April 30, 1174
This year's winter had stayed long past its welcome and the spring birds had not yet returned to Dovia. But why did Searle hear them? And why did he feel that summer's breeze against his cheek? Why was the grass soft and just the slightest bit moist, and not the scratchy fibers that covered the ground during the dry months?Hell... what was he doing lying on the grass anyway?
Wasn't he supposed to be wasting away in bed right now, fighting for last gasping breaths until it became too much of a struggle? Why was breathing suddenly easy? His lungs hadn't been so clear in years. His body hadn't felt so strong in months. What was this? This shouldn't have been happening.Unless...
"You all right there, Piglet?"
It was a voice he barely remembered but it was unmistakable. Searle pried open his eyes and squinted, only to realize he needn't have bothered. His vision hadn't been so clear since he was a child. It was fitting that the first thing he saw was a face from the past. "...Papa?"His smile never fading, his father held out his hand. Searle grabbed hold of it and allowed himself to be pulled upright. His father had struggled to stand long before he'd gone, but now he was hardly older than Searle himself and stronger than either of them had ever been. "I missed you, baby."
"Papa." Searle leaned forward and rested his chin on his father's shoulder. A pair of loving arms wrapped themselves around him and rocked him back and forth. "So... this is it, then?""Mmm?" His father stepped back and frowned, his hands still on Searle's shoulders. "What do you mean?"
"You know." Did he really have to explain? It seemed so obvious... "I'm dead."
Whatever reaction he'd been expecting, it hadn't be a small smile and a fond roll of the eyes; nonetheless, that was what he got. "You're not dead, Searle. You're just here to wait."To wait... That didn't make any sense. What was he talking about? "Wait for what?"
"There is someone who can help you. Your mother brought him--"
"My mother?" Frankly, he might have preferred hearing of his own passing. "What the hell is she doing there?"His father sighed. "Searle, I know that she's an airhead, but she's still your mother. She does love you in her own selfish way."
"But she--"
"I know." A look of disapproval flashed across his father's face, but only for a second. "But she brought you someone who could save you. You don't have to forgive her, but at least remember that."He looked almost wistful. It was unnerving considering how similar that face was to Searle's own. Searle doubted he'd looked wistful a day in his life. "Papa..."
"You won't be here much longer, son." His father surveyed him a last time, then nodded. "The healer is almost done. You'll have your body back soon."
Wait... what? This hadn't made any sense before, but now it was getting to be downright insane. What is he talking about? "Papa, what...?"His father only shook his head. "Not yet, Searle. You're a clever boy, but certain knowledge is reserved for the dead. You'll know when it's your time to know."
"But--"
"Now, don't be fretting over things beyond your own world." Searle opened his mouth to protest, but nothing came forth. His father closed his eyes and glanced to the sky. "One day, I'll answer every question you have and more, but that's not today. Go home and fret about your shire. Fret about your mother. Fret about your wife and your son and that beautiful little granddaughter you and Ren are going to make me tonight.""Daddy--"
"I love you." Suddenly some feet below him, his father smiled upward. "I love you, and I'll see you again when your time comes. But you have to go back to the living, Piglet. It's not your time yet."
NEXT CHAPTER:
20 comments:
Err, sorry if this was a bit drabbly :S
Also... it seems as though some of my images aren't showing up in Chrome. They're there in Firefox, though.
*sniffle* That was...it made me cry. I had a feeling Tavrin could save him or he never would have tried.
I had to giggle when Karlspan called Laralita an airhead. I only hope Searle can find a way to tolerate and maybe understand the way she loves. It isn't conventional by any means but it is there.
I'm trying to remember again why she left him?
Yeah, I think Tavrin knows when to call it quits :P
As for Laralita, she didn't leave Karlspan. He died, then she ran off to Naroni and eventually married Roderick. She does love her children, but I can't really blame Searle for not trusting her. He was four years old and his father had just died and he had to figure out the whole lord thing pretty quickly and he needed his mother--and she wasn't around. That messed him up pretty badly.
Thanks Gayl :)
YAAY for Searle-the-no-longer-dying!
And this chapter was so sweet! I'm glad he got to see his papa before he returned to the world of the living. :) Karlspan seems like he would have been a good father, had he lived long enough to raise his kids.
Also, when little baby granddaughter comes into the world ... I vote she not be named Laralita. Laralita is indeed an airhead, and though she does love her son, the rest of her unpleasantness might be catching. So, no. ;)
What's Ren's mother's name again? Medea's sister? That'd be a good name for the baby. :)
(Also, Firefox & I are -- mostly -- getting along now! Woot!)
Yaaaay for the resolution of the Morgaine/Firefox conflict! :D
Karlspan would have been a great father. Unfortunately, Ietrin was only a baby and Elhina was just "stomach flu" when he died, so he only got four years of Searle and he was sick throughout :(
I think Searle would sooner name his daughter after a toe fungus than after Laralita :P The baby's name will probably be either Athalia (after Ren's mother) or Eldona (after Searle's aunt, who was pretty much his surrogate mother). I'm thinking Athalia, though, since they already named a kid after one of Searle's parents.
Thanks Morgaine :)
Leave it to me to be clear as mud. I shouldn't write when sleep deprived. I knew Karlspan died, I just don't remember her reason for leaving Searle and running off to Naroni.
I can see everything in Safari, Van.
Wait-- Why did Laralita leave when Searle was only four? And a lord? Who the heck was running his... fiefdom? And who raised her sons? Why was she even allowed to leave? How did Severin feel about all of this? I can't quite remember. If Icky Searle is a jerk for abandoning his young wife, how horrible is Laralita for leaving her two young sons right after they lost their father? That, to me, goes way beyond... Anything. Even Geneva's kids had Roderick.
Speaking of Roderick, why would he marry a woman with a track record for running out on her family after everything that he went through with Geneva?
That reference to the fact that Searle was gonna get laid that night was unnecessary... well at least awkward coming from his father. Had it been me my last words to him would been 'Really Daddy?? Really?"(yay at the daughter and the fact he'll actually have sex though!) lol sorry, I'm tired.
More importantly! YAY! I knew we could count on Tavrin! I had another point, I think, but it escapes me at the moment.... Great chapter though!
Gayl: No, my bad. I thought you meant Karlspan when I guess you were talking about Searle.
As for Laralita's reason, she just had a bit of a quarter-life crisis and figured she was ruined and wasted and her life was over, then ran off to Naroni and ended up moving in with Alina and driving Severin up the wall.
Pen: That's good to hear :)
I think Laralita meant to come back at first, but she just kept finding reasons to stay in Naroni and then she hooked up with Roderick and that was that.
Laralita's brother Koradril (the silent redhead on the couch in the last post) and his first wife ended up raising Searle and Ietrin. Koradril ran the shire until Searle was old enough to take the reigns (Koradril is the eldest son and heir of the original Searle, who is still alive, so it was a learning opportunity for him too).
I think Laralita was only "allowed" to leave because she wasn't "not allowed"? If that makes any sense? Probably not :S
As for Severin... well, frankly, his opinion of Laralita can't get much lower, so maybe he just thinks Searle and Ietrin were better off with Koradril and Eldona anyway. He must have noticed something a little "off" about Searle during the whole Deian fiasco, though, so maybe that changed his opinion.
As for Roderick and Laralita... I don't know. There's just this connection he never had with Geneva. They're like the same person in separate bodies.
Chene: Heheheh... I don't think the sex was what Karlspan was thinking about. He's got the baby in mind :)
Thanks :)
Tavrin is going to save him? HURRAY! There's no chance Karlspan is wrong, is there? I mean, can departed spirits be wrong?
You brought tears to my eyes. It's obvious how much Searle misses his father, who was very generous to Laralita.
Hoping this is going the way of a happy ending...
Yep, Searle's in the clear :)
I think it's safe to assume Karlspan knows what he's talking about. He's been dead a while now, so he probably has a good sense of what knowledge is appropriate to dispense to the living and what isn't.
But yeah, Searle misses his dad. He never really got much of a chance to know him, the poor kid. It might be interesting to note that while Ietrin spends all his time longing after the parent who is still alive and therefore still somewhat available, Searle longs for the one who is dead and gone but might have actually cared about them. Hard to tell who's the practical one there :(
Karlspan and Laralita were never in love, but they put up with each other. He was a grounded kind of guy, and he was always patient with her.
Thanks Beth :)
So about Photobucket eating your images-- Which chapters are missing photos? Does this only happen in Firefox and Chrome? Do you have a naming system to ensure that no two images have the same names?
Fortunately, the images seem to have returned--for now. It was the weirdest thing. Most of the chapters I checked were missing at least a couple pictures, and the character profile blog read like a text wall :S
Firefox and Chrome were the only browsers I check. I never use IE and I don't have any others.
I name my pictures by post number and their place in the post sequence. The first picture here, for example, is "Picture394.0". The second is 394.1, etc.
Yeah, that probably was just photobucket having a laugh then. Unless your internet wasn't loading properly. I haven't been running into that issue at all (I normally view Naroni in Safari, Chrome or IE).
Yeah, either Photobucket or a problem on my end. But at least it's fixed now, whatever it was :)
Heehee... I take it IE is the work browser? It still blows my mind a little to hear that people read Naroni at work. It's so flattering :D
Oh jeebus, yes! I have to use IE for Oracle Financials and Decision Cast, which is poo on a stick! I also use Chrome at work though, for everything that isn't a financial system.
Aww, that sucks :(
Good thing they have Chrome too.
Leaving my first comment here finally because this post gave me the chills. Really, great job writing this!
Aww, thanks! :)
And welcome! Hope you continue to enjoy. :)
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