GWENDOLYN

My old body ached with every step I took. My joints grinded together and sharp pains ran up my legs with every shift of my weight. It took every ounce of my strength to force myself forward. If this was what aging felt like, I was glad I lived most of my life as a young woman. I had ditched most of my heavy skirts, my under slip thick enough to still cover me. It was light enough that it didn’t cause me more discomfort. I knew I looked like an old beggar, but I couldn’t be bothered to care.

I had been walking for days, my feet blistering and my aged bones screaming. I trudged through the trees and bushes, getting caught on every damn thorn I possibly could. I was almost there. I quickened my pace in excitement, but it was a mistake. My sluggish limbs couldn’t move as fast as I wanted them to. I fell on my hands and knees, shocks of pain flying up my arms and legs. My wrinkled skin, reminding me so much of the skin of an onion, was already bruised and torn.

I cursed. “How the hell do the other patronages live like this?”. I pictured Lady Rey. She looked as old as I did now. How was that old hag not bruised and broken with as much as she moved around?

The pendant around my neck brightened then. I let myself fall back on my behind hard as I lifted my necklace. The softly glowing gem was set in gold wire attached to my chain. It was the only piece of jewelry I had kept. The precious stone was much more than just a rock. It was a soulgem. The surface was uncut and jagged. It was a bright blue, small specks of stone still embedded in it.

Soulgems were a rare thing, but I always kept one. As an enchantress, it was necessary. Never did I think I’d need to call the soul of my husband to it. I had always pictured out death to be peaceful. Vampires didn’t live forever, as everyone would like to believe. I always imagined us timing out like my grandmother. A slip of a soul in the middle of the night, sleeping quietly without any worries. But I wasn’t awarded such kindnesses.

“I know what you would say,” I whispered into my hand. “You would tell me to stay strong. Get up. You can do anything. You are a mighty woman.”

The crystal pulsed with brilliant light, as if he were agreeing with me. It gave me comfort to know he could still hear me. He was dead, but he still remained in his most basic form. The only reason I was still alive enough right now was the sacrifice he made. He insisted I keep his soul until our children were safe. The longer he was away from the afterlife, the less likely he was to be sent to Thorin’s realm. I wouldn’t let his risk be taken lightly. I would ensure the safety of our children, even if it cost me everything.

I pulled my old body back up and started marching back through the forest. I could see the old palace through the trees now. We were so close. I couldn’t slow down now. The thought of Ky and Jeremiah was the only thing keeping me upright. My legs begged me to fall again, my chest weazed with the effort of running.

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“Stop,” came a strong voice. Someone stepped from behind a tree, a bow drawn and pointed right at me. “Who are you?”

Ky. I almost fell over with relief. He stood tall, the sleeves of his shirt rolled up. In the moonlight, the dark circles under his eyes were highlighted in silver. He looked tired, exhausted, but alive. He was alive. I wiped away a tear that fell down my saggy cheek. “How dare you point an arrow at your mother,” I scolded.

His green eyes didn’t change, his bow never wavering. “You’re not my mother,” he mumbled. “I will repeat this once more, who are you? Any games and I’ll kill you.”

“Look.” I lifted the soulgem so he could see it glow in the dark. It cast soft, blue light on the leaves around us. “When we were attacked, your father told me to catch his soul. He knew he would die. He had always known.” The blessing my husband had been gifted with felt more like a curse. He knew the date in which everyone would die. He never would tell me our dates. He carried the burden alone for all this time.

Ky lowered the arrow this time. I could see the gears in his head turning. I know he recognized my soulgem. There weren’t many of them around, let alone still raw from where they were mined. “You can’t be serious. . .” he whispered.

I stepped towards him, lifting my hands to reach out to him. “Who else would know how much you hate being called Ky?”

His face fell then. His eyes welled and he dropped his weapon. My son ran over to me, taking me in his arms. He squeezed the air out of me. “What do I do?” he sobbed into my shoulder.

I pulled away and looked him sternly in the face. “Leave.”

“Leave?” he repeated. He shook his head. “You’ve always told me to protect our home. I-I can’t-”

“Listen to me. Ivar has more power than we realized,” I snapped. I had word that he had already contacted Vallengoth for support. I knew he already had most of the knights at the palace under his thumb. Promises of breaking the curse that is blood bonding gained followers fast. But I didn’t have time to explain that right now. I knew we were in grave danger. “If you stay here any longer, you will die. I already have a place to take Jeremiah. We will be in hiding until you can rally forces enough to take back our home.”

“What? War?” he gasped. “Wh-who could I even-”

“Travel east. Oreshire is the safest option,” I said quickly. “You and Iara need to go there, and as fast as you can.”

He nodded slowly. “I’ll go get Jer,” he mumbled.

I sat right outside of the gate as he went back inside. My heart raced when he left. Would he be safe long enough to come back with his brother? And what about Iara? Where was she? They both had to do this. They were bound just like me and Malachi. I pressed the soulgem into my chest. The hard surface gave me comfort. It shone with the soft light of my husband's life. It was beautiful and peaceful. It was almost able to stop me from thinking about all the things that lay before us.