Cael woke up in a cold sweat, clutching the scar on his face. The nights were getting warmer, and with it came frequent nightmares for Cael, mostly about his father. He got out of his sleeping bag and checked on Ash and then Briar. He put on his signature vest, then walked out of the camp, wandering back into the forest they had found earlier.
It was quiet… Too quiet for Ash's liking. She jolted awake and looked around, wondering what was happening. She looked around to see Briar fast asleep, and Cael nowhere to be found. Her heart started to beat faster as she started to panic. She thought about where he could be before concluding where he was most likely to be. She got up, strapped her blade to her back, and quickly walked towards the forest.
"Couldn't sleep?" Ash calmly asked.
Cael turned around to see Ash walking up to the outcrop they had found earlier.
The moon was close to full, reflecting on the majestic, still lake. All of the swans had gone back to their nests, and all of the other creatures seemed frozen in time, as if the night itself gave way for the majesty of the lake.
Cael sighed, a serious expression across his face, "It's always around this time of year…" He stopped for a second to collect his thoughts, "It's my father. He always appears like he did that day…"
"Cael…" Ash pondered what she could say, "Do you want someone to talk to? You can trust me, right?"
Cael looked at Ash, his serious expression softening slightly as he looked at her. "I do, but…" His gaze turned to the glistening lake, and then at the moon above it. "It's a heavy story. You don't have to hear it if you don't wa-"
"Hey!" She interrupted him, "I'm here for you, Cael."
Cael paused and stared at the lake. Emotions poured over his mind as he thought back to the night many years ago…
I was 10 at the time. I was sitting at the dinner table with my mom and dad, eating my mom's supposedly 'world-famous' bread with the meat my dad had hunted that day.
The house smelled of baked apples and burning candles, as it always did. Mom was enjoying the meal, but I could tell something was wrong with my dad; he had a sour expression, and he was staring down only at his plate, not grabbing food.
I could smell the alcohol wafting its way from my dad; he'd been out drinking again. I looked over at my mom, and her face got red with anger. I tried tucking myself further back into my chair, knowing what was about to happen.
Dad would often get angry over the smallest things, like not being served dinner fast enough or the bread being too dry. But tonight, it felt different. His hands trembled as he gripped hard onto his plate; his knuckles were white. I plugged my ears and tucked my head into my knees. I could hear shouting that kept getting louder and louder.
Eventually, I heard a plate shatter. Instinctively, I pulled my head up and unplugged my ears. I saw Dad, a shattered plate in his hand, standing over Mom, bloodied on the floor.
Anger welled up inside of me. Resentment for my deadbeat father. It was as if the room itself turned red. Nothing mattered except stopping him. Stopping dad.
I ran as fast as I could and started punching his leg as hard as I physically could, but he stayed perfectly still. I could feel my powerlessness with each punch weaker than the last. I gave up, panting in front of Dad, who still stood motionless.
I looked up at him to see a grin spreading across his face. How could someone so carelessly destroy everything around him, and face it… smiling.
I grabbed his leg and tackled him to the ground. His grin faded. I tried punching him like last time, but he grabbed onto my hand and threw me away, just another piece of trash to him.
The next few minutes were a blur, but I remember Dad yelling into my face, his alcohol-filled breath and spit clinging to my lips and nose like parasites. I remember much more clearly what happened after.
Dad picked me up by my collar and slammed me against a cupboard that sat next to our stove. I heard the crackling of fire and then my dad's boots stepping towards me. Each step echoed like a thousand war drums being hit in unison.
I looked up to see my dad's face, anger filling every crevice. When I looked into his eyes, I could see the fire reflecting off them.
A blade approached my face. I could feel the heat radiating from it, slowly burning the skin on my left arm, closest to the blade. 'I DON'T WANT TO DIE!' I tried screaming, but I couldn't. Every muscle in my body was telling me to run, but I couldn't.
My mind turned to thoughts of the woods behind our house, where I'd play pretend as a hero, slaying dragons and saving the day. But this wasn't a game. There were no heroes here to save me.
Dad held the blade up to my left eye before slowly carving it down, ripping and tearing at my flesh. I let out a shriek of pain, fire engulfed my nerves, and every part of my senses burned as he kept carving down to my lip before he stopped.
Through the tears and blood streaming down my face, I could see my dad… He must've realized what he had done because he turned the blade on himself and stabbed. And he kept stabbing.
I could hear his wails as fire engulfed my vision. A tall, strong man is dragging the last thing I can remember away from the house. His voice was deep and steady, murmuring words I couldn't quite make out.
"Cael… I…" Ash struggled to find the words to say. She pondered for a while, as both she and Cael sat, the moon on the horizon setting slowly, casting a shining white light across the lake.
Ash suddenly stood up, grabbed her blade, and plunged it into the ground in front of a confused Cael. She knelt in front of the blade with her right hand on her heart and her left on the blade.
"I, Aisling Harrow, promise on the Harrow family name, that from this day forth I will protect Caelan Finnian Bowyn from all harm!" Ash loudly proclaimed
She pulled a small, red ribbon from her pocket and wrapped it around Cael's wrist.
Cael understood the significance of the gesture but was shocked by its suddenness. Ash had now become a knight in the service of Cael Bowyn.
"Ash…" Cael stared at the ribbon on his arm, "You didn't have to do that…"
"But I wanted to." She picked up her blade and strapped it to her back before walking back to camp. Cael stayed at the lake until the sun started to rise, thinking about Ash and his father.