August 4, 2010

In Which Farilon Teaches the Unlearned Lesson

March 2, 1168

Having grown up with an almost perpetually ill mother, Farilon's children knew how to put on a brave face. Now that his own time was nigh, the king was relieved to see that none of the three of them had lost that ability; he felt he could enjoy his last few days with them to the fullest if none of them let their sorrow get in the way.

Really, though, he was just grateful that his younger two and their families had come all the way from Naroni for a few weeks. He'd been blessed with a last visit with all the grandchildren he'd scarcely seen, and he probably still had a few days to get to know them just a little better.

Right now, though, he was focusing on his children. His older grandchildren were out for a ride, and the younger ones playing under the supervision of his son-in-law and two daughters-in-law. He would see them again when he was feeling just a tad stronger; right now, he was more than a little tired. His now-grown children were about all he could handle just about now.

"Comfortable, Father?" asked Holladrin, taking his hand in her own, a soft, tired smile on her face.

Farilon gave his best attempt at a nod. "Yes, thank you, dear."

Meanwhile, Oswald briefly turned away from the fire, drawing the poker from the flames. "Warm enough, Father?"

"Quite," Farilon assured him. He half-expected Roderick to ask him something as well, but his middle child remained silent--indeed, the normally loud, almost obnoxious second son had let his siblings do most of the talking since he'd arrived. It must have been the residual awkwardness of his prior exile. Farilon himself had let that go years ago now, but perhaps it still took its toll on Roderick. Maybe it was irrational to expect otherwise.

Still, he was a bed-ridden old man with perhaps only a few days left to live; he had to make things right. "Oswald, Holladrin, will you please excuse us for a moment? I'd like a word with Roderick."

The two pairs of their mother's blue eyes locked, they both nodded. Oswald strode over from the fire and placed his hand on his sister's shoulder. With a last parting glance their father's way, they turned around and headed toward the door.

As the two of them made their exit, Roderick stood with the stillness of those infernal marble statues that Laralita had scattered about the castle in Naroni. Farilon didn't think it was because he'd spent so much time looking at those hideous things--well, not entirely, at any rate. "Sit down, son."

Nodding, Roderick hurried to the other side of the bed and obeyed--something Roderick had rarely done even as a small child. Perhaps this was the advantage to dying.

"Roderick, I hope you know how sorry I am for everything," he began, smiling in spite of his son's seeming refusal to look at him. "You made a mistake, of course, but I punished you too harshly. I hope you can forgive me."

Roderick sniffed. "Father, please--you know as well as I do that I'm far better off in Naroni than I would have been here. I'm still not even sure what I'm going to do with my second son; perhaps I shall exile him and see him start his own kingdom."

The pains in depths of his chest strengthened, but Farilon laughed all the same. "If every king with a second son did just that, we'd each be king of our very own acre--but I suppose it did turn out well for you. I just wish I could have seen more of you and your family while I had the chance."

"You didn't have a chance." Roderick's words were neither reassuring nor accusing--they simply were. "Your duties to Dovia come first, as do my duties to Naroni. You know it, and I know it, and Oswald and Holladrin know it too."

Farilon relaxed and permitted himself a small grin; after a stressful life as a ruler, a few last moments of contentment were more than welcome. "In that case, I suppose I've taught you all well."

"Indeed." The last word was as neutral as any of his others. Farilon did not know what to make of it, but he supposed there were worse things than brevity and the following silence. He'd apologized to his son, and his words had been accepted--that was all that mattered.

"Father?"

He turned his head to find that Roderick was staring at him, his hand raised, his expression troubled. "Father, do you ever look back on your time as king and wonder if people will remember you?"

Now this was the Roderick he remembered; Farilon did not care to crush him by telling him that he would not care in death. "I suppose the thought crosses every mind from time to time."

His son crossed his legs and clasped his hands, perhaps to keep from fidgeting. "How do you think one can tell if one has left a legacy?"

Silly boy. Farilon had taught each of his children as well as he could, but in his heart, he knew that for every man and woman, there were a few lessons that could never be learned. "Life is hard, son, whether king or common-born; just getting through it is a legacy in itself."

NEXT CHAPTER:

11 comments:

Van said...

Sorry if this seemed a little... off. I didn't really know how to go about this post. It's not one of the more important ones on the schedule, but I figured if the king of the mother-kingdom was on his deathbed, it would probably be nice to know.

Now that it's not total spoilery, Farilon lives for three more days after this post. I did always plan to do more with him... but like Roderick said, he had his duties to Dovia :( It remains to be decided how much I'll do with King Oswald at this point.

Anyway, those who follow me on Twitter might already know this, but I figure I'll say it here for everyone's benefit: I'm leaving for a two-week vacation with the 'rents and the bro on Saturday morning. Very early Saturday morning--not even sure if I'll bother going to bed. Anyway, I've been doing double photoshoots this past week or so, so I do plan on updating over that period, but posts might be few and far between.

Of course, there's always a slight chance that my mom will flip out at me about bringing my laptop, in which case I'll either leave it at home or she'll kill me, and you won't be hearing from me for those two weeks (or much, much longer). But I think by this point she knows that my need to write is on the same level as my need to breathe, even if she doesn't understand it at all.

Also, since yesterday's Aldhein-centric post was for the Sim Haven August Challenge, I'm planning on having the next Orbis Umbra up late tonight/early tomorrow. I have to take two sets of pictures first, though, so we shall see.

Anonymous said...

Ooh. Oh, that was just so sweet. So sweet and sad.

*sniffle* Farilon is a good father, whatever he thinks his shortcomings may be. (Besides, he made it through Roderick's childhood, adolescence and early adulthood without strangling the kid. He deserves a medal just for that.) And he made some time to give his grandchildren some fond memories of him, those who are old enough to remember, anyway. Kudos to him for that.

RIP, King Farilon. I imagine he'll be missed.

And on that cheerful note, have a good vacation, Van! :D Hopefully your mother will forgive you for taking the laptop! ;)

Van said...

Thanks Morgaine :)

Haha, yeah, I can't imagine most people would have the patience to raise someone like Roderick :S

But yes, he'll definitely be missed, by both his subjects and his family. I do wish I'd done more with him :(

Thanks. My plan is to just not tell her I'm taking the laptop and let her find out when I have to run it through the machine at the airport, but sometimes plans go astray, so we shall see.

S.B. said...

This hit me hard. How do you know if what you've left behind means anything at all? Farilon has done the best he could.

and take your laptop but enjoy what you find without it. Really. Do it.

Van said...

Thanks Beth :)

Farilon's been a good king, one of the better ones Dovia has seen. I'm sure that Oswald will be good too.

Heheh... it's supposed to be a relaxing type holiday, but I've never been one of those people who can spend more than half an hour lying on a beach. I hope to explore some of the nearby towns while the rest of my family is doing the whole beach thing, but I imagine I'll still be spending a good chunk of time alone in the suite.

Phoenix said...

You never know if you left a legacy...but I guess if some people remember you than you did?? Who knows! *shrug*

This is was sweet piece...and sad as well. It's like looking into a mirror. Farilon looks so much like his second son it's scary. Or rather Roderick looks like his father.

I hope you enjoy your vacation Van! With or without the laptop!:P

Van said...

Ah, the irony of it all O_o

Roderick is definitely the one who looks the most like Farilon, even if Oswald got his nose. Holladrin looks pretty much exactly like their mother. I can see both of them in Oswald.

Thanks Phoenix. I do have my laptop, but I'm not sure if they'll let me upload pictures. I'm regretting not uploading them all to Photobucket at home.

Verity said...

Roderick never takes off his crown does he? I bet he wears it when he's having sex. And in the bath.

It was nice to see a more human side of him in this post... I always suspected his arrogance was a front for insecurity.

Van said...

...okay, that's officially canon now. Roderick wears his crown while having sex.

But yes, even Roderick has his insecurities (although that doesn't make his arrogance any less real--he really does believe he's that great, even if he's not entirely sure everyone agrees with him).

Penelope said...

I am laughing so hard right now! I never even think about that crown. His hair seems to have grown around the damn thing like jungle vines reclaiming ancient ruins.

It is interesting to see Roderick with doubts. He never seems like he ever second guesses himself. He is king, dammit! And he has a crown surgically implanted into his skull to prove it.

Van said...

The vine analogy is so perfect! :D

But yeah, I think this is the first time we've seen Roderick being openly doubtful. I can't imagine many people can see their fathers on their deathbeds without feeling somewhat humbled, though :(