15 The Ark Of Crying

"That isn't bravery, lil' Mav," replied Baldwin, smiling.

He then brought the child up to his height, giving her little nose rub using his nose. The child giggled with happiness.

"It's called being a father."

Mavislin laughed at the reply. This made Baldwin's heart flutter even more. Holding the child like this, even if she was not his own... It felt like a thousand years have passed since he could hold someone like that.

That laugh was the same as Abi's while she was alive. That smile caused the Angry Man to crumbled in his heart.

"But guess what? You are the bravest little girl I know," said Baldwin, causing the Valkyrie to tilt her head in confusion.

"Going through what any child would break from. Would suffer from. You stood up to the conflict. You'd said enough is enough. You wanted to change, you wanted justice. Even if, you are just a child."

"But, you don't allow me to..." murmured Mavislin, hugging the star.

"Would you be able to?" asked Baldwin, his expression darkening.

"Be able to?" asked the little Mavislin.

"Be able to take a life? To kill?"

The child's eyes had a shimmer of despair once she had heard the word 'kill'. She had seen others doing it and even her family had done it. When she looked at others doing it, it seemed so easy. Perhaps it was, she could not tell.

Her memories began to flood back. A bright light appeared. She chanted a spell... The last thing she knew was that she was the one who ended the war. That chant, that powerful spell... No other Valkyrie could do it but her.

"Oh, Susanna. Now, don't you cry for me..."

Those few words echoed throughout her little fuzzy mind. Where did she hear that song from? Was it from her parents?

She remembered fairly little of the end, but she knew something was wrong. That she had killed too. That those tiny little hands of hers had been stained with the blood of her kind. She didn't want that title. She didn't want to be known as the one who killed everyone.

But she didn't want anyone to have to go through what she had seen when she was young. She doesn't want anyone to have to go around with the title of 'Last survivor of this village' in their hands. It's not something anyone wants to be boastful about.

The thought of that made her upset, she began to cry.

"Shh...I didn't mean to make you upset!" cried the poor Angry Man.

The couple came barging in, with Ysabeau scooping the crying child away from the confused man. Gillian seemed to be confused yet amused. It was rare for the Angry Man to make a child cry. Since he was a father, after all.

"At least you haven't killed her yet," replied Gillian, looking at the mess made.

"Well, I didn't mean to make her upset..." complained the Angry Man, rubbing the back of his head.

"I never thought those words would trigger that bad of a memory..." murmured Baldwin.

"Well, you did. You better make dinner count as an apology," scolded Ysbeau, as she tried her best in comforting the poor child.

Baldwin could only look on helplessly as he got scolded by Ysabeau. It was like he was the one being punished now. Mavislin's cries were indeed heartbreaking as he remembered how difficult it was to calm Abi when she found out her mother had died.

When children cry, it could mean a lot of things. One, the child could be crying for attention, for food, for water. Or if they are afraid. Then, there are silent cries. Children who cry because they just can't stop the tears from flowing. And then there are the Valkyrie's cries.

It had hurt Ysabeau and Baldwin as they knew how much it hurts for the poor child to cry in such a manner. She was crying because it was painful to remember. Sure, it won't help in any way. But it's the only thing she could do now. To cry, because of all the pent up sadness.

Even the Old Chapel tried her best in soothing the crying Valkyrie. By giving her more plushies. But that failed to work, so the Old Chapel cleared the bed and allowed the child to rest peacefully. The cries of a little girl were painful for anyone.

After a solid hour of crying, the Valkyrie finally ran out of tears to squeeze from her little eyes.

"That memory had such a powerful impact on her, eh?" asked Gillian, smoothing the child's fringe.

"Shouldering the burden of looking at your family killed would be enough to break any normal mind. She's counted as strong, alright," whispered Ysabeau, planting a kiss on the sleeping girl's forehead.