May 6, 1180
Decorum--and perhaps gratitude--had dictated that she see Xeta and Jadin to the door, but no sooner had it shut behind them, Celina had made haste to Farilon's room.In hindsight, inviting her older children immediately and all at once hadn't been the best idea she'd ever had. Farilon was overwhelmed enough as it was, and while she'd been eager to share her own excitement, the four of them had hardly been receptive, or not as she'd hoped. They'd been shocked--shocked, then varying degrees of comfortable, but never excited, for all she couldn't fathom why.
Lorn had left first. Celina couldn't blame him, she supposed, not when Leara's baby could be on its way at any minute, but he could have stood to be more apologetic about it. It wasn't long after that Rona had muttered something about relieving Yvanette's nanny and hurrying off, dragging Ashe with her. No doubt wanting to avoid the tension, Abrich had then "remembered" that he'd arranged a training session with his cousin Conant. Xeta had stuck around, but her strained politeness was such that Celina had to set her and Jadin free, if only out of guilt for calling them here in the first place.
Why had she bothered? All those years ago, they'd grieved their brother almost as strongly as she had, then he'd come back and then they'd feared they'd lose him again before long and suddenly that wasn't an issue anymore. In terms of life and death, that was more than the human brain was ever meant to process."Farilon?"
He turned his head, that sad look still haunting his face, grey eyes just about to cry if only they remembered how. How had she missed all his anguish? He'd seemed happy enough...
"Sweetie? Are you all right?"
He muttered something, not loudly enough to be distinguishable. He hadn't spoken much since it had occurred to him to speak, and what words he had managed had been stuttered and unpracticed. It would probably be a while before the poor boy worked up the confidence to try a little harder.
"I'm sorry I invited your siblings." She sat down on the bench beside him, not sure if she was welcome. He did nothing to shrug her off, if that was at all a good sign. "They... they're glad you're all right, really. It's just a lot to get used to, and they're not the most flexible group.
"They'll come around eventually. Xeta even said she'd drop by later in the week, and that she'd bring Wolf with her. And Lorn will want you to meet your new little niece or nephew whenever they come along." It was best not to mention the other two. Abrich wouldn't know how he felt until he'd had time to consider every possible response, and that involved waiting on the others. Rona... well, she'd been the longest mourning Dalston and the longest mourning Farilon, then there had been all that worry over leaving Naroni and Lonriad's marriage and her friend Aspen's departure, plus that tournament she was still punishing Lorn for, never mind that she'd gotten Ashe and Yvanette out of it. Rona couldn't handle change unless it came from a vendor. "We'll just... take things a bit more slowly from now on, all right? One of them at a time."At least Ovrean's brood, she knew, would be more accommodating; the difference in rank, she suspected, plus the fact that they lived with Farilon, and none of them had struggled with the revelation to begin with. They, perhaps, were young enough to see wonders for what they were.
"Does that sound all right?"Somewhat hesitant, Farilon nodded.
"Again, I'm sorry. I suppose I was projecting."
He looked at her, her uncle's grey eyes--her mother's eyes, so she'd been told--like inverted clouds, silver centers with stormy linings. She wondered briefly if he might speak. Instead, he abandoned his good posture and slumped against her side.NEXT CHAPTER:
9 comments:
Okay. So. This week is the last Weekend o' Homework because next week is the last Week o' Classes. So... Sunday's update may or may not happen. At this point, I'm thinking it will, but I do have a lot to get done, so we'll see. :S
Boo for homework, but hooray for the last week of classes!
I can definitely see how this would be hard for Farilon's older siblings, but I'm kind of disappointed in them right now. I guess it's better to be honest instead of fake, but a little pretending might not have been the worst thing here. I'm glad Farilon has Celina, who has enough love for a thousand children, and his less-astonished half-siblings around him, at least.
I'm looking forward to being done. :)
Farilon's older siblings... well, it's not like they're not happy to have him back, but they are having some difficulties coming to terms with the whole thing. They could definitely stand to try a little harder, though.
But yes, at least there's Celina and Ovrean and the younger kids.
Classes nearing completion are always a good thing. (I've only got two more weeks of teaching left, woot!!)
And oy, poor Farilon. I'm not sure I 100% blame Celina's older kids for taking things not so well ... this is a lot to get used to very quickly. Look at how Farilon himself is reacting. The poor kid is practically catatonic. I think he needs a few quiet days with Celina and Ovrean just to start to absorb everything, then we can start to worry about siblings.
I wonder, though, if Deian might have managed to fix Farilon's asthma while he was at it? Or is that too much to ask for from him?
Yaaay end of semester! :)
...still finals, though. :(
It is a huuuge, completely unexpected adjustment. It's going to be a while before even Farilon gets used to everything, for sure. A few familiar, non-freaky-outy people are probably the best way to go for now.
Heheh... I'd forgotten what Farilon died of. :P For simplicity's sake, let's say that if Deian can cure death a decade after the fact, curing asthma is probably a clap of the hands.
One of the things I love most about how you do this is the way you bring the eyes, the past, right into the present. It's one of the things people really do notice.
I miss this so much. Getting caught up.
Forgive me.
Welcome back, Beth. And no need to ask for forgiveness; life happens. :)
Thanks! There's a lot you can get from a person's eyes, I feel. I'm glad that strikes a chord with people. :)
How old is Farlion? Did he just pick up from where his body would have left off if he had survived the first time around? Poor kid. I don't expect that he'll ever be normal, or that anyone will ever treat him normally apart from Celina.
Farilon is fifteen. He died at five, so unless he hit a ridiculously early puberty, it looks like he just came back how he would've been if he'd never died.
Of the people who know him now, and as a kid? No, probably not. But there will always be new people who maybe don't know the story, or kids who were born long after he died (his little nieces and nephews adore him). He'll probably have trouble making friends his own age. If he ever gets married, it'll probably to someone about a decade younger.
Post a Comment