Chapter 202: Rhodes's First Dream
He took the soft towel that had been wrapped around her hair and, seeing the new, lustrous shine of her golden locks, he nodded in satisfaction. He ran his fingers through a stray strand, and the silken feel of it sent a new tremor through him.
His gaze then fell on the familiar, boring scenery outside the window, and a thought came to him.
"Shall we go for a walk?" he asked, turning to her. She was now sitting in a chair, toweling her own hair dry.
"Hmm?" she looked at him, a little confused. "Now?"
"It's been a long time," he said, and walked over and, in a now-natural gesture, took the towel from her and began to dry her hair himself. She let him, and the feel of his fingers on the nape of her neck, the slight, ticklish sensation... the blush that had just faded was now beginning to return. "It was not long ago," she said, her voice now a little unsteady. "The Demon King's castle. Was that not a big enough 'adventure' for you?"
And then a small, dangerous smile touched her lips. "Or have you finally discovered the joy of battle, the pleasure of slaughtering demons? It's not a bad idea, you know." She even began to think of all the places where they could find some demons.
"There is more to life than just fighting," he said with a laugh, and gave her ear a gentle squeeze. "There is also poetry and the far horizon."
"What's that?" she said, and gave him a look. "I have no idea what you are talking about. Poetry? Are you going to become a bard?" She couldn't imagine it, the god-slayer, the most ancient of human mages, with a lute, in a tavern.
"No," he shook his head. "My poetry is a different kind. But..." his smile widened, "...to try on a new role, just for a little while... it might be interesting."
"Oh?" she said, her eyebrows raised. "And what story will you sing?"
He put the towel aside, her hair now dry and flowing freely over her shoulders.
"The story I will sing," he said after a moment's thought, "is of a party of heroes, in the distant Age of Myth."
Her own hands stilled, and her golden eyes were fixed on him.
"Three humans, a dwarf, and a proud, yet gentle, elven miss," he said, and the vague, yet familiar, images began to form in her mind.
"One of the humans... his magical talent was just... good, far from the others. But he not only wrote the first grimoire in human history but also, in the Age of Myth, founded the first great human nation, a nation that was a light in the darkness, a beacon of hope for all.
"And another... he was a cheerful and kind man who put his companions' safety above all else, who would go through fire and water to protect what he held dear. And yet... irony is the way of the world. The hero who slayed the dragon, in the end, became the dragon himself. And in a place of darkness... he met his end."
Her own eyes dimmed. Eirik... the boisterous, carefree man she had known... to have met such an end...
"And the dwarf in their party, the one who dreamed of being a great warrior," his own voice was now a mixture of a helpless resignation and a gentle amusement, "he, in a strange twist of fate, ended up on a throne he had never wanted, the free will of a warrior now bound by the chains of a king."
Somme... the beardless outcast, now a king.
"And as for the elven miss..." his gaze now fell upon her, his eyes a reflection of her own. "She... she carries the hopes of her fallen companions and walks on, and on, and on, on a path that seems to have no end."
Her heart lurched. "You forgot one thing," she mumbled. "The elf... she does not walk alone."
"Yes," he said, a distant look in his eyes.
A short silence fell between them.
"And the other human?" she asked.
"The other one?" he said with a self-deprecating smile, "He... he was just a simple fool."
She was taken aback.
"He had no great ambition, no noble goal, not even a strong desire to save the world. He joined the party, he set out on that legendary journey, for one simple, and direct, reason."
He paused, and then, his voice a low and quiet sound, he said, "He just... wanted to be with a certain someone... for a little while longer, and then, for an eternity."
She felt as if a hand had squeezed her heart, and then had let it go, and her own heartbeat was now a deafening roar in her ears. She could feel her face flushing, a blush that spread from the tips of her ears to her very neck.
"Silly, isn't it?" he said with a laugh, but his voice was deadly serious. "Such a man... and in the end, he saved the world. But..." he leaned in, closer to her, his voice now a whisper, "the one good thing... is that his dream... it came true."
Her mind went blank.
She lowered her head, and her long, golden hair fell over her face, hiding her flushed cheeks, and the thousand and one thoughts that were now racing through her mind. She could not speak. She just stood there, her hands twisting the hem of her robes.
(End of chapter)
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