in this was her first time seeing it herself.

One look at her childhood home and Aridean could feel her ears falling flat against her head. She surveyed the front room to the house with a pitiful and sorrowful expression on her face. Her heart sank as she took a step further inside, wooden floor creaking quietly under her hooves. What bothered her the most were the brief flashes of her memories that came to her eyes as she looked to each corner of the room.

Looking to the dining area, she saw her younger self enjoying her first bowl of Simon’s pork stew. Simon sat across from her at the table with a smile on his face. When she turned to look at the living space, Aridean saw herself and Simon playing a game of chess while her cat slept in her lap. Finally, looking to the kitchen, Aridean saw herself attempting to cook for Simon. Despite seeing Simon appear happy with the cooking she presented to him, she remembered the rest of that evening and most of the next three days not ending well for Simon.

“There you two are. Are you alright, Aridean?” Rana asked with as gentle a tone as she could muster. She rose from her floor scrubbing and brushed dust and dirt from her clothes. Magdalene turned from the kitchen with a face that seemed to be almost worried before returning her attention to her own chore.

“I… don’t really know,” Aridean responded with a saddened voice as her eyes fell to now clean floor. Vidor quietly closed the door behind her and stood beside Aridean. He looked to Aridean and put on a smile, but his concern for her was still abundantly clear in his eyes.

“Well, what’s the plan now? We came and got the job done. The sooner we leave, the better, right?” Magdalene suggested as she continued to put broken dishes in the trash.

“What do you care? I thought you said you were done with us after we saved the village,” Vidor quickly returned with a slightly agitated tone in his voice. Magdalene turned to face him while looking a bit stunned.

“Vidor! Leave her be,” ordered Rana sternly. Magdalene looked down into one of the plates she had been cleaning. She bit her lip before letting out a long sigh.

“It’s okay, Rana. I get it,” Magdalene chimed in with frustration. Everyone turned to give Magdalene their attention, “You just want to hear it, don’t you? Fine: I was wrong. Ari wasn’t the one who burned down the village. I… I’m sorry for thinking it was you, Ari.”

Magdalene huffed her annoyance before looking up to the three minotaurs in the room with her. Her aggravated expression was almost immediately morphed into one of shock seeing the three fuzzy faces. Vidor was not looking her in the eyes as he scratched the back of his head, yet his expression told her that he regretted having brought up the topic. Rana, as expected, gave the young girl a friendly and inviting smile. What really surprised Magdalene was Aridean’s reaction.

Looking as deadpan as she had since they returned to the farm, Aridean stood in the middle of the front room to the house facing Magdalene. Her fur was soaked and appeared plastered to her body. Despite the wet fur, Magdalene could see tears welling up in Aridean’s defeated eyes. Her body shook as she inhaled and exhaled shaky breaths. Magdalene watched as the minotaur slowly brought her hands to her weeping eyes.

“W-why?” Aridean stuttered. Magdalene’s eyes widened and both Rana and Vidor looked to her with confusion and worry. The half-elven girl held her breath as Aridean continued, “Can’t you just hate me like the rest?”

“Aridean? C-c’mon, don’t talk like that,” Vidor pleaded as he reached out to Aridean. Quietly sobbing, Aridean made for the hallway at the end of the living room. Vidor and Rana could see her as she pushed open the door to her former bedroom and disappear into the room with a loud slam of the door. Magdalene stood frozen in the kitchen space, the shock on her face was obvious.

“She’s… okay with being hated?” Magdalene asked, having been entirely dumbfounded by Aridean’s reaction to her apology. Rana heaved a sigh before turning to Magdalene.

“You both were there when she took on the blame of having burned down Thellia. It’s clear she did it to spare her father from the village’s scorn. Being hated was something she grew up with so I imagine she felt it would just be natural to have the villagers blame her over Simon,” explained Rana, her usual gentle and kind tone having been replaced with a more serious and solemn voice. Vidor let out a quiet and frustrated moan as Rana began to think out loud, “But that begs the question: why did her father cause that catastrophe? I also wonder if he truly was the one that killed Sparrow. Given our recent discoveries, he would most likely be the culprit.”

“He didn’t have it… maybe he lost it?” Vidor quietly commented to himself. His personal conversation did not go unnoticed, however. Magdalene and Rana looked to him, expecting him to speak up.

“What was that?” Magdalene asked. Vidor’s ears shot up and his eyes went wide as he looked particularly flustered from Magdalene’s question.

“N-nothing, just talking to myself,” Vidor hastily replied. He began to make for the hallway leading to the bedrooms. Magdalene rolled her eyes and Rana raised an eyebrow, both clearly not accepting Vidor’s response. As he passed the door to the bathroom, Vidor spoke again, “I-I’m gonna go check on Aridean.”

Rana shook her head while taking in a deep breath. She returned her attention to the cleaning up that was still needed, moving toward the broken dining area. Magdalene huffed as Vidor seemed to ignore the two now. Regardless, she too went back to cleaning up the demolished kitchen.

Vidor stood in front of the large door leading to Aridean’s bedroom. The large minotaur paused in the hallway as he meditated on what he might say to his distraught friend. However, he could not manage to think of anything he could say that may be particularly reassuring given Aridean’s current state. Vidor could still hear her voice in the back of his mind; the more he listened, the more his heart sank. With a nervous gulp, Vidor raised a hand to knock on the door. Hesitating for only a few seconds, the furry fist knocked against the door twice.

“Aridean? Are you alright in there?” Vidor called out, the concern in his voice abundantly obvious. Aridean gave no response from behind the large door, Vidor had expected that, however. With a nervous sigh, Vidor began to speak again, “Aridean, I-I’m coming in.”

Vidor reached for the doorknob. His fingers only touched the knob as it began to turn. Much to his surprise, the door swung open to reveal Aridean. The shock Vidor was experiencing was joined by confusion as Aridean looked almost as though she had seen a ghost. The expression on her face looked absolutely mortified. In her hand was a single piece of paper.

“Uh, Aridean? Are you okay?” Vidor asked, cautiously reaching out to Aridean. As the hand approached her, Aridean recoiled back into her room.

“W-what is this?” asked a distraught and scared Aridean. She was looking over the paper she held in her hand. Her eyes were both terrified and confused by whatever it was she was reading. Vidor caught just a brief glimpse of the writing on the paper and froze. He felt as though his heart stopped seeing Aridean with the paper.

“N-no…” Vidor quietly whispered.

Quiet sobs persisted as Aridean retreated into her childhood bedroom. Quiet creaking of wood under her hooves moaned as she quickly moved through the house. Through tear-filled eyes, the minotaur had only just entered her bedroom. Without hesitation, she used one of the hands she was crying into to slam the door shut behind her. Now alone, Aridean turned her back to the door which she then leaned against as she slowly sunk down to the ground.

“She’s always saying it… w-we aren’t friends. W-why can’t she just go back to hating us?” Aridean asked herself as she slowly calmed down. She wiped her eyes and took several deep breaths as rainwater from her pants dripped onto the floor.

Two years later and I still run to this room crying. But now… I don’t have him anymore, n-not that he ever really cared, Aridean thought to herself as she finally took her hands away from her face. With a single look around the room she sat in now, Aridean let out a surprised gasp. No one had mentioned to her that her room had been untouched by whatever chaos ran rampant through the rest of the home.

W-what? Why was my room… left alone? Aridean wondered as she slowly stood up on her hooves. The minotaur walked over to her bed, it appeared that the well-made bed must have had its sheets cleaned recently. Aridean could even smell the faint scent of her of lavender flowers. She looked the bed from head to foot, questioning why it looked so nice; it was entirely out of place given the state of the rest of the house.

Aridean turned her head to see her full body mirror sitting beside her dresser. In the reflection stood a minotaur with brown fur, drenched pants, and a wet cloak covering most of the soaked shirt she wore. Looking into the mirror brought back her memory of having departed from the farm two years ago; she could see her younger self looking back at her and getting ready to set out for anywhere that was not Thellia. Aridean shook her head and looked away from the mirror as looking any longer may make her cry again.

“W-what is going on here? Everything in here… I-I don’t understand,” Aridean said aloud to no one. She moved to the foot of the bed, where she examined the small children’s toy chest. Hesitantly, Aridean reached for one of the toys in the chest. She could feel her throat tightening just holding the small stuffed sheep plush; it had been the first gift from Simon that she could remember and one of her favorite toys when she was a child.

Still gently clutching her plush toy, Aridean looked to the dresser. Immediately, she noticed two things about it. There was not a speck of dust on the old wood and there was a piece of paper with writing on top of it. Curious, Aridean moved closer, setting the small sheep plush down on the dresser as she collected the page. As she picked up the paper, she found there was another underneath it with more writing. However, the pages were clearly written by two different people as the penmanship was dramatically different.

“What is thi—what?! H-he…” Aridean failed to finish her thought as she began reading from the first piece of paper she had picked up. She did not really need to read more than the first five words to understand what was written on the paper. It took her a second to realize that the page was written in her own handwriting. Aridean had just read the letter she had left Simon when she ran away.

“W-why is this still here?! For what purpose would he have kept this?” Aridean asked aloud with confusion. Her mind began racing, trying to piece together a reason that Simon might have to have kept the letter for the last two years. However, nothing Aridean could think of made any sense to her. With wide eyes, she shook her head back and forth as she put the paper back down on the dresser. Aridean took a step back and inhaled deeply.

What is the meaning of this? I wrote that letter two years ago! Did he never read it? Did he even notice I was gone? He must have… his last words said it had been a long time since we last saw one another. I don’t understand… Aridean thought to herself, puzzled by the eerie presence of the goodbye letter she had left Simon two years prior. She took a moment to calm her nerves before stepping back to the dresser. Aridean pushed the letter she had written out of the way and retrieved the second paper. Certain she could not be surprised more than she already was, Aridean began to read the second page that was on her old dresser.

“Hey dad,

It’s been a long time, I hope you’re well. Sorry I didn’t write sooner.

I wanted you to know that I’m okay and I’ve made some great friends.

Stay well and I’ll write to you again soon.

-Aridean”

Aridean felt as though her heart had stopped when she read who had signed the second letter. Wide eyes and bated breath, Aridean simply looked into the piece of paper without a word. She could not even think straight after having read the letter. The words on the paper continued to echo in her mind as she tried processing where the letter might have come from. However, Aridean was brought back to reality as a knocking on the door was heard.

“Aridean? Are you alright in there?” Vidor’s anxious voice could be heard from behind the bedroom door. Aridean’s already wide eyes grew even larger; she felt her entire body grow colder. She began to move toward the door, she could hear her heart pounding in her ears with every step. Each breath out of her mouth sounded like tired panting as she moved through the room. Standing at the door, Aridean gulped nervously as she reached to lock the door.

“Aridean, I-I’m coming in,” Vidor’s voice spoke again. Although her fingers were around the lock, Aridean moved her hand to the doorknob. The minotaur girl turned the knob and pulled the door open; Vidor stood on the other side, reaching for the outside handle. He seemed a bit surprised to see that Aridean opened the door herself.

“Uh, Aridean? Are you okay?” asked Vidor, his voice filled with worry despite his best effort to sound comforting. Aridean backed away as Vidor gently reached out to her.

“W-what is this?” Aridean inquired as she looked over the letter to Simon that she never wrote. Vidor took a moment to register the paper Aridean held, but once he noticed it and Aridean’s apparent confusion, his eyes went wide with shock.

“N-no…” Vidor quietly whispered with a concerned and fearful tone. Although his face clearly portrayed his uneasiness, Vidor spoke, “A-Aridean, I—”

“Is this… why we’re here? This is what Sparrow stopped in Thellia for, isn’t it?” asked Aridean, interrupting Vidor as he tried to piece together his explanation. Vidor was clearly at a loss for words by this point. His expression shifted from alarmed to a more serious look as he took a deep breath. Vidor slowly and solemnly nodded his head to Aridean.

“I—I killed—because of…” Aridean stuttered, failing to complete her thought as her voice began to crack up. A tear formed in her eye and quickly slid down her already wet, furry face. Shaking her head in disbelief, Aridean dropped the letter she held and pushed past Vidor. She quickly began to run for the door to the house, ignoring both Rana and Magdalene’s confused stares in her direction.

“A-Aridean, wait! I-I didn’t--,” Vidor called out as Aridean threw the front door open and exited the house. His concerned words fell on deaf ears as Aridean continued to flee the house, jumping from the porch to the ground, and making a mad dash for the barn. All the while, strong winds rushed into the home, heavy rain could be heard crashing down upon the ground just outside, and the dramatic explosion of thunder boomed from the sky above. Thick, black storm clouds overhead darkened the countryside so much that it looked as if morning had never come.

Aridean forced open the door to the old barn and hastily rushed inside. Once inside the barn, Aridean quickly slammed the large door shut behind her. Leaning against the door, she could still hear the patter of the rain outside, hitting the roof and walls with force. Despite still wearing the cloak that Vidor had given her, Aridean’s fur was soaked yet again with the cold rain.

With crossed arms against the door she leaned against, Aridean buried her face in the pit of one of her arms. She felt the chill of the rainwater as it seeped down her fur coat and rested upon her skin. Although she had given up crying, Aridean was still having a difficult time breathing properly. Erratic breathing and rapid heartbeats ironically drowned out the loud rain.

“I just… I can’t believe it…” Aridean stated to herself. As she slowly managed to regain control of her breathing, Aridean slowly turned around to look into the dark barn she now stood in. The sight she found made her want to cry yet again.

Nothing about the barn was how she remembered it. There were no sheep, there were no tools or equipment, there was not even any indication that the barn had been used for some time. Stalls made of wood were beginning to rot away as old paint chipped of every surface. There were multiple leaks in the roof that near constant streams of rainwater funneled through, falling to the dirt ground in the barn. Even the beam that Aridean used for pullups was in disrepair; the cloth that normally wrapped the beam was torn and the beam itself broken. She would not dare try using it for pullups now lest the roof above it may collapse.

Aridean, feeling immensely afraid by the sight before her, moved deeper into the barn. She looked to every corner to see more of the barn she had loved to play in had become so decrepit. Despite it never having any appeal to her, Aridean was disappointed to find that the barn did not smell of sheep manure. If anything, she would welcome the familiar, albeit unpleasant, scent if it just meant the world she use to know was not gone.

“But everything that mattered is gone. There is nothing left for me here. No sheep, no tools, no home… a-and no Simon,” Aridean told herself with a sniffle as she stopped walking through the dim and rundown barn. With a disappointed sigh, Aridean noticed that she had unconsciously stopped beside the ladder leading to the loft. Similar to all the other wood in the structure, the ladder also looked to be aged and rotting away.

Slowly, Aridean raised her hand closest to the ladder and wrapped her fingers around the side of the ladder. She took a step toward the ladder before reaching for one of the rungs with her other hand. Cautiously, the minotaur lifted one of her hooves and carefully set it down on one of the ladder rungs. Now having to support her weight, the ladder creaked loudly. Even so, Aridean chose to ignore the old and unreliable wood’s warning as she began to ascend toward the loft. She could feel that the ladder wood was coming loose from age as her hooves rested upon each rung of the once sturdy ladder.

The loud creaking of the ladder only seemed to grow in volume as Aridean finally reached the loft. She expected to see that the space would be bare, just the same as what was found on the ground floor of the barn. However, she was surprised to find that there was a small chest pushed against the wall at the far end of the loft. Curiously, Aridean rose from the old ladder and stood on the loft floor. Slowly, the minotaur moved toward the chest that had not been kept in the barn before.

Standing over the chest, Aridean took just a moment to inspect the old container. It appeared to be a simple box with no lock to be seen. The chest was, however, clearly aged as the padded surfaces were torn and metal joints were stained with rust. Aridean knelt down by the chest and grabbed the lid with both hands. As she lifted the lid to see what was contained within, she gasped in surprise. Within the chest was an old, yet clean, quilted blanket.

“He kept… everything,” Aridean quietly said to herself. Removing her hands from the chest lid, Aridean hesitantly grabbed the quilt from the box. Sure enough, it was the same, enormous quilt that she used every night that she spent sleeping in the barn when she lived with Simon. It was the same, woolen quilt that Simon had made for her years ago using the wool from the sheep the two kept.

Aridean wrapped the large blanket around herself. The quilt felt so warm and comforting, yet Aridean was numb and felt as though she might start to cry again. Barely keeping control over herself, Aridean’s breathing had become shaky again.

“Why though? If all he ever thought of me was a monster, why did he keep everything? I thought… he’d be happy to have me out of his life…” debated Aridean aloud.

“Don’t go… please… don’t leave me alone,” came an eerily familiar voice from behind Aridean. Her ears perked up and eyes widened as she gasped her surprise from the sudden presence of another in the barn. Slowly, a frightened Aridean turned to see who had been speaking. Her eyes widened further in fear and shock after seeing who it was that was sitting on the loft edge behind her.

Aridean held her breath as she examined a human man sitting with legs over the side of the loft. Her heart sank seeing the familiar plaid, flannel shirt and dark but greying hair. She could not see the face of the man as it was buried in the palms of his calloused hands. Aridean thought she was going to choke as the man removed his hands from his face and slowly began to turn toward her. However, Aridean blinked and the figure vanished, leaving her all alone again in the barn loft.

What the hell... just happened? Aridean mentally asked herself as she took a few deep breaths. Her entire body was shaking; she felt numb and ice cold despite having wrapped herself in a warm, woolen quilt. Just as she was calming down again, Aridean was spooked by the sound of the barn door being pushed open and the loud rain still pounding away upon the ground outside.

“Aridean? You’re in here, aren’t you?” came Vidor’s voice from below. A wave of sorrow washed over Aridean’s face as she failed to work up the nerve to respond. Despite not having confirmed she was in the barn, Aridean could hear Vidor closing the door and moving inside.

“Aridean… please. I-I didn’t mean for any of this to happen,” Vidor spoke; Aridean could hear the worry in his voice so clearly. Vidor’s voice grew slightly louder as he moved deeper into the barn, searching for Aridean.

But why did you? What were you trying to do? Aridean thought to herself. She still could not find it in herself to speak to Vidor. Aridean’s ears flicked as she heard Vidor shuffling across the ground in search of her. After a short pause of the dirt shuffling, Vidor let out a depressed sounding moan.

“I-I thought since you were scared that I’d… I know your life here meant a lot to you, your life with your dad. I just wanted you to have a little of that back because I thought it would make you happy,” explained Vidor as he sighed deeply. Vidor’s voice decreased in volume yet Aridean still heard him say, “But I didn’t think your dad would react like that…”

Aridean’s eyes slowly fell to the loft floor. Her gaze immediately shifted toward the ladder as she heard the wood begin to creak loudly. Vidor must have finished searching the stalls below and was now climbing the ladder to inspect the loft. Both minotaurs were alarmed by a loud cracking sound.

“W-woah! Ow!” Vidor complained as Aridean heard an audible thud. She did not need to look over the side of the loft to know that the old ladder failed to hold Vidor as he attempted to climb up. Vidor let out another exasperated sigh as he resigned to just laying on the ground where he had fallen. It was at this point that Aridean moved toward the edge of the loft. Although she had not seen it, Vidor’s ears flicked upon hearing the movement coming from above him.

“Why though? Why do you care if I’m happy? No one else does. Even… even Simon called me a monster,” Aridean asked as she lay down beside the loft edge. Neither minotaur was able to see the other, but Vidor was ecstatic to know where Aridean was and that she was talking to him.

“But did he really mean it? Don’t you remember his last words? He said he was so glad to see you again,” Vidor replied, still lying upon the dirt ground and looking up toward the ceiling. Aridean paused to think as Vidor continued, “He had been talking crazy the whole time. Didn’t he call you an illusion when he first saw you after you defended that human? It’s like he didn’t really think it was you.”

Still considering the possibility that Vidor might be right, Aridean remembered just how strange Simon had been acting back at Thellia.

‘I’ll play your game, but I will emerge victorious.’ That was one of the first things he said when he saw me. It really was strange and didn’t make any sense to me. But if he wasn’t talking to me, who was he talking to? Aridean mentally debated with herself. She considered the possibility that he might have been talking to Reil, but that would be a stretch given Simon was fully prepared to kill Reil had she not interfered. The only other person that Simon may have been addressing would have been Aridean, yet his words were so strange if they had been directed toward her. Aridean heaved a confused and weary sigh.

“As for why I care if you’re happy or not: I already told you my answer,” Vidor began to speak again. Aridean turned her head to look toward the farm wall of the barn. Vidor continued as he stretched his arms out to his sides, “I love you. You’re the best friend I’ve ever had. I just want you to be happy and I’m willing to do anything to make that happen.”

“I’m the best friend you’ve ever had? But you have so many friends back in Stonehaven; friends you’ve known for years before we met. Even then, when have I actually been a good friend to you?” Asked Aridean as she still lay facing the ceiling.

“You’ve always been a great friend to me. I mean, there was the incident when we learned you could use magic, but that was an accident… I hope. And everyone back home is nice to me and all, but they just see the General’s grandson when they talk to me. But you see me and that makes me so glad,” Vidor began to explain as he sat up from the ground. Vidor let out a loud sigh, “To tell you the truth, when your friend told me about you two years ago, I was skeptical; I didn’t really trust him. He said you needed to meet another minotaur because of what you had to grow up with.”

Aridean craned her neck and turned her head to look out over the edge of the loft and toward the other end of the barn. She still could not see Vidor beneath her, but her eyes were surveying the ground as she waited for Vidor to elaborate further. Aridean heard another tired sigh from below.

“When I first saw you, I wasn’t sure what to think. The surprise on your face, or rather… the fear, kind of scared me. But I got a small taste of what you lived with on my way back to Rana and Captain Bryn…” Vidor confessed with a solemn tone. Aridean slowly peaked her head over the edge of the loft to see Vidor looking into the dirt he sat upon, “I-I’ll never know what it must have been like for you. I don’t know if you really needed to meet me, but you did. All I do know is that I want to be by your side… because I need you.”

As Vidor finished, he let out another long and tired sigh. He continued to look into the empty space directly in front of him as Aridean did not respond. However, he was surprised by the sudden appearance of a droplet of water landing beside him. Vidor raised his head to look up at the loft where he noticed Aridean gazing down at him, the trail of a single tear having run down her snout.

“Two of the three people that accepted me are gone and for all I know Jean may be, too. When I joined you and Rana as a rebel soldier, I was always hoping that maybe I could return one day and live happily with Simon again. But what could we do to change the minds of the people in Thellia? And now… what good would returning do if Simon isn’t here anymore?” Aridean began to speak with a depressed voice. Vidor slowly stood on his hooves, brushing a little dirt from his clothes as he got up.

“Aridean… I’m sorry,” Vidor said as his ears drooped in defeat.

“I just don’t want to be alone… you promised me you wouldn’t let me be alone, right? I don’t think I’d be able to stand up anymore without your support. Vidor… I do need you, too. Please don’t leave me alone in this unfair world,” Aridean finished as another tear fell from her face. Vidor’s eyes lit up as Aridean moved her arm and reached out to him.

Vidor grabbed Aridean’s outstretched hand and could feel her grip tighten as she pushed up from her prone position on the loft floor. Vidor’s hooves left the ground as Aridean pulled him up toward the loft. Once he could reach, Vidor grabbed the edge of the loft and pulled himself up the rest of the way. The two minotaurs looked into one another’s eyes in silence for just a few seconds before Vidor began to give Aridean the most gentle smile he could.

“I’ll say it as many times as you need to hear it: I promise I won’t leave you all alone. I love you, Aridean,” Vidor responded with renewed confidence in his tone. Aridean slowly began to form a smile on her face as she leaned in and embraced Vidor. She felt him wrap his wet arms around her back. Despite both of them still being soaked with rainwater, Aridean felt so warm in Vidor’s gentle embrace. The duo loosened their grip on one another and looked each other in their eyes. Aridean and Vidor leaned in close to one another and kissed. Aridean and Vidor wrapped themselves in the colossal-sized quilt that Aridean had found.

Hours passed as the storm outside continued to crash against the roof and walls of the barn. Eventually, the downpour began to lighten into a steady rain, then to a damp drizzle, and finally the rain had stopped. The dirt path from the house and barn to the road had been covered in mud and the country fields were dark and soaked. Clouds overhead still blocked out the bright sunlight but were not quite as dark as they had been during the storm.

Birds were beginning to come out of their hiding places as they started to sing their chirps and calls. The barn door creaked open, revealing the minotaur couple that had waited out the storm within the old building. Vidor had his arm wrapped around Aridean’s shoulders as the two began to trudge through the mud back toward the house. Although Vidor managed to put on a kind smile, Aridean was struggling to reciprocate the gesture.

I am glad he’s looking out for me still… but I can’t get over what’s happened, Aridean thought to herself as she and Vidor passed the overflowing well. Just a few meters from the stairs leading to the porch, Aridean looked up to the front door of the house to see both Rana and Magdalene already waiting.

“Were you two okay out there all this time? I know you mentioned spending a lot of time in your barn when you were younger, but do you need time to lay down on your bed, Aridean?” Rana asked with her usual sweet and friendly tone. Aridean put on a weak smile and shook her head.

“N-no, I’m okay. I think I’d just like to be going before the villagers come find us,” Aridean replied. Vidor pulled her close with the arm he had slung over her shoulders and ran his hand gently up and down her arm. The two locked eyes for a moment where Vidor gave another warm smile to Aridean. Aridean could tell that he had heard the sadness in her voice.

“Hmm? Well, we might have waited a bit too long,” spoke Magdalene as she pointed beyond Vidor and Aridean and toward the road. Aridean and Vidor both turned to see that there was a small group of humans walking in their direction from the road. Vidor’s face immediately filled with irritation while Aridean’s expression showed her distress.

“What now? We’re on our way out of here, okay?” Vidor barked as the group of humans approached. After getting a look at each of their faces, Aridean’s eyes widened in a bit of surprise.

“We don’t want trouble. We, uh, wanted to talk to Aridean before y’all left,” answered one of the older looking men in the group. Despite having a deep and intimidating voice, the man sounded almost remorseful.

“Is that right? Well, she sure as all hell doesn’t want to talk to anyone from that village,” Vidor retorted with aggression. Rana and Magdalene descended the stairs and stood beside Aridean and Vidor. Rana looked to her brother with an annoyed expression, but she did not make any effort to interfere.

“A-Aridean, please hear us out. We… wanted to thank you… and apologize,” spoke a younger member of the villager band. Aridean was immediately struck with confusion while Vidor continued to stare down the men with disbelief in his expression.

“T-thank me? F-for what?” Aridean asked hesitantly. Her legs were starting to feel shaky underneath her and she found herself leaning into Vidor for support.

“What else? You saved so many last night, me included. If it weren’t for you and your friends, Thellia might not be standing anymore,” another young man chimed in. Aridean’s ears perked up slightly as the man spoke.

“A-Andrew…” Aridean quietly called with widening eyes.

“I know my employee and despite how we treated you over the years, you’d never burn down Thellia. You came back to save lives; thank you for saving my son,” the older man said with a bow of his head.

“S-sir…” Aridean again whispered to herself as her eyes grew ever wider.

“Aridean… nothing I say can ever make up for what I did. I’m the real reason you were driven out of Thellia two years ago. If it weren’t for me, Jean wouldn’t have been put into a coma and the village wouldn’t have blamed you for it. When Thellia heard from old man Gray that you were gone, they rejoiced…,” came the final human as his eyes fell to the muddy ground. “But even after causing you so much grief and causing you to run from your home… you saved my life. Old man Gray… said you’re a much stronger character than anyone in the village a-and I think you proved him right last night.”

“Reil…” Aridean barely managed to squeak as her throat began to tighten. Vidor’s expression began to soften but maintained his hostile aura toward the guests.

“Gray, I don’t know what you think of Thellia after all this time, but I want you to know that we’re sorry for everything that’s happened to you. We’ll get them sorted out one day; after what you lot did for us, we owe you,” said George as he crossed his arms over his chest with a friendly smile on his bearded face.

“Yeah, we’ll take a page out of your friend’s book and try teaching some manners to everyone so that they’ll thank you next time you come by! Work at the tavern hasn’t been the same without you; Roan hated wearing your old apron so much that he left for school in the city,” Andrew chimed in with a short laugh. Rana and Vidor glanced at Magdalene after hearing Andrew’s goal. Magdalene noticed the two looking at her and rolled her eyes while turning away, a slight blush on her face.

“Roan never had the manners you had with the customers anyway,” George grunted sounding slightly annoyed. He let out a quick sigh, “Next time you lot are in Thellia, come by the tavern; it’ll be on the house.”

Aridean could feel her eyes tearing up just hearing them speak. While George had been unexpectedly tolerable over the years, he had never offered such a kindness to Aridean. Further, it was particularly ironic to hear that Andrew would work on manners given he and his brother would often gossip about Aridean while she was within earshot of their conversations. Aridean could feel her heart pounding, yet she turned to face Reil as he huffed.

“Aridean… I’m sorry, really. I know it doesn’t mean much, but I never really meant for things to go as far as they did… If Jean were still here he’d--,” Reil started to speak. Aridean gasped and could feel her pounding heart sink in her chest.

“Jean i-is gone, too?” Aridean interrupted with sheer dread in her voice. Reil looked to her with a surprised expression as her own began to fill with terror. Vidor was quick to wrap his arms around her as Aridean leaned into him with hands covering her face.

“O-oh! Uh, I’m sorry! N-no, Jean’s not dead! He woke up a few days after you disappeared then left about a month after for an apprenticeship,” Reil clarified upon realizing what the issue was. Vidor looked to Reil with an aggressively annoyed scowl while Aridean hesitantly removed her hands from her face. Although a tear did run down her snout, Aridean looked to Reil curiously.

“Aridean, I-I don’t know what was wrong with old man Gray last night… but he hadn’t been the same since you left,” Reil continued with a sobering tone of voice. Aridean listened intently with deep, raspy breaths, still trying to calm her nerves after misunderstanding Jean’s situation.

“W-what do you mean? You and everyone had been right all these years: I’m just a monster, even to him,” Aridean spoke as Reil paused to think on what to say. Reil looked up to Aridean whose eyes had fallen to the dirt in front of her hooves. Aridean lifted her head up enough to see a stunned expression on Reil’s face.

“Aridean--,” Reil began to speak before being interrupted.

“Gray, Simon was a wreck without you. I don’t think any of us will ever forget just how heartbroken and furious he was with everyone in Thellia when he announced your disappearance… He was actually looking to sell this farm before setting out to look for you,” explained George with a somber tone. Aridean held her breath, simply dumbfounded by what she had just heard.

“If he were looking to leave Thellia, what happened to him to cause him to burn it down?” Rana asked curiously. George shook his head and heaved a sigh.

“We don’t know what chan--,” Andrew began to answer.

“Actually… I… I think I do know...” Reil confessed before turning to Aridean with a depressed look about him. “I’m so, so sorry for what I said, honest… It was just before you stepped in to save my life: ‘She’s run off and joined those damned rebels because of what you’ve done! I’ve tried so hard to give her what I took from her and you ruined my beloved daughter’s life! You took everything from her, everything from me!’ A-at the time I didn’t know what he was talking about, but now… I’m so sorry, Aridean. But you should know that you meant the world to him.”

“How did Simon know she joined the rebellion? Where did he--,” Rana began to think aloud. However, only a moment of thought and the oldest minotaur turned to look at Vidor, “If he somehow found out that Sparrow knew where Aridean was, perhaps he tortured the truth out of him and hearing it must have set him over the edge… but I still don’t know why Sparrow was here to begin with…”

Vidor let out an uneasy grunt at his sister’s theory regarding the discovery within the farmhouse the previous evening. Even if Aridean was not trying to process what the humans were telling her, she would still likely remain silent. Both Vidor and Aridean knew that Rana would be furious to find out that Vidor’s attempted gift was the probable catalyst that caused such a catastrophe in the village.

Reil turned, wiping his face with the back of his hand. Aridean’s eyes had grown wide and she was hardly breathing. Her gaze slowly fell back down to the ground, but her face seemed to tell everyone she was more puzzled than saddened by what she was told. Vidor leaned in to look at her confused face. He gave a friendly smile when Aridean finally looked back at him.

“He did love you, you know?” Vidor told Aridean with a gentle tone and kind smile. Aridean looked into his eyes for a second before taking a deep breath and looking back at the three guests in front of her. She felt tears welling up in her eyes and found that a tightness was starting to form in her throat. Aridean visibly tensed up as her lip began to quiver. Before anyone could make any move or speak any more reassuring words to the minotaur, Aridean turned and began running for the gate to the pasture.

“Aridean? H-hey! W-where--,” Vidor called out to her as Aridean bolted across the wet dirt and threw open the gate. Rana stopped her brother before he could make any motion to pursue Aridean and simply gave him a gentle smile and a shake of her head.

Panting, Aridean sprinted across the wet, grassy pasture of her childhood home. Tears fell from her eyes like waterfalls and she choked on her sobs as she tried to catch her breath. The distraught minotaur raced across the open field and made her way back to the same tree where she had last spoken with Simon. Her hooves only stopped moving as she now stood about a meter from the wet mound of dirt from earlier. Failing to catch her breath, Aridean slumped down to her knees and covered her face with her fuzzy hands.

“I’m so sorry for what I said! I’m so sorry I was so scared that I ran!” Aridean exclaimed as tears continued to cascade from her eyes. Her fingers brushed away excess moisture before her hands fell from her face. A genuine smile accompanied her wet eyes as she examined the mound in front of her, “Seventeen years and I never could figure you out. Seventeen years and… I believed them… I was scared we really couldn’t be family. But through it all, even when I run and leave you behind, you still… I love you, too… I love you, father!”