Honored

Chapter 2: Reverse

Chapter 2: Reverse

I wasn’t expecting everything to be ready so quickly for us to leave. I didn’t want to leave. I liked my home, and my neighbors and my adopted daughter and… and I didn’t want to leave now. I would be happy to die here among the people I loved and cared for. I wiped my eyes as tears leaked out. This building… this was my house. This was my home.

Kevin pulled me close and hugged me. “I’ll miss you Liv. Don’t forget, you owe me one for getting me into this mess in the first place. Get my family out of prison will ya? And give the king a kick in the arse for me.”

I nodded and held onto him tightly. I didn’t want to leave him. He was my best friend and had been there for me through everything. He was my first crush and had suffered exile with me. I did owe him one.

“I’ll get them out. I swear I’ll get them out if I have to destroy the whole damn city to do. Just like you once swore to help me get revenge and I got you into this whole mess.” I was there in that stable again, and he was swearing to help me get revenge. He was right. This wasn’t just about honor. This was about finishing what I started. I had to go back to the city for treatment. I should go back for honor. Why not get my revenge for my father while I was at it and free Kevin’s family.

“Don’t swear. Look where that got us last time. And I will always be with you Liv. Know that I don’t blame ya for what happened. In fact I’m thankful. I have a good life here, and I know what love is now. Back in the city… I was just a peacock strutting around claiming what I thought to be mine, but I love Sandy and our daughter. I enjoy my life here. If anything you did me a favor by getting me out of that God forsaken city.” He kissed me on the forehead and then pulled away from me. I hated farewells. I hated saying goodbye to him. My brother.

I turned to Sandy and gave her a quick hug wrapping my arms around both her and her daughter. We’d become fairly good friends. Sandy wasn’t my weapons instructor anymore, but we still enjoyed riding together. Often I would go riding with her when we had time off. She was a much kinder person when she wasn’t trying to force me to be proficient with a sword.

“I’ll miss our rides together, and I promise I’ll take care of Jade. She’s a good student and I think she’ll make an excellent scout,” Her voice was rough and I could hear the crack in her voice that she tried to hide. It was her way of saying I’ll miss you. She wasn’t the type of person to display extra affection.

I tried to smile, but I wasn’t sure if I succeeded. “I know. Take care of Kevin as well for me. He likes to act all big and strong, but as you know, he’s soft underneath.” She nodded obviously not trusting her voice anymore.

I saw Jade who was hanging back glaring at me. I had to say goodbye to her one last time, but ever since she learned I was leaving and not coming back she’d been hiding from me. Before I could head toward her I was inundated by a flood of neighbors with tears in their eyes saying goodbye and hugging me. I lost track of whom I’d said goodbye to and who I hadn’t.

Liz even came by and I pretended like I would actually miss her even though I could care less what happened to her. She’d stolen Rod from me, and even if I now realized how unstable he was, and how that was probably a good thing. I still couldn’t forgive her. It was part of her culture that people didn’t have to be with just one person, but it wasn’t part of mine and I simply couldn’t get over the fact that she had stolen him from me.

And then Rod was there in front of me. “I should say good luck, or I’ll miss you. But you know what, I won’t. Every time I see you I just think of how you betrayed me…”

“How I betrayed you? God damn it Rod, get over yourself. It’s been two years and you know what, you can’t put this on me. You did this to yourself.” How dare he come up to me and act as if our breakup was my fault. He never could take the blame for anything. He was a spineless creature of the Wall.