It was a troubling moment, this.
At one place stood one good friend of mine that I made just recently and the latter, knelled in front of me, another friend, this one even closer and had known much longer.
I tried to make sense of what was happening and even after questioning Henry, I found no fault in him. So was Amelia wrong?...
Her look was filled with sorrow but I had no choice. There wasn't anything about Henry that seemed wrong here, instead if looked from his stand, it was Amelia who was the problem.
She had followed a noble, when he was at a discreet place doing his private thing.
So I stood at the alleyway and nodded to Henry and he turned to leave. I looked down at Amelia and was about to say something but this happened.
Henry stopped suddenly and asked himself. He stood there for a while as he murmured something then he turned.
"Samantha… why are you here?"
"Hmm… what do you mean?"
"What brought you here?"
My confused mind suddenly took a sharp break as I saw his suspicious eyes. He understood that there was something wrong here, except for the obvious thing.
"Well… I heard some arguments and got cautious, so I came to see what it was." I lied. I didn't want to, I never liked lying but at the moment I had to.
He turned and looked at me, "So you appeared after we started arguing."
"Hmm… so you weren't here before Amelia came?" My eyes shook for the briefest moment. Find the newest release on novel[f]ire.net
Why is he asking that question! Does he… think that I am involved in this? I hope not.
"No… I wasn't here." My voice came out more cracked than I wanted it to be, "Why are you asking me that?"
"Well" He said and slowly walked forward, "You see, I have a good sense of my surroundings and before Amelia came, I could feel someone lurking around me."
Henry walked slow but to me, it felt like each step brought on my doom faster.
"Strange thing is, when we started, you came way too fast, so either you were close to this place when we started or… you were here already."
He was suspicious of this from the beginning?... Was that why he chose such a closed space?
No, he did come here to pee. It is just that he is more observant than most people I've seen.
Something I knew but at this critical moment, failed to keep in mind.
Before I could answer him, his large figure stood in front of me. He was quite tall to begin with but after we trained, he seemed to have grown a little taller.
Back then it was reassuring to know someone amazing standing beside you as your comrade… but now… I can understand why that was.
Because now he looked at me with a strange look, a look that felt like sharp and cold to my bones.
"I am going to ask you three things and I hope for our friendships sake, you won't lie to me."
I unconsciously gulped and still failed to answer.
"Were you in on this?"
"No, I'm not." I answered truthfully, I wasn't in the sense he asked.
"That wasn't a lie… another one."
He nodded, it made me feel a bit better. But that was quickly snuffed out.
"Did you follow me here?
I couldn't lie anymore… not to those eyes that were waiting for the smallest whiff of dirt.
"Hmm... last question." He said as if not the least bit bothered by it, but I knew he was disappointed.
"Did you know she would do this?"
I gave a sharp exhale.
No lies or half-truths could save me from this one. I needed to face this.
My voice cracked further as I tried to speak, "…I …Henry you need to understand tha-" My vision blocked out by his large hand.
"Enough, you've told me all I need to know." His way of speaking changed that instant, it was more inhumane… as if speaking to a stranger.
He turned around and told me, "I thank you for all the help and guidance you gave me before… but I think it would be best if we go our separate ways now."
NO! He can't just say that.
"Henry, please listen-" I tried to speak but his distant tone stopped me again.
"Goodbye, Samantha." Then he walked away.
I told myself but my legs gave up. They stood there like a statue, refused to move as I saw a good friend… walk away.
He was one of the few who didn't look at me like a tool. He was one of the very few in our age, that could challenge me and help me improve and he was also the only person that chose peace when I brought war to him.
"madam" I dizzily looked down at Amelia's distorted figure and felt anger. She looked for justice and I sought to give it. For what?
"Amelia… get up and wash yourself."
"You will call him, SIR! Now go, I will decide later what must be done about you."
Her eyes shook again and she felt injustice. But I wasn't going to be shook this time. She left as traces of tears fell.
I slowly walked into camp and sat inside my tent. My uncle Nance came a moment later.
"Do you know why?" He asked, genuinely confused and I told him the whole matter. He was one of the most trusted I know since birth; I could tell him this.
"Oh…" He took a moment to digest everything, "you're sure that his not guilty."
"He… could be a good liar?"
I shook, "No, I would have known, he was never like she said he was… I... shouldn't have listened to her."
Nance sat beside me and patted my shoulder, "You didn't have a choice… Amelia isn't someone who… accused like that."
"But I didn't need to hear her," I looked at him with anger, not at him but myself, "They were just accusations."
"Not all is lost, niece." Nance smiled, "We will meet him again in Valint, I am sure by that time, things between you guys would be the same again."