“Eory… Ghepno is rolling around again. Do you think the Red Moon Knight will come for you?” Eliita’s concern was written plainly on her furrowed forehead and downturned lips as she referred to the month coming up when the Red Moon Knight originally visited her friend.
Eory smiled sheepishly. “I almost forgot about that. I really hope he does, though. Just think, we could all be out of here in a month…”
Eliita lowered her gaze, looking into her cup of orange juice with silent energy. Eory knew that look on her face well; she wanted to scream at him for not being more concerned. Over the years, she had become incredibly fond of him, and he had grown so comfortable around her that he would often seek her advice when he didn’t know how to solve a problem, or when he was simply feeling down. When Eory showed any disinterest in his own wellbeing, Eliita would yell at him, tell him to do whatever he needed to do to feel better and wouldn’t stop yelling until he did. Eory appreciated it a lot, even if he didn’t like getting yelled at.
Eliita said, “Isn’t there a way to call off this whole thing, Eory? I know we would all have to spend our lives in this tower, but… I would be okay with that. All of our friends would be in-tact, and we could all live cozy lives together.”
Eory shook his head. It was still very hard for him to be assertive, but now was the perfect time to engage in that behavior. “There is no way to call it off, but even if there were, I wouldn’t do it. Eliita, the best case scenario for everyone is getting rid of the doppelgangers. Even if I die—and the Red Moon Knight told me that I wouldn’t—it would be one life sacrificed to save hundreds of others. You know how many friends we’ve seen fall on the battlefield after all these years; I’ve even seen you, Terran, and Them, my closest friends, grievously wounded. I would sacrifice myself in a heartbeat for you…”
Eliita’s eyes were glassy. Terran looped an arm around her, kissing her cheek. “He’s made his choice Eliita. All we can do is support it.”
Eliita let out a guttural sob. “I can’t listen to this anymore!” She cried and stormed out of the mess hall. Eory held up a hand, wanting to stop her from leaving, but was unsuccessful. He bit back tears, refusing to cry. He was touched by how much she cared about him, but couldn’t do anything to appease her anger about his upcoming sacrifice.
Terran was quiet for a long time, which was certainly not unusual for the elf. He was a man of few words, but deep thoughts. Eory enjoyed his company for just those reasons. Eventually, Eory asked, “I don’t see why she can’t see the bigger picture, Terran…”
Terran sighed. “She can see it, Eory, but she’s always been a feisty, loving woman. It’s not that she can’t see the logic in…” Terran swallowed a lump in his throat, which surprised Eory. “In letting you sacrifice yourself. She’s probably just wondering if she would prefer to live a life where she never sees the outside world again, or if she could even stand to live a life that didn’t have you in it.”
Eory breathed deeply. He had never seen the selfishness in his decision before, but he was seeing it now. Probably because before I didn’t have friends who cared about me before… the idea that he had brought someone else enough joy that they would miss him if he were gone made him feel good and bad. Good that he had made a positive influence on Eliita, and bad that he had made such a reckless decision.
Even at age twenty-one, Eory had trouble comprehending all of life’s complexities. He wondered if it was because he had been locked up for so long, or if it was just how life was. Feeling the need to comfort himself, he asked Terran, “Did I make the right choice?”
Terran had no answer for him for a moment. Eventually he said, “I don’t know Eory. I suppose if I look at the situation from a neutral perspective… sacrificing one person for many people seems to be the right choice, but…” Terran cleared his throat, biting back tears. “But I can’t… I have trouble… who am I to say that many lives are worth more than one? Especially when the life of that one person has so much more meaning to me?”
Eory’s heart was warmed by the elf’s affection, and had rarely seen him so emotional, if ever. Eory was left feeling uncertain in his choice for a time, but then Terran’s firm and deep voice brought him out of his uncertainty. “But adults have to make their own choices, and decide whether those choices were correct for themselves.”
Eory nodded listlessly.
After eating with Terran and Eliita, the fairy headed up to the battlements. Looking down upon the battlefield, Eory tried not to pick favorites when launching his arrows. His temptation was always to cover for his friends, but the other recruits needed his help just as much.
Besides. I’m friends with more people than just Eliita and Terran. There are lots of people who like me now. A doppelganger was sprinting toward Terran, intending to kill him, and Eory was going to fire an arrow into its shadowy heart without hesitation—except he noticed a different recruit who was seconds away from death from a different doppelganger. Eory trained his arrow on that doppelganger instead. The creature melted into a pile of sludge and disappeared in a puff of smoke. There was a time when Eory’s heart felt like it was beating out of his chest when he was on the battlefield. Now, he had grown accustomed to the frantic energy of battle, the possibility of dying, and the pressure to protect his friends on the battlefield. He didn’t know if he liked the fact that he had become accustomed to it; it made him think he had lost something valuable—a sort of innocence that he might never be able to recapture.
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