Chapter 14: Memories

Ilara quietly read some of Terlan's other notes on his growing concern with the walls of Topalia.

Her eyebrows was furrowed and her face schooled a serious expression.

"Are you sure about this?" Ilara asked.

"Absolutely."

Ilara read and reread some more notes written by Terlan, and donned a sad expression when she read some notes about how worried he was of her.

"I'm sorry." Ilara said as she laid the parchment down on a nearby table. Terlan looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"What for?"

"For leaving. I knew how much you needed me, and yet I still left. I was selfish. You needed someone to be there with you in that horrible, suffocating place and yet, I still left."

Terlan sighed, realizing what she was talking about, he too stared at her sadly.

"Ilara, I understand. You couldn't bare to be there anymore. Yes, admittedly when I still couldn't understand why you left, I hated you. But, as time passed by and I found out more as to why left, I realized that I understand. If I had forced you to stay, it would've killed you on the inside. I would've lost you more if I had made you stay than letting you go. In fact, I should be the one who's sorry. I am making you come back to that horrible place."

She smiled sadly at him and hugged him tightly for a few seconds.

"Thank you, Terlan. Alright, I'll go. I will try to help you as much as I can, but I cannot guarantee anything Terlan. And before we leave, I'm going to ask Naera to take care of the store while I'm gone."

Terlan nodded in agreement and Ilara set off to pack her things.

The events after the encounter outside the walls.

Naera had woken up from her slumber and yawned to greet a new day. Everyone is awake already and busy doing their chores. The house was bustling with activity and sound.

She went about her usual morning rituals such as bathing, cooking breakfast, eating, when at the table where she sat, she remembered the strange eerie feeling of being out there in the outside world.

Was it truly normal for it to feel like...something was...watching you when you were outside the wall?

"Hey! Naera! You're staring out at nothing again, silly!" Tharlo said as he jumped and waved his hands in front of her face. She smiled at him and lifted him to briefly in the air.

"No, I'm not!" she said laughing while he giggled in the air.

"Wow, Tharlo! You're getting heavy! You're growing up to be a big boy, now!" She said as she put him down, huffing.

"I hope not big enough to not be lifted by you anymore." She smiled and ruffled his hair.

"Not that big yet, little guy. Don't  worry."

"Naera! Get a move on or you'll be late for work!"cried Laeti in the kitchen. Laeti does some jobs too sometimes but she's usually the one that's left at home to watch the kids, the house, do some chores, and whatnot.

"Alright, alright. I'm going. Bye everyone!" She shouted loudly and everyone in the house shouted farewell back.

She was going to her usual route when she got lost in thought again. She thought of how hard their life was, but she and all the other kids with her that they would rather face this kind of hardship than return to the orphanage.

She then started to remember the time they were all in the orphanage.

She remembered how almost every night, she heard Tharlo scream and cry as he was locked in the basement just because he tried to snag a loaf of bread in the kitchen because of how hungry he was.

How Zaela had to lie just to save Xunna from being beaten by a broom stick because she broke a vase, and instead it was Zaela who was beaten until bruises colored almost every inch of her body.

How they dragged her by the hair and across the stone cold floor when they first found out they were trying to escape, with Laeti trying her best not to cry as she watched because she had begged her to pretend that she had no part in it, or else all of them would be watched closely and diminish their chance of escaping.

"HEY!"

She didn't even realize that she was so lost in her thoughts that she had already reached the gates leading to the wall of Garuh.

She looked up at the guard who was guarding the whole with an impatient scowl on his face.

"I said, what is your business inside the wall, you daft sewer rat!"

She shook herself to shake her head away from her wandering thoughts and stated her business as she usually did, entering the wall of Garuh for what she thought was just her usual day at work.