Rowan walked between the two of them holding each of their hands in hers as they walked towards the edge of the forest. Caed could now see the blackness edge.
“We’re almost there,”Caed whispered. He looked over to Arlo who was squinting his eyes to try and see the forest’s end. “Come, let’s continue forward.” He pulled them on until the last steps of the forest. “We’re about to step into the light. It can be jarring.” He warned.
They took the steps forward and both Arlo and Rowan recoiled at the brightness of the light after days of constant black.
Rowan closed her eyes and shoved her head into Arlo’s robes. “It’s so bright, it hurts my eyes.” She whispered.
“Your eyes will adjust,” Arlo answered, his pupils dilating wide as he looked every which way. “I can almost see again.” His eyes met Caed’s and Caed couldn’t help the way his breath caught in his throat.
Rowan giggled and looked up to Caed, her eyes glittering with flecks of purple in the sunlight. “Can I run?” She asked.
Caed nodded and she finally released their hands and raced forward in the grass. Beautiful sunflowers springing from the ground where her feet left. She danced and twirled in the sunlight and Caed almost thought he could see her floating in the air just like a faery.
“She’s magic.” Caed breathed out. He looked over at Arlo whose glittering purple eyes were on him. Caed could feel his cheeks flush like they hadn’t done in centuries. “What?”
Arlo smiled and reached his hand for Caed’s catching his fingers and lacing them with his own. “You’re incredible.”
Caed rolled his eyes and shoved Arlo away. “Fuck off.”
Arlo laughed as Rowan ran back up to them handing them both bunches of flowers she had picked, not realizing that the flowers had bloomed just for her.
They walked for a long time, thankful to be in the sunlight again. But eventually night did come and they made camp underneath the stars, a welcome sight from the deep blackness of Duskmire.
Rowan was chewing on some roots that Caed had gathered for them when she finally asked the question he had been dreading.
“When it’s safe can I go to find my mother and father?” She asked the two faeries almost as an afterthought to her dinner.
Arlo caught Caed’s eye and Caed felt his heart threaten to stop.
“Rowan,” Caed began. “I was tasked with hunting you and bringing you before the council, do you know why?”
“Because I have magic?” she asked.
“Yes, your bloodline contains magic.” Caed said glancing to Arlo once again who gave him a soft nod of support. “But bringing you to justice wasn’t my only task.”
“I know, you were also tasked with hunting Arlo and me, but then you decided that you were a good guy.” Rowan nodded cheerfully.
Caed’s heart felt like it was breaking. “Yes, but Rowan, faeries have complex rules set in place for humans in possession of magic. They are not permitted to live.”
Rowan nodded. “That was why they told me I would die in that room.”
“Rowan your bloodline contains magic, so the possibility of another member of your family having magic is high.” Caed said slowly. “I was tasked with ending that line.”
Rowan cocked her head to one side in confusion. “I don’t... understand.”
Caed bit his lip and looked down at his hands before meeting eyes with the small girl before him. “Rowan... your parents are dead.”
The girl was starting to understand, her face dropped and she shook her head slowly.
“I was tasked with ending them and bringing you to the council for judgement.” Caed said.
“You... you killed my parents?” Rowan whispered.
Caed swallowed, wishing nothing more than to turn back time. “Yes. I’m sorry, Rowan. I was following the orders given to me, I wish I would have made the choice earlier to protect you, but I did not.”
Rowan stood up quickly and ran as fast as her small legs could carry her. Caed went to get up but Arlo put a hand to his shoulder.
“I’ll go.” Arlo said flying after the girl.
Caed watched Arlo fly to the girl as he sat by their small fire. He stared down at it and wished it would just consume him. He hated himself and everything that he had done over his long life. All of his many transgressions were flooding back to him all at once. He wished that he had been more brave, he wished that he had never done the high council’s bidding, that he was smart enough to think for himself like Arlo was. And more than anything else he found himself wishing once again that he had never gotten the hunter commendation.
Arlo was carrying the girl back and laid her gently onto the ground. “I had to put her to sleep, she’s incredibly distraught and needs rest.”
“I should leave,” Caed said. “She won’t want to see me again once she wakes. You are close to the elven realm now.”
“Caed, you can’t leave. We need you. We won’t make it without you.” Arlo said.
“She hates me now, Arlo. Rightly so at that. I’m not the hero here, I’ll now be the villain of her story.”
“Caed, you were under orders.” Arlo tried reassuring him reaching for his hand.
Caed pulled it away. “That isn’t good enough. I can try and justify all I’ve done with that, but I knew it was wrong. You did, you stood up and spoke out against the high council. You took her away from them before they could kill her. Before she would be killed by my hands.”
“It took me centuries to do the right thing Caed. I’ve spent years and years trying to forget my life as a common faery. Trying to forget my life with you. Trying to look past all of things I’ve learned to try and believe all the choices the high council makes are for the greater good.”
“Children and families have died at my hand, Arlo.” Caed whispered.
“And we all looked the other way. The high council use the hunters to do their dirty biddings and we all justify it by saying its for the good of the realm, caring not what was damaged along the way. You have been used as a weapon by the same people that would look the other way as you passed them by. You have been abused by those who have created you, Caed. You are not evil. You are a victim as well.” Arlo reached out for Caed’s hand again, this time Caed allowed him to take it. “I’m sorry I looked the other way, Caed.”
Caed realized they weren’t only talking about the transgressions of the hunter anymore. He looked down at their laced fingers gripping the soft fingers laced in his tighter, desperate to never let go again.
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