Fairy Tale 3
“How troublesome,” a voice sighed over the hushed noise at the inn. The party of valiant swordsmen turned to see Cloudy Day staring at them over his cup of tea. Beside him sat his beloved, although there were those that would argue that he actually stayed with her not out of love but fear for her mighty temper and weapon, Silken Fan.
***
Kanna didn’t think she had the strength to stand after the parents had lead the small band of children away. She could see her mom frowning at her as she just sat there staring at the night sky. The story wasn’t progressing fast, the kid’s questions usually saw to that. It had taken a good bit for the laughter to die down over the fairer sex commentary. Especially when a little boy had declared that women weren’t good for anything because they had girl germs and were slow and boring, at which point his sister had knocked him upside the head and told him to shut up. The ensuing sibling fight had taken a few minutes for the parents to break up. Especially after the brother had pointed at his sister and said that she had just proven his point, girls always managed to get in the way of boys doing important things. A warm body slid down the wall next to her, blocking her from her mother’s view.
“I hope you don’t mind,” the elite captain sighed, “but I seriously don’t feel like moving anymore either.”
“I am not sure if I should thank you or curse you when she gets started later.”
“Curse me, it’s easier.” He replied laughing. “At least for her, normality will be restored for a bit. Something she thinks she can control.”
“Rather than face the fact that her baby girl just killed a man? I really wish they had stayed below. It was far easier on her when she wasn't watching me fight.”
“Him or you, which did you want to see die,” he returned softly.
“I know the answer, but it doesn’t mean that I won’t see his face and wake up screaming anyway.” She sighed, tilting her head back toward the skies. “He was the first man I ever killed willingly and knowingly.”
“You have killed others unwillingly and unknowingly?”
“It always feels like I did, when I fail to save them on the table. That somehow I am at fault and I killed them. Even though I know that my failure to save them wasn’t because I didn’t try but because somehow no matter how hard I did try it wasn’t good enough.”
“You can’t carry the guilt for every person you failed to save.”
“Really Ky, is that what you tell yourself when you fail?”
Captain Ky laughed bitterly, “sometimes I can give awesome advice, I just fail to apply it to my own life.”
“So how do you manage to get through the night when you are haunted by those faces you failed?”
“I keep trying to figure out if there really is enough alcohol in the world to dull the pain on those days,” he replied.
“Is there?”
“I will let you know when I find out.”
They sat there in silence, offering each other what little warmth and comfort they could as they stared at the stars above. Soundlessly Captain Ky stood, offering Kanna his hand to help her to her feet. She contemplated it for a moment and took it as well as the unspoken offer with it. They fell together into his bed, neither bothering to undress before sleep took them. There wasn’t sex, that wasn’t what either of them wanted. It was about having a warm body next to you to drive away the darkness of your dreams. Kanna awoke the next morning after having managed to catch a few more hours sleep than she normally would have on her own. They went their separate ways, a little more rested as they faced another long dreary day of trying to hold out for a rescue that no one truly believed was coming anymore.
Fairy Tale 4 is this way ->
***
Kanna didn’t think she had the strength to stand after the parents had lead the small band of children away. She could see her mom frowning at her as she just sat there staring at the night sky. The story wasn’t progressing fast, the kid’s questions usually saw to that. It had taken a good bit for the laughter to die down over the fairer sex commentary. Especially when a little boy had declared that women weren’t good for anything because they had girl germs and were slow and boring, at which point his sister had knocked him upside the head and told him to shut up. The ensuing sibling fight had taken a few minutes for the parents to break up. Especially after the brother had pointed at his sister and said that she had just proven his point, girls always managed to get in the way of boys doing important things. A warm body slid down the wall next to her, blocking her from her mother’s view.
“I hope you don’t mind,” the elite captain sighed, “but I seriously don’t feel like moving anymore either.”
“I am not sure if I should thank you or curse you when she gets started later.”
“Curse me, it’s easier.” He replied laughing. “At least for her, normality will be restored for a bit. Something she thinks she can control.”
“Rather than face the fact that her baby girl just killed a man? I really wish they had stayed below. It was far easier on her when she wasn't watching me fight.”
“Him or you, which did you want to see die,” he returned softly.
“I know the answer, but it doesn’t mean that I won’t see his face and wake up screaming anyway.” She sighed, tilting her head back toward the skies. “He was the first man I ever killed willingly and knowingly.”
“You have killed others unwillingly and unknowingly?”
“It always feels like I did, when I fail to save them on the table. That somehow I am at fault and I killed them. Even though I know that my failure to save them wasn’t because I didn’t try but because somehow no matter how hard I did try it wasn’t good enough.”
“You can’t carry the guilt for every person you failed to save.”
“Really Ky, is that what you tell yourself when you fail?”
Captain Ky laughed bitterly, “sometimes I can give awesome advice, I just fail to apply it to my own life.”
“So how do you manage to get through the night when you are haunted by those faces you failed?”
“I keep trying to figure out if there really is enough alcohol in the world to dull the pain on those days,” he replied.
“Is there?”
“I will let you know when I find out.”
They sat there in silence, offering each other what little warmth and comfort they could as they stared at the stars above. Soundlessly Captain Ky stood, offering Kanna his hand to help her to her feet. She contemplated it for a moment and took it as well as the unspoken offer with it. They fell together into his bed, neither bothering to undress before sleep took them. There wasn’t sex, that wasn’t what either of them wanted. It was about having a warm body next to you to drive away the darkness of your dreams. Kanna awoke the next morning after having managed to catch a few more hours sleep than she normally would have on her own. They went their separate ways, a little more rested as they faced another long dreary day of trying to hold out for a rescue that no one truly believed was coming anymore.
Fairy Tale 4 is this way ->