For the Whored Ch. 082

Renwa sighed. "Maybe, just maybe you can NOT go for full humiliation of an idiot so just MAYBE he won't try to kill you over it?"

"Oh, shush." Elunara laughed. "Besides, I thought that, after I got my hands on him, I could just convert him like the rest of town." She sighed and held her head.

Grogek, Renwa, Jordan and Harvard were all standing around her in the healer building.

"What should we do with the worthless fucker?" Jordan crossed his arms and seethed.

"I say we take him out to Gorgrond and dump him. If he's as awesome as he thinks he is, then he'll survive just fine." Elunara snorted. "If he comes back, he'll do it crying like a bitch."

"Marvelous idea." Renwa snorted. "I'll put together a team of men. Grogek, Jordan, I can't let either of you do it, you understand."

Grogek nodded. "The punishment is acceptable to me. I'll give you some names of men who will make fine escorts for this."

"I'll go." Harvard frowned. "I may not understand Elunara, but a man who attacks any woman deserves what he gets. I'll make sure he's dumped appropriately." He nodded.

Elunara scratched her head. "You're not exactly trained."

"It's a short mission. Also, I think it would do Bradly good to see me step up to a responsibility."

She sighed. "Fine. I'll watch the kid."

"Thank you." He put a hand on her arm. "I trust you."

"Gods, you're going to make me cry again. Please don't, my head hurts."

She was sitting on the platform by the training yard showing the two boys her work when the commotion started. She dropped her things and fell off the platform as she ran across to the crowd of soldiers. She closed her eyes as her worst fear was confirmed. She dropped down on to the body and concentrated. She put her hands on his chest and forced her energy out. She continued to try, even as the arms came around her and dragged her back.

Bradly was lying on top of his father, crying and screaming.

"You can't save him." Grogek frowned.

"No. I can't. He's too far gone. It's an empty vessel." She sighed. She wrapped her arms around Bradly. He tried to fight her off, but she hugged him tighter. "Bradly, follow my energy. Feel it wrap around you, surround you, feel the ebb and flow. I reach and I reach into the nether, but I cannot find him for you. He has gone beyond hope at this point."

"But why?" He cried. "Why?"

Grogek looked up. "Good question, what happened?"

"Hammer turned and grabbed Marshall's sword, tried to go after Marshall, but Harvard dove in the way. He took the hit." Steve shook his head. "Nothing to be done."

"Your hear that?" Elunara mumbled in Bradly's ear. "Your father died a hero. He died to save someone else."

"But what about me?" Bradly buried his face in her chest. "What about me?"

Jordan scraped his hands through his hair. "Yeah, what about the kid?" He whispered. "He has no one."

Elunara looked up. "He has me."

"And me." Darguni said timidly. "He's my brother, so I have to take care of him."

Elunara smiled at him. "You're a good boy." She stood up with the sobbing boy in her arms. "I'm going to Renwa."

They watched her walk away. "I guess our family just got one bigger." Jordan commented.

"She has so much love in her heart, it just spills over." Grogek sighed.

Elunara entered the office without bothering to knock. Renwa opened his mouth and then promptly shut it. Zelinnia stared.

"What happened?"

"Captain Harvard was slain by Hammer. They just returned with his corpse. I tried repeatedly to revive him, but he had already passed beyond my help. I've come to let you know that I'm taking Bradly into my care."

"Temporarily, until things can be arranged?"

She felt his grip on her tighten. "No sir, I'm pretty sure this is one of those "forever" deals. His mother has left, his father is killed, and there is no further family I know of to contact. He's mine now."

Renwa nodded his head. "We'll make sure it is well documented then." He nodded to Zelinnia.

She stepped out. "I'm going to have to put you down sometime, kid." He nodded and she slid him down to the ground. "Listen, you've taken some hard knocks in your life that much is true, but it's not the end of the world, or even your world. You're stronger than you think. I know things haven't been so good since you got here and quite frankly, you just want to curl under the nearest chair and call it done. But, here's the thing, you can't. None of us can. When my mother told me I was the worst thing to happen to Darnassus, it was awful, but I built my life out of it.

I understand pain and loss on magnitude you couldn't possibly dream of. However, nothing I have experiences has come close to your experience, because pain is felt differently by different people. Things that should have been traumatic to me, wasn't." She shrugged. "The bottom line is this. You get two, maybe three days of sympathy out of me, and that's my limit. You can cry, you can whine, you can wallow in the floor like a slug. But after that, you will get up and move it. The pain will ALWAYS be there, but you can do things to lessen it. I'm not going to ask you to be brave, or buck up or any of those stupid things adults say to kids and each other.

It's up to you to pull yourself through this. I will be there for you to help you. Darguni will be there. I'm sure everyone else will try to help you. But I expect you to come to terms with it and figure out who you are on the inside. You got me?"

He nodded.

"Good. Let's go get your stuff, and then I'll take you to my home, and you can cry all you want." She held out a hand.

She held his hand on the way there and after filling a small box with things, she held his hand on the way to home. She sat the box on the table and went to Darguni's room.

She put her hands on her hips. "Well, when your bed is delivered, we'll get it arranged, but for now, let's put your picture up." He watched her as she moved around the room. She stood back and eyed her handy work. "Oh, right, I have something for you. I was supposed to deliver it tomorrow, but today is as good as any." She came back with a package wrapped in cloth.

He eyed it with a frown, but pulled the cloth off anyway. It was a large picture of his father, standing in full armor. Fresh tears streamed down his face.

"Well, if it's that bad, I'll put it away."

"No! No, I want it." He hugged the picture. "It's mine."

"We can put it on the wall next to yours. That way, you can always stand together." She took the picture and hung it up. She stepped back and smiled down at him. "There, much better."

He wiped his nose on his sleeve.

She stooped down and put a hand on his head. "I know it's difficult, but you'll adjust. I have faith in you. You're part of our family now. Follow my rules and do as any adult here tells you, and you'll get along just fine."

He wrapped his arms around her neck. "I love you, Momma Elunara." He whispered.

"I love you too, kid." She hugged him tightly.