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still haven’t heard from him. Last night, I was so stupid… I even waited for him to come miraculously stumbling in like he would always do when he visited, but he never came. He was a good man… did you know him? Mr. Harlan?”
    Emil paused as he searched for the words within himself. H e was still turned from Marona, but he could still feel her eyes piercing him through his back.
    “Yes… Mr. Harlan was… a good man. The night of the fire, your uncle an d two others rushed one of the king’s lieutenants, Hugo, while I was pinned down with my family. He gave his life as a distraction so that I could launch a counter attack against Hugo and his army. When you saw me, it was after I had taken out Hugo and his men.”
    “So he’s…?”
    “Yes.”
    A moment of silence passed between the two as Marona came to terms with the fate of her late Uncle.
    Emil turned to her and saw her hand clutching the turquoise pendent that loosely hung from her neck.
    “I’m sorry…” Emil said softly as he looked on with remorse. The bitter sting of death was something that he had not yet grown use to. No matter how much he tried to harden his heart, the pain always managed to slip through.
    “You know… when I didn’t hear from him after the fire, I knew something was wrong.  I wanted to go back, but I was too afraid to go alone. Not knowing if he was dead or alive, trapped in the wild these past few days, nearly ruined me. A part of me already knew he was dead, but I couldn’t bear to see him like that.”
    “Because of him… he gave us a fighting chance.”
    “Yeah, I know.  He acted for the greater good of the village. If he knew his actions would save one life, he’d be okay with it. That was just the type of man that he was.”
    “Marona… go home and mourn. I appreciate what you’ve done for me so far, but where I’m going, it’s dangerous. I can find my way from here.”
    Her forest-green eyes that were once transfixed on the ground before her, shot up fiercely, breaking her from grief. The heaviness in her words had been replaced with a passionate flame from within.
    “No.”
    “Hugo, the lieutenant I told you about… he destroyed a whole village without breaking a sweat. They’re others out there just like him and they’re looking for me. Chances are the king sent a relay group after not hearing from the main camp by now. Even if it’s just members of the guard, it’s too dangerous to bring you any further.”
    “And what do you plan on doing? Fight? Three days ago you could barely move and now you plan on jumping right back in? It’s suicide!”
    “What I do is none of your concern. You don’t even know who I am.”
    “I don’t need to know who you are to see that you’re a good person.”
    Marona’s eyes met Emil’s, but he quickly averted his gaze, causing his eyes to momentarily drift to the side.
    “If you want to recklessly rush in and die, that’s your own call, but then what would the death of my uncle and all of the others stand for? ! Huh?! Don’t be so selfish!”
    The words rushed against him like the thrashing waves of a turbulent storm, each rift resurfacing memories of his fallen village. Marona’s sights softened as she looked upon Emil. The rage that once coursed throughout her body subsided. The tension that made her body rigid was no more.
    “I’m sorry…” Marona sighed apologetically. “I know it’s hard on you, too.”
    “I wanted to go back to the village to pay my respects and to see if I could gather any clues as to what their next move is. The Guard could be out there so I wanted to do it alone. You’re more vulnerable than I am, and if they do come for me , I don’t want to put you at risk. I don’t plan on having anyone die today.”
    “Right… but you’re not at one hundred percent yet, are you? If something happens I can cover for you. I’m a pretty decent shot.”  Marona confidently pointed behind her indicating the cross-bow she had harnessed