A/N: I know I've been away for a while, sorry. I have some longer stories in progress, but for now, a short story! :)
There was an unreal silence that bubbled up from the lake and stole the words from Rorak's mouth. In the hazy sunset, the promise of death brought a frost to his bones that almost broke him. But he stumbled on. It was the only thing he could do.
There was nothing left for him now.
Rorak's staggering steps stopped as he stared at the figure on the docks, the man's dark hair and patched clothing blending so completely with the people around him, no one could tell him for what he was.
But he knew.
Rorak knew everything now.
He did not have to see the man's empty eyes that stared hollowly. The simple fact that the man still breathed was all Rorak needed to know the truth.
Edrik had trusted the man. Gods, the boy had loved him. He'd listened for hours on end as that monster had regaled him with tales of the sea and life as a sailor.
But Rorak had been blind. He knew that now. In that monster's face, he'd found the false facade of a friend. The one person in all the world that he could trust, the man who was closer than even a brother. But in this was his folly. Arrogant, complacent, blind. All of the words rang in a single, discordant note in his head.
This man had sat in their home, shared family meals, and spun such alluring tales for Edrik. The tales that poisoned his mind and made him beg for days on end to go out onto the water, to see the world from the eyes of a sailor. Rorak hadn't stood a chance against the pleas, his resolve crumbling like wet parchment against the onslaught. He wanted to take it all back, no never have allowed Edrik to board the boat with that… monster.
There was a small thread of understanding in his heart. They could not have seen the storm that swept in out of season. Rorak knew, but he could not forgive. Not while his mind conjured up images of his son, screaming on the ship as it was pulled apart and sucked down below the ravenous waves.
But that man, that monster, had left him.
He'd let him drown.
While he still breathed.
Rorak's mouth became a sneer as fury rose within him. The dull dagger at his side called sweetly, but he ignored the melody. No, no for this monster… he would die the same way Edrik had: drowning as the dark water filled his lungs.
Rorak took a step forward, hands outstretched. No one else mattered. Nothing else mattered. That monster would die in the depths.
What good was trust, when trust itself could not be trusted?
Rorak took another step, and forced himself to meet the man's transparent eyes for one last time.
There was nothing. He was but a shell.
With a single sob, Rorak leapt at his hated enemy, shattering his reflection in the lake's smooth surface as he sank into the icy depths.
