Chapter 12: Of Heroics and Close Calls

Addy Freeland

    Addy's head was still swimming from her conversation with Hayden. In a matter of hours, she had learned more about what fate had befallen her former home then she had in years. There were still so many lingering questions, still the sense of something being so very off...

She dismissed that thought, that itch scratching in the back of her mind. She was being paranoid. She was sure that there was nothing to worry about. Speaking to Hayden had probably just dredged up feelings of homesickness, of paranoia, of that stubborn love for Alura that she had tried so hard to quelch.

Addy had been born in the cultural capital of the world, a place of innovation and creativity, where painters and dressmakers and poets mingled with healers and inventors.  Thousands of tourists flocked to Moonlight City just to see the great temples, the palace, the glass tower where the Academy of Healing was located.

She had been too spoiled and sheltered to truly appreciate how wonderful her home country was when she was younger. Other countries had their own strengths, of course, like Giana and their beautiful forests and magical creatures, Perrnath, and their unparalleled navy, and even Gilland and their institutes of higher learning, but none of them called to her as Alura did.

But she was Addy Freeland, not Abigail Valadon now. Regardless, Alura wasn't hers to cherish, to love so desperately. She had given up that right so many years and mistakes ago.

"Listen. Do you hear that?" It was Lillian's voice, cutting Addy off from her spiraling thoughts.

Addy turned to look at her companion, who had brought her horse to a grinding stop and was hunched forward, trying to make something out.

It was difficult to see or hear any one particular thing in the dense Perrnath forest, with a cacophony of noise and movement from the various woodland creatures. Normally, forests such as these seemed peaceful enough, but today, it was almost... agitated.

"Something's wrong," Hayden muttered, from her other side. "Very wrong."

As if on cue, a shrill scream pierced through the air, and the forest fell completely silent.

"Oh, Diamara."

Addy exchanged a quick glance with her two companions, and then they kicked their horses into motion, moving as fast as they possibly could. Time was of the essence.

Addy was almost grateful for the wind in her hair, for the pounding of her heart as she raced through the forest. The chance to save someone's life always made her feel less unworthy. Less... her.

It was everything she had never been able to do when it had mattered the most.

~~

Abigail Valadon - no, Addy Freeland - was panting, panting, panting as she raised her sword and lunged again. It missed Gavril by inches. The knight raised an eyebrow, amused. In the dim light, the flecks of white in his dark hair almost shone, but without the laugh-lines on his brown skin clearly visible, he looked years younger. Yet he remained unfazed, as always.

She guessed some things never changed.

Addy could still remember when Jay had been the one swinging his sword widely, off balance and without a clue where he was going wrong. That had been so long ago, back before the scared, shy little boy who preferred books to the blade had been replaced by a fierce and deadly, yet compassionate commander.

Jay had become the sort of man others would follow. A fit future king, destined from birth to lead Alura into the next century. Addy had no doubt that her brother would carry out his task with the intensity that he would approach all things, that he would shape Alura for the better.

She had just always thought that she would be there by his side, advising him.

It was just her luck that fate had willed a different path for her.

Addy felt the cool touch of a sword's tip pressed against her chest, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"You're dead." Gavril was looking up at her, his usual smirk absent. She could feel him studying her, reading every emotion on her face like an open book. "And distracted, it seems."

She had never been truly guarded anyway, never been good at hiding what she was feeling. She supposed she ought to learn.

Addy sighed. "I'm sorry. But I'm not getting any better. I just can't use this stupid thing." She gestured towards the training sword that Gavril had gifted her, sitting down crossed-legged on the dusty floor of the training room.

Three months ago, she would have winced at the thought of ruining her clothes in such a matter.

It had been three months since the day Gavril had found her out in the rain, three months that she had lived and trained with him. There had been little improvement in her sword fighting abilities, though he had informed her a few short days ago that her posture was"no longer egregious".  A small mercy.

"Perhaps not, princess. But I wouldn't get too discouraged. You've improved in other ways."

Addy could not help the small burst of shame that shot through her, like a cannon hitting its target. She knew Gavril was speaking of her strides to get rid of her spoiled attitude and get accustomed to regular life.

The privacy of the training room was the only place Gavril would dare speak so brazenly of her heritage, of her past. He had made his home in a small village several weeks from Moonlight City, a town on a mountain that was so secluded that news from the capital often reached Giana quicker than it did the town.

She was known to the residents as Addison, the kind yet shy niece of a retired knight in the King's army. It had been a struggle at first, to learn how to shop for food and cook, to interact with people in the village as equals. She was ashamed of the way she had been, of her pride. Of how she was occasionally still surprised when people didn't bow or curtsy as she was walking by.

There had been a time, when a wealthy merchant visiting the village had spoken down to her, calling her a "good-for-nothing peasant girl". She had a slight urge to inform him just who he was speaking to, but it was easily quenched. However, when he spoke to a young boy in a similar matter - Gabe, the baker's son - she had felt heat boil in her veins. What happened next was a blur, but it ended in the merchant storming off in a fury, a red mark on his arm - a burn of some sort - visible, and her unconscious on the floor.

She laughed bitterly at the thought now. She wished to be a hero, yet couldn't even defend a young boy.

"What troubles you this time, Abigail?" Gavril looked at her with no hostility or disappointment for her lack of skill, only curiosity.

"Don't call me that, please." Her voice was no more than a whisper.

"Why? It is your name, is it not? No matter how far you go, whatever you tell yourself, you will always be Abigail Valadon. Your father's daughter."

The thought of him brought wetness to the corner of her eyes. "Maybe I know that I don't deserve that name. I don't deserve to be a part of that family. I can't even hit anything with a sword. I've failed. My last chance at redemption. I just wish -"

Gavril sat down beside her, crossed legged on the dusty floor. "Did I ever tell you that I trained your father?"

Addy sighed. "Yes, I know that you trained both of them. Him and Jason."

Gavril looked into the distance, almost lost in thought. "And did I ever tell you that when your father was a boy, he was the worst swordsman that I've ever encountered?"

"You're kidding."

A soft chuckle. "Yes, he couldn't land a blow to save his life. His head was always in the clouds. And his magic was - temperamental, to say the least, always lashing out when he least expected it. He was, to put it kindly, an absolute disaster."

Addy had never heard anything of the sort. She couldn't help but ask: "What changed?"

"Practise. He was in the training yard in the early hours of morning every day, determined to improve. I never realized until - there was a young boy who had been kidnapped from a nearby village. His parents had owed debts to - well, I suppose the specifics don't matter. Your father met the kidnappers head on, and I'd never seen that kind of concentration from him. The threat towards one of your people had spurred him into action. They were down in a matter of seconds."

If Addy closed her eyes, she could almost picture the scene. "Why are you telling me this?"

Gavril looked her in the eye. "You may not want to take the Valadon name. I know not what truly happened in Moonlight City all those months ago. But I know you, and I knew your father before you. And I know that you are capable of carrying on your father's legacy. Of being a hero." He smiled at her. "All you have to do is keep trying."

Addy stood up, feeling a steely determination grip her. "Let's go again."

She would never let anyone be harmed again. Not if she could stop it.

It was her duty. Her penance. Her honour.

~~

Madison Gardner

Madison Gardner prayed to Delos and Diamara and every other god she could think of to get her out of this mess. It didn't seem to be doing much good. The beast was staring at her, red eyes brimming with some sort of all-seeing, cold rage.

It lumbered towards her until it was only inches away from her, bearing its teeth in a near feral snarl of rage. Madison could feel her red locks flutter in the strong gust of air, as little drops of spit landed on her cheek. She didn't dare risk raising a hand to brush it off - and her hands were shaking far too bad for it to be of any use.

She was no sort of fighter, she had no hope against a beast that could kill her in a matter of seconds. So she just stood there, still as an oak tree trembling in the wind, and cursing herself inwardly each second for her inaction.

The bear raised a single paw - it's nails made out of a glowing black bone, she noted, with a strange mix of curiosity and overwhelming fear. The latter had her stumbling back on trembling legs, but the creature moved with an unnatural swiftness, almost leering as it dug it's almost claws into her shoulder.

It was then that she finally screamed.

The pain was like nothing Madison had ever felt before - like fire burning through her skin and soul. She heard something snap. That was never a good sign, right? She recalled dimly, a time when she had broken her leg, at some protest or another. What was it that her father had said?

"I'm just worried about you, darling. This old man can't take another heartbreak. Promise me, no more foolishness and no more injuries."

Madison smiled as she hit the cool, hard forest ground. It felt like fire all over. Fire, and wet, sticky blood. Cool was good.

She heard a deep, guttural growl.

What was that?

Didn't it know she was trying to sleep?

Once upon a time, there lived a princess of darkness, and a princess of light. Two halves of the same whole.

What comes next, daddy?

Distantly, she heard the sound of a horse neighing, and fast approaching footsteps. The nearby creature gave a harsh grunt. It just wouldn't let her nap, would it?

"The scream came from somewhere near here, I swear it!" A female voice, deep, assertive and slightly annoyed.

"Oh, and we all know we should trust your navigation skills, Lillian." A male voice, strong and teasing.

"This arguing is getting us nowhere." A second female, higher-pitched, and - worried? Maybe she should get some sleep.

A couple blissful minutes of silence, except for the sound of drip drip near her shoulder, and then she felt a pair of hands grab her, soft and gentle and warm. It felt like the touch of sunlight, like Diamara's fierce warmth. Almost - healing. Was this the end?

She could feel herself being picked off the ground. Distantly she could hear the clink of a metal blade, and a guttural growl.

Then she fell into blissful oblivion.

Addy Freeland

Addy passed the young girl into Lillian's steady hands. Her companion was already retrieving her medicine kit from her pack, and inched away from the bear-like creature to begin her work.

The red of the girl's bouncy curls was near identical to the blood pouring out of her shoulder, Addy noted as Lillian carried the girl a safe distance away. And her smooth, youthful face - the child couldn't be more than sixteen. What in Delos's name was she doing out here, alone?

Risking a quick glance at Hayden, his expression showed that he was having similar thoughts. What a pair they were, Addy mused, two people who had been fractured so deeply and longed to spare others from the same fate.

"What sort of manner of beast is this?" Hayden was staring at the creature, bearlike save for shining claws on its paws, and red eyes. It stared at them, not moving at all, and Addy couldn't shake the feeling that something else was watching from within. That the creature was almost - waiting for orders of some kind.

"Hayden - I think it's a demon of some kind. Something infernal, or of darkness." Addy winced as the words slipped out - she didn't want her tentative friendship with the man to be wrecked. And it certainly would if he believed her insane.

But he didn't laugh, as she expected him to. Instead, he said. "A demon? Like Lillith and her creatures?" He sounded more curious than amused, not believing or disbelieving. Just - calculating. Curious. Just like he had been when they were children, debating and arguing constantly.

The creature jerked it's head in an abrupt motion, and it's red eyes seemed to almost glow. The little light in the forest seemed to flicker then fade, almost as if the bear-like creature was swallowing up any light. An aura of darkness seemed to almost ooze out of it.

Addy turned to her companion. Hayden's face was completely drained of colour, his eyes wide. "A creature of darkness, you said?"

Addy only had time to nod mutely before the bear turned its eyes towards her. There was nothing animalistic in it's gaze - it felt a great deal darker, and human, then that. And then it opened its mouth.

"You. I know you."

The last thing she had expected was for human words, for speech to come out the mouth of a creature. It wasn't like the rats, where the sound was only inside her mind. Glancing at Hayden, feeling his incredulous gaze on her, she could tell that he felt it too.

"I don't believe you do." Addy said, with a great deal more courage then she felt.

"Oh, no, I do. The girl who could have been the hope for a generation. But look at you, a coward. You ran away. Do you think your father is proud of you now? I guarantee it, he isn't. He will never be."

Addy could feel the blood running through her face. Only Gavril had ever know - who she had once been. Why now? Why this creature? And why in front of Hayden, the only person who might be able to guess? She was only thankful that, by some miracle, the creature had deigned not to use her name.

She barely knew what she was doing as a blistering wraith shot through her. Almost on impulse, she raised her sword and swung it cleanly, cutting off the creature's head with a downwards slash.

"Addy, wait-"

It hit the forest floor with a thud, sending a dove perched on a nearby branch flying away. Almost immediately, Addy could feel the light spill back into the clearing. It did little to lift her spirits, or stop her hands from shaking.

She turned on her heel and marched towards where Lillian and the wounded girl still lay, ignoring the looks of confusion - and worst of all, pity - that Hayden shot her as he tried to keep her pace.

She couldn't shake the feeling that the red eyes of the creature were still boring into her, couldn't help but wonder how the creature knew who she was.

What sort of master did it serve?

How did that master find out the truth about her?

And the worst, most dangerous question of all: What will they do to her and the people she cared about?

~~

This chapter felt a little disjointed, but it's very important plotwise, so I couldn't take anything out. We're approaching the end of Arc 1 - only a handful of chapters left to go! I love writing Gavril and you got a deeper understanding of Addy's guilt complex, though not what causes it - that comes later.

Next chapter - specifically, is when we dive into the incident and what exactly happened in Moonlight City all those years ago. I was tired of making you all wait for it, and hope it manages to live up to the hype.