The Covington Manor, East Shroud, 1571
A loud thump awoke the teenage Midlander in the middle of the night. She thought little of it, mind too bogged with sleep to give it much consideration, and simply rolled over onto her opposite side, hugging onto her pillow intent to momentarily drift back to sleep. But then there was another muffled thump. Then another. Then another. She groaned, burying her face into her pillow and tugging it over her ears. What was that annoying sound? It was coming from beyond the wall next to her, Zularti's room... No surprise there.
She lifted her head from the pillow with a scowl, glaring into the darkness of her room. It must have still been the middle of the night. She tossed aside the blankets, planting her feet upon the floor and standing from the bed, the silky white fabric of her nightgown falling down to swish about her calves. Her bare feet padded quietly at the floor as she crept toward the door--and at some point wondered why she was bothering to be quiet out of courtesy when Zularti was making such a ruckus.
She slipped out of her room and several paces down the hall, the mini-aetheryte crystal down the hallway whirring with its constant buzzing sound, the hum of its life, as it bathed her and the hall in a vibrant blue light. She paused in front of Zularti's door, light creeping onto the floor beneath it. She lifted one hand and balled it into a fist as if to knock before she thought better of it. Why bother? She gave the knob the a twist, finding it unlocked.
"Zularti, what the he--" she paused as the door opened and she squinted against the sudden assault of light, getting a glimpse of the man once her eyes adjusted. He was fully dressed, the spear her father had bought him strapped to his back, rummaging through his belongings and tossing them into a sack that was resting opened upon his bed. He paused, turning to face her, looking somewhat guilty as if she'd caught him in the act of something. "What are you doing?" she asked.
"I'm packing!" he answered simply with all his usual enthusiasm.
Faye glanced pointedly toward his bag, then back to him. "I see that. What are you doing?" she repeated.
Zularti exhaled a sigh, stepping closer to her. "I didn't want to have to tell you. I was hoping no one would see until the morning. I felt too bad about saying goodbye. I have to leave. I can't stay here any longer."
Faye's pale brow furrowed and she stared at him for a moment, finding some difficulty in comprehending his words. "Why?" she asked slowly. "You don't have to worry about overstaying you're welcome. My parents seem okay with having you here. And it's not as if we don't have enough mon--"
"It's not about that," he cut off her words, his hands curling into fists at his sides. "I have to help people! I can't do that here. I'm not helping anyone sitting around a nice house all day. There's no one else even out here in the woods."
"Help people?" she echoed. "Where are you going, then?"
"Up north!"
"North? North where?"
"To Coerthas!"
Faye blinked at the response, taken aback by that. "Coerthas? Why Coerthas of all places?"
"I want to train to be a Dragoon! Dragoons help people all the time, they protect everyone from dragons! And if I can learn to fight a dragon, then I can beat up anything!" he explained eagerly. Faye did not mirror his excitement.
"But if you leave. How will I--when--what if you--" she fumbled over her words, not even sure what she was trying to say. She had too many thoughts flooding her brain. Would she ever see him again? How long from now? What if he got hurt? He couldn't have picked a more impossible and dangerous task, after all.
"Don't worry, Faye!" he chimed, clapping one hand upon her shoulder in what was supposed to be a reassuring gesture, but held just enough force to make her faintly grimace. "I'll be fine! Just think, I'd be dead if you, your parents, and the Maelstrom hadn't helped me. It's only fair I help other people! Besides, that's the only way I can be a real hero!"
There went the hero speech again. She held her tongue, averting her eyes from his. Despite her doubts and fears, she could tell his mind was set, and there was no changing it. Stubborn as he was, he was match for even her own persistence. He was doing what made him happy, what he felt driven to do. Who was she to try to talk him out of it for her own selfish reasons? She dare not give voice to her worries of losing her best friend and brother to either distance or death.
A hint of dismay crossed his own features with her silence, his fingers curling tighter against her shoulder. "I couldn't save all those people back at my village, Faye. I wasn't strong enough. I never want to have to feel that way again. I want to be able to protect everyone. I want to always be strong enough. I can't fail again."
Faye's blue eyes flitted back to his face, and she had to swallow the lump in her throat before she could respond, only able to produce a shaky, "I understand."
Any signs of trouble were almost immediately wiped from his face, his beaming smile soon returning. "Thank your mom and dad for me. They're both really good people! I think they like to help people, too. I'm sure they'll understand!" He released her, moving to his bed to tie up his bag of meager belongings and lift it over his shoulder to rest upon his back behind his spear. He turned back to Faye, the girl eyeing him uncertainly.
"Don't worry, Faye! I'll be okay! I'll probably still come visit sometime if I'm not too busy training. I'll see you soon!" He stepped toward her, extending his arms to pull her into a sudden, tight hug. Faye stood awkwardly blinking for a moment, unsure how to respond to the embrace, her fair cheeks turning a subtle shade of pink. She wasn't used to hugs, having only received them from her parents, and even then not frequently, especially not now that was she was a fully-fledged adult of eighteen cycles. She lifted her arms hesitantly, returning the hug.
"Promise?" she murmured against his shoulder, resting her head there for a moment.
"Promise!"
![[Image: NCtCate.png]](http://i.imgur.com/NCtCate.png)
