" Hooray."
He softly whispered fearing that the Holy party of two might hear him. But that didn't stop a little someone from hearing it.
" *Squeals*"
Little One suddenly squeaked trying to imitate Amon's Hooray thinking it was an interesting sound and wanted to make the same. His little attempt echoes throughout the whole sewers, causing Philomel and Amon to panic and quickly pull their heads away from the corner. Amon immediately started bouncing the baby in his arms as he shushed Little One as softly as he could. Philomel and Amon both pressed their backs against the wall, hoping that it would be enough to keep them hidden. Their gaze locked on the corner that they were peering from just moments ago.
" Sounds like someone is happy."
The Knight chimed as he approached the Holy Mage, pushing aside her robe to have a peek at the sleeping baby.
" What a cute sleepy head, wonder what he's dreaming about that made him so happy."
The Holy Mage smiled as she rocks the baby in her arms.
" Probably how he will grow up and bring lead the light elves into a new age of peace."
They conversed as they exit the sewers through the secret passage. The wall groaned as creek as it slid back into place.
" What the hell, Among?"
Philomel demanded softly as soon as the passageway closed shut but still spoke in a soft hush fearing the Holy party might notice them. Or worst, being too loud and waking the baby causing him to scream. Alerting everything and anything within the sewers of their presence.
" It's not my fault, Little One just suddenly squeaked."
Amon quickly replied as he check on Little One in his arms. Little One kept nuzzling against Amon's chest, trying to tell Amon that he was sleepy and wanted to be rocked.
" What are you doing still carrying that thing along?!"
" Then what do you expect me to do with it?"
" Leave it! It's drawing too much attention to us! It almost gave away our position !"
" L- Leave it?! Here in the sewers?! For the alligators to fest upon his little feet?! "
Amon was flabbergasted, wondering how could Philomel even suggest such a thing.
" Not leave it as alligator chow! Leave it outside in the meadow or something, we're not bringing it along."
" Leave it in the meadow?! So that he can become wolf chow?!"
" Then leave it, next to a sewer trap door. Look there's one, just pop him back above ground."
Philomel pointed toward the closest ladder, leading up as she patted Amon's shoulder.
" So that he can be picked up by a random passerby and sent to an orphanage?!"
Amon exclaimed, Philomel let out a frustrated sigh.
" What's wrong with that?"
" How can you abandon a baby on the streets when his mother is just a few streets away?! Why don't you want to reunite a mother with her son?! What are you a villain??"
Amon interrogated Philomel as she held her head in her hands. Extremely annoyed that Amon has been helping her throughout the whole mission and still hasn't realized it yet.
" Yes! YES, I AM! And if you haven't noticed yet, you are too! In fact! On a scale of 1 to 10, we hit 100, ranking in as the most villainous people in, probably this whole century! If you haven't noticed, we just tried to abduct a blessing to an entire race. The Messiah of the light elves and tried to kill him, a baby! An innocent little baby! And in that process almost killed the wrong child! Yes, you manage to save him last minute. But it still, doesn't change the fact, that you're trying to doom, an entire race because we aren't stopping until that Messiah is in our hands. Just a moment away, from snuffing that spark of life, and hope of a better tomorrow for an entire race out. Forever."
Philomel lay it on thick for Amon, breaking whatever fantasy illusion he had about this mission, her, and even himself. Little One, having enough of all the harsh whispering and tense atmosphere, started shrieking as he fussed and kicked about. Philomel jolted at the sudden burst of noise, her hands hovering over her daggers as she scans the area. Fearing what would come now that, they had given their position away. Amon stood there like a statue, as reality finally hits him.
He was nothing like his father, heroically coming home after facing impossible odds against the Orc attack and saving their tribe once again. No... He was worst than the very Orcs who killed for fun, worst than the scum of the earth. He was trying to take a life of a pure innocent just because the baby existed. A life that would change the world for the better just without 527 dark elves in the picture. Amon finally realized that he would probably be the cause of the end of the world when the goddess finds out what they had done to her miracle... What they had done to her, son...
" We are no heroes. So, throw away whatever sense of morals you have and help me save our people. We may be villains in the eyes of the entire world but we would be heroes in the eyes of the only people we care about."
Philomel softly added, trying to console him in whatever little way she could as she reaches a hand out to him. Silently telling him, to accept this and help her. Amon finally notices the crying shrieks of Little One and rocks him in his arms. Little One, calms down a little but that didn't stop the tears from rolling down his chubby cheeks. Amon glances down at Little One and then turns toward Philomel's hand.
Amon was torn by his personal codes of life, ones that were passed down by his mother and father, codes that made him the honorable man he is today. How could he help someone kill an innocent child? Torn by Philomel, how could he let her face two Holy Knights alone? How could he stand there and watch her throw her life away fighting such a one-sided fight? Torn by Little One, no child deserves to grow up without their parents. He picked the wrong baby and now Little One would have to be abandoned on some sidewalk. Uncertain, he would be able to survive the cold, and hunger until a passerby finds him, but even then, the chances of him being returned, back to his mother were extremely low.
Amon's gaze was glued to Little One, his little head kept rubbing against his chest, trying to sleep. His small hands held onto his shirt as he mumbled in his own little language.
" If I have to be a villain to save my tribe then so be it. "
Amon thought to himself.
" A hero to our people does have a nice ring to it."
Amon glumly sighs, raising Philomel's spirits as her hand outstretched hand was lifted higher, reaching out further toward him.
"It's my fault that Little One is even here in the first place... in the eyes of the world let them see me as a villain but I don't want to be a villain to you, Little One."
Amon thought to himself and realized.
" But I will not be the cause of Little One growing up without his mother. No child deserves to be an orphan, no child deserves to be lost. I'm sorry but I'm going back... I'm going back and returning him back to his mother."
Amon announced with such determination in his voice that made Philomel feel lost. Every moment they waste here, their target is moving further and further away. A battlefield is no place for a baby and Philomel would be damned if she allowed such a young child, to witness the death of his Messiah. No matter how young, it was just terribly wrong. She understood Amon's emotions of wanting to return the child. At least the baby would be with his mother while they brought upon the wrath of a goddess.
Philomel's hands fell to her side.
" I understand."
She weakly whispers.
" You go, make sure he's home safe."
Philomel says, finally acknowledging the child was in fact a him, a person instead of an it. The whole time she denied that fact, trying to see the baby as an object so that she would be able to function and do her job without breaking down at the fact she sent a living baby to his death. Messiah or not, either way, it was a terrible thing and she could help but tear up at just the thought of it.
Hatred fills her once more as the feeling of wanting to stab Asclepius a million times and release her every frustration out on him, flooded her every thought. How she despises him! If it wasn't for that ******, she wouldn't be here! She wouldn't need to do this! She would be back home in the loving arms of her parents as she screamed out along with the rest of the tribe, a different name. Forcing the task on someone else and she would never know what it's like to feel this way. The blissful ignorant, oh, how she craves for it.
Philomel snaps herself out of her thoughts before she gets lost in one of her wonderful fantasies of sweet wonderful revenge. She had a job to do and it didn't help her to be distracted especially now that she would have to face this battle alone. Philomel turns her back at Amon, walking toward the secret exit, toward her forced destiny. With one steady hand, she pushed against the wall.
The wall creaked and groaned, sunlight spilling through cracks as it slowly opened the path for her. The warm shimmering sunlight against the soft green grass. The trees that were branching out, the splashes of color from wildflowers that stood out, and the song of birds drifting in the distance. Such a beautiful heavenly inviting sight. Such an inviting sight for the pathway that sealed Philomel's death. Such a wonderful lulling call from death. Philomel, wondered for a moment if all calls from death was this lovely or were she the lucky one for this situation.
" Mel"
Amon calls out to her, his hand reaching out to grab her shoulder wanting to stop her but he knew, he couldn't. Even so, that didn't stop his hand from reaching out, from at least trying.
" You're not seriously thinking of facing both of them alone... You're just going to follow them until I catch up, right?"
His voice faltered towards the end, sounding so uncertain and fearful. Philomel may have tried to kill a baby but it was to save her tribe, she didn't deserve to be caught by Holy Knights. To be tortured until she revealed the whereabouts of the tribe or worst. No one, no matter how evil, deserves to be tortured. Amon felt a spark of relief when Philomel stopped in her tracks even though his hand didn't touch her. Philomel looked at him from over her shoulder.
" How will you catch up? No offense, but you're no scavenger. You can't even stand without your legs trembling underneath you."
Philomel's question felt like a dagger through whatever hope he had left. His hand lost all strength and fell back to his side. This might be the last time he ever lay eyes on her like this. This may be the last time he sees her as one piece. Amon knew that and that just made him feel worst. To reunite a mother and son, he would have to let his friend walk right up to her death.
Philomel knowing that this was hard on Amon, wanted to make this easier on him steps into the light and closes the pathway behind her. Leaving Amon all alone in the dark.
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