To Love A Villain

Chapter 234: Reunion

>>Pen (16 Years Old)

I watched as my parents slept from the doorframe.

It was the middle of the night and I had packed my bag and was ready to leave. Mom wouldn’t tell me what the dragon’s curse was but she wouldn’t let me leave either. She acted like there was some great danger looming over me if I went out there. But I couldn’t wait around and do nothing

That’s just not possible.

A whole year has passed since I last saw Val and I have to go meet him. They’re holding a test for people who can join the hero’s party and I’m going to apply.

I looked down at my hands, my power is dark but it’s strong. I need to use this. I clenched my fists.

I want to be with Val.

Whatever the curse is, I’ll think about it later. For now, I want to help Val!

The moonlight filtered through the thin curtains of my parents’ room, casting everything in a pale, ghostly glow.

I had timed it perfectly.

I adjusted the strap of my bag over my shoulder, feeling the weight of everything I had packed for the journey.

My heart pounded as I took one last glance at them, sleeping peacefully, unaware of what I was about to do. Guilt gnawed at me, but the urgency was stronger. I turned and padded quietly out of their room, down the hall. The house was still and silent, the kind of quiet that felt like it was holding a secret.

I reached the front door, gripping the handle, when suddenly a creak sounded behind me.

"Pen?" My mother’s voice was groggy, thick with sleep.

I froze, my heart racing.

Slowly, I turned to see her standing at the top of the stairs, her nightgown glowing faintly in the moonlight.

Her face was pale, her eyes wide with confusion and fear as they flickered down to the bag on my shoulder.

"Where are you going?" She asked, her voice sharpening as she woke up fully. "You’re not leaving."

I opened the door and began to step outside, "I have to go, Mom," I whispered, trying to keep my voice steady. "Val’s waiting for me. They’re holding the test soon, and I have to be there. I want to help him."

"No." She took a step forward, her hand reaching out. "You can’t leave. You don’t understand what you’re risking. The curse—"

"I don’t care about the curse!" I snapped, louder than I intended. The frustration I’d been holding in for so long bubbled over, mixing with the fear and excitement that had been churning in me all night. "I’m not staying here forever, hiding from some stupid curse that you won’t even tell me about!"

She came stomping,"You’re not leaving!" She rushed forward, trying to grab my bag, her hands shaking. We had a tussle on the porch.

"Stop it!" I yanked the bag away, harder than I should have.

In the chaos, her foot slipped on the top step. For a brief, horrifying moment, I saw her arms flail, her eyes widen in panic, and then—

She fell.

It all happened too fast. She tumbled down the stairs with a sickening thud, landing in a heap at the bottom. The sound of her body hitting the ground echoed, followed by a silence that made my blood run cold.

OH NO!

"Mom?" My voice came out as a whisper, barely audible. My whole body felt numb as I stood there, frozen, staring at her crumpled form. I wanted to run to her, to help her, but my legs wouldn’t move.

Fear gripped me tighter than anything I’d ever felt before.

I didn’t mean for this to happen. I just wanted to leave.

Then I heard footsteps from down the hall—heavy, fast. My father’s voice boomed from the bedroom.

"What’s going on?" He sounded panicked, already rushing toward the stairs.

I knew in that moment that I couldn’t stay. If he saw me now, there’d be no leaving. He’d never let me go, and I’d lose my chance to be with Val.

But Mom—she was hurt.

I bit my lip, torn between wanting to help her and knowing I had to leave. Then I heard my father reach the mid of the stairs, so I ran out, down the porch stairs and beyond mom’s body.

He came after me, but then he saw mom, "Honey?" He stopped and kneeled beside her.

Dad would take care of her. He always did.

Without another second of hesitation, I dashed to the barn where my horse was already saddled. The moonlight illuminated the path as I hurriedly mounted him, my fingers trembling as I tied my bag to the saddle.

The sound of my father’s shouts echoed in the distance, "Pen!! Pen, don’t go!! Your mom is hurt!!" But I didn’t look back, "Pen!!!"

I couldn’t.

If I did, I’d never be able to leave. I dug my heels into the horse’s sides, and with a sharp yip, we sped off down the road, the wind pulling at my hair, the cold night air stinging my face.

"Persephone!!!" I heard one final faint call of my father, he called me by my real name

The town passed by in a blur, the houses and fields melting into shadows as we galloped away, faster and faster, until there was nothing but the open road ahead and the future that waited for me with Val.

***

>>Valenor

"I see something coming your way," I stood in the witch’s room again, her black clothes covering her completely, her black net veil in front of her face like usual, "The thing is evil, it will keep turning into more evil."

"I know," At this point it had been drilled in my mind, "Whatever that thing is, I’ll be sure to slay it."

"You must not falter, hero." Her voice was a bit shaky today, "Because if you falter, the world will fall into peril."

"I know," I nodded as I stood with my hands tied behind my back. My training had made me used to this position, "No matter what form it has taken, and what it does." I placed my hand on the sword that I had tied to my side, "I will slay it no matter what."

"Good," She whispered, "Remember, do not be deceived-"

"By its appearance," I cut her words, "I know. I won’t be," She has told me over and over again that this evil being will be in a form that I won’t be able to slay.

But that just means it’s taking the form of people I know. It’s hiding in the skin of someone I’m close to but of course it’s fake. I’ll be able to tell and I’ll kill it.

"Remember, this great evil is a deceiver."

"Yes, I know," I have memorized her words. She could ask me what she said on a certain day, four months ago and I’ll tell her without hesitation because each time she tells me the same exact thing.

"Good, because if you don’t do anything, the world will end in the future."

!?

That’s new.

"Alright then," I turned around, "I’ll be taking my leave."

I have someone important coming to meet me today!

***

I stood by the grand doors of the palace, pacing back and forth, unable to keep still. The sun was beginning to rise higher, casting long shadows across the courtyard. I’d been out here for what felt like hours, my eyes constantly darting to the distant road that led into the city. Every sound of hooves, every movement on the horizon, made my heart jump.

I ran my hand through my hair, feeling the familiar nervous energy bubbling up inside me. We’d been exchanging letters ever since I arrived here, and every single one made me feel closer to her, like she was right by my side again. But none of it compared to the moment she told me she was coming.

I couldn’t wait to see her, to talk to her, to just... be with her.

The city was alive with noise and activity, but all I could think about was that distant road and when Pen would appear on it. I kept imagining what it would feel like, seeing her for the first time in so long. What she would say?

What I would say?

My heart raced just thinking about it.

Then, finally, there—far off, I saw movement. A horse, a figure riding it, small against the vastness of the road but unmistakable.

It was her.

"Pen," I whispered to myself, my breath catching in my throat. I started walking toward the edge of the courtyard, then broke into a full sprint, my legs moving on their own.

As the horse drew nearer, I saw her too—Pen. Her hair, wild and flowing in the wind, her face determined and focused, and my heart felt like it might burst out of my chest. I couldn’t stop smiling, couldn’t stop running toward her. The world around us seemed to blur, and all I could see was her.

She saw me too, and as she got closer, her horse slowed down. I didn’t even wait for her to stop completely. The moment she was close enough, I sprinted the rest of the way, reaching out for her just as she jumped off the horse.

"Val!" She called, her voice full of joy, her feet barely touching the ground before she was running toward me.

Without thinking, I opened my arms, and she launched herself at me. I caught her easily, her body light and familiar in my arms.

I spun her around, holding her tight, her legs lifting off the ground as I turned us in a wide circle. Her arms wrapped around my neck, and I buried my face in her shoulder, breathing her in, feeling the warmth of her against me.

For a moment, everything was perfect. Everything felt right.

"Pen," I whispered into her ear, still holding her close, my heart thudding against my chest. "You’re here."

"I told you I’d come," She said, her voice muffled against my shoulder. She sounded breathless, like she’d run the whole way to me, and maybe she had.

I held her for a long moment, neither of us letting go, her feet still dangling in the air as I spun us around once more, slower this time. I didn’t care who was watching, didn’t care that we were standing in the middle of the palace courtyard.

She was here. She was in my arms. And that was all that mattered.

GOD!

I had missed her too much