The Robber Knight's Protege

Epilogue

Many Years Later

Heaven itself wept. Large raindrops fell from a steely sky, splattering on top of the wooden casket. Lady Ayla knelt next to it, one of her aged hands caressing the wood as if it would somehow turn into Reuben's warm flesh.

"Is Grandpa Reuben in heaven?"

The voice called Ayla out of her mindless sorrow. She turned to look at little Daniel, Xander and Fye's youngest grandchild. Ayla summoned a soft smile for him.

"He said he would be bored up there, sitting on a cloud and playing a harp all day long," Daniel went on. "He said he was trying his best to get into hell."

Ayla exchanged a look with Fye, who stood with Xander at the front of the small crowd of mourners. Fye shrugged and gave Ayla the grin she had somehow inherited from Reuben even though they weren't related by blood. The grin made her look years younger than she was.

"He also said he wasn't so sure he believed in heaven and hell," Daniel went on. "He said the church might be lying about all of it. Maybe he's just gone."

"God is very kind," Fye said to her grandson. "Eve to people like your grandfather."

"But Grandpa Reuben said—"

"That's enough," Xander interjected. "God is kind. Otherwise, he would strike you with a lightning bolt for being so disrespectful at your great-grandfather's funeral. Now be quiet."

Ayla stood up and gave little Daniel another soft smile. Then she made eye contact with a few of the others who had come to pay their respects. "Sir Reuben..." she began, but emotion made her stop. Reuben was gone. He had died as an old man, as crotchety as ever. Ayla knew she wouldn't be far behind him; her strength dimmed a little every day. And if God had sent Reuben to hell, well... Ayla would follow him, drag him to heaven, and make him beg on bended knee for God's mercy.

"Sir Reuben was extremely rude," Ayla said. "He had absolutely no tact, and he constantly said things that would have made the pope excommunicate him for blasphemy. He was a master of curses. But I believe he worked for God. When he came here, he saved Luntberg from falling into the hands of a dastardly margrave. He gave us a miracle. He did more than that, though. He took a young, fatherless girl—" Ayla gestured at Fye—"and transformed her into a knight who is known throughout the Empire. He raised four children and taught them to be strong, capable adults. He had eleven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, all of whom loved him dearly. He had a hard exterior, but we all knew that he was soft at heart."

She paused to observe the effect her words had had. Xander wore a little smirk as if he didn't believe that Reuben had been "soft at heart." Xander knew better than anyone, though, that Sir Reuben von Rachwild had failed miserably in his attempts to reject his natural, kind nature. Well, perhaps kind wasn't the right word. More like... well, Ayla still didn't know how to describe him. She would have needed a few more lifetimes with him for that.

Ayla went on, "I don't know whether he is in heaven or hell, or if he is simply resting in the ground until God sees fit to bring him back. But I know that he is not gone forever. His memory... his memory will always be there to make us stronger. And whenever any one of you feels like slacking off, just remember what it was like to have him yell at you.

"Reuben was a great warrior, but he was more than that. He was a good man He left a hole in his absence, but he remains alive in our hearts." Ayla paused and took in a deep breath. Then she placed the first handful of earth on top of the casket.

The End

That's it, folks! Thanks so much for reading my little fanfic that started on a whim and turned into the longest book I've ever written. If you're looking for something else to read, check out my other books! (They're all works in progress, so I'm not promising anything spectacular, but I'm proud of them because I didn't have to steal anybody else's characters for them.) And if you're really feeling generous, you can follow me because that'll make me feel important. Lol.

Thanks again!