Unexpected Reunion, Scene v1

“Garrick, stop! That’s enough!”

Tears welled up in Garrick’s eyes. He staggered to the side and dropped to his knees. His two loyal soldiers ran to his side, while he struggled to regain control over himself. Devin stood over the Kival woman. “Get up.”

She rose to her feet, cringing in pain. Blood seeped from her shoulder down her arm as she applied pressure to it with her right hand. Devin searched her, seizing her dagger and pouch. The rest of the squad ran up after having bound the unconscious soldiers. The Kival groaned in pain as Devin bound her hands behind her back and tied up her wound.

“I—Isella?!” exclaimed Lucas.

Isella averted her eyes shamefully. Kismet stared at her face, the same face she saw that night, not just in Koln, but also at the pond near Levan. As soon as she saw Lucas brave façade quickly crumbled into a troubled look filled with guilt and confusion. “You know her?”

“Isella...your girlfriend?” asked Sara, confused.

Lucas was at a loss for words, unable to believe his own eyes. He stared at her in disbelief, his eyes stung with tears. Devin turned to Garrick with a look of uncertainty. Garrick gave him a slight nod with renewed focus. “Let’s head back.”

The soldiers carried the captured Kival back to Koln in silence. Between Elena’s death, and Lucas’ shock, no one dared to speak a word. Devin was walking Isella. Kismet quickened her pace to Devin’s side, speaking softly, “General, this woman is the same woman I saw at Levan, and the pond that one night.”

“Are you sure?”

Kismet nodded. Devin looked at Isella’s face. It appeared surreal, even to him, that it was the same person as he saw four years ago. When he delivered the grave news to Lucas’ family of his father’s death. she was a live-in house servant at the time. Eventually rumors began to spread of a relationship developing between her and Lucas, but he never spoke much of his personal life. Unfortunately, the current state of things was not in Lucas’ favor.


The next morning, Devin walked into the town’s prison. It baffled him that even the prison was well kept and presentable. Koln made no effort in showing its pride in being the largest border city of Lokem. But Devin, having lived and served in Rokan City all his life, knew all too well that even the most beautiful cities have their fair share of problems.

“Devin, I’m glad you stopped by before leaving,” greeted Garrick. “Sorry for getting you mixed up in yesterday’s mess.”

The commander’s concerned look was unfitting. He had always been a jolly man, full of pride and laughter. Devin gave him a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry about it. The Kival are a problem for the both of us. Speaking of which, that Kival woman. I’ll be taking her with me.”

“Why? Clearly she was involved with what happened at the tower, and the journey back to Rokan will only give her a chance to escape.”

“Back in Rokan, Kismet claims she saw her spying on us, and is closely associated with someone by the name of Kain. Any idea who he is?”

Garrick shook his head. The idea of handing over the prisoner still left him uneasy. “Never heard of him. Besides, what does that have to do with anything? What if the furlicker is wrong, or lying? She probably is just looking for some sort of praise.”

“I know it’s hard to deal with, but I really do trust what she says. She’s never been one for fame or glory. As for Kain, according to what we know so far, he plays an active role in the Kival efforts. It seems he has been organizing something in the Rokan region, and that woman was involved in, or at least knows, what he was planning.”

Garrick massaged his scalp with his fingertips, mildly irritated. He let out a long sigh. “I guess if she is involved with something in Rokan, it would be best for you to take her.” He opened the steel reinforced door and led Devin to Isella’s cell. She sat slouched against the back wall, her hands still bound behind her back. Her bowl of food was licked clean near the cell door.

Garrick unlocked the door. Devin stepped into the cell, looking down at her worn face. Even in the poor lighting, he could see the exhaustion and lack of sleep in the shadows around her eyes. “Isella, right? You’ll be coming with us. Let’s go.”

She glared at him suspiciously without a response. Devin helped her to her feet by the arm and led her to the door. Before stepping out, he turned back to Garrick. “Thanks Garrick, the next time we see each other, let’s grab a drink.”

The commander crossed his arms and gave him a small smile. “Sure, sounds great. Have a safe trip back.”

Devin nodded. He looked into Garrick’s eyes. The commander tried to hide the pain, but they were no longer the same. Elena’s death crushed his spirit. Devin gave him one last sympathetic look. “Stay strong, Garrick. For Elena.”

Garrick fought back his tears and forced a smile. “For Elena,” he echoed.



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