Asha of the Border — Chapter 21

...IT'S NOTHING.

I'VE JUST HAD IT FOR A LONG TIME.

DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING I DON'T KNOW ABOUT?

I DO. A PAST YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT.

YOU SAID YOU'D COME AGAIN.

BUT YOU'VE BEEN COMPLETELY SILENT FOR DAYS.

ASHA.

SIS, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN SLEEPING FOR THE PAST TWO DAYS?

AH, WELL...

I'VE BEEN IN ARIN'S TENT.

OH, RIGHT. ARI ASKED ME TO DO SOMETHING.

HUH? WHERE ARE YOU GOING?! WHAT ABOUT BREAKFAST?

WHAT'S GOING ON?

THEY KEEP EATING AND SLEEPING SEPARATELY.

MAYBE HE'S FEELING RESTLESS WITH HIS COMING- OF-AGE CEREMONY APPROACHING.

UGH.

FIGURE OUT YOUR OWN DINNER TONIGHT.

GO FIND SOMEONE TO FEED YOU.

...WHY ARE THEY BOTH ACTING LIKE THAT?

...THIS IS UNCOMFORTABLE.

UM...

I SEEM TO HAVE TAKEN A WRONG TURN AGAIN.

HELLO, RENE GROER.

I'VE BEEN STUCK LIKE THIS ALL NIGHT.

COULD YOU HELP ME GET DOWN?

ALL... ALL NIGHT?

I'M SAVED!

THANKS TO YOU, GROER.

NO NEED TO THANK ME. DIDN'T THIS HAPPEN BECAUSE YOU CAME TO SEE ME?

WELL, THAT WAS PARTLY THE REASON.

ANYWAY, YOU'VE TAKEN GOOD CARE OF IT.

I THOUGHT YOU MIGHT HAVE THROWN IT AWAY.

I ALSO THOUGHT WE MIGHT NEVER MEET AGAIN.

I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH IT.

THE TRUTH IS...

YOU SEEM TO REMEMBER ME,

BUT MY MEMORIES OF YOU ARE VERY FAINT.

THAT'S UNDERSTANDABLE.

EVEN WHEN WE WERE CHILDREN, I WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO LIKED YOU.

H-HUH?!

WELL, OUR MARRIAGE WAS ARRANGED BY OUR FAMILIES,

AND WE ONLY MET ONCE EVERY FEW MONTHS,

WHEN OUR PARENTS BROUGHT US TOGETHER.

YOU PROBABLY DIDN'T THINK MUCH OF ME.

BUT I HEARD THINGS ABOUT YOU,

I HAD PLENTY OF CHANCES TO SEE YOU FROM AFAR.

YOU ALWAYS STOOD OUT, AFTER ALL.

YOU STILL DO.

THAT'S HOW I MANAGED TO FIND YOU.

...B-BUT SERIOUSLY,

HOW DID YOU FIND ME?

EDEN DEFINITELY SAID

HE WOULD ERASE EVERY TRACE OF ME.

WELL...

THE FULL STORY WOULD TAKE A WHILE,

BUT TO SUMMARIZE...

H-HOW DID YOU KNOW I WAS STILL ALIVE?

I STARTED AT THE SITE OF THE ATTACK AR THE CARRIAGE'S LOCATION RETRACED THE SURROUNDING IRCUMSTANCES, PURSUED EVERY OSSIBILITY OF SURVIVAL, AND EVENTUALLY MADE MY WAY HERE. AND THEN...

THE SOLDIERS WHO SEARCHED THE BORDER

BROUGHT BACK A CORPSE, CLAIMING IT WAS YOU.

BUT THERE WAS NO STAR ON THE TOP OF ITS FOOT.

IF THE KINGDOM WENT SO FAR AS TO FAKE THE PRINCESS'S DEATH,

THEN THERE WAS A GOOD CHANCE

SHE HAD SURVIVED.

THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT.

IN MY MEMORIES, YOU WERE ALWAYS

IN THE END, YOUR GAZE WOULD ALWAYS FALL TO THE GROUND.

WHENEVER I FOLLOWED YOUR GAZE,

THE STAR WAS ALWAYS THERE.

I'M GLAD I COULD SEE YOU AGAIN.

SHALL WE TAKE A WALK?

YOU CAN ASK ME ANYTHING YOU'RE CURIOUS ABOUT.

PAST

IS THIS... A DREAM?!