THE GUARD OF TAURIS
As Emily's boat nears the shore of Tauris, the first light of dawn begins to paint the sky with hues of bronze and gold. Lucas and her family stood on the docks waiting for her, their faces filled with worry and frustration. Emily docked the boat and stepped onto the shore, holding her bag tightly as she made her way through them. "Look, I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry anyone." Emily said, face down, anticipating their responses.
"Well, you fucking did Emily." Eric began, his face red in anger as he walked towards her. "You had me searching the whole village all night long!"
Emily looked up at her brother, her eyes softening at the tears in his eyes, realizing the impact of her actions.
"Emily, please don't do this again," Amelia said, her brows furrowed. Her tone carried a mix of relief and concern. "I'm sorry," she said softly, her voice filled with genuine remorse. "I got the plants... you know, for Elijah."
She reached into her bag and carefully pulled out the gathered plants, offering them to Eric. He accepted them in silence, his expression having a mix of anger and concern. Without a backward glance, he turned and walked away, the sound of his footsteps echoing on the wooden dock.
Amelia followed Eric as her brows furrowed in a mixture of relief that Emily was safe and frustration at her recklessness. She looked at Emily with a stern expression before following Eric.
Emily watched in silence as her family walked away, their figures fading into the distance. A sigh of relief escaped her lips.
"How was the trip?" Lucas's voice broke the silence, and Emily turned to face him, still clutching her bag tightly.
"It was great, Sir Lucas," she replied, her tone flat as she tried to avoid his piercing gaze.
"You can't just leave like that, before warning anyone," Lucas said, his expression a mix of concern as he faced her directly.
Emily scoffed, meeting Lucas's eyes defiantly. "If I told anyone that I was leaving for Lunaria, do you think any of you would have let me go?" she retorted, her voice tinged with bitterness.
She turned away from him, facing the sea as the sun slowly rose, casting a warm glow over her. Her hands tightened on her bag, and she felt the weight of her actions pressing down on her.
"I did what I did to help Elijah," she muttered.
Lucas walked to her side and stared at the sea with her. "Yes, you did, I admire your courage, although you were being reckless." he chuckles softly.
"Your life is also as valuable as Elijah's. Be mindful of the risk you are putting on yourself. I... I know what is happening is a burden on you, but you can reach out to your family to support you." He smiled warmly. "There is something beautiful about the shared pain you have will your loved ones. They were all worried sick about you, Emily."
Emily looked up at Lucas, a soft smile on her face. "Thanks, S... Sir Lucas. I will keep that in mind," she said, her voice filled with gratitude.
Lucas turned his gaze to meet hers, his eyes kind and understanding. "You can also reach out to me when you need to chat."
Emily nodded, quickly averting her gaze. "There is something I need to tell you."
"I'm all ears," Lucas replied, his expression encouraging.
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The sun finally rose over Tauris, casting a warm glow over the village. Emily can be seen through a window, her gaze fixed on the horizon. Her gaze shifts from the horizon to a bed, where Elijah lies fast asleep. Ava, his wife, rests her head beside him, sleeping quietly.
Emily approaches them quietly, careful not to wake them up. She takes a seat beside the bed, watching her brother as he lets out calm, deep breaths.
"I'm glad you are better, now." Emily sighed, reaching out to gently brush her fingers through the tight locs in his hair.
"Emily?"
She quickly redraws her hand, watching Elijah get up gently, as he rubs his eyes, "How are you feeling?" Emily asked, her voice tinged with concern.
"I'm good. I've seen worse." Elijah chuckles lowly, trying to lighten the mood. Emily smiles, her gaze drifting to the bandage wrapped around his bare chest, furrowing her brows slightly.
"Have she been sleeping like that for a while?' Elijah asks, his fingers gently caressing the cheeks of his sleeping wife.
"She fell asleep minutes ago," Emily said, her voice soft.
Emily stood up, walking to the window to pick up her bag. "Well, I'm going to be heading off now. I will visit later," she said, walking to the door. Elijah waved his hand slightly, watching her leave the room.
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Lucas stood before the village guards' tower as he addressed the assembled guards with a grave expression. "For months, our village has been plagued by unease and panic. Our people's lives are in danger, and our crops are failing," he began, his voice carrying weight. "To ensure their safety, we must evacuate the villagers."
As Lucas spoke, Eric and Zack, among the assembled guards, exchanged uneasy glances. They took a deep breath, anticipating Lucas's next words.
"The villagers will be relocated to the North region," Lucas announced, "where some of you will be assigned to ensure their safety and provide guidance," he said.
"Tomorrow, those selected will be informed of their assignment. For now, you are all dismissed." Lucas said,
As the guards began to disperse, Emily entered the scene, her eyes scanning the area for Lucas. Spotting him, she hurried towards him, her expression anxious.
Eric and Zack were in conversation until Zack caught sight of Emily walking up to Lucas.
"Hey, isn't that your sister?" Zack asked, nudging Eric.
Eric turned to look, his gaze following Emily as she tapped her fingers on Lucas's shoulder.
"Hm, why is she meeting with Lucas?" Eric pondered, furrowing his brow slightly.
"I don't know, but I'm curious. Let's go find out," Zack suggested, a mischievous smile playing on his lips. Eric and Zack made their way over to where Emily and Lucas were talking, eager to uncover the reason for their meeting.
"Hey, what are you guys talking about?" Zack interjected, giving Emily a warm smile.
"Perfect timing. I do need to speak with both of you," Lucas addressed them.
"Okay, Lucas. But why does this concern Emily, if I may ask?" Eric demanded, his tone firm.
"Just enter the guard's tower and wait," Lucas replied a hint of surprise in his voice at Eric's tone.
As Lucas left, the three of them entered the tower.
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Emily entered the guard's tower last, her gaze immediately drawn to the array of weapons lining the walls. Swords, crowbars, and other implements of defence filled the room, stairs at the sides led to the top of the towers. As she walked further in, she couldn't help but be intrigued by the large table in the centre, displaying a detailed map of their regions and the surrounding land.
"What were you and Lucas talking about?" Eric's voice cut through the silence; his arms folded across his chest.
"Just about what I saw in Lunaria, nothing much," Emily replied, her hand absentmindedly tracing the lines of the map.
"You never told me what you saw," Eric's tone was firm, his eyes narrowing.
"Why should I? I was supposed to report to Lucas as the authority figure," Emily retorted, avoiding his gaze.
"Are you kidding me? You told Lucas instead of me!" Eric's anger rose, his voice echoing in the room. "I was out searching the whole damn village for you, not Lucas!"
"Damn it, Eric, you won't let that go. I said I'm sorry," Emily screamed, frustration evident in her voice.
Lucas entered the tower, pausing as he sensed the tension in the air. Eric and Emily stood facing each other, their faces flushed with anger, their breathing heavy. Zack stood awkwardly to the side, giving Lucas an apologetic chuckle.
As Lucas walked quietly to the centre of the room, Eric and Emily moved away from each other, their faces still red with tension.
"Okay, then. What do you have to say, Lucas?" Zack said, moving to stand by Lucas.
Lucas began, "When Emily went to Lunaria, she talked to the head guard, Henry. He told her that their Lord was nowhere to be seen. They have the same issue as us, apart from the sudden darkening of their soil."
"Sudden darkening? What do you mean?" Eric asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Emily said their soil just turned black like ashes," Lucas responded.
"Well, what can we do about nature wanting to kill itself?" Zack said, somewhat flippantly.
Lucas sighed, his face down, his eyes fixed on the map on the table. "I'm going to ask for help from Henry and also from the North. I need to know why their region is untouched," Lucas said, meeting the gaze of the others.
"Although, I have my suspicions," Lucas muttered, his eyes returning to the map showing all four regions.
"And Emily?" Eric asked, still not meeting her gaze.
"Emily is interested in joining the Village Guard," Lucas said, his smile widening.
"Hell no!" Eric exclaimed, banging his fist on the table.
"Since when were you interested in joining?" Eric asked, his brow furrowed.
"Since yesterday," Emily answered.
"Eric, come on. She's an adult, you can't tell her what she can't do or not," Zack said, resting a comforting hand on Emily's shoulder.
"Of all times, she decided to join," Eric said, chuckling lightly, his hand on his head.
"I have decided for her to join, Eric. And she's new, so she won't be doing the heavy lifting," Lucas said.
Eric nodded, then left the tower abruptly. Lucas and Zack watched him leave with concerned gazes.
"Whatever, he can go act like a baby all he likes," Emily said, folding her arms.
"I am curious, why do you want to join? I thought your dream was to own a bakery one day," Lucas asked, facing Emily.
"Oh, Sir, how do you know that I wanted to have a bakery?" Emily asked.
"Will you quit it with the 'sir,' Emily?" Zack sighed, putting his arm around her shoulders.
"Come on, it's been a while since we hung out. Let's go," Zack said, winking at her.
Emily chuckled softly, letting Zack drag her away from the tower. Lucas watched them go, a sense of relief washing over him as he sat down on a chair.
"Darkened soil? The spirits have stopped being silent," Lucas muttered to himself, his eyes fixed on his trembling palm. Tears dripped from his eyes, falling and tracing down on his hands. He took a sharp breath, wrapping his arms around himself for comfort, trying to calm the storm of emotions within him.