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I watched as Stia worked tirelessly on another house in the once ruinous village we resided in. The walls had been built already and much of the roof had been constructed. Home was actually looking like the home we knew once, though it of course was different. It always would be. It didn’t help that we and our companions were migrants much of the time, what with myself being the “Ringbearer Chosen” and all. There was a lot of Orsterra to travel for all of these quests we- Well, I, have… I never knew how much the world actually had to offer growing up, much like I never was aware of the evils of the world. I really did live an idyllic childhood with my family and friends, I suppose. It’s… a shame that we had to find out about those evils the hard way. By now I’ve seen all three of the tyrants that sought Wishvale’s destruction fall by my hands and others, plus a fourth that was even more dangerous, but it doesn’t change what I and the rest of the town lost. I still think about that night a lot, and how different my life could have been, and I’m sure everyone else who survived the attack from the Scarlet Wings does too. I lost both of my parents, Stia lost her father, Laurana her grandmother, Basil his parents… There’s a whole list one could write up, but the graves lined near the river serve that purpose better than a piece of paper with writing ever could. All I carry now are the memories and the weight of the tragic past, and the only one I can materialize beyond being with the other survivors is my favorite dishes from when I was young. I’m grateful I learned from my mother before she was stolen away.
“Zero, can you toss me my hammer? I dropped it by accident!”
…Ahh, there I go, far too deep in thought about the past once again. I’m supposed to be helping my childhood friend, my best friend, my… You know what, nevermind. “Yeah, hold on, I’ll come up there with it,” I called to her. I scooped the fallen hammer off the ground, and I looked up at her before focusing my attention appropriately on the ladder up. The look she gave me back oozed that positivity I love to see in her, that spirit that I’m told I also carry. I have a hard time seeing it, admittedly. I just want better for people, having seen the evils of those who go mad with greed. I guess it’s just such a given for me I don’t really see the big deal with it. I’m just stronger than most so I can accomplish things many can’t.
Upon reaching Stia’s side, I handed over the tool that had escaped from her, and she returned a grateful, “Thanks, Zero! I guess I still have my clumsy moments!” She might have those, but I think it’s kind of charming, I don’t know. There was something about Stia that was very different for me compared to anyone else, including others we grew up with. She made me feel warmer when I was with her, and especially when we didn’t have the adrenaline rushes of battle to distract me. Stia didn’t waste time getting back to work, but I stayed up on the scaffolds near her for a bit. Watching our new companions and ranks scurry about the town alongside the survivors of back then was… fulfilling, but I did admit I missed the old aura the town formerly had.
“Thinking about the past again, right Zero?” I was startled a bit; I guess I zoned out again slightly. “Yes, I still can’t believe we’ve been through what we have,” I admitted. It wasn’t a new confession even remotely, but Stia didn’t mind that. She knew how I felt, losing both family and friends we grew up with. The fact that as many of us survived as we did is probably a miracle. The clerics would tell me to thank the gods above, and I do, but I admit I have my slight skepticism about why that nightmare was even allowed to happen. Were they unable to see it until it was too late? How could that be the case if Aelfric’s ring was so close to Wishvale?
“You’re allowed to speak your mind, Zero. I know you have a lot on your mind all the time, both past and present.” Stia reassured me of this plenty often, but I still felt bad sometimes having to vent my thoughts onto her. She always seemed happy to listen, a fact I could only be grateful for.
“I think about the past when I’m here at home. The good old days are long gone, and yet there’s so much in my life happening that I can only spare the time to reflect when I’m actually here, because on the road I have everything else going on.”
Stia nodded, and replied, “Being the Chosen One, that doesn’t surprise me. I’m only the Chosen One’s best friend and supporter, so I have a little bit more room sometimes to think about the past, but I do get what you mean.”
The sounds of hammering seemed to be drowned out by my friend’s words, despite the fact her activity didn’t at all stop or even falter. I looked down at Alefric’s ring upon my finger, a shine in acknowledgement flashed back. This ring changed my life forever, and that alone is… a thought. Crazy is the only word I have for it.
My gaze returned to Stia as she continued her work, as I sat down with my legs hanging off the scaffold. After some more brief thinking, I asked her plainly, “What is it like for you to see me leading everyone else, including you, as some ‘chosen hero’ of Orsterra? I could absolutely ask Phenn and Laurana about this, but Phenn’s busy and Laurana only just got settled back into Wishvale. That… and I wanted your opinion first regardless. I had this question a while ago, but I just wasn’t sure when to ask it.”
She looked at me with an intrigued expression, though no words at first. She set her hammer down, and she came over to me, sitting right beside me with her hands balled on her lap. “To be a companion to the ‘Ringbearer Chosen’ is something that I would call an honor, but that’s specifically because it's you. Having grown up with you, and been able to grieve our losses together… I'm grateful to be of help to you wherever you go. It does make me sad our journeys are plagued with such intense missions, even though I understand why.”
I looked at her slightly concerned, and I felt the need to point out, “You don’t have to travel with me every time, Stia. I’m not going to force you, and it means you could make extra progress rebuilding Wishvale.”
Stia’s response was very minimal initially; she stared out ahead just as I had been when not looking at my fellow interlocutor. There was a light smile on her face, and eventually she turned her head to me while I just stared at her. I must admit, I was taking the opportunity to observe her face - all of it. That pretty face she always wore, often with a positive smile. I adored that face, and beyond that she made my days much brighter when we could work or relax together. She was my right-hand on the journeys we made, though I never forced her to be. Stia did that of her own volition, and I was grateful for it. When she started speaking, I then was reminded that I was having a proper conversation. She didn’t seem fazed by my sudden mental detour.
“I don’t have to accompany you, but I do. I do that purely by my choice. Every single time. Do you know why that is, Zero?”
“Well, we’re best friends, of course… We stuck together even as we fled Wishvale being razed to the ground… We’ve seen all the hardships we have together. We each know how the other feels about our losses and past.”
My answer was met with a nod. “That’s right. See, you understand. I choose to support you by your side every time you journey because I need to see you safe by my own hands. You may be strong, but you aren’t invincible. If something happened and I wasn’t there…” Eye contact was broken as Stia was seemingly attempting not to picture that kind of turnout, and I don’t blame her. “...I’d be kicking myself over losing one of my biggest reasons to keep going, but even more so for not being there to help you in a time of need.”
I could feel some warmth come to my face as she spoke her last line there, because… Well, how could I not? My precious friend said something so sweet, of course my face would flush. But then again, no one else’s praise had this effect on me… Was I… Was I in… I had to ask her another question. I needed to know.
“Stia, can… I ask how it is that you see me? I assume just your best friend; don’t ask why I’m asking this-”
Stia just laughed. “Zero”, she calmly uttered, “You mean so much to me. You really do.” I watched as her face tinted a soft red color, something I’m not sure if I ever saw with her before. “You said you assumed us to be ‘just’ best friends. And for most people here, that’s probably how they see it too.” The heat in my face seemed to intensify as she said that, and I could feel a sort of ache in my heart. It was something I felt before, but I usually paid it little mind given the chaotic lives we live, especially my own. My eyes widened as I watched her scratch her cheek, clearly quite embarrassed with wherever she was going. I could hazard a guess… or rather, a hope… as to where this conversation was going, and the hammer of my heart seemed to escalate.
“Stia… W-what do you mean, e-exactly?”
Another laugh preceded her response of, "I think you already know, Zero. I don’t think it’s a one way thing. You’ve been there for me any and every time I need support. You always put your own needs aside for others and myself to the point I have to encourage you to allow yourself a little room to care for yourself.”
All I could muster as a response was a quick side eye. I was guilty of that, it was true. But, when you’re the almighty chosen hero, you have a lot going on. It didn't eliminate the truth in her words, though.
“Oh, don’t feel that bad about it, Zero, haha. You’re absolutely a sweetheart of a woman, and I’m somewhat envious of that ability to be able to help so many, though I wish you cared more for yourself on travels. You’ve contributed just as much to the dream of reviving Wishvale to its former glory, and that alone is something I can’t thank you enough for. Beyond that, you never left me alone to fend for myself; you always made sure I was heard, cared for, and you made sure to support me in all of the things I set out to do. Wishvale as it is now is proof of that.”
I swear I could feel a sweat on my forehead as she kept speaking, and along with everything else in me, I was silently begging her to convey the sentiment I found myself hoping for, much to my own internal surprise. My words were… embarrassingly sappy.
“Y-you supported me too… You were there to pull me back out of the dark pits I kept finding myself in after I lost both parents in the same night… You supported my training while we took refuge with Nomos… You were there always being the best friend you could be long before that, too. I-I have so many good memories with you, and I’m so happy that I… that I have you here at my side-”
I was interrupted by a gloved hand on my right thigh. This was new from her, let alone anyone, and yet it seemed so natural from her perspective. I didn’t hate it, not at all… It was a rather euphoric feeling, actually. Our gazes met as I took in that smile once more, and a pair of dreamy-looking green eyes to match. Her face was a bit more of a bold red color now, and I don’t think I can actually say how surprised I actually was, because I was such a mixed bag of emotions far more intense than just surprise. I swear she was hammering my heart now instead of the house she was building.
“Zero. To answer your question of, ‘what are you to me’, well… You’re my world, as far as I’m concerned. Sure, we could be ‘just’ best friends, but… I think it’s pretty clear that that’s not enough for either of us. How ironic that we fight people with greedy hearts, and yet here we are, succumbing to a different kind of greed… The one kind that can heal hearts instead of destroy them.”
“Stia… I- I-if you’ll humor me and my... my greed, in this case… I need to hear you say it. Even if it’s just this one time, I need to hear it.”
“Haha, well, if you desire it that much, I don’t think it’ll be just once. I love you, Zero. I love you to the ends of Orsterra and beyond.”
She said the words I’d been hoping to hear, ones I never never knew until today I needed so badly to hear. I felt my eyes tear up and joy began to overflow. For the first time in what felt like a while, I could actually laugh with joy. I put my arm around her back and pulled her just that little bit closer. She did the same in return with giggles and glee equal to my own as our faces met by the foreheads and noses. While she didn’t have tears to the extent I did, I could just make out through mine that her eyes were indeed wet. We just stared into each other’s eyes for a bit while our positions held, until we heard a familiar voice beckon our names from below. I think Stia and I had both forgotten briefly the rest of the world existed.
“Stia! Zero! You two good up there?”
“Haha, yes Phenn, we’re okay!”
“Alright, I could hear a bit of noise up there while I was in the neighborhood, just thought I’d check. Also, you look like a pair of lovebirds up there like that!”
I sniffed with some amusement at Phenn's oblivious comment. I didn't expect him to take too long to figure it out, but it was funny all the same. “I don’t see anything wrong with that. I think it’s nice to hold… ‘friends’, close. Don’t you think so, Stia?”
“Mmm… Yes. I couldn’t agree more, Zero.” Phenn shrugged and went on about his duty in the watch before he retreated to the tavern for dinnertime. The sun still had a few hours in the sky, and I think that was what pushed Stia’s next suggestion. “Why don’t we call the work for today and take a little time to ourselves? Just the two of us.”
“I’d love nothing more, Stia. I think tonight will be a really special thing.”
After another brief laugh, Stia and I clambered down from atop the scaffolds, and I made sure to give her the courtesy of taking her hand as we made for the Wishvale trail for a stroll that would carry a very new meaning going forward. I had yet another purpose now to fight against evil for, but like for my friends and Wishvale itself, this purpose was something I felt a passion to uphold. I think- No, I know Stia found the same today, and there’s an extra special light at the end of the tunnel now.