Chapter 191: Taru
"To die?"
Aideen repeated these words under her breath, her hands trembling slightly which made the little dragon absorb her agitation as well. Perhaps still harboring the looming pain from losing her loved ones prematurely, the princess abhorred the mere thought of someone giving up their life so easily, no matter what kind of difficulty they were facing; no matter how weak or helpless they were feeling.
Ahspid was reluctant to continue. Confessing his true feelings was already difficult enough, and he never thought that he would end up revealing the whole truth to Aideen herself. He couldn’t help but feel absurd.
Nevertheless, having witnessed everything that had happened to her, the mage felt that he owed her at least something. When he was near her, he couldn’t help but feel like he could only speak the truth. Thus, releasing a quiet sigh, he finally spoke again,
"I was desperate, Your Highness. I could not endure yet another failure. All kinds of thoughts ran through my head as I wandered through the freezing lands of the North. I was lost and full of painful hatred for none other but myself."
"How could you say that?" Aideen raised her eyebrows in complete bewilderment, the man’s words refused to settle in her already hazy head, "How could you say you hated yourself when you have done nothing wrong?"
Ahspid, too, arched his eyebrows in reaction to the princess’ surprising words, "I failed you, Your Highness. I promised to help you and I failed miserably. What’s worth... I was cowardly enough to leave you without saying a single word."
Although his explanation was somewhat reasonable, Aideen still refused to accept it. Taking a careful step towards the mage, she locked her sharp eyes with his and answered in a confident, yet reassuring voice,
"You are right, leaving the castle the way you did... that was something only a selfish coward would do. However... Who would I be to call you a failure? All the things you have done for both me and Tillian, everything you have taught me, –– it was not just lessons on magic, Ahspid. While you were my teacher, you have managed to become my friend as well. And isn’t it what friends do when they face hardships? Don’t you think friends are supposed to accept each other’s mistakes and failures, encourage each other, and support each other while they are dealing with them?"