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Layla sighed and closed her eyes, after a long moment of silence, she said slowly “I still couldn’t get away…”
“…”
Layla forced a smile in her face, “perhaps it is not so bad marrying a goblin.”
“Lay…” Calvin started but was sharply cut off
“What do you know!” Layla cried out “You don’t have a dad who is gonna die if,” throwing her fist angrily, and bite the words out “if you don’t marry some ugly stupid… THING!”
Having no way to comfort a sobering Layla, the friends quietly left her room.
The night quickly became restless, Layla’s soft sighs kept Calvin awoke the whole night. During one time, Calvin almost got up and walked into Layla’s room, hoping to comfort her, yet he stopped at the door for a long moment, couldn’t find the strength to knock. Then he walked back to his room, and lay on his bed quietly, listening to her low weeping.
Suddenly, Calvin sat up straight, and woke up Noah “hey, Noah, Noah! Listen to this!”
Calvin’s plan brought a smile on Noah’s face, “this will work! I think so!” with Fibby’s “queak queak” in agreement. The trio couldn’t wait till the morning to see Layla, they literally broke her door to get in her room, and shouted with excitement.
After they related the plan over and over with mumbled and jumbled words to a confused Layla, she finally pieced things together. With a strange look on her face that tied Calvin’s tongue tightly, she said “Calvin… Noah, thank you for doing this… but I don’t want you two to risk your lives for me. You owe me nothing.”
Noah smiled sincerely “this is what I always wanted to do, to help people when they are in danger, as my father Fret Vultalon did in his time, and as all the band of the Demonslayers did.”
“Yep,” Calvin added “This is what friends do!”
With a happy sigh, Layla looked at the trio with renewed hope.
“Get some sleep,” Calvin said “We have a long day tomorrow”
And as Noah and Fibby left the room, Calvin turned and said “And, Laylay?”
“Yeah?”
“Promise me, after we saved your father, never say things like ‘perhaps it is not so bad to marry a goblin’,” Calvin said with all his seriousness “Promise me, never give up hope.”
Layla gave a silent nod of appreciation. And Calvin turned to leave.
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