"Hey!"
It was the voice of a woman, commanding yet with a hint of delicateness.
"What do you think you're doing?" She yelled, approaching the standing Darian and Emory. It was a female military officer. Long black hair that would have cascaded below her shoulders was tied into a tight bun. And beautiful blue eyes located on her face added immeasurable elegance to her mesmerizing allure.
Her military gear covered her modestly while still allowing for optimal movement. She held a blade, which she gripped fervently, in her right hand.
Her facial features were soft, belonging to someone no older than 26 years old. As she finally arrived directly in front of Darian and Emory, she flared her nose before questioning, "Don't you know this area is off-limits?" She slowly lifted her blade, just in case Darian would attack her.
Darian's lips quivered as he stammered uncontrollably, "We were just looking for the cemetery!" Then, his tone involuntarily shifted dark in a matter of seconds, "It's my spouse's funeral. That's why we're headed there."
The officer, Katrina, immediately lowered her sword as she felt the mood drastically shift. She paused, thinking about what to say. Darian's eyebrow twitched amidst the silence, and Emory continued sucking on the dead fish.
Finally, she spoke out, "I-I'm sorry to hear that..." Sympathizing with Darian, her eyes softened. "It's just… This is a military zone; no one but authorized personnel can enter." She still had to enforce the rules.
Authorized personnel? Darian tilted his head before defending himself, "I k-know. We were at a stop for inspection." He raised his free hand slightly in the air, trying to convince her that he wasn't trespassing.
"Inspection?" Katrina's eyebrows crinkled. "By who?" Darian thought it was strange that a military officer didn't know about the inspections. "By the captain, well, I think that's what he was. I couldn't see because I was still inside the carriage." He turned his head to the side and shuddered; the carriage was already gone. I forgot everything disappeared...
After gulping down the lump in his throat, Darian continued, "Maybe he was a general... I don't know. Either way, he stopped our carriage and interrogated the driver."
As soon as Katrina heard the last sentence, the color in her face drained. She parted her lips, but no sound escaped. Is she okay? Darian looked confused as he watched the frozen official.
Finally, she answered, "Sir. Military personnel are not authorized nor have the ability to run inspections. That's for the Special Forces."
Special Forces? "What do you mean? I was sure more than one man was checking out a different part of our cart, though?"
Katrina's pale face trembled. With a cold, emotionless tone, she answered frankly,
"Those are terrorists."
Terrorists? Somehow, Darian couldn't wrap his head around that notion. His expression faded. "What…?"
Katrina replied, her face slowly contorting with horror, "It looks like they have pretended to be military officials. Their plan was most likely to kill everyone in the carriage. Assassins and terrorists, they are."
Emory remained unperturbed while Darian was on the brink of insanity. As sweat trickled down his forehead, he tried to rack his brain.
We were almost killed by terrorists. If so, what happened to them? Did they die? Why isn't there a carriage anymore? Am I forgetting something?
Katrina saw the expression Darian had on; she knew he had no malicious intent. She sheathed her sword and placed it on her hip before sighing softly.
"I can help you get to your cemetery if you would like, sir." She looked down, avoiding his gaze, "I know the pain of losing someone." While not trying to one-up Darian in terms of his losses, she revealed, "My brother has actually gone missing…"
Darian's eyes widened. "Missing?"
Katrina continued looking down and tried to smile but was left with half a smile and half droopy lips. "Yes. A couple of years ago, he went on a mission to the island of Preole Grye with a couple of military captains."
Preole Grye... Darian tried to remember the place she remarked.
"But only one of them returned. And when they questioned him about what he witnessed, he cried out, 'All Hail the Archon of Authority!' and remained prostrated until he died. They couldn't move him, nor get him to speak again. As for my brother and the other captains, well, Commander Flora Wales ventured to Preole Grye alone to try to find their bodies but was unable to."
Her tone remained dark and somber. "They announced him dead, but I know deep in my heart... He's out there, and he'll come back to me." She held her hand to her heart and closed her eyes, "I just know it."
Emory cooed for the first time this trip, before going silent once again. The trio remained quiet for a while, mourning their losses separately. It wasn't until Katrina broke the silence while wiping the tears on her face.
"I- It's about a 20-minute walk; I'll take you there and wait; it doesn't look like you have a way to get home, sir." Darian stammered on his words as he thanked the generous woman repeatedly.
Katrina raised her arms in the air and waved, "It's no problem, sir. That's what I like to think the military is for. Not just protecting people, but keeping them happy and helping when needed in any way."
She broke into a warm, delicate smile. One perfectly mimicking Elara's unnatural beauty.
It lit up the deserted area. Darian chuckled and began following her, Emory eyeing both Darian and Katrina, the latter noticing his gaze.
"You have a very cute child, though I haven't seen his expression change much." She admired Emory for a couple of seconds, blushing faintly at his cuteness.
"He usually doesn't cry, but when he does, oh dear…" Darian kissed Emory's cheek, then began snuggling his nose against it. They continued small talk for 20 minutes, their conversations reaching a wide set of categories.
Not long after, they arrived at the graveyard, right in front of Elara Vaughan's grave. However, the officiant had already left; Darian must have messed up the times.
The graveyard was still... empty.
Darian froze; his eyes shrank as he felt tears well up. He gazed at the tombstone in front of him, a seemingly average rock dug into the ground.
However, the rock was directly above the person Darian loved the most. It was above the person he mourned every day, the person who shared every important moment with him, except the birth of Emory.
The person's smile lit up his face and everything around them. The person who helped Darian, even at his lowest moments.
"I'm sorry, Elara." His voice cracked as he whispered, "I should have been here. I should have said goodbye in time…"
The silent Emory watched tears fall from Darian's face and dot Elara's gravestone. It was just him; he was the only one who was aware of what a mesmerizing person she was. He was the only one who had the privilege of marrying her and eventually having a child with her. So, why couldn't she be here?
Why did she have to die?
A gentle voice broke the silence; it was Katrina. "I don't see an officiant..." She choked on her words, "If you'd like… maybe I could say something?"
Darian stared blankly at Katrina, who darted her eyes, avoiding his gaze. It wasn't until he broke into a soft smile.
"I'd like that very much."