The Farewell

That night, in Alexander's room:

Alexander was resting after a long day of duties. He looked exhausted. Eidrin entered the room.

Alexander: “Oh, you’re here. Where’s Romero? He isn’t with you? Strange. Do you want some beer?”
Eidrin: “No thanks. I’m not in the mood.”
Alexander: “What? You’ve never refused something I offered. Are you okay?”
Eidrin: “Yeah, I’m fine. Anyway, I’m sorry for what happened today.”
Alexander: “That isn’t a big deal. I know you never want to kill your comrades, even if they oppose you. But I’m still sad about his death. We lost one of our soldiers. Anyway, I’m the one who should apologize. I could’ve stopped things from going that far in court, but I couldn’t oppose Father. That’s why…”
Eidrin: “It’s alright. You only did your duty. Anyway, Xander, I came to talk about something important. I don’t know how you’ll react.”
Alexander: “What is it?”
Eidrin: “What if I just… stay away from here for a while?”
Alexander: “What! Why are you suddenly thinking like that? You know I can’t do anything properly without you, right?”
Eidrin: “Romero will still be with you, so there will be no problem.”
Alexander: “Yeah, but both of you are like my arms. I can’t do anything if one of them is gone.”
Eidrin: “I know, but… Xander, Alexia always told me to ‘fix you,’ but I never found any flaws in you. However, I think you’ve started to depend completely on me and Romero. We’re both happy to serve you, but… I think you need to start doing things on your own to become a true king.”
Alexander: “I understand… but why are you telling me all this all of a sudden?”
Eidrin: “You already know most people in the palace hate me. They hate the attention you give to me and Romero. And honestly… they’re right. Who am I to stay beside a prince? I’m just a commoner. And the news about me and Merlin being brothers has spread across the palace. Merlin isn’t ready to ally with us, and me standing beside you will only make things worse.”
Alexander: “What kind of problems?”
Eidrin: “They’ll think I’m working for him, and that will cause tension. Giorno doesn’t like me—he’ll definitely create more problems.”
Alexander: “Giorno… I need to teach him a lesson.”
Eidrin: “No, punishing him will make it worse. He’s like a brother to you, right? Just give him a little attention, that’s enough. Anyway, I’m heading out tomorrow.”
Alexander: “So you’re serious… Anyway, who am I to stop you? But I don’t want you to go.”
Eidrin: “I’m here to return this.”

Eidrin handed Alexander the sword and armor that had been given to him.

Alexander: “What?! You don’t have to return those.”
Eidrin: “No, having them means I’m still a member of the Francian army. I loved my job, but still… I just want to be free for a while.”
Alexander: “I see… Anyway, take this.”

Alexander handed Eidrin a pouch of gold coins.

Eidrin: “Xander, you don’t have to—”
Alexander: “No problem. I know you don’t have much money right now. Don’t hesitate to ask if you ever need something.”
Eidrin: “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me. I don’t know how to repay you.”
Alexander: “Eidrin, some things aren’t meant to be repaid. But I believe you’ve helped me more than I ever helped you.”
Eidrin: “No. When Romero and I wandered across the nation as local warriors, no one recognized our skill. We were jobless, starved many times, and had no idea what to do next. But we never gave up on our dream of becoming great warriors. And then you came. You accepted us, gave us work, and treated us like brothers.”
Alexander: “Yeah, I still remember when we first met. I was impressed by your and Romero’s skills and recruited you both into my army. Then we three became best friends.”
Eidrin: “Yeah… Farewell. I’ll leave early in the morning, so I won’t get the chance to say goodbye then.”
Alexander: “Where are you going, actually?”
Eidrin: “I don’t know. I just hope everything turns out fine. So… goodbye.”
Alexander (emotionally): “Goodbye… my friend…”

Eidrin stepped out of Alexander’s room and saw Alexia standing there. She had overheard everything.

Alexia: “Eidrin, so… you’re really leaving?”
Eidrin: “So you heard everything.”
Alexia: “Why didn’t you come to tell me yourself?”
Eidrin: “I… I was…”
Alexia: “Just admit you were going to leave without saying goodbye.”
Eidrin: “Yeah. I didn’t know how to tell you.”
Alexia: “But… are you serious? Why do you need to leave? I don’t think you have any problem staying here. Neither I nor my brother want you to go.”
Eidrin: “Yeah, but I have my own goals. There are things I must do, so I can’t stay here forever.”
Alexia: “Eidrin… It’s been eight years since you came here, and now you suddenly decide to leave out of nowhere? I can’t stop you… but I just want to tell you something—something very important. About how I feel about you. I just… I…”
Eidrin: “Alexia… I know what you’re going to say, and I can’t pretend I don’t want to hear it. If I said I don’t lo— no, if I said I don’t feel the same about you, it would be a lie. But… anything between us won’t end well. People here will always see me as a commoner—someone beneath them.”
Alexia (emotional): “How can you say that to me? I don’t care about anyone else’s opinion. I only care about yours. My father, mother, and brother all accept you—you don’t need to care about others. Just tell me… are you saying we can’t be together?”

Alexia leaned closer. Eidrin felt their faces draw near—closer than ever before. Their eyes met, her gaze locked on his. He felt their lips about to meet, but suddenly he stepped back.

Eidrin (emotional): “No… we can’t do this. I… I’m saying that we can’t end up together.”

Eidrin turned and walked away. Tears rolled down Alexia’s cheeks as she rushed to her room and cried.
Eidrin went to his room, gazed up at the night sky through the window, then lay on his bed and closed his eyes. He knew this was his last night in the palace.

The next morning:

Eidrin woke up early. He packed his belongings and walked toward the stables. His horse—gifted by Alexander—waited for him. Though he had returned many of Alexander’s gifts, he couldn’t part with his horse. Their bond was deep, and the horse refused to obey anyone else.

As he prepared to leave, he sensed someone nearby.

Eidrin: “Come out, Romero. I know you’re there.”
Romero: “So you found me. I guess you were going to leave without telling me, huh?”
Eidrin: “I didn’t mean to—”
Romero: “You just didn’t have the courage to say goodbye, did you?”
Eidrin: “Yeah…”
Romero: “We’ve been together for years, and you dared to leave without telling me? And Alexia told me everything. How dare you make her cry?”
Eidrin: “Romero, I didn’t want to, but—”
Romero: “A true man never lets tears fall from the eyes of a woman who loves him.”
Eidrin: “I know, but…”
Romero: “What? She truly loves you, and you’re abandoning her—and Xander? You’re the one who said you’d serve him for life!”
Eidrin: “But Romero, I’m no match for Alexia. There’s a huge difference between our statuses. And if I stay with Xander, it’ll only cause more problems. So… I think it’s better if I stay away for a while.”
Romero: “Hmm… so you’re leaving me too—the one who’s been with you all these years?”
Eidrin: “Not because I want to… but we can’t stay together forever. You know that. I have my goals, and you have yours.”
Romero: “So you’re serious. I see… now you won’t listen to me anymore. Fine. I won’t stop you.”
Eidrin: “I want you to protect Xander from now on.”
Romero: “I’ll do that, as always. But don’t think you can surpass me, even if you roam across nations and defeat countless warriors.”
Eidrin: “And you—don’t think you can surpass me just by staying here and training with the king. Farewell, my dear friend.”
Romero: “Farewell. When will we meet again?”
Eidrin: “I don’t know… but we will meet again someday.”
Romero: “I’ll be waiting. I’m counting on you. Goodbye.”
Eidrin: “Thanks. Goodbye.”

Eidrin then left Francia.
The friends parted ways—and so did their paths.

To be continue...........