Beautiful Mistake Chapter 2: Former Hero
A young elven girl was currently brushing her long and silky hair in front of a large mirror. The lustrous locks not putting up much of a resistance to her gentle brushing as it flowed behind her back softly. The girl was a picture of grace and purity, her face displaying nothing but poise and focus on her mundane task.
"If it didn't make grandma throw a hissy fit I would have cut my hair short to relieve such a hassle! It would just grow back anyway so what's the big deal!" thought the young girl, annoyed that she had to constantly brush and maintain her hair that still remains perfect regardless if she took care of it or not.
It had been a few years since he had awakened from his temporary meeting with a stressed-out office worker in the afterlife and assigned into this new life that he had apparently requested; being reborn as a girl in a fantastical world, emphasis on "fantastical" since he came back as an honest-to-God elf. Thankfully, reincarnating as a baby gave her the excuse of bawling her eyes out and panicking at the sudden weird twist that her life took, the newborn crying her heart out as the woman holding her rocked her slowly and whispered sweet words to calm the baby down.
The years that followed was a whirlwind of confusion and emotional breakdowns that were conveniently hidden as typical baby behaviour as the woman who tended to her when she first awoke, her grandmother, calmly soothed the baby girl's sudden tantrums.
After getting a loose grip on her sanity, the girl learned that her new name in this world is Alya Cranel, the only daughter of the Cranel family that consisted of two grandparents and a brother older than her by a few months.
The precarious grip on her sanity loosened slightly when observing her new family, with both of her grandparents not even close to looking elderly especially her grandmother who had the looks to compete with supermodels and her grandfather's unusually buff physique that rivals the bodies of professional athletes from her old world. Only her brother Bell didn't invoke much confusion as he looked and acted like a normal baby. She quickly grew fond of the little boy as he also played a part in calming her down, her new sibling embracing his sister whenever the panic attacks and wailing occurred.
It helped that Bell was by far the most normal of the family. Her grandmother, while a nurturing and caring woman most of the time ran the household with a dainty iron fist. Her general attitude was that of a disciplinarian and she suffered no foolishness from anyone, especially from her grandfather. But the only exception of this strictness would be Bell, the stern woman having a soft spot for her grandson.
The jolly old man was obviously the fun grandparent with his enthusiasm in playing with his grandchildren after a hard day's work farming and reading them stories about great heroes and grand adventures which Bell particularly loved. This positive side of her grandfather was balanced out by the fact that he was also a dirty old man, with numerous attempts to "educate" Bell on the importance of having a harem or how peeking on women being an excellent way for a man to spend his free time.
Cue in the times grandpa gets random dirt naps when grandma appears to smack him upside the head with her trusty pan or any other hard object close by. Strangely enough grandpa never attempted to impart any of his "wisdom" to Alya, but that could be easily explained with grandma reaching for the knives if even a nugget of said wisdom reached the little girl's ears.
Regardless of their eccentricities and faults Grandma June and Grandpa Peter were the best grandparents anyone could ask for, the husband and wife showering their adopted grandchildren with so much love and care to make up for the absence of their parents.
On the topic of their parentage it was obvious that Alya and Bell weren't related if her pointy ears weren't enough of an indication. Aside from Alya's pale blonde hair and greenish-blue eyes contrasting with Bell's snow-white hair and red eyes, her fully pointed ears revealed her full-blooded elf status thus negating the possibility of them being half-siblings.
The only information about their biological parents that Alya and Bell could get out of their grandparents were the names of their mothers, Meteria and Liane. The children decided to leave it at that since talking about their parents always made grandma very upset, especially when the topic of their fathers came up that made the intimidating woman even more terrifying than she already is. Any more thoughts of displeased grandmothers and absentee fathers was interrupted by a sudden knock on her door.
"Come in." said Alya as she finished brushing her hair and placed the brush on the small nightstand next to her bed. The door opened to reveal her older brother Bell, the small boy entering the room with his usual bright smile. He quickly ran towards Alya to give her a big hug and quick kiss on the cheek.
"So what are you doing back home early? You always play with the kids in the village before coming home for dinner." Asked the amused young elf as her brother released her from the warm embrace.
Alya and Bell were always given a set of chores every day that needed to be done as their grandparents were busy with their own work. It was nothing too strenuous for the children to complete and they were free to do whatever they want until the adults came back from their jobs for dinner.
"I wanted to keep you company since you're always alone in the house. You can always come play with me and the other kids, ya know? They don't hate you or anything like that…" answered Bell, awkwardly avoiding his sister's gaze when mentioning her self-isolation from the village.
Alya's avoidance of the village was not out of malicious intent from the villagers or snobbish behaviour from the girl but rather the awkwardness that occurred when the elven girl tried to interact with anyone aside from her family, and this all stems from the girl's unnatural beauty.
Even by elven standards Alya was breathtakingly beautiful, with every adult unable to resist fawning over the girl and showering her with praises. It didn't help that Alya possessed a serious demeanour that further amplified the otherworldly aura she possessed that drove away the children, who didn't want to offend the "beautiful fairy" and instead scatter when they catch sight of the girl.
Alya herself was sick of the constant compliments and suffocating attention on her. It was intensely grating to be treated like a delicate doll whose only purpose was to receive compliments and be stared at. If she had to hear people calling her "darling" or "sweet angel" a hundred more times in one afternoon, she'll lose it.
On her attitude with the children of the village she couldn't help not acting like a kid since she really isn't one mentally, which was mistaken as her attempts to be a "mature young lady" as grandma June would state proudly. Just because she didn't feel like running around the village and forest or play pretend teatime with mudpies it didn't mean she was pretending to be an adult!
"it's alright, Bell. No one is at fault here but me and I like my privacy anyway. You can go ahead and play with the other kids if you want." Assured Alya. The young elf really did appreciate how much her brother cares for his sister's happiness. She wouldn't have expected this kind of support from siblings of her previous life.
It's not fair for me to have fun while you're stuck here all alone. If no one wants to play with you then I will!" said Bell, his timid expression replaced with a determined gaze.
Seeing that her brother can't be persuaded to leave, Alya let out a soft sigh and agreed to play with him. With his sister agreeing to go out and play with him, the boy's frown turned upside down as he quickly tugged her out of the house.
The Cranel home was located farther away from the main settlement of the village and borders the nearby forest, which ironically enforced Alya's reputation as a "fairy" of nature by the overactive imagination of the children.
Again, she isn't responsible for the thought process of everyone who meets her especially kids hyped up on youthful energy.
The siblings continued their trek in the forest, or in this case Bell's exuberant dash into the woodland area as his sister calmly walked behind him. It was a tranquil atmosphere with the crisp mountain air mixing with the smells of nature, the rambunctious noise of her brother's squeals breaking the calm picture. Despite being timid and quiet most of the time, Bell could be really loud when he's happy.
After a few more minutes of walking, or in Bell's case running, they finally arrived to the swing that Grandpa Peter made for his grandchildren. It was a simple design of wood and rope tied to one of the branches of a sturdy tree, providing simple yet wholesome fun for the children wanting to rock back and forth in the wind.
As Alya was about to plop down on the grass and let her brother swing around to his heart's content she felt a tug on her arm. Bell was pouting cutely while motioning to the swing.
"I promised we would have fun together so no being boring please. Come on, I'll push you on the swing first!" said the young boy. He loved spending time with sister but she really acted like the boring adults who like to sit around all the time.
Unable to say no to her brother's wishes, the young girl reluctantly got on the swing and allowed Bell to begin pushing her. While still clinging to her mature mentality even Alya couldn't deny the joy in swinging in the air without a care in the world. After a couple more swings, she got off the seat and let Bell have his turn in swinging.
The siblings played around for quite some time until the sun began dipping and bathed everything in an orange glow. Noticing how late the hour was the siblings halted their playtime and began the trek back home.
"Did you have fun today, Alya?" asked the cheerful boy, a skip in his step from being able to spend a day having fun with his sister.
Alya nodded in agreement silently. She would admit that cutting loose and acting like a kid was nice, but she would limit this kind of attitude with Bell as acting childish with others felt embarrassing. It was still a nice reprieve from the feeling of loneliness from her self-imposed isolation.
"Maybe I should try to get along with the kids and stop hiding away in the house all the time. It's not like I'll stay a kid forever and Bell shouldn't sacrifice his playtime just to keep his anti-social sister compa- "
Alya's thoughts were interrupted by Bell's choked scream, the boy standing frozen on the spot suddenly and staring at a bush. The elf girl was about to ask what scared her brother so suddenly when a large shadow walked out of the bushes, the figure making a low growling sound as it stalked towards the children. The dying light of the day illuminated the shadow, revealing a grotesque green creature walking on two feet.
"Is that a goblin! What the hell is a monster doing in the middle of nowhere!" thought Alya frantically as the monster continued its slow approach.
While surface monsters are not an uncommon sight, one straying close to an isolated village far from the usual hotspots of monster activity were extremely rare. Despite the goblin being one of the weakest monster types and it being a surface monster meant that the creature was further weakened, people without a blessing would still find it a difficult task fighting them off.
For unblessed young children, this monster could very well kill them in the blink of an eye.
"…Bell I need you to run back home and call for help. I'll stay here and hold it off." Stated Alya, the girl picking up a nearby fallen branch to use as a weapon as the goblin growled loudly at the action. She had no hope of winning the fight or getting out of it alive, but Alya would be damned to allow her brother be injured or killed in her place. If she's going to die a second time then let it happen in her own terms while saving the ones she loved.
Before Bell could respond, the goblin let out a savage howl and jumped towards the children. The siblings dodged the goblin's initial attack, their small bodies allowing them to manoeuvre from the monster's deadly but clumsy attacks. With his sister's words ringing in his head and galvanized by the goblin's attack Bell allowed the fear to take hold of his body fully and ran away, shame and self-loathing burning inside him.
The goblin, not wanting its prey to escape, was about to leap towards the young boy before Alya smacked it in the face with a branch. The strike lacked any power behind it and only served to discombobulate the creature for a few seconds before it snarled and focused on the young elf.
They continued dancing around with Alya attempting to make another strike but failed as the goblin had enough of being hit with the branch and ripped it out of her grasp, furiously snapping it in two and throwing the pieces away.
Now without a weapon and out of options, the young girl recklessly charged the monster and tackled it with her small body. The nauseating smell of rotten meat filled her nose as the goblin clawed at her, slicing through her dress and into her flesh.
Intense pain was all Alya could feel as the goblin's thrashing was too much for her to withstand, forcing her to let go as it hooked its sharp claws onto her body and threw her against a tree with a solid smack against the bark. The goblin's assault didn't end there as it once again leapt forward with its sharp teeth poised for a bite and found purchase on her shoulder.
The bite lasted for a few seconds before she heard an enraged yell followed by the goblin being flung away from her. With bleary vision from the pain and blood loss, Alya could make out her grandfather who arrived to deliver a solid strike that killed the goblin instantly. She heard him talking to her in a fast and panicked tone but couldn't process it as the pain and blood loss took its toll and fell into unconsciousness.
Zeus carried his granddaughter in his arms as gently as possible before running like hell back to the house where a healer and his wife waited. Hera's voice hitched and her stoic mask fell apart, tears brimming in her eyes and falling rapidly as the proud goddess wailed at the state of her grandchild. He solemnly passed the injured girl to the healer and his wife for them to quickly tend to her wounds.
As his wife and the village healer tended to the girl, Zeus noticed his grandson staring at the injured form of his sister in silent horror. Not wanting the boy to be traumatized more than he already is the god quickly went over to the boy and carried him away and into his room.
"It's going to be alright, Bell. The wounds your sister sustained only look serious but aren't a danger to her life. Your Grandma June and Auntie Florence will fix her up good as new!" reassured Zeus, worry for his grandson's mental state growing as the boy was still catatonic.
Desperate to cheer up his grandson, he walked to a bookshelf held many storybooks about heroes and pulled out Bell's favourite story, the tale of Argonaut.
"Hey kiddo! How about a story to relax while your sister recovers? I have your favourite right here about Argo-"
The old man didn't have a chance to finish his sentence as Bell ran towards the bookshelf that contained his collection of storybooks. In a shocking display, the young boy began furiously ripping up all of the books.
"NO MORE! NO MORE STORIES! NO MORE HEROES! IT'S ALL A LIE!" screamed Bell, his sorrow replaced with fury as he continued tearing up his books. The anger didn't last long as despair soon replaced it and tears streamed down the young boy's face.
"In the end it was all just a fantasy. Alya didn't have a hero to save her but I was there… AND I RAN AWAY! I WAS USELESS!"
Once Bell finished tearing up the final book, his arms slackened and the distraught child collapsed among the torn pages and ruined covers of his delusions. Bell had always wanted to be a hero, someone who goes on great adventures and saves people, but the bitter truth revealed itself when he abandoned his sister to die to save himself.
He wasn't worthy of being anyone's hero, he isn't worthy of anything. Just thinking or hearing about heroes now reminded him of how much of a worthless failure he is.
"…It was my fault that Alya got hurt. I forced her to go out with me when she should have been home and safe. I should have been the one the goblin hurt. I DESERVED TO DI- "
Hearing enough of his grandson's agonized wishes the god silenced his grandson with a tight hug, the storybook he held carelessly tossed to the side and forgotten. Bell stopped forming coherent words and sobbed into his grandfather's chest.
It didn't take long for the village to hear about the tragedy that befell the Cranel family as the whole community visited them to offer condolences and gifts for the family. This continued for a few more weeks even after Alya made a full recovery, showing how much the family was appreciated by the villagers and their fondness for the unsociable but lovely girl.
Alya thankfully recovered without any complications and didn't even sport a single scar from her accident, a testament to Aunt Florence and Grandma June's skills as healers and the medicine made from the rare herbs that grew around the village.
Life went on for the Cranel family with grandma and grandpa still being the eccentric but loveable grandparents, however Alya did notice that they treated her with a little more tenderness as grandma became lenient with her usual disciplinarian routine regarding her. The strict expectations of Alya maintaining her ladylike upkeep remained, but Grandma June smiled a little more than usual and was more encouraging of the girl's efforts. But one member of the family didn't completely move on from the tragedy and changed deeply.
Bell never stopped blaming himself for what happened despite his family's attempts to convince him that it wasn't his fault. The once cheerful boy was now rarely seen smiling and even closed himself off from everyone with the exception of his family. While his relationships with everyone has deteriorated, Bell had grown closer to his sister than before.
The boy had decided to spend all of his free time with his sister and it became a common sight to see Bell staying close by to Alya as if he was afraid she would disappear in a puff of smoke if takes his eyes off of her.
While Alya was obviously annoyed at this suffocating clinginess from her brother, she didn't have the heart to tell the boy off with how lost and broken he appeared. The only thing that could elicit any sort of happiness from Bell is being with Alya, with his former interests falling out in favour of dedicating himself fully to his sister. Not even hearing his grandfather's stories would make Bell happy, the stories now making the young boy very upset.
To his grandfather's immense disappointment, Bell had fully rejected heroes and their stories from his life. After throwing out the remaining books about heroic legends and tales, he requested that his grandfather cease with telling more stories as they have now become a reminder that the young boy would never become a hero.
Upon closer scrutiny of the tales he used to adore, Bell had concluded that heroes were nothing more than selfish people whose only purpose was to bask in fame and leave behind their loved ones or become a burden to them. Even if they didn't up and leave, the heroes would instead become burdens who cause strife to the ones closest to them. One hero in particular that Bell greatly disliked was his former favourite, Argonaut.
Argonaut was nothing more than a blowhard who dragged his sister into all sorts of problems and made a pathetic spectacle of himself in order to "inspire" others while causing nothing but grief for his sister, who continued supporting her foolish brother in his selfish endeavours. In the end he accomplished nothing but crippling himself and forcing Feena to care for him till the end of his days.
The young boy renounced the tale of Argonaut, renounced all heroic tales as nothing but fanciful lies and a waste of time better dedicated to caring for those that matter more.
Being a hero was no longer a priority for Bell as he has a new goal; to give his heart for his sister's health and happiness. If there was one thing he didn't regret on that horrible day when he almost lost his sister, it was that the tragedy became a wake up call for him to realise what really mattered.
Other fools and clowns can take up the mantle of becoming a hero. All that Bell wants now is to be a dependable brother who his beloved sister can always rely on. Someone who will never run, who will stand and fight to his last breath.