Virion stood on the hill overlooking the ocean with the members of the perabel senate. Elder Symonticus placed a hand on his shoulder as they all faced the tombstone lodged in the ground.
Here Lies Zaleria Salor
The Last Queen of The Elves
That was all. They had not even bothered to consult Virion before engraving the words onto her tombstone. The stone itself seemed to be some sort of common rock that could be found lying on the ground, polished almost as an afterthought. It was slightly chipped in certain areas and had spots of dirt around the edges. But Virion was not upset. He felt no anger or irritation, he only felt hollow as he stared blankly at the words engraved on the stone. The practice of laying tombstones was not followed by the perabels, as was clearly evident. However, as a courtesy to Virion, the perabels had followed elf traditions of burying the dead and marking the point with a tombstone. In the elf capital Vailoth, his mother would have received a grand burial followed by a nationwide mourning period as the people grieved over the loss of their leader.
They would have held a Light Dance in her honor; a dance performed by masters of wind and fire magic. They would soar through the sky, burning the air behind them to form patterns. The Light Dance had become tradition with several forms of the dance adapted to many different ceremonies. The funeral Light Dance for the leader of the elves would have been a truly unique one as the flame masters of the elves would have drawn patterns in bright blue flames. Patterns that represented sorrow and gratitude.
The thought of blue flames reminded Virion of his mother's last battle. Her beautiful blue flames arcing through the air as she struck the warlock general with blast after blast. The warlock general's sneer as he deflected them all effortlessly and returned with his own. His mother's thin frame getting flung towards the ground and crashing into a tree as she was impaled by a large magical blade. The warlock general taking one look at her broken body and turning back towards the city never to look upon her again, as if she was just a passing enemy who deserved no respect. The wounds she inflicted on him still visibly gleaming in the sunlight as he descended into the city, ready to wreak havoc. Virion clenched his fist as an incredible heat rose once again through his body. The heat of pure rage. He stared at the tombstone and swore to his mother.
'I will avenge you. With my own two hands. General Zenkolen will pay for what he did.'
With that mental declaration came clarity. The rage washed away, dampened by Virion's strengthened resolve. He placed two fingers of his right hand on his left shoulder then joined his hands, repeating the elf prayer once more. He looked around at the perabel senate members who were all staring at him in concern. Elder Symonticus stepped forward but Virion waved him off. He turned to face the old perabels who shifted nervously where they stood.
'Thank you for doing this for me', Virion bowed his head slightly at the perabel elders then turned back to face the tombstone.
'May her soul rest in peace.'
'May her soul rest in peace.', echoed the perabel elders as they turned their attention back to the tombstone.
'May her soul rest in peace.', said another voice from behind Virion. He turned in surprise to see Hawlen, out of the hospital and standing with them on the hill. Her arms and face were still bandaged, and her skin was pale. She was clearly not meant to be walking about so soon.
'Should you really be out here?', asked Virion.
Hawlen gave no reply. She simply stared at the tombstone. After a moment, she locked eyes with Virion and a slight smirk tugged on the edge of her lips.
'They should realize that I escaped soon.'
Virion sighed and shook his head. He turned back to look at the ocean beyond the hill which was his mother's final resting place. The bright sunlight reflected off the calm waters of the great Merthal Ocean bathing them in warmth. Elder Symonticus placed a hand on Virion's shoulder then turned to face his daughter.
'Hawlen...', he started.
'Hey old man... Y-You were right', Hawlen looked down as she spoke, shifting uncomfortably where she stood. Virion looked around at the other senate members who were looking at the elder, Hawlen, and Virion in curiosity.
Elder Symonticus stared at his daughter in shock. He seemed at a complete loss for words.
'I probably shouldn't have run off to Kolbidt like that... Especially given the state in which I've returned…'
Hawlen started to chuckle then winced and doubled over in pain. Virion ran forward and helped her up. He supported her with his shoulder as she attempted to stand. She straightened up and looked at her father again. The elder watched ruefully as his usually energetic daughter struggled with intense pain and could barely move without a grimace.
'I'm sorry...', her voice came out as a hoarse whisper as she supported her entire weight on Virion and slowly began to lose consciousness. Symonticus rushed forward and reached out to touch her hand, stopping right before the bandages.
'It's alright Hawlen. J-Just focus on recovering for now. I-' he started to speak further but stopped when he realized she had passed out completely. Virion scooped up her small frame in his arms and nodded to the perabel elder. He looked at the perabel senate members who stood a respectful distance away.
'I will deliver her back to her ward at the hospital and join the meeting at the senate hall shortly', said Virion to the members of senate. They took that as their cue to leave and nodded at him before slowly shambling back down the hill towards the stronghold. Elder Symonticus stayed behind and walked up to Virion. He placed a hand on his daughter's forehead and slowly stroked her hair.
'Virion... Tell her-'
'Elder', Virion cut him off, 'if you have words for her, visit her after the meeting.'
The elder met Virion's eyes briefly then looked away and sighed. He chuckled slightly.
'Very well then. Please deliver her safely. I will await your arrival at the senate hall.'
He took one last look at his sleeping daughter then turned and set off down the hill. Virion nodded and turned the other way, marching up the hill towards the cliff on which the hospital was situated.
Comments (0)
See all