THE MOMENT
Eternity was near. Or, maybe, it had already arrived. Gerard had no idea how long he'd been staring up at the snow; but, at least it was peaceful. His wounds no longer ached thanks to the cold; but, neither could he feel the rest of his body. He had not the strength to lift his head to check how much snow covered him and all he could do was stare at the white void that fell upon him. Stare up and pray with the last of his fading strength.
The betrayal hurt at first. The act of his once companion wounded him more than the knife in his back. He trusted her. He loved her and she turned out to be a lie. The change in her was instant and almost comfortable. It was as if the lovely assassin with knife expertise was her natural state and the polite, happy, gentle woman he'd traveled with was a character. Unfortunately, the eternal wait for eternity gave him time to dwell.
"Please....," he begged the sky. The cracked whisper was the loudest volume he could muster. "...let me survive. Let me have my revenge..."
Gerard wasn't asking for much. He was on a quest to remove the curse of endless winter and restore his village. His goals were noble; it was his villainous, lying companion that was evil. She stole the holy torch that he'd sacrificed years to create. Hour upon hour, day after day. Weeks followed by months, he prayed and poured his divine spirit into the torch to give it magic. He could almost remember how beautiful his betrayer looked in the golden firelight of the torch. Now, though, he wanted to see her enveloped in it, consumed by it. The pain he felt at first paled in comparison to the rage that had been growing inside.
"Anyone...," he found the strength for another whispered prayer. "....please help me....,"
"I'M COMING!" A surprisingly chipper and loud voice pierced the quiet snowfall. Gerard was still alive and he felt a strange sense of amusement take root along with the relief of hearing footfalls approach. Maybe help really was coming and maybe he could still get that revenge. "Hi! I'm Six." The face of a young girl with brilliant green eyes and dusty blonde hair appeared above him looking down with a smile. "Do you need some help?" she asked.
"Please...," Gerard uttered the word even as he wondered about the girl. It was obvious that he needed help, he guessed himself to be surrounded by bloody snow. He didn't recognize her from the village. And, this area was too unsafe for such a young child. He'd traveled deep into the dark woods to place the magic torch. Looking back on it, he should have suspected something when his former friend insisted on joining him despite the dangers. He was willing to protect her; but, for some now-suspicious reason, they were not attacked by any monsters.
Regardless of his request, Six didn't seem to be doing anything. She tilted her head at him and ask the same question a different way.
"My name is Six and I am also a Paladin; do you require aid, good sir Paladin?" Her green eyes sparkled as she asked and Gerard couldn't help but chuckle. She was acting strange.
"Yes," Gerard used his anger to add some firmness to his voice. "I want help killing that no good bitch that-."
"OH!" Six gasped and clapped her hand over her mouth suddenly. She stared down at him with wide eyes for a moment. He was too surprised to finish his thought and she spoke again. "You're not supposed to say that!" she said. Though, she did a poor job of hiding her smile as she reprimanded him. She didn't seem to actually mind the word. "I better heal you," she added as she knelt beside him.
He had no idea how a child's mind worked; but, it was still a surprise that healing him wasn't her first thought. And, the fact that she knew healing magic at such a young age also stood out. She had to have been telling the truth because warmth spread throughout his body. The falling snow occasionally reflected golden sparkles as he felt his strength return. Within seconds he felt strong again. Six stood and then reached down to offer him a hand up. Gerard accepted the help without pulling on her too much; he was able to stand on his own now.
"Thank you...," he began. She was much shorter than he expected. She looked young but she wore golden chain armor with a glowing magical tome chained to her waist. "... fellow Paladin," he said.
"You're welcome, dude," Six giggled. Her laughter was contagious and he let himself chuckle a bit too. Though, it was short-lived as she brought up what should happen next. "I'll get you to someone that can help you more better," she said. "I'm kind of busy today."
"Someone to help me get revenge?" he asked. He took a look around the forest, and finally down at himself. He had no idea how long lay there; but, it obviously felt longer than it was. There was almost no sign of snowy buildup on his armor. Maybe the villainous was still close enough to catch up to and surprise.
"What? No, forget that," Six replied.
"What do you mean 'forget that'!?" Gerard asked. By the time he looked back at her, a black hole floated in the air beside her like a portal. He had no idea where it came from; but, she was obviously powerful in the ways of magic. "That bi-," Six had proven to be a big help and he did her the small courtesy of adjusting his vocabulary. "..WENCH stabbed me in the back!"
"No, they didn't," Six shook her head with a smile. "If you go through there, someone will explain it better," she pointed at the portal.
"OF COURSE SHE DID!" No matter how much time actually passed, Gerard felt like he spent a lot of time with his anger. As helpful and friendly as Six was, he wasn't going to let her tell him he was imagining things. There was a reason he was sprawled on the floor near death.
"Uhhhh....," Six shook her head again. "... I don't know how to explain it exactly; but, whatever you think happened didn't actually happen. You were supposed to give me a quest to help you find the torch when I asked if you needed help."
"Then let's go find the torch and I'll deal with that ...woman by myself!" he grumbled. But, Six continued talking.
"And then I was supposed to go find the torch and bring it back and then you were supposed to give the torch your last breath to complete it, then die," she shrugged. "You were a character," she said. "No one betrayed you; you've always been here dying in the snow, until someone comes along looking for the quest. But, now that you're Awake, you get to do whatever you want. If you go in there you'll learn more," she said. But now, Gerard was the one shaking his head.
"No...," he said. "It happened! I didn't make it up. SHE STABBED ME IN THE BACK!" he yelled.
"Oh really?" Six asked with smirk. "You're that mad at her?"
"OF COURSE!" her light attitude only fueled his anger more. But, as his fury reached a fever pitch, he couldn't have been prepared for her next question. Even if he had spent a million years bleeding in the snow, and it did feel like it, the answer she was looking for would never have crossed his mind. He wasn't sure how it worked; but, she was telling the truth. He knew that as soon as the question left her mouth.
"So... what was her name?" Six asked.