“You would miss me, that's what you're trying to say, isn't it.”
Abigast nodded. “I would miss you tremendously.”
“Well, I'm not going anywhere without you, Abigast. Unless you try to make me clean again, then I'll leave you behind somewhere and never come back to get you.”
They both laughed, albeit weakly. It wasn't yet time to attempt humor, not when Thane's body was lying just a few feet away. Rue didn't know when she would be able to genuinely laugh again. It was too difficult.
She looked over at the blanket covering Thane's body. Tomorrow morning she would say goodbye for the final time. She wasn't ready for that; she never would be. Saying goodbye permanently was acknowledging that Thane was truly gone and that Rue would never get to see him again. She wouldn't get to hear his voice or hug him. She would never get to kiss him, and she almost regretted not doing it when she had the chance.
Abigast too looked at the blanket and knelt down, muttering some spell. “What did you say?” Rue asked.
“I wished him well in the afterlife. I'll recite something more formal tomorrow after I prepare it tonight. Do you want more time alone with him for now? I can start packing for our journey.”
Rue nodded. “Thank you, Abigast.” She sat down on the floor across from Thane, thinking of all of their memories together. There hadn't been enough memories. Some of them were already fading. Rue missed him desperately. Life without Thane was going to be difficult, and it was amazing that just a few weeks ago, she hadn't even known he existed. Life was fine back then, and it would be fine again. Eventually. She smoothed out the blanket and decided she would look for something more fitting for him. He deserved to be buried as nicely as possible, as a sort of thanking for what he had done.
Rue sighed and stared blankly at the blanket for some time, trying to clear her mind, or at least only think happy thoughts. She tried to think of the times they went around the town, helping people. She could see Thane smiling, and it now brought a smile to her own lips. Thane had loved helping people so much. He had wanted to do it forever, he had wanted to be with Abigast and Rue forever, and his dreams had come to such an abrupt end. Through his sacrifice though, he had helped so many people though, and he had to know that. Somewhere, he was looking down at the Kingdom and rejoicing for ending the plague. Somewhere, he was looking at Rue and missing her as much as she missed him.
After a while, Rue finally stood up to go look for a better blanket and some formal clothing. There had to be something Thane could wear in this house full of clutter. She found Abigast in his bedroom, rifling through his dresser deciding what to take on their journey. “Do you have something Thane can wear for his burial?” She asked him. “He deserves something nice to wear.”
“Let me look,” Abigast said, and as he looked, Rue could see tears falling down his face again.
“It's going to be okay,” she said. “Once we avenge his death, everything is going to be okay.”
Abigast nodded. “Let's find Adaranth and destroy that miserable piece of filth so Thane can rest in peace.”
The Apprentice – Book 3 in the Chronicles of Suvaria Series
Chapter 1
Abigast emerged from his room, opening the door and beckoning Rue in. His face was dry with tears, and his skin was pale as if the blood had decided to stop running through his veins. He had just spent the last hour or so, dressing Thane's body. He and Rue had debated on whether to take their dear friend to a professional but decided against it. Thane wouldn't have trusted anyone else to take care of him; Abigast and Rue were his only friends and therefore the only people he would trust. So Abigast solemnly took on the task, and Rue watched as Abigast carried the body with the utmost reverence and respect.
“I've finished,” Abigast said now, waiting for her to enter the room.
“I don't know if I'm ready,” Rue said, already trying to hold back tears. “I did my best. I think he looks as good as he did in life.”
Rue gave a slight smile. “I'm sure you did great, Abigast. Is it okay if I wait a few minutes?”
“Take all the time you need,” Abigast said gently. He wandered down the hallway, hobbling with sadness. Rue watched as he disappeared, and when he was gone, she let the tears fall.
The previous night, Rue had tried and tried to stop crying to no avail. She kept promising herself she wouldn't cry anymore, that she had to accept that Thane was gone. She tried to think about her task ahead, eliminating Adaranth, but her mind kept drifting to the friend she had lost. Adaranth would pay, it was his fault. It was his fault that Thane wasn't here right now, standing next to her. It was Adaranth's fault that she couldn't look into Thane's eyes, that she couldn't see his smile. She did not sleep at all that night, and this morning, she was still too entrenched in emotions to even think of sleeping.
Slowly, Rue entered the bedroom, casting her gaze downwards at first, suddenly nervous about seeing Thane. What would he look like? She had seen bodies prepared for burials before; they always looked waxy, unreal. It was unsettling. She didn't want to see Thane that way, she only wanted to remember him as he had been in life. But it was too late; her gaze shifted toward the body, and there he was, lying serenely on the bed, his arms folded as if he was in prayer. His lips were curved ever so slightly, showing the hint of a smile. It was natural looking, unlike some expressions Rue had seen over the years. His eyes were closed, and she was thankful she didn't have to look into them. She wouldn't have been able to bear seeing those lifeless eyes, lacking the love they had once shown her. Thane was dressed in one of Abigast's formal robes. It was red velvet like the capes royalty wore. Rue touched it, feeling the soft texture. Somehow, it was comforting. She held her hand on it for a second, closing her eyes and remembering Thane.
“Are you ready for the burial?” Abigast asked.
Rue hadn't noticed him standing in the doorway. He too was dressed formally, she noticed. She looked down at her own dress, dragging across the floor, already collecting dust and dirt from the cluttered house. She'd braided her hair in an elaborate way, a style Thane had never gotten to see. She wondered if he would think she was beautiful right now; she certainly hoped so. She lifted the dress so it would stop dragging and nodded at Abigast, waiting as he scooped up the body, placing it into the open coffin lying next to it. He closed it, and Rue wanted to cry again. That would really be the last time she'd ever get to see Thane. From now on, all she would have was a grave.
Abigast and Rue carried the coffin outside, walking down the road with it and into the woods. A
couple of townspeople watched from their windows, and their faces were sad. No one in Maplefrost had really gotten to know Thane, but they had seen him with Rue, he had even helped some of them.
Rue looked at the sunrise as she walked. While Thane was gone, the world still spun, life still carried on as usual. The sun would always rise and set in an endless cycle. And Rue too would carry on. She wouldn't succumb to a depressing life of grief, that wasn't an option.
Abigast and Rue eventually reached the woods, finding a pretty little spot for Thane's burial. They lowered the coffin into the ground and began to dig. Rue had left shovels there the previous evening. The two figures dug in silence, and every time they looked at each other, there were tears in the other's eyes.
Of course, Rue realized, digging in a dress wasn't the best idea. She normally dressed the way the men did, in tunics. But she thought that Thane might have appreciated seeing her this way, digging while looking like such a lady. He would have laughed at how absurd it looked. She almost laughed just thinking about it, but when she caught a sight of the coffin out of the corner of her mind, any urge to laugh disappeared.
Eventually, Rue looked at Abigast. The hole had gotten quite deep in a short amount of time, and the sky was a brilliant orange color, the sun rapidly rising. “I think he's ready to be buried,” Rue said.
“I wish we could just keep digging,” Abigast breathed. His chest rose and fell rapidly, his
old age making this labor difficult work. “The longer we dig, the longer we delay saying goodbye to him.”
“We have to say goodbye,” Rue said. “No matter how much it hurts.”
“All right.” Abigast took both of their shovels and placed them against a tree. Together, they picked up the coffin and slowly lowered it into the grave site as far as they could before it had to be dropped. It landed gently, settling into the deep grave.
“Let's say a few words now,” Abigast said, standing over the grave. He cleared his throat. “I didn't know you very long, Thane. And I had no idea how great of a friend you would become to me. I saw you grow from a troubled man to a strong, brave, hero. You made the ultimate sacrifice for the good of this Kingdom. I can never thank you enough for undergoing such a task. I can't imagine what it must have felt like, and I am so sorry. So very sorry...” Abigast trailed off, beginning to cry. He dabbed at his face with a corner of his robe sleeve. “I wish there could have been some other way. I really do. You didn't deserve to die, you had so much to live for. I can't help but feel responsible, and I think it helps me to understand what you went through when you were feeling guilty. You took lives, and the regret was almost unbearable. I took your life, and I can hardly bear it. I hope that you are at peace, both with yourself and with me. I hope you are in a better place, Thane, and I hope you have finally found true happiness.” Abigast stepped backward, dabbing at tears again. “Would you like to say anything, Rue?”
Rue nodded and stepped closer to the grave. She stared at the coffin for a moment, imagining the velvet robe. She looked at the ground, finding a tiny flower amidst the dirt; she pressed her lips against it, kissing it, and then tossed it into the grave. “It's the kiss I never gave you,” she whispered, hoping that wherever Thane was, he would hear it.
“Where do I begin?” Rue sighed. “Thane, you were the greatest person I ever got to meet, and I'm not exaggerating. I didn't trust you in the beginning, I didn't like you much either. When you told Abigast and me who you were and what you had done, I'll admit, I wanted to chase you out of the house. But then I got to know you. And the more I got to know you, the more I saw you change, the more I loved you. I still love you, Thane, and I always will. I wish I said it a thousand times when you were here. You're an amazing person. There's no one else I know who would have sacrificed themselves. No one else has the courage that you had. I know you had a lot of demons, Thane. I know trying to find redemption was difficult for you, but I think you've finally found it. I think everything is okay now. I'm going to fulfill your dying wish, and then there will be complete peace at last. I hope that you'll never have to think about anything bad again. I want you to be happy, I want you to love and be loved. I know that you're in a better place, I won't accept anything else. You deserve more than anyone to be somewhere happy, somewhere that feels like paradise. I love you so much, Thane, and I'll love you forever. This may be goodbye, but I won't forget you.”
“That was beautiful,” Abigast whispered.
“Thank you,” Rue replied. Somehow, she had managed to hold the tears back, but now they were flowing, and they wouldn't stop. She looked at the sunrise again, watching as the sun moved up in the sky, filling it with vibrant colors. It was stunning. Thane would be very grateful for such a beautiful funeral. He had appreciated nature so much in his final days. Rue decided she would capture every gorgeous moment she could, to honor him. She would always honor him as much as she possibly could.
“Well, I suppose it's time to cover the grave,” Abigast said after a long silence as they both stared at the sky. They looked down into the grave one last time, silently paying their respects, and then they began to shovel dirt back into it. In a few moments, a layer of dirt covered the coffin and Rue's flower. In another half hour, dirt completely covered the burial site. Soon, grass would grow over it, and there would be no sign that someone was buried there, except for a little stone tablet that Abigast had created that morning. He had used magic to carve an epitaph that read: Thane, Galbar's Hero. No one would ever know that it was the same Thane who had once been the most dangerous and powerful mercenary in the Kingdom. No one would ever know how that very same Thane had become a completely different person. He would not be remembered as a hero, but instead as a villain. Except in Abigast and Rue's hearts. They would always remember him for who he really was.
“We have to fulfill his dying wish,” Abigast said.
“As soon as possible. We owe it to him.” Rue nodded. “We'll start preparing for our journey as soon as we get home. Adaranth needs to pay for what he caused. He needs to feel the pain that Thane felt, that you and I feel. I want the whole Kingdom to know what a horrible person Adaranth is.”
“I'll do everything I can to help you, Rue. We cannot fail. We'll refuse to fail.”
“Thank you, Abigast.” Rue hugged him. “By the way, I don't want you to feel guilty about Thane's death anymore. It's not your fault and you know it; it's Adaranth's fault.”
“I'm trying to reconcile, I'm finding it very difficult though,” Abigast sighed.
“Thane had a tough time too, but I think in the end, he was much more at peace with himself than he had been. You can find peace too, Abigast.”
“For now, I want to focus on helping you, Rue. I want to make sure you get to Adaranth safely.”
“Well then, let's go,” Rue said. She began to walk away, back towards the house, but stopped, to look at the grave site.
“Goodbye, Thane,” she whispered and then turned away.
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The Apprentice
About The Author
Almost all children lie to their parents about skipping school, or avoiding homework. Not Thomas Rouxville. At ten years old, he convinced his mother that he absolutely had to stay up until the small hours of the morning, squinting into yet another novel. His English teacher demanded it, he said innocently; the book had to be read by morning. When his outraged guardian stormed the school in protest, it was gently, but firmly, explained that her son’s assignment was not due for weeks. The boy had a reading addiction, and short of barring him from the library, there was little they could do.
By fourteen the obsession ran wild as fire, Rouxville losing himself in fantasy novels and role playing games; entire universes of heroes and dragons, magic and dark villains far more exciting than the endless fields and beaches of Kent. As an adult, with a degree in geography and teaching career under his belt, Rouxville embarked on exploring the fictitious worlds of his own mind’s creation, and has since become known for The Kingdom of Shadows and Chronicles of Suvaria fantasy series. He’s currently working on the new, Oswald Sherman series, and loves to connect with his readers.
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