Stella was by the pond looking into it to see what was happening in the other world and saw the anger, the hate, the pain and suffering this monthly sacrificing, was doing to its people, and sighed hugging her knees and shutting it off not wanting to watch anymore of it.
"Do you truly need sacrifices?" Gordon's voice asked as he came over and sat next to her "If you don't, why don't you tell them?"
"No, I don't need them," Stella said quietly, hugging her knees tighter "But I do need friends, and... and someone to care about," she said blushing as she looked up to him for a second only to jump back to the pond.
"But every time I go there, to say, they think I'm mad and just keep giving me more," she said tears coming to my eyes. "Making me rip families apart, stealing sons and brothers away..."
Gordon reached out and hugged her curling around her.
"There there, maybe we can use a different way to tell them..." he said patting her hair.
"Like what..?" Stella asked rubbing the tears away.
"Just don't take the sacrifices," Gordon suggested after a bit of thinking.
"But then they'll just give me another one because they think I didn't like him," Stella said leaning into Gordon a bit more and gripping at his shirt.
"Trust me I've tried this long ago and nothing that involves talking to them, or has to do with the sacrifice has ever worked..."
"Then let them see their families again. Please..." he said almost begging.
"You think that will work?" Stella asked looking up to Gordon, her eyes shining with hope and tears.
He nodded and rubbed against her purring a little.
"Do... Do you think they'll come back?" she asked after thinking for a bit "And what about Billy and... and Charlie their families probably aren't even there anymore..."
"I don't know, but it's worth a chance," Gordon said, still patting her head.
"You try it first," Stella said straight away getting up and dusting herself down and snapping her fingers so Gordon was human again.
After hugging her, Gordon started running home to see Luke, to see Klara, to see everyone, a smile on his face.
Stella sank back down and turned the pond on again watching Gordon as he came out of the cave and run towards the village.
Hoping, praying, that he would come back to her.
o
As Gordon got to the village gates the first person he spotted was Luke and he ran towards him calling out his name.
"Gordy?" Luke asks looking up "GORDY!" he screams and ran towards his big brother, crashing into him and making him drop to the floor.
"Luke what are you..." Klara asks coming over and was caught breathless as she sees Gordon there too.
"Gordon... But... But how?" she asks shaking her head trying to work thing out, tears in her eyes "I... I saw the cart... You... You were..."
"She let me come back to visit" Gordon said smiling as he hugged Luke, still on the floor.
"She what?" Klara asked confused "But you're not going back right? You're staying here. Right?"
Gordon shook his head.
"I'm sorry, but I have to go back," he said getting up Luke still in his arms "She's lonely and I want to help her."
"She's lonely?" Klara asked loudly getting people's attention and whispers on Gordon Rite being back began "Do you have any idea how bad Luke and me have had it since you were taken by that monster last week?!"
"Yeah I do as a matter of fact," Gordon said nodding "And that's why she let me come back, to tell you that she doesn't need these sacrifices."
"She... Wha?" Klara and almost the whole village all said together.
"She doesn't need them," Gordon repeated "And she thinks you're all cowards because of it."
"Well then why does she take them?" Gorge, one of the Rebel father's asked getting nods from the others while the other half of the village muttered under their breaths the 'They were not cowards.'
"Because you won't let her explain," Gordon said looking around to everyone repeating what Stella had told him earlier.
"ALL RIGHT, ALL RIGHT, WHAT'S ALL THIS?!" the loud voice of the Chief called out as he pushed his way to the front to see what was going on.
Gordon's hold on his little brother tightened.
"Gordon?" William asks as he sees him "Gordon you escaped! We must celebrate this at once. EVERYONE TO THE GREAT HALL!"
After a bit of a standoff everyone got moving.
Quickly a nervous looking William pulled his second in command aside and asked him why did he think Stella sent the boy back?
But Gordon didn't budge
"I didn't escape," he said glaring at the Chief a bit "She let me come back to visit."
"Excuse me?" William asked turning back around to see the boy.
"She let me come back to visit and to talk to all you," Gordon repeated getting rather bored of having to do so.
"Well what did she have to say?" Hamish asked coming forward but being held back but his father in case this was a trick.
"That she only takes them, because you won't listen to her when she comes to say she doesn't need them..." Gordon said.
"Father, is this true?" Hamish asks turning to his dad.
"Of course it's not," the William says standing tall "We listen to her, we give her a boy each month that fits the calling she asks for. And we make sure every boy is in there so it's fair."
"Did you not hear me!?" Gordon yelled getting annoyed at this man "She doesn't need them..."
"I heard you, Gordon," Klara said coming over and standing next to him facing the Chief "And just so you know Chief, I as well as nearly all the other families with boys in the age zone, know for a good dam fact that your son has NEVER been put in that box."
"Of course I have," Hamish said back to her "It's just the luck of the draw, that I'm not chosen, that's all."
"Well then, you don't need to keep sending kids to her, that's what she told me," Gordon said looking to the crowd.
The families started nodding and mumbling at this and came over to stand by Gordon and Klara's side.
"I can get her to let the others come and visit if you promise me not to send more kids," Gordon said to try to get the others to come over.
"You can?" an old women who lost her son man years ago asked, this getting more whispers from the villagers.
"Yes, I can," Gordon said giving Luke to Klara and hugging the old lady.
Everyone started giving Gordon the names of their loved ones and messages they'd like him to give them.
Off to the side the William and his second in command were watching in silence, trying to work out why Stella would do this.
Away from both of them, Hamish was going over what Klara said about him never being in the box.
Slinking away, he went to go check if that were true...
After writing down all the messages, Gordon got up and started heading back.
"No..." Luke cried out hugging his legs not wanting to lose his brother again "Don't go Gordy! Please!"
Carefully Klara came and peeled him off and lifted him into her arms, a sad look on her face too.
"Don't worry, champ," he said smiling. "I'll come back tomorrow, promise" he said hugging them both one more time.
"Doubbly-Ubbally-Pinky-Inky-Promise?" Luke asked sniffing a bit.
"Yes," Gordon says ruffling his hair.
Smiling he let go and everyone watched as he left, all with smiles on their faces and high hopes that their messages will get through to their loved ones.