Flower Falls and Crystal Calls

Endings or New Beginnings?

Chapter 52

This day was a day of mourning for all of Paddra. They had lost their Seeress once again, though it was far from unexpected. She had lived much longer than any of them expected, only passing away in her forty-third year. The procession that carried her body up to the plateau was somber and consisted of her family and Guardians only. Though the rest of the city trailed behind as well.

It was a long day as the gathered people watched as Yeul's body was consigned to the flames that would usher her into the unseen realm. The only thing that made it bearable for Elle was the fact that she carried within her a memory of a smiling goddess that gave her thanks. She clung to that memory to keep the tears at bay as she stood stiffly between Caius and Kurt.

Her brother had no qualms about crying. I had only been two years after they arrived that it was announced that he and Yeul would marry. That took the city by storm even more so than her marriage to Caius had. Even dignitaries from the surrounding villages had been invited for their union.

They made a good team too. Yeul might have had the personality to lead the people, even from a young age, but with Kurt by her side, things really flourished. He was able to both draft and thoroughly vet any treaties or other trade agreements before they were signed off on. Over the years, he came to be as widely accepted and respected as his wife.

Their daughter stood next to him with a pained expression but dry eyes. She was more like her aunt than either of her parents cared for, but Elle had taken her under her wing as soon as she was old enough to want to learn to fight. The teenager still had issues, but not nearly as many as she would have had if she had not been who she was.

It was after nightfall when the group returned to the compound they all shared as home. It was quiet until they got back. Syhra, Yeul's daughter, left them as soon as they were back. When Kurt looked like he wanted to follow, Elle stopped him. Her voice was low when she spoke. "Let her be alone for tonight. She won't cry in front of you."

Kurt shook his head at his sister before he ran his hand down his face. "I suppose you would know."

Elle didn't let the tone of his voice bother her. She knew he was grieving. "I'm more worried about you. How are you holding up?"

Kurt rubbed his eyes again as he looked over to his sister and her husband as they both gave him looks filled with concern. "What am I going to do? How am I supposed to lead this city by myself until you can find the next Seeress? How can I even begin to handle it when you finally do? What if-" He cut himself off as he looked back at Caius. Years ago, Elle had made him promise not to mention the history they knew from the game. It was irrelevant now and could do more harm than good. Still, he lowered his voice even further and spoke what was on his mind.

"What if the girl is her, again? Looking like her, having her soul, and yet not. How can I function with that?" Elle finally moved to hug her younger brother, though most would not know that by seeing them now. Since she was a l'cie, Elle had not aged the same.

Her voice was as low as his as she tried to find the words to make this easier for him. "I know this is hard, but I don't think her reincarnation is anything you will have to worry about. Don't forget what we saw when we first came. Yeul will not be stuck in the unseen realm anymore. At least not in the same way."

Kurt jerked back and stared at her with wide eyes. It did not take him long to figure out what she meant. "Etro! She had to have been from the future of this world!"

Elle nodded. "Don't forget that you are the beloved of a goddess."

Kurt's face fell to deep grief once more, but his voice was hopeful as he grabbed his sister. "Do you think I'll see her again? That I might be able to at least spend time with her again before I'm forced to move on?"

Elle patted his arm. She wanted to blindly reassure him, but couldn't be untruthful. "I don't know. All I do know is that she looked happy when we saw her. I can't believe that she would have looked the same without your influence. No matter how this turns out, I doubt you will be lonely for eternity. I don't think she was."

He sighed as he nodded. "I guess all I can do is hope."

Elle looked over the slight wrinkles her brother's face had gathered over the years, and the grey in his hair as she sighed. She pushed down thoughts of losing him as well before she hugged him once more. "I thought we learned a long time ago to never give up hope."

She felt her own tears gathering in the corner of her eyes at his wet chuckle. It was the saddest thing she had ever heard, but at least she knew he would eventually be alright. He finally gave her one more squeeze before he let go and nodded to Caius. "Thank you both for always being there. Though I think I need some time too."

Elle gave him an understanding look before he walked off. Once he was gone, she found herself in Caius' arms with her face buried in his chest. He held her while she finally cried. He was the one person she felt okay showing this side to.

When she finally stepped back, He brushed her hair back and looked down with sad eyes. She knew he had to be hurting too. Yeul was their charge, but she had been part of Caius' life since she was born. Elle tried to give him a smile, but it fell flat. His gaze turned resigned at the sight of it. His voice was so soft, she almost didn't hear him. "We will outlast them all, but we made a promise to keep going. No matter how much it hurts, we will prevail. Together if nothing else."

Elle swallowed hard at his words. They were exactly what she had been thinking but hadn't wanted to speak. She laid her head on his chest once again, but her tears were nowhere to be seen that time. "I know. But we both vowed to protect them all. We'll find a way."

They both stood there like that for several minutes as they wondered how the rest of their lives would play out. Both knowing that they might have to depart soon to find the next Seeress, but neither realizing the changes that were happening around them that night. The subtle differences in every member of their tribe.

It wouldn't be for a few days after the funeral that the compound would become flooded with many people, some old, some young, but all claiming to have seen the same vision of the future. It was several more days of the same thing that they began to realize, perhaps Yeul's joining with Etro had more of an effect than they realized. Perhaps when she had said she understood humanity better, it was not just her husband she was thinking of. Perhaps, just maybe, she had seen the toll left on those that had to watch her human part leave Gran Pulse and the pain it left behind. And just maybe that knowledge allowed her to see that sharing that burden was a better way.

Hope flared in those left behind that this change might mean the beginning of a whole new era for Paddra. One where the Seeress no longer had to face an early death. One where the burden was shared and the tribe was still protected. Safe under the watchful eye of the Goddess Etro and those that had sworn to always protect her. Their hope grew every day that maybe, even long-distant future disasters might be changed with time and the gift of the Goddess to the Farseer tribe. But that was something that only time would tell.