"Stupid, lying, pirate!" Sparrow exclaimed, exiting the cullis gate.
She couldn't believe that after years of knowing Reaver, she had let him fool her again. She should have known that this was what he would try to do. He wasn't there to be her friend, or offer her a place to stay while she moved on from her old life. He needed someone to sacrifice, and knew that she would trust him. Once again, the king of thieves deceived her. While she was furious with Reaver, Sparrow could help but be the most frustrated with herself. Reaver had never given her a reason to trust him. Why would he decide on a random afternoon that it was time to change? He wasn't trying to become her friend. He was playing her, and she walked right into it.
Approaching the cliff, she pondered her next move. Going back to Bowerstone was out of the question, especially old town. She was tired from the fight, and was in no place to travel to any other cities. She considered catching a carriage to Oakfield, and staying at the Sandgoose. Then,, she realized her pockets felt rather light...as did her holster...and back. Sparrow sat on the edge of the cliff and buried her hands in her face.
I left all of my things in the guild...with Reaver. Sparrow sat there, taking in the situation. She had no money, no weapons, and nowhere to stay. A moment later, she noticed the lights in the distance. Lanterns were burning, as was a large campfire.
The gypsy camp! I still own my caravan! Quickly she got onto her feet, and began walking down the side of the hill. Reaching the bottom, Sparrow swam the short distance to shore and hurried to the gates.
The gypsy camp would always welcome her back, Sparrow knew that. She could also be left alone there. No guards to ask her to fill bounty contracts, and no one to pressure her into being a hero. Now that Lucien was gone, Sparrow struggled to find a reason to continue on as a hero. If Garth and Hammer could abandon their hero titles, why couldn't she? Now if a large threat like Lucien were to come back up, she'd certainly defend Albion again but right now she didn't see a reason to continue on like this. Did Albion really need her to protect it? As she approached the camp, she recognized the sound of the people inside. Many were sitting outside that fire, singing songs and dancing together. Reaching the gates, she recognized the man standing next to it.
"Sparrow! Welcome back. On another adventure?" He asked her, while opening the gates.
"No, Alan. I've come back home." Sparrow responded.
"That's wonderful!" Alan replied.
Sparrow headed towards her caravan, and found it exactly as she had left it. She left a small trunk, a bed, and a lute. Inside the trunk she found a set of pajamas, and changed into them. She laid down, and closed her eyes.
Today is the day I stop being a hero...and worry about myself.
Sparrow awoke feeling very peaceful. For the first time in years, she slept through the night without a trace of a nightmare. In fact, she woke up remembering a rather strange dream, one that involved fighting assassins and abandoning Reaver. Rolling over, she opened her eyes, and gasped. Sparrow looked around at her surroundings and remembered that it wasn't a dream, and she had left Reaver in the guild. The feeling of peace quickly dissolved when she replayed the events over and over again. As much as she didn't want to believe it, Reaver had tricked her. She wasn't sure if she was more upset that he had deceived her again, or that she felt lonely without him around. For decades Sparrow had kept company, even if it was just Bear or Theresa. After Rose died, she learned she wasn't a fan of being alone. Her thoughts turned to Rosary, and how much Sparrow had missed of her life. Tears threatened to fall, and Sparrow closed her eyes. She took a moment to gain composure before deciding it was time to get up. Changing out of her pajamas, she opened the door to the caravan, and observed the life of the camp. Children were running around, playing tag. Their parents were either trading, or tending to their own caravans. Sparrow sat on the porch, and took a deep breathe. She began thinking about her family again, and wondered if Bryn would have followed her to the camp if she asked him. Probably not, because he loved the city too much. While she loved him dearly, Sparrow recognized that her husband had a tendency to be selfish. Most of their disagreements came from Sparrow wanting to leave Bowerstone, and Bryn vehemently refusing. Somehow, he never took Sparrow's warnings serious enough, as if he believed he were invincible.
"Hi Miss Sparrow!" One of the children waved as she ran past. Sparrow smiled at the child, waving back.
"Well would you look at that. The Little Sparrow returns to the nest!" A friendly voice called out. Looking up, Sparrow recognized her childhood friend.
"Lydia! Oh, its been ages. How are you?" Sparrow stood up and hugged her.
"You know, same as usual. Simon is still running the general store, and Arabella just turned 8. Say, how old is your little girl now? and how's that husband of yours?" Lydia responded.
"You...you remember them?" Sparrow asked, shocked. Lucien had removed her family from history...but how does she remember?
"O'course I remember 'em! Bryn and little Rosary, right?" Lydia's cheerful expression softened when Sparrow looked away, "Hey, he didn't leave and take her with him, did he?"
"No...B-Bryn and...They were-." Sparrow closed her eyes and steadied her voice, "They were killed, about a month ago."
Lydia gasped loudly, "Oh Sparrow, I'm so sorry! What happened?"
"I don't think I can discuss it out here. Would you like to come in for some tea?" Sparrow gestured towards the caravan
"That sounds great, why don't you tell me everything inside." Lydia placed a hand on Sparrow's shoulder.
"Sparrow do you know how crazy this all sounds?" Lydia said, setting down her cup.
"I know, I know. I don't understand how Lucien did it, but when I mentioned family, Derek looked at me like I had three heads. He was one of Bryn's best friends!" Sparrow responded.
She had just spend the last hour explaining to Lydia everything involving Lucien from the beginning. She left out the part where she left Reaver in a cave.
"Sounds like quite the epic adventure." Lydia stood up, "Say, would you like to come with me to run some errands? The camp's changed a little bit since you left and if you're here to stay, you could use someone showing you around."
"That would be nice."
The two women left the caravan, and walked around the camp, Lydia showing Sparrow all the new trading caravans along the path. She also filled Sparrow in on the new residents of the camp, and told her all the recent gossip.
"You're kidding! Pat cheated on her?" Sparrow gasped
"Yes! With some Bloodstone harlot, too. While they were off on a trade together, if you can believe it." Lydia paused at the general store, "Simon! Dear! Look who came back!"
The man tending the register looked up, "Sparrow! How are you? Its been a long time."
"Oh, well, I've retired from my hero work and decided it was time to come back home. I've missed this place." She replied, smiling.
"Where's the family? Oh, Arabella will be so excited to have a friend to play with."
Sparrow's face fell, and Lydia's eyes widened.
"We will talk about it at home, dear. For now, I think I ought to get Sparrow back to her caravan!" Lydia ushered Sparrow away, towards the center of the camp. "I'm sorry, he doesn't know. Are you okay?"
"I think so, I just don't know when that question will get any easier." Sparrow kept her focus on the ground, "This has been great, Lydia, but I think I'm going to go back to my van for a bit. I'll catch up with you later."
Sparrow walked away, trying to hold the tears back from falling. Reaching her home, she closed the door and laid on the bed. It was in this moment she realized she had a long road ahead of her. In the month she spent with Reaver, not once had she properly grieved. Instead, she pushed the feelings of remorse and grief away, ignoring the open wound. Sparrow had never accepted that Bryn and Rosary died, and had never stopped blaming herself for it. Instead she distracted herself by helping Reaver move into that damn house. She threw herself into making sure that the sinks worked, or that the roof wasn't leaking, or finding the damn furniture Reaver wanted. Everything had become about helping Reaver, without helping herself first.
"That damn pirate took so much from me." She whispered, "and I let him."
The hero allowed herself to cry again, this time without holding herself back.