Greg realized that he was interrupting the story, and then he said, 'Sorry,' right away so that Ryn could continue telling him about the tragic past. "It's okay, Greg... you can pour all the words you want after I finish telling you her story."
"She saw the mansion building fall down with her brother inside. The nobles who were responsible paid fines and publicly expressed their apologies, but no further action was taken. Nothing really happened."
"The guards who stopped her said they were following orders, and everyone just went on with their lives like it was an accident."
Greg said, "That's why she pushes people away." He understood what was going on.
"Yes, part of it," Ryn said. "She blamed herself for years."
"She thought that if she had been there and more responsible, she might have been able to help. As a result, she became overly self-reliant."
"You can't fail them if you don't depend on anyone and don't let anyone depend on you."
"But you all got through to her anyway."
Ryn smiled a little. "Denna is the one who really broke through because she just wouldn't accept Marina's walls that covered her true feelings."
"She kept coming back, caring for her, and even being annoying until Marina couldn't stay away anymore." He looked at Greg for a second. "Like what Marina is doing with you, in fact."
Kael spoke up from across the fire before Greg could think about what he had said. "Are you telling Greg about her past? It's about time someone did."
"Marina's asleep, so I guess it's a good time to tell him so that he can understand Marina even better." Ryn said in a defensive tone.
"No, I'm not," Marina said from where she was.
"I thought I'd let you finish if you were going to talk about me behind my back."
Everyone stopped. Marina got up from where she was sitting and walked over to the fire that made the light, which made it difficult to read her face.
Ryn began, "I'm sorry, Marina. I shouldn't have—"
"It's okay," Marina said as she sat down next to Greg. "He wanted to know why I am the way I am."
"That's the right answer." She looked right at Greg. "I don't talk about it because talking doesn't improve things."
"I feel that my little brother's death is something I should blame myself for, especially since the people responsible have not faced any consequences. All I can do now is try to ensure that I don't let anyone else down like that."
Greg said quietly, "That's not your job."
"Not sure. But it's the one I picked." Marina used a stick to poke the fire. "When I joined the Falcons, I thought I could keep everyone at a distance. Do the work, get paid, and move on. But these fools wouldn't let me."
"We're stupid, but we don't give up," Denna said with love. "It's the best thing about us."
Marina said, "Forget what I said about fools, all of you are not idiots," but she was smiling a little. "You're part of the family. The one I picked instead of the one I lost."
"And now she's trying to adopt half of Ferndale," Kael said with a smile. "Beginning with a certain blacksmith who is known for making great frying pans."
"I'm not adopting anyone," Marina said, but her ears were turning pink again.
"You bring him food, and you are always worried about him."
"You really dragged him on vacation because you were worried about his health," Ryn said. "I don't know what else to call that behavior."
"It's called being a good person, and of course I had to do it after hearing him whining about it all the time." Marina said in a defensive tone.
"He's all like, 'Agh...! I need a break!' and "Fucking hell, I just wanted a long break without anything related to chaos!'. And there's even more that I can impersonate." Marina laughed.
"I don't sound like that..." Greg felt insulted seeing Marina imitate his behavior accurately.
Denna kept on talking about that topic even though Marina was trying to change it. "It's called having feelings."
"Which, by the way, we all agree that Greg is a good person."
"Can't we just not do this right now?" Marina asked, her face bright red.
Kael said, "We can definitely do this right now in front of the campfire. It's like a tradition that needs to happen and, for example, is making Marina feel bad until she threatens to hurt someone."
Marina said, "I'll put spiders in all of your sleeping bags."
"It was worth it," Denna said.
Greg saw the easy affection behind the teasing as he watched this exchange. This was what Marina had made for herself after losing everything. This was a new family that one chooses and earns through shared experiences and stubbornness.
Greg said quietly, "Thank you," looking at each of them. "Thanks for telling me about her past and even for putting your faith in me."
Ryn said simply, "Marina trusts you. That's enough for us."
"Plus, you make great cooking tools," Denna said. "That frying pan has saved our lives more times than I can count."
Greg said, "I should make you all something," and the idea came to him as he spoke. "As a thank you for this trip and for showing me what you've made together."
"No legendary weapons," Marina said right away to predict what he was about to say.
"Of course, you really do know me well." Greg said.
"I'm going to give you guys something helpful that would help you all stay safe."
"We'll think about it," Kael said. "For now, let's pay attention to where these runes are taking us."
"And we should also focus on getting some sleep," Marina said as she stood up. "I'll really take the first watch this time. Ryn, you have three hours to get up."
Greg lay awake in his tent, thinking about Marina's story, while everyone else got ready for bed. About how she had rebuilt herself after a tragedy and how she had learned to care again even though she was afraid of losing someone.
He thought about his workshop and the crazy family he had put together by accident. The members of his workshop included Lylia, Seraphine, Elwen, Mira, Bork, and Felix. They were all dealing with their problems and figuring out how to move on.
That might have been what the Brotherhood of Peace was all about. The Brotherhood of Peace consisted of individuals who preferred not to create weapons because of his influence, chose to connect with others rather than remain isolated, and decided to forge new paths instead of allowing their pasts to define them.
He could hear Marina humming softly as she kept watch outside his tent. It was a sad song, like something from the past. There was strength in it, though the strength of someone who had lived through the fire and decided to keep going.
Greg shut his eyes and thought about Marina's story. They would follow the runes wherever they led them tomorrow. But tonight, he was grateful to glimpse the emotions hidden behind her usual happy face.
Thankful for the trust it showed. And perhaps... she felt a bit scared about what it meant to trust him enough to reveal the sadness behind her smile.