Chapitre 23: The sweetness in the evening
Ulrich went to the forge daily, and Arja played with the children. They were spending a lot of time cooking, talking, and climbing the mountain's rocks. That was sweet torture for Arja to see and explore a life she should have from the beginning. When Ulrich was supposed to be the warrior, she was supposed to be the princess caring for the children. Her life was supposed to be peaceful. She was contemplating the life of her brother with envy, touched by the melancholy of not having this happiness.
Licia was watching carefully at her, she was deeply good and nice. She explained how Ulrich arrived at the village when she was younger, how he was wounded, and how she desired to help him. She fell in love at first sight and she supported him in his rehabilitation. She was very calm and happy, she was content with her life. Every evening, Arja was talking a bit to the sky in the direction of the little star. Once, Licia heard her and came outside.
Arja was caressing Hagalaz with the tip of her fingers, and her heart tightened as she touched the eye patch on her face with her other hand. Licia sat with her for a while, she brought a bottle of wine and joined her to caress the red wolf. Licia was a smart woman, she slowly asked.
"What was his name?"
Arja smiled at her with tenderness. She was somehow happy to be able to talk about him.
"His name was Typhon."
She continued to ask with a lot of interest. Licia was curious in a good way, she was caring about people.
"How was he? He must be a great person."
Arja felt transported in the sweetness of her memories, her heart was bumping in her chest. Talking about him was reviving the best moments of her life, she almost could hear his voice.
"He was a great person. Typhon was curious about life and the world. He was very nice and caring. He had the dream to defend and help people and he was good at it."
Arja took a deep breath as she thought about Zuline and her tribe.
"We were supposed to live in a fantastic place surrounded by great people..."
Licia sensed that Arja was hurt. She wanted to show her that she was there for her. She took her hand nicely, as a sister would do it. She was a truly caring soul. Arja smiled at her. She was touched by her intentions.
Arja watched the little star, she had a trembling voice.
"When I was feeling alone, he was sliding letters under my door. They were poems and texts about philosophy. He was a smart man..."
"Where are these letters now?" Licia asked with innocence.
Arja looked her in the eyes with a frank smile.
"In a safe place, where he wanted us to live together. He is in this fantastic place surrounded by great people... Once I finish what I have to do I am going to join them. I hope they will wait for me."
They spoke this way for the evening. Arja fell asleep on Hagalaz with a smile on her face. Licia went to search for a blanket to cover her. When she came back into the house she met Ulrich. The house was silent and the children were already sleeping. Ulrich had a gloomy expression.
Licia took his hand tenderly.
"She suffered a lot while I had this beautiful life with you. That must have been the inverse Licia, I failed her. She was my fragile little sister..."
Licia watched her husband with all the compassion she could have.
"Your lives are different, your futures are different too. You have the difficulty of parenthood, that is also something very hard Ulrich. Your fates are different, do not compare them."
She took him in her arms and the evening ended this way, full of love and caring.
The morning following, Ulrich went to find Arja.
"I'm done. Are you ready to try it?"
Arja had a large smile and followed him to the forge. She saw the most beautiful piece she could ever imagine in the middle of the room. The armor was made of one large sheet of metal on the chest, the metal had red and black reflects. It seemed like the lava of the volcano was captured inside. Arja was stupefied, this armor seemed alive. It reflected the light of the sun and she could swear the colors were bumping like a heartbeat. Arja wore the armor, it was surprisingly very light and warm. She had total freedom of movement with it. Ulrich did superb work. She was very well protected, she could feel how much he worked hard for this masterpiece and the regrets of not being able to protect her all these years.
Arja hugged him. He had tears in his eyes as he understood she would be leaving now.
"Stay with us, there is a life for you here."
Arja smiled at him with the love of a sister for her brother. Intense, true, and eternal...
"You know my place is not there, Ulrich. I am very happy to know that you succeeded. I am happy to know your children."
Ulrich felt his heart skipping a beat. He knew what she felt... He knew she would be missing adrenaline by staying there, he understood that her life was now the one of a wanderer. Searching constantly for something to do in the world. He knew this feeling as, once, he felt the same in his heart.
Even if he felt broken to let her go, that was something he could understand.
He took her hand and held her tight.
"Remember I love you. You will always have a place in my life if you want to rest one day..."
Arja was touched by his words, she truly missed him. Ulrich was her everything and knowing that he was with a wonderful family made her feel lighter. Thanks to this, she could now focus on her path.
Arja and he went back to the house. She embraced the children with a lot of love. Then, she turned to Licia.
"Thank you for everything, Licia. Please, continue to take good care of my brother."
She left with Hagalaz. They took the direction of Faranza's ruins. Arja needed to know what happened there, she needed to search for traces of Altraya. Ulrich cried after her departure. All this time he was still hoping Arja would change her mind and stay with them. It was very hard for him to accept it. He was supposed to be the one saving people, not her, he was supposed to be the one on the road, not her. This fact was killing him. He contemplated his life, his house, and his body with a bit of nostalgia to think about the great warrior he could have been one day.
Arja was watching the horizon with determination. She took the direction of the lost land of Faranza.
At this moment, she was hoping to find nothing, she was hoping that the image she had in her dream was only a nightmare and nothing else but somehow, she could smell the perfume of Altraya in the wind. She felt like she knew nothing, even if Ulrich told her that there was nothing left she couldn't believe it. A voice was screaming inside her and she couldn't simply ignore it.
She could hear the murmur of a deep voice as if transported by the darkness that claimed her.
"Arja..."
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone