The Count of Castle Rock

Chapter XXVIII- Homecoming

Hans isn't surprised by the changes to his family's farm when he and Leesa arrive, yet the shock of seeing those changes with his own eyes stops him in his tracks. Count Methuen had given Heath a handsome sum of gold to expand the farm and pasture, as well as build a much needed barn for storage. The main house dwarfs his memories of the place. New construction has added rooms to the original structure built by his great grandfather and rebuilt by his own father. A smaller second house sits on the property as well, lodging for the additional hands Heath hired to help with the new quadrupled herd of sheep.

His home is a dream and the reality is a reminder that the story has moved on without him.

Hans leads Gianna to one of the pastures and lets the horse graze where Byrghir is already happily mingling with his family. Afterwards, Hans and Leesa slowly walk hand in hand to the main house in silence. They are a few yards from the house when the front door bursts open and his kin rushes out. His mother, Moa, runs across the intervening space and nearly tackles him to the ground. She smothers him with kisses and nearly drowns him in joyful tears. Some of those tears are his. To be away from her for months, after never spending more than a few days apart, was a jarring experience whose weight he ignored until this exact moment.

"Hans, my boy, my handsome boy. I've missed you so," his mother sobs, peppering his face with dozens of gentle kisses.

"I've missed you too." He wipes his eyes. "I wanted to visit, but... but."

"It is okay, you are training. Your time belongs to your studies."

She kisses him on the forehead the way she always did in his youth and the memories make his eyes water. Pulling back, she wipes tears from her own eyes and looks around.

"Leesa, come here," she says, voice laden with emotion. Moa pulls Leesa into their embrace, squeezing them both in a great hug "It is good to see the two of you together."

Moa ushers them towards the house and through the door. The changes to the outside are nothing like the changes on the inside. She gives them a tour of the house with a pride Hans has rarely seen in her. Their first stop is the kitchen where they have a new stove and sink, the envy of her neighbors if her words are to be believed.

"I finally have an ice box," she says, gesturing to the rectangular box in the corner. She positively glows as she opens it for just a moment to show the cool meat stored inside. "I've wanted one since Helena was still in diapers."

The mention of his older sister brings his thoughts to current events he's surely missed.

"How is Helena, mother? I'm sure preparation for the wedding must sometimes be overwhelming. I hope Erica and Heather have been helping."

"What? Oh no. Hans, I'm so sorry." The look on Moa's face makes Hans's stomach drop. "You know how your sister can be about such things."

He slowly nods. Helena is a perfectionist prone to get stuck on minute details for days or even months. It makes her a great cook, but a terrible teacher.

"Things got so bad that her hair started to fall out," Moa continues. "Oh, my heart ached for my poor Helena. In the end us mothers had to step in. We agreed to have the wedding as soon as possible, taking the stress off the poor girl and saving the families a lot of headaches."

Hans remains quiet, torn between being glad he wasn't swept up in Storm Helena  and being sad to have missed such an important moment in his older sister's life. He sits down at the kitchen table struggling to find the words to express his feelings.

"We were afraid to disturb you as you had just started your studies. Your sisters and I were very sad. Even your father said it didn't feel right that you weren't there." Moa looks apologetic. "Helena and her husband live in Blight Bog now."