Chereads / Echoes Of The Eternity Life / Chapter 17 - Promise

Chapter 17 - Promise

"Let's go," Rick said, ready to move forward. But the princess's gaze lingered on the shadow of her mother, a deep sadness washing over her.

"she has been alone for thousands of years," she murmured, her voice heavy with sorrow.

Rick frowned, struggling to understand. "Why?"

She inhaled sharply. "My father tried to kill her. She's strength was a threat to him. My mother was heartbroken, and she's lived alone ever since."

Turning her eyes to Rick, she pleaded, "Please, do me a favor. Accept her."

Rick felt a surge of confidence at first, but as her request sank in, that confidence wavered. He wasn't good at navigating emotions, and the weight of her words began to overwhelm him. How could he bear such a responsibility? The uncertainty left him speechless, caught between desire and doubt.

Rick stared, speechless. He had garnered all his bravado for traveling, and then he yielded to her demands. He should have received something in return, at least, like she'd guard his backside or even be interested in partnering up and practicing together. But she wants him to accept her mom into his life? Provide companionship and trust someone who suffered through that degree of deep betrayal? Rick felt queasy about it; he also felt attracted.

As if noticing the uncertainty in his gaze, the princess spoke, her voice soft yet quietly urgent. "My mother. she was once as strong as the stars themselves. But that strength cost her everything, including the companionship of those she trusted most. For all her power, she's suffered alone.".

Rick's eyes dropped to the door through which her mother had gone. He felt as if he could see the weight of centuries, of years, of loneliness that lay upon her and was hidden beneath that quiet mask. Part of him wanted to refuse to let her do it. No, he wasn't the right person for this, something so delicate, such a thing. Battles, shadows, filled his life; emotions had been the optional part of existence.

He looked back to the princess, whose quiet determination etched itself into her eyes. She believed in her heart and soul that he could help her mother, that he could offer something far beyond his power to do. The thought vexed him as much as it grieved him.

"I… can try," he said finally, his voice softened to almost fragility. Reluctant but sincere. "I don't know if I can give her what she deserves or even if I'm capable of. understanding what she needs. But for you, I'll try."

She smiled at him, relief almost palpable in her features as she reached out to gently take his hand. "Thank you, Rick. That's all I could ask," she said, her words holding within them an unspoken belief in him that stirred something deep within, something he'd almost forgotten he possessed.

It felt heavier somehow, but it also felt more purposeful, the road ahead than ever before. And as he left, he caught a glimpse of one last look at her before he turned his head, and he felt deeply that this choice, this promise, would change him in ways he could not even yet begin to understand.

The princess touched his hand gently, and now her eyes, too, had a new fire that glowed within them-a fire of hope. "Would you… speak with my mother? She has waited so long to be seen, truly seen, by someone who might understand her strength and her loneliness." Her voice was but a whisper, yet not even that faltered. "She deserves to know she's not alone anymore."

Rick hesitated, a wariness crossing his face he'd never shown before. He'd never had a conversation of this sort and didn't know if he had anything to say that would amount to more than words—something he'd never found much comfort in. Still, looking at the sincerity in the princess's eyes, he knew it was important to her, perhaps even more so than she was letting on.

Rick nodded slightly and gave up. "I'll try to talk to her," he said slowly. "But I'm not. I am not used to this.".

The princess smiled gently and he felt the insecurity of the moment coming through her. "Thank you, Rick. Just hear her-out that will say far more than you may expect." She dropped his hand, and the faith reflected in her eyes suddenly crystalized something for him. Perhaps this was to be for him as well, perhaps this conversation was to mean to him as it did for her mother.

He came into the room where her mother sat and she met him with a calm, questioning look. Like her daughter, she stood poised but there was something guarded about her. A shield, born of centuries of solitude.

"She asked me to come speak with you," he said, his voice more even than he was feeling. "She believes.perhaps we can make sense of each other."

The mother raised an eyebrow. Surprised, she said nothing, letting him continue.

Rick paused and gathered his thoughts. "I know what it is to carry power that separates you," he said. "It builds walls. But. maybe there is something in you that no one has noticed. A strength, a resilience-things that should be acknowledged and appreciated.".

She just stared at him for what seemed like a long time, as if she were trying to read into the sincerity of his words. Then, her face relaxed into a faint smile, a smile that, no matter how small, was sincere. "Thank you, Rick. It's been centuries since anyone has acknowledged my strength without fear.".

They locked eyes for the first time, and Rick felt a sense of understanding between them, which was unspoken but utterly profound. As he made his way out of the chamber, he knew this conversation had brought him past the princess's request itself; it had given him a glimpse of the purpose he had been searching for.

Just as Rick stood in the doorway, he felt the urge to do something; he had not expected that. Turning back toward the princess's mother, he paused a moment before he spoke. "Would you. consider joining us on this journey?" His voice was soft but sincere and his eyes had a vulnerability there that didn't come about often. "If you ever feel ready.".

She gazed at him, searching his face for a moment as if surprised by the offer. She softened, forming a faint smile, her eyes filled with a mixture of gratitude and quiet acceptance. "Perhaps… after some time," she said with a hint of warmth in her voice. "There are things I still need to set in order here. But… thank you, Rick.".

He nodded, knowing this was to keep her where she had wanted to stay for a little while. He caught something deep behind her reply; it felt like nothing that had come her way for some time. Between them was an almost-noticeable heaviness-their reality grounding-yet filled with a very deep sense of hope.

And as he stepped back toward the princess, Rick could see the look of approval in her eyes-a silent acknowledgement of the bond he'd just formed with her mother. It was a quiet moment, yet it brought an unexpected sense of connection that he'd been missing. This wasn't a journey for power anymore; it was becoming a path filled with new, meaningful alliances.

"Let's go, Princess," he whispered tenderly to the princess now, his voice inflecting with a subtle defiance. And as he steered her away with a resolve growing inside of him to defend those who chose trust him on this way he was going.

Rick and Ailith and ailith mother descended into the lower chamber, where the air was heavy with a strange, almost charged stillness. There stood an old man in the center of the room, his posture stiff but respectful, his gaze veiled but wary. An old man who once was such an impressive figure, a synonym of power and tradition for the land, now with a flicker of fear across his face as he met Rick's eyes knew him to be something greater: an existence that could do things beyond human understanding.

"Elder," Ailith greeted him respectfully, bowing slightly to show the honor due to him. Her voice held a calm warmth, and despite her own strength, there was a note of respect for the elder's position.

The elder's eyes softened a little as he looked at Ailith and nodded his head in acceptance. "Princess," he said, his voice deep with a mixture of pride and worry. His gaze flickered to Rick, lingered there with barely concealed fear, as though he could see the storms of lifetimes gathered in Rick's presence.

Rick's face didn't change, but he couldn't help but notice how the elder's respect for Ailith was mixed with a sense of what Rick might be able to do. There was a silent, unspoken understanding between them—a recognition of strength that went beyond words.

"I think our way ahead is well defined," Rick said quietly, his voice like a distant rumble, his eyes never leaving the elder's.

The elder nodded, but his voice betrayed a tremor. "Yes… yes, of course. You may proceed as you wish, Lord Rick," he said, using a title he hadn't dared speak aloud until now. "The path has been made open for you and the princess."

Ailith exchanged a glance with Rick, a subtle expression of understanding. She could see that while the elder's respect was deeply ingrained, his fear came from a place of awe and perhaps some uncertainty about the future they were stepping into.

"Thank you, Elder," she said softly and reassuringly, with a little smile. And so Rick and Ailith turned in the direction of the chamber's door, their pace now synchronized as they move out, leaving the old man to behold their exiting in reverent silence.

As Rick and Ailith crossed the ancient stone yard, Rick suddenly stood still, his senses picking up as he fixed eyes on a figure standing along the edge of the courtyard to the tower. He seemed young, though there was something timeless in his eyes. The young man dressed in simple robes sat relaxed and still, but there remained an unmistakable aura about him of strength. He was smiling as he caught Rick's eye. Wise beyond his years, that smile was one of knowing and familiarity.

Ailith saw him and smiled in recognition. "Grandpa! You're back!" she shouted with the voice of happiness bursting from her usual composed nature. She ran to him, wrapping her arms around his body in a warm embrace that was both longed for and deeply comforting. Her grandfather embraced her warmly, patting her on the back with a gentle smile.

"You have grown up, Ailith," he said, his voice deep yet soft, carrying within it a warmth that filled the courtyard. "And in ways, you've grown stronger; I am proud to see."

Rick watched in silence, noting how the elder seemed less than his age in this aura, strange and even paradoxical: light on one hand, profound on the other. Ailith's grandfather seemed to have opted to appear less than his age, which perhaps explained why he could be allowed to talk to her so familiarly, but Rick felt great strength in him, like a silent power kept by humble grace.

A little later, Ailith's grandfather glanced at Rick. His eyes crinkled at the edges as he sized Rick up. "So you're the one who stirred the depths of this realm," he said with great interest in his voice. "I've heard a lot about you.".

Steadily, Rick raised his head and returned his gaze; the eyes there were clearly respectful. And I believe you hold much more inside of you, he added, his face inclining slightly forward over his cradled fist. And yet there is a clear, unuttered comprehension among them about what the long roads do not take away-that is, of course, except the imperative to watch over Ailith, and to try to further encourage her, inasmuch as circumstances will permit.

Meanwhile, Ailith sat smiling brightly between them. For her, the two most important people were finally meeting, and for the moment, it seemed that all the world had come just to see that moment.