Disclaimer: I don't own DN.
Title: Seeing Him Again
Setting: During the Chapter 10 Story Line (Contains Spoilers)
Summary: After two years of searching for the Apostle that destroyed my home, we were brought to the Elven city of Arendel. However, we ran into a few of my companion's old acquaintances that brought unwanted memories back to the surface...
The sound of her voice trailed off and the meaning of her words sank in. The advice that was given had little effect on me, seeing how I've never met her or her brother before in person. However, looking at the shocked face of my companion, he clearly had and it was having a dreadful impact on him.
He was staring at the lady with long, flowing silver hair who was wearing a red hooded jacket, the same lady that gave us the advice. I could tell that he wasn't really seeing her though. His bright green eyes were unfocused and his vibrant demeanor from a couple moments ago was gone. The gentle hands that so often held mine were now clenched into fists. What could he be remembering?
For the past two years, after the death of a close friend and the defeat of Kalahan, we left Saint's Haven. He had promised to help me with my search for the Apostle, Liam the Blue Wolf, that destroyed the village of my childhood and robbed me of any more happiness with my parents all those years ago. After so many failed attempts at finding Liam, he was always there to cheer me up. It seemed nothing could dampen his mood, no matter how dire the situation. I remember wondering if anything could possibly make him unhappy.
Looking at him now, clearly, there was something bothering him. I reached out my hand to prod his shoulders. Usually, at the slightest touch, he would react in one way or another, but this time, he remained motionless. I shook him more urgently, hoping to break his reverie, but to no avail.
Not knowing what else to do, I shifted my gaze from him back to the woman. She had turned her back on us and was starting to leave.
"Argenta, wait!" I said. She halted briefly without looking back. "Are they really that different? Is the friend that my companion found in him gone forever?"
"I think it should be obvious from his reaction." Argenta said.
"Do you know what he's thinking about? I've never seen him so detached like this before."
"You should know your friend better than I do, but if I had to guess, he's probably thinking of the day my brother threw his life away for him." With those last words, Argenta walked away into dreary horizon of Arendel.
I turned my attention back to my friend. After spending two years with him, I really didn't know him any better than before. I first knew him as a little boy when I first came to Saint's Haven eleven years ago with another friend, Aliec. A year later, I left them to find a way to avenge my parents. When I returned to Saint's Haven two years ago, I ran into both him and Aliec again.
The three of us did some catching up, but usually, he talked the most, not about himself though. It was mostly about Aliec. However, after Aliec died at the hands of Kalahan, he never talked much about the past. I didn't push either, since it would most likely bring up unwanted memories. It was also partly my fault that Aliec left to join his Goddess before his time.
I shook my head, clearing the thoughts away. There was a more urgent matter at hand. I looked back at my golden haired friend. He was still spaced out and lost in whatever memories he was remembering.
"Gilan!" I shouted his name. I prodded his shoulder and shook his arm. None of these were met with a response. Sighing, I looked to my surroundings for inspiration. Something more drastic had to be done.
The narrow pathway we were standing on was covered in golden grass. However, the grass themselves didn't look healthy at all. At the two sides of the path, there were shallow bodies of water. The water itself was murky. An idea formed in my mind. It would surely pull him out from whatever he was still thinking about.
I took a step back before moving forward again quickly to gain momentum, the chakrams at my side swinging in time with my movement. I stretched out my arms to full length and shoved Gilan's sturdy frame as hard as I could. Letting out a small grunt in surprise, Gilan toppled over into the water.
"Alyss?" Gilan tilted his head up and blinked in my direction. "Impulsive as always, I see."
I hid a small smile, but held out my hand to him to help him back up. "Glad you're back."
"I didn't go anywhere." He swung his axe off his shoulder and laid it onto the ground before wringing the water out of his soaked shirt. I glanced at the axe before looking away. He used to always carry a sword. It was one of the strong reminders of the events that led up to Aliec's death.
"No, but you were completely oblivious to your surroundings. You had me worried." I turned back to him and gave him a stern stare to go with my words.
"I am sorry that I worried you." He bit his lip. "I was just thinking about Gerrant..."
Argenta's words came back to me. He doesn't have the memories of the Gerrant who threw his life away for you. If I were you, I'd forget about any friendship you thought you had with Gerrant. He already has.
"He wasn't what you expected?" I asked.
"I was elated to see him alive. But the way he acts now..." He stared off into the distance. "I suppose I was thinking about the friend we had lost."
"He must have been a great friend."
"After Velskud took out his remaining good eye during the Black Dragon Raid, Gerrant spent quite a bit of time in the basement of the Royal Castle, recovering from his wounds and protecting the rescued prophet."
"He protected the prophet?" I raised one of my eyebrows. We had accidentally ran into Gerrant at the Golden Grasslands. He was bent on harming the two people that we saw. I had imagined the previous Gerrant to be less aggressive, but for a dragon to protect a single human? Argenta acted like she was so much superior.
"And many others. He told me some exciting adventures of his past whenever I was in the Castle and taking a break from running errands. He was compassionate and willing to make sacrifices..." Gilan sat down next to his axe. I followed suit and sat down next to him with my legs crossed. He looked down at the patch of grass his fingers were playing with.
After a long moment of silence, I wondered if he was going to finish whatever he was going to say.
Taking a deep breath, he continued. "The two people Gerrant was chasing after at the Golden Grasslands, one of them is the traitor Ignacio. He was the one that convinced me and Aliec to get Gerrant to fight the Sea Dragon with us after we were informed it had somehow broken out of its seal and was becoming a threat to Altera."
"Wouldn't that be a good thing? A dragon to aid you guys against another dragon?"
"This happened right after the Black Dragon Raid, so Gerrant was still weak from the injuries he had sustained from Velskud."
"So the Sea Dragon killed him." I said. However, Gilan seemed to not hear me.
"We were fighting the Sea Dragon on a pirate ship. Even though it had just woken up, the Sea Dragon was a formidable foe and the fight was going terribly. Towards the end, I saw an opening where I could slide under the Sea Dragon's body and get a long slice in with my sword. It would have severely injure the dragon and would give us an advantage.
"Aliec's Holy Shield was active at that time, so I went for it. However, the dragon moved slightly at the last moment so that I almost slid right into his claws. Gerrant pushed me out of the way just in time, but the Sea Dragon's claws clamped down on his back.
"Knowing that it caught one of its prey, the Sea Dragon flew up and came crashing back down, beak first, onto Gerrant before he could move away. Aliec had found some debris that pierced the Sea Dragon and made it go away, however, the damage had been done. Gerrant was in the process of turning back into a lustre. He died to save me.
"Naturally, we sought out Argenta and gave the lustre to her. Whatever happened, she was able to have Gerrant reborn into that kid. I've always felt guilty about Gerrant's death, but seeing him today, it hasn't eased my mind. That compassionate friend is still lost."
This was the most that Gilan had ever shared about his past with me. I am beginning to understand why he goes out of his way to cheer me up all the time. Part of it is just who he is. The other part was because, like me, he felt partly responsible for someone else's death and wanted to help ease my mind however he could. Now, it's my turn to help him.
"He's just been reborn. There's a lot for him to learn if he doesn't remember his past memories. Perhaps, he'll gain some of that empathy back as he live and grow older." I turned towards him and gave him an encouraging smile. He returned it.
"I hope that becomes true. Perhaps, if I help him by tracking down the Apostles and interacting with him whenever we run into him, he'll learn the kind-heartedness that he once knew." He looked towards the horizon to the setting sun. "Perhaps, he'll become the Gerrant he once was."
"Don't you mean 'we'?" I asked. "You're not thinking of leaving me behind, are you?" I crossed my arms across my chest in mock anger, but my mind had drifted to another possibility. Since we're hunting the Apostles, perhaps we just might run into Liam the Blue Wolf. I smiled to myself as I awaited his reply.
"I wouldn't dare."
A/N: Hope you enjoyed it. Leave a review if you have time! :)
