CONTENT WARNING: bereavement, discussion of the major conflict back in the last chapter of Act Three, and a mention of homophobia.
Reynold
It's been difficult to try and compose myself during all of this- he did as much for me as he did for everyone else that's attended his funeral.
He saved Áine's life, as well as mine and Róisín's. All he ever did was try to help people, even those he barely knew. And he did most of that with absolutely no emotions accompanying it all. Even when vampirism had dulled his empathy, he still look it upon himself to look after people, even from his own mother.
Eli had carved something for his funeral, some sort of bird, as a symbol of his father's migration to the 'other side', as it were.
I find myself transported back to that winter night where I carried you all the way back home. All of those eyes upon me, their gazes dripping with grief. They were trying to sympathise with me, but I did not look at them. I did not care for them. I kept my eyes firmly on the road ahead, endless white marred with slushy footsteps and pink and red with the blood of Henford's witches as they tried to flee.
At the time, I thought that it wasn't possible that anyone could even try and sympathise with me at that moment, and it made my mind burn with aimless anger. After all, no-one knows all you went through. No-one knows how long I knew you. Nobody alive today could possibly begin to understand either of us or the lives we have lead... but I was wrong. Your mortal friends and family, their own grief is no less painful than my own despite it all. They may not have known you for as long or as well as I knew you, but I know for a fact that they loved you just as much as I do.
The witches who only knew there was a vampire protecting them, and nothing more- they loved you, also. They only knew a shadow of what you were, but that shadow had their back when the people they cherished the most did nothing. To many, you dropped in and out of their lives and you left them something- a happy memory, a nugget of wisdom, a moment of safety- the knowledge that at least that one kind stranger had their back when no-one else did. Everyone loved you, and everyone will miss you.
Wherever you go, my son, I hope you are at peace. I hope you find joy in the afterlife. I hope that your parents, and those who fought alongside you, are as proud of you as I am. In a few days, you will be reunited with your parents in Windenburg.
And, since you told me you did not want your funeral to be a time wholly of sorrow - I apologise for the coffin. I know you always thought it to be too stereotypical.
Eli
I know you'll tell me it's all my own hard work, but I'm only where I am today because of you. I guess I have one thing to thank Samuel for- for trying to get me out of his hair, because it turns out that was exactly what I needed- to be away from him. I needed to be around someone who didn't see me as worthless, someone I could look up to who wouldn't look down upon me. The only reason I'm as successful as I am is because you nurtured a potential I didn't know I had. I don't know how I'm going to carry on the business by myself- your name is a big one to have to live up to, but, for you, I'll try my best.
I love you, Father.
Alistair
Countless people are only alive because of you, Oskar- both past and present. If it weren't for you and all of our fallen brothers and sisters, then the Lunvinchenaîné blood would be completely extinct in Henford. If not for you, I would have still believed my son and daughter to be dead. Like many others, I almost saw you as a father figure. I don't know where I'd be without your insight.
It breaks my heart to know that you will not live forever as you once did, but that is only physically speaking, because you will live on in our memories and in all you have done for everyone. As the last living survivor of the Bloodmoon, I promise you, I will not let you down and I will not forget everything that we fought for. I will remember everything that you taught me.When you become a part of the Watcher, I hope you will continue to watch over and guide us as you did in life.
Dinah
I know that you wouldn't want me to mourn you, Oskar- so I just want you to know how special you are to me. You were always so sweet, and it was such a lovely surprise being able to talk to someone on a night who just wanted to get to know me, and not for any reason other than to be kind to someone else- after all, that was why I fell in love with you. I will miss your warmth and the way you always made me laugh and smile, but I'm glad to have met you. I feel I will never meet anyone else like you, and I will always keep you close to my heart. Wherever you are now, I hope that you are at peace.
Daniel
I mainly came here to comfort Eli, but I feel like I owe you some parting words as well. I hope you don't mind.
First of all, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry that I attacked you. I was in shock, and I lashed out in self-defence. I didn't mean to hurt you, I promise. I hope you believe me.
Secondly, thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for what you did for my father. You could have killed him, but you didn't- and, thanks to what you did, I am free of working for Volpe, and I still have a father. Lastly, thank you for everything you did for Eli. He treasures you, and he always will. I promise you that I'll look after him. Eli means the world to me, and all I want is for him to be happy.
Owen
You wouldn't be lying in a coffin if it weren't for Samuel, and to some extent, if it weren't for me. I tried to cure you, I never stopped trying - and I couldn't. All I can do is promise to you that I will keep working towards it, and maybe, someday, your ailment may be curable. Rest assured, Samuel has been dealt with. He will not be able to do to anyone else what he did to you.
I owe you and Katlego endless gratitude for what you did, showing the world, and myself, what a truly evil man Samuel was. If it were not for you both, I would likely still be following in his footsteps. I would still be the awful person I used to be.
Violeta
After today, it won't be long until Oskar is back in Windenburg to be alongside his parents. After today, I will never see his face again. I stand and stare at it for a while, a subconscious part of me still waiting for him to awaken.
"I'm sorry, Father."
"Don't be," Reynold replies, in an uncharacteristically-flat tone. "Take as much time as you need."
"Oskar...I have to go now. In a few days, you'll be with your parents again, and they'll be glad to see you again. I love you - I always will, and I will try and find time to visit you. I made a promise to Reynold that I would tell your daughter and granddaughter about what happened to you, and I will do so tonight. I won’t forget you- none of us will. “
With that, I take my leave- after all, I have someone else to tell later on- Róisín and Áine. I don't want to have to tell the child, but she needs to know. The problem lies in whether or not Áine will trust me. She might not want to speak to me at all, or she might lash out at me for not being able to do anything about it. Still, there's nothing I can do either way- it has to be done.
"Violeta-"
"I'm going, Reynold. I said to you that I would tell them and that they deserve to know. Do not worry about me. If anything, I am more concerned for you. You are sure that you want me to tell them that you are doing alright?"
"They have enough problems for the time being. Please, tell them that I'm okay and that I'm thinking about them."
"Once I know where she is, at least you can write to her. I'm sure they both miss you."
"I could," he replies, without a shred of emotion in his voice. "Once I'm entirely sure of what's happened to me, I will tell them."
Later on, I must follow the river towards Glimmerbrook. I've never been to the place. All I know of it is that it is considered a safe haven for witches, and that it is mostly remote forestlands. The witches will likely be scattered across the place, so I hope it won't take me too long to find her, at least.
The only comfort I have in all of this is knowing Samuel is dead. I had told Owen not too long ago, and the excitement upon his face was something I'd never seen in him- and now he can start a life with his beloved, Lydia. The question is when he will tell Eli the truth about Samuel. Perhaps this is something I need to discuss with Owen...but now is too soon, far too soon after Oskar's passing.
Daniel
I accompany Eli to the Annorin mansion, where his older brother tries to comfort him despite everything. Owen has made an enormous breakfast for us, but Eli won't eat any of it. He seemed nice enough at his wedding, but a cold dread settles in my chest. When Owen finds out my father was a witchfinder and, worse, that I was a witchfinder...and that I hurt Eli's father? I don't want to think about it. Even today, people are still shit-scared of the Annorin family, who had something of a history of making people who wronged them 'disappear'...
Both of those things I only did because of the immense pressure I was under, but I know that no-one is going to acknowledge that. Seems people think the minute you become a man, you should immediately know all of the answers to how you're supposed to act in every given situation, no matter how unlikely.
Owen takes a plate of toast for himself. He offers me a rather-expensive bottle of wine from Champs les Sims, with a weird script on the label. It's far too early for wine. I also want to question why a physician, someone who ought to always have a clear headspace, has such a collection of it- but I guess everyone has that one thing that keeps them going.
The way he stares into your soul is more than unsettling. He speaks with an eerie calmness, as if he's holding something back.
"I appreciate all that you've done for Eli, Daniel. He speaks highly of you. You mean the world to him."
"Thank you," I reply, my voice shaking.
"Is something the matter?"
There is, but I can only tell him part of what's getting to me- except I don't. I don't say anything at all, in fear that I'll spit the rest out by mistake.
"You're worried about him, aren't you? He'll bounce back, Daniel, it'll just take him some time. You know what he's like. He's as easily upset as he is elated."
"I know. Thank you for comforting him, Dr. Annorin-"
"Owen is fine," he interrupts. His laugh sounds hollow. "After all, now I've finally met Eli's partner, I'm sure we'll be seeing each other more often, hm?"
I don't say anything to that. I don't really know if Owen is the kind of person I want to get to know- but to have another Annorin on my side might help in the long run, I guess. Eli tells me Owen isn't anything like Samuel is, but Owen's still the heir of the name and everything it stands for. It's probably not wise trusting him with too much.
He slumps down in his chair in some bizarre show of relaxation with me. I can tell that he's judging every single move and word, and I'm just waiting for the 'If you hurt my brother' speech any minute now.
"I can't promise I'll always have time, but if you ever need anything, Daniel, don't be afraid to ask. And I understand that my father's...attitudes to the more 'non-traditional' aspects of your relationship might be a little frightening. But, I promise you-" - his voice fades into something more cunning - "he won't be a problem, and I care little for the 'traditions' of these kinds of families. What matters is you both care for each other, and that is all."
It still feels strange hearing that from anyone, let alone someone like Owen- but the way he spoke about Samuel, there's something very off about it. The confidence with which he said he wouldn't be an issue for us. Is there any chance Samuel might have died? I mean, he was probably getting pretty old- and of course Owen would be excited at the thought of taking his father's legacy for himself. But then why hasn't Eli said anything? Maybe because he doesn't care, and so he thinks Eli wouldn't either? Maybe I'm reading too much into things.
"You mentioned you worked alongside your father and brother- Gideon and Josiah, wasn't it? What do they think about you and Eli?"
"They do, and they aren't over the moon about it, I don't think. My father is coming around to it, though. Not because we're both men, but-"
"Because he's an Annorin?"
I awkwardly choke on a piece of quiche. "Pretty much. I know Father just worries about me, but I wish he wouldn't worry about me so much sometimes. I don't want him to spend every minute of his life worrying about me. He's done everything for me and my brother, and he's done it all without his partner to help him."
Owen nods a little, wiping his face with a napkin. "You may think that now, Daniel, but there'll come a time when you'll be glad your father worries about you as much as he does. A father's love is rare this day in age- take it, and keep it close to your heart for the rest of your life."
* * *
Iris
With the others indoors, I sit and watch the skies, losing myself in the moonlight and the stars. I feel for the people living in the cities, what with all the machines and the smoke- they don't get views like this.
Rural Henford is a rather beautiful place, but its beauty will never compare with Yukimatsu- the mountains rising like dragons outside of my window, the sun peeking out from behind them, casting everything in a pink glow- it felt as if I were living on another plane of existence.
I've never been tempted to return. It's been countless years- Yukimatsu won't be the way I remember it, and to see such a cherished place potentially defiled with rust and steel...I don't want to bear witness to it. All of the people I loved, who loved me- they're all lost to time, anyhow.
I notice something unusual slip past the stars- at first, I wonder if it's a particularly-large bird. Perhaps a red kite? But the closer it gets, the less it starts to resemble a bird...
...and starts to resemble a demon!
Its eyes leave a ghastly red trail in the air, and I notice it's heading my way, clad in monstrous bone. I slip back past the trees, quickly slipping the kanzashi into my hair- with any hopes, the demons here will be warded off by them. If not, then I'll have no choice but to try and destroy it with magic. I tell the women to stay inside.
There's a rustle in the trees, and before the creature in the red dress can try anything, I invoke the magic gifted to me by Kōri-Ryūjin, and a glowing aspect of His form circles me, ready to strike.
"Tell me! What manner of demon are you?!"
She's taken aback for a moment at the sight of the dragon's magic. She seems to have taken a more humanoid shape, that of a middle-aged woman with a wide-brimmed hat. She says nothing.
"Your glamour won't fool me, demon! I saw your true form, with your bony arms and your Hellish wings!"
"Glamour? What on Earth are you talking about? I am no demon! I'm here to see Áine and her daughter. I have news for them - and don't think your fanciful magic will deter me from striking you down if I have to-"
Footsteps thunder down the stairs behind me. It seems she heard her name being called.
Áine
"I thought I told you both to stay inside?"
What looks like a blue dragon dissipates from around Iris as she turns round, giving me a scornful scare.
"Both? - Róisín! Why are you out-"
Then I look forward to the supposed threat, and I recognise her all too quickly...
"Violeta?"
How on Earth did she think to find us here? There's only one reason Violeta would have scoured the whole of Glimmerbrook looking for us- and it leaves an icy chill inside of me. As usual, her demeanour is entirely devoid of any expression.
"Evening. I apologise if this is unexpected- I have something I must tell you both. And would you mind telling her that I am no demon?"
Iris's scowl shifts to Violeta. "If you are no demon, then explain the monstrous form."
"I'm a vampire! Is that good enough for you? Now can I talk to them?"
"It's...it's okay, Iris. I know her. She's close to...to my father. Please, let us talk in private."
* * *
The moonlight's glow upon the forest doesn't calm me at all. There's some level of comfort upon seeing a familiar face- perhaps we are not as far from home as we thought- but I know what's happened to bring Violeta here. I just don't say it on front of Róisín.
Violeta bows her head a little, and Róisín clings on to my arm- she still doesn't know her too well, nor does she know what happened back in Nebelstadt. She keeps stalling, re-wording what she's saying.
"When the witches were fleeing Henford, many of us stayed behind and attacked the witchfinders. Your father - my son - was one of those people. He held off the witchfinders so they could follow the river safely here to Glimmerbrook. He must have killed over one hundred of them...but not without giving his own life."
Róisín mutters something to herself, and her mutters quickly turn to tears. She throws her arms around me, her sobs growing louder. Iris and one of the others pokes their head out of their doors, but I hold up my hand. I don't want anyone else here.
I try to hold back my own tears, for my daughter's sake- but it's difficult to. Oskar saved so many people, including myself.
"I can't believe he's gone!" Róisín cries, drying her tears on my sleeve. "I loved him so much, and I thought he was going to live forever. And then he was human, and now he's gone and I'm never going to see him again!"
I hold her tighter, and say nothing for the moment- she needs to let her emotions out. Death isn't a stranger to Róisín, but this is the first loss of someone close to her- and I imagine it feels like a thousand knives in her chest.
"He was always so nice to everyone! Why would anyone hurt Oskar? Why?! Violeta- do you know who hurt him?"
The look on Violeta's face is painful. Regardless of my feelings about her, I can't even begin how she must feel, losing her son- the man whose own life she saved. She knew him for almost one hundred and seventy years, and now she will never see him again.
"I'm sorry, Róisín - I don't. But, I think whoever hurt him, I think Oskar got him back. He was the only one there when I found him." Gently put, she means everyone else around him was dead, I think. "He did say something to me before, however. He had a message for you."
For her?
Róisín looks up to me, as if asking for permission. I don't take my eye off Violeta, but she walks up to her.
"For me?"
"For you, my dear," she says, in a voice uncharacteristically-soft for her. "He wanted me to tell you that he kept his promise."
"Promise? What promise?"
"Don't you remember? You said to Oskar in a letter that you'd promise to be brave for him, and so he had to promise to be brave for you- and he did. He bravely fought lots of witchfinders to keep the witches safe so they could escape. No matter how many more came after him, he never gave up. And now, he's going to need you to be brave again. Can you do that?"
Róisín gazes down at the floor, her tears still streaming down her face. "I don't know! I don't know what I'm going to do without Oskar...And he's your son, and now he's gone, and it's horrible that you don't have your own son anymore!"
"You don't need to worry about me, sweetheart," she replies, her voice cracking. "I'll be just fine."
She rushes back to me, grabbing my hand.
"Mother...can I give her a hug?"
Róisín has a loving soul - I can't take that from her, even if I'm unsure on Violeta, still. Is it time I left the past in the past? That's what Oskar would want me to do, isn't it?
"If Violeta would like one, you can."
I let them both sit down on the bench, Róisín throws her arms around Violeta, taken aback a little.
"You're very cold," she sobs, "but I still want to give you a hug. You can cry, if you want."
"Oh, no need to worry about that, sweetheart. Vampires can't cry, but I'll be okay."
At first, Violeta doesn't know how to react and just stares at the top of her head. Eventually, she puts an arm around her, and holds her, trying to hush her gently.
"It will hurt a lot at first, Róisín," Violeta says, rubbing her hand on Róisín's arm- "but remember, he will always be watching you and guiding you in his own way. You will always have him in your heart, and that's what matters."
* * *
Róisín says she's tired, so Iris takes care of her in her room, doing her best to pacify her. Violeta tells me more about what happened- she'd found him lying against a rock, dying. There were almost one hundred bodies surrounding him, and he was covered in blood- both his and others'. He'd asked her to drink what was left of his blood, and she did. She wanted his death to be in her hands instead of the witchfinders, she says, because she ended his life to end his pain and take their victory away from them. It's unimaginable, what it must be like to have to mercy-kill your own son, years after you saved him from a certain death...
She explains that today was the day of his funeral. My heart aches at the thought of me missing my own father's funeral, but as well as not knowing where I was, almost everyone there had said it wasn't safe to journey back there anyway, just in case witchfinders were still lurking. On top of that, I notice that Iris is somewhat controlling about who goes where, when. Perhaps people never leaving the settlement isn't just because of fears for their personal safety.
"Everyone around him was dead. Oskar had killed every single one of them effortlessly- it was a stab wound through the chest that almost killed him...before I had to kill him. but I noticed his own sword wasn't next to him, and whoever had killed him, presumably, had taken his cloak and his pendant. Oskar would have told me as much as he could have about his assailant before dying- he'd want me to get my revenge on him. So why didn't he?"
"A last act of mercy, maybe? Oskar lived a life of bloodshed for a long time, and I doubt he wanted to end it that way. Maybe he didn't want you going after him. Either that, or he didn't want you going after him because he wanted you not to worry about him anymore..."
"It doesn't make any sense to me," Violeta says, her voice trailing off into a near-whisper. "Oskar was far more merciful than me. I just can't understand why he'd want mercy on the man that killed him. He'd never have done any such thing to a witchfinder..."
The two of us sit in silence for some time, until I break it.
"Violeta, what happened with us both in the past- I'm willing to leave it there now."
"If you'd have truly wanted me or my daughter dead, you'd have had plenty of times to do it. You did your bit in the fight against witchfinders. The witches had greatly wronged you in the past, and you, like me, were just a mother trying to protect her child."
Violeta tilts her head, and I can't see her face past the brim of her hat. "I am genuinely sorry for my actions that day. I would be lying if I said I felt bad- I have barely felt anything for years. But I had a sense that you were not my enemy the moment I saw how happy you made Oskar. I didn't like him becoming close to other people after such a long time of it just being the two of us, I will admit- I had a posessiveness about him, but I couldn't be like that, not with someone like him. You changed his life, and I want to thank you for that, Áine. If my son can be merciful, then...I don't see why I can't, once in a while."
I hold out my hand, and Violeta almost crushes mine in her chilling grip.
"I don't think this is the end of the war against witches, Áine. In fact, I do not know if it will ever end- but I will do what I can to fight against them, for the good of modern witches, who have far more heart than their predecessors did. I must get going now, but all I can do is wish you as much peace as you can muster. We must keep moving forward, Áine- and I think you and your daughter will fit right in here. I just hope you can return to Henford someday."
"As do I, Violeta. And thank you for coming all the way out here, in all your grief, to deliver such difficult news. I mean it. I hope you don't mind me asking - How are Reynold and Eli?"
Violeta looks around a little before answering. "He's...been better, Áine, I must admit. He doesn't look well. I think it's the stress of recent events on top of the monastery. Eli's grief is weighing him down, but it seems his partner is comforting him."
Reynold works far too hard. I can't help but feel careless for not thinking of him much since I ended up here. As for Eli, the current events would break someone like him, and I pray to the goddesses that they don't.She tells me that Reynold and Eli might want to write to me, and I feel awful- I've been so wrapped up in life amongst the other witches that I'd barely thought about either of them. She says she can deliver any letters they write to me, and take any from me and Róisín back to them. It must might take some convincing Iris to let her do that.
Speaking of Iris - the magic dragon that surrounded her- what kind of magic was that, I wonder? Is it some kind of Wild magic? It wasn't fire, or ice, or lightning. Perhaps something that people only from her homeland can cast? Katlego's magic was specific to certain communities around the world- maybe Iris's is, too, though she hasn't revealed much to me or anyone else about herself.
She transforms into her 'demonic' form, and takes to the skies, her white and red eyes not leaving mine as she heads towards the clouds. How amazing it must be to fly as the birds do...
What Violeta said, that we must keep moving forward- she's right. We have to let grief hurt us until its pain fades, and then we have to carry on. The witchfinders will not disappear overnight. I trust that my friends back in Henford will be safe, and that the witches here will be in good hands amongst Iris and the like. Here, I can focus on my magic and on my mother's grimoire. Perhaps I can get back to teaching, as I used to. The only trouble is, Róisín will need to learn of her mooncaster powers from her father- I cannot keep her separated from him for too long, even if she will not become the wolf until her early adulthood years.
For now, I must be patient and hone myself in preparation for whatever is to come. In time- my friends, my family, my partner- someday, I will come back to you.