Valkyrie (Complete)

8: The Return

Their back to their town within the time it took for the sun to rise completely. They walk through the village, each of them shaking their heads slightly. Their village feels empty, abandoned, as if no one has been here in weeks.

They were gone for a little over a week, having been in the dungeon for four days and then taking another four to get back. In that short amount of time, their town has been reduced almost completely to ash. Houses are burned to the ground and the ones that are left standing are broken. Roofs have caves in, belongings have been torn through, and everything is a mess.

Almost no people are still here. It's obvious that the Ankathians have killed most of their people or are keeping them elsewhere, but there are still some in the town. They go their four separate ways to their own houses.

Valkyrie's house is still standing. A fire had been lit in one of the rooms, but miraculously, it didn't spread through the rest of the house. Everything is in shambles. Books are thrown across the room while their shelves lay splintered on the floor, their wooden table has been smashes, and any and all pictures have been shattered or burnt. A horrible smell reaches her nose as she climbs the stairs. It worsens as she nears her father's room and she gags as soon as she walks in. Flies buzz around and it's all she can do not to turn and flee the house.

Her father is lying on his bed.

Tears fill her eyes and she covers her mouth and nose with her hand. She gets closer to him and her eyes blur with more tears, but she refuses to let them fall. Her father would want her to be strong.

His skin is grey and cold, his face looking as though he aged hundreds of years since he's been gone. The pigment in his once-blue eyes has faded to make them a milky grey and she sobs as she gently closes his eyes. He's still in the clothes that he died in. They're bloody and ripped and as she pulls back the covers of the bed, the smell worsens.

With a cry she runs from the room, tears running down her face. She makes it outside to the middle of the street before she falls to her knees. She pushes away any loose hair before bracing herself on her arms. She retches violently, her crying only making it worse. Her throat burns and her lungs seem to be refusing to take in air. Even when there's nothing left in her stomach, she can't stop vomiting. All she can see is her father, her poor father, who should have been buried already.

She lifts her head slightly as the thought strikes her. They left him there for her to find. It's the ultimate action of disrespect, but all that does is make her furious.

She can't get the image of him out of her head. She's dry heaving now and she coughs as her throat and lungs burn. Her body is shaking and she can feel sweat cooling on her skin. She stands up only to fall down again. She crawls back to her yard and lays there with her eyes shut.

It's becoming too much for her to bear. The soldier from a couple days ago, watching her father die before that and now seeing him like this.... It's more than she knows how to deal with.

Her stomach churns again and she scrambles upright and back across the road. She doesn't hear her name being called until she feels the hands on her back, pulling her hair out of her face as her body heaves. She can hear the person talking but she doesn't register who it is or what they're saying until she's able to calm down.

When she finally stops, she tries to stand once again, but her legs shake beneath her. As she's about to collapse, strong arms pick her up and carry her back towards her house. "No!" Her protest is weak and hoarse and it hurts her throat. Tears blur her vision for the second time this morning and she clings desperately to their shoulders.

The person is still talking softly to her, but she still cannot make out their words. She's set down on a porch and she curls into a ball as the person walks inside. A moment later, a thin blanket is wrapped around her and someone's body is next to hers.