Death In The Tides of Autumn

[Philomel]

The afternoon came to night.

The pigeon was released and sent, and Mina and Isa returned to their joyful tidings.

Veridian slept for a long part of the afternoon, dreaming about the mother of his beloved and how she had given him venison from her plate.

He had liked that.

He had appreciated that.

Philomel had never known.

[Philomel]

Vaeron calmed Philomel down and had dinner with her. Gently, he told her the story of his childhood again, of when his mother had left his family, and of when he had returned from the service as a paladin, his father had remarried and forgotten about him. Philomel was eager to know. All of her life she had been but a whore, raised in a brothel, and before that abused by her father.

Both of them had lost people, both of them had lost things and strived for retribution, and both of them thought the other had a better childhood.

They ended up sitting in silence, eating with no words and no smiles. Just small nods and a calm understanding between them both.

[Philomel]

Later in the day he left.

He went to his own room and picked up his bow.

A fresh log had been placed up for him, at the end of his room as he requested every day. Carefully he breathed in before taking a tempered stance. He had no quiver, just his bow, and after a long pause he pulled back on the string. Tension came to it, ease flowed from his body and all the pain he had felt in rememebering his past built up into the rivulet of blue energy that surged up between wood and horse hair as an arrow.

He stood there, still as a tree in a windless day, focusing on the food.

Anger, hatred, sorrow. It all built up, and he let it do so. The energy grew brighter. Lacey still died.

Brighter.

More powerful.

[Philomel]

His trained muscles held it for the last moment, and then he released.

The magic arrow shot out and exploded into the wood. Dark energy, ocean energy, wonder energy - it flew. It blossomed out, dug in point first and then dispersed in a wide smash of woodchip and bark.

Unlike his usual shots, this decimated the log in one strike.

It left nothing.

Certainly his emotions were high.

[Philomel]

What a day.

She lay back in her hammock, staring at the ribbed ceiling.

Ribbed, sort of. It had large beams that supported the uppermost hall, the planning and meeting floor that was used for the strategy of the fortress. It was where, also, she planned to eventually put the throne that she so wanted, a throne made from the gold recovered from theives and dirty politicians.

Or maybe she didn't need a throne. Maybe just a pretty chair.

A chair would do.

She sighed and closed her eyes.

[Philomel]

Sorrow, heartache, anger and loss.

It had been a hard day, and the funeral tomorrow would be even harder.

A pyre would be built and set ablaze, and good things would have to be said about Lacey.

Maybe that was the hardest.

[Philomel]

The End.

[Philomel]

Rest In Peace, Lacey van der Aart

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

Philomel receives 3630 EXP (including Althanas Festival bonus) and 125 GP!

Congratulations!