"So, uh where are we going?" Sara asked.
"A very special place." Janner replied.
"Wont you just tell me?" Kalmer asked.
Janner sighed. "No."
Leeli and Kalmer looked at each other, very confused. Sara could tell that Janner was deep in thought, and that something was weighing on his mind. The 4 of them had been flying around the Blackwood, celebrating Janner and Sara's wedding, on the dragons of course, but then randomly, Janner had ordered for them to land. So they had left the dragons in a specific spot, and continued to walk.
"Can you at least give us a clue to where we are going?" Kalmer asked.
Janner looked at his brother. "We went to it when I was 13, and you were still 11."
Kalmer looked confused. "That was 8 years ago. Either we are going to Clovenfast, or to Throg. I'd prefer neither."
"Well, it's neither of those." Janner said.
The walk was mostly silent, with Kalmer saying a few words here and there. After walking for about 30 minutes, Janner pulled them to a halt.
"Look familiar Kal?" Janner asked as Kalmer looked around.
"A little. Where are we?"
"Follow me." Janner led them to a small clearing in the forest. There was a small cave there.
Kalmer's eyes widened. "Why-why did you bring us here?"
Janner looked at him. "We need closure." Janner said calmly, as he walked to the cave. Leeli was very confused, as was Sara, but Kalmer looked like he was on the brink of tears.
"You ok Kal?" Leeli asked.
Kalmer nodded his head. "Just-let's just go inside. You'll see once we're inside."
"Where are we?" Leeli asked.
"This is the cave that Pa lived in, before he came to Ban Rona."
Leeli and Sara followed him inside the cave, where they found Janner kneeled beside a drawing on the wall. He had tears in his eyes, and when Kalmer came in, he started to calmly cry too. Leeli looked at the drawings on the wall, and understood immediately.
"What's wrong?" Sara asked.
Leeli looked at her, with tears in her eyes. "Just look at the drawings."
Sara knelt down beside Janner, and examined the wall. One drawing was of a boat, and it showed 6 people on it. Sara recognized Nia, Leeli, Artham, and Janner on the boat. The drawing showed a picture of another boy on the ship, but he was smudged out, replaced with a drawing of a wolf with bright blue eyes.
Sara put a comforting hand on Janner's back, knowing the pain he was going through. His hand lay rested on one particular drawing on the wall, and when Sara looked at it, it was one of Janner, filled with scars. Above the picture, it read:
My Son, the best Throne Warden
Sara understood why Janner was crying. She hugged him, as Kalmer knelt next to them. Leeli sat down too. After a few minutes, Kalmer spoke up.
"I'm glad we came. We needed this closure."
Leeli nodded her head. "I agree."
Janner stayed silent.
After a while, the 4 decided to leave. Janner led the group back to the dragons, where they then headed back to Anniera.
So good yet so sad😢