Autumn's Fall

XXIII. A Changing Long Awaited

The top of the cliff was a flurry of activity as they gathered around the pale woman, but the Minister of Spring waved them off, "Fetch a stretcher."

The Minister of Summer placed his arms under the frail Minister of Winter as he helped his friend lower her to the ground. A great roar sounded below them, one he was very familiar with. "What on earth?"

"I gave him some water to drink."

The Minister of Summer looked back at his friend in astonishment, "You gave him some water? Will that even work? He has already been sentenced to another ten years banishment."

"I do not know...but I felt in my heart that it was the right thing to do."

The Minister of Winter stirred in their arms, weakly raising a hand towards the Minister of Spring, quietly mumbling his name. He took her hand tenderly in his, leaning closer to hear her better, "Yes, I'm here, Mitah."

"How?"

"How what?"

"How do you...know...my name?...I gave up...my name...when I..."

"Shh, rest. Yes, we all gave up our names when we became Ministers. But I know your name, because I was the one who gave it to you."

Another great roar sounded from below as her eyes finally fluttered open, and she gazed up intently at the Minister of Spring's face, "Dad?"

He nodded as tears slipped down his face. Taking her in his arms again, he planted a soft kiss on her brow, "My Mitah."

ab§d

The Minister of Summer had stayed silent through their exchange. Now it made sense why that picture on his friend's mantle had seemed familiar. She was the Minister of Winter's mother after all; of course, he would recognize her face. She certainly took after her mother in looks. This also meant that not only had Spring kept his marriage from him, but also the fact that he had had a child, probably around the time that his wife had left him.

A shriek emanated from the cave, tugging briefly at Summer's heart, but his focus remained on the man he had thought he knew for most of his life. What other secrets had he been keeping from him? Did he have other children wandering around somewhere in the world?! Perhaps he kept a pet moose on the property! What if he secretly hated goldfish?!

As the Minister of Spring helped his daughter down another cup of water and the men arrived with the stretcher, something suddenly caught the Minister of Summer's attention. Something was wrong, or rather, different. He listened for what it could be, his hand straying to his hilt, when it came yet again. Clamping his hand down on the Minister of Spring's arm, he pulled him towards him, "Did you hear that?!"

His friend lifted his head as he set his daughter on the stretcher, "Hear what?"

"Shh! Listen!"

Everyone atop the cliff stood still, waiting and listening for the elusive sound. The cry came again and both of the Ministers exchanged surprised looks: that was no dragon scream that came from below them. It almost sounded...

"I think you should open your cage."

The Minister of Spring numbly nodded, and they watched his plants retract away from their captive. Where a dragon had stood not five minutes before, there was now the dark shape of a man, quivering on all fours.

ab§d

Deep, laboring breaths came from his new set of lungs. Everything felt strange; his body felt so weak. His arms and legs were shaking so violently that he could hardly hold himself up. But, he was free! Free of those vines, free of those shackles of scales, and he hoped he would soon be free of this place. They wouldn't seriously keep him here now that he had completed the Spirit's requirements...would they?

Suddenly, it washed over him what he had just done, two hundred and fifty years of exile, completed. Done. No more living life as a repulsive reptile in the shadows, but as a man, perhaps even as a Minister of Autumn once again? He called out to the wind, and it answered him, blowing away those accursed fallen leaves that had been his constant companion in all his time down here.

Before him two sets of footsteps rushed down to stand before him, but he didn't need to lift his head to know who they were, not that he really could lift it at this point. They drew closer to him, close enough that he could see the tips of their shoes peeking out from the edges of their long robes. Neither of them said anything, but when their hands touched his bare shoulders he couldn't help involuntarily flinching back from them. But instead of striking, they gently raised him up from the ground and placed his arms over their shoulders, taking his weight on themselves.

"Come on, Autumn." The Minister of Spring's voice sounded like it was about to break.

"Poor man. He has always been a sensitive fellow. He 's probably taken my falling hard through all these ages," Autumn thought.

"Let's go home."

ab§d

The red helicopter door was open wide, waiting for them as they arrived with their weak companion still dragging his feet. All that he wore were the ragged trousers he had been banished in, and the cool Autumn air was quite chilly against his bare skin. His eyes were open wide in astonishment as they led him into the strange metal beast, and it finally dawned upon the two ministers just how much he had missed in all his years away from home.

In the back, Mitah was still on her stretcher, draped with a warm blanket as she lightly slept, but she woke with a start as they rose into the air. With a moan she repositioned herself so that she could look out the windows, but something else caught her eye. There was a man in the helicopter whom she didn't recognize. He too was draped with a blanket, and he was staring out of the window as they flew through the air as if he had never seen such a sight before.

After a while his gaze finally tore away from the window and his chocolate eyes locked with hers. There was something familiar about those eyes, and his expression was one that she couldn't place.

Reaching out her hand, she placed it on her father's shoulder as he sat in the chair in front of her. "Dad? Who is that man?"

The Minister of Spring looked to where his daughter was pointing and a sinking feeling came into his heart, "I will explain in due time." Folding the blanket back over her, he helped his child settle back down on the stretcher. "For now, rest."

In a few moments her weary eyes closed back into sleep, and he turned back to see that the Minister of Autumn had returned to watching the world outside the helicopter. Moving from his seat he joined him, and they watched together as the Minister's Tower approached from the distance.

"It's just as I remembered."

He smiled at the young man, "It has mostly stayed the same as it ever has. We have made some improvements, added a lift so we won't have to kill our knees climbing all those stairs."

"I remember all those stairs. I tripped over my robe walking up them many times."

The Minister of Spring laughed, for perhaps the first time in weeks. It felt good to have something to laugh about again, "We all have."

Autumn was silent for a moment, then he spoke in a voice so low The Minister of Spring almost couldn't hear it over the noise of the helicopter, "Do you think they will accept me again?"

Taking the young man's shoulders in his hands, he forced him to look at him, "Autumn. You have paid your debts, you have paid for your crimes, and now you are returned to us. No one you wronged lives anymore. And the people have been missing their Minister of Autumn. They wanted you home, and now you finally are."

The door to the helicopter opened, and they all piled out into the empty parking lot, most of them hurrying to bring the Minister of Winter inside. The Minister of Summer came up to the young man, who stood unmoving, staring up at the vastness of the tower as tears glistened in his eyes. "Welcome home. Come."

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A/N: To be edited, but y'all deserve an update! Comment below!