Weight of the World

Chapter Seventy-Seven

—Avalon—

Reunion with his parents was not at all like he envisioned. After the events at the Tomb of the Holy Light, he had imagined their reunion to be filled with shouting and possibly bloodshed. But with both Uncle Corlis and Uncle Orik on the brink of death, the former possibly taking his mother with him, Rost had pushed aside such concerns and simply allowed himself to be there with his parents, forgetting everything else.

And now that the danger had passed, it seemed his parents wished to forget as well. Once both Corlis and Orik had been healed of their most grievous wounds, they had been carried off to the infirmary to sleep off their remaining injuries. His father had remained behind at the Source to speak with Uncle Aeric a bit longer, a conversation he imagined would take quite a while, but his mother had taken him by the hand and led him out into Avalon. They hadn't stopped walking until they were at the isle's edge, away from any prying eyes. She had said nothing, only looked up at him with a watery smile as she held his face.

"I'm sorry," was all he said.

And his mother forgave him. He had almost forgotten what her warmth was like, but it all came flooding back as she stood with him there at the isle's edge, hugging him like her life depended on it. Quickly, she had coaxed him into telling her everything that had happened to him since the Tomb of the Holy Light. There wasn't much to tell, he explained, but he told her everything before she did so in turn.

Eventually, they had found their way back into the palace, where she had sought out Freya and all but dragged her along to have lunch together on one of the balconies that overlooked the lake. His father had joined them after a while, and the four of them had passed the hours in blissful contentment. Rost couldn't remember the last time he had laughed as well as he had, and the sight of Freya's smile had warmed him in ways he couldn't express.

She had regaled them with stories of her childhood while Rost told him of some of the sights he had seen traveling through Avarra and Belanen, and his parents told them of their travels in search of soul crystals for the King of Bones.

Naturally, his parents' stories put his and Freya's to shame. They had been all over it sounded like, and once, his mother had even made it home to Alfheim. She had gotten to see her brother, Henry, and for the first time, she got to meet her nieces and nephew. His mother's eyes had sparkled when she described them. They had been to Vanaheim, Asgard, Jotunheim, Midgard, and even got to visit Valdornne once more. They had found the places Ori had visited in her travels, meeting with those Ori had once saved, people she had called friend, and had learned more about her life than the few letters and brief conversations had managed to share. Their journey hadn't been a happy one, filled with much sorrow and heartache, but his parents seemed grateful for the experience all the same. They looked happier when last he saw them, and for that, he was grateful.

Their extended lunch had come to an end, however, when Orik had woken in the infirmary to find Lulu had been taken to the dungeons. He had found them, relaying the news. His mother had shaken her head and excused herself to go and try and negotiate Lulu's release. Not long after, a guard had come for his father, informing him that it was time for the afternoon training session with his troops. His father had sighed but nodded before leaving Rost and Freya on the balcony. But soon, she too was needed, and that left Rost by himself, wondering what he was meant to be doing.

With nothing to occupy himself, Rost instead decided to wander through the palace and the surrounding grounds, his thoughts occupied with everything Freya had told him that morning, of Ori being stuck in the Grave, her soul trapped rather than at rest. Was it true? Freya had no reason to lie, and his sister had certainly done the impossible before, but even if her soul was there, she was still dead and gone. Could this Ascension truly bring her back as she used to be?