𝗘𝗫𝗛𝗔𝗟𝗘. ❪ 𝚔𝚊𝚖 ❫

seven

☾ 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍 ☾

The Wanderling Woods were packed with crying elves in green when Keefe, Tam, Linh and Sophie arrived. Keefe nearly collapsed from all the sadness in the air. He reached for Tam's hand, trying to ground himself in the chaos. Tam squeezed Keefe's hand, trying to be as calm as possible.

In front of them, Sophie wrapped her arm around Linh's waist. Linh made a small heart out of tears and let it float in midair for a second. Then she let the droplets fall. Sophie murmured something into Linh's ear. Linh rested her head against Sophie's.

"I know now isn't the time for this, but why are those two so oblivious?" Tam whispered to Keefe.

"It's kind of a Foster thing." Keefe responded. "She can't see anything, even when it's two inches in front of her face."

Tam laughed softly. "Even I'm not that emotionally blind."

"Lucky me." Keefe said. He kissed Tam's cheek.

The Council glared at the crowd until it went silent. Then Emery began his long speech, a tribute to Biana. Keefe thought Biana would most likely have zoned out if she had been there, so he didn't feel guilty for doing the same.

Finally, the speech was over. From what little Keefe heard of it, the Council didn't know the real Biana at all. This bothered him, but there wasn't much he could do about it. So he and Tam got in line to pay their respects to Biana's tree.

- ☾

When they finally got to the front of the line, Tam and Keefe were shocked. Biana's Wanderling was both exactly like her and totally alien. The pale bark of the tree was engraved with swirls, much like Biana's scars. It seemed harsh that she had to carry them even after death. Dark, fern-like leaves mimicked her chocolate colored hair, but they would never have the same luster as Biana when she flipped her hair and laughed. Shimmery, aquamarine blossoms twinkled in the golden sunlight, the closest thing to the actual Biana.

Keefe watched as one of the delicate blooms floated from a pale branch to the green carpet of grass. He picked up the flower and put it in his pocket.

Tam walked up to the tree and took a deep breath. Slowly, the shadows around him stretched. He whispered something and let the shadows sink into the ground. He waited a moment longer, before stepping back.

And then it was Keefe's turn. He breathed in the scent of the flowers, which he realized smelled like Mallowmelt. He smiled, remembering how much Biana loved the gooey cake. Keefe knew Biana would be worried about her baby and her friends. He should probably reassure her that everything would be okay.

"Biana." Keefe whispered. "Look, I've got this. You don't need to worry. Tam and I will take care of your baby. I promise you we'll take good care of them."

He took a deep breath. "And I promise you I won't let the grief get to any of us too much. I won't let anyone break. I know you'd worry about that. But you don't need to worry now. I can take it from here."

a/n: sorry for the wait