Shadows of a Broken Past: A Shard of Faith (Book one)

Chapter 18:

"We are gathered here today to remember not the death, but the life of Katherine Elizabeth, Queen of House Blossom, beloved daughter, sister and friend. Her kindness will never be forgotten." The solemn voice of Artemis rang out through the Great Hall of Rivendell, her wings tucked in to her sides. She looked over at Scott expectantly. 

The black-clad king stepped forward, holding up a Snow Lily with a numb expression. "She gave us all the love we needed, whenever we needed it." He said, setting the flower down on the table in front of him. "Her life-" 

Shelby, who had been shaking the entire time while gripping the rose she was going to place on the table, suddenly spoke. "Her life was taken from her long before her time was up." She said, eyes locked on the casket in the centre of the room. "Not by Gem. By the demon possessing her." She stood tall, despite her height, and shrugged the black pinned overcoat around her shoulders back a bit. "We all lost something that day." She strode forward, eyes raking over everyone in the room. 

"fWhip, Sausage, you lost your sister." The Grimlands Lord looked down, rubbing his eyes as Sausage put an arm around him. 

"We all lost a friend." Everyone seemed to droop. "House Blossom lost their leader." 

"And I...." Shelby breathed out slowly, her voice failing for a moment. "I lost the one person who I felt truly knew me. She- she was-" Her voice died and she was overcame with grief, her eyes closing as she buried her face in Shadow's black fur -which, under any other circumstance, if Shelby wasn't in tears, someone might've notes on the irony of the fact that Shadow's fur was perfect for the occasion- and sobbed openly, clinging to her flower. 

"She was every bit the life we always needed." Pearl spoke up for her, averting the subject Shelby truly meant to talk about. "She was it all, the lives we lived all were supported widely by her love and kindness." Her wings floated down to her stomach. "And we will forever remember her." 

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"Left, right, left...." The commanding, yet very rhythmic voice of Dawn, one of the Rivendell Council Astral Elves, resonated throughout the room as she led a group of young elf girls and boys in a dance. "Step and raise and spin and stop." As she spoke, a small young boy stumbled and crashed into a taller boy, who shoved him away and stepped on his hand, making the smaller boy shy away, whimpering in pain. 

Dawn turned, her wings fluttering. "Alver." She said sharply, before going over to the young boy. Before she got there, however, Desoto was picking him up and handing him to the dull-eyed Shelby. The gnome held onto him, rubbing his downy wings as Scott stepped over to Dawn. 

"We came to see how the dance for the First Light Festival was going." The King explained, standing a ways away with the Councillor from those who had accompanied him, those being Desoto, Shelby and Kaeri. 

Dawn shook her head. "Well enough." She said vaguely. "The children are talented, and they've been adapting wonderfully to the song. The older ones have taught him how-"

"The youngest?" Scott questioned. 

"Yes. Leo has taken turn for the better after his accident." The two elves turned to look at the gnome holding the little boy, at the weak smile she wore when she looked at him, at the earnest little flaps of his one working wing. 

His left wing. 

Scott looked at the limp right wing hanging at his side and his stomach lurched. He truly blamed himself for the fall of this little one. He had been visiting the school, and Leo had fallen off a cliff after being pushed by Alver, the one who had just now shoved him. Scott had dove to catch him, but he had fallen into a waterfall and hit his wing on a rock. Days later, when the orphan had woken and somewhat physically begun his recovery, he was adopted by Shelby, but he would remain in Rivendell until he was five, in less than a year's time.