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Ivy Sundew was waiting for her boyfriend, who was double-checking the things he had bought for the trip.
Not even an hour had passed since the music contest. Outside, a few people could still be seen walking around in their stage costumes. The sun had long since set, the moon's sweet light helping the light mushrooms to illuminate the statue in the center and around it.
It was a quiet, peaceful night. At least for everyone except Ivy.
They were in front of the bridge. Sprig had put his bag down and was rummaging through it, lamenting something he couldn't find. The moonlight had found him too, coloring his orange hair silver. His face wrinkled sweetly, as it always did when he was nervous. After a few moments it was replaced by a big smile and he triumphantly held up the slingshot he had finally managed to find.
"Found it!"
He placed it carefully in its place at his waist and finally turned to his girlfriend. His eyes were sparkling, but there was a sweet sadness in them. Ivy reached for his hands.
"They're leaving tomorrow, huh?"
"Yup! They couldn't stay forever, after all."
"Sprig."
Their eyes met. The sadness was more evident now. He tried to laugh. It didn't work. It was never working on her. He approached the golden frog with slow steps and put his arms around it.
"But I have to get used to it. They shouldn't be away from their families."
"You're her family too, you know that, right?"
"You know what I'm talking about."
He felt his body enveloped by warm arms. Firmly but unsure.
"Yeah..."
All was silent except for the giant locusts. Sprig exhaled a deep breath. It was still hard to believe. It was harder than saying goodbye to a friend. He was as close to her as his sister. But he knew he wouldn't be alone doing it. And they had the box, didn't they? They could visit any time they wanted. His lips curled involuntarily as he stroked her head over her beanie.
Yes, it wasn't so bad.
Hearing the tiny sniffle, his smile faded and he stepped back.
"Ivy?"
She averted her eyes, but the mushroom lights betrayed her and her wet face. Sprig was alarmed, he slowly put his hands on her cheeks and lifted the frog's head slightly.
"Hey, hey, what's wrong? Did I say something bad?"
"You'll be back with Joe by afternoon, right? This won't drag on like before?"
Sprig was startled. He didn't often hear Ivy in such a shaky tone. He pressed his lips to her forehead.
"I'm not sure how long our way back will take." He was mumbling. He pulled the frog a little closer to him and put his chin on her head. "If the kingdom wants Joe, we may have to come back with a snail. And that road takes a few days. But..."
He stepped back and looked into beady azure eyes filled with tears. He stroked strands of her hair from her beanie.
"We'll be back in a week at the latest, I promise."
2 months.
Two months had passed since that day when the palace rose to the skies and Wartwood was transformed. It took a while for the villagers to get used to the military routine, but it was not as much trouble as Grime had expected. In fact, it was much more difficult for them to attract troops to their side and reorganize the situation.
During the air raid earlier they had lost a third of their soldiers and Wartwood was completely destroyed. They all knew that all the effort would have been in vain if they didn't know about the secret family tunnels leading from the Plantar's fireplace. The move hadn't been completed for a long time, but it was already familiar because it followed a certain pattern. Daily weapons training, collecting rations, head counts, mission meetings, dinners, night counts...
This is precisely why Sasha Waybright, whose turn it was to be the lookout, was sitting on a chair in front of the ruined Plantar house, sharpening her sword. The silver one was leaning against the log next to her, the pink one was in her skilled hands, squeaking back and forth, ending up in her dirty trouser leg. Although her armor and cloak were covered in mud, she no longer had the luxury of washing them. The creeks and the sea had turned an unhealthy green color and she had no intention of wasting a drop of drinking water on such a thing.
Her cheeks were sunken from starvation, the big bruises under her eyes were no longer covered even with the last concealer she had. Her gaze was tired and broken, obviously having seen too much. And a little thoughtful. It was one of the things she did when calm surrounded her. Thinking. Everything that happened. How ironic it was that she complained just about math class or dissected frogs last year. How she got here from Toad Tower. Percy and Braddock. Anne and Marcy. How it everything felt.
Everything.
"I found the box, I had no idea that it'd actually work but IT DID! And it sent us to a place where we'd never have to grow apart, where we the three of us could be friends forever, together! Look at how much fun we've had, look at how much you've both grown! I gave you this, I gave you EVERYTHING!"
Noticing the tears on the hilt of the sword, she shook her head and rubbed her eyes hard with her sleeve. Get your shit together. Deep breaths. You're on watch.
She put the tiny stone in her pocket and put the sharpened sword against the other's side. She exhaled deeply and looked up at the sky. The stars winked as if to whisper that it was all a joke. She wish it'd been. At that moment she would have given anything for both girls to come out of the ruins and shout surprise and say that it was a prop.
But this was life. It was as real and cruel as the blood-colored moon that her eyes locked on.
"NO! I'm done listening to you. I'm done trusting you. You're a horrible person and I'M. DONE. BEING. FRIENDS WITH YOU!"
She deserved it all so much. One by one. Every. Single. Thing. And in that moment she was too weak, helpless and useless to do anything but hope. She had to focus on the situation in front of her. She couldn't screw up again. Even if it meant she wouldn't close her eyelids, even though they begged the opposite of it. Even if it meant she has to bury her heart in love with the person she has wronged for years.
She swore on her life.
"Sash?"
She was startled and turned around. By the time she realized who it was, the little frog, its sun-yellow skin glowing gently in the moonlight, was at shoulder height. She sat down in the empty chair next to her, but smaller than the one she was sitting in.
"Ivy. You should be resting right now. It can be dangerous to go into training like this."
"I couldn't sleep."
The blonde straightened her head and looked at her carefully. Her voice was shaking, but Sasha had been outside long enough to know it wasn't the cold.
"What's wrong?"
Ivy opened her mouth, closed it again. Sasha realized that her body was trembling like her voice. Her breathing was erratic. They sat in silence until it returned to normal.
"I miss him."
Sasha closed her eyes tightly as if acid had been thrown in her face. The pain started in her heart and spread throughout her body. A lump sat in her throat. Her closed eyes could not stop the tears from flowing.
"Me too."
She turned her head. Sasha, along with Grime, was one of the toughest people in the entire Resistance. Ivy had never heard her voice tremble before, let alone cry. She stroked her back with her hand. Everything made more sense now.
"Anne, right? You miss her like I miss him."
"No."
"Sasha, it's obvious."
"No."
"Why are you—"
"No!"
"Sas—"
"NO!"
A heartbeat. She took her hand off her back.
"I– I can't. I can't miss her like that. I can't feel like that. I just can't. She's..."
A shaky breath. A whisper.
"She's not even my friend anymore."
A sob escaped her lips. She needed to come to her senses. Ivy hadn't come here to listen to her ramblings and her repeated mistakes. She brought her trembling hands to her eyes and pressed them tightly. Everyone was tired. She had no right to keep anyone busy like this.
"I'm sorry." The area around her eyes was red from rubbing. Judging by the tears, it was no different inside. "You didn't come here to listen to me."
"You need to tell someone too, Sash."
"I can't. I have to forget. I need to fill it some other way."
"Really? Do you really think it's a forgettable feeling?"
"It's not?"
The little frog raised her eyebrows.
"You're serious."
Sasha wasn't sure what she said wrong. There was nothing special about love. It was just an illusory feeling. It came and went like everything else. It was absurd. It was cruel. Like life.
That's what she learned until her friend shook her head.
"It's like... flower. Like a flower that suddenly blooms in front of you as you walk along the path. Once you inhale the scent of a flower, you'll never forget it."
"And if I crushed the flower? Hard. As if to destroy it."
As the sun rose, there was another silence. But it was comfortable. It brought a sense of empathy that softened both their hearts. Like a branch that gives strength when a part of both their lives is far away.
"You water it again. You give it fertilizer. You caress it. Tie it to an iron stick to support it. You take care of it. Until it blooms again and turns to face you."
Ivy turned to her and smiled, as her eyes shone with the light of the rising sun.
"After all, the flower isn't dead yet, is it?"
"But..."
She opened her mouth and closed it again.
"There you two are!"
Both creatures, deep in conversation, were startled and turned away. Sadie, Wally and Loggle. Sasha jumped to her feet.
"Shit, patrol duty! Wait here, I'll be right—"
"Your things are here."
Ivy looked at Loggle and realized he was handing Sasha the helmet and a huge gun. She approached with curiosity.
"What's that?"
"It's a device I want to test for the coming war."
Tight face. Cold eyes. Sharp gaze. Sasha was back to her usual self. Supporting everyone but never involving herself. Ivy frowned. Was that what she looked like from the outside? Were they as worried about her as she was about Sasha? As said blonde crouched down to pick up the bag, Mrs. Croaker leaned into her ear and whispered in a voice Ivy couldn't hear even though she was close to them. The subject had to be sensitive because Sasha's cheeks turned pink and she shook her head quickly from side to side.
The little frog smiled. There was progress. There really was. Ivy thought that if she could see it, Anne certainly could. She knew she had a big enough heart to do it. The team of four waved as they disappeared behind the hills and she headed for the fireplace.
The conversation that night had done her good. Even if she hadn't said it herself, it was a relief that she wasn't the only one who felt this way, and that even the army's big commander was complaining about such a situation. It was really nice to feel that she wasn't alone. It was enough for her until everything was settled.
Was it?
Her face fell. She didn't even know where Sprig was. It was everyone's hopeful thought, especially Sasha's, that they would be reunited. Wherever they went could have killed them. There was a real war. Even if they returned, Andrias could have caught them and killed them. She was startled.
He could've died.
"Ivy?"
She turned around. Her mother was smiling at her, tray in hand. Her cheerful expression slightly filled with worry as she focused on her daughter. She put the tray full of food from Stumpy on the empty nightstand and took her daughter's shoulders in her palms.
"You okay sweety?"
Ivy then realized that her cheeks were wet. She put her hands to her eyes and cleared her throat. Her voice was trembling.
"Yeah. Just... memories. I think I'm gonna get some sleep. I couldn't sleep at night."
She broke free from her mother's grip and threw herself under the covers. She didn't want to talk to anyone except Sasha, the only one who understood her. She didn't want anyone to touch her. Every touch burned. Especially at that moment. Her eyes misted over and she let the sobs fall from her lips as the tears dripped onto the pillow and her mother left the cave with a sigh.
If it hurt because of a wound, she could bandage it. She could have put ice. She could have done something. Anything. He had always done it until now. He was always there for her. There should have been no reason why the opposite should not have happened.
Except uncertainty.
She buried his face in the pillow and screamed. She didn't care if anyone was disturbed or anything. It hurt so much. She wanted it to end. She wanted to run through the woods with him again, like always. She wanted to hold his hand. She wanted to hug him and bury her face in his chest, which smelled of wood and grass as always. She wanted to hear that uncontrolled but gentle voice once more.
She didn't want it to end like this.
After a while she must've fallen asleep, because when she jumped above mattress to the sounds of shouting and wailing outside, the beanie had slipped off her head and she was rubbing her eyes.
"W-what..?"
At first he was very scared. Sasha kept warning them to be prepared for a surprise attack. If Andrias found this place, they were finished.
Then slowly she realized she recognized the voices. Her eyes filled up again. Her body recognized the owners of the voices before her brain. She slowly swung her legs over the edge of the mattress and stood up. She wasn't sure what she should do. She straightened the beanie and slipped out, shivering from insufficient sleep and unintentional excitement.
And there he was.
The crowd all tried to hug him at the same time, so he was left with his goggles and hat. He was laughing. Hop Pop and Polly were with him. They looked relieved. His body easily turned the other way and his leaf-colored eyes met the blues that looked like glass beads. He was startled. He stood up and walked slowly towards her.
"Hey."
And Ivy's brain and senses suddenly started working. But not in a good way. His brow furrowed with concern. This angered her even more. A few tears dripped on the ground. She pushed the frog he had longed for and went back into the cave. Ivy ignored the shouts from the back and the silence of the crowd. She didn't understand why, but she was seething with anger. Wasn't she going to do anything to be with him a few minutes ago? What was happening to her?
Everything was too much.
She couldn't scream. Her vocal cords were frozen. She could only open and close her mouth. He sat down on the mattress and just stood there. At least until she heard footsteps. The pink body sat opposite her and waited with her.
Ivy didn't know what they were waiting for.
She felt like a stuck record. It was as if she had stayed in mattress crying the night before she went up to Sasha. After that it was like a dream. But the silhouette next to her and her sore eyes let him know that everything was real.
So why couldn't she even move?
"Can I touch you?"
Her gaze met the green. Happy but worried green. She nodded. She tensed at first as his hands found her back but soon she found her own hands wrapped around him. A sigh escaped her lips. It wasn't like this morning. It wasn't burning. Her trembling body leaned against his and curled up in his lap. The pink frog pulled her closer and ran his hand through her orange hair, which was exposed in the process.
Her muscles were finally relaxing. Her throat was also loosening.
"T-thank frog I-I..."
She buried her face in his chest as she had imagined. It was no longer grass and wood. It smelled like smoke and spices. And yet it was familiar.
"You're alive."
It was the only sentence she could get out before the great but heartfelt sobs that came. With each shout, she became more and more relaxed. The kisses and words that landed on her hair that stood up in the air like fireworks seemed to turn her bones into gel. She knew that if she wanted to get up at that moment, she couldn't.
"I'm sorry."
His voice was like velvet, electrifying through her hair.
"N-no it..."
She took a deep breath and looked at the waiting face, slightly tense.
"It wasn't your fault. I'm just nervous, that's all. I miss you so much."
It was no longer difficult to say what she felt. It came out of her lips like a bird singing. The numbness and spinning in his head gave way to sleepy movements.
"I miss you too. I'm glad you're okay."
She was happy. For the first time in 2 months she was so happy.