I'm just realizing I never did one of these for Isa, so enjoy the angst :)

Isabella- Best friend: Agnar

Anger, panic, and disbelief

Isabella watched with a quiet sigh as Agnar stormed out of camp, eyes glowing with anger and pain after another argument with Eni. The two had been arguing a lot recently, and Isa guessed it had something to do with Eni and Amel's new relationship. She couldn't blame the young ranger, this whole thing must feel like a big "fuck you" from whatever gods were around

Still, Isabella didn't like seeing her usually so optimistic friend so upset.

"Isa."

"Hm?" The second in command looked over when Esta lightly nudged her side. "What, sorry?"

The healer gave her a sympathetic look. "I asked if you wanted to help me with cooking? To get your mind off of things for a bit."

"Oh, yeah, sure." She shot another look over her shoulder before focusing on Esta and the task of cooking.

---

Isabella woke up early the next morning and yawned, sitting up and rolling her shoulders before rising and getting dressed. Agnar had taken the night shift again last night, simply by not coming back to camp. She'd debated going to find him and bring him back to camp then, but decided against it. Agnar didn't like discussing his emotions much, at least, not with her.

Isa didn't blame him for that, of course, but she did wish that the ranger would let himself rest a bit and open up rather than keeping it all inside. It wasn't healthy.

Once she exited her tent, however, she was surprised to find that her friend wasn't anywhere to be found. That was unexpected, he was always waiting at the edge of camp or the fire pit in the moring.

The second in command shrugged it off, though. Maybe he was just taking a little longer than normal to get back, or maybe him and Eni had made up and he was back at their tent.

The sinking feeling in Isa's stomache only got worse, however, as members of their group slowly started to emerge, and when Eni appeared, Agni wasn't with them.

"Eni!" Isabella trotted over to the mentor, who looked tired and sad, and lightly grabbed their shoulders. "Have you seen Agni?"

Their brow furrowed slightly. "No, he didn't return to our tent last night. Why?"

She cursed under her breath. It was late moring at this point, and if Angar wasn't back by now, it wasn't because he was running a little late.

"Okay," She turned and darted over to where her girlfriends were talking softly to each other at the edge of camp. "Hey, I'm going to go look for Agni, he's not back yet. Do you mind keeping everyone here until we come back?"

Esta's eyes widened. "He didn't come back? That's unusual, I hope he's alright!"

Salen looked calmer, but Isabella could see the hint of worry in her gaze. Everyone knew how odd it was that Agnar wasn't back yet. "Don't worry, we'll take care of it. Stay safe, Bella."

"Thank you, I will, love you both!"

And with that, Isa darted into the woods, her heart pounding as scenarios ran through her mind. Agnar was strong, and fast, and passionate, but he was human. He could get hurt, he could burnout, even if he seemed completely unaware of the fact most of the time. The guy could be a complete idiot when it came to his own limits, and when that happened he became more vulnerable. He was less aware of his surroundings, and that made other people more dangerous to him, and him more dangerous to himself.

She ran for what must have been fifteen minutes before she stopped abruptly when the land shifted, dropping off steeply. Isabella's heart dropped as she peaked over the edge. It was a long fall, and at the end of it lay a sprawled figure, dark liquid pooling around it's head.

"Nonono." Isa made her way down as quickly as possible, slipping a few times and scratching up her arms and legs, but she didn't care. The only thing she cared about was the boy at the bottom of the clif. "Come on, you idiot, be alive. Stay alive."

A minute later she was crouching in front of her best friend, pressing her fingers against the cold, pale skin. He looked like a complete mess, one of his arms twisted at an odd angle, legs both awkwardly bent, and neck snapped to one side, a bone jutting out from the fragile skin. He was obviously dead.

"No, no, you dumbass! What the hell did you do!" She grasped Agnar by the shoulders and heaved his limp body upward, shaking it a little. Tears stung her eyes. "Why, why would you do this?! You selfish bastard! Wake up! You aren't supposed to die! You aren't allowed to! You aren't! My rule! How fucking dare you break my rule."

The false anger faded quickly and Isabella was left clinging to the body of her friend, sobbing into his hair. "Come back, Agni, please. We're supposed to be family, just like you wanted, see? I want to be your big sister, we can do stupid shit together and get into trouble, but you have to wake up first, okay? Please?" The last word came out as a whimper and she let out a strangled sod. "Please."

It took twenty minutes for Bella to collect herself enough to pick up Agnar and start struggling up the hill again, and twenty more for her to make it back to the group.

Once she did, she slumped to the ground, setting Agnar's body down carefully, and started sobbing again. Almost immediately arms were around her and she let herself be drawn into the caring arms of her beloveds as she started the long process of recovering.

---

"Agni, be careful! We're gonna get caught!"

"Hush, Lee, we'll be fine, just be quiet."

The younger boy's nose scrunched up in disbelief as he glared up at his friend atop the tall wall surrounding the boy's home.

"I don't wanna be put in the closet though!"

Agnar clenched his jaw, concentrating on the tree he was attempting to reach, or, more specifically, the juicy red apples dangling from its branches.

"If we get caught I'll take the blame. You stop worrying so much."

Lee's hazel eyes widened. "But I don't want you to go to the closet either!" He gasped. "It's dark and cold in there, and they won't give you anything to eat!"

Agnar's fingers brushed one of the fruits and he let out a soft huff of annoyance. "Well then, let's not get caught, 'kay?"

"But Agni-"

"Got it!" He pulled back and let the apple drop down into the small basket in Lee's hands before reaching for another.

"Agnar!"

"What?" He didn't look up from his task.

"We have to go! The dinner bell's gonna ring in a minute!"

"Just a little longer."

"They take role at dinner, Agni, they're gonna know!"

"Okay, then go, Lee! I'll be there in just a second. We've almost got enough for everyone."

"We don't have time!" The younger boy's voice was growing more and more desperate as he watched Agnar, the person he considered his older brother (the same as most of the younger boys did here), put himself in a dangerous position just to give the rest of his temporary family a little joy, yet again.

"Just three more…"

"Agni, please!"

"Almost-"

The bell rang and Lee's heart dropped. Agnar cursed under his breath. "Go, Lee. Leave the basket, I'll get everything."

"But-"

Agnar glanced down and smiled. "I'll be fine, you go."

After another moment of hesitation, the younger boy placed down the basket and ran back to the building. Agni let out a calming breath and took his time picking the last of the apples before he carefully climbed down the wall and picked up the basket of apples. He walked at an easy pace back to the building and pushed the basket through the window of the sleeping area before climbing in and quietly hiding the basket in a small cut-out in the wall, a place where all the boys stored their small, special things, then made his way to the dining hall.

As soon as he stepped through the doors the headmistress of the house stood and smiled darkly at him. “Agnar, nice of you to join us.”

“Sorry, ma’am, seems I’m a bit too good at hide and seek.” He ruffled the hair of a nearby boy who giggled and swatted his hand playfully. “Took me a sec to realize no one was coming to find me!”

A ripple of laughter traveled through the youngest of the house members, while those who understood the weight of what was happening watched Agnar with sad, worried eyes.

“I see, well, let’s chat outside, shall we?”

“Sure.” Agnar’s eyes swept the room before landing on Lee’s, the other boy was watching with a pained expression. Agni smiled easily and winked before leaning down to the same boy whose hair he’d ruffled a moment ago and whispered in his ear. “There’s a special treat in our hiding spot for you all, okay? Make sure everyone gets some, and give Lee some extra hugs, for me, alright?”

The boy, Kage, looked up with bright green eyes and smiled widely, excitement in his gaze. “Okay!”

“Good, but remember, don’t tell Mistress, alright, it’s our brother's secret.”

The little boy puffed out his cheeks and pressed a finger to his lips, looking at Agni with a mischievous and admiring expression. One that reminded the older a lot of himself. “Thanks, Kage, I owe ya!”

He held up a hand and Kage slapped it hard in response. “Nuh-uh, brothers code, no owing anyone, remember?”

“Right.” Agnar’s smile turned a little sad. “Brothers code.”

He waved at the other children in the hall before trotting out the door to meet the headmistress who was watching him darkly. She sighed when the door fell closed behind him and shook her head in disappointment. “You’re such a smart kid, Agnar, and you do so well in school, I don’t understand why you keep throwing everything out the window.” She clucked her tongue and Agni shrugged, his smirk not wavering once. He’d heard all of this before. “You know, if you tried just a little harder maybe someone would actually love you.”

He flinched. That one stung. A lot.

“Alright, you know the drill. Closet, two days this time.”

Agnar said nothing and simply followed the lady to the small closet at the end of the hall, waiting until he heard the lock click before carefully sitting down and leaning against the door. The walls were all rough and uneven, meaning that if you tried to lay or shift against them and hit the wrong spots, they’d cut through skin. It was completely dark except for the sliver of light that came through the door crack, and it smelled of urine, feces, and mold, something that was inescapable. The only other thing occupying the closet was a small water fountain that was only reliable half of the time, and a bucket sitting against one wall. No food would be received while you were in here, no human interaction, no fresh air. It was cramped, and after a few hours Agnar’s muscles began to cramp up, but he didn’t shift. It was impossible to be comfortable in this hell hole, so there was no point in trying. The first time he’d been thrown in here, Agnar had screamed and cried until his throat was raw and his hands were bloody from pounding on the walls and doors, but he’d learned now, that the best thing to do was to stay silent and conserve energy. It was torture, but if you could find one happy thought it might be enough to keep you from spiraling. Agnar found his comfort in the excitement on the other children's faces as they saw and bit into the fresh apples and the laughter and joy that the bedrooms would be full of tonight. He smiled to himself. While he was here he was determined to give the boys here a sense of something that he, himself, did not know.

Family.

-

The golden grass swayed faintly in the warm wind and the young mother watched as her child, eight years old now, sat beside her on the blanket and stared at the sky with bright green eyes, wide with curious excitement that only a little kid could possess. At the same time, he had an air of knowledge about him that, on occasion, confused even his own mother. Now was one of those times, as he pointed up to the pastel blue sky and, rather than naming a cloud shape, looked directly into his mother's eyes and smiled.

“I see heaven.” He said, his voice so confident that it rendered the young woman speechless for a moment. That sentence was not exactly one you wanted to hear from an eight-year-old, after all, especially not your own child.

“No, darling, that’s the sky.” The woman chided lightly, gently ruffling her son's dirty blonde curls.

His lips pursed and he shook his head. “No. I see Heaven.” He insisted, sitting back on his heels and glaring at his mother defiantly.

The woman hummed softly, debating a good answer. It was likely the child had heard something from a book and associated the open sky with a grander place. Who wouldn’t, if you didn’t know better?

“What does Heaven look like?” She asked, watching her son’s face light up again.

“It’s bright.” Said the boy, looking up once more. “But not like the sun, it nicer, it won’t burn your eyes. And there are lots of colors, and lots of people and animals.” He smiled. “The man said I could come when I’m older, after I’ve grown up and done things here first.”

The woman clenched her hand into a fist, taking a breath to steady herself as the boy spoke, tightness growing in her chest as each word was spoken. “What man, Ambrose?” She questioned, attempting to keep her voice calm. The child looked at her in confusion.

“The large man.” He stated, looking at his mother expectantly. “The one that comes to our house all the time?”

“What does he look like?”

Ambrose’s eyes grew confused now, as he realized his mother had no knowledge of whatever he was talking about. “The large man with the beard. He wears the same red shirt all the time. You know him, right, mama? He talks about you like you know him.”

The woman’s heart began to beat faster and she stared at her son in fearful shock for a moment before she took his small hand in hers and looked into his emerald eyes.

“What does the man tell you, Bo?”

The child shifted uncomfortably under the intense stare of his mother and looked at the picnic blanket, eyes hazing slightly as he tried to remember something.

“He tells me stories. He says that he came from heaven once, but he wanted to see me and you. He said he wants to protect us. He misses you, he said.”

The woman's breath caught and she swallowed hard. Could it be? No. Impossible.

“Ambrose, do you see anything else?”

The child blinked and hesitated. “I see a woman sometimes, she likes to clean. And there's a kitty, Petals, she likes to cuddle in the winter, but she likes to be outside when it’s warm. There’s a shadow too, he’s not nice. But red shirt keeps him away, so it’s okay.”

“Did redshirt give you his name?”

“Umm.” The boy thought for a moment before nodding. “Gerald. I think.”

It was. The woman stood and quickly pulled her child to his feet, earning a yelp of surprise. “Where did you see him?”

“He comes home!” Ambrose responded, stumbling as his mother started walking swiftly back towards the little cabin. “But not always though, sometimes he goes away.”

“The shadow man, who is he?”

The boy hesitated, tears rising in his eyes. “Mean.”

“Yes, but who?”

“Papa.”

Her blood ran cold and she shifted, turning to pull her child up on her hip and then running towards their cabin as quickly as possible, placing Ambrose down as soon as they entered. He started crying and grasped his mother's hand. The woman froze, recognition flashing in her eyes as a cold hand dropped on her shoulder from behind.

“Ambrose, run.”

“Mama-”

“Go, hide!”

The child let go and bolted further into the house, scrambling to get inside a small crawl space in his mother's bedroom. Seconds later, a dark figure shoved the young woman into the room and the child watched in horror as she screamed and fell, blood pooling from her neck, dying her golden hair and white blouse. The shadow figure smiled, her blood staining a metal knife and splashing his cheek. He could do nothing but clamp a hand over his mouth and sob silent tears as the figure started moving slowly around the space, searching.