THE FIFTH FOUNDER ⚡️ [h.p./founders era]

Nineteen

Salazar and I soon rejoined Rowena and Godric back in the Great Hall.

Godric was all healed, but he lost quite a bit of blood. He fell asleep and Rowena stayed beside him, every once in a while running her hands through his hair.

"He'll be fine. Once he wakes up, he should be back to normal." She spoke softly as not to wake him.

Using her wand to levitate him, she took him back to his room so that he wouldn't have to rest on the table any longer.

After I watched her leave, I cleaned off the table, thinking about how different she was acting around him.

"Did you notice the same thing I did?" I asked Salazar.

He sat down on the bench with his back against the table. It took a moment before he answered me. "They have a complicated past."

I sat next to him, expecting him to continue. He looked at me and shook his head, as if to say he wasn't allowed to say anything. But I still wanted to know.

Eventually, he gave in.

"Rowena and Godric met as teenagers. They were rivals from the very beginning. There were times they almost blew each other's heads off. But Godric absolutely loved her. He just didn't know how to show it. Eventually, they grew up, and Rowena fell in love with someone else. It wasn't her fault, because Godric never told her how he truly felt." Salazar explained to me, keeping his voice quiet, in case anyone would overhear.

It all made so much sense to me now: why Godric was always concerned about her and why she was always so guarded around him.

"Is he going to be okay?" A small voice came from the doorway, causing both mine and Salazar's head to turn.

The boy they brought back peeked in from behind the door. He couldn't have been older than eight years old. His eyes were blotchy and red, most likely from crying.

Salazar stood up in his presence and I followed his lead as he walked over to the boy.

"Of course he's going to be okay. He was barely scratched." Salazar called out to him comfortingly, motioning for him to come in.

The boy did as he was told, almost as if he had been conditioned to follow his superior's command without argument.

"Simon, this is Lyra." Salazar put his arm around me and kept his hand on my back. "Lyra, this is Simon."

"Hello." I smiled down at the young boy. "You're very brave, Simon."

"I don't feel very brave." He responded, his voice so small that it broke my heart. His eyes started to gloss over, but he lifted his wrist to his face, wiping his eyes to stop himself from crying.

I kneeled down in front of him so that I was at eye level with him. "Listen to me, Simon." I took his hands in my own. "It takes so much courage to be suddenly uprooted to a new place. To be taken from everything you know. Just because you're brave does not mean you're not allowed to be scared. In fact, I'm terrified most of the time."

Instead of responding, Simon let go of my hands and hugged me, almost knocking me over from the force. I was surprised by his sudden movement, but I embraced him as my own and held onto him as long as he needed me to.

~

At dinner that night, Simon sat in between Salazar that night. When Helga set his plate in front of him, his eyes went so wide, as if he had never seen that much food before.

"Is this all mine?" He asked, peering up at Helga.

"Yes, Simon." She laughed softly, giving him a pat on his shoulder.

With the all clear, Simon wasted no time to start on his plate.

However, as soon as I began, Godric entered the room and I was no longer hungry. Rowena trailed behind him and the two of them joined us at the table.

"You're okay!" Simon exclaimed joyfully, making Godric chuckle at him.

"I am okay. And I'm glad you are too." Godric sounded relieved, seeing how happy Simon was.

Godric then looked to me and any trace of a smile on his face disappeared.

"Lyra," I all but flinched as I waited for him to yell at me again, "you were right."

Everyone, except for Simon, stopped eating and looked up at Godric and me. I could tell that they were eagerly waiting to hear what I had to say in response, but truthfully, I didn't know what to say. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.

So Godric continued. "I should have known it was reckless of me. And I'm sorry for that."

I analyzed him for a moment to make sure this wasn't some cruel joke. When I was satisfied he meant what he said, I truthfully answered.

"I forgive you."

Godric let out a breath of relief and smiled.

"Thank goodness." Rowena voiced as she continued to eat.

I laughed at her and looked down at my food, regaining my appetite.

~

That night, Salazar let Simon stay in his room so that he would feel less alone.

I promised Simon that I would visit him before he went to sleep, and I wanted to make sure he was okay. I knocked on the door, and within moments, Simon opened the door and let me in.

"I'm not sure how I feel about you letting people into my room, Simon." Salazar winked at me.

"Don't listen to him." I told him as I visibly rolled my eyes. Simon laughed, pointing at Salazar, which he didn't like very much.

"It's time for you to go to bed. We have a big day tomorrow." Salazar pulled back the makeshift bed he had made for the boy.

Simon was visibly disappointed that he couldn't stay up any later, but he didn't argue as he buried himself in the blankets that Salazar set out for him.

"Can you sing?" Simon peered up at me.

"Oh," the question caught me off guard.

I had not sung in years, and it was so long ago that I forgot that I once loved to.

"My mother used to sing me to sleep every night, before..." Simon cut himself off before shaking his head and shutting his eyes. "It's okay if you can't."

Though I wasn't sure if I still knew how to sing, I decided to try to just this one time. For Simon.

"Lavender's blue, Dilly dilly, Lavenders green." I sang out softly, making Simon smile widely, even though he was still pretending to be asleep. "When I am king, Dilly dilly, You shall be queen."

Soon, Simon's soft snores echoed around the room. I put my hand on his shoulder, wishing him good dreams, before standing up.

"Your voice is beautiful." Salazar whispered to me as he helped me up.

Our eyes locked and he was looking at me as if I was the only person in the world, as if I was the only one that mattered to him.

It was in that moment that I realized: I wanted to be the only one more than anything else in this life.