Aerin

He messed up.

He had everything ready, all the duvets tightened with steady knots laid on the bed, he was waiting till the sun had set so he didn’t take the risk of being seen.

He was staring through his window waiting impatiently, counting backwards, his tongue aching to finally get to the number that would be pronounced just as the sun disappeared from sight.

His legs were trembling just as the last bit of light died out and the room turned cold and dark. All of a sudden a loud screeching noise invaded the room, light took over the room again and Aerin stared with wide scared eyes at the person that had loudly opened the door. 

Gray tired eyes stared back at him. 

“Mara”, he whispered.

She didn’t answer, instead, she looked around the room, her eyes falling on the window and the outside at plain view. She walked quickly towards it and drew the curtains violently with one hand while holding a candle with the other.

Aerin crossed his arms and shivered, feeling cornered.

Mara’s eyes looked around again, avoiding him and then, her gaze landed on the duvets resting on the bed. Aerin prayed she wouldn’t figure out the motive of them, but the bit of hope he had quickly vanished as he saw her expression turn furious in an instant.

“Aer-”, she started, glaring at him but was cut off by him.

“Oh you see, Ethuil really wanted a pillow fort ha ha! I promised him he could stop by and finish the last bit of it. You know how insistent he is, you can even ask… I don’t really remember her name… well whoever works down at the storage room, I think she’s new… Oh! By the way, did you hear about what happened to Morwen? everyone was sayi-”

“Silence!”, Aerin was suddenly interrupted by Mara’s loud voice.

Aerin stopped immediately and flushed when he realized his futile attempts to save himself.

“Quit rambling. What were you thinking Aerin!?”, her voice cracked, “this is the second time I see you looking outside around this time, you want to die?!”

Aerie looked down at his feet, leaning on each one and swinging side to side.

“I-”

“I don’t understand Aerin”, Mara looked at him pleadingly, “one thing happens and gets in the way and you give up?”.

Aerin shook his head but didn’t say anything, he stood there, looking at his feet not knowing what to say.

Mara sighed. She paced around the room looking at random things and suddenly, her gaze settled upon the duvets again. 

She scoffed while glaring at Aerin.

“So that’s why, huh?”

Aerin looked at her with panic flashing through his eyes.

“You were planning to escape, without telling me?”, she shook her head in disappointment.

“NO! I- I mean, a just wanted to go outside and look, I was g-going to come back!”, he looked at her pleadingly.

She looked at him, looking at him with an expression that looked offended, he gulped.

She didn’t say anything but headed to door, stomping and clutching her dress.

“Mara, please”.

She turned her head with her hand wrapped around the door’s handle, her shiny golden hair flipping with the movement.

“What Aerin? WHAT?”, he flinched.

“I’m sorry for not telling you”, he said quietly.

Mara hummed, acknowledging his answer but not convinced.

“Mara please! You know you’re the person I trust the most, I just don’t want to wait much longer, what if we run out of time?”.

“That won’t happen”, she stated confidently, looking at him with a stern look.

“How would you know?”

Mara seemed hesitant, her mouth making incoherent sounds while trying to look for an answer.

“I can’t tell you Aerin, but you have to trust me”.

“Why?”

She shook her head with closed eyes and opened them to look the the duvets on the bed.

“Need any help?”

His confused expression was erased with a smile that grew slowly.

“Really?”, she nodded.

She took the duvets that laid on the bed and wrapped them around one of the nearby pillars, she made a tight knot, tightening it like he wouldn’t have been able to, she did it fast and easily, being used to cleaning towels and squeezing them.

She made sure it was secure and opened the window, revealing the night sky. She threw the rest of it down the window, where it disappeared within the darkness below. Aerin walked closer to the now open window and looked down, shivering at the sight of the endless void that the darkness created.

He looked back at Mara who was staring back at him expectantly, recognition passed through her eyes and offered him a hand.

He took it and jumped up the windowsill balancing himself with Mara’s hand, he stared down with labored breath. He felt Mara’s intense stare at the side of his head, making him more nervous.

He slowly removed his hand from Mara’s and wrapped both around the duvet, his arm’s trembling intently. When his legs weren’t touching anything, he felt himself starting to slip down, he quickly intertwined his legs tightly around the duvet and whimpered.

“Aerin, you got this”, he heard Mara’s whispers from above.

He breathed out slowly and started to slip down slowly with his hands cautiously close to the string of duvets.

He continued to lower himself slowly, he eyes tightly sealed while he fingers trembled until his eyes widened suddenly, his feet touched the ground lightly and he stumbled, falling to the ground, not expecting the ground to be so close.

He felt the grass on his face flutter, as if trying to get close to him, the small plants tickling his cheeks and feet, 

He looked up and noticed Mara looking from above, she felt the stare and gave a thumbs up to the void, whispering a soft "be careful". She suddenly dissapeared and closed the window.

He sighed and looked around, not being able to see anything and rose with trembling hands. 

He didn’t know where to go.

He looked forward, where there was nothing in his sight. He walked, the air blew strongly pushing him forward, guiding him.

He breathed in, a sweet scent suddenly surrounded him, hiding any other smell that had been around. 

His cheeks flushed and his feet suddenly moved on their own. He walked blindly, the leaves of trees grazing him, making the small leaves starting to grow from him flutter strangely, filling him with a weird sense of happiness.