Righteous Indignation - RF! Welcome Home

Chapter 26 - Cradle and the Grave

(For those who don't know, the creator of the Rainbow Factory AU confirmed that Rises the Moon is Ophelia's favorite lullaby. I'm also convinced Walden's singing voice sounds like Dean Martin or smth)

The two of you had gotten back in the car, still driving soundlessly. He had given you the flowers to hold on to, seeing as how he didn't trust them to not fall over if he just set them in the back.

You felt quite honored, to be holding a gift for a deceased loved one.

The silence, still, was painful. It was louder than anything else.

"Um... Walden?" You asked sheepishly, trying to alleviate whatever unspoken things in the air caused it to be so heavy.

"Yeah? What's up?" He replied, unphased by your nerves.

"I want you to know that I'm here for you. Like, if you ever need to talk about something personal, I'm here."

He paused, looking very confused.

"Oh, look, lucky us, we're here." He said quickly, and you handed him the bouquet as he unbuckled. You did the same, realizing you probably shouldn't push him any farther into his vulnerability. He's already trusting you a lot with bringing you to Ophelia's grave. You let the unanswered question pass.

Walking into the cemetery, he lead you down a path that eventually stopped under a large maple tree. One headstone was visible, and you watched Walden brush the leaves off of the top of it. The name read 'Ophelia Darling'.

This was it.

"Hey, sweetheart. I'm back," Walden spoke softly to the air. To his daughter. He lowered himself to his knees, and laid the flowers down in front of the grave.

You approached, the leaves crunching underfoot as you sat down on the grass next to him.

"I brought someone special with me." He said lowly, and you turned to look at him, and he made eye contact with you, smiling.

There was no cruelty in that smile. It was beautiful.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket, seemingly searching for something.

Then he set it down. It was playing a song. A very familiar one. It was Rises the Moon.

Then something quite peculiar happened.

He sang along.

You sat there in shock as his low baritone voice seemed to ease the very air you breathe. Listening to him sing was just plain peaceful. It felt wonderful.

You had no idea why, but something spurred you to turn this music session into a duet. As your voice became audible, you heard Wally trip up on the lyrics, looking at you with wide eyes. You didn't stop, you simply nodded at him as the two of you sang to Ophelia.

It was almost as if you could feel her there with you as Wally put an arm around your shoulders. The harmony, the sweet atmosphere, it was everything at once.

It was breathtaking.

<sorry for the short chapter, my parents are being a royal pain today 😭>