She hugged him tight and didn't let go, she didn't want him to feel alone. She didn't want him to lose himself.
Too many times had she seen those around her fall into despair. But never once could she stop it. She chose to stay by Lukas' side, to make sure that he was safe. She didn't want to repeat the past. She wasn't sure if she could help, but she would try anything she could.
Even if it didn't matter. Even if it was pointless. She didn't want to be a bystander, she would try anything she could.
"It's okay."
She whispered gently in Lukas' ear, hoping he could hear her.
But Lukas was not aware of Vesa's action to comfort him. Instead, he imagined his mother hugging him the same way she did when he was a child. A warmth grasped his heart, like the comfort of sitting by the fire in winter. All of his siblings were there, huddled together to stave off the cold.
Yet, something was wrong. His mother was hugging him as his family sat by the fire. But...
'Why am I crying?'
Tears rolled down his face, yet he didn't know why. He was home, he was happy, he was safe. But, no... why was his family here? Why did he feel the warmth of the fire? Why was he crying?
"It's okay."
Once more Vesa whispered gently to soothe the storm within Lukas.
This time, he heard Vesa but didn't know where the voice had come from. At first, he thought it was his mother, but she wasn't there. None of his family were, there wasn't even a fire.
Suddenly something tight, almost constricting, embraced and surrounded him. Before, he imagined that it was his siblings pressed up against him. But they weren't here, neither was his mother.
No, he was in a forest, on his knees. Before him, a woman was hugging him. Vesa was hugging him. A sword lay, discarded in the mud. His sword. All the while, not a single sound could be heard beyond the breathing of him and Vesa.
As he was brought back to reality, he remembered what happened. The creature... the ghast, got away. He collapsed in fear, and now he was on his knees being hugged by Vesa. He thought his mother was hugging him, he thought he was back home.
He desperately wished that what he saw was true. But he knew the past could never be changed, no matter how hard he tried. All he could do was to make his future a better one. Maybe one day he could relive that memory, with a family of his own.
But none of that mattered right now. Right now he needed to calm down, calm his shaking limbs, and steady his beating heart. No, that can come later, right now someone else is worried for him. So he turned to face Vesa and hugged her back.
The scent of lavender filled his senses. It reminded him of a peaceful time, a time when he had no responsibilities. Everything that he was feeling right here, right now, was calm and soft. Unlike the chaos he had experienced no more than a few minutes ago.
"I'm glad you're okay."
Vesa's voice was soft and faint, like an echo of a whisper.
Although his mind had calmed, at least enough to where he was aware, he was still scared. The source of his fears was gone for now, but he didn't want to let go of this brief moment of safety.
He didn't want to let go of the warmth in front of him. If he let go, he would have to face the world for how cold it truly was. He wasn't ready for that.
He wanted to back, go back to when things were simple. When things were safe; when everything was calm. He wanted to be happy again.
Another tear rolled down his face, but it wasn't his. It was Vesa's. She was tearing up, but Lukas couldn't understand why. Was she just grateful? If anything he should be the only one of them crying.
Vesa slowly removed herself and wiped her face. She was smiling, she was happy. But hadn't Lukas failed?
'Why is she smiling?'
"You know, Bene is good at finding broken people and fixing them. I wish he understood how much he means to me and you."
Her eyes were filled with a warm wistfulness.
She finished wiping her face before continuing.
"I'm glad you're okay, we can rest here tonight and continue tomorrow. You don't need to push yourself."
'Yeah tomorrow... I'll do it tomorrow.'