Tales Of Darkness And Light
Chapter 18's
Fedrick ran with his tired body. He does not rest in the slightest and keeps track of the whereabouts of the robbers who kidnapped Rue and Lara.
How are Rue and Lara doing now? Just fine? Did Brother Esthel manage to reach the city of Cirrion and ask for reinforcements for the city of Radiata in time? What about Sister Calix and Apple now?—the question kept turning in Fedrick's head, and as she recalled Apple, a feeling of guilt filled her heart. The young man trusted her and asked her to look after Rue, however, she had betrayed that trust.
Fedrick felt his body getting heavier, as well as his increasingly blurry eyes. He could no longer feel his feet. Falling to the ground, he felt his consciousness increasingly disappear. Between conscious and unconscious, she felt someone running up to her "Oi, are you okay?"
"Rue..." murmured Fedrick softly and everything became a dark—.
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A huge full moon dotted the sky, a little girl ran after a black-haired boy her age who was walking quickly in front. Without clothes the little girl could feel clearly the night breeze blowing and cutting down her long golden hair. Her green eyes looked at the boy in front of her without caring about their surroundings that were filled with huge trees.
"Wait on! Wait for me!" yelled the little girl. However, the boy in front of him did not look back in the slightest bit—he did not care at all about the screams of the girl.
Running as hard as he could to get close to the boy, the little girl raised her hand and pulled the boy's shirt. The boy stopped and turned his face to the little girl. The little girl could see a pair of red eyes as well as the handsome face of the boy despite being full of wounds.
The little girl smiled. "You're finally looking too."
"Take me off." The boy commands it with an expressionless face.
"I'm hungry!" said the little girl.
"What does this have to do with me? Unhand me!" the boy's orders again.
The little girl did not take off the clutches of the boy's clothes, instead her grip was getting stronger. "I'm hungry!" repeat the little girl crying. Releasing his clasps, he then hugged the boy.
Surprised by the little girl's behavior, the boy tried to let go of the hand that was holding her.
"I'm hungry!" the little girl shouted unconcernedly and tightened her embrace.
"All right! All righty! I'll get you some food, so let go of your arms!" said the boy exasperated at not being able to let go of the two hands that tightly hugged him.
Hearing the boy's words, the little girl let go of his embrace. Smiling widely, he looked at the boy's face. "really?"
The red eyes of the boy stared at the little girl's smiling face for a moment. "Yes, wait here."
The little girl nodded her head with a smile that remained painted on her face. He let the boy walk away leaving him, and upon seeing the figure about to disappear behind the huge tree in front of him, he shouted. "Hurry home, yeah!! I'll be waiting for you here!!"
The boy turned his head back to look at the little girl, and the little girl kept smiling at him. No one said another word until the boy disappeared behind the tree.
The boy did not leave for long, a few minutes later, he returned with fruits in his hands. Seeing her, the little girl smiled and ran to hug her until the fruits in her hand fell underground.
Looking at the fruits that fell to the ground, the little girl let go of her embrace and knelt picking up the fruits, as well as the boy.
While picking up the fruit, the little girl's green eyes found a small yellow flower that grew beautifully above the ground. Staring at the flower, the little girl touched it softly.
"Rue," the boy's voice suddenly sounded and made the little gadia turn to look at him. "Rul."
"Yes?" the little girl was confused.
"Rue," replied the boy looking at the confusion on the little girl's face. "I mean, it's a rue flower."
"No, what did you just say?" ask the little girl while shaking her head.
The boy replied with annoyance at the question he was asking. "I just said 'Rue—the flower you touched is a rue.', you idiot."
A smile filled the little girl's face, and a second later turned into a happy laugh. Releasing the fruit he picked up, he hugged the boy again "Rue. You called me Rue. My name is Rue."
The boy could not say anything at all hearing the little girl's words. His irritated face now turned into a shock and then flat on noticing the misunderstanding.
The girl let go of her embrace, but her hand was still on the boy's waist "Who are you? What's your name?" ask her while smiling sweetly.
The boy was stunned for a moment by the little girl's question. Silence, he did not answer. His red eyes met the little girl's brown eyes for a few seconds. The boy's face remained flat with no expression. However, his eyes seemed very sad, he turned his eyes to the apple fruit in his hands.
"My name is. My name is not. I don't have a name..." The boy said slowly as he whispered. However, the little girl did not hear what she said at all, her green eyes following the gaze of the boy's pair of red eyes, namely; red apples.
"Apple." The boy said as he looked at the little girl's eyes, he kept staring at the apple in his hand.
Hearing the boy's words, the little girl again raised her face to look at the boy and smiled "Apel? So your name is Apple, huh?"
Noticing the misunderstanding, the boy showed the apple in his hand. "This fruit."
"You mean, your name is the same as this fruit, huh? Similar, the color of your eyes and the color of this fruit are very similar, Apple." The little girl laughed happily.
The little girl who kept smiling looked at the face of the boy filled with wounds in front of her then raised her hand and touched the face slowly. A warm light shot out from the little girl's hand and healed the wound. The boy was quite surprised by what the little girl was doing. However, he just kept silent.
"Apel—Rue." Said the little girl while pointing at the boy and herself. Smiles and laughter filled her face, and her pair of green eyes sparkled beautifully full of excitement.
The boy's face remained expressionless. However, his eyes widened when he heard the words of the little girl in front of him.
"Apples, Apples, Apples, Apples." Call the little girl over and over again and hug the boy again.
The boy's body trembled for a moment. However, slowly, both of his hands were raised in return for the little girl's embrace. "Rue..."
"Rue..."
"Apple..."
"Rue..."
"Apple..."
"Rue... "
"Rue..."
"Rue, wake!!" lara's screams startled Rue.
Rue opened his eyes, he saw Lara was at the side staring at him irritatedly. "When do you want to sleep?"
"It turns out to be a dream." rue muttered softly. She did not answer Lara's question, as she was still not fully aware, and they were still in a speeding horse carriage.
What he just saw was a dream—dream about the beginning of his meeting with Apple. A single smile was immediately painted on Rue's beautiful face as she recalled that dream. A beautiful dream that he never forgot.
"You dreamt that blind guy?" ask Lara again. He knew, Rue must have dreamed of an Apple because she kept calling out the young man's name while sleeping.
"Lara, Apples aren't blind." Bela Rue while looking at Lara pouted.
"Whatever," Lara replied unconcernedly with her expressionless face. "For me, he's blind."
"Lara, Apple closed her eyes because she thought it was the best." Said Rue still with her pouting face.
Lara felt overwhelmed when she heard Rue's answer, because it was not an answer at all. Why is it that for Apple, closing its eyes is best? Come to think of it, he had absolutely no idea who Rue and Apple were.
"Rue, who are you guys?" lara asked while looking into Rue's eyes. If Apple was here, the young man would definitely not answer, and also, he would definitely stop Rue from answering. But right now, that young man no—this was a chance for him to find out who exactly the two of them were.
"Huh?" rue asked confused upon hearing Lara's question.
"Who are you guys, Rue?" repeat Lara again.
"I don't understand what you mean, Lara," replied Rue who didn't understand Lara's question. "I am me and Apples are Apples."
"When did you meet that blind guy, Rue? What do you mean by saying that you never came out of the forbidden forest, and that me and Fedrick were the first people you met after you became aware of your surroundings?" ask Lara keep trying to find out.
Hearing Lara's question, Rue recalled her dream just now. A smile re-expelled on her beautiful face. "I had absolutely no memory before I met Apple. When I first opened my eyes and started to remember things, Apple was by my side. Apples don't like the world outside the woods, so we never get out of the woods."
"Because that blind guy doesn't like the outside world, you've been living in that dangerous forest all this time?"
"Lara, the forest is probably dangerous. But, as long as we live in that forest, we're fine, and also, I can't possibly leave that forest without Apples." Rue's smile continued.
Hearing Rue's reply, Lara felt even more agitated. The answer he gave was not an answer, and clearly, the girl knew nothing about herself or Apple. The two of them were obviously very close, but what was their relationship really? Brothers?—obviously right. A fella? It looks like more than that. A lover? it doesn't seem to be either.
"Rue, what is your relationship with that blind guy?"
"My relationship with Apples?" rue asked back as soon as she heard Lara's question.
"Yes." Yeah."
Rue did not answer Lara's question, or rather, could not answer the question. What does this have to do with Apple?—he never thought about it all this time.
"We.. we..." Rue stammered with a confused face, for no matter how he thought about it, he did not find the answer.
Lara who saw Rue unable to answer her question could only sigh, it seemed, uselessly asking this girl in front of her.
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