June 11, 1190
Renata rubbed her brow as she waited for Octavius to finish reading the letter. They rarely read each other's correspondence, instead extending the courtesy of filling each other in by mouth, but she'd found she wasn't up to recounting. She and Octavius were among the oldest surviving of their generation now, strange as it was. Neither was any stranger to the prospect of losing a sibling, sad as it was.It didn't get any easier. Rather the opposite.
The desk chair dragged against the floor and the paper fell to the desk. Octavius's footsteps approached the couch. "I'm so sorry."
"She's my last sister," Renata muttered as he sat down beside her. "We were never that close, but... with all the others gone, we did make more of an effort."
"And she seemed to be doing so well, once she got back on her feet.""She was. She finally seemed like a real person to me." Seems, she corrected herself. Laralita wasn't dead yet.
Just dying."Would you mind if I headed out for Dovia a little early? I mean, we'll be there in July for Alina's wedding anyway. What if I went a few weeks early and the rest of you met me there?"
"Of course." Octavius sighed. He'd had seven brothers once, and only two remained now. He understood. "Savor the time she has left."
She nodded. Tomorrow, she'd call on Ovrean and Tarien, see if they wanted to come with her. Whether they did or not, she'd leave within the week. "Yes."NEXT CHAPTER:
5 comments:
:S
Ack! Laralita is dying? Nooo! She was showing such promise!
I sure never thaught I'd be sad to see her go, but I am. Great job, Van! :)
I really wonder what we'll get to see them talk about...
The random death dates giveth, the random death dates taketh away. Mostly the latter. :S
I haven't quite decided, to be honest, but I figured they should see each other one last time. The post is slated for the day after Renata's daughter's wedding, so she'll have been there for a few weeks by then.
"The [random death dates] giveth and the [random death dates] taketh away. Sometimes the giveth seems a little disproportionate to the taketh. There seems to be a lot more takething going on, but there it is."
I am legitimately sorry to see Laralita go. She's come several steps from the woman who forcefully redecorated Veldora Keep. I don't know if the customs allow it, but I sort of hope they send her to Naroni to be buried next to Roderick. They were happy together.
She's definitely not the same person she was thirty years ago. It took her a while, but she did prove that she had some capacity for personal growth.
As a former Queen of Naroni, Laralita would be entitled to be buried next to Roderick, and I don't think even Ietrin could argue against that. Even if he tried, I doubt the nobles in either country would stand for it.
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