“Onward.”

The second we walked through, Hamlin practically leaped out of Jorvain’s arms to his mother.

“Mother! “

Hamlin cried, rushing to her side and crawling onto her bed.

There, on a small bed, a sickly woman lies sound asleep. Her thin brown hair fanned out along her pillow.

“Mother!”

Hamlin says again, gently shaking her to wake her from her slumber.

My heart pounds in my chest, not ready to accept what could be the worst.

Jorvain steps forward, kneeling at the bed.

“Mrs wake up; your son’s here. Hamlin’s here for you.”

He whispered gently, a light green aura extruding from his body; soft, dust-like particles floated through the room, dancing in the breeze from the open window.

The woman's eyes fluttered open.

“H-Hamlin?”

She muttered, groggily coming to her senses.

“Oh, Hamlin! “

She cried, now awake, pulling him into her arms.

“Mother!”

Hamlin exclaimed in return, sobbing into his mother's arm uncontrollably.

“Oh, Hamlin, where had you gone, my love? You frightened me. Oh! And who are these people you’ve brought?”

She exclaims, only now realizing she’s not only with her son.

“They’re heros! “

He shouts with a smile

“They helped me get back to you, Mama!”

He exclaims, giggling with glee and wiping his eyes.

“Back to me? Oh, Hamlin, where did you go?”

“To get you medicine! “

“Here it is.”

Jorvain says with a gentle smile, handing it to him.

“Oh my! You look familiar!”

She says, full of awe.

“Who are you? Did you really help my Hamlin?”

“I’m nobody, just a hero who wanted to help. Me and my team.”

He says with a smile, gesturing for the rest of us to come over.

***

Maelis helps Hamlin prepare the medicine for his mother, while the rest of us surround her.

Emrys sits on the left side of her bed near Maelis and Hamlin, Dain stands beside the dresser near the bed, and I stand next to Jorvain.

His bright green eyes shone brilliantly in the window light, and his emerald earrings reflected it.

“And when Hamlin learned we were heros he let us help him, but he made the journey to get your medicine all by himself. Such a brave boy you have.”

Emrys says gently, finishing explaining everything to Hamlin’s mother.

“Oh, thank you, thank you all so much!”

The woman cries.

“You must thank me, a shameful mother, but I was born with a rare medical condition, and I hadn’t been in critical condition in a long time, so my husband thought it’d be fine to leave home for an adventure. “

She says with a sigh.

“But once he left, I fell sick again, and there was no one around to care for me; most had left along with my husband. This is a small village, after all. And Hamlin, well, he’s my little hero, but I hadn’t known he’d go off alone like that.”

“It’s not your fault; if anything, I think the first thought I had was, this kid must have an amazing mother, if he’s willing to do so much to make it home to her.”

I say.

And it makes me think back to my own mother; maybe if I had been as brave as Hamlin when I was his age, I could've saved my mom too.

But it was out of my control; I know that.

“Thank you.”

She smiles, her eyes crinkling with joy.

“Medicine is ready. Make sure to drink this slowly, and I think you should have these too.”

Maelis says, offering an armful of potions, along with the bottled medicine. They look to Jorvain for permission.

“Let’s get them some of our rations too; we have a lot to share, and it should last till your husband returns.”

Jorvain adds.

“You’ve all done enough for my Hamlin and me; there’s no need. I’m sure we’ll get by.”

She says with a small smile, looking over at Hamlin, who looks back at her with loving eyes.

“We insist!”

Emrys exclaims passionately.

“That’s right, we’re heros after all.”

Dain adds.

***

Before leaving, Hamlin’s mother marked a new shortcut route for us to take to make up for the time we spent getting here.

After leaving them remedies and rations, we were ready to go.

We stand outside the door of Hamlin's house, side by side.

“Wait! Jorvain!”

We hear from inside, followed by the creak of stairs.

The door opens, and Hamlin rushes out.

“Hamlin!”

Jorvain exclaims.

“Something the matter, bud—

He rushes toward him, wrapping his arms around his legs in a hug, before he can finish his sentence.

“That’s the happiest mother's been since father left. Thank you.”

He says softly, looking up at Jorvain.

“Of course, I told you, we’re heros. And you so are, you- one of the bravest I’ve seen. But don’t leave your mother like that now that you have the medicine she needs; she’ll be lonely without you.”

Jorvain says with a smile, patting his head.

“I won’t, and I won’t cry anymore either.”

He states confidently.

“There’s nothing wrong with crying; there was a time when I used to cry a ton.”

“Really?”

He asks curiously

“Yep, nonstop; all that matters is that you find the strength to smile afterward. Now come here, one last hug, okay?”

Jorvain says with a grin. Kneeling, he wraps his arm around him and pulls him into a hug.

“Come back to visit, okay?”

Hamlin says softly, hugging Jorvain tightly.

“Promise.”

He responds, his eyes glossy, his smile gentle.

I just felt so relieved to see a smile back on his face.

Soon it was time to say goodbye and begin the new route.

“We made the right choice.”

Jorvain says with a sigh of relief, like he’s just now sure of it. It must have weighed on him…

“Yeah, we did.”Dain agrees.

“I’m sorry for…there’s a reason you're the leader, and I’m sorry for arguing with you.”

He adds, putting his helmet back on.

“I think we made the right choice as well.”

Emrys says softly

“Me as well.”

Maelis adds.

They all look back at me, but I can’t bring myself to agree

It’s not that I don’t; it’s that I don’t even know if I would’ve made the same decision, the right decision, and it’s so frustrating.

“Hey, Roba, you okay?”

Jorvain asks, his brows slightly furrowed.

“I’m fine...”

I mutter.

“If I’m being honest, the only one who said apologize is me. I’m sorry for the sudden shift in attitude. I am the leader, but that’s exactly why it’s my job to regulate our ardor and keep our spirits high. I felt strongly about my decision, but I could’ve gone about it differently.”

Jorvain says with a sigh.

“So I’m really sorry.”

He finishes with a gentle smile.

I clench my fist, stepping forth.

“That’s ridiculous, Jorvain! “

I exclaim, full of passion.

“You said so yourself; that was the right choice, and we all agree with you, so... don’t apologize.”

I finish quietly.

“That’s right.”

Maelis agrees sternly.

“It’s true, so quit beating yourself up; it’s not like you.”

Dain adds.

“I agree, it wasn’t an easy decision to make, but you made the right one.”

Emrys says softly, a gentle furrow in her brows.

“Aw cmon, I’m not perfect, y'know; let me apologize sometimes too.”

He says with a grin, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

“Looks like you’re back to being a dolt. “

Maelis says lightheartedly, and Jorvain laughs.

How, how do I be like him, with that smile and all?

How do I be a hero?

I still can’t figure it out.

“What’s the new route looking like, Em?”

Jorvain asks, his hand on his hip.

“Even better than before! Hamlin’s mother did warn it’d be a bit more dangerous, but there aren’t many things more deadly than Gemma snakes, so I’m sure it’ll be fine!”

She exclaims joyfully.

“Wow, Jorvain’s idealism has really rubbed off on you, Emrys; that’s ridiculous!”

“It’s nothing we can’t handle.”

Dain says, crossing his arms with confidence.

“Oh, come on, not you too, Dain!”

Maelis exclaims in disbelief.

“Yeah! That’s the spirit!”

Jorvain exclaims, pumping his fist.

“Onward!”

He shouts.

We start down the new path.

“Cmon’ Roba.”

Maelis shouts, waving their arm.

Reluctantly, I trudge along, my head hanging low.

***

We entered another forest, and the sun, once beaming brightly, began to set.

My head and my heart felt heavy with thoughts.

But I couldn’t help noticing that, somewhere along our way back to the right path, everyone began acting strange.

There was nothing but silence, occasionally filled with curt words

Maybe they were all just tired? We traveled tirelessly for a day without food or water, but we made sure to replenish our strength before leaving Hamlin’s house, so was that really it?

“Say, Emrys, have you ever seen the caeruleus flower?”

Jorvain asks, wearing a tight smile. I watch as he draws his sword.

My brows furrow.

“Of course I have; it’s one of my favorites. “

She responds sweetly, taking her bow from her back.

Now my heart's pounding, and my head's asking for an answer.

“Personally, I enjoy the flavus flower.”

Dain adds. Drawing his axe.

“What about you, Maelis?”

Emrys asks, glancing back at them.

“Same here; the flavus is just such a lovely flower.”

They say knowingly, gripping their staff.

I come to a stop, clenching my fist.

“What’s going on—

“GET DOWN.”

Jorvain shouts, tackling me to the ground. My body slams against the grass, my eyes shutting upon impact.