RuneScape Forum Archive | Echoes of the Gods

Chuk

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A moment later he heard a bolt slide, and the door flew open. “Oh Aletayr! I hoped you’d arrive tonight, but I’d begun to wonder."

Without letting him respond or take a step inside, his mother wrapped him in her arms, and he sank into her embrace. Unbidden, memories swam in his mind, recollections of a child of only five years clinging to his mother as they fled destruction, and now it was like that child from years ago had returned. He clung to her once more, and his head fell onto her comforting shoulder. And the tears he’d held inside for two days began to flow.

14-May-2010 02:41:08 - Last edited on 21-Jun-2013 07:15:51 by Chuk

Chuk

Posts: 14,177 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

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!- + -! Chapter Three !- + -! Renewal !- + -!
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During his first days at home, Aletayr did little. He spent much of his time in bed; if he wasn’t sleeping, he lay on his back, staring at the rafters. He managed to get up at meal times, or if his mother wanted his help around the house; he even went out for the occasional stroll. None of that held any appeal, though, and the only reason he managed to do anything besides drown in despondency was that he did*’t want his mother to worry. But after a week, when the raw edge of grief had dulled only slightly, Aletayr found out his ruse had failed.

He had been awake for two hours that morning, though he had not yet left his room, when the door slammed open. Rolling over, Aletayr found his mother standing in the hallway. The morning sunlight falling through his window lit her face, illuminating her set jaw and eyes that were stern despite the worry shining from their depths.

“Aletayr Revion Chaelom,” she said, “You’ve stayed in bed quite enough this week already. It’s time for you to get up. An aching heart doesn’t make you an invalid.”

Aletayr closed his eyes again and turned to face the wall. “Why?” he said. “There’s nothing to do anyway. It’s no better to sit up and stare at the wall instead of lying her staring at the ceiling.”

“But you’re not going to just be changing what you’re staring at. You’re going to get out and find something to do. If you can’t find something, I will."

"Do something? What is there to do? Sign up with the Guard? The Academy doesn’t teach anything else. Just how to be a soldier. Or how to command them.”

14-May-2010 02:41:09 - Last edited on 21-Jun-2013 07:15:58 by Chuk

Chuk

Posts: 14,177 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Aletayr’s mother came farther into the room, set a hand on his should and turned him over so that she was looking into his eyes. “If you can’t think of anything else you’d prefer, then yes. It only matters that you’re doing something, that you’re occupied and making your mind think about something else for a while.”

Aletayr snorted. “If that will be enough,” he muttered. “A little distraction isn’t bringing Xaran back.”

“But nothing’s bringing Xaran back, and so you’ve got to move on. You’re still alive, even if he’s not. I know it’s not easy, Aletayr, but I know what helps, too.”

“And what makes you so sure this will help? He was my best friend for almost as long as I can remember, ever since I went to the Academy. And you think there’s something out there that can distract me from that?”

His mother sighed. “I know there is. I know what it took for me after your father died. I know you don’t believe me, too, and I can't say anything that will change that. But since I’m your mother, it’s my job to help you if I can. So one way or another, you’re going to be doing something different today, not just moping.”

When he ignored her, she prodded him in the ribs. “Ten minutes, then I’m dragging you out by the scruff of your neck if I have to,” she said, and left his room.

She left the door open, and after a few moments, rustling and clinking came from the kitchen. Something started sizzling on the stove, and then the tantalizing scent of frying bacon wafted into his room, not quite covering up the aroma of baking bread. Aletayr sighed. A year ago, on his last visit home from the Academy, those would have had him out of bed in an instant. Now, the only reason he rose was because if he didn't, he was afraid his mother would follow through on her words.

14-May-2010 02:41:11 - Last edited on 21-Jun-2013 07:16:06 by Chuk

Chuk

Posts: 14,177 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Not bothering to dress, he put on only a night robe before plodding into the kitchen where his mother piled steaming food onto a plate. She told him to eat it all, and then as if he was still a child, she stood over him to make sure he did. Despite the full plate, he cleaned it easily. The fresh rolls were steaming and smothered in butter and honey, the bacon crispy but not burnt, and scrambled eggs flecked with diced ham and cheese. Even in his gloom, he had to admit it was delicious.

He had hardly swallowed the final mouthful when his mother prodded him from the chair. “You’ve got enough time to wash up and get some decent clothes on,” she said, “but not time to dawdle. No more than fifteen minutes, and I want you outside. Oh, and be sure to tell me where you’re going and what you’re doing before you leave. So you’d better have your mind made up.”

A little over a quarter hour later, Aletayr found himself trudging towards the city gate, eyes on the cobblestones beneath his feet. Though his mother had pressed, he had escaped the house without telling her specifics – only that he wanted to revisit some of the places he had played as a child. When he had left the house, he had contemplated doing something else instead, perhaps finding a corner seat in a tavern or some out of the way alley where he could brood in peace. After only a few minutes out under the spring sun, though, his mind had changed.

Part of it was that the more he thought about it, the more he decided his mother would somehow find out he had lied, but it was also that while he walked, his mood began to lighten. Almost everyone he passed had a ready smile or at least a cheerful wave. People called to each other from open windows and doors, and when he went by a tavern or inn, laughter and song leaped from within. The very air itself seemed to sing and dance with the life and energy of spring. By the time he reached the edge of the town, he found that he was whistling.

14-May-2010 02:41:12 - Last edited on 21-Jun-2013 07:16:13 by Chuk

Chuk

Posts: 14,177 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

The tune carried him through the city gates and along the road until he strode beneath towering oak trees that cast shadows even at noon. Beneath their wide-spread branches, the air was almost cool, and the dirt on the road still carried dampness from the morning dew. A hundred paces into the wood, his song faded, but only because the chatter of nature took on a melody more pristine and nuanced than anything that would ever come from his lips.

The varying buzzes and hums of a hundred different insects blended into the songs and trills of a dozen cheerful bids. Somewhere, just on the edge of hearing, a woodpecker drummed the rhythm, and a quiet breeze rustled in the background. It was beautiful, Aletayr thought, the bright green leaves and natures music and the fragrance of newly opened flowers. He missed it, he realized. At the Academy, he had spent his days inside its whitewashed walls, and though he remembered being beneath these trees as a child, it was now as if he had discovered them anew.

After walking for a few more minutes, he slowed his pace and moved to the edge of the road, where he began scanning the ground. Several times he hesitated where the undergrowth seemed to thin and the grass looked bent, almost trodden on. Aletayr did not find what he was looking for until the sixth such pause, however. That time he grinned, checked both ways along the road to make sure there was no one in sight, then pushed aside the branches and left the road.

14-May-2010 02:55:39 - Last edited on 21-Jun-2013 07:16:22 by Chuk