The Journey, Chapt 11 = previous chapter
Chapter 12, Beginning.
Vivi knelt next to Julia, tears falling from his eyes. It was Margarette that swiftly moved into action, she took the boy from Julia and with some damp clothes wiped him down, then put a small tunic on him and wrapped him up to keep him warm…
From the distance, rapidly approaching the wheels of a chariot could be heard bouncing on the cobblestone street, a whole cavalry of horse hooves could be heard making an awful clickety clack sound that echoed through the deserted streets. Vivi knew instantly, he quickly took the baby in his arms, and stood up beside Julia’s body. Suddenly the door to the Inn was kicked open, and King Thomaz stood there tall in the doorway soaked from the rain, Rubian stood behind peering over his shoulders, with a smirk on his face.
“My lord,” Said Vivi bowing, Jonathon bowing, and Margarette curtsied. Thomaz walked forward, locked on to the baby in Vivi’s arms. Carefully Vivi presented the baby boy to the king.
Thomaz grabbed the baby's leg and lifted it, so the baby was dangling in front of his face. Vivi behind his back had his fingers crossed while trying to keep a straight face, in his mind he was screaming ‘don’t do that, you’ll hurt the baby’.
“What is this?” Thomaz hissed.
“Julia’s baby boy, my lord,” Vivi glanced at Julia's body on the floor. “Julia unfortunately didn’t survive the birth.”
Thomaz, still dangling the baby by the leg, went to hand him over to Rubian, “kill the baby Rubian!”
“Wait, my lord, please.” Vivi called out a little louder than he intended, trying desperately to keep his emotions in check. “Julia was my maid, it should be I that carries out this… task personally.”
Rubian looked at Vivi surprised. The king hesitated, then suddenly shoved the boy into Vivi’s chest. “Do it, and don’t disappoint me, Vivi. Burn the bodies after!” Thomaz looked at Julia’s body for a long minute, and then spat on the floor next to it before storming out, Rubian and the calvary behind him. Margarette was about to say something but Vivi raised his hand to silence her.
Once Vivi was sure that King, Rubian and the cavalry had left, he made sure the baby was ok, there was a small bruise on his ankle from the king's grip. “Take him, try to keep him quiet Margarette, Jonathan we don’t have much time, we need to move fast.”
“But what about the bairn?” Asked Margarette.
Vivi looked at the baby, then at Margarette, “He’s coming with me…”
Vivi and Jonathon wrapped up Julia’s body, and gently carried it into the garden. They then dug deep next to a blossom tree and buried Julia there.
“Jen kuŝas Julia, ŝia animo ripozu en paco, fariĝu unu kun la naturo, por ĉiam plu navigi inter la flustraj ventoj.” Said Vivi bowing low and solemnly patting the ground in which she now lay.
“What did you say?” Whispered Jonathon curiously.
“I said, Here lies Julia, may her soul rest in peace, to become one with nature, to sail among the whispering winds forever more.” Vivi responded quietly
Jonathon bowed his head quickly, “May Julia rest in peace.”
Walking back inside, they saw Margarette sitting on a rocking chair near the fire, the baby fast asleep, she nodded at Vivi reassuringly.
Vivi started to pace up and down, thinking deeply. “There was a mother and baby that Rubian killed earlier today, we could use their bodies as a cadaver… regrettably… I can’t believe I’m even thinking of this… but I’ve no choice… this boy… he must survive… at all costs.”
“But why are you insistent on his survival, Ser Vivi?” Margarette asked.
“His eyes, you saw his eyes didn’t you?” Margarette nodded remembering how his eyes flashed purple just as purple thunder struck outside. “That is why Margarette, he must… survive.”
The rain started to die down, Vivi moved quickly hiding in the shadows, the sun was starting to slowly rise, peeking through the grey and black clouds. Finding the bodies of the deceased mother and baby was easy, Rubian never cleaned up after his mess, they were still lying where he’d killed them. Vivi wrapped them up in cloth, and carried them to a cart, slowly pulling them to the back of the Inn. He carried the bodies through, from the back and then out of the front, making it painstakingly obvious he’d carried them out of the main room of the Inn into the courtyard in front of it. Soldiers were watching him struggle to carry the bodies out. Rubian watched from a balcony at the opposite end of the courtyard, he chuckled. Vivi heard the chuckle with his keen hearing, and paused for a brief second, stacking wood around the bodies to make a small pyre, he apologised to the deceased he was about to set ablaze in the ancient language… He stood back, with his hand stretched out, “Fajro!” A small ball of orange fire appeared in the middle of his palm and slowly floated on to the pyre setting it on fire.
Vivi walked inside, closing the door behind him, and sank to the floor. Jonathon helped him back to his feet. “That was so much harder to do than I expected.” Jonathon didn’t say a word, he just patted Vivi on the back.
They waited until dark, it seemed that the King was satisfied because he’d allowed the citadel to open up again, things slowly came back to normal, the civilians were out and about, plying their trade, kids were running around playing soldiers and witches. The baby boy surprisingly remained mostly quiet, only fussing when he was hungry. Two days later, as night fell Vivi climbed on to the back of a horse, Margarette placed the baby in his arms in a makeshift sling, making it easier for him to hide the boy under his travelling cloak.
Vivi thanked Margarette and Jonathon for their help, and had his horse break into a slow trot as they moved through the citadel towards the portcullis. The soldiers stopped him, insisting he was to be searched, but Vivi showed them the King’s writ that he’d still possessed, begrudgingly the soldiers let him through, once free of the citadel Vivi charged through the fields at a gallop until he came around on to a large hill with a steep cliff face overlooking the land, in the distance was the citadel. “For now little one, until one's name is known, you will be called… Nekonata.”
Chapter 12, Beginning.
Vivi knelt next to Julia, tears falling from his eyes. It was Margarette that swiftly moved into action, she took the boy from Julia and with some damp clothes wiped him down, then put a small tunic on him and wrapped him up to keep him warm…
From the distance, rapidly approaching the wheels of a chariot could be heard bouncing on the cobblestone street, a whole cavalry of horse hooves could be heard making an awful clickety clack sound that echoed through the deserted streets. Vivi knew instantly, he quickly took the baby in his arms, and stood up beside Julia’s body. Suddenly the door to the Inn was kicked open, and King Thomaz stood there tall in the doorway soaked from the rain, Rubian stood behind peering over his shoulders, with a smirk on his face.
“My lord,” Said Vivi bowing, Jonathon bowing, and Margarette curtsied. Thomaz walked forward, locked on to the baby in Vivi’s arms. Carefully Vivi presented the baby boy to the king.
Thomaz grabbed the baby's leg and lifted it, so the baby was dangling in front of his face. Vivi behind his back had his fingers crossed while trying to keep a straight face, in his mind he was screaming ‘don’t do that, you’ll hurt the baby’.
“What is this?” Thomaz hissed.
“Julia’s baby boy, my lord,” Vivi glanced at Julia's body on the floor. “Julia unfortunately didn’t survive the birth.”
Thomaz, still dangling the baby by the leg, went to hand him over to Rubian, “kill the baby Rubian!”
“Wait, my lord, please.” Vivi called out a little louder than he intended, trying desperately to keep his emotions in check. “Julia was my maid, it should be I that carries out this… task personally.”
Rubian looked at Vivi surprised. The king hesitated, then suddenly shoved the boy into Vivi’s chest. “Do it, and don’t disappoint me, Vivi. Burn the bodies after!” Thomaz looked at Julia’s body for a long minute, and then spat on the floor next to it before storming out, Rubian and the calvary behind him. Margarette was about to say something but Vivi raised his hand to silence her.
Once Vivi was sure that King, Rubian and the cavalry had left, he made sure the baby was ok, there was a small bruise on his ankle from the king's grip. “Take him, try to keep him quiet Margarette, Jonathan we don’t have much time, we need to move fast.”
“But what about the bairn?” Asked Margarette.
Vivi looked at the baby, then at Margarette, “He’s coming with me…”
Vivi and Jonathon wrapped up Julia’s body, and gently carried it into the garden. They then dug deep next to a blossom tree and buried Julia there.
“Jen kuŝas Julia, ŝia animo ripozu en paco, fariĝu unu kun la naturo, por ĉiam plu navigi inter la flustraj ventoj.” Said Vivi bowing low and solemnly patting the ground in which she now lay.
“What did you say?” Whispered Jonathon curiously.
“I said, Here lies Julia, may her soul rest in peace, to become one with nature, to sail among the whispering winds forever more.” Vivi responded quietly
Jonathon bowed his head quickly, “May Julia rest in peace.”
Walking back inside, they saw Margarette sitting on a rocking chair near the fire, the baby fast asleep, she nodded at Vivi reassuringly.
Vivi started to pace up and down, thinking deeply. “There was a mother and baby that Rubian killed earlier today, we could use their bodies as a cadaver… regrettably… I can’t believe I’m even thinking of this… but I’ve no choice… this boy… he must survive… at all costs.”
“But why are you insistent on his survival, Ser Vivi?” Margarette asked.
“His eyes, you saw his eyes didn’t you?” Margarette nodded remembering how his eyes flashed purple just as purple thunder struck outside. “That is why Margarette, he must… survive.”
The rain started to die down, Vivi moved quickly hiding in the shadows, the sun was starting to slowly rise, peeking through the grey and black clouds. Finding the bodies of the deceased mother and baby was easy, Rubian never cleaned up after his mess, they were still lying where he’d killed them. Vivi wrapped them up in cloth, and carried them to a cart, slowly pulling them to the back of the Inn. He carried the bodies through, from the back and then out of the front, making it painstakingly obvious he’d carried them out of the main room of the Inn into the courtyard in front of it. Soldiers were watching him struggle to carry the bodies out. Rubian watched from a balcony at the opposite end of the courtyard, he chuckled. Vivi heard the chuckle with his keen hearing, and paused for a brief second, stacking wood around the bodies to make a small pyre, he apologised to the deceased he was about to set ablaze in the ancient language… He stood back, with his hand stretched out, “Fajro!” A small ball of orange fire appeared in the middle of his palm and slowly floated on to the pyre setting it on fire.
Vivi walked inside, closing the door behind him, and sank to the floor. Jonathon helped him back to his feet. “That was so much harder to do than I expected.” Jonathon didn’t say a word, he just patted Vivi on the back.
They waited until dark, it seemed that the King was satisfied because he’d allowed the citadel to open up again, things slowly came back to normal, the civilians were out and about, plying their trade, kids were running around playing soldiers and witches. The baby boy surprisingly remained mostly quiet, only fussing when he was hungry. Two days later, as night fell Vivi climbed on to the back of a horse, Margarette placed the baby in his arms in a makeshift sling, making it easier for him to hide the boy under his travelling cloak.
Vivi thanked Margarette and Jonathon for their help, and had his horse break into a slow trot as they moved through the citadel towards the portcullis. The soldiers stopped him, insisting he was to be searched, but Vivi showed them the King’s writ that he’d still possessed, begrudgingly the soldiers let him through, once free of the citadel Vivi charged through the fields at a gallop until he came around on to a large hill with a steep cliff face overlooking the land, in the distance was the citadel. “For now little one, until one's name is known, you will be called… Nekonata.”
suits it !!!