OMG!!! It's finally done!!!!

I know I said I'd be back in a month, and in my defence, I did write this chapter while my bf was here...but I hated it:P I had planned to rewrite it after he left, but I fell into a bit of a depression. Then I got sick and was put on very heavy antibiotics. Then I had to go to a wedding. Then I had to study for my exam.

Life got in the way. It sucks, but is the way life tends to be. But, it's done now, after 2 rewrites, and I have to say, I like the outcome.

I hope you do to. Thanks for waiting :)

Ty.

Part 3 Acceptance

Chapter 15

Julie let out a long sigh as she glanced up at the sky. The sun was starting to set as yet another day was coming to an end. The day had been a long one. The two elementals had woken that morning to a grey sky and the smell of rain in the air. It was if the weather was reacting to her depressed mood. Though the day had been grey and dreary, the threatening rain clouds on the horizon hadn’t managed to make it any closer. Yet again, the rains hadn’t come.

It seemed like they wouldn’t get their chance either. The setting sun was an angry red that promised an unpleasantly hot day tomorrow. That anger was being taken out on the remaining clouds. The sun’s light was turning the clouds variable shades of red and purple, almost as though the sun’s heat was causing the clouds to catch fire. She shuttered at the thought.

Sighing again she started to make her way from the camp to the river.

The landscape had changed slowly over the last month as the two elementals made their way along the back paths and trails that paralleled the river. With the spring rains past, summer had taken root and the land had burst to life. As the days quickly grew longer and warmer, the trees became thick with greenery and life, flowers bloomed and the brush was alive with small animals scurrying about. The Undying River's banks were swollen from the heavy rains and the melt off from the mountains. The sound of the water bubbling and roaring was always with Julie; a constant friend through this time.

With each passing day the mountains at their back had become smaller and smaller until their spanning mass could no longer be seen. With them, the structured and safe life that had once been Travnatan faded. But the memories of the school remained strong, as did the feelings held from that time.

The two elementals normally walked and took their meals in silence. Except for polite chat, Julie and Jovas kept to their own thoughts and demons. Julie noticed a change in Jovas' attitude towards her. He wasn't overly cold to her, but nor was he kind and open to her as he had once been. The hidden smile that she had become so accustom too had vanished from the Fire weaver's face.

"Not that I can blame him," she thought sadly as she moved through the brush towards the river. As she approached the water she saw two deer silently drinking from the shallows on the other bank and slowed her approach. Watching the deer closely with a slight smile, Julie moved to the water’s edge and crouched down to watch them. The mother and fawn paid her no attention as they drank.

Julie tried in vain to use the nature around her as a distraction from the questions and worries that plagued her mind. Too quickly though, her thoughts turned back to herself.

Julie didn't understand her mood of late. She was confused and slightly scared. She was unsure of herself and everything she thought was stable in her mind. Her life had shifted in a way that no longer made sense to her. In the beginning, Julie had blamed this uncertainty on Jovas. The shock and anger she felt when his lie had been revealed had clouded her judgment, but in the days that followed, reason had slowly chipped away at the anger and showed her that the confusion was there before she found out the truth about Jovas.

"The truth?" she muttered under her breath. "I think I know less about him now then I did before."

Her sudden voice caused the deer to look up, frightened. Seeing the girl so close to their position, the two animals quickly dashed back into the brush. Julie let out a small sigh and pouted. She hadn’t meant to scare the poor things. She didn’t mean to do a lot of things. That seemed to be the way her life was going.

Julie stood up and stretched. Picking up the dishes she had brought with her from the camp, she moved to a rock on the bank and sat down. Though the day had been a grey one, the rock was pleasantly warm against her legs.

Setting the dishes beside her, she removed her boots and placed her feet into the cool water. The refreshing feel of her element against her skin helped to sooth her mind. Leaning back she closed her eyes and turned her face towards the setting sun. The sun’s final rays of the day were warm and bright. Julie kicked her feet causing some water to splash up and hit her face and body. Her element was cool and comforting against her skin.

Holding out her hands, she moved them ever so slightly. The water mimicked her hand movements. She pulled the water up into a sprout and wiggled her fingers, causing the water to wiggle and dance. Throwing her right arm up and her left arm across in a chopping motion caused the water sprout to shoot up into the air like an arrow. It landed back in the river moments later with a splash that got her quite wet. Laughing at the sheer joy and happiness the innocent play brought, Julie thought for perhaps the hundredth time that things weren't as bad as she imagined.

Pushing the dark and rather depressing thoughts from her mind, Julie leaned down and started washing the few dishes from their dinner. The two elementals had been living off the land for the past month, the supplies from Travnatan having run out after only a few days. For breakfast and lunch, they normally ate berries, nuts, or some roots found near the river. Their evening meal normally included some meat, either fish from the river or some small animal Jovas managed to trap.

Julie had been amazed by Jovas' survival and wilderness knowledge. She had always thought of him as having more book knowledge then real world experience. She quickly discovered how wrong that opinion had been. Jovas was a skilled tracker and hunter. Julie was forced to admit that without Jovas, she wouldn’t have been able to make this journey as inexpensively. He knew many tricks that proved very useful on their journey such as setting traps, what bait to use to catch fish, and how to build a smokeless fire.

Watching him build a fire was one thing that surprised Julie. She had assumed that now she knew his secret Jovas would use his element more freely. But thus far, Jovas hadn't used his element at all. He always started the fires with a spark and flint and put them out with sand and water.

Julie shook her head at the mystery that was Jovas. She doubted she would ever understand him like she once thought she had.

Turning her attention back to the dishes she leaned down and started rinsing them in the water, listening to the river's insistent babble. She smiled as the water spoke to her, telling her hundreds of things at once as it tickled her feet playfully. She sat up and listened to her element as she dried off the dishes. It told her of the rains further south, and the melt off further north, and the animals drinking from it’s banks, and the children who swam in it’s depths, and the trees dropping leaves onto it’s surface. It told her everything it could see in the carefree way water had. She knew it was trying to cheer her up. She was always amazed at how perceptive her element was to her mood.

Julie finally gave in and laughed. The water rippled as if pleased with itself. "Why do they call you the Undying River anyway?" Julie asked with a giggle.

"Because the melt off from the mountains prevents it from ever drying out, even in long droughts."

Julie started at Jovas' sudden voice. Turing slightly she saw Jovas coming out of the brush next to her. She watched as he squatted a few feet down river from her and started cleaning his small hunting knife that he used to skin the rabbit they had for dinner. His movements were quick, yet delicate, showing his skill and familiarity with the knife and the task. He didn't look at her, nor did he try to continue the conversation. Julie wondered if this was deliberate and he was ignoring her, or if he just had nothing else to say to her. Both explanations were depressing.

Julie let out a muted sigh as she finished drying the plates. She didn't want it to be this way. She couldn't explain why it bothered her so much. Julie knew she had broken Jovas' trust. She knew it was her own fault for the tension between them now. Swallowing hard she attempted to break the heavy silence.

"How far does the river go?" she asked, not looking up from the plate she was drying.

"The Undying River continues down into the Planthorian Valley where it joins the River Daldia," Jovas answered promptly. By the tone of his voice, Julie could tell he didn't much care for the topic, and he knew she didn't either. Though she was discouraged, she was not deferred.

"Will we follow the river to Planthorn?"

"Not unless you want to see the White City. I was planning on turning away from the river in a few days. We'll travel along the main road until we reach the boarder between Tranvis and Lorth'tor."

Julie’s brow furrowed as she thought of his rout. The human province of Lorth'tor was small and very poor. The province had once been one of the wealthiest in the Human lands. Though it was landlocked, Lorth'tor had been rich with agriculture, providing most of it's neighbours with supplies for the winter months. Julie remembered hearing stories of the great Lorth’tor fair held at the end of the season were it was said you could buy anything. Merchants would travel for months for the opportunity to sell their goods in the fair.

That was how Lorth'tor was remembered. Lorth'tor was the first of Human lands to be attacked during the War of Fire. The crops had been destroyed by intense magical fires. The heat from the fires had sterilized the soil. The land had been scorched and scared, and even now the ground still remained charred and barren in some places. Slowly the province had been healing the land using strong Water and Earth magic, but the damage to it's economy had been done and it would be some time before Lorth'tor reached is former glory.

"What is in Lorth’tor? Isn't it out of the way?" Julie asked. She couldn't understand why they would be traveling to such a place.

Jovas just shrugged. It looked as though he would say something more, but after a moment he shrugged again and went back to cleaning his knife. Julie realized that the conversation was pretty much closed. Jovas was going to Lorth’tor and Julie could follow if she chose. Jovas wasn't going to send her away, but he wasn't going to change his plans for her either.

A heavy silence fell over the two. Again. Julie finished drying the dishes and stood up. She started to put on her boots, watching Jovas out of the corner of her eye. He had finished washing his knife and had started filling up their water skins for the night. Julie noticed that Jovas had removed his glove. He didn't do that often. Julie tried to remember when at Travnatan she had ever seen him without the magical glove, but couldn’t think of a single time. She figured he preferred the soothing power of the water magic over the sting of the open air.

As she picked up the dishes, Julie tried to get a closer look at the burn on his arm. During their time at Travnatan, the only information anyone had gotten from Jovas had been that he had been magically burned as a child. Every one, including Julie, had taken that to mean that a fire elemental had burned his arm. It made sense. Why else would the burn have remained unhealed for so long? But now that she knew he was a fire weaver, Julie couldn't piece together why he would have such a bad burn.

It was a bad burn too. For the most part, it was charred black. Parts of the black skin where pealing away to reveal angry purplish skin or painful looking blisters. Other parts of his arm were cracked and seemed to be oozing, though Julie couldn't tell if it was the water or from any kind of infection. The burn was uneven though. Juxtaposed to black was pink healthy skin. She could see scarring on other parts of his arm. What was most surprising were that his fingers, except for the thumb, were clear of any burns.

Julie gasped sharply as she stared in horror, drawing Jovas' attention. He didn't make any move to hide it. Instead he held it up to give her a better look.

"It's actually looking better," Jovas said in a low tone as he gently padded it dry with his left hand.

"I...it's..." Julie stammered trying to find the right words. "I'm sorry..." she finished weakly. She really had no idea what else to say.

Jovas shrugged. "You have nothing to be sorry about. You didn't do this to me."

"But someone did," Julie thought silently. Swallowing hard Julie picked up the dishes and made her way back to camp.

Their camp was small and efficient. Jovas always made sure to pick a spot that wasn’t easily seen from the road or trail they were traveling. The camp consisted of a small fire pit, two bed rolls, and a food bag that hung from a tree on the far side of the camp. Julie always put her bedroll closest to the river, so she could hear its calming voice during the night. Jovas was more particular about where he slept. He would search for a comfortable place to sleep before placing his bedroll, and then would build the fire next to that spot. Today, Jovas had placed his bedroll perpendicular to the foot of hers.

Moving to her area, Julie packed the dishes away in her bag and sat on her bedroll. Her eyes fell on the small, dying fire. She chewed on her lip again as she tried to sort out her thoughts. The small ribbons of flame licked at the charred wood. The sight reminded her of that day. She chewed on her bottom lip again as she thought past the fires to the aftermath.

"It shouldn't be this way!" she screamed at herself. "He is a good person, and my friend. He exposed himself to save my life. If it hadn't been for me, he would still be at Travnatan getting the best education money can buy."

Letting out a long sigh, Julie hugged her legs to her chest, and rested her head on her knees. "It shouldn't be this way," she repeated softly as she heard him approach.

She watched him out of the corner of her eye as he sat down. She frowned slightly as he moved his blankets dangerously close to the fire. But then, he was a fire weaver after all. What did it matter how close to the fire he sat? Julie repositioned her head and watched as he took out some of his bandages and oil. He carefully dipped the wraps in the oil and proceeded to bandage his arm.

"Would you like some help?" she asked quietly. His skillful maneuvering of the bandage with his left hand showed Julie that he had much experience doing this, but she still wanted to help him.

"No, that's okay,” Jovas said as he looked up at her. “I'm use to doing this."

For a moment, a brief moment, Julie had seen his hidden smile. It made her relax slightly. Maybe all was not lost. She continued to watch him as he dressed his burnt arm.

"I could try and heal it…” her voice trailed off as he looked at her again. “If…if you want…I could try…?"

Jovas shook his head. "You can't heal it, Julie."

Julie's heart sank a bit. "He won't even let me try."

Silence again descended over the two. It was always the case at this time. Dinner was finished, the clean up was done. There was nothing really left to do or say. Julie had dubbed this the Twilight Silence. The two would say little to each other until morning, when Jovas would give her a slight shake and tell her it was time to wake up.

Jovas stretched and lied down on his blanket. He folded his arms across his chest and stared up at the darkening sky. Julie's eyes ventured back towards the almost dead fire, the edges of the embers glowing a deep orange. Her mind wandered back to her grandparents. She wondered how they were doing. She pictured her grandfather coming in from the fields, dirty, but happy about a good hard day's work. She saw her grandmother setting out dinner, humming and smiling pleasantly to herself.

How long would it take for the news that Julie had left Travnatan to reach them? Perhaps they had already received her letter outlining her decision. Would they be disappointed in her? Julie played nervously with her lower lip. She loved her grandparents so much, and hated to let them down like this. Was there another way?

Picking up a stick, Julie started poking the remains of one of the logs in the fire pit, causing sparks to fly up in the air. She pulled the stick away and noticed that the tip was on fire. She waved it around in the air a bit trying to put out the flame. She watched the faint glow the fire left behind as she did. Smiling slightly, she amused herself by making shapes with the faint glow.

Her eyes glanced at Jovas for a second. He was watching her with his deep blue eyes. She couldn't read the expression on his face, and wondered what he thought of her. She brought the end of the stick close to her face and blew out the flame before putting it back down beside her.

Silence. It was almost unbearable for Julie. For weeks she had endured it, but she was coming to a breaking point. Tears welled up in her eyes as she thought about the past few months. How she had gotten Jovas to open up. How she had come to trust him. How she had thrown it all away.

"Jovas?"

"Yes?"

He was looking at her again with those eyes, those strange blue eyes. Why weren't his eyes red? She couldn't think of anything to say. She felt like a naughty child who had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. What could she say?

"I...we...uh..." Her voice was weak as she stammered. She turned her head so she didn't have to meet his gaze. "I’m sorry," she said quietly.

Jovas sat up and faced her. “Sorry for what?”

“For everything,” she cried. Julie bit her bottom lip as the tears started.

Jovas shook his head. “Not everything is your fault, Julie. Don’t get so worked up over it.”

The tears were falling freely now. She looked around the small camp, at her current reality. “This is my fault,” she sobbed. “All of this is my fault! If I had of just trusted you, and let you lead me out, we’d still be at Travnatan. We’d still be going to classes together, and eating meals in the dinning hall together. You’d still be able to go to the library and read and take your notes. The way they had you removed that day…it was just awful. If it wasn’t for me, no one would know what you are. No one would care what you were doing.”

She stopped to breath. Jovas had moved closer to her, but she didn’t have the courage to look at him. She buried her face in her knees and let the tears flow.

“It shouldn’t be this way,” she sobbed. “And it’s my fault it’s this way. It’s my fault I lost you, and you lost everything. And all I can say is sorry and hope one day you won’t hate me for what I’ve done to you.”

She continued to cry. She didn’t know how long she cried in silence. Jovas said nothing to her. He hadn’t interrupted her, and now he didn’t comfort her. “He really does hate me,” she thought in agony. Slowly the tears stopped though. She looked up to see Jovas sitting on his bedroll staring into the newly lit fire. She hadn’t even noticed him light it.

“Do you feel better?” he asked as he looked at her. Taking his blanket from the ground in front of him, he reached over and put it over her shoulders. She hadn’t realized she was shivering until the warmth from his blanket spread to her body.

Julie took a deep breath and nodded. She hugged the blanket to her chest and wiped any lingering tears from her face. She had to admit, she did feel better. A lot better. She had gotten out what had been tormenting her for almost two months. It felt as though a large weight had been lifted off of her shoulders.

Jovas stirred the fire with the stick she had used earlier. “For the record,” he started softly. “I don’t hate you. Second, I haven’t lost anything.” He turned to look at her, his blue eyes gazing at her intently. “Before going to Travnatan, I didn’t have anything. Thus I couldn’t have lost anything there.”

Julie smiled weakly. “That is faulty logic,” she said softly.

Jovas smiled back at her. “Perhaps, but it’s the truth.”

The two sat in silence for while. Jovas continued to poke at the log in the fire. The light from the flames danced off his face and Julie could see his element reflected in his eyes. That strange blue flame she had seen on that day could be clearly seen mirrored there, if you knew what to look for.

Julie thought over what Jovas had said. “You really don’t hate me?” she asked quietly, breaking the silence.

Jovas snorted. “Why would I bring you along if I hated you?”

Julie laughed. It was a simple question, and one she didn’t have an answer to. “Jovas, can we just start over?”

"Start over?" Jovas looked at her with a puzzled expression. "How so?"

"I mean...our friendship. Can we start over and make a fresh start?" There was a slight quiver in her voice.

"How do we just start over?"

Julie thought about that. "How can we just start over?" she wondered to herself. A heavy silence fell between them. Jovas continued to look at her, his eyes seeming to stare right though her. For what felt like an eternity Julie tried to figure out how to answer his question.

"I don't know," she finally conceded. "Maybe, let's just start again, like it's all new. No lies or secrets."

Jovas seemed to consider her proposal, taking it seriously. His eyes fell on the fire for a moment. He nodded a few times before looking back to her. "I guess we can try," he said at last.

A smile lit Julie's face as she looked at Jovas. She hadn't smiled like this since the incident at Travnatan. Standing up she moved to sit next to Jovas.

"Hello. My name is Julie Lurue. I'm a Water elemental." She offered him her left hand, not wanting to cause him any more pain. Jovas took her small hand in his large one and gazed at her.

"My name is Jovas Galdaver. I'm a..." His voice trailed off slightly and he looked away. Julie gave his hand a slight squeeze, causing him to glance back at her. She smiled at him, reassuringly. "I'm a Fire elemental," he finished, giving her hand a squeeze back.

"Nice to meet you Jovas," Julie said with a slight giggle. Jovas smiled at her with amusement. His eyes had softened. It wasn’t the same as it was, but it was a new beginning. For that, Julie was grateful.