The Camp Fire

Ben's demeanour changed dramatically, his muscles relaxing and the tension leaving his features, the calloused fingers against her cheek curling slightly, as though trying to pull her closer. Lifting her head up, Milena found herself staring into those deep blue eyes she had thought she would never see again.

"Hey there, Princess," he said, grinning softly, "Aren't you a sight for sore eyes."

She felt her breath catch in her throat as a smile crept across her face.

Was it a dream? Had she fallen into a blissful slumber as she had knelt there, his hand pressed to her cheek? Surely, such a perfect moment could not exist in reality.

"I do not think the young lady is able to speak at the moment, Benjamin Finn," the tall wizard said from where he was stood across from her, "Perhaps it is due to the shock of seeing you awaken so soon after your injury."

The Major turned his head and frowned, though his eyes were filled with annoyance and anger rather than confusion. Had he already met the ancient Hero?

When he once again turned to face her, Ben's loving gaze worked its way across her face, and he lifted his other hand to wipe away her tears, wincing slightly from his wound. Smiling, he pulled her towards him.

She melted into his arms as the familiar feeling of adrenalin and lightning made its way through her, his lips pressed longingly against hers, the breath from his nose tickling her own, the stubble on his cheeks scratching her skin.

As they drew apart, Ben put a hand around the back of her neck and smiled.

"I love you, Milena, and there is nothing that could tear me away from you. Not anymore."

Feeling the tears beginning to form once again, she buried her face in her shoulder and wept.

It had been a few hours since he had first woken, but he hadn't yet left Milena's room, though he wasn't confined to the bed any more.

Apparently, Scythe had decided that his physical health had been more important than his inner battle with 'Dark Ben'. Not that he was complaining about the fact that the gaping hole in his chest was little more than a few scars (though he was told not to strain himself too much for a few days), but it would have been nice to know he would have had some back up had he needed it.

Milena, since his waking, had ordered a servant to retrieve a white shirt and a Major's jacket, or his old Captain's uniform, as the one he'd worn during the invasion (he still couldn't believe that had only been the day before) was stained with his blood and with two rather large holes in.

In all honesty, he wouldn't have minded walking around in them, just to see how everyone would have reacted, but even he had to admit that it would have been a little too much.

And so, that was how he found himself standing in front of a mirror wearing a shirt that was a little too big for him and his old jacket that still held the stains from his time in Mourningwood. Milena had long since left in search of Wally and Logan, and Scythe had disappeared, though he was hardly surprised.

Now he was alone, he was sitting on the bed (which he had remade) and was staring at the candle which was still lit on the table beside him. There was something about the flame that fascinated him, drew him in, and there was something inside him that made him want to touch it, to feel its warmth on his fingers.

He remembered what had happened in… that other place, but surely that was only the fire he created, not ones that were already in existence!

But still the feeling remained and only grew stronger.

Soon, it felt as though he was trying to keep an earthquake at bay, and he finally caved, picking up the wax stick and moving his forefinger in and out of the flame. At first he did so quickly, for fear of receiving a burn, but then he slowed down, letting it lick his fingers, as it had done before.

It really wasn't any different to the fire he held before. Sure, it was warm, but it didn't hurt.

Suddenly, there was knock at the door, and he put the candle down before anyone entered. It was a little too soon to start explaining that he was a Hero now. He still needed a little time to recover.

As the door creaked open, Ben stood and ran a hand through his grimy hair.

Avo, he needed a bath.

"Ben!"

He smiled as the old knight entered the room, arms outstretched, and a huge smile plastered on his face.

"Walter!" he replied in a similar manor, though he didn't open his arms as wide, the skin of his chest still a little too tender from before.

Moments later, he was in a tight embrace, fighting for air and feet some way off the ground.

"Come now Walter," came another familiar voice, "let the poor man breath."

Dropping to the floor once more, Ben looked over his friend's shoulder to find the two royal siblings walking over to them.

"Logan," the Major said, holding out his hand, "It's good to see you again."

The Prince smirked, "Is it really? Or are you just trying to be polite?" he asked, taking the offered hand.

Ben decided not to answer.

"So, how long was I out?" he asked, pulling one of his sleeves back up his arm again.

"A day, if you can believe it," Walter replied incredulously.

He blinked, "Are you serious?"

The knight nodded, "One day your dead, the next you're right as rain!"

The blonde haired man shook his head and sat back on the bed, head in his hand, "But that's… I thought…" He groaned, closing his eyes, "This is all too confusing."

"You're telling us."

They remained in silence for a bit, but then the bed dipped slightly as Milena came to sit next to him, pulling him into her arms.

"Don't worry," she whispered into his ear, "We'll figure everything out. You'll see."

Ben had decided to go and see his men, who had no doubt heard of his latest 'adventure' and assumed the worst. Mind you, anyone would have assumes the worst after hearing of a tale like that…

The men that had decided to remain in the army were currently camped outside of the cities and villages they had been ordered to protect, though Milena had noticed a fair few were inside the walls, 'mingling' with the people who were all too glad for their presence (and she was sure there would be several forms of thanks for some of them). However, those that had come to respect Ben as a friend more than a legend were sat around where a camp fire had once burned, nursing cups of something resembling beer in silence.

For whatever reason, Ben had decided to surprise them… which was probably why they were both hidden behind a tent.

One of the men sighed and looked around at his friends, "Aren't we a sorry lot."

Another snorted, but the others just stared into their cups.

"Come one lads!" the man continued, the blanket draped across his shoulders slipping slightly to reveal his Lieutenant's uniform, "It's been a day! We've defeated a great threat to our homes! We should be celebrating!"

Yet more silence.

"Look, I miss him as much as you do, but we have to move on."

The one that snorted looked up at the Lieutenant, "I's no' like we could jus' forge' 'im, is i'?"

"He was the best Major a soldier could wish for," someone else stated.

"And he always knew how to lighten the mood."

There was an all-round collection of nods and murmured agreements.

Milena heard Ben snigger quietly next to her, but the others didn't hear, so she elbowed him in the ribs, making him yell in pain. Served him right for pulling such a trick on his friends!

This caused the soldiers to look in their direction, some of them instinctively reaching for their weapons.

"Who's there?" the Lieutenant asked, rising from his position, "Show yourself!"

Ben glanced at her briefly, rolling his eyes, before making his way around the tent, carefully avoiding the ropes that were keeping it up.

Several of the s when they saw him, whilst others just aimed their weapons at him, eyes wide in disbelief and fear.

"It's a ghost!" came a cry.

The Major laughed. "Yes, I'm a ghost," he said, "Here to haunt you for the rest of your days!" He wiggled his fingers in a mysterious way, making a face before laughing again, "Nah, put your guns down, I'm not dead."

They continued to stare at him.

"Oh, for the love of… Milena!" he shouted, "Could you come out and prove I'm not dead?"

She was half tempted to just leave him there, but she couldn't deny his men the knowledge of his survival. Sighing, she made her way towards him, ignoring the 'your majesty's thrown her way as the soldiers stood. Once she reached Ben's side, she poked him in the stomach, causing him to reel over in pain.

"Ah! Jeez!" he exclaimed, "That's still sore!"

She pouted, "But I thought you said you wanted proof."

"Not that kind of proof!"

The officer came towards them, his steps slow and careful. As he came closer, his arm extended, until…

"Impossible!"

Ben nodded, "You can say that again."

The Lieutenant dropped his rifle and grabbed both of Ben's arms, squeezing them slightly so as to reassure himself. There was still a look of doubt about him, but there was a hint of joy slowly spreading through his eyes.

"I… I saw her kill you!"

He cringed, "Ah. Not exactly a good memory, but…" He shrugged.

"How are you alive?"

Ben pursed his lips and looked over at Milena for some support.

Smiling, she pulled his hand into hers and took a breath, "I think it would be better if you sat down."

Since when had Milena become such a great story teller?

Even if it was his own story, Ben found himself captivated by her telling, smiling to himself as she embellished on all the right points, such as how badly wounded he'd been, and that he had actually been dead for hours before coming back. When Scythe's name was mentioned, the men, as expected, were doubtful, but it didn't stop them from enjoying the tale all the same.

By the time she'd finished, it was beginning to get dark, but they both knew they weren't going to be leaving any time soon.

"'ere Ben!" Vincent cried, nudging his elbow, "You haven't told us your side of the story yet!"

Everyone cheered in response, raising their cups to their 'triumphant' leader.

He waved a hand, shaking his head, "No, no, I don't think you'd want to hear my story. Milena's was all sunshine and rainbows compared to mine!"

The Queen frowned at him when he said that, but buried her nose in her cup.

Of course, everyone else just took this as an invitation, and soon they were all urging him on.

"Alright! Fine!" he exclaimed, "But don't say I didn't warn you!"

Clearing his throat, he sat up straight and turned to face the fire place. "Now, I haven't told a soul what I am about to tell you, and I'm not going to repeat myself, so don't interrupt!" he warned, pointing his finger around the group. They nodded. "Right then…

"I'm assuming this was during the time that I was dead, though I do not rightfully know if this is true, but I can remember waking up in a large hall with no windows or doors, and yet it was filled with light. There wasn't a single thing around, apart from myself, that wasn't white. As I looked around, I found myself walking in circles, when suddenly…!"

Everyone jumped like children, making him smile.

"…there he was! At least eight feet tall with ribbons tied across his face to hide the distorted features underneath, a great staff in his hand and eyes as red as blood! Scythe!

"The first thing I thought was; 'does he know about the hammer?'…"

Milena sniggered.

"…but then he told me that he saved me from the, how did he say it?... Oh yes! The 'oblivion that is death'." He deepened his voice to sound more like Scythe's, causing several sniggers, though most were focused on the story. "He also told me that he'd saved me because – and I'm not saying this because I think it, he really did say it – I'm supposed to be a Hero."

They all stared at him… the burst out laughing.

"Come off it, sir!" Freddy said, holding onto his stomach.

"It's true!" he exclaimed, "Look, I'll even show that it is later, but first, let me finish my story!"

He let them calm down and, ignoring their amused looks, continued.

"As I was saying, he said I was supposed to be a Hero. Don't! He said that my 'power' was dormant inside me, but I had to 'awaken' it somehow. So he took me to an island, where if I stepped a toe in the water, then it would become a raging sea. Scythe said that I was to learn how to control 'Will' there.

"Now by that time, I had noticed that he kept calling me by my full name, but not once had I introduced myself, so I asked him about it. So, just before he vanished into thin air, he said; 'I take care to know the names of my descendants'."

Another round of laughter picked up.

"Come on guys!"

Eventually, they calmed down again, but they couldn't remove the smiles from their faces. Even Milena was having a difficult time hiding her amusement.

Sighing, Ben took a sip of his drink. "Well, anyway, he left me there for what felt like weeks. I was hungry and unable to get water, trying desperately to 'awaken' this power I was supposed to have, when suddenly the island disappeared, and I was stood on a rock that was floating above a bottomless pit. The sky was red and the sun was hidden from view by vast black clouds, but even in that light I could see it."

His eyes became vacant as he remembered the scene, his voice growing quieter, "There was another rock, like the one I was stood on, only it was out of reach, and I saw…" He swallowed, " It was like seeing a mirror image of me, except it was what I could have been if… if the Crawler had taken over completely. It had black hair and white skin, and its eyes were so deep a red I thought I was looking into the pits of hell. It was surrounded by a cloud of smoke, and… Milena was stood there in its arms, helpless… and I couldn't do anything!"

He wiped away a tear that had begun to fall down his cheek and blinked, "It taunted me. Told me I was weak and that she didn't want me. It conjured fire and threw it at me, telling me I was nothing and… I snapped.

"When it came close to me, I held it in a bear hug, and I let the anger inside me escape. It melted in my arms, the flesh running off his bones in front of my eyes, the flames eating every last piece of it, but it didn't hurt me. When it fell off the edge of the rock, I knew I could control that flame inside me."

Blinking, he shook his head and came back to reality, and the stillness of the men before him, all eyes wide in shock at his words.

He felt Milena's hands on his shoulder, their touch giving him strength.

"And then I heard you call me back," he said, turning to face her, "and I woke up."

She smiled a small smile at him and held his hand, pulling him to his feet.

They were about to leave when he turned back to face his men.

"And in case you didn't believe I was a Hero…"

He threw a fire ball at the pile of sticks in the middle of them, lighting the fire none of them had bothered to notice.

AN - Well that was an interesting chapter to write...

Once again, I have been surprised by my own hands! I had no idea where this chapter was going, and the fact that Ben wanted to go to see his men sounded like a good idea, so I just went with it. I think I do reminiscent Ben a little too often...

This Update, I was listening to 'Blow Northerne Wynd' by, once again, Helium Vola. And yes, that is spelt correctly. It's just very old English.

I still haven't heard anything from my universities yet, but I did get my new phone today! Yay! New toy!

I don't know when I'm going to update next. I was hoping to write a chapter or two for some of my other stories, and I'm still considering that Loki story...

Hope you liked this chapter and until next time!