With We Three Heroes being released in a matter of days (SO CLOSE BUT SO FAR) I figured I'd post a fanfic in honour of it! Originally I was going to do ones with D.C. and Jordan as well, but I, ahem, got a little lazy. Hope you guys enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Medoran Chronicles
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He's surprised the Library lets him in. After all, he's not Chosen, nor has Alex given him specific permission to access the doorways. But as soon as he steps into the foyer and requests a way to find Alex, a doorway threads itself into existence. The sudden warmth in the air seems to indicate … an almost approval.
But Bear Ronnigan doesn't hesitate, moving forward to open the door, which looks so deceivingly mundane with its polished mahogany surface and solid golden handle. Trusting that the Library's aware of his closeness with Alex and isn't about to spit him into a pit of vipers, Bear steps through, shutting his eyes as he does so and closing the door behind him.
He'd expected some kind of sensation to come with the experience of the doorway, perhaps an alluring warmth or a whisper of enchanting secrets, but it's … ordinary. He could have been walking through a doorway in his own home. Curious to see where the Library has spat him out, Bear opens his eyes, scanning his surroundings in interest.
It's a landscape unlike anything else he's ever seen — a dreamscape of sorts, something snatched from a fantasy VR. It's late afternoon here, the golden setting sun fanning out across what Bear can only describe as sky-islands. Each sky-island is as unique as the next, in both size and what they hold — deserts the size of the Combat area at the academy, entire mountain ranges, bundles of pine trees clinging to a matter of space the same size as his family's house. But apart from the blooming vegetation occupying every sky-island, the place is utterly devoid of life.
Knowing that Alex is here somewhere, Bear starts searching for her — and he doesn't have to look far.
Thankfully the Library delivered him on the same island as Alex — this sky-island bearing a mass of thick, lush greenery, grey boulders and streaming waterfalls — and Bear quickly locates her on the eastern side. She's sitting on a large rock that is in the middle of a river that flows from one of the larger waterfalls in the island. She's hunched over a little, knees tucked up to her chest and arms drawn around them, her hair falling around her in a shielding chestnut curtain, as she looks out onto the sky-islands before her.
"Alex?"
Her head jerks up, turning towards him. She's neither annoyed or pleased to see him; more like resigned. It doesn't look like she's been crying, but her brows are drawn down low in an agitated slant, and her eyes are huge and dark, in a wild way that intimidates him a little.
"Bear." It's not a question or a greeting. More of a statement, really. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"You've been absent from the academy for hours, Alex," he replies, approaching the rocky bank of the water slowly. "Somebody had to come and see what you've gotten up to."
"Since when are you my chaperone?"
A little offended, and disheartened she's being so distant and a little hostile, Bear shoves his hands into his pockets and mutters, "I can go if you want."
Alex regards him expressionlessly for a long moment, before her features relax and a familiar acceptance blossoms across her face. "I … I wasn't really expecting you, of everyone who'd be tracking me down."
What? He'd expect to be near the top of her list, being one of her closest, longest friends. It's both relieving and a little insulting. But Bear has the feeling that those at the top of her list, are probably people she's trying to avoid right now.
"Who were you expecting?"
"I'm not sure. Probably Jordan or Kaiden. Maybe Darrius." She sighs audibly, shaking her head and shuffling over on the rock. "Come sit with me, Bear."
Bear obliges, playing a skipping game across the smaller rocks that protrude from the water's surface and vaulting up onto the rock. After a long moment, where they're both admiring the sky-islands, he asks, "What is this place?"
"It's … the Library's replica of Draekora, I suppose," she says with a little shrug.
Bear shoots her a disbelieving look. He recognises the name immediately; a place almost as submerged in history and mythology as Meya, the thing everyone was told about in bedtime stories as a kid. "As in … the Sky Kingdom?"
Alex nods. "You'd know why I'd associate a little with this place, I think."
Thinking back to the relentless speculating of the student population, and the members of the staff who had been more in the dark about Alex's secrets, which was probably the reason for why Alex had retreated to the Library, Bear looked down at his hands and breathes, "How much of it is true?"
There is a loud snap as Alex fiddles with a short branch between her hands, breaking it into bits. Her face has whitened a little. Obviously, shedding her secrets is a process she isn't enjoying. "Well … you know far more than most. About Freya, and past-Meya, and Draekora, and Tia Auras."
"You're certainly an experienced traveller," Bear says dryly.
Alex snorts quietly. "You can call it that." She meets his eyes briefly before flicking her gaze back to the sky-islands spread out before them. "Yes, I did Claim a Meyarin named Niyx Raedon, who later spied on Aven for me, before he died at Graevale." Her words trembles on the last few words, but nevertheless Alex persists. "And, well, the Aven of the past did end up falling in love with my false identity, Aeylia."
Bear stares at her, wide-eyed and shocked into silence. That part of the equation had never made it into the churning gossip mill — and he could see exactly why. Technically … technically … Alex had been the catalyst for Aven's mortal-murdering rampage.
Gods. No wonder it's something she'd lied about, done everything she could to hide it from the world.
The guilt in her eyes is heartbreaking enough, but Bear knows it would have internally shredded her to pieces. Is that what had kept her up at night, these past few weeks? Is that what had prompted her to slowly pull away, before the world plunged to hell following the battle at Graevale, that fateful day where he watched his father being slaughtered?
Sucking in a fortifying breath, Bear says quietly, "I'm assuming you rejected him."
"Damn right I did." She forces out a bitter-sounding laugh. "And, well, obviously he's the prime example for guys who can't deal with rejection."
He looks down at his hands, uncertain how to respond to that. And it isn't looking like she's in the mood to initiate a meaningful conversation. Bear wonders what he's actually supposed to do — should he embrace her? Offer condolences? Attempt to wheedle a laugh out of her?
The silence deepens between them — so long that Bear notes that the sun isn't actually setting, it's simply sitting there, as if frozen in the process. He wonders why the Library would have orchestrated that particular aspect of this landscape, why Alex would have chosen such a memory-provoking manifestation —
"I'm sorry about your dad."
He looks at her sharply. She's not looking at him — avoiding his gaze, perhaps? But she's so openly displaying her remorse, her guilt, over the loss of his father that it slams him in the chest. Somehow he knows that if she'd been given the choice, then Alex wouldn't have abandoned him to the overwhelming maze of his grief. He watches as her brows quirk in a miserable curl, as sadness inks through her eyes and emotions leech into each other across her face.
"It's okay," he says, even though his suddenly brittle tone implies it's really not. Bear reaches to pick at the laces of his black sneakers. He doesn't really want to recall much further, of the brutal tragedy that rammed through his family.
Alex sniffs. He looks up automatically, startled to see the glassy redness now lining her eyes, the tears slowly rolling down her cheeks. Noting his gaze, she quickly drags a palm across her cheeks, hostile annoyance flashing in her eyes before they're once again consumed by whatever's hurting her internally.
"Alex," Bear says quietly. Carefully. "None of this was your fault."
"Bullshit," she replies, her voice cracking.
"It's indeed bullshit, if you're pinning every ounce of blame upon yourself," he retorts with a compassionate fierceness, disheartened only by the meek look she shoots him. The look of a person who's seen too much, who's been holding themselves together for too long.
"God, Bear, you don't understand." she mumbles, before planting her face in her palms, her body becoming motionless. A few stilted seconds pass before he reaches to place a steadying hand on her shoulder. He can feel her trembling, ever so slightly.
"I know, and I'm far from it," Bear replies gently, yet firmly. He curls a hand around her arm, coaxing her to stand with him. "But I'm still going to try and help."
She tries to pull her arm free, and he lets her, knowing restraining her in any way will set her further against recoiling from him, trusting him. Her eyes narrow up at him, and internally he sighs. Gods, how am I supposed to help her?
"Do you want to go back to the academy?"
An automatic, insistent shake of the head, indicating that if she's going to walk back onto Akarnae soil any time soon, it will most definitely be on her terms.
"Should I go get Jordan and D.C. as well?"
Alex hesitates this time, considering his offer - and once again shakes her head. He already knows that bringing up Kaiden will be fruitless.
"Then what do you want me to do?"
She cocks her head at him, her eyes narrowing even further and her brow furrowing, before she comes to a conclusion and her face relaxes a little. "Pass on a message for me."
"Which is?"
Her gaze fastens on his, and he instantly recognises that look in her eyes. That don't-mess-with-me boldness. Bear swallows thickly: whatever is about to come out of her mouth, is something he's going to be obligated to object to.
"I'm going back to Freya. I need to be by myself for a bit."
He's shaking his head before she's even finished her sentence, and her gaze hardens like steel. He offers an explanation immediately. "No way in hell. You'll only wallow in your own undeserved guilt and make yourself even more miserable than what you already are."
She surges forward, teeth gritted. "Bear —"
"I'll drag you back to the academy, kicking and screaming, if I have to. Yes, Alex, you do need a break more than anything — but you also need to be around people that will support and care about you."
"Don't you understand?" she exclaims, her almost-wail careening around the huge landscape surrounding them.
"Not all of it, but enough. And I know you, Alex. I know you'll rip yourself to shreds even if you're around other people — so gods knows what you'll do to yourself if you're on your own. I know you won't last long in Freya — whether it's the memories of your parents, or because you just need somebody to lean on, and all of those somebodies are here, in Medora."
Alex folds her arms, continuing to glare up at him - but she's beginning to relent. Little by little, if he's careful and precise, he knows he can chip down her resolve - and eventually convince her to stay in Medora.
Exactly where she belongs.
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bit of a shorty but hopefully a goody. What did you guys think? Please leave a review! :D