This chapter contains things I do not own, exposition, and a lot of talking. Enjoy!
Heart To Heart
"Hey, Aunt!" Cress knocked on the door twice and, finding it unlocked, pushed it open. "Aunt, we're back."
The sun had just about set over the horizon by now, its dying light casting its final rays over the clouds and treetops. Chester had gone around back to put the shovels back where they'd found them, and at the moment only Mint stood by Cress' side.
"Aunt, you home?"
"Yes, I'm coming." Cress' aunt shuffled into view, smiling at the sight of him. "Welcome back. Was it a lot of work...?"
"Not really." Cress stepped inside and gestured for Mint to follow. "I mean, it took a while, but... Chester's dug a lot of graves before..."
Joanne sobered. "I imagine he has... Come inside, all of you. I have dinner ready."
It wasn't more than a few seconds before Chester joined them in the kitchen, rubbing his hands free of dirt. "Hate to dirty up your sink— man, that smells delicious— hate to dirty up your sink, Ma'am, but can I wash my hands? You can barely see the skin under all this."
"Please do. We wouldn't want dirt in your food."
"Thanks."
Mint sat down at the table. "Um... Mrs. Albane..."
"Please, just call me Joanne. Or Ma'am, if you insist on being polite"
"Thank you. Ma'am, did you find the woman's family...?"
Aunt Joanne shook her head sadly. "I'm afraid not. Everyone in own seems to be accounted for, which can only mean she was from somewhere else. Venezia, perhaps..."
"So you don't even have a name?" Mint asked, crestfallen.
"No. I'm sorry."
Cress sighed. "It felt wrong... Burying her without even knowing her name. We didn't even have a headstone to carve it into if we did have one."
"Yeah, we ended up putting a wooden cross there instead." Chester finished washing off his hands and plopped down into a nearby chair. "I felt kinda guilty... I wanted to bury her in town, but if you'd seen her you'd know there was no way we could've gotten her anywhere in one piece."
"And if we hadn't buried her, the monsters would have eaten her or dragged her away." Mint said. "So that was really all we could do..."
"Where did you bury her?"
"Right by the road, where we found her. Even if we never find her family, at least she'll always have visitors."
Aunt Joanne smiled. "That's very thoughtful of you. I'm sure she would be grateful."
Cress leaned back in his chair. "I still wonder where she came from, and what attacked her... It didn't really look like something a person would do."
"Yeah, her stomach was lying around all over the place."
"Okay, boys. This is no longer dinner conversation." Aunt Joanne picked a skillet up off the stove. "Now you eat up before you lose your appetite! I worked hard on this, you know."
"Thank you, Ma'am."
"Yeah, thanks Aunt." Cress grinned. "Chicken again?"
"What's wrong with chicken?"
"Absolutely nothing." Chester said, scooting his chair forward. "Stop complaining, Cress."
"Hey, I'm not complaining! You're the one taking advantage of my aunt's hospitality."
"What are you talking about? This is practically my house, too."
"No arguing at the table, boys." Aunt Joanne said, as Mint laughed into her hand. Cress smiled at her and dug into his food, completely at ease for the moment.
xxx
That night drifted in clear and calm, and the summer breeze blew in softly through the open window. The swordsman sat beside it in a pair of spare pajamas he'd found in an old dresser in the spare room. They were a little small, and the pants barely went down to his ankles, but the fabric was still soft and supple and brought back fond memories of a childhood long gone. Cress had mostly slept in his armor during his travels, as his nightclothes had been lost during the attack on Toltus. Wearing these now made him feel less like the Eternal Swordsman and more like just Cress again. It was a nice feeling.
The swordsman, while sleepy and full of food, had come outside after finding himself unable to sleep. It was just another one of those nights— the events of the day weren't particularly bothering him, but he'd laid there for ages and ages and had not fallen asleep. When his mind began to drift he knew he would not be sleeping for a while, and so he'd made his way out here and opened a window. His headband lay on the table instead of on his head, for once, and the soft breeze felt nice in his hair.
"Cress?"
Cress started, turning the chair around with a loud scrape. "Oh... Aunt."
Aunt Joanne pulled another chair from the nearby table and lowered herself into it. "It's a beautiful night out, isn't it?"
Cress nodded. "Yeah. The wind feels really good."
"I can hear you yawning out here, you know." she said with a smile. "You must be tired, after all the hard work you've done today."
"I'm kinda sleepy, yeah, but not very tired. I mean, it wasn't that hard."
"You've become so strong, Cress... It's only been a couple of months since Miguel and Maria died, but you look a hundred years older."
"Ah..." Cress shifted uncomfortably. He had no idea how he was going to explain to his aunt that it had been much longer than 'a couple of months' since the attack for him, and he was beginning to think it would be easier not to tell her at all. But after everything she'd done for him his entire life, that would be unfair. "I've... been busy."
"Out getting revenge?" she asked sadly. Cress blinked, and then sighed.
"Yeah, pretty much. It didn't feel as good as I thought it would, really."
"That's usually how revenge works. Cress..." She smiled. "Look at you. I think your parents would be very proud of you, if they could see how much you've grown."
"Th-thank you." He paused. "Aunt... Did you know about my parents and Dhaos?"
Now it was his aunt's turn to sigh. "Yes, I knew. Everyone knew about your parents and Dhaos, but after enough time had passed no one particularly cared. They were going to tell you eventually, but..."
"Did they ever talk about Dhaos?" Cress asked. "Did they ever say anything about what he was like, or what he said, or what kind of mood he was in when they found him?"
"Hm... No, I don't recall." Aunt Joanne frowned. "They did say that he definitely had no idea they were waiting for him, but that was it. I never heard anything else."
Cress' jaw tightened. Ever since the conclusion of his conflict against the Demon King, Cress wondered whether his parents had ever put any thought to Dhaos' motives, or felt any sympathy for the man they'd helped seal away. Even without knowing Dhaos' true motives, Cress' parents must have been old enough to remember that every person had a story, right? It was unlikely they'd felt any remorse, but he had to hope they'd felt no pride in Dhaos' defeat.
"Cress... You don't have your father's pendant anymore."
Cress started, and reflexively looked down as though verifying the truth of his aunt's words. "Uh... No, I don't. Mars took it away, and it was destroyed."
"He released Dhaos, didn't he."
Cress stiffened, and then sighed. "Yeah. He did."
"And you were there?"
"Yeah..."
"Were you scared?"
Cress paused, thinking. Had he been scared, back when everything began? It had been so long ago that he couldn't remember.
"...Not really." he said. "That was the first time I'd ever even heard of Dhaos. The moment he got out, he explained that he'd been brainwashing Mars or something and lasered him to death... I didn't really understand the danger because there was no body, I guess."
"And because you were too angry about your parents to truly care."
"Yeah, that too." Cress sighed. "Morrison— Trinicus D. Morrison, do you know him? He was a friend of Mom and Dad's— he got the picture, though. He, uh... sent me and Mint into the past."
Very much to Cress' relief, the only indication of skepticism his aunt made was a brief raising of her eyebrow. "What about Chester? Didn't he go with you?"
"Ah... He stayed behind to hold Dhaos off."
Joanne nodded. "I see. I thought something had changed. Physically, you look a little older than he does."
"Uh, well... We went back a hundred years, to the time when Dhaos first became the Demon King. We didn't stay for a year or anything, but it was a while."
"You came back for him though, didn't you?"
"Yep. With reinforcements." Cress laughed. "We knocked Dhaos around so hard the whole mountain almost fell on us. He didn't look like he could move when we left him, but he must have time-jumped again after we left. A messenger from the future showed up and came to get us to fight him again."
"Ah. So you two ended up going on an adventure together after all."
"Of course! He wouldn't let me leave him behind. He worked so hard that I think we're mentally the same age anyway."
Aunt Joanne gave a wan smile. "Yes... I never knew him very well, but I do know he loved his sister. In fact, I think having to raise her on his own made him grow up faster than you did."
"Yeah..." Before everything had started, Cress had always found himself rather clueless compared to Chester. The archer was rougher and tended to be rather immature, but there had always been something about him that Cress envied. And after returning from the past, Cress was rather put off to find that he'd left his best friend behind. "He's not angry anymore, you know. We all still lose sleep over it, but... I think he feels he's done Ami justice. I'm glad, too. I don't know what I'd do if he just spent the rest of his life hating like that..."
"He's hot-headed," she agreed, "but he knows better than to hold grudges forever. He's grown, just like you have."
"Mm-hm..."
"...So." Aunt Joanne leaned back in her chair. "I guess I'd be correct in assuming you did defeat Dhaos?"
"...Yeah."
"Then, what about you?" She frowned. "Do you still hate Mars and Dhaos, Cress?"
Cress sighed, closing his eyes and running a hand through his hair. "Not really. I mean, I never really got to settle things with Mars, so even though I know he was being controlled I still don't think much of him. But Dhaos... A lot's happened." he said, opening his eyes to look at her. "You wouldn't really get it unless you came with us. The truth is that Dhaos was just like me— crap decision-making skills and everything."
His aunt gave him a reproachful look. "Now, Cress. You've always made good decisions."
"About small things, and when I'm not angry." he said. "I don't spend a whole lot of time angry, so a lot of people say I always choose the right thing. But that's not always true. Just like how people say Dhaos is evil just because he spends most of his time angry."
"Do you regret killing him, Cress?"
"No. Like I said, his decision-making skills needed work. But..." He sighed. "He wasn't such a bad guy when you ignored all that... You couldn't, of course, but... I can't really tell you. It would take forever to explain out loud."
Cress' aunt spent a few moments looking at him with sad eyes.
"I haven't been with you on your journey." she said. "And I am not your mother. I'm only your aunt, that you got to see sometimes on your trips to town. If you don't feel comfortable talking to me about it, you don't have to."
"I'm sorry, Aunt."
"No, it's okay. It's what I get for not being there for you when you needed a shoulder to lean on. I'm just glad you have so many friends..." She leaned forward. "Promise me you'll make good use of them. Don't ever let yourself feel as though you're alone in this world."
"Don't worry. I won't."
"Good. And never forget, Cress: I'm still here. Even though I'm not the closest person to your heart, and our relation is only through your parents, and even though I have never been there for you during your life at home, remember that you still have family here. If you ever need a roof over your head, I'll take you in no matter what."
"Ah... Thank you, Aunt..." Cress pursed his lips. "So... You believe me about the time-traveling thing?"
His aunt laughed. "It's pretty difficult to wrap my head around, but you don't seem to be lying. I'll take you at your word. I don't think I'll ever understand, so don't bother trying to explain it to me."
"Ha. Thanks. A-And, Aunt..."
Cress hated to bring this up now, but if he kept putting it off he would never learn.
"Whatever happened to Uncle Olson...?"
To Cress' chagrin, the smile melted right off his aunt's face. "He'd already disappeared since you last visited, hadn't he?"
"Yeah... He's not back yet?"
"...I think he's dead, Cress." she said, for once looking her age. "He never came home one day, and I never saw him again... He wouldn't leave me alone like that of his own free will."
"O-Oh." Cress looked away. He'd probably been hunted down, captured and killed by Mars' men, either as insurance against an information leak or simply because Mars had a grim sense of humor. "I'm so sorry..."
"It's alright." His aunt gave him a shallow smile. "We were going to be separated soon anyway, so don't feel too sorry for me. I can handle it."
Cress let his gaze wander out the open window. His aunt had no idea that her husband had handed him over to Mars all that time ago. But betrayed and upset though he was, the swordsman just couldn't bring himself to tell her: like he'd said to Chester earlier that day, anyone would have done it to save their hometown. The needs of the many would always outweigh the needs of the few, no matter how much he didn't like it. A traitor his uncle may be, but a bad person he certainly was not, and Cress' aunt didn't need a load like that on her shoulders. Especially in light of his death.
I'm sorry, Uncle... We never got to sort things out.
"You look tired, Cress." Aunt Joanne said finally, after a long silence. "Why don't you try to get some sleep? Chester says you three are leaving Euclid early tomorrow."
"Yeah, we are." Cress stood up; his limbs felt much heavier than they had when he'd come out here. "We're going to see a friend. We've kept her waiting a while."
"I'm sure she'll be happy to see you." Aunt Joanne stood up with him, pulling him into a hug. "Ah, Cress... It's so good to have you back."
Cress smiled, returning the embrace. "Yeah... It's good to be home again."
