Favored By The Villain

“I’d get away from there if I was you.” Roman tapped his elbows with his fingers. “Might end up in the deepest depths of the water with the kraken if you don’t step back.”

Jedian rolled his eyes and walked away. He didn’t have the time to deal with Roman and his irritating remarks. With his head down, he walked through the docks and town to try and keep his thoughts clear. Somehow, in his mindless wandering, he ended up back where the carriages were waiting. Elizabeth and Merril had long gone, much to his relief.

“Come on, Jedian, you’ve overdone yourself. Let’s just have a nice quiet trip back, eh?”

Jedian nearly jumped out of his skin as someone slung an arm over his shoulder. He lashed out, wincing as he accidentally connected with someone’s nose. He spun round to see Roman holding his nose, blood pouring between the cracks in his fingers.

“I’m so sorry!” Jedian said on instinct, even though he was thankful that Roman was now silent. Reaching into his trouser pockets to retrieve a handkerchief, Jedian handed it over. Roman snatched it out of his hand and pressed it up against his nose. He then barged past Jedian and climbed into the carriage, leaving Jedian outside. Bracing himself for an awkward trip, he sighed and followed Roman, closing the carriage door behind him.

*

Levisia woke up with a start at the sensation of water dripping onto her forehead. She stood at the lighthouse, rain hammering down as the kraken roared in the distance. As she reached out to wipe it away, she felt something slimy wrapping around her arm. She tried to pull away, not seeing the kraken anywhere. And then, the familiar sounds of the lighthouse creaking chilled her to the bone. She looked up in time to see the fallen lighthouse falling straight towards her, and given that she was unable to move, it would surely crush her.

She screamed and held her free arm out in front of her as if it was about saving her life. Somewhere in the distance, someone was calling her name.

“Levisia!”

Levisia woke up with a start, thrashing about the place as she tried to get away from the kraken and the lighthouse. She tried to kick away something that had tangled around her feet, but something was still holding her close.

“It’s alright, Levisia. You’re okay, you just had a bad dream. That’s all. Take some deep breaths.”

Despite everything, she did as she was instructed. With every deep breath, she took, her heart rate slowed to normal, and soon she was calm enough to examine her surroundings. Or, at least, what she was able to see. She was in a room of sorts, dimly lit by candlelight. And when she looked up, she saw a pair of golden eyes looking down at her.

“Pel.” She sobbed and latched onto him with all of her might. Though her arms were aching, she still wrapped them around his waist and held on for dear life. All this time, she had never once thought about where he was during the kraken attack. He could have died and she wouldn’t have known. But there he was, safe and sound.

“What you did was stupid, foolish, and idiotic. You went up there alone, without any backup, and without telling anyone where you were! It was only because a guard saw you that we knew where you were! We were all worried about you! Elizabeth was practical in hysterics as soon as she heard that you were in the lighthouse. I…” Pel let go of Levisia and clamped his hands on her cheeks. “What were you thinking?!”

“I couldn’t just let them die…” Levisia said in a small voice. All the fight had left her, and she slumped against Pel’s hands. “If it was empty, I would have come straight back down.”

“You should have asked if it was vacant or not. The people in the town know the lighthouse better than you.” Pel sighed and pulled Levisia into another hug, one which Levisia gladly returned. “Just think before you act, okay? You are so reckless and impulsive sometimes, and one of these days it will land you in trouble that nothing will be able to save you from. You cannot rely on that magical gust of wind to bail you out of every single sticky situation you get yourself in.”

“I know… I know, Pel. I’m sorry.” Levisia buried her head against Pel’s shoulder. “I’m glad you’re safe, though. And that the townspeople were able to evacuate.”

Pel simply hummed as he rubbed a hand over Levisia’s hair, Levisia melting under the touch. She prayed that wherever they went next, nothing would happen. There was only so much adventure she could take before she started to reach her limit.