31 Chapter 31: The Return

When Naera went to work that day, a mere few hours after she opened the bookstore, Ilara and her cousin Terlan had come back from their trip.

Naera was surprised since she expected them to be gone for a few days and yet they were back only after one day. Ilara merely responded by saying that due to a sudden turn of events, they didn't stay for too long.

Ilara smiled at her and she could see from her expression that her smile seemed distant and not quite reaching her eyes. It seems that whatever happened on the trip must've truly not went so well.

She turned to Terlan and saw that he too was looking disheartened. She didn't quite know what to say since she was worried she might be overstepping and prodding too much if she asked what happened on their trip.

Though, before she got the courage to reconsider, Ilara looked at her with concern.

"Naera, are you alright? You look pale and look like you lack a lot of sleep."

"Oh, I'm quite well. It's just that..." she hesitated to tell her about the nightmare she had the night before. And as she did, she suddenly remembered it as though she had just recently woken up from that horrible nightmare.

The sound of whatever it was that called her name made chills run up and down her spine in fear. Ilara looked even more worried, but Neara reassured her that she was alright.

She continued the day working alongside Ilara, she would occasionally catch a worried glance at her but did not speak another word about it.

Terlan silently read books until it was closing time as night fell and she gave her farewells to the both of them as she headed home for the day.

Ilara sighed as she closed and locked the shop door, watching as Neara went home with something obviously bothering her.

"That girl. I hope she's alright when she's obviously upset about something."

Terlan closed the book he was reading and put it back neatly on the shelf.

"I'm sure she'll be fine, Ilara. Besides, I think that you should be more worried about your own wellbeing."

"What do you mean?" she asked as she looked at her cousin with furrowed brows.

"I'm asking if you're alright. I know you're not only disheartened by my fathers rejection to our proposal but also..." suddenly she realized what he was talking about.

Her cousin was worried about her since she noticed how her eyes shimmered with unshed tears on their journey back after she said her farewells to Meiron.

She remembered their farewells to each other as she want to the carriage and saw Meiron already waiting for her, standing stoically beside it.

Though she knew he was anything but stoic, as she saw how he pressed his thumb hard at the hilt of his sword in his agitation. His little tells that show his emotions will always be something she would be proud of knowing.

"Ervea." he said as he gave her a close mouthed smile as she approached the carriage

"Meiron. I'm guessing you're here to bid me farewell." he nodded slightly and when she looked at his eyes, it showed so many different emotions swirling in those emerald, green eyes that it made her momentarily reconsider leaving.

"There are so many words I wish I could express to you, Ervea. So many words I wish I could say to convey what I'm feeling right now. But, we both know what they are and I know within myself that one day is not enough to convey them."

She opened her mouth speak and ask him what he was talking about when suddenly, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close as he collided his lips with hers.

She gasped in shock with her lips against his but after a beat or two, she pulled him close as well and wished with all her heart that she could stop this very moment.

But, she knew that she had already stopped this moment within her mind. And that she will play this moment in her memory over and over again for the rest of her days.

She pulled away from him, pushing him slightly and breathing heavily. She looked at his eyes and she knew that the sadness in his eyes matched hers.

He pulled her close again once more but this time, he only touched his forehead with hers.

"Please know this, Ervea. You will always have a piece of my heart. Now and forever. Wherever you go and wherever fate takes us."

She took deep breaths in and tried to steady herself as her eyes wanted desperately to unleash pools of tears.

"I, too. Will always keep a piece of your heart close to me. Till the end of my days. Farewell, Merion."

And with that she gave him a light kiss on the cheek and went inside the carriage. She had been silent the whole ride back and she knew that her cousin wanted to ask immediately what happened the moment he saw her as she sat in the carriage, but decided against it.

"I'm quite fine, Terlan." she said as she started to arrange some of the books on the shelves.

"No, you're not." her cousin said as he looked at her with crossed arms. She sighed in defeat.

"Alright. I'm not. But, I know I will be. At least trust in that, cousin."

He sighed but said nothing else. After seeing that his cousin will no longer speak more about the matter, he went over and sat outside the front steps of the bookstore.

Looking at the night sky and his felt deep in his gut that something terrible was going to happen soon.

He hoped with all his might that he was wrong.

Meanwhile, the Kingdom of Topalia slept as its bright moon showered its moonlight across the land.

Not knowing that the goddess Ektarva cackled from where she was banished as she looked on with glee from the chaos that would soon unfold.