CHAPTER 77: I WILL GO

Aeron tossed restlessly in his sleep. The voices had returned again, louder and louder in his head, louder than before. Faces of people he couldn’t save flashed before him, their cries filled his head as there was nothing else he could hear other than them. He clenched his fists as he was sweating profusely, and kept shaking his head as though he could escape the nightmare.

"Aeron... Aeron..."

The voice calling his name broke the noise in his mind. It was as if it pulled him out of the horrible dream. He opened his eyes immediately and sat up suddenly, gasping for breath. His body was fully drenched with sweat.

His mother, Elarya, was standing by his bed, her face full of worry.

"You’ve been like this for weeks now," she said softly. "The same terrible dream, night after night. What is it, Aeron? What do you see?"

Aeron let his head fall back onto the pillow. His chest rose and fell heavily as he muttered, "Nothing."

"Nothing?" She said, raising her voice. "You scream in your sleep. You thrash like you’re being hunted. Then you wake up drenched in sweat, and you call that nothing?"

He kept his silence and stared at the wooden ceiling.

Elarya sighed and sat down on the edge of his bed. "You’ve been this way ever since you came back from the capital. You hardly speak, you avoid my eyes, and you keep everything bottled up inside. Aeron, my son, talk to me. What is haunting you?"

For a long while, Aeron was silent. Then he pushed himself up and said. "I know now why you never wanted me to go to the capital," he said quietly. "I saw what you feared. I saw their greed, their lies, their betrayal. All of it."

"They are horrible people," Aeron continued bitterly. "But tell me, Mother... what am I supposed to do now? Am I meant to stand beside them in their war, pretending we are allies when we are nothing of the sort?"

Elarya’s shoulders dropped and she took a long breath. "I understand how you feel, Aeron. No one despises them more than I do. No one longs for their downfall more than I do. I watched their cruelty with my own eyes, I watched them destroy your father." Her voice cracked, but she continued. "But I cannot choose for you. You are old enough to decide for yourself who you will fight for and who you will not. If it were up to me, I would keep you safe here. I would never let you step onto a battlefield again. I don’t want to lose you too."

Aeron’s gaze softened. "You knew Father well... you knew the kind of man he was. They all say he was good."

Elarya gave a faint smile. "Good? He was more than good. He was one of the best men you’d find in this entire kingdom. In the palace, on the king’s council, everywhere, he was a man of honor. Your father, Lucian Velzorah, was respected not only for his wisdom, but for his heart."

"Then tell me," Aeron said. "if he were in my place now, what would he have done?"

Elarya looked at the distance and continued. "Your father’s greatest flaw, and his greatest strength, was his selflessness. He would give up everything, even his own life, if it meant someone else could live. And, Aeron... I never told you the full truth about how he died."

Aeron frowned. "Yeah, but... they say he was burned."

Elarya shook her head slowly, and her eyes began to brim with tears. "No. He set himself aflame so they would believe I burned with him. That was the only way I could escape without them hunting me down. He gave himself to the fire, endured a horrible death, so that you and I could live. That was the kind of man he was."

Aeron’s breath caught. He had imagined his father’s end countless times, but never like this. The weight of the sacrifice tightened his chest for a moment.

"And if he were here now," Elarya went on, "he would not hesitate. He would not see that he’s standing beside foes; he would think of the innocent lives caught in between. He would fight, not for kings or councils, but for the people. That is how he would justify it."

There was silence between them as Aeron lowered his head and clenched his eyes together. Finally, he whispered, "Just as I thought. That is how I will justify it too."

Just then, he stood up and looked down at his mother. "I’ll be leaving today, Mother."

Elarya did not try to stop him. "I already knew you would go. It had been in your heart. But one more thing! The capital and most especially the palace are full of terrible people. People who are so cunning and manipulative but you should know something. Not everyone is like that. There are a few good people there, and you should be able to know who is for you and against you."

"Is this about Nyella?" Aeron asked

Elarya answered. "It could be about anybody. The gods be with you, my son." She said. And without another word, Aeron turned and walked toward the door.

Aeron made his way down to the Drenn’s house, just three doors from their own. When he reached, Ronan was already there, outside, sharpening a blade.

Without waiting, Aeron spoke. "I’ve decided, Ro. I’m going to fight."

Ronan’s face lit up with relief. "Finally! I knew you’d come around. So... when do we leave? Tomorrow?"

Aeron shook his head slowly. "No, Ronan. First of all, there’s no we. I’m going alone. And I’m leaving today."

The grin on Ronan’s face disappeared. "Whoa, wait, what? Alone? Aeron, I’ve been the one pushing you to join this fight. I’ve argued with you, begged you, and now you finally agree, and you want to leave me behind? You expect me to sit here while you walk into battle without me? Who’s going to watch your back if something happens?"

Aeron’s voice hardened. "That’s exactly what your father said when he went with me to the capital. He followed me and he never came back alive because of it."

Ronan lowered his gaze, then he whispered, "Yeah. And wherever he is now, he doesn’t regret it. Neither would I. Do you know what he told me before he died? He told me to continue where he stopped. And you said it yourself, Aeron, I am his greatest legacy."

Aeron stepped closer and said in a softer voice. "Please, Ro. I want you to stay. I can’t bear to lose anyone else, especially not you. I’ll manage on my own, I swear. I can handle myself on the battlefield."

The two of them stood in silence for a moment until Ronan broke it and said. "Do you even know where this battlefield is? Do you know where the fighting is happening, or even where the enemy is?"

Aeron hesitated. "...No."

"Exactly," Ronan said firmly. "So you want me to leave you to wander aimlessly across the kingdoms, chasing a war you do not even know where it’s holding? What if you fall straight into the hands of the enemy before you get there?"

Aeron lifted his chin. "You forget that I am the Dragon Rider. You know I can protect myself."

Ronan then looked at him. "So that means you’ll be going with Draco, right?"

"...No," Aeron said quietly. "Not now. Not this time."

Ronan opened his mouth in shock. "You won’t what?"

Before Aeron could answer, another voice said from behind.

"You mean to tell me," Yvarra, who was behind him, coming to her house, said, "that you’re leaving alone to fight... and you’re not taking Draco with you? Then what’s the point of being the Dragon Rider if you don’t ride your dragon in battle?"

Aeron turned to face her. "You know why, Yvarra. I don’t want to bring him out into the world again, not yet. Not when the eyes of the kingdom are everywhere. And I can conjure fire myself. I don’t need him."

Yvarra narrowed her eyes. "Conjure fire, yes. But can you summon the same fire as Draco? Can you control it as he does? Can you wield it as he does?"

Aeron dropped his gaze, and he became silent.

"Just as I thought," Yvarra said coldly. "And you still believe you can go alone? Definitely not."

"Three days," Aeron said firmly, looking between them. "Just three days. I’ll go, I’ll see the situation for myself, and I’ll return. If things demand it, then Draco will come. But I need those three days."

"But Aeron..." Yvarra started.

"I’ll be safe, Yvarra," Aeron cut her off. "If you have even a little faith in me, then let me do this. Please."

He turned back to Ronan. "When I return, we’ll go together. But for now, look after Draco. Both of you."