One Last Look

Aylen approached Lara, who was seated on Jon's front porch. "It has been three days," she said. "Shouldn't your brother and the others who evacuated have come back by now?"

Lara shook her head. "I don't know." She looked over at Aylen. "But we can only wait another day."

Aylen looked at Lara curiously. "Why?"

"Captain Nish will be going back to Blue Forest in a few days."

On the verge of a gasp, Aylen opened her mouth and held her breath. "Does that mean…?"

"Yes," Lara replied, offering a smile. "That means we're going back."

Holding off her relief for a moment, Aylen asked, "Are you sure? This is your home, Lara."

"The Arctic hasn't been my home for a long time. It's been strange coming back. I've spent most of my life wandering the forest. It's all I know; it's who I am. And it's who you are. As long as you want to go back too, that is what we are doing."

"I do." Aylen nodded emphatically. "Trust me, I do. The Arctic is beautiful, but I don't belong here. I just wanted to be sure that's where you really want to go to."

"I do, don't worry. I don't belong here either."

Aylen looked out on the street at the townspeople, most picking debris from the road and repairing their houses. "Are you sure you only want to wait one more day?"

"That's all we can afford to wait. But I've written a letter for him, for when he does return." Lara pulled a piece of paper from her pocket, unfolded it, and handed it to Aylen. After Aylen gave Lara a questioning look, and Lara nodded in return, she held the paper to her face.

Dear Jon,

All my life, I have never known you, and yet this whole time, you have been with me in the form of a mark on my skin. All this time I thought my parents, our parents, had given it to me. Why can't I remember you?

I came back to the Arctic to find our baby brother and learned terrible news; news I'm sure you already knew. But that news came with very surprising, even unbelievable news. I had an older brother too, and you were still alive. You, a man I never knew. I wonder if you thought of me or searched for me. I know you must remember me, because of the ink charm you gave me. Through my life, I've had many close calls, but I am still alive, so there really might be some truth to these charms.

Years ago, when I thought to return to the Arctic, I thought I might stay. But along the way I met someone in Blue Forest, who has become a part of my life; a new family. And I know more now about living in Blue Forest then I ever have of the Arctic. So please forgive me, but I cannot stay and wait for your return. But know that I am safe and well and the happiest I have ever been my entire life. I wish for you that same happiness. If we never meet again in this lifetime, I am sure I will see you in the next.

Love,

Your sister, Lara

Delicately, Aylen folded the paper again and handed it back to Lara. "It's beautiful, Lara. Is that everything you wanted to say to him?"

Lara grinned wryly. "Had I said and asked everything I wanted to, there would have been a stack of papers." She shook her head. "I just said what I felt needed to be said; for both of us. It's all I really can say." Lara looked out at the looming mountains. "Since this is our last day here, how about we have one last good look?"

Aylen looked up at the rising peaks. "Yes, I would like that." She looked back at Lara, a teasing grin playing on her lips. "It is going to be freezing, isn't it?"

Lara grinned in return. "Probably. I figure we might as well get our fill of it before returning to the raging heat of Blue Forest."

"Yes, you're right. Besides, I can think of a few ways for you to warm me up." Aylen laughed as the predictable blush flooded Lara's face. Lara playfully pushed her, and then stood, Aylen rising with her. They hiked out to the nearest peaks, climbing slowly and carefully to the nearest ledge. Lara guided Aylen through the footfalls, showing her how to best master the icy rocks.

"What happened to your fear of heights," Aylen asked, raising her eyebrows.

Lara smiled. "Different context."

Once they reached a comfortable height, high enough for a great view, but not so high as to be in danger, they sat on the ledge together, looking out at the great landscape. The orange-yellow glow of the sun reflected like gold against the ice and glaciers reached up like arms to touch the sky. Stacks upon stacks of purple shadowed mountain ranges raked the sky in the distance. The sun seemed to smile against streaks of pearly clouds, warming the two women on the peak.

"I will keep this view in my memory forever," Aylen whispered, taking Lara's hand in her own. "It's so beautiful. It's breathtaking."

Lara looked down at the gentle hand, and then at the elf sitting beside her, whose pretty green eyes were looking out on the landscape with childlike wonder. Lara smiled. "It truly is."


Hope you all enjoyed this story!

Thanks for the review, SweetFangs. In response to it, to clear a few things up, I wasn't trying to rush the chapters, but I'm sorry you felt that way. I think the pacing of the story changes dramatically in the last few chapters, making it appear rushed maybe. But I'll take your thoughts into consideration when editing and maybe try to stretch it out a bit. Also, there seemed to be some confusion over the Mongor surrender. They didn't surrender because they couldn't conquer Brynja, rather their failure to do so and their later retreat from the war was coincidental. Their loss in Brynja and their loss in the village of the Elder Elves were meant as examples of losses the Mongor suffered elsewhere. I also meant to drop hints that though the Mongor were still relentless in their attacks, their power was waning due to the humans involvement in the war, but I think I focused too much on other aspects of the story and forgot to do so. I'll also be taking care of this in editing.

I'm starting to work on my next story and will be begin posting it relatively soon, so if you're interested in reading, add me to your alert list, or check my profile every so often.

Thanks for reading everybody :)