Chapter 4: Pinky promise

Elara collapsed on the gravel road, laying down with her limbs splayed out.

“That was tougher than I imagined it would be…”

Cross knelt next to her, waving the staff over her as the wounds across her body sealed themselves rapidly.

Wordlessly, Cross got up and walked to the next person, beginning to heal them in a similar manner.

Elara tilted her head sideways, watching.

They had come across a small caravan. A transport wagon, for moving people from one town to the next for a small fee.

By the time she and Cross had arrived, the caravan was already being attacked by a small horde of boar beasts.

Creatures similar to boars, except for their carnivorous habits and aggressively predatory behaviour.

“To think they even managed to push the wagons over..crazy pigs.”

She looked at the overturned wagons, with peoples luggage and various merchandise splayed all over the ground.

She had managed to defeat the boars despite their advantage in numbers.

It was natural, she had already fought countless similar beasts over the years. She had plenty of experience in dispatching, especially as a solo traveler who often came under attack in her younger years.

“Hmm..”

Watching Cross attentively care for each injured person left her feeling conflicted.

What Cross was doing was undeniably the correct thing.

It was even the thing she had specifically requested.

So why did the sight of their grateful eyes towards Cross sting her slightly.

She closed her eyes.

Remembering the earlier fight.

The caravan had been surrounded by boar beasts. Naturally she ran forward, gathering their attention and making sure they attacked her instead of anyone else.

She fought well. Dodging the straight forward bullheaded rushes of the boards, while stabbing through their necks.

Whatever wounds she received were the boars barely grazing her as she dodged, narrowly missing a full on collision with her. Their sharp wide tusks creating shallow wounds across her stomach and back.

Yet despite her relentlessly fighting these beasts for the sake of these people. It wasn’t her they seemed thankful towards.

It was towards Cross.

Of course they’d like Cross more. The shiny armor. The healing. Besides..while I was fighting the boars..

She recalled how Cross had jumped in front of each boar attack that targeted the civilians.

Despite not making a single attack, Cross relentlessly blocked each attack. Absorbing each full body blow.

As evidenced by the countless new dents across Cross’s armor.

It made sense to her why these people admired Cross.

While she was a scarred woman covered in blood, who was too busy killing to lend them a hand..Cross was there, in front of them, protecting them. Shiny armor and all.

It makes sense. I know. But it still feels bitter..How come no matter how hard I try..I can never get those looks..those looks of people looking at me like..a hero. Yet..on their first try..this Cross guy..girl..thing. On their first try. They are already getting the type of recognition I haven’t been able to achieved through years of hard work.

“What does that say about me..haha..Will I ever be able to achieve my goal.”

A shadow covered her splayed form. Cross loomed over her, curiously tilting their head.

“Stop that..you look like an overgrown puppy..are you done?”

Cross nodded at her, doing a double thumbs up.

With a groan, Elara got up, stretching.

“Right..let’s get these people on the road again. Lend me a hand.”

Together, they managed to push the wagon right side up again.

The civilians quickly gathered their supplies and before they could give a proper goodbye, they were already off.

“Goodbye sir knight! And Knights squire! Thank you for saving us! We will never forget you!”

The wagon driver yelled as they sped away, eager to move away from this spot covered in beast corpses that would likely attract monsters.

“Hey! It's Elara! Elara the Hero! I am not a squire!”

The wagon driver kept waving as they disappeared into the distance.

Elara sighed, hunching slightly.

Cross appeared in her vision, leaning over.

Despite the expressionless helmet covering their face, Elara could somehow tell that Cross was making a curious expression.

“What is it..”

Cross pointed at her, then drew a frowny face in the gravel with their staff.

“Why I am in a bad mood?”

Cross nodded quickly.

“It’s hard to explain..”

With another tilt of the head, Cross pointed up at the sun, which was still high in the sky.

“Yeah I guess we have time. Let's burn these boars first. Don’t want this becoming a monster hotspot.”

Before long, they were sitting at a large campfire. Except instead of logs, the fuel for the fire were boar beast corpses.

“Stop looking so impatient. All that armour and somehow you still manage to act like a child..”

Cross withered slightly in their seat.

“Oh cheer up, I am only teasing..”

Cross did indeed cheer up at her words, perking up.

“Really are like a large dog..”

Shaking her head, she continued.

“You wondered earlier why I seemed upset. It had nothing to do with you..well. A little bit, maybe.”

Cross tilted their head in a manner that was starting to become familiar to Elara.

“Do you know why I travel around, doing the things I do?”

Cross stared into the fire, neither nodding nor shaking their head.

“It’s because..I wish to be a hero.”

She paused, glancing over at Cross, who was still staring into the fire.

“You can laugh, it’s okay. Though I don’t even know if you can. You haven’t made a single sound so far..but well, shaking your shoulders or something to indicate laughing.”

Cross remained still.

“Hm..Silly, isn’t it? A grown woman wanting to be a character from a childrens fairy tale.:

Sighing, she looked over at Cross while wearing a self deprecating smile.

She was surprised to find Cross very slowly shaking their head.

“Really? Everyone I announced my desire of being a hero to, has either laughed me off or not taken me seriously.”

She paused.

“But I guess you’re not everyone, are you? You’d have to have something wrong with you to prance around in a suit of armor while only healing people. Just like me, are you?”

Laughing, she shook her head.

“Honestly. It wasn’t even my own desire to go and try to be a hero.”

Cross turned their head, looking at her silently as she kept talking, the words spilling out despite herself.

“Back home..in my home village..there was this girl..”

–

A much smaller Elara lounged on a bench, looking up at the colorful windows in the church while kicking her legs.

The church benches around her that would have been filled with people giving their prayers had been temporarily repurposed as tables. Children and elderly people who wore raggedy clothes similar to her sat around, drinking from steaming wooden bowls.

“I..I’m here..”

A girl even smaller than Elara approached, holding two bowls of steaming stew.

“Took you long enough.”

Elara grumbled, accepting the bowl.

“Ehehe..sorry.”

The little girl sat down, careful to not sully her clothes, which unlike everyone around her, were of much higher quality.

Slurping down her mutton stew, Elara looked over at the little girl.

“Well, aren’t you gonna eat too?”

“O..oh no. This one is for you too. I talked to father about making sure he would always give you an extra bowl.”

Elara scoffed at her words.

“I don’t need your charity.”

The little girl tilted her head.

“But that stew you’re drinking is also charity though..”

Opening and closing her mouth, Elara scowled.

“It’s not the same! This is..well..shut up!”

Grabbing the second bowl, she began slurping it down, while the little girl watched over her with a smile.

“What are you smiling for..”

Elara glanced at her from behind her bowl.

“Nothing..Just..it feels nice to help the less fortunate..”

“Oh. I am a ‘less fortunate’ now?”

Elara’s scowl grew deeper.

“No, no! I just meant..helping people..in general.”

Scoffing, Elara continued eating.

“What’s so good about it? That’s just what you’ve been taught because you’re the bishop's daughter.”

The little girl shook her head at Elara’s words.

“Not at all..I don’t want to help people as the bishop's daughter..or even as a nun..”

“Then what..?”

Elara pushed, looking at her while wiping her mouth.

“It’s going to sound silly..”

“Stop beating around the bush and just say it!”

Growing annoyed with the little girl's hesitation, Elara leaned in, staring in annoyance.

“Well..I want to help people as a hero. Like in the books I read..you know..the ones I read to you long ago..because you couldn’t read..”

Elara blinked.

Then she laughed.

“A hero? You know those are childrens stories right? You really want to-”

Her mocking was cut short as she noticed the little girl on the verge of tears.

“N-no. Ahem. I mean. It’s a very..respectable dream. Very..very cool dream.”

“Really???”

The little girl looked up at Elara with stars in her eyes.

“Y-yeah..sure..stop looking at me like that..”

Blushing slightly, she pushed the little girl away from her.

“It means so much coming from you Elara..I’m going to someday go out in the world and become a cool dashing hero..!”

The little girl jumped excitedly before sitting down, already out of breath.

“Hey..are you sure..the hero’s in stories..they’re usually athletic..and you’re..well. You’re weak. Besides they have to kill lots of monsters..could you do that..you who cried when you stepped on a ladybug one time?”

Raising an eyebrow, Elara noted how the little girl grew red faced at her words.

“N-no..! I did not cry..! That was long ago..! I am going to become a hero! No matter what!!!!”

Stomping her feet, she turned away from Elara.

“Hey come on now..I’m sorry..”

Rubbing the back of her neck, Elara seemed at a loss for what to say.

“How about this..! I can become a hero in your stead!”

The little girl looked back, pouting.

“What’s with that..that’s so stupid..I want to be the hero not you..”

Elara quickly shook her head.

“No, look. In your stories. The one you read to me. The hero is not always alone, right? They sometimes have a party with them? The stories call them heroes too! So..If I become a hero..and then come back and get you..just by association..you would become a hero too! Even without doing all that stuff you can’t do!”

The words tumbling out rapidly, Elara looked at the little girl, whose pout was slowly receding.

“You’d really do that..?”

“Of course..!”

The little girl looked at Elara, still doubtful.

“Pinky promise?”

“Geez..we aren’t kids, we don’t have to..”

“We are though. Pinky promise or not?”

Elara relented at her words.

“Yeah..pinky promise.”

They held each other's pinkies, a happy smile met with an awkward one.