Jan threw the door open to my room, and nearly knocked me down with his weird mix of tackle-hug. I gasped as the air rushed from my lungs. "I did it Echo, I really did it!"

He held a bag out on front of my face, teal eyes shining. "I made it into the army!" Great, more reason for him to get banged up.

I pulled the uniform out of the bag. "Let's see it on you."

"Later, we have a party to go to." He grabbed my wrist and started dragging me out the door. I dug my heels into the floor, stumbling when he pulled me forward anyway.

"I'm not dressed for a party." Well, I wasn't. I wore an old smock and had my hair tied back with a rag. Herb gathering clothes. "Let me change into something better ok?"

"No time, healer boy!" I sighed and let him drag me out.

The party was wonderful but I was the worst dressed there. It wasn't so bad though, because I was the only non-soldier man there. Jan proudly announced me as the person that was going to heal him every time and make him the greatest hero ever. I, of course, blushed, self-conscious of my grass-stained smock and dark blue hair in a somewhat orderly mess. The party degenerated into drinking and random kissing of loved ones. The host had sent a tiny child up to sleep sometime earlier.

Jan of course, kissed me. Jan and I were more then friends but something less than lovers. For the past three years we would sleep with each other occaisionally, but only when we had the time. Jan had been training hard, and I was still only an apprentice healer, relying more on the herb lore I had come here with than the magical training my master gave me.

Here at the party there was nothing keeping us from enjoying ourselves. After several more drinks and another kiss, one which made me grateful the child wasn’t in the room anymore, as she didn’t need to see quite that much at such a young age.

Jan towered a good foot over me, his blonde hair and smiling teal eyes made him not seem so tall though. He tried to carry me around places but I threw fits. I felt safe in his arms, and I enjoyed being held, particularly through winter nights, but carrying me around was a bit too much.

He had impressed me with a broken arm when we met. There was a long nasty scrape on it too. I set the arm and drew the infection out of the scrape under my master's supervision and made the smiling, but filthy boy promise not to fight like this anymore. He laughed and said he would try. I found out later that he was training to be a soldier.

My master was tolerant with me. What I did in my free time was my business. She didn't care. Erin thought it was good for me to have friends; she was the one that suggested I was falling in love with Jan. She didn't mind that after the party we went up to my room and stayed in there the remainder of the night. I think she heard us but she ignored that too.

It was many weeks before I saw Jan during the day again. I was instructing a woman what to give her child, because it seemed cold season had started early this year. "I'd put honey in this though if you want him to drink it. It’s awful tasting… I usually hid when my mum decided she was going to give it to me. Sick or not, I did not want to taste that vile stuff. The honey will cut off the edge to the taste and it might make his throat feel better too."

"Echo."

"Good Morning Jan." The lady paid me and she left, thanking me for my help.

"We have to talk." I dragged a stool over and placed the remainder of the herbs on the top shelf.

"Is it something bad?" I stepped down from the stool and started dragging it again. He picked it up and carried across the room to its proper place.

"I'm headed out tomorrow."

"No..." I stopped. My eyes wouldn’t focus. I know it seemed was looking at him, but I was looking through him, envisioning all the horrors he would face on the battlefield.

"They are sending us to the border, war's broken out there."

I stared off into space. This couldn't happen. Jan and the others were still too young to go to war. They had only been soldiers for a few months. There was nothing I could do about it.

"Promise you will come back to me safely?" I whispered.

"I'll be the hero first in line!” He boasted. “When I come back, I'll buy you a pretty new hairpiece. That little rag does no good for your face." Comforting arms wrapped around me. I clung to him tightly, as if he would leave me this second.

"I'm afraid." I said into his neck.

Someone cleared their throat behind us. I turned to see the old woman from down the road.

"I'm sorry. Can I help you?" I said; biting my lip at the glare she made.

"Children! Never to their work! I swear. I need something for an upset stomach boy, get to it." I hurried to make the requested medicine making eye contact with Jan as he left.

People died in wars but he would come back.

He promised. ....But most heroes I hear about are dead.

Fall became winter and winter came to spring then summer again and the war was finally over. Everyone was coming home. Erin told me I had the day off, to go pick some herbs in the woods then do whatever I wanted. She knew I wanted to see the soldiers come in. I packed my lunch and hurried out to a grassy hill to see them come in a little after noon. There were quite a few missing. I searched through the crowd for Jan; my heart sank when I didn't see him. I ran back to the shop, fighting back tears. Maybe I just hadn't recognized him. He'd come here for me.

The sun faded from view and he still was not here. I watched families reunite outside and looked to the shelf of herbs; there were herbs up there that could kill. It wouldn't be such a painful way to die. I’d just fall asleep, and then I’d be with him again. The door opened. I did not turn to see who it was. "We are closed. Are you here for a doctor?"

"I'm here to see someone named Echo. Are you he?" I turned around to see a woman, about forty, wearing an army uniform. Her face was sharp and she had a battle scar under her right eye.

I nodded. "He's dead isn't he?"

"I'm sorry." She pulled a small package out of her packs. I noticed Erin standing at the foot of the stairs out of the corner of my eyes.

"I was his commander. Some of his friends said he left this for a healer named Echo. He died a hero." She pulled a bag out of the package.

I opened the bag, there was a small note in there.

Echo,

They said I'm not going to live. I am running a fever from infected wounds. Their healer is writing this for me. I'm sorry I didn't make it back. I got you your hairpiece anyway. Think of me when you wear it.

Jan

I pulled the hairpiece out of the bag, there was also money in there but that wasn’t important. It was a butterfly with little blue stones on its wings. There was a ribbon attached to it to hold my hair back. "Thank you," I said to the lady and watched her leave.

"Echo..." Erin placed her hand on my shoulder. I stepped away from the hand. I could not bear her sympathy, not now.

"I knew he was dead." She took the hairpiece out of my hands and gently fixed it into my hair.

I will never forget…