Disclaimer: I am not Tamora Pierce, I am not Kel.
Note: If you have not read Mrs. Pierce's authors note, you wouldn't understand the correlation.
Kel slowly dismounted off of Peachblossem. She knew she shouldn't have disappeared like she did. But she had to. The ruins had been cleared away. The grave markers put into place. The sheer number overwhelmed her. She could barley imagine the number of people, let alone the amount dead.
She closed her eyes, all she could see was the dead. The smoke rising from Haven. She could See it.
It had been one year since that fateful day, all she had to show for it was a fistful of flowers, and this:
Why damn it ?
Why in the hell did you let it happen?
How could I have stopped it!
WHY?
HOW?
One minute they were all happy, the next, all dead. They didn't mean it to happen. They just woke up and they were dead.
WHY?
Some master plan? Some purpose? WHAT PURPOSE? Now we are in this war that no one can win!
Evil will always prevail! We can't stop it, You can't stop it!
WHO CAN?
She continued to question whomever would listen, be it the grass or the very gods themselves. Screaming, cursing, and crushing the flowers in her hand. The war had been going on for over a year and there seemed to no end to it. The King wouldn't give a date for when the soldiers would pull out of Scanra. Every speech he gave, no matter the subject ended up with him defending himself for his actions. Most days Kel kept herself busy trying to help the refugees who came in daily. But everyday her thoughts went back on those who died. The couple who died on the way. The children's voices who cried out in fear when the monsters were destroyed.
She watched all of her friends get on with there lives. Raoul's wedding, Neal's too. Even Toby had found a sweetheart, one of the refugee's girl who he brought flowers too. Only Dom understood her. He didn't "court" any women, he was to busy.
The sun was beginning to set, she hadn't ate all day. She didn't feel like eating either. Slowly Dom came up from behind her, he put her hand on her shoulder.
Her stone face was broken by the tears, her eyes red from crying all day. She cried all of herself out. In a horse whisper she asked,
"why?"
"Things happen that are out of our control, we can't help it, they just do."
"but-"
"If we understood them, they wouldn't have to happen."
Dom led her to his horse put her upon his saddle. Grabbing Peachblosem's reins he headed back to New Hope with out a look back.