The Other Child
Chapter 2
A/N: It was brought to my attention that in the movie when Cain finds his wife's grave the marker appeared to be old, suggesting that Adora had been killed year—sorry annuals—before. For all intensive purposes of this story, I'm going to assume that she was only dead a month or so before he found the grave. Although in my defense the ground did look freshly disturbed but whatever. Enjoy!!
"Everything ready for tomorrow?" Adora asked as she entered the tent and took a quick inventory of its contents. They would be leaving the tent and their cots here, since they belonged to the resistance anyway. All that they owned could be put into their two satchels for the trip; anything bigger would have to stay.
"I believe so," Jeb answered taking a seat on his cot and staring out the open tent flap. "Do you think she's okay?"
Sighing audibly Adora took a seat next to her son and wrapped her arm around his shoulders. "I'm sure she's fine, Jeb. I trust the Kylins to take care of her and you know as well as I do that Lenna is quite resourceful. You worry too much about her."
"I know," he admitted dropping his head. "I just feel like I have this strange connection with her in some way. There's something about her that just reminds me…well reminds me of dad." He felt terrible mentioning this to his mother, who had suffered enough in losing two husbands to Azkadellia's reign.
A deep silence filled the tent, enveloping its occupants and leaving both to their own thoughts. "I've felt it too," Adora finally spoke.
Jeb's head snapped up at his mother's words. "Felt it?" he questioned.
"When Milenna was born and I looked into her eyes," she let the sentence hang in the air, not entirely sure how to express such a thought.
Jeb had had the same thought when Milenna was born. His mother's eyes were a deep brown, the same color as Michael's, yet their daughter had been born with crystal clear blue eyes. Sure it was genetically possible but highly unlikely. Even Jeb, who had one parent with the rare trait of blue eyes, still was born with hazel eyes which are much more common.
"Dad would have loved her," he ventured. "Sometimes she acts just like him."
Adora smiled, trying not to focus on the unnerving topic at hand, instead choosing to change the subject. "What are the details of our trip tomorrow?"
Jeb snapped into military mode quickly. "We'll leave before dawn and head due south to the Gorge. Commander Ronan said there is a cabin of resistance sympathizers that will help us cross. From there it should only take us half a day to make it to Finaqua."
"I suppose we should get some sleep then," Adora spoke softly. "We have a long trip ahead of us."
OZOZOZ
As per schedule the pair left early the next morning before the rising of the first sun. They made their trail through the woods to avoid the Brick Route and the patrols of Longcoats that came with it. It was mid day before they stopped to rest, finding a small stream to refill their canteens. Jeb dropped to the ground next to a large tree and laid his head back against its rough bark. The sky above was a brilliant blue with just a splattering of white clouds. Through the tree tops Jeb could just make out the edges of the double suns as they approached the apex of the sky, signaling the time. His mind began to wander briefly wondering how such a beautiful land could be controlled by such evil. He'd never known the O.Z. under the rule of the House of Gayle. Sure he'd been alive before Azkadellia had seized power but he really didn't remember much of it. He was only six annuals when she'd seized power, and memories that old were difficult to retrieve even when no magic was involved in the process.
Adora stood next to the spring as she secured the cap on her canteen, watching her son staring off into the distance. She felt like she was staring at a young man she didn't even know. What kind of mother would keep such secrets from her son? Sometimes she hated herself for it, but even in those times Adora would remember that everything she was doing was for the safety and welfare of her children. That was the goal, what she was constantly striving toward. It's what Wyatt would have wanted, what Michael would have wanted.
But sometimes she questioned all the secrets.
"Beautiful isn't it?"
Jeb's eyes snapped from the tree-lined sky to his mother's face. "It is," he answered abruptly.
"Your father and I used to take trips up to the ridge on a regular basis," she recalled wistfully. Closing the distance between them in a few long strides Adora took a seat on the ground next to her son, resting her tired feet. "The view was so beautiful from up there. We couldn't wait to take you with us."
"I remember one trip," Jeb said his mind wandering back. "Dad was dead set on making it up there before midday. I rode most of the trip on his shoulders."
For the first time in months Adora felt herself smile. "He was so sore that night," she recalled. "He just kept groaning about how heavy you were and wondering when you got so big." A comfortable silence fell between the pair as each relived the event through their own eyes.
"I really miss him sometimes," Jeb spoke letting the words vanish into the air surrounding them. He wasn't sure if he was admitting this to his mother or merely to himself.
"He'd be proud of you," Adora smiled taking Jeb's hand in her own and giving it a gently squeeze. "Proud that you carried on in his footsteps. That you've done so much to protect me and Lenna." She paused for a moment; the thought that maybe she should tell him the truth about the girl entered her mind briefly. Opening and closing her mouth several times, she fought for the words to finally release her darkest secret.
"We should probably get moving," Jeb said, pulling himself to his feet then offering his hand to his mother. Adora sighed heavily and accepted his help, climbing to her feet for the next leg of their journey.
OZOZOZ
As the twin suns were nearing the horizon Jeb and Adora stumbled into the clearing around the small cabin. It was a meager looking place, one that wouldn't draw any unneeded attention from resistors and Longcoats alike. They had seen the blue smoke from the distance signaling that they were headed to the right place. Commander Ronan had told them to be on the lookout for the cabin's occupants, knowing that the couple was incredibly protective and suspicious of everyone.
Jeb and Adora stumbled out of the underbrush and took a few cautious steps toward the porch. They were nearly to the porch when an older man appeared from around the corner of the cabin.
"Who goes there?" he asked, gun raised and trained on the newcomers.
"We mean you no harm," Jeb recited recalling the phrase the commander had drilled into his head. "We are travelers of the Realms, looking for a warm meal and a cold cup of grog."
The man studied the pair in front of him before speaking. "Food's scarce this time of year," he responded, "and the grog's long since been seized."
Jeb nodded. "We'll leave you then. May your hearth be warm…"
"And your smoke be blue," the man concluded. He dropped the gun to his side and motioned to the door. "Come inside quickly."
Adora and Jeb followed the man inside quickly, being followed by a woman carrying her own weapon resembling the man's. Once the group was inside and the door was safely locked the weapons were stowed away and introductions were made.
"I'm Ralph. This is my wife Lorraine," the man spoke. "I take it you're resistance fighters?"
"Yes," Jeb answered keeping his answers short and careful not to divulge too much information. "We're headed south to Finaqua."
"And you need safe passage across the Gorge?" he supplied.
"Yes," Jeb answered. "We were told you could help us."
"We can," Ralph said looking to his wife. "We'll have to wait for nightfall for cover. It's the safest time to cross."
"Until then please rest," Lorraine said motioning the pair to a set of chairs near the fire place. Adora gladly took the seat, happy to finally rest her tired feet.
Jeb took the seat across from his mother letting the heat from the fire glow against his face. He knew they needed to wait for nightfall to shield them as they made the treacherous journey across the Gorge, but the anxious feeling never left his nerves. He was a man of action and sitting there in these strangers' living room drinking warm cider, while delicious and filling, was doing little for his mindset.
Ever the craftsmen Jeb dug through his pack and pulled out the small wooden horse that he'd been working on for the last few weeks. The figure was nearly finished, painted black and white as the others had been, but there was just something off about its shape. Pulling his pocketknife out, Jeb set about smoothing the lines of the horse's body. He was so intent on his work that he barely noticed the pair of brown eyes that watched him from the corner.
"That's a pretty horse mister," the little boy spoke taking a few cautious steps toward the newcomers to admire his work.
"Thank you," Jeb said smiling at the boy. He leaned forward in his chair and studied the child. He couldn't be any older than Milenna, probably around 8 or 9 annuals, with dirty blonde hair covering the tips of his ears. It really was a shame that children as young as this had to be involved in such a terrible ordeal.
"Do ya have a real horse?" he asked becoming less shy with each passing moment.
"Samuel that's enough," Lorraine warned her son gently. "These folks need to rest, they don't need to be asked all kinds of questions."
"No it's okay," Jeb smiled at the older woman then turned back to her son. "I don't have a real horse. But if I did I'd want him to look just like this," he motioned to the figurine.
"I usta have a pony," Samuel smiled remembering his old pet. "He was just little and his name was Biscuit cuz he loved ta eat em!"
Jeb laughed at the boy's antics. "That sounds pretty neat. I bet he was a good pony."
"He was," Samuel agreed his face lighting up before falling at the memory. "We had to leave him behind when we left the village. Papa said we couldn't keep him with us."
Jeb nodded sympathetically. So many people had to give up so much when Azkadellia took power. Some things were of great importance, like those who risked their lives and freedom, and some were less troublesome. But even to a child, having to leave a pet and friends behind was like abandoning a part of one's soul for the cause. Jeb could understand what that was like. Looking at the figure in his hands, he dragged the knife a few more times along the nose before finally sighing in satisfaction.
"Here," he said handing the small wooden horse to Samuel, "why don't you keep this."
"Really?" Sam asked reaching out tentatively for the toy. "Thanks mister!" he called as he dashed up the stairs to his room.
Adora smiled at her son before turning her attention back to the flickering flame of the fireplace. It wouldn't be long before they would need to be moving on, so she decided to enjoy what little relaxation she could. It was going to be a long night.
Okay so as I was watching my Tin Man DVD (for the ninth time) I noticed that when Cain questions Ralph about the horse he says that a resistance fighter and his mother came through a few months ago. So apparently my timing isn't that bad. Oh and I figured out the guy's name. Woohoo!
Review!!!