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She was dressed in simple traveling clothes, looking a little more bent and tired than the last time Dusk had seen her. On her face were the same deep lines that indicated a lifetime of smiles handed out to anyone, just like the charity she had shown Dusk after his escape. He felt his mouth open slightly and a smile came to his face. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
“Juniper!” Dusk cried, running up to her.
He slowed to a stop in front of her, holding his arms out to hug her.
“Careful, I’m nearing ancient at this point,” she chuckled.
Dusk stooped down and hugged her gently, feeling her lightly squeeze him back with one arm, the other still clasped on her cane.
“What are you doing here?” Dusk asked, taking a step back.
Juniper gave him a small smile. Now that he looked closer he could see a tiredness in her eyes that he didn’t remember being there before.
“Don’t you worry about me,” she chuckled, placing a soft wrinkled hand on his. “Why don’t you come with me so we can get caught up.” She leaned to the side looking at Tara, Sky, and Lex. “If your friends are okay with that?”
“Of course,” Tara said, nodding her head. She took a few steps forward and held her hand out to Juniper. “It’s such an honor to meet you ma’am. You’re a legend I always hoped to live up to.”
Juniper took her hand and gave her a small wink. “Considering what the three of you have done, I think you’ll surpass me. In fact, I hope you do. The world could use more people like you.”
Tara put her hand over her heart and gave a slight bow. “That means everything, coming from you.”
Juniper held out her arm to Dusk. “Well, help this old woman up to the deck so we can talk.”
Dusk took it gladly and slowly they made their way back to the stairs. Once on deck Juniper led him to the bow of the ship. She stopped, draping one arm over the railing while the other still grasped her cane. Staring out over the ocean and into the west, watching the waves roll by as the sun shimmered on the surface.
“I know you want to know why I’m here, so I might as well tell you,” she said without prompting. “When the Inahandrian soldiers marched on Ditania, they came straight down the main roadway. They marched through my village and onward towards the mines. They were cut off before they made it much further, but they destroyed everything in their path. I figured it was time to leave.”
Dusk sighed, leaning down on the railing next to her. “There was nothing we could do to stop them. Once we killed all the Circle members at Windshear Pass, there was no one to fight. I feel like it’s my fault...”
“I seriously doubt that. I’ve heard bits and pieces of your story, but I’m missing large portions of it.” She glanced up at Dusk. “All I can offer is my experience. Will you tell me what you’ve been through since I sent you down the road?”
Dusk didn’t need any more prompting. He started weaving his tale, picking up at the moment Juniper set him on his way towards Greencoast Port all those months ago. He told her of Brand and his bandits, how he’d met Lex, the ruins of Alamond, and all the strange creatures they’d seen on the way. There were places where he went into great detail, explaining the strange things they’d seen at Windshear Pass and how they’d nearly died in the Louring Bog after meeting Yarick. Sometimes he forgot about the journey altogether and just described the beautiful things he’d seen along the way, like the Crystal Gate, the pods of Tulamars in Emerald Deep, and the millions of stars reflecting on a still night sea as they sailed towards Watersedge.
Some of the tales weren’t as pleasant though. He told her about his not-so-chance meeting with Yarick and how the man grew to be almost like a father to him before his betrayal. He talked about Tiernan and his neverending ploy to manipulate Dusk into being a tool to take down the warring empires. He even spoke of Mirinda and how he was disappointed the Legion had taken up a new cause for the rebellion after he’d spent months trying to get to them to gain his freedom. Even though he understood Mirinda’s reasoning and she could outlaw slavery with Lobelia gone, it hadn’t been what he was expecting.
At last, he finally came to Lex and the secret that had just recently come out. He wasn’t sure how long he talked about Lex, but Juniper never interrupted or asked him to change the subject. She just listened with the patience of someone who had seen an entire lifetime and understood much. The sun was getting close to the horizon before he realized how long he’d been going on.
“I guess I’m just wondering if I can really trust him now,” Dusk sighed, letting his head droop down so he looked at his boots. “I’m sorry. You wanted to know about my journey and instead I’m just talking about relationship issues. If there’s even any relationship there anymore.”
“You love that boy,” Juniper said softly. “And where there is love, there is a way.”
“But can I ever look beyond his lies?” Dusk asked, looking back at her. “How do I see past what he is? He... he owns me. I’m not sure if I can forgive him for that.”
She fixed her gaze on him and smiled. “He’s always known you were a runaway slave, yes?”
Dusk nodded.
“And yet, he still fell in love with you.”
He was silent, staring back at her.
She turned to look back out over the water, the sky growing orange as the sun sank lower. “When I was a young woman, I worked for King Cecil’s father as an assassin. I was one of the best in the entire country, a deadly marksman that could drop a target without being seen or heard. Eventually, I fell in love with a beautiful woman and together we became an unstoppable team.” She paused for a moment. “But one day she changed. She put down her sword and wanted to run away.” She smiled as if remembering fond things, the orange light shining on her face. “I chose to trust the woman I’d come to love instead of the life that had built us. I think we met for a reason and what blossomed from that meeting was more beautiful than anything I could have asked for.”
Dusk still stared at her, trying to understand what she was getting at. She turned her gaze back to him.
“Lex was a noble and you were a slave. Neither of you are those things anymore. If you could give up your past like he has, I think you’d see a better future.”
Dusk heard her words, but they didn’t feel warm and gentle like her voice. Instead they felt cold and sharp. A subtle anger grew in his chest. How could he just let go of all the years of suffering he’d gone through at the hands of the nobles? All this time he’d been running from them, getting mixed up with the Circle, the dragons, and royalty just to get away from the terrible crime the nobles had committed in enslaving him. He was a nobody before they stole him off the streets of Eblesal, but once they’d gotten hold of him, he was guaranteed to be viewed as less than human for life. Juniper didn’t understand. She had always been free and well known to boot. As much as he cared for her, he couldn’t let the words sink in and take hold. Instead he found himself turning away from her.
“I don’t know if I can just give it up,” he muttered.
He watched as Juniper’s smile faltered slightly, bringing the exhaustion back to her visage.
“You’ve been through so much. Why between the Circle, dragons, magic, and now the toppling of the Inahandrian royalty, I think you’re capable of doing almost anything. To think that little trinket you dropped on my floor could cause so much trouble.” She paused for a moment, squeezing his arm. “Just think about it.”
Dusk nodded slowly, letting out a deep sigh. Desperate to turn the conversation away from himself he picked a new topic. “So why are you really out here Juniper? There had to have been other places to go that were closer to home.”
“A dear friend of mine helped me travel to see my granddaughter.” She pointed up to the helm where the captain was standing, one hand clasped firmly on the wheel. “She’s the only family I have left and I wanted to see her one last time.”
Dusk’s heart sank. “One last time?”
“Oh, don’t be silly dear,” she chuckled to herself. “I’ve been far too old for a long time and this journey has used up the last of my energy.” She was smiling again, staring out at the setting sun. “I’ve lived a good, long life. I’ve had many amazing adventures, done so many wonderful things, and loved a beautiful woman.” She paused for a moment, her head dipping slightly as a tear formed in her eye. “And I miss her.”
“But... you can’t just give up!”
“Oh Dusk... you’re still so new to this world and you have a lot to see. When you get to my age you’ll realize it’s not giving up.” She turned to him, the tear rolling down her wrinkled cheek. “I’m just ready for my next adventure.”
“What if I need your help again?”
“My dear boy, the only thing I ever did was feed you and show you the road. You did everything else by yourself.” She patted his hand softly. “Maybe someday you can show that same kindness to someone else.”
The sun dipped below the horizon, the last of the flaming reds and golds dying with its light. Dusk was stuck between wanting to cry and being angry. He didn’t want Juniper to just give up living, but at the same time he knew she couldn’t live forever. She dismissed her contribution as just a little push in the right direction, but to him, she’d given him everything. She’d showed him kindness that he hadn’t known existed and pointed him towards a future he hadn’t known was possible. In the middle of a world much bigger than he’d ever imagined, she’d given him the one small step forward. To him, she was his savior and the person he’d been thinking of for months every time he wondered what he should do next or where to go. Although she wasn’t there, she’d been his constant companion on the road since the moment he left her village.
“It’s getting chilly up here,” she sighed, shivering slightly. “Will you help me to my cabin? My granddaughter had a bed brought into the captain’s cabin for me.” She smiled up at Dusk with that same kindness in her eyes. “She knows these old bones don’t do well in hammocks anymore.”
“Of course I’ll help you,” Dusk responded, trying to hold back tears. “Whatever you need, I’ll do it.”
“Thank you,” was her simple reply.
After Juniper had been returned to her cabin and had assured Dusk she was comfortable, he found himself back near the bow of the ship, staring out over the water. The light in the sky had all but faded, the stars popping into existence along with the brown moon Gartha shining in the gathering darkness. But he didn’t see them. Lost in thought about his adventures and Juniper’s words, he didn’t hear the footsteps approaching. A light touch on the shoulder brought him out of his musings. Turning around he saw Lex standing behind him with his head hanging low.
“What do you need?” Dusk found himself saying automatically with a sharp edge to his voice.
Lex opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it without a word. They stood there for a long moment, the silence hanging between them like dark clouds on the horizon. Dusk waited for a minute longer, wondering if anything could ease the tension between them. But the longer he waited, the more annoyed he became. Lex had lied to him and now that all of them were safe, Lex still couldn’t talk to him. Agitation finally got the better of him.
“Lex, if you can’t speak, leave me alone,” Dusk said flatly.
He watched as Lex’s shoulders drooped even further, his blond hair still hanging down, obscuring his face.
“I’m going to need some time.” Dusk paused for a moment, trying to hold back his anger, but he found the pressure to be too much. “Dammit Lex! You know the things I’ve been through and what people have done to me. You watched Yarick manipulate me and Tiernan try to trick me into handing my life over to him, and you still lied to me! I can think back to all of the times you changed the subject on purpose instead of telling me who you really were. And then I think of the moment I first met you and when you saw my tattoo. You told me you didn't have a problem with my kind and now I’m wondering what you actually meant.” Everything was pouring out of him, but he just couldn’t stop. “You’ve owned slaves your whole life and probably had many of them waiting on you and doing gods know what else. You’re the heir to an entire empire of trade built on the backs of people that your family and the world view as less than human.
“How do you think that makes me feel? Because I’ll tell you: not very good. You’ve said so many beautiful things to me and all I can do is wonder now. Am I just a charity project to you? Your redemption for your family’s crimes against humanity? Or maybe I’m your way of really sticking it to your father. Nothing more than a rebellious child’s toy to be used to get back at their parents.” Dusk felt his fists shaking at his sides and he was dangerously close to crying. “But I don’t belong to you or anyone else anymore!”
“Dusk...” Lex squeaked, timidly lifting a hand.
“No. Don’t touch me. And just leave me be. I need to be away from you.” He took a deep breath. “I don’t trust you.”
Those last words looked as if they stole the last of Lex’s lifeforce away. He seemed so defeated and broken, but Dusk could only feel a small sense of triumph. That was the last time someone was going to manipulate him into doing what they wanted. As he walked away from Lex, he felt a renewed sense of confidence wash over him. Nobody would ever have control of him again.