CHAPTER 76: THE SINS OF HER FATHER

"Don’t you think it’s too late to ask?" Aeron said, lowering his eyes.

"I am sorry," Ronan replied. "Sorry for not asking before. Sorry for ignoring you all this time, for not seeing your pain."

Then Yvarra stepped forward and said. "You have been alone since you returned, Aeron. Your heart and mind are carrying a heavy burden. I am sure it is one you want to share, even if you are afraid to. Please share it with us, as you always did before. Let us help carry some of it for you. You don’t have to suffer alone."

Aeron looked at them for a long while. His chest rose and fell heavily. At last, he went forward and leaned back against the trunk of a tree. He let out a breath and began.

"Many things happened at the palace," he said slowly. "Some good... but most of them were terrible. So terrible that I don’t even want to remember. I don’t want to accept that they are real. But I cannot escape them."

He paused, then continued with a trembling voice.

"It turns out that my father... he was a great lord in the king’s own council. A man of honor. But he was killed. Burned alive, alongside my whole family. Only my mother escaped." Aeron clenched his fists. "And the order for it... came from the king himself."

Ronan stepped forward quickly. "When you say ’the king’... You mean Nyella’s father?"

Aeron’s head sank, but he nodded. "Yes."

"Whoa..." Ronan muttered, his eyes wide. "Now I understand why you’re so angry at her."

Aeron shook his head. "That is not even the reason. The reason is that she knew. She found out long before I did... and she stayed silent. She said nothing."

Yvarra’s eyes softened with sadness. "And that is why you left the palace? Why have you ignored her since?"

"She is my enemy, Yvarra," Aeron said bitterly. "I can’t stand her. I can’t stand being near her. Every time I see her, I see what her father did."

Yvarra crouched beside him. Her voice was gentle but firm.

"Because her father killed yours, and she did not tell you... You think she betrayed you. But Aeron, think about it. If it were you, would you have been able to look her in the face and say: ’My father killed yours?’ Would you have found the strength for that?"

"Nyella cares about you, Aeron," Yvarra continued. "You know she does. Just as much as we do."

Aeron swallowed hard, saying nothing.

Ronan then cuts in. "And yet... You punish her for the sins of her father. What if you never see her again, Aeron? She went to war. And the battle was lost. What if she is gone forever? A war, you and I know that it is more than just for kingdoms and soldiers." Ronan said.

Aeron’s head shot up. "And what do you know about wars, Ronan?" he asked.

Ronan continued. "I know what my father told me, in the letters. He told me about your purpose, Aeron. About what you carry. And deep down, you know it too. You know why you have such powers. You know what you are meant to fight."

He took a step closer. "You are angry, and we understand that. But while you cling to your anger... The whole world is perishing because of it."

Everyone became silent after his words then Aeron said at last. "This is not as easy as it sounds, You are asking me to fight for a crown that murdered my father... and destroyed my family. Tell me, how am I supposed to carry a sword for such a kingdom? It is a very difficult choice to make."

Ronan stepped forward. "For a crown, maybe it is difficult. But for an enemy that isn’t only after the crown, but after millions of lives? That is not such a difficult choice to make, you know. Think of the people first, Aeron. The innocent ones were scattered all over the kingdom. The farmers, the children, the mothers. They are the ones who will suffer the most when the enemy arrives. And they need someone to stand for them. They need a savior."

Aeron looked at him sharply. "And I am that savior? Is that what you’re telling me?"

"The power you carry," Ronan said firmly, "is no ordinary one. And this enemy is no ordinary foe either. It takes something greater than soldiers and swords to defeat a darkness like this. It takes a superpower to crush a great evil. And you, Aeron... you are that power."

At that, Yvarra laughed softly. "Since when did you become so wise, brother?" she teased, looking at Ronan.

Ronan smirked but said nothing. Aeron, however, managed a faint smile before being serious again. "When a man becomes the one responsible for the house," he said, "he steps up. Isn’t that right, Ronan?"

Ronan nodded once.

Aeron studied his friend closely. "So you are saying I should go and join this fight?"

"You are not going alone," Ronan answered quickly. "I will be there with you. And not just me, many others too. Those who still care for the kingdom, those who still want to protect the good that is left. We will go together."

Aeron’s face hardened. He raised his voice suddenly. "Hell no! You are not going with me to that fight, Ronan. Do you even hear yourself? Do you understand what we are talking about? This is no ordinary fight. This is war. And not war with men, but with deadly creatures themselves. I would not even wish for myself to step onto that battlefield, let alone you."

Ronan resists. "I have been practicing day and night," he said. "I have not rested, not for one day since the news came. And now, when the time has come to fight for my home, for my kingdom, for my village, you tell me not to go? No, Aeron. This is my fight as much as it is yours."

He stepped closer. "We are going there. And I am stepping into that battlefield."