Because I Love You✔️

Chapter 25: It Begins

Chapter Twenty-Five: It Begins

Later that night, after everything had settled down and Xaphile had finally returned to camp, everyone but Gus went back to sleep in the hopes of getting a few more hours of rest.

Their initial plan to sleep during the day had fizzled out because of the attacks, and after a quick discussion, it was decided that they would move whenever they were able to until they were fully out of danger.

After an hour and a half of lying down, Ella still couldn't even manage to close her eyes, and for the longest time, she merely lay glaring daggers at the sky, burdened by a very profound internal conflict.

Threats.

They were things she genuinely hated, but to have been threatened by Amelia, of all people... she hadn't been expecting it.

At all.

Amelia had changed.

Up until recent months, she'd been the type of girl who would shyly keep her eyes to the ground around others. Docile, kind, and loving... adorably clumsy and naive... she didn't have an angry bone in her body, so for her to have actually threatened someone else over a possible monster's well-being was totally unthinkable.

After all, it was Xaphile's fault that all of this had happened.

Not hers.

Ever since he had arrived, nothing but troublesome and complicated situations had presented themselves to everyone.

If it hadn't been for his magical bond with the land, and the fact that she genuinely wanted to see the memories of the girl who looked exactly like her, Ella probably would have had him banished or worse.

She grit her teeth when her irritation became too much and sat up in her sleeping bag, tucking a few strands of her messy white hair behind her ears as she glanced at the sleeping forms surrounding her.  

Gus was nodding off despite the fact that he was on watch duty, and Amelia was lying curled up in her sleeping roll, fast asleep, so she gazed at the two of them for a long moment. 

Gus was a bit of a nomad despite the fact that he was the Prime Minister of Nimika and had a great deal political responsibility to contend with. Ever since she'd been a child, he had often left the village on hunting trips, sometimes for weeks... and yet, he'd always returned to her.

He was gruff and very tough in battle, despite being a bit of a wuss when it came to social interactions, but a more tender and fatherly person couldn't be found anywhere. Out of everyone who could have come with them, he had been the best choice since he knew the land, knew how to survive in harsh conditions, and most important of all, he was trustworthy.

Amelia, on the other hand, was another story entirely since she and Ella had a bit of a history.

Back before the events of ten years ago... Amelia had been a role model to her, and they'd actually been really good friends, almost to the point of sisters. Despite their tense relationship after the massacre, Amelia had reluctantly forgiven her, but Ella had felt like it wasn't enough, so she'd tried to bring them closer together in later years by teaching her the art of swordplay.

Amelia was no soldier, especially not in comparison with her or even Gus, but she could definitely hold her own with a traditional rapier thanks to those lessons.

Ella glared at the ground, not wanting to think of that time, mostly because her attempts at truly reconciling had failed. Even now, despite her bitterness and hurt, Ella was trying to draw the girl closer to her by offering to look for her missing father, but the truth was that she and Amelia would never be close like they used to be.