The Rogue World Of Dostira

The Knights of Angles and The Phoenix

Audrey felt as if she was going to faint at any moment, her breath getting caught in her tight throat and making her wheeze while her face started to go a light shade of red. She was panting while walking to the Garden of Sasor with her palms growing sweaty and her uniform beginning to stick to her wet, burning skin.

As she walked down the hallway she could see the garden in the distance and as she approached it, out the corner of her eye, she saw two figures huddled together.

"Audrey?" Mrs Binko cried out, rushing over to her with open arms.

Her arms swallowed Audrey with a tight embrace, while her familiar smell of sweet oranges with a hint of cinnamon danced around Audrey's nose.

Audrey looked up at her, forcing a smile on her face as she held back her tears like they were rabid dogs on a loose and tattered leash.

Mrs Binko was short and plump, her face could be deemed common but calming as she had unusually smooth pale skin and thin peach coloured lips that were often curled up into a pleasant smile. She had pine and amber coloured eyes, that were much like Charlie's, and nearly always wore something green. She was the sort of woman to be instinctively motherly and kind to almost everyone who had the pleasure of meeting her, but her forgiving nature was not be taken for granted as she was fearsome to behold when provoked. Mr Binko, on the other hand, was tall and stern looking. He had thick, greying brown eyebrows with pinkish pale skin and his curly dark blonde hair was much like Charlie's. He was an intelligent man but looked as if he was constantly day dreaming, and one would assume him to be a strict and daunting figure until they were to see him smile.

"How are you young one?" He asked, giving Audrey a smile that somewhat made her feel at ease.

She stuttered for a moment, struggling to respond until Mrs Binko cut her off.

"We know about Charlie dear, it's okay" she spoke in a soft clear voice.

"I'm so sorry" Audrey responded, her voice breaking as her lip quivered.

Mr Binko placed an arm around Audrey, "Come take a walk with us".

The garden was filled with all sorts of rose bushes, crimson red roses placed besides ones that were a glistening pearl colour while petals of a beautiful pink and yellow gradient lay scattered across the grass. As they walked throughout the garden, the smell of roses soothing and relaxing her stiffened muscles, Audrey's eyes began to fill with tears.

"This garden used to be larger before that horrid fire," Mr Binko began, "when Freya and I were students here".

Audrey let the tears trickle down her face as she listened, trying to steady her breathing while exhaling deeply.

"Do the first years still get pushed into the bushes?" He asked Audrey, making a small chuckle escape her lips as she nodded.

"That's how we met. You see Freya was so short that some nasty fourth years thought she was a first year" he began, as Mrs Binko huffed but kept a smile on her face as she looked up at her husband.

"We were in our third year, and I saw her get pushed into one of the bushes. Being the gentleman I am, I helped her out and well...now she's been following me around for twenty-five years." He continued as Mrs Binko let out a small giggle and shook her head at him.

Audrey couldn't help but smile as Charlie's parents walked beside her, the pounding ache in her chest becoming numb the more she heard their voices. There was a minute or two of silence until she composed herself enough to speak without becoming a blubbering mess.

"I don't know what happened to him, or why he decided to leave but he'll come back right?" She asked.

They stopped walking and Mrs Binko placed a hand on Audrey's face while looking deep into her eyes, "Charlie is a smart young boy, and Dostira is his home. Trust me when I say, he always finds his way back home".