On the foot of the BlackMountain the next dawn, a small procession gathered around a large oak tree, surrounded by stone tablets smooth against the natural elements.
Hannelore stared at the grave that held her mother; her bottom lip trembled as tears spilled over rapidly in a flood. The Grand Mage was silent, his eyes void of expression as he squeezed his daughter's shoulders tight.
The last funeral the Royal family attended was of the Queen's late uncle. He had been mauled by a boar on a hunting trip after spending ten straight days gorging on wine. It was a grand affair, almost two hundred lords attended. There was a banquet and each citizen was obliged to pay their respects at the great alter. His uncle was a Lord of a lower kingdom, but since he was the Queen's brother, he received the same respect as a member of the Royal family.
However, the funeral only consisted of the Grand Mage, his daughter, his late wife's few friends and the King, Queen and Prince Gregor and their servants. A total of around ten people gathered at her grave.
It was a surprise that the King agreed to attend. The Queen was extremely persistent for them to attend and the King gave in to her nagging. The court was shocked that the King himself would attend the funeral; it was the first for a king to be so closely affiliated with any mage.
Gregor gazed about the funeral and saw Hannelore's small nose drip snot down her drenched face. He whispered to his mother, "Why isn't-"
"Language," warned the Queen quietly. "You are the heir. Speak like one."
"I am sorry," he corrected. "Why is Ehren not here? Hannelore is his friend, so why is he not allowed to show his respects?"
"It is not safe to let Ehren out of the grounds yet," she answered. "We are exposed out like this. The King and you are capable of defending yourselves and I, however, Ehren is still young. The law applies here."
"I understand, however –"
"What is important here is that you, the heir are present," the King interrupted. "This is a good lesson for you my son. As the heir, you will need to establish good relationships with your advisors. Your presence here is a representation of the solidarity of the relations. Good relationships mean lesser enemies and more loyal subjects. Be sure to remember that."
"Yes Father," Gregor quietly answered. With vacant eyes he watched the men fill the grave. The sound of soil thumped against the sheet covering the mage's wife and Hannelore broke out into a whimper.
"Sh, my daughter, be strong," the Grand Mage whispered to the child that wept below him. "Your mother will always be here. Her spirit will be a guide in times to come. So be brave my kind Hannelore. Be brave."
Meanwhile, back at the palace, Ehren sat in the corridor in the east wing. He liked to come there when he wanted to be alone. No one ever used this part of the castle which contained the grand ballroom and it required little to no maintenance until the Festival, but that still wasn't for another season.
In a way he was relieved that he didn't need to attend the funeral. He didn't like it when Hannelore cried. Through trial and error, Ehren eventually learned that she was a girl. She didn't like when he played rough or got dirty and after many stern scoldings from Lulu he learned that he had to treat her gently. He didn't mind sometimes, she smiled when he was kind to her. However, when she cried, she had the tendency to not being able to control her emotions or form feasible sentences. Once she got going, she would hiccup, snot would run down her face and her eyes would become puffy and swell up. The entire time the prince would stand there dumbfounded, unable to calm her down or think of anything reasonable to say.
