When the Butterflies Fly Home
It was hard for Hermione to admit that she may have been wrong about Draconis, she hadn't totally forgiven him but his story had shown her a side of him that she was sure was rare to witness, she needed to talk to someone. She had to admit she was being brash, all her revenge schemes were hurried and unplanned… out of control.
Hermione had taken a step back and put it all into perspective, she still wanted her father avenged, she still wanted Rome to burn but now other questions rose up into her mind, questions like;
How many innocent people will suffer in this rebellion?
How many will die, how many will be left homeless?
How many children will become orphans, how many will be left either motherless or fatherless?
How many women will lose their husbands and lovers?
How many mothers and father will send their children out and never see them again?
Could she prevent unnecessary damage?
What if the rebellion is crushed? Who will be left to face the wrath of the Empire?
Could she protect herself or Noor?
Was she really that essential or just a mere pawn in a much larger game?
Questions that buzzed around in her head like flies on a sweet dish, she was just not able to get rid of them. Each brought a new bout of fear and anxiousness, each created a new question… but that was all she had… questions, but no answers.
Where was she to go to demand answers, she had nothing… no leverage, no right to demand answers.
She shifted uncomfortably on her pallet, suddenly the night was too hot and humid; beads of sweat ran down her spine and the humming of insects grated on her already taut nerves, around her the sounds of everyone else's peaceful slumber made her furious; they had nothing to worry about! They had accepted their fate and laid down their arms!
Beside her Noor shifted in her sleep, a faint smile on her lips; Hermione regarded her friend through narrowed eyes, she so badly wanted to tell her what was going on but could she bear to burden Noor… sweet, gentle Noor who always saw the good in people, she had no idea what was going on. No one in this godforsaken house knew what was going on except her and Raphael!
Noor heard Hermione shuffle on the thin mattress again, something was bothering her friend… through sleep hazed eyes she studied Hermione's fiercely worried expression.
"What the matter?" whispered the Asian girl, "Are you not feeling well?"
"No I'm fine…" Hermione whispered back, fiddling with the hem of her thin nightgown, "Go back to sleep or you'll wake everyone up."
"I'm awake now Hermione, what the matter? You look worried." Noor persisted, shuffling closer to the older girl so that no one could hear their whispered conversation.
Hermione finally sighed, "Can you keep a secret?" she said in a hushed, anxious tone.
"It depends on the secret, is it something very big?"
"It is." Hermione confirmed.
"Then we mustn't talk about it here." Noor said, silently rising from her bed and not bothering with the long sleeved tunic, it was after midnight… no one was likely to see her burns.
Hermione rose too and followed her friend out of the dark room and into the hallway which was thankfully illuminated by moonlight. Noor led Hermione down a winding path, both girls clutching each other because of the creepy shadows that danced around the dark house.
Finally they reached a door that Noor pushed open, "We're safe here it's a supply closet. No one will be listening to us here."
Hermione quickly blurted out her story, Noor was calm, gasping at certain details and mostly keeping her mouth shut lest they be heard.
"Hermione that is so dangerous! How could you go into the forest alone with a man you barely knew!?" Noor said in a condemning tone, "You could have been killed!"
"I know! I know! But I was hurting, I had just been taken from Marcus." She choked out, "And he was offering such a tempting deal that I couldn't resist, my brain was clouded with thoughts of revenge! It was all I could think about! And then there they were, offering me exactly what I wanted on a silver platter!" she explained.
"In my experience if it's too good to be true, it probably is." Noor said running a hand though her long hair and looking at her friend in agitation. "So what?! If you had said no they would have killed you?"
"That's pretty much how he said it!" Hermione said faintly, sinking to the ground, "I still want to do it, don't get me wrong but the repercussion of battle weren't hitting me then! Now that I have gained some perspective all I can think about is how bloody rebellion is. Barely a hundred people from my own village survived when Draconis came to our land, I shudder to think what the death toll will be for a city the size of Rome. I want the Senate to burn but I don't want innocent people to get hurt!" Hermione said.
"I'll help you…" Noor said suddenly, her voice was painted in conviction and her face had a stubborn expression on it, "You can't do it alone, you'll probably die. So I'll help you, it'll be easier and maybe it won't be as bloody. Let's not forget though it is rebellion, innocent lives are bound to be lost, there is nothing you can do about that."
"Noor no!" Hermione said in a horrified voice, "I can't involve you in this! It's my mess and it's my fight! If I go down at least I will have fulfilled what I vowed to do! You're not even interested in all this; I can't drag you into it!"
"Well you're the only real friend I've had since I came here! So I'm not letting you die! I'm helping you whether you like it or not!" she said angrily, "Don't be a martyr Hermione because martyr's die! And I am not letting you die!"
"Noor you love Draconis, he has been your protector long before I came here, why would you betray him!?" Hermione asked questioningly.
"Because I don't want him slaughtered, at least with your help I will know when and where the rebel attacks are, I can protect him… like he protected me all those years ago!" Noor said her hazel eyes fiery with conviction.
"This is a bad idea…" Hermione said sadly.
"Well that didn't stop you did it!" Noor said, raising her eyebrow.
….
Outside the door a faint movement in the shadows revealed a man with his ear pressed against the door and his eyes wide and disbelieving. There were so many secrets that these halls guarded, secrets meant for destruction…
And he knew how to deal with secrets… it was his job; he was after all just a mere shadow…
And with one last look at the door concealing the two silly girls who thought they had any grasp on the game, the true player turned and walked away… slowly melting into the shadowy secrets he carried with him.
People Noor belongs to me, she is a character of my own creation.
Please do review, it gets really discouraging if you guys don't…