The following morning, I woke up alone.

I sat up, sliding my hands under the covers beside me, but to my utter dejection the other half of my bed was not only empty, but cold as well. That destroyed my hopes he had only gone out for a brief visit to the outhouse and would be back any second.

A shame, for I had longed for this first morning with my cherished love to start by watching those radiant blue eyes flutter open in the diffused rays of sunlight, brought by the dawn of our shared lives.

Alas, it was not so.

I sighed as I hoisted myself out of bed. Still in the complete conviction I would encounter my Elijah downstairs having an early morning cup of tea. His clothes were no longer scattered though the room, so logic dictates he’d have gotten up before I roused.

I grumbled a little, still slightly disgruntled over the fact that I did not have the privilege to wake up to the sight and feel of my beloved in my arms, but comforted myself with the thought that there was a lifetime of possibilities of waking up next to him ahead of me.

I smiled as I imagined his morning breath on my lips, his unruly brown mop of hair on my pillow, his sleepy smile the first thing my eyes laid sight upon in the morning. I proceeded to gather clean clothes fit for travelling, but before I had even secured my leisurely pants, I realised something was missing.

Something big. Something important.

Edmund is going to murder me.

I immediately sprinted downstairs, not bothered by the fact I was only wearing pants, one thing solely on my mind.

“Elijah!” I called out though the main hall, causing the early shift of alcoholics to raise their brows.

“Did you see Elijah? Young man of about 5’6”, fair skin, brown hair, the most intense blue eyes you’ve ever seen?” I rushed to the bartender.

He shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. There was a whole shitload of people here this morning, with the caravan leaving and all… They left before dawn, so they’re long since gone now. But they all wanted food for the road, so I’m still all out of bread. Breakfast is cancelled. Unless you want to wait for lunchtime, then it’s back on.”

I panicked. “No, you see. Elijah was supposed to stay. Someone must have forced him to come along. Have you seen anything that might…” my breathing caught up with me as the room started spinning.

I ran outside, calling his name over and over again like a fool. Then crashed to the ground in tears as I realised he was really gone. He had been taken from me.

And not just him. Our entire season’s revenue had disappeared along with him.

I knew exactly what would happen now, what Edmund would say. He had distrusted Elijah from the beginning. Thinking he was out for our money. This coincidence would not be overlooked as such. He’d surely tell me he was right all along, blaming Elijah for the missing coin.

But however strong the implications, I was convinced it was not as simple as it seemed.

I had complete faith in Elijah. Our love was real. He had told me as such with eyes and words and deed. And even if words and deeds may lie, those radiant eyes cannot.

No. I was convinced he would not ever have left my side voluntarily.

Therefore, he would have to be either kidnapped along with my money, or coerced into betraying me. Both of these scenarios were reason enough to do everything within my might to chase him down.

Edmund clearly did not share my sentiments.

“You dumb fuckhead! Can’t you see you’ve been robbed?!” he shouted at me.

“Obviously we’ve been robbed.” I scoffed, insulted by his scornful tone. “But mere money is insignificant in light of the predicament my Elijah must be in! Can you imagine being taken away from your fated lover in the middle of the night, made accessory, nay, main suspect to a heinous crime? Oh, how distraught he must be right at this moment. Edmund, it is unbearable. We must find him!”  

“That man is long gone by now, you dipshit! He’s made his fortune and vanished into thin air, thanks to your foolishness! You broke the rules by thinking with your crotch and letting a guy sleep over, EVEN THOUGH I SPECIFICALLY WARNED YOU! And now he ran off with our entire season’s earnings!”

Well aware that this was certainly what it looked like, I knew it could not possibly be the whole truth of the matter.

I had promised the gods my faith would never falter if only they gave me one more shot at my beloved. They had granted me my chance, and now I needed to deliver on my promise. This was but a divine test, obviously.

Yet, Edmund would not see it as such, so I had to explain it to him in terms he would understand.  And lucky for me, there were a whole bunch of rational facts that made it doubtful reality was as simple as my manager seemed to think.

For one, how had the frail Elijah been able to sneak off with the entire chest by himself? And where could he possibly have gone with it? As an animal handler he would have no space of his own to keep it on the caravan without it being noticed.

“Elijah did not do this.” I stated. “And even if he did play an active part in taking the money, he would surely have been forced to do so. He is a victim, just like we are. I’m positive of that. We need to find him, and save him from whatever plight he is subject to!” My determination would not yield to Ed’s morning antics.

“I’m gonna call for the guards. After they find the bastard, and I get my money back, you can go ahead and save him by pleading for his life, yeah?” He spat, his wrath hardly diminished by my arguments.

“Don’t. Ed… What if he was coerced? You know the men of the law will only regard him as a common thief. I refuse to put my soulmate’s life on the line by getting the guards involved. Not even all the riches in the world are worth risking such a treasure.” I pleaded.

“Damnit, Viv! How are you so stubbornly stupid?! You’ve been played! I warned you, but you didn’t listen. And now we’re broke. Now I’m broke and stuck with a hysterical idiot!” 

He gestured to all of me while he said it, as if I could be mistaken of the person he meant to offend. As if I wasn’t vexed enough already, he had to go and call me hysterical.

Me, hysterical!

As if anyone whose love of their life gets ripped from their arms could possibly be a beacon of calm!

No. Where I was disconcerted before, I was now completely agitated by Ed’s total lack of support. My cheeks were heated, and my breathing was in disarray.

Edmund needed to get back in line and do something of use, instead of insulting me: his friend. His employer even. I decided to give him a proper tongue-lashing in response.

“Don’t mock my intelligence while you are actively alienating your only source of income, Edmund! You need me. If I walk out of this door, you’re just a glum old man that overindulges in ale. Now go fetch your stuff so we can catch up with that caravan in time to save my beloved!”    

“Go fuck yourself, you arrogant cunt.” he retorted. Then let out a deprecating chuckle. “You should have done that yesterday, instead of that overpriced whore. Would have saved us a shitload of money.”

I slapped him.

I never slapped anyone in my life, and I haven’t used any physical expression of discontent in years, for I totally abhor violence. But no one insults Elijah’s honour and gets away with it. Not even Ed.

I turned sharply, and marched out the room to make a dramatic exit.

I did not listen to any of Ed's offending words, threats and pleas as he came after me. I held my head high as I gathered my clothes from my chamber, my instruments from the stage, and finally strode out of the inn.