Nico stiffened, hearing the flatness of her tone. It was as if she no longer cared about anything and now just accepted whatever life threw at her without fighting back.
His mind spun, confused by her question.
Was it somehow related to why this village seemed so deserted?
Internally raising his guard, he responded, "No, I've come in search of a friend's family…"
"Then you're out of luck, there's no one here but me. The Stanburg's have taken over the land."
'What?!'
Nico flinched as if visibly struck.
A moment later, he gritted his teeth.
'How dare they!'
A spark of fury blazed to life in Nico's chest. Just when he thought the noble House could not get any more deplorable, they had the gall to ruin Henry's village. The boy's aura spiked, turning even more chaotic.
A strong breeze blew through the village, ruffling his chestnut brown hair.
"When… did this happen?" He asked, body trembling in the sheer effort it took to conceal his rage.
Gazing at the dark expression on the youth's face, the ageing woman sighed.
"Around two and a half weeks ago."
Nico's instinctive assumption after hearing her words had turned out to be correct. The Stanburgs had kicked everyone in the village out of their homes as revenge for Henry opposing their heir.
'Bastards!'
Nico clenched his fist, his fury rising as he thought about what the medium-sized house had done. His anger was so great that the fiery red particles in his core stirred, threatening to leak out.
"Is that all?"
The brown-haired boy jolted, momentarily forgetting that he had kept the lady waiting.
His rage calmed slightly, guilt and shame flickering across his hardened features.
"Yes…" Just as Nico was about to walk away, he paused. "Did you happen to know of a person called Henry? He was a member of this village and roughly the same age as me. He had raven-black hair, green eyes and a slight limp."
Nico tried to conceal the sorrow in his eyes as he described the appearance of his best friend.
He saw the woman across from his jolt.
"What did you just say?"
Startled by the intensity with which she asked the question, Nico stuttered, "I… Did you know someone called Henry? We met in the Training Camp near the City of Valdence."
At that, the woman froze, an expression of disbelief on her face.
"You know my dear Henry…?"
Tears threatened to spill from her eyes as her frame shook, her voice like a fleeting whisper of the wind.
Nico swallowed. "Are you… are you perhaps his mother?"
Nico's anxiety came barreling back in full force. He tensed, observing her as she silently nodded.
"My boy… my precious boy." The woman wept at the mention of her son, bringing a hand to her mouth.
Nico stood there, paralysed.
A maelstrom of emotions rushed through the brown-haired boy, his eyes filling with tears.
He was responsible for her pain.
With the sheer amount of grief in her gaze… Nico would never forget that look for the rest of his life.
It would haunt him for the rest of his days.
As he struggled to find the right words, the woman continued to sob silently, occasional cries escaping her mouth.
It seemed that just like Nico had feared, he had re-opened a fresh wound.
Gritting his teeth as two streams of tears slid from his own eyes, the brown-haired boy stepped closer to Henry's mother and bowed, his voice shaking as he did:
"I-I'm s-so s-sorry. Henry… h-he died because he sacrificed himself for me."
Nico kept his gaze rooted on the ground, afraid of looking up. Tears continued to leak silently from his eyes.
He would continue to bow for as long as he had to do. This was the least he deserved after causing the woman so much pain.
"Raise your head."
He hesitated, but eventually obeyed, slowly straightening his back.
And, when he did, he did not find the anger he was expecting to grace her face.
Instead, she just seemed resigned.
"Thank you for telling me, I'm glad he went out in such a noble way," Her eyes glistened, fresh teardrops threatening to fall out as she wiped the incoming wave with her tattered sleeve.
Nico took a shaky breath, feeling his vision tremble as more tears fell.
Raising her head towards the sky, Henry's mother added whilst making the symbol of the Lord of Fate, "I hope he rests easy up there in the Great Beyond."
After a period of silence, Nico bit his lip, "You're not mad? I was the one who caused your son's death."
The woman displayed a sad smile, filled with abundant pain. Yet, beneath that grief, lay a softness that shook him to the core.
"Why should I be mad? If my precious boy sacrificed himself for you, that meant there was something worth saving."
Nico's gaze shook.
Her words pierced their way to the deepest depths of his heart, illuminating some of that dark and traumatic void.
He suddenly chuckled to himself, overcome by a strange feeling.
'They really are Mother and Son. They both have a way of making me feel better…'
"Would you like to come in? I'm sorry I can't offer you any refreshments, but I think I may have a tin of jerky somewhere for you to eat."
Just as Nico was about to reject and say he couldn't possibly intrude; Henry's mother showed another sad smile. "Please, I'd like to hear more about my son."
Any words of protest died in his throat.
And so, the two entered the dilapidated home, ready to talk about the one who had occupied both their hearts.
If Henry was here, Nico knew he would be smiling from ear to ear.
***
Seated inside his former best friend's home, a heavy weight settled on Nico's chest.
This was Henry's abode… his sanctuary, the one place he could escape from judgement, and scorn and have people who would love him unconditionally, no matter the circumstance.
He could almost imagine the green-eyed boy's laughter bouncing off these deteriorating walls. The thought caused a pang of sadness to bloom in his heart.
Shifting his gaze, he observed Henry's mother move with difficulty as she hurried to serve him some jerky. He had insisted on helping, but she did not let him.
Under that stern yet kind gaze, Nico had to back down.
…As much as the inaction pained him inside.
Finally, carrying a tray with a wooden mug filled with water and some dried jerky placed in a bowl, the ageing woman shuffled back to the table. Placing it down, she said, "I'll be back in a second, there are a few things I want to show you."
Curious, Nico took a polite sip of water and placed a stick of jerky in his mouth.
Ignoring the damage the food dealt to his teeth, he chewed slowly, picking up on the taste of beef.
'It's… not bad.'
He thought absently.
Although it wasn't the best thing he had ever eaten, Nico was touched that Henry's mother had shared some of her meagre provisions with him.
That was why, he would not let himself complain.
'Fates… she probably has to eat this every day; I don't know how she does it.'
Nico inwardly resolved himself to bring her issue up with his mother and aunt. They would be able to help by giving her some money, or, at the very least be able to extend their protection to her so that the Stanburg's didn't get a chance to harm her any further.
'...More than they already have.'
A dark expression formed on his face.
It quickly vanished, though, upon hearing the footsteps of Henry's mother returning to the table.
In her hands, she carried two tomes.
Placing them carefully on the table, she sat in her seat and turned to face Nico. "The one on the left is an album of Henry when he was younger, while the other is his favourite book… the one he used to pass the time if he wasn't on the fields working."
Gazing at the second tome, the brown-haired boy's eyes rippled.
Engraved on the cover, a human and dragon clashed ferociously.
This was the same book he had read which discussed some of the finer details of the Second Great War. He had always wondered where the tome had ended up after the incident with the White Cobras. Part of him was glad it had returned to his friend's home, while the other part was sad that Henry would never get to read it ever again.
Plastering an amiable smile on his face, Nico absorbed all the information Henry's mother told him about his friend's childhood.
He laughed when she showed him some of the silly faces the raven-haired farmer made when he was younger. He smiled whenever he saw a particularly innocent picture, and he fell silent when he witnessed the last picture the ageing woman had of the green-eyed boy.
It was him displaying a nervous smile, decked out ready to travel to the Training Camp.
Henry's mother had to take a minute to compose herself, the sight too much for her broken heart to bear. Nico himself felt like he was on the verge of crying, somehow able to keep the tears in and be strong in front of his former friend's mother.
In return, the brown-haired boy narrated his time with Henry in the Training Camp. Their joys, their sorrows and their achievements. By the end of it, the ageing woman could not stop the tears from flowing down her face.
Her son… her precious pride and joy… was gone.
Forever.
He was never coming back with a bright smile to give her a reassuring hug whenever she felt down. He would never drop whatever he was doing to rush to her aid whenever she struggled on the farm.
He would never live… grow, settle down with a family and see his full potential.
The very thought of it sent an agonising ache through her soul.
Yet, at the same time, she was glad that he had found people who had cared for him deeply.
People who would not hesitate to sacrifice themselves just as her dear son had done.
Gazing at the brown-haired boy sitting across from her, who was doing his best not to cry, a grateful smile appeared on her face.