It Will Go Down in History (BOTGD EU) Part 7
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āLetās go, then,ā Ingrid replied, falling a couple of steps behind Grey as the two of them left the Great Hall. They hadnāt walked far before Ingrid spoke again, quieter this time.
āActually, if you do want to knowā¦I wouldnāt mind telling you what I think Iām guilty of. You know, what we talked about during lunch? I could see you were curious.ā She looked more amused than anything else as she spoke, but inwardly she felt quite nervous and hoped this conversation would turn out helpful instead of extremely awkward.
Chief Grey stopped and stared at her scribeā¦her former rebellion comrade. This was quite out of the blue. Yes, she reassured to Ingrid that if she needed someone to talk to, she could always turn to her, butā¦she hadnāt expected Ingrid wanting to actually talk about it so soonā¦and so suddenly. She furrowed her eyebrows together.Ā
āUhhā¦sure, if you are in fact comfortable with it, then please by all means,ā Grey said nodding while trying not to sound confused with her friends sudden eagerness to talk about whatever has been bothering her.Ā
The corner of Ingridās mouth twitched. This definitely wasnāt a good start, but instead of feeling embarrassed like she normally would, she had a sudden urge to laugh. āEr, I meanā¦ Whether I tell you depends on whether you want to know. For myself, it doesnāt matter either way. Let me rephrase: I asked for your advice on something I feel guilty of earlier today, but I didnāt tell you what it is even though I knew you were curious. Iāve thought it over and decided I donāt mind telling you if you still want to know. Itās really just the details that I canāt give.ā
āOh no, I do want to know,ā Grey quickly said placing a hand on Ingridās shoulder.Ā āReally, I do, butā¦I only hope that youāre not just telling me because you feel like you owe it to me or something. If you truly feel that you can trust me and that it would help in some way to get it off your chest, then again please by all means. Iāll listen.ā
āDonāt worry, itās not because I feel obligated or anything,ā Ingrid replied. She noted that there might actually be a slight feeling of obligation in this, but she was at least sure of the most important part: She wouldnāt feel uncomfortable telling Grey about it. Knowing this, she forged ahead.
āWhat happened wasnāt complicated. My late aunt and uncle sent Elia to live with me in the Rebellion because their lives were in danger, and they couldnāt trust anyone else they could reach. Two months laterā¦she died. What really haunted me was how easily I could have prevented it. If only I had paid a little more attention to the dangers around us and warned her about it, it wouldnāt have happened. She was my responsibility, you know. Her parents trusted me to keep her safe and sacrificed so much to save her life, and it all came to naught because I didnāt pay attention.ā
The wryness returned to her expression as she met Greyās eyes. āUhā¦that probably gave you more questions than answers, sorry.ā
āWell, kind of,ā Grey said with her eyes widened. She thought back on the dayā¦what happened between her and Ingrid as they put the records of the witch attack together. Ingrid had asked her how to deal with something if you felt guilty about it and thought that the whole thing was your fault. She grew quiet when they tried to figure out how the grief seeds worked and what the white cats had to do with the witches. She stared at Ingrid. āEliaā¦was sheā¦I meanā¦was it because of those white cats thatā¦sheā¦?ā
āIt was,ā Ingrid confirmed quietly. āShe didnāt want the person she made her wish for to find out and feel guilty, so she asked me to not tell anyone. I doubt it matters unless I explicitly say who it was, though. Andā¦about todayā¦itās all right, really. Elia soon found out the real consequences of making a contract but refused to tell me what they were, so I justā¦assumed it was death. Today we found out itās not quite that and I got a bit of a shock, thatās all.ā
āHer humanityā¦ā Grey concluded in a whisper remembering their conversation.Ā
āBut from what I know about Elia, she wouldā¦she would have killed herself before she let herself become a witch. The corruption sets in gradually and unlike others, we can sense it. Elia never wanted to kill, and a witch can take so many lives before someone strong enough finally comes along and destroys itā¦ā Ingrid took a deep breath, trying to get rid of the tightness in her chest. āItās the better option out of the two, I guess.ā
Grey stared at her friend for what seemed like an eternity as tears formed in her eyes. It didnāt take long to figure out the exact cause of Eliaās death all those years ago. Elia did what she could to protect her cousin and the entire Rebellionā¦to prevent what happened with Kiri from happening again. She didnāt say anything. She didnāt know what she could possibly say to something as serious and horrible as this. Instead, she reached forward and hugged Ingrid tightly.
Ingrid hugged back and the two of them stayed like that for a moment, silent and still. Greyās presence helped a great deal, she realised. Grey was a caring friend, exuding warmth and compassion, and it had been so long since Ingrid had last been with a friend like her.
In fact, now that she thought back, the last person Ingrid hugged was Frodi. That was a month before he died during Walpurgisnachtās attack.
She was really getting tired of all these realisations.
But there are always a few good thingsā¦ she thought as she pulled away so that she could see Grey face to face. āThank you,ā she said, hoping her eyes could convey what her words couldnāt.
Grey simply smiled as she and Ingrid broke the hug and pulled away to stare at her friend. Even though Ingrid thanked her, she knew for a fact that Ingrid was grateful just from her eyes. She knew without a doubt that Ingrid trusted her and valued her as a friend.Ā
āYouāre very welcome,ā she said.
āI need to thank the Warden, too, for letting me see Elia one last time at the funeral after Midgardsormrās trial. Remember all the spirits who came to watch? Elia actually went to the witch huntersā base soon after she made the contract, soā¦I didnāt even know when she died. I was so very glad to see her spirit that night and know that she wasnāt suffering anymore.ā And Frodi as wellā¦
āI know that feeling,ā Grey said nodding to herself.Ā āYou know, I never really told anyone this, but at my coronationā¦Hrinthe, Kiriās dragon, allowed me to see my father again. Itā¦It was comforting to know that he was okayā¦even though he couldnāt physically be there to celebrate.ā
āWait, you father was there during the coronation? Thatās wonderful! So he saw you become chiefā¦ā Ingrid shook her head in amazement, smiling. āItās so comforting to know theyāre not really gone. I had no idea Hrinthe has that ability, too.ā
āNeither did I,ā Grey said chuckling at the memory,Ā ābut she told me all about it. She said that like Nala, she could be a medium too and create an image of my father. I was actually talking to him, Ingrid. He was standing right in front of me!ā
āIām so glad you could. Hrinthe must be one special dragon,ā Ingrid remarked, gradually returning to her former cheer. She glanced at the darkening sky. āWell, that took longer than I thought it would. Should we go and meet up with the others?ā
The Chief looked up at the sky as well, and saw that it was indeed close to dinner time. Her mother and adoptive siblings were probably waiting for them right now.
āYes, I believe we should,ā she said smiling. āMom has always been a stickler for punctuality.ā
"All right, let's go." As they set off and lights began appearing in the houses, Ingrid reflected on the day's events. It had been productive to say the least, and there were some things that would take a while to sink in. Witches, the contract, Elia...
But they're all gone now. I shouldn't dwell on them so much.
They say time heals everything and I think it's true. I do have a future to plan for...and by now I believe this is a life worth living.