Tears of a Dove

XX: Epilogue

December 25, 1910

Tochinokori, 20 years later

"No, no, you have to wait for your opponent to strike, then you take your chance. Let's try this again." Miku said as she readied her wooden stick.

"Alright," Arwel readied his weapon, which was also a large wooden stick. "I'm ready."

Miku studied Arwel's movements as he charged for her, but Arwel was knocked down by Miku.

"I guess it's true. You're terrible at this!" Miku said, laughing.

"Hey, no I'm not! I'm just getting old."

"Ah, whatever. I know you've still got it in you. We'll practice tomorrow morning." Miku and Arwel both head inside Castle Valé. Miku entered the dining room as she heard a voice from another part of the Castle.

"Mother, I'm ready!"

"It's rather cold out. Are you sure you don't want me to cook a hot meal for you two?" Miku kindly asked. "Who am I kidding? It's Solstice. Arella, Jarrad, where have you two gone?"

"I'm here, just in the other room," a young girl by the age of ten who stood tall with long brown hair like Miku used to have, Arella, called out in the distance. She approached her mother, Miku, in the main dining hall from where she called out. "What is it?"

"Just making sure everything's all right. Oh, what have you done with your hair?" Miku shouted. She then took a brush to comb out Arella's messy hair that flowed down her back. Arella almost exactly resembled young Miku several years back, with the same starry blue eyes and slim figure.

Jarrad, brother to Arella and son to Miku and Arwel, entered the room. Jarrad was the tallest of the family. He had a strong figure with light brown hair and brown eyes. He was three years older than his sister. "Mother, we can't be late. What's Arella gotten herself into now?"

"Nothing," Miku responded, setting the brush back down on the table. "All right, you two. I don't want you to cause any trouble. And of course, be back by--"

"Yeah, yeah, we understand. Be back by dawn. Love you, Mother. We'll see you around."

Miku hesitated and then smiled. "All right, then." She embraced the two as they left Castle Valé. She then headed upstairs to her bedroom, where Arwel was sitting at a desk writing on a piece of paper.

"Heard anything from him yet?" Miku asked.

"Yes, actually," Arwel responded. He handed her a rolled up piece of paper which had a string tied around it. Miku untied the string and read the piece of paper.

Arwel and Miku,

I am so very glad things have been going as planned. I apologize for taking quite some time to respond to both of you, however, things have been going just fine for me. I have been planning to come to Tochinokori this summer, and I can't wait to return. I'll stay for quite some time, as I still have a lot of work to do here.

However, something has been unsettling me. Ever since I moved here over thirty years ago, I have been having the same nightmare each night. That one of Ingrid I had described to you, only this time it was much more lucid. It feels as if she is waiting for me above, waiting for my time to come. I'll let you know that I will patiently wait until that time comes.

Anyways, all side notes aside, I can't wait to meet up with you two again.

- Kobe Okilo

"Two years and he's finally responded, eh? I'm glad he's still doing okay. I can't wait to see him." Miku said.

"Yeah." Arwel stood up. "Did Arella and Jarrad leave already?"

"They did."

"Aye." Arwel threw himself back into his bed. "Come, rest."

Miku smiled as she got in the bed with Arwel as they both began to drift off to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~

Kobe wiped his forehead as he set down the last hay bale he unloaded from a large cart. "All right. All done."

"Same," Martin responded. "What do you say, Kobe, want to go out for a drink?"

"Eh..."

"I'll pay."

Kobe smiled. "On that note, yes, Martin, I would love to go out for a drink."

Martin laughed. "When will the day come where I don't pay?"

"Hah! It'll be the day I die!"

"Understandable," Martin responded, still laughing.

"You go. I'll meet you there in a couple of minutes."

"Alright," Martin said, as he walked off.

Kobe sat down as he caught a breath. He had been working all day and he was out of energy. He thought about calling out to Martin to stop him really quick, but then heard rustling behind him. He turned around and stood up. "Who's there?"

Two figures came out of the bushes that the rustling came from. They were old, raven-haired people, a man, and a woman. "Hello, could you uh... explain to us where we are?" the man asked.

"Why, yes, you're in Hiyake."

"Hiyake?" the woman asked. "Which direction is Kinji?"

"Kinji? It's... very far from here, I couldn't tell you."

"Have you seen our little Leino girl?"

Kobe's heart sank. "What?"

"Her name is Ingrid. We've been looking for her."

Kobe spoke a word but then fell back into darkness as he fainted.

The End