The fear still lingers

[Lilandris]

Alright, decided to continue on the story so here is part 2... it's a little more spaced out now so it should be less heavy to read I reckon. Enjoy!

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Lil decided to stay in Darkshire until she had recovered, not that there was much of a choice she had. The lack of priests or proper doctors ensured that the wounds would take their time to heal. The only contact she had with the outside world was through Beatrice, not that there was much need for this, Lil felt that she needed time alone to rest and not least reflect on the strange dream she had before she woke up. Days passed before she finally decided to get up and get some fresh air.

- “Up and about are we?”
Beatrice smiled as Lil came walking down the stairs.
- “Yeah, I needed some fresh air.”
Lil didn’t smile back; she didn’t feel like it.
- “Of course dear, you’ve been up in that bed for quite a while now. You want some company?”
Lil shrugged, it was easier now that the pain in her shoulder was beginning to fade.
- “Is something bothering you?”
Beatrice asked as she gave Lil a concerned look.
- “Sort of, can we sit outside?”
- “Yes, of course.”

Lil and Beatrice sat down on a bench outside the entrance to the inn, it was cold and it had recently rained.
- “I wonder, does anyone remember the days before Duskwood fell into darkness, or has it perhaps always been like this? It would explain the name at least.”
Lil peered skywards while talking.
- “Oh, Duskwood was only recently corrupted, there are a lot of rumors around it, and I don’t know which one is right, though the one I believe in is that it has something to do with a night elf woman who came through here carrying a scythe of some sort, this scythe was apparently a powerful artifact. It is rumored to be somewhere out in the forest, feeding the corruption. And that is why the sun never shines down here.”
Beatrice cleared her throat after she was done speaking.
Lil nodded. – “I see.”
- “But tell me, what is it that’s bothering you?”
- “I just need an opinion on that nightmare I had.”
Lil turned her head towards Beatrice, there was sadness in Lil’s eyes.
- “Speak your mind dear, I’m here to listen.”
Lil described the dream to Beatrice, she had a look of concern on her face while Lil was talking.
- “One of the things that bothers me about this nightmare is that it is so crystal clear, unlike normal dreams where you barely get a hold of what’s going on.”
Lil sighed to herself.
- “Hmm, maybe it wasn’t a dream at all, a strange out-of-body experience perhaps?”
Lil pondered Beatrice’s suggestion for a moment.
- “No, it must have been a dream, the tattoo in my forehead was missing and I still have it now.”
Lil rubbed her forehead.
- “Aye, that’s true. A vision then? Visions aren’t necessarily bound by time and space, maybe phrases such as past and future are irrelevant in this ones case.”
- “Now that would make more sense. But what was it trying to tell me?”
- “I would think that it’s trying to tell you several things. Maybe it’s trying to tell you to forgive yourself for your deeds, both those of the past and those yet to come. And when it comes to the little boy, maybe it’s telling you not to go against yourself, speak the truth when it has its place.”
- “I am not bound by morals, nor will I ever be.”
- “Perhaps, but are you sure you’re not lying to yourself?”
- “Damned sure.”
- “Don’t take my word for it though, you know yourself far better than I do, you said yourself that you just wanted a second opinion, and now you have one. Nobody said that what I said was correct.”
Beatrice smiled at Lil, Lil smiled back.
- “Come on, let’s get you something to eat dear, you must be starving.”

Lil and Beatrice went back inside to eat. The chef had a strange look in his eye when he placed the two plates on the table, crab cakes.
- “Enjoy!”
The chef grinned at Beatrice as he made his way back towards the kitchen. Lil didn’t waste any time, she dug into the crab cakes.
- “These crab cakes are delicious, but where did he get the crabs from, Westfall?”
Beatrice grinned and leaned a little closer.
- “They’re made out of spider legs.”
Lil choked, she took a big swig from her mug of moonberry juice. The chef stood in the doorway to the kitchen, grinning and snickering to himself, Lil sent him a poisonous look.
- “I shouldn’t have said that should I?”
Beatrice frowned.
- “No, you shouldn’t have.”
Lil lowered her eyebrows at Beatrice before frowning, pushing the plate away.
- “I’m gonna go to bed again.”
- “Alright, sleep well.”

Lil sat in bed a while, writing in her diary. She hadn’t done that in a while. Not that she was planning on doing it regularly again; she would do it to get things off her mind sometimes. Before too long she slammed the book shut and put it on the nightstand. She took a look around the room before blowing out the candle that also stood on the nightstand.

Lil slept for maybe two hours before she woke to abnormal sounds in her room, she sat up and was shocked to see ghosts walking around, she wasn’t scared, ghosts were a normal occurrence in Azeroth, especially after the rise of the scourge and others who dealt in death. What made her uneasy was that these weren’t just souls or ectoplasm floating about, it was clear images of the past, things she had done, things she could have done, it was like her thoughts had escaped from her head and spilled onto the floor. She blinked, and they were gone. Lil tried going back to sleep, but she was too shook up to fall asleep, her mind was not at peace now. She realized it was pointless to stay in bed so she got up and got dressed. She tip-toed down the stairs, careful not to wake anyone up, There was a grandfather’s clock near the entrance, the time was four in the morning. Lil sighed and walked over to the bar, she poured herself a mug of ale and left a few silver coins on the counter before walking over to the corner of the room and pulled up a chair to sit on.
- “So now what, I just sit here, waiting for time to pass me by?”
- “No use going back to sleep, I-…”
Lil stopped as she realized she was talking to herself. I’m not that crazy yet She thought to herself. She released her pipe from its strap in her belt. She studied it for a few seconds before filling it with tobacco and lighting it. Lil sat in her corner the rest of the night, smoking and sipping ale, trying not to think too much.

The innkeeper and his wife came downstairs the next morning. They eyed Lil suspiciously as she sat in her corner, still smoking. Lil looked at them with tired eyes before yawning and stretching her arms.
- “Couldn’t sleep.”
The innkeeper nodded and walked over to the bar, he spotted the silver coins on the counter.
- “I reckon these are for that mug of ale?”
Lil nodded before standing up, she went upstairs to pack her belongings.

Beatrice appeared in the doorway of Lil’s room not long after she had started packing.
- “Leaving?”
Beatrice studied Lil through her oval glasses.
- “Yes, I cannot stay in Duskwood much longer; I fear this place is starting to get to me.”
- “But you haven’t recovered fully yet!”
- “I know, but I don’t think I will ever recover if I stay in this place much longer, I’m heading back to Stormwind.”
- “I see.”
Lil put on her backpack and took her walking staff, the staff was more rather a long, solid stick she had found on her way back to Darkshire. Lil made her way towards the door.
- “Beatrice, you have my thanks for watching over me these last few days, you have been a great help.”
Lil shook hands with Beatrice.
- “Don’t worry about it. If you ever come back to Darkshire, don’t be a stranger.”
- “I won’t.”
Lil went downstairs and walked over to the bar where the innkeeper was standing.
- “Do I owe you anything for my stay here?”
- “Nah, I owed Beatrice a favor so you don’t have to pay me anything.”
The innkeeper smiled at Lil.
- “Alright, thank you.”
Lil made her way northwards out of Darkshire, heading towards Redridge, she was very tired due to lack of sleep, but she had to keep going.