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Friends from childhood, hopeless dreams and restless days. Laying wistfully side-by-side, daydreaming of a life they’ll never have.
“We’ll be rich, run the Carta one day, and we’ll see the surface,” a young boy’s voice would say. “You’ve actually been to the surface, right? Was it exciting?” A young girl would reply, curious as ever. “ It was. . . nice. It wasn’t here.” “Once we’re rich and can go anywhere you’ll show me.” Not a question, a demand. A wish. “Sure, Rae. Once everything pans out, I’ll take you.” The years went by, no sun, just stone. The two once thick as thieves began to grow apart, no one could tell you why. Still friends, the closest either one of them has ever known.
A job for Berhat, rig the proving, a Warden from the surface! The girl with dark hair and a glint in her eye, “I am of no caste or clan, but i have bested you all!” could be heard and the young boy’s heart lurched at the words; eyes tired and broken. His feet quicker than his head or mouth. Jail cells and Jarvia, killing Berhat, seeing her eyes spark up with defiance as her dagger plunged into his throat, seeing his hands shake, keeping his men off her. A light joke, something about Rica neither of them will remember.
Duncan, giving Rae a way out, their- her- dream realized. The girl looks over at her sister and then at him, words dying as fast as they lived. An entire lifetime together about to be cut short one way or another. They assure her they’ll be fine without her, they’ll make it.
They were always good liars: they’re from Dust Town after all.
She comes back, the girl. This time in a whole new set of armor, with a whole new set of friends: Another warden, an elf and an older mage from what he could tell. And what to tell. He lies. To her face. After she hugs him, she’s never looked so happy, he notes.
“Oh yeah, I left the Carta. Too big a target. I’m doing okay though.” Her eyes once gleaning with defiance and rage now have a sparkle of hope. He’s reminded suddenly of “better” time, “You’ll show me the surface, right.” The woman’s voice is drowned out by the girl from his memory. He bids her goodbye as she gives him a hug before running off. He hugs her tighter, an apology for what he is about to do. He wonders if she feels as hollow as he does when she lets go (she does.)
At her mercy, the friends who were as thick as thieves, now in battle. The man knows he’ll die, there’s still a hint of betrayal in her eyes, he notes, even through the anger. Jarvia dies, the dark haired woman points a bow at the man, both battered and bruised. He tries to say something, anything
An apology, how he never wanted to do this .
A confession, I love you, please! Rae . . .
A bargain, please don’t kill me i’ll do anything. She’d accept any one.
Instead he says nothing, looking up at her with painful eyes. What little hope was in her eyes when she arrived crushed. The arrow plunged his chest, and she couldn’t help but think of Berhat, their partnership in every sense, her resentment and woes. As he began to fade, he saw her scowl. When his body grew cold she left him. No one had to tell her this time that they’d be okay.