Post by L.E. Ott on Jan 29, 2006 13:41:47 GMT -5
Miklos shifted uneasily on the bed, and everyone in the room looked up to observe him. His whole family was gathered around. Miklos Defrin, one time prince of the Gasmeian Empire, high chieftain of many of the tribes of Adaven, was dying.
His wife Ameera sat closest, of course, right at his side. In the same bed where she had slept beside Miklos for forty of the fifty-some years they'd been together. She soothed him, now and then, with a gentle hand on his brow.
Near the bed on the opposite side sat Farzi, the couple's eldest child. He held the hand of Mai, their daughter-in-law, widow of their late son Victor. Farzi was now her love, and they had children who had remained at their temple home near the sea.
And finally, at the foot of the bed, sat Miklos and Ameera's daughter Tirza with her husband Ioan and their son Merlin. It had been Merlin who brought his grandfather swiftly into the hall when Miklos fell ill out in the fields.
Now, after several days of sleeping with fits of restlessness and muttered speech, Miklos had opened his blue eyes and was looking around at all of them. He coughed deep in his chest, and a trickle of blood ran over his lip, staining his short grey beard.
"Ameera! Ameera, what time is it?"
"It is nearly noon, my love."
"Ah, good, good. Then it is not much longer."
He forced himself up straighter and spoke on.
"Now, I've got things to say to each of you...things that are important, that need to be said before I go."
"Father, please don't..." Farzi began, but a stern look from both of his parents cut him off.
"Ameera, my dear," Miklos went on, "we've been together...seems like forever now. I'll be leaving you soon, but not forever. I know we'll meet up again on the other side. My love for you is eternal."
"As is mine for you, husband."
He smiled now, and patted her hand. She offered a smile of her own, knowing what he would say next.
"For years, we've gone 'round and 'round on this. I want the kind of funeral I always knew I'd have. I want my pyre lit and sent out on the lake.
"I won't have you dragging my body back to that godsforsaken desert and pickling me like a jar of Teris leaves. I'm too bloody old. There's nothing left to preserve."
Miklos' face was grave, but the look in his eyes still spoke of his great love for his wife. He leaned close to her and kissed her softly before looking next to Farzi.
"You are my eldest child, my only living son. We weren't always as close as perhaps we should have been. But Farzi...the day I first held you in my arms as an infant, I knew that I would lay down my life to protect you. I love you, my son."
Farzi's head was buried in his hands as he wept. Miklos reached over and ruffled the still dark hair on the grown man's head and sighed.
"And you, Mai," the old man said, "you were forced into my family under circumstances you never would have chosen. I apologize to you. But, in one way, I am glad you came. You have been a welcome part of this family."
"Thank you, father Miklos," the demure Hoi-Na woman whispered, using the familiar moniker that Miklos had insisted on years ago.
For a moment, Miklos closed his eyes again, and the room was very still. Everyone leaned forward, anticipating that it was over, but in a few moments the eyes opened again.
"Ioan, my old friend," Miklos said, his voice weak, "I treated you horribly, all because your love for my daughter upset me. We've never been as close as we were in the early years."
"A sad fact, Miklos, but a fact," the Verdic replied.
"Please, Ioan, accept my apologies. In this last moment, let us again be comrades and friends."
"Of course, Miklos. Friend."
A smile passed between the two old men, a shake of grey heads, and Ioan stood, walking around the bed to embrace his old friend carefully. That done, Miklos looked to his daughter and grandson.
"I know neither of you half so well as I should. Tirza, I spoiled you as a child and turned away from you in your adulthood. I see now that you loved and still love Ioan, even as I love your mother."
"Yes, father."
"Well, daughter, I am sorry for all the times we were apart, or all the times I ignored your presence."
"I understand."
"I shall be watching over you, always."
Grateful tears filled Tirza's eyes. Ioan sat back beside her, a gentle hand on her back, and Merlin took her hand.
"Merlin, my boy, stand up," Miklos said. The young man rose.
"Grandfather?"
"Lad, we were close. We always shall be, I suspect. And I've known since your beautiful sister died that you were not marked for the sort of life I would wish for you. So I have one last request for you."
"Yes?"
"Be happy, lad. Do whatever you wish, and be happy."
Merlin smiled, and nodded.
"I shall try, grandfather."
"Good, good."
Miklos lay back against the pillows, exhausted. He turned his head slightly to look again at Ameera. A pale, shaky hand reached up and stroked her cheek, still mostly unwrinkled.
"Such a beauty. You always were. I'm sorry I have to be going so soon."
"You have always known the right time to do everything...this is no different."
With the reassurance that Ameera was not too upset, at least not outwardly, Miklos sighed. His chest felt heavy, strained. He smiled weakly at her, then frowned and fidgeted.
"It's cold...what time is this? It's too cold."
With a gasp, he closed his eyes and let out a monstrous cough. Something inside his chest seemed to let go, and then the pain was gone, and he was free. He felt better than he had in a long time.
Sitting up easily, he stretched, stood up from the bed, and looked around. The others were all rushing to the bedside, and he saw a figure there, unfamiliar. It looked like his old grandfather Goran, who died when he was a boy. Looking to the door, he saw a figure there.
"Come on, father! We'll be late!"
"All right, Victor, I'm coming."
Beyond the handsome figure of his youngest son stood more familiar figures. There was his friend Paulus, the young scribe who had died in Hoi-Na all those years ago. And Janin, the old shepherd, a slave Miklos had freed from Givor not long before meeting Ameera.
"Where are we going, Victor?"
"We're going on a great journey, father! An adventure."
"What kind? A quest?"
"Sort of. We're going to go see what lies beyond."
"Beyond what?"
"Beyond...everything."
His wife Ameera sat closest, of course, right at his side. In the same bed where she had slept beside Miklos for forty of the fifty-some years they'd been together. She soothed him, now and then, with a gentle hand on his brow.
Near the bed on the opposite side sat Farzi, the couple's eldest child. He held the hand of Mai, their daughter-in-law, widow of their late son Victor. Farzi was now her love, and they had children who had remained at their temple home near the sea.
And finally, at the foot of the bed, sat Miklos and Ameera's daughter Tirza with her husband Ioan and their son Merlin. It had been Merlin who brought his grandfather swiftly into the hall when Miklos fell ill out in the fields.
Now, after several days of sleeping with fits of restlessness and muttered speech, Miklos had opened his blue eyes and was looking around at all of them. He coughed deep in his chest, and a trickle of blood ran over his lip, staining his short grey beard.
"Ameera! Ameera, what time is it?"
"It is nearly noon, my love."
"Ah, good, good. Then it is not much longer."
He forced himself up straighter and spoke on.
"Now, I've got things to say to each of you...things that are important, that need to be said before I go."
"Father, please don't..." Farzi began, but a stern look from both of his parents cut him off.
"Ameera, my dear," Miklos went on, "we've been together...seems like forever now. I'll be leaving you soon, but not forever. I know we'll meet up again on the other side. My love for you is eternal."
"As is mine for you, husband."
He smiled now, and patted her hand. She offered a smile of her own, knowing what he would say next.
"For years, we've gone 'round and 'round on this. I want the kind of funeral I always knew I'd have. I want my pyre lit and sent out on the lake.
"I won't have you dragging my body back to that godsforsaken desert and pickling me like a jar of Teris leaves. I'm too bloody old. There's nothing left to preserve."
Miklos' face was grave, but the look in his eyes still spoke of his great love for his wife. He leaned close to her and kissed her softly before looking next to Farzi.
"You are my eldest child, my only living son. We weren't always as close as perhaps we should have been. But Farzi...the day I first held you in my arms as an infant, I knew that I would lay down my life to protect you. I love you, my son."
Farzi's head was buried in his hands as he wept. Miklos reached over and ruffled the still dark hair on the grown man's head and sighed.
"And you, Mai," the old man said, "you were forced into my family under circumstances you never would have chosen. I apologize to you. But, in one way, I am glad you came. You have been a welcome part of this family."
"Thank you, father Miklos," the demure Hoi-Na woman whispered, using the familiar moniker that Miklos had insisted on years ago.
For a moment, Miklos closed his eyes again, and the room was very still. Everyone leaned forward, anticipating that it was over, but in a few moments the eyes opened again.
"Ioan, my old friend," Miklos said, his voice weak, "I treated you horribly, all because your love for my daughter upset me. We've never been as close as we were in the early years."
"A sad fact, Miklos, but a fact," the Verdic replied.
"Please, Ioan, accept my apologies. In this last moment, let us again be comrades and friends."
"Of course, Miklos. Friend."
A smile passed between the two old men, a shake of grey heads, and Ioan stood, walking around the bed to embrace his old friend carefully. That done, Miklos looked to his daughter and grandson.
"I know neither of you half so well as I should. Tirza, I spoiled you as a child and turned away from you in your adulthood. I see now that you loved and still love Ioan, even as I love your mother."
"Yes, father."
"Well, daughter, I am sorry for all the times we were apart, or all the times I ignored your presence."
"I understand."
"I shall be watching over you, always."
Grateful tears filled Tirza's eyes. Ioan sat back beside her, a gentle hand on her back, and Merlin took her hand.
"Merlin, my boy, stand up," Miklos said. The young man rose.
"Grandfather?"
"Lad, we were close. We always shall be, I suspect. And I've known since your beautiful sister died that you were not marked for the sort of life I would wish for you. So I have one last request for you."
"Yes?"
"Be happy, lad. Do whatever you wish, and be happy."
Merlin smiled, and nodded.
"I shall try, grandfather."
"Good, good."
Miklos lay back against the pillows, exhausted. He turned his head slightly to look again at Ameera. A pale, shaky hand reached up and stroked her cheek, still mostly unwrinkled.
"Such a beauty. You always were. I'm sorry I have to be going so soon."
"You have always known the right time to do everything...this is no different."
With the reassurance that Ameera was not too upset, at least not outwardly, Miklos sighed. His chest felt heavy, strained. He smiled weakly at her, then frowned and fidgeted.
"It's cold...what time is this? It's too cold."
With a gasp, he closed his eyes and let out a monstrous cough. Something inside his chest seemed to let go, and then the pain was gone, and he was free. He felt better than he had in a long time.
Sitting up easily, he stretched, stood up from the bed, and looked around. The others were all rushing to the bedside, and he saw a figure there, unfamiliar. It looked like his old grandfather Goran, who died when he was a boy. Looking to the door, he saw a figure there.
"Come on, father! We'll be late!"
"All right, Victor, I'm coming."
Beyond the handsome figure of his youngest son stood more familiar figures. There was his friend Paulus, the young scribe who had died in Hoi-Na all those years ago. And Janin, the old shepherd, a slave Miklos had freed from Givor not long before meeting Ameera.
"Where are we going, Victor?"
"We're going on a great journey, father! An adventure."
"What kind? A quest?"
"Sort of. We're going to go see what lies beyond."
"Beyond what?"
"Beyond...everything."