The Heartless

Midnight fell over the commune. When the house had grown quiet and I was certain that both Frida and Basil were asleep, I slid out of bed, slipped on my new clothes and padded across the room to where my cloak lay draped over the back of a chair. Frida really had washed it thoroughly, but there were still a few tell-tale blood and dirt stains, as well as a long stitch where she had sewn up the hole where the sword had entered. I smiled--it was simply a battle scar, to be carried with me on my new journey back to the village. Quietly, I retrieved my bag of supplies from under the bed and slowly opened the door just wide enough for me to slip out into the hall.

As suspected, all of the lights in the house were off, doors shut tight. A sliver of light from the full moon slipped under the front door and scattered across the wooden floor. Slowly and quietly, I made my way down the hall, tiptoeing along the wall where the floorboards were least likely to creak. When I reached the door, I took a deep breath and turned the knob as slowly as possible. Once the door was open, I exhaled and took one hesitant step into the night and then took off running, making it several yards before searing pain shot through my chest and sent me toppling onto my knees.

“Please, not now,” I groaned, bending forward to try to stop my head from spinning.

“Oh, predictable,” a familiar voice piped up behind me. Startled, I yelped and rolled onto my back.

“Oh, Basil, what a pleasant surprise,” I chimed with unconvincing innocence, pushing myself up onto my elbows. “I was just, you know, taking an evening stroll.”

Basil raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms over his chest. “When did you get to be such a bad liar?” He smirked and held out a hand. “Come on, get up.”

I relented and accepted the help. Once I was on my feet, we walked back to the house and sat down on the edge of the front porch. The air was chilly, but not cold enough to be uncomfortable; crickets chirped in the grass around us, signifying that autumn was truly in full swing.

“Be honest with me, Ace,” Basil said after a few moments. “Why on earth would you try sneaking away?”

“The real question is how you knew what I was planning.”

He rolled his eyes. “Please, you were making it obvious, I saw you smuggling supplies under your bed for the past week. Don’t avoid my question.”

“Because I can’t just lay around in bed knowing everything I know now. There is an entire kingdom that needs to know the truth!”

“And you’ve got a gaping hole in your chest.”

“I’m healed now!”

“That sure didn’t seem to be the case a minute ago.”

I felt my face heat up. “Well, I’m tired of waiting,” I grumbled.

Basil dropped his head into his hands. “Please, use your head here,” he huffed. “One, you’re still in extremely poor condition to be journeying home. You just got your stitches out, for gods’ sakes. Two, after what you’ve done there is almost certainly a bounty on your head; better to give them time to become certain that they actually killed you rather than go waltzing back in and give them another opportunity. Three, we’re on the cusp of winter, which means travel will soon become dangerous if not impossible. If I were you, I would make plans to be here until spring.”

My jaw dropped. “I can’t wait that long!” I snapped. “Basil, this is home we’re talking about, the place we grew up.”

“Considering I was actually driven out of Amistadia and sustained a permanent injury because of it, I think it would be reasonable to say that it is not my home anymore.”

“Well, my home, then! My village is still there, people I left behind who deserve to know the truth!”

“I don’t think you understand.”

“No, I don’t think you understand!” I jumped to my feet, fists clenching into balls at my sides. “You’ve been here, where it’s safe and there’s no lies or royal guards or thieves with knives! The Village of the Heartless is my home. No matter what it’s done to me all my life that kingdom is still all I’ve ever known, and I’m not going to leave it all behind so easily.”

Basil was quiet for a moment. He almost looked hurt. Then, frowning, he conceded, “Well, if you want to go out there and get yourself killed for real this time, be my guest. I can’t force you to stay here.”

I sighed and threw my hands up in mock surrender before dropping back onto the stoop. “No, I’ll stop being reckless and take your advice. But every day I spend waiting is going to haunt me for the rest of my life.”

“I know.” Basil leaned forward on his knees and turned his head to look at me, eyes sullen. “Sorry if I was being insensitive about it.”

I shook my head. “No, I’m sorry for taking it all out on you like that. We shouldn’t be fighting each other when we share the same enemy.”

“You’re right.” Basil turned front again to stare out over the hillside. “But can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Were you really planning on running off without saying goodbye first?”

I did not answer.

“That’s all the answer I needed,” Basil whispered, sounding impossibly fragile.

“I’m so sorry, Basil.” I blinked away the tears that pricked at my vision. “I wasn’t even thinking straight, I… It’s just that every night I’ve been lying awake feeling so guilty about it all. I never meant to be gone for so long, and who knows what’s happened while I’ve been away.”

“I understand that, but…” Basil sighed and pivoted to look me in the eyes, his own desperate and pleading. “Just say you’ll be careful, and that you won’t try to run off on me like that again? I can’t stand to wonder if you’ve gone off and died a second time.”

“I won’t run off anymore, Basil.”

“Do you promise?”

“Of course I promise.”

“Good. I’ll hold you to it.” Basil stared out at the sleeping village and fell quiet. I followed his gaze, and we stayed like that for what felt like hours, watching the stars drift by over Verdigris in silence until neither of us could keep our eyes open any longer.