Ailani of Ostham

Chapter sixteen

    We buried Matthew under the grand oak tree. It was just Roma and I.
Harry wouldn't allow us to have a priest give him a proper funeral.
It was a day after Matthew had been executed, it was surprisingly cool even though it was summer. We dressed in black. Roma had a black veil over her face, and she never removed it. She weeped over his grave after a few servants finished burying him. The oak tree casted shadows over the pile of dirt where Matthew laid.

We said a prayer for him, asking the gods to take care of him as he waits for Roma in the afterlife. She said the prayer in a weepy voice. She was a spiritless, melancholy woman, reciting a prayer for her lost love. She turned to me, her blue eyes turned the color of a stormy sea, a sea with no remaining life in it, a barren sea.

" Ailani, would you say a prayer, in your father's language?" she asked gravely, returning her eyes to the pile of dirt. I nodded, thinking of what to say, I didn't know my father's language fluently. I especially didn't know a prayer for funerals in his language.
I decided to say a prayer I would say during the night time, when I was a little girl, the kind you say before going to sleep. Roma didn't know either way, and a prayer is a prayer right?

" La voo cahshii dana beshtek..." I began, saying it slowly, trying to remember the words correctly. In translation the prayer went like this:

For lord, I thank you for this day.
I thank you for the bed I lay.

I ask that tonight is not my last,
And that I will awake the next day.

Watch over me as I close my eyes,
Guard me from the beasts at night.

If I don't rise as the sun does in the morning, save my soul from eternal burning.

The prayer was always a bit frightening for me as a child, I never knew what beasts may wait at night for me.
But nowadays I had the faintest idea of what my beast is; Harry. He did his doing at night. And he is no mere human, or at least has no human empathy.

I always wondered what I could do that would cause me to burn for eternity. I'm sure the gods, has a long list of reasons for Harry.

I'm sure Matthew's soul would wait in the light for Roma. I'm sure he would've burnt while waiting for her, as long as they were together again.

I would burn for Griffin. He should be back any day now. I didn't know what he would do when I tell him what Harry has done. I didn't know if he could do anything about it.

Roma sunk to her knees, she whispered her last words to his grave. She talked as if he was alive right there, as if he was kneeling with her and listening to her. I said my own last respectful words to Matthew,

Matthew if you can hear me, I just want to say I'm sorry.
I couldn't save you. I tried. But I guess it wasn't enough.
I'll do my best, to take care of Roma for you. She needs your strength.
She loves you terribly, and I'm going to miss you old friend.
Rest in peace and wait for Roma in the light.

" Let's go home." Roma said. She sighed, wiping her eyes from underneath the black veil. I helped her off the ground, she hugged me tightly.

" I have no one left. " she whimpered. She took a deep breath in and when it went back out, she erupted into tears again. I began crying, I couldn't believe Matthew was dead.
I couldn't believe after all the grieving Roma had done, she must grieve again. I somehow couldn't believe that Harry could just slit Matthew's throat, and have the audacity to make Roma watch. I hated him. I hated every single thing about him. He was everything Griffin wasn't.

I gripped onto the fabric on Roma's dress. She squeezed me tighter, her hair surrounded my face, absorbing the tears that had flown out of me.

We walked out of the forest, we had taken off our fancy shoes, walking in our stockings on the forest floor. The breeze began picking up, the trees rustled loudly. I looked up to the sky, it was about to storm. The clouds had turned black and heavy. In the distance I could make out thunder beginning to stir. We hurried out of the forest, back to the road where our carriage awaited.

The chauffeur helped us in, before shutting the little door he shook his head, " Just in the knick of time my ladies, it's going to start pouring any moment now." He said as he swung the door closed. He hurried off to the front, readying the horses to start.