A Tale Of Queens

Funeral

Alti did not leave her room for a week.

Nobody was allowed entry except her daughter and her closest maids. Her husband was turned back each day. By the fifth day, he'd stopped trying.

The King Father was granted the courtesy of a heartfelt condolence through the door.

And Alti's parents were ignored altogether.

When Alti finally emerged, the royal household heaved a sigh of relief. She apologized profusely to the guards she'd attacked and threatened, apologized to her husband and also to her father-in-law for making them worried.

They all forgave her because they understood the bond between the two women.

That night, Alti hosted a small feast to commemorate the life of Queen Kalansa.

The late queen would have been truly appalled by all the gloominess in the air. And this would be a good way honour who she was. The guests were hand picked by Phelon and his father while Alti invited her parents and a few people fron her circle.

Things were going well, it seemed.

Quiet music played in the background as people ate and exchanged anecdotes of the deceased queen. Alti, who was seated opposite to her parents paid little attention to them, conversing quietly with her father- in-law instead.

Halelloken had long understood that their first daughter wanted little or nothing to do with them. Growing up, they had unfairly favored Ifika. He realized that. Alti probably resented them for this and while he regretted his actions, there was no way to change the past. He was grateful that they had not been totally alienated from her and accepted the scraps of attention she gave to them.

His wife was a different case altogether. She was irritated by their daughter's attitude toward them. Yes, maybe they had spoiled Ifika a little too much, but years had passed now. And didn't things finally work out for Alti?

Many of her nights were spent ranting to her husband in their bedroom about this. They deserved better than to be ignored like this, Alti needed to let things go, they were still her parents in the end.

Witnessing her daughter's reaction to her mother-in-law's death left a bitter taste in her mouth for she knew inside of her that when she died, Alti would never mourn so deeply for her.

This was her state of mind when she addressed her daughter in the slightly lecturing tone that all parents adopted when reprimanding their children.

"Alti dear, you had us worried these past few days. You would not even let your father and I see you."

"As you can see, Mother. I'm fine."

Alti's tone was tight and final, warning her to keep her thoughts to herself. Once again, she continued her conversation with the man beside her.

Refusing to be satisfied with that answer or deliberately ignoring the warning in her daughter's voice, the woman went on.

"Well it was quite unbecoming, locking yourself up. Remember that you have a daughter now, Alti. You must handle things like an adult. Grow up, for her sake."

Her voice was sickly sweet but there was a maliciousness about her smile.

Grow up. Grow up. Grow up.

The dreaded words rang in Alti's head, transporting her to those far away times.

Halleloken saw the flash in Alti's eyes and squeezed his wife's hand under the table but she was not done.

"Besides, if you reacted this way about someone you only knew for what – two, three years then how will you handle my or your father's passing?"

Resisting the strong urge to empty her goblet on her mother's head, Alti chose to smile brilliantly at her instead.

"Well that woman I knew for just what –two, three years – was all the mother you never were and all the woman you will ever hope to be. Does that answer your question, Mother?"

Alti's words were heard by those closest to them and they turned to look at the woman at the receiving end of her barbs.

Alti's mother was so embarrassed that her eyes filled with tears and she got up immediately, whispering a caustic ‘how dare you’ to her daughter. She stormed out of the hall and her husband followed, an apologetic look on his face.

*+*+*+*+*+

The funeral was held shortly after the feast.

It was attended by dignitaries from both neighbouring and faraway kingdoms. The streets were filled with thousands of people, moving along with the procession, on foot and horse back, paying their last respects.

Queen Kalansa had been well-loved and rightfully so. Her husband had come into power at a time when war was the norm among the kingdoms. Through her diplomatic approach to such matters, she influenced the King who finally called for a truce among his counterparts. Agreements were made and years of bloodshed and loss of lives ended.

In Khelet, when a member of the royal house dies, it is forbidden to wear black. As is tradition, their favorite color is worn instead to honor them.

It was a well known fact that the former queen preferred blue to any other color and as a result the streets were overflowing with its many different shades. It was everywhere. It was on the clothes the people wore, down to their jewelry. Some of the special residences around the palace had been repainted. Even the horses and carriages people rode in were decorated accordingly.

The body of the late queen had been cremated days before and her ashes were held in a golden urn.

The procession was led by the King Father, followed by his son and his daughter-in-law who was holding a brightly dressed Sa-Alti.

They headed to the River Grehel, the river of royal spirits, slowly.

The procession stopped at the bank of the river and the King Father held the urn above his head.

All those present knelt and placed a clenched fist against their chest.

The 'HAIL!' that followed shook the very ground.

This was the parting salute, one befitting of the beloved queen.

“Rise,” the King Father commanded.

The people rose to their feet.

"We must die, for frail are we born," he commenced the rite of passage.

"But we never perish for we live on," was the reply.

"And we watch and hold our loved ones in our hands,"

"As we wait to meet once again in the Underlands,"

"Where we are made immortal," they finished together.

With this, the King Father opened the urn and poured the ashes into the river.

There was a collective silence as they watched it flow away.

"Long live the Queen!" Alti cried, fist raised above her head.

"Long live the Queen!" the people responded, copying her gesture.

The funeral was over.