Adalene sat in silence in a corner of the room, watching as the children laughed and joked, happy in this still moment when nobody was after them and they could finally be themselves.
They could be children.
She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as she thought about the reason for this. If her suspicions were correct, then her old friend could be Skylar’s mother. But if that were true, why would she do such a thing to her daughter as well as other children?
Unless the prophecy was created with the intent that these children would be older, and she escaped earlier than expected, who would send helpless children on a quest with no definitive ending, and then stay on the sidelines while the kids nearly died every day?
But, no, they weren’t helpless, Adalene thought, they were growing. Not in age, but in maturity. These children were now battling against impossible odds, yet still had the time to joke and have fun. Because they were just mature enough to understand what needed to be done, without the greediness and selfishness of adults.
They were perfect for the prophecy.
Now, Adalene understood why someone would possibly create a prophecy with children as the heroes. They were perfect for the job.
But that didn’t make it right. Just because there was some magic or interference every so often didn’t mean that the kids weren’t constantly in danger. Adalene couldn’t even count the number of times that they almost died daily.
Skylar had been stabbed once, Helen had a knife wound at one point, Peter had a case of broken bones not too long ago, Alice was tortured by a psychotic maniac, Skylar hurt her ankle, fell off a cliff, Richard got burned by the incident in the Waters of Abdomes, and now Luke was sick. Along with a lot more minor incidents, that Adalene couldn’t even begin to name.
They could’ve died at so many points in their journey, and the creator of the prophecy wouldn’t do a thing about it. It was unjust and unfair to the children and didn’t seem like the friend she had once known.
“Tea?” the woman who had sheltered them interrupted Adalene’s thoughts.
“Uh…sure.”
She set down a cup of steaming tea for Adalene. Then the woman sat down next to Adalene, making her feel a little uncomfortable from the sudden attention. Adalene didn’t like being with people, especially those she didn’t know very well.
“It’s Amelia, by the way.” Their hostess smiled at Adalene.
“What?”
“My name,” Amelia continued, “It’s Amelia. And my daughter is Jean.”
“Yes, you mentioned your daughter,” Adalene nodded as she sipped her tea, “She is a very nice young lady.”
The woman, Amelia, smiled again, turning her sights on Luke and Skylar. “It seems Jean likes your young man as well.”
Adalene nearly choked on her tea. “W-what?” she spat out.
“That young man,” she chuckled a little, “The one by the fire. I think Jean fancies him.”
“...How do you know?”
“Her face was as red as a tomato when we had to take his wet shirt off.”
Adalene set the tea down, trying to understand what Amelia was saying. Adalene didn't understand why a boy without a shirt could make someone's face turn red, but then again, Adalene had never felt that way about someone before.
“But…Skylar and Luke are…together.”
“Yes,” she answered, “But I do find it funny, Jean falling head over heels for your strange boy.” Her chuckle became greater, the smile wide on her face.
“Yeah, but it doesn’t make it right.” Adalene nervously adjusted the scarf over her hair and ears, trying to hide from Amelia, “She shouldn’t get her hopes up for a taken boy.”
Amelia nodded, then her smile fell from her face. “The soldiers,” she said, “They’re after your group, you know.”
Adalene nodded her agreement, taking another sip from her tea. "I am aware."
“Why?”
“You vould-wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” Adalene nervously dropped her voice for a second, revealing her true accent before masking it again.
But Amelia didn’t seem to notice Adalene’s mistake and continued what she was trying to say before. “They’re offering a large sum of money if you are brought in, especially alive. They say that you’ve done unspeakable crimes, and you must be brought to justice.”
As Amelia continued to talk about the bounties for them, Adalene felt her hand itch for one of her swords, ready for a fight.
“But…” she continued, “It doesn’t seem right. How could you have done such horrible things? You’re all children. I mean, I couldn’t imagine my little Jean doing anything horrible, let alone you kids.”
Adalene’s hand slowly slipped off her sword hilt, as she took another sip of her tea.
“I do not know why they are doing this,” Amelia stared at the children, “But I know it isn’t right. And you seven should not be hunted down for whatever you’ve done-”
“Zey haven’t done anything,” Adalene interjected, forgetting about hiding her accent, “Zey are only children. Zey just are part of something bigger.” Then Adalene realized what she had done and covered her mouth in surprise.
“Your…your accent,” Amelia observed, “Are you…?”
“Sorry,” she apologized, masking her voice once again, “Whenever I get angry my accent comes out. My…mother used to speak a strange language all the time, and she had an accent I was always heard.”
Amelia stared at her for a moment, then appeared to understand. “Ah, I see. My mother was Bellonese, though I don’t know why she decided to move here. But she had a thick accent. Stuck out like a sore thumb. Lovely woman, she was, bless her soul.”
As Amelia kept talking about her mother, Adalene thought of what she could do for the children. They needed to get to the threshold of the mountains soon, or they might not be able to lose the soldiers who were on their tail.
Adalene figured they would need to stay away from the big cities, where it would be swarming with soldiers who could easily recognize them-not mention the posters that Amelia mentioned-so smaller villages or even places out in the country would work until they arrived at the base of the mountains.
As Adalene was formulating her plan, she felt a deep ache in her bones again. She clenched and unclenched her hand in a fist, each movement sending pain down her hands. It didn’t affect her too much-Adalene had gotten accustomed to pain over the last few hundred years-but it still concerned her.
Amelia droned on, and Adalene realized how tired she was. It was more than just the aching that affected her now, but she felt less energetic in the mornings, and just wanted to sleep at the moment.
She welcomed the feeling and accepted sleep.
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A creak on the floorboards near her jolted Adalene awake. She jumped up and immediately reached for her sword, only to find Amelia standing there looking terrified.
“Sorry…” Adalene sheathed the sword, “I can be a bit…”
“Paranoid,” Amelia finished, “I can see.”
Adalene frowned, realizing the truth in that statement. “What time is it?”
“Just a little before sunrise,” Amelia shrugged, “I’ll start cooking up breakfast here soon.”
“Uh…make sure you make-”
“It vegetarian? I know, one of the girls with you is Thuron. Don’t worry, I would never make anything to leave her out.”
Adalene was a bit surprised by this. The way Amelia immediately knew that Alice needed something vegetarian and considered her before even making the meal. Why?
“Do you…mind if I ask you a question?” Adalene asked as she followed Amelia into the kitchen.
“Go ahead.”
“Why are you doing this? Why are you helping us?” Adalene couldn’t understand the motives of this woman and suspected she might be a backstabber, just like some of the other adults the Six had trusted in the past. “I know Alice asked you this already before, but you never explained.”
Amelia sighed, setting down the pot she had been holding. “A few years ago, back when Jean was just a little girl, her father, Ethan, got very sick. We looked everywhere for medicine, asking around for anybody if they could help. But no one would. Eventually,” Amelia took a second to take a sip of tea, “Ethan couldn’t hold on much longer. He died in his sleep.”
“I’m sor-”
“No, no,” Amelia held up a hand for Adalene to be quiet, “Don’t you dare say you’re sorry. I hate it when people say that. They’ve said it to me for years. Every time someone asks why my husband isn’t here and I explain, it’s always, ‘I’m sorry.’ Well, it’s too late for that, you foolish town, if you were sorry you would’ve helped.”
Amelia took a moment to calm herself down, then continued. “That night, I realized something. If this town wasn’t going to help anybody but themselves, I vowed to be the one to help those in need. To be the shoulder to cry on. The roof over someone’s head. The cook when people are starving. Because that’s something the world doesn’t do much anymore, showing some common decency. Sometimes, you’ve got to forget what the world thinks, and do what you think is right.”
Adalene pondered that for a moment. The elfes didn’t show the children common decency. They refused to help them at any point and instead pushed them away. Yet this woman right here had welcomed them into her home without a second thought and was giving them food, shelter, and warmth from the cold that had affected Luke so badly.
“Thank you,” Adalene told Amelia.
“Hmm?”
“Thank you,” Adalene continued, “For helping us. Thank you for letting us into your home and for…and for helping Luke. It…it means a lot.” Adalene felt her eyes burn from the stubborn tears forming in them, wondering if she could leave these children in Amelia’s hands when she…
No, Adalene couldn’t think like that. She had to get these children to the capital before anything like that could happen. But the ache in her joints reminded her of the impending danger. She had to hurry. They needed to get to the Attalaitan Mountains...
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