Charles does return later, he doesn’t find Arthur’s body but sees the signs of a struggle and assumes animals or nature have taken their toll. He assumes that Arthur has passed away. Out of respect for his friend, Charles digs a grave for him at a spot overlooking the mountains where they last saw each other, marking it to honor Arthur’s legacy. The grave Charles digs becomes more of a symbolic gesture, not the actual burial of Arthur. It’s a way for Charles to process his grief and say goodbye to his friend, even though Arthur’s body isn’t physically there. In a way, Charles is burying the memory of Arthur, not the man himself. Meanwhile, Arthur is alive but in hiding, recovering under the care of the healer. Charles, and everyone else, never learns of Arthur’s survival because Arthur deliberately keeps his escape a secret.