April 11, 1185
"You didn't have to come." Laralita told her son this out of motherly obligation, not genuine feeling. In the nearly three weeks since his brother had died, Farilon had called more days that not. She suspected that at least part of his reason was to avoid his wife, but she neither blamed him nor cared. His company was enough not to mind the motives. "It'll be planting season soon. I'll have something to take my mind off things.""It's not planting season yet." He cast a fleeting glance out the window, as if to reassure himself of this. "Plus... well, it turns out that even Lent isn't a good enough excuse not to... you know."
"Hmm." After two years of marriage now, Danthia had yet to hint at so much as a missed course. Laralita had no doubt that this was largely for lack of trying on Farilon's part. Honestly--now that she was short one more of her own babies, she thought a new grandchild in her arms might do her well, but that was between Farilon and Danthia, and she wouldn't push it.
A new grandchild wouldn't bring Oswald back anyway. "I see."Her second-youngest would have been twelve come October--still a child, but just old enough to be treated as a man in some respects. At least Ietrin and Elhina had been granted a glimpse of adulthood before they'd gone, even if Elhina's had been too short and Ietrin's, too tragic.
She supposed some women lost more than three. There was much fortune in being born a count's daughter, and large part of that was the decreased chance of illness, the longer lifespan--but Oswald, as a prince, had not been immune to the fever that took him. At the heart of it, blue blood was no more resilient than the common red, just as it truly was no bluer.
"You took good care of him, you know.""Not good enough."
"Sometimes it can't be good enough."
He'd meant that to make her feel better, but it didn't. Her son hadn't died as a result of her incompetent care, but that didn't make him any less dead.Nor did it make the world any less cruel.
NEXT CHAPTER:
6 comments:
Sorry about the demographic post, but I figured the death of one of Roderick and Laralita's kids was at least worth the mention.
Oswald died on March 1185. Since he died before his Sim aged up to adult, there will probably be a grow-up picture of him on my Tumblr some time in the next couple days.
Did anyone else watch the Sharks/Kings game? That was insane. XD
Er, that should be March 23, 1185.
*facepalm*
Where was Oswald when he died? Did he still live in Naroni? It's funny, I don't remember meeting that child.
Wait, why isn't Laralita in black?
He was at the house in Dovia. Don't feel bad for not remembering him, because I don't think he ever showed up in any significant capacity, if at all.
Laralita is not in black because Dovian customs do not require it past the funeral, which would have been shortly after the death. While I have a lot of CC, not a whole lot of it is black (or is black without a more cheerful color anywhere in it), plus it's sometimes tough to figure out exactly who should be in mourning and for how long with such large families, so I decided a while back that grief in this culture does not require a big public show. After Roderick's death and all that came with it, Laralita probably wants to mourn her son in peace, without the world knowing if they don't have to.
As a Simmer who goes with the rule of "black for a year for close relatives + sufficient social status," I think Van has a pretty good idea with forgoing obvious mourning dress.
But moving on. *sigh* Poor Laralita. The world is too cruel. You can be the best parent in the world, and then something comes out of the blue and kills your child and there's not a damn thing you can do about it. And unfortunately that's as true now as it was in 1185.
I hope she'll be strong and she'll be able to keep going, somehow. If she's looking forward to the planting, I think that's a good sign. She'll be able to keep growing and living, even if this is another wound in her heart.
And I must say, as much as Laralita wants another grandchild and has great reason to want that ... no, it really shouldn't be Farilon & Danthia's baby. I have nothing against Farilon, but I'm not sure I want to see Danthia reproducing.
Let's hope for another Searle + Ren baby (if that's what they want), or a Mona + Zareth baby (even if Laralita can't know about it), or any of Laralita's other kids.
Yeah, there are lots of ways to go when it comes to mourning clothes. I took the easy one--death to funeral only--and I still find I don't have enough mourning clothes, even for adult females. I may have to do a massive mourning clothes project. Or maybe suggest death/dying/funerals as a rather macabre Keep theme.
Being the best parent in the world will not save your kids from everything, unfortunately. :( It can give them increased survival odds, sure, but ultimately... yeah. No one is immune. :(
It was only recently that Laralita ever had to be strong, but I think she's surprised everyone so far, perhaps herself most of all. She'll find a way to keep going.
Farilon is with you there! He's not opposed to the idea of having children in general, but he doesn't want them with Danthia, which is the problem as far as their marriage is concerned. Farilon has no kingly ambitions, but he knows that any sons he has with Danthia will just spur hers on. He may also be concerned about how she'd treat a daughter (I could see her being rather Morgause-like in preference for sons).
If Laralita wants another (legitimate) grandchild, her current options are Searle, Riona, Mona, and Farilon, though we know Farilon isn't keen there. Riona has one surviving child, and one who died in I believe 1184, so she may be itching to fill that void (though to be fair, we don't know her too well--but most references have her as being a lot like Laralita). Mona just has Lara, and while I think she and Zareth have decided on a "see what happens" approach to reproduction as opposed to active trying, she's still young and it's only a matter of time before she gets pregnant again.
As for Searle and Ren, that would be most geographically convenient for Laralita if Farilon is not reproducing. They have enough kids from a line is secure standpoint, but they might be in that (for Naroni) middle-range in which another few kids wouldn't be the end of the world. I still have Ren in my list for randomizing pregnancies, at least.
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