The Ganut

Episode 6 : Farewell

The funeral was tomorrow, and the farewell of the chaperones was to be made today. One of the least sacred rooms of the sanctuary had been made available to the families of the accompanying persons so that they could say goodbye to their loved one last time before the funeral. Mary had left Garuk and Kamal at her sister's house. She wanted Garuk to breathe a little and she wanted to spare him this suffering. Mary was the only one close to Jadik who had come. We could hear crying all over the room. Mary saw an open coffin in the corner of the room. She moved closer and there she burst into tears. She knew what she was coming to see but she was still dejected in front of her husband's body. His body was there in front of her, lifeless, because of a custom? Because of his son? This was not the time to look for the cause. We just had to say goodbye and hold on. Mary began to evoke memories to her husband that made her smile a little. She then followed up with farewell words and made promises that she swore to keep. One of them was to look after the children at all costs.

At the palace, Paul visited his protege to see how he was coping with the situation. The servants pointed him to the new quarters of Lorentz. He went there and saw his mother Tilda coming out of her room. He therefore tried to inquire about the condition of the latter. She let him know that she was getting better but that she was worried about her daughter because she had sent a messenger to the palace who informed them that Savel had ended her union. Paul sympathizes with her and then joins Lorentz in his room. He first tried to tease him to lighten the mood. Then he apologized for his failure and asked what Lorentz plans to do with his family's situation with the message he had received from his sister. Lorentz was not too receptive to Paul's empathy, and he held him largely responsible for the disaster. For him, Paul could have prevented all this. So, he answered Paul briefly so as to shorten the conversation. Paul still wanted to help him by asking Lorentz to have his family set up in his estate. Lorentz refused in a rather firm manner, which left Paul perplexed. The great sage insisted all the same, and it was there that Lorentz vehemently ordered him to leave his quarters. So, Paul went to the door and before going out he said, "I'm not your enemy, you know?"

The next day, Bali and her family had begun to occupy their new quarters in the palace except Morak. Although his father had spent a good part of the night trying to convince him, the little one was not too receptive. His mother took over and explained to him quite vigorously that these kinds of offers are not available and that they are binding on the right people. She concludes: "Stop squeaking and take responsibility! And get ready, we're going to attend your uncle's funeral! He had generally changed his mind. He was willing to consider the matter. Wherever he went, he received congratulations and encouragement. We had almost forgotten today's unfortunate event.

As spirits always say, the gods communicate through the weather. On this day of the king's funeral, the sky was very dark. It wasn't raining yet but the grayish clouds had invaded the sky. A pleasant cold wind blew as the people of Sifane went to the funeral. Some had deduced that the gods were sad.

Garuk, accompanied by his mother, had already taken the road to the cemetery. They went there in silence. For the royal family and the king's companions, tradition requires that they be dressed in white and not black unlike the others. It was already an ordeal for the Bika because they did not even have the luxury of honoring their loved one as they wanted. They will not say any words and will not be able to praise his name. As the name of the event indicated, it is the "funeral of the king" and not those of Jadik or any other companion. Garuk, who had begun to digest his father's death, was once again beginning to feel hatred for the royal family when he saw them settle on the platform. He watched them one by one; he did not feel them sad enough except for a young girl who seemed devastated more than the other nobles. She lowered her head very frequently and wiped away her tears every ten seconds.

Paul returned to the pulpit and began the funeral. He was the host of the ceremony. He first brought in the orchestra, which sang the " royal farewell ." Following this, the mourners came to begin their ritual. The ceremony was quite quiet. One felt that Sifane had lost something great in this death of the king. After the singing and crying, Paul made his farewell speech and asked Bali to come and do the same:

"My brother was brave, reckless, benevolent and many other qualities that I will not continue to mention otherwise this ceremony will be endless.
He was my brother, my king, your protector, and I hope the gods watch over him up there. Farewell my brother..." (in a sad voice)

Bali could be seen wiping away her tears as she sat down. No one else will speak because it has been decided by the council that it would not be wise for Tilda to speak. The spirit closed with prayers and the 5 bodies were buried.

After the ceremony, the Bika returned home. The way back was even quieter than on the way out. Garuk, deep in thought, believes that his father could not even be buried as he wanted and that even in the other life, he will not be able to rest. Indeed, his father is supposed to serve the late king in the afterlife. And there he heard his mother ask him:

- Will you go to the coronation tomorrow?

- Not even in a dream! These people killed Dad anyway! Why are you asking me that by the way!

- Stop my son! It has already been talked about and Morak has done nothing. He's your best friend and you must grieve. We have to be strong! We owe it to your father.

- Hmmm... Mom... I am very small and there are people at these kinds of events.

- You will go with your aunt then. She has kept Kamal too much lately. I will take over.

Even though Garuk was not thrilled with the idea of going to the coronation, he did not want to upset his poor mother. So, he took it upon himself and decided to obey his mother. Lorentz's family was heading to one of Savel's homes despite Paul's last attempts to deter him just after the funeral. Lorentz was rigorous about trusting Paul again. His mother did not agree to accept Savel's gratitude because she always found him patibular. After the ceremony, three horse-drawn carriages transported Lorentz's family and their luggage to their new home.

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