Post by redemption on May 9, 2006 19:20:00 GMT -5
Epilogue: Bittersweet
When Darkfire died, Jake and Lao Shi went back that night, and sprinkled cleansing magic over where he had fallen; the scorch mark faded, and the feeling that something smelled wrong vanished. Only when the grass was completely green and unmarked did grandfather and grandson leave.
Darkfire was really, finally, truly dead. He would never again come back.
Neither would Miranda.
When she had spoken of cursed blood, her words had been true. No amount of light magic would bring her back to the world, no amount of tears or pleas. She had died, was dead, and wasn’t coming back. Had died, had sacrificed herself, like Nika before her, her ancestor.
Rose had taken Raffi in. The black cat spent her time now at Lao Shi’s shop. For the first few days she had wandered around, mewling softly, as though looking for Miranda; she hadn’t eaten for awhile, and had lost weight. For a time, it seemed as though they would lose Raffi, as well.
But then the cat had started to recover. She began eating again, and had seemed to accept that Rose was her new owner. Her favorite pastime was flying out of thin air and jumping on Fu Dog, making him shriek like a little girl. No one knew what had promoted the cat’s change of heart, but Rose suspected it had something to do with the soft voice she had heard one night while getting water. But when she had walked into the room, no one was there, and Raffi was asleep.
Miranda could not be given a proper funeral. Because, by all appearances, she had been perfectly healthy before she died, there would be too many questions. A small, private funeral for her was held in the secret grove of Central Park, a place many magical creatures visited. Although she wasn’t well known, her sacrifice was, and many magical creatures were there when she was buried.
Kellen sat there now, quietly running a hand through the cool grass. The chill of winter was beginning to fade, replaced by the steady warmth of spring. Already a few flowers were beginning to bloom; one, pale pink in color, broke free from its branch and twirled lazily in the air before landing on Miranda’s tombstone. Kellen considered knocking it off, but decided against it; Miranda wouldn’t mind, he thought.
A soft mew from behind made him made him turn; Raffi bounded to his side, purring softly, pressing against him. Kellen smiled. “Hey, girl,” he murmured, gently scratching her behind the ears. “Where’s your owner?”
“Right behind her.”
Rose walked up, but instead of sitting merely stood behind Kellen. “I thought you might be here,” she murmured. Kellen shrugged as Raffi pressed her head into his hand, demanding to be given attention. He rubbed her back. “How’s Raffi holding up?”
“Pretty good, for a cat, I guess. I honestly don’t know. Some days she really seems to miss Mindy, and other days I can’t help but wonder if she even remembers her.”
“Who could forget her?”
“Point taken.”
Rose slowly gazed around the grove. “This is beautiful,” she murmured.
“Miranda would have liked it. That’s why I thought she should… you know… be buried here.”
Kellen swallowed hard. It still hurt, talking about her, a lot more then he had ever thought it would. “I keep wondering if… you know, maybe we could have saved her. Could have brought her back,” he admitted.
An anguished look flashed in Rose’s eyes. “Kel, you know what she said. Because of the binding, it wouldn’t have been possible.”
“I know.”
“She knew how it would end. She knew she was going to die.”
“I guess that’s what hurts so much.”
Kellen gazed at the shadows.
“Why did she accept it? It’s something that’s always bothered me. Why didn’t she try to fight it? Why did she give in? You’re not supposed to give in to death. You’re supposed to fight it. But she didn’t.”
A tear streaked Kellen’s cheek, silver-black in the dappled shadows.
“She knew there was no reason to,” Rose whispered. “Don’t you get it, Kel? Do you think she WANTED to die? She wanted to live just as much as I did the first time. But she knew she wasn’t going to. What was the point in fighting something you knew you would still lose?”
“It isn’t fair.”
“Do you think you’re the only one hurting?” Rose snapped. “Damn it, Kellen! I was there when it happened, when she went down! I heard her, I felt her! She was my friend to, and I could only stand there as she died, knowing there was nothing I could do!”
Kellen looked at her, sighing as the anger slowly drained from her eyes.
“I know. I… Rose, I’m sorry. I just miss her.”
“I miss her, to.”
Rose and Kellen paused as Raffi wound her way around the tombstone, purring softly. Rose smiled weakly. “Raffi misses her, to,” she whispered.
Kellen just smiled sadly before gently scooping the cat up, carrying her in his arms, following Rose out of the grove. Behind them, the dappled light danced across the tombstone, a war of light and darkness.
Miranda Ariel Light
A true hero
A true friend
R.I.P
The End
Well... that's it. The end.
Before anyone jumps down my throat and wants to know why Miranda is stil dead, I want to make something clear: Miranda was never supposed to survive this story. I knew right from the beginnning that she would die, which is why I wrote the whole thing about the binding of the blood, so I'd have a good explaination.
I didn't expect to get as attached to her as I did, and I tried numerous times to write a plausible scenario where she survived. But by writing the story knowing that she would die, I ultimately had boxed myself in; there was no way she could survive. I cried when I wrote her death scene, and I cried while writing this.
Hoped this story lived up to the original, and I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it.
When Darkfire died, Jake and Lao Shi went back that night, and sprinkled cleansing magic over where he had fallen; the scorch mark faded, and the feeling that something smelled wrong vanished. Only when the grass was completely green and unmarked did grandfather and grandson leave.
Darkfire was really, finally, truly dead. He would never again come back.
Neither would Miranda.
When she had spoken of cursed blood, her words had been true. No amount of light magic would bring her back to the world, no amount of tears or pleas. She had died, was dead, and wasn’t coming back. Had died, had sacrificed herself, like Nika before her, her ancestor.
Rose had taken Raffi in. The black cat spent her time now at Lao Shi’s shop. For the first few days she had wandered around, mewling softly, as though looking for Miranda; she hadn’t eaten for awhile, and had lost weight. For a time, it seemed as though they would lose Raffi, as well.
But then the cat had started to recover. She began eating again, and had seemed to accept that Rose was her new owner. Her favorite pastime was flying out of thin air and jumping on Fu Dog, making him shriek like a little girl. No one knew what had promoted the cat’s change of heart, but Rose suspected it had something to do with the soft voice she had heard one night while getting water. But when she had walked into the room, no one was there, and Raffi was asleep.
Miranda could not be given a proper funeral. Because, by all appearances, she had been perfectly healthy before she died, there would be too many questions. A small, private funeral for her was held in the secret grove of Central Park, a place many magical creatures visited. Although she wasn’t well known, her sacrifice was, and many magical creatures were there when she was buried.
Kellen sat there now, quietly running a hand through the cool grass. The chill of winter was beginning to fade, replaced by the steady warmth of spring. Already a few flowers were beginning to bloom; one, pale pink in color, broke free from its branch and twirled lazily in the air before landing on Miranda’s tombstone. Kellen considered knocking it off, but decided against it; Miranda wouldn’t mind, he thought.
A soft mew from behind made him made him turn; Raffi bounded to his side, purring softly, pressing against him. Kellen smiled. “Hey, girl,” he murmured, gently scratching her behind the ears. “Where’s your owner?”
“Right behind her.”
Rose walked up, but instead of sitting merely stood behind Kellen. “I thought you might be here,” she murmured. Kellen shrugged as Raffi pressed her head into his hand, demanding to be given attention. He rubbed her back. “How’s Raffi holding up?”
“Pretty good, for a cat, I guess. I honestly don’t know. Some days she really seems to miss Mindy, and other days I can’t help but wonder if she even remembers her.”
“Who could forget her?”
“Point taken.”
Rose slowly gazed around the grove. “This is beautiful,” she murmured.
“Miranda would have liked it. That’s why I thought she should… you know… be buried here.”
Kellen swallowed hard. It still hurt, talking about her, a lot more then he had ever thought it would. “I keep wondering if… you know, maybe we could have saved her. Could have brought her back,” he admitted.
An anguished look flashed in Rose’s eyes. “Kel, you know what she said. Because of the binding, it wouldn’t have been possible.”
“I know.”
“She knew how it would end. She knew she was going to die.”
“I guess that’s what hurts so much.”
Kellen gazed at the shadows.
“Why did she accept it? It’s something that’s always bothered me. Why didn’t she try to fight it? Why did she give in? You’re not supposed to give in to death. You’re supposed to fight it. But she didn’t.”
A tear streaked Kellen’s cheek, silver-black in the dappled shadows.
“She knew there was no reason to,” Rose whispered. “Don’t you get it, Kel? Do you think she WANTED to die? She wanted to live just as much as I did the first time. But she knew she wasn’t going to. What was the point in fighting something you knew you would still lose?”
“It isn’t fair.”
“Do you think you’re the only one hurting?” Rose snapped. “Damn it, Kellen! I was there when it happened, when she went down! I heard her, I felt her! She was my friend to, and I could only stand there as she died, knowing there was nothing I could do!”
Kellen looked at her, sighing as the anger slowly drained from her eyes.
“I know. I… Rose, I’m sorry. I just miss her.”
“I miss her, to.”
Rose and Kellen paused as Raffi wound her way around the tombstone, purring softly. Rose smiled weakly. “Raffi misses her, to,” she whispered.
Kellen just smiled sadly before gently scooping the cat up, carrying her in his arms, following Rose out of the grove. Behind them, the dappled light danced across the tombstone, a war of light and darkness.
Miranda Ariel Light
A true hero
A true friend
R.I.P
The End
Well... that's it. The end.
Before anyone jumps down my throat and wants to know why Miranda is stil dead, I want to make something clear: Miranda was never supposed to survive this story. I knew right from the beginnning that she would die, which is why I wrote the whole thing about the binding of the blood, so I'd have a good explaination.
I didn't expect to get as attached to her as I did, and I tried numerous times to write a plausible scenario where she survived. But by writing the story knowing that she would die, I ultimately had boxed myself in; there was no way she could survive. I cried when I wrote her death scene, and I cried while writing this.
Hoped this story lived up to the original, and I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it.