The Lost Life of Laraine

Chapter 20

"Harken! Parter!" Flontina burst into the guild, the wind from their travels causing some of the furniture to flip over, breaking some dishes and glasses in the process. "We need fire! Now!"

Harken was the first to emerge from his room, watching from the balcony as Vadallea rushed to put some of the tables together in a makeshift medical bed. Behind Flontina was Kent who was carrying a small bundle, and Harken could feel his stomach drop at the sight.

Not even bothering with the stairs he hopped from the balcony, landing on the floor with little issue and running forward.

"Harken, light this!" Vadallea commanded, pointing at some wood she gathered by the table.

Harken didn't even hear her, just standing completely still as he watched as Kent put down the bundle, unraveling it partially to reveal a pale Laraine. Her lips were a deep blue, and her teeth were chattering loudly as another shudder ran down her.

"Harken!" Vadallea yelled, finally getting the boy's attention, "Fire! Now!"

Immediately his hands burst into flames and he gripped the wood, trying to set all of them on fire all at once.

"Careful!" Vadallea pulled him back, "You're going to set the whole place on fire!"

"W-what happened?" Harken ignored Vadallea, just staring at Laraine as she shivered violently. Her body curling closer to the fire in an attempt to get warm.

"She froze the entire river," Kent explained under his breath, "We were trying to trap mantis beasts but they escaped and were about to trample right through the village if she didn't freeze everything."

"The whole river?" Vadallea asked agape, looking to Harken and pulling him back slightly to whisper in his ear, "She's not supposed to be able to do that yet."

"She's going to be fine though, right?" Harken's voice was nothing like a whisper, just staring straight with such wide eyes. He was worried she was going to wither away in the cold.

"Yes," Flontina gave him a confident but weak smile, her eyes holding so much pain, "She just pushed herself a little too hard tonight. There are sky high mantis statues just outside the village if you want proof."

Harken couldn't hear any of them anymore, still staring at the poor girl who made it seem like the fire wasn't enough to keep her warm. He didn't even realize it but he was standing beside her now, the fire at his feet but he didn't care, nor felt it.

Scooping her in his arms, he held her freezing body close to his chest. tucking her head close to his neck, feeling her soft and cold breaths tickling his collarbone.

"She's freezing," he commented, more to himself than to the rest of them. He let his magic go through to her, feeling the heat leave his body and right to her, the color quickly returned to her face and her lips back to their soft pink.

This was the girl he was supposed to love in the past.

She's so small now, when he first met her she came up to his nose, instead of now she barely came up to his shoulder. She acts the same though, so sweet and so smart and so so adorable. And so strong too, even when she held back she was a challenge for him to take down.

Regretfully take down.

"Harken I think she's better now," Parter finally arrived, trying to take the poor girl out of his son's arms but his son held firm, unable to let her go so soon.

Harken wasn't going to be satisfied until he saw those blue eyes that seemed to be as deep as the ocean.

His wishes seemed to be fulfilled as she stirred in his arms. Her eyes were still closed, but the color was back in her cheers and the pink was back into her lips.

"Laraine?" Harken murmured, a slight crack in his voice. She was alive in his arms, but he couldn't help but to flash back to the memory of her dead eyes staring back at him, her head well away from the rest of her body.

That was just before the whole world just ended itself in bloodred skys.

"Let's put her to bed," Vadallea's whispered, placing her hand gently on his shoulder. He robotically followed her up the stairs and to Laraine's room. Flontina was already there, holding the door open and lifting the sheets up so the poor girl could get a good nights rest.

"Was it like this before?" Harken asked what seemed like no one, but Vadallea knew he was talking to her about the past.

"No, she was a lot stronger when she was older," Vadallea could barely remeber, but there was an incident with Lara and their group on an adventure where Lara froze a sizable chunk of the ocean without blinking. Lara was a bit chilly afterwards, but wasn't fully passed out and frozen from the inside out like she was at this moment. "This must be caused from all the changes."

Harken stayed silent.

His mind was racing in different directions.

Would Laraine be fine if she didn't join the adventurer's guild? Would she be scarless if he didn't try to befriend her?

But how did she get that scar? She was never that injured when she was a young as far as he knew. He was under the impression her family completely ignored her - which made his blood boil.

How could they disregard this precious child?

So smart, so earnest, and so hardworking.

She was the epitome of good, and people would just walk all over her. 

"She's still wearing the necklace," Vadallea pointed out. Harken almost forgot she was standing right next to him. 

He can vaguely remember the matching necklace the two of them wore when they first met when they were about 16 years old. It was supposed to be a time of Laraine looking for a husband as her noble duty but instead she joined the adventures guild and befriended Vadallea.

Having another girl her age was the catalyst for Vadallea's obsession with doing obscenely girly activities that Harken never paid mind to. Until she insisted to do them. That woman he couldn't even think of without his stomach churning. 

 Chuckling humorlessly, Vadallea mindlessly rubbed her matching necklace between her fingers. "It's ironic isn't it? Forcing her to be my friend on top of everything she's been forced to do." 

"She liked you though," Harken smiled, trying to remember the brightness Vadallea brought to Laraine every time she would visit their home. "She would never admit it but she really liked you. I remember she wore that necklace to our wedding, I thought it was really ugly." 

"Still do?" 

"Yup." 

Laughing, Vadallea felt a wave of relief wash over her and her eyelids grew heavy. Yawning, she patted Harken on the shoulder to wish him goodnight, "Cya tomorrow Harken." 

"Night Val." 

"Don't call me that."