Tie It With a Ribbon
Beyond the Grave
The dual funeral service was brief, though none of the tears shed belonged to the children of the deceased. Salina and Zanzibar had offered complete silence, accepting the offered comfort with false gratitude. Camille had stayed behind to watch the babies, surely unable to look at her mother’s corpse ever again; and after causing the heart attack that had claimed Cadence’s life, I did not blame her at all.
Zanzibar had, however, no problem with the sight, though he had managed to keep from laughing again. I did not know the extents of Cadence’s crimes, but I knew that Zanzibar would surely come to his senses with time; when that happened, I prayed that he would not regret everything he had done to her and Grayson.
“Are you done?” Zanzibar asked impatiently.
I glanced to him, but he was simply staring out towards the forest, his eyes full of apathy. I returned my eyes to the tombstone, not fully able to comprehend the fact that I would never see these two again.
I glanced to Salina, but she was at Zanzibar’s side. Her hand was enveloped in his, though I could not tell who was squeezing tighter.
I heard a soft “I love you” fall from Zanzibar’s lips, and that was when Salina broke into tears. I turned away as he tried to comfort her.
I knew she was not crying over her parents’ sudden passing; she was sad because she had just felt the weight of the world crashing down around her, she had just fallen into the same boat on which Zanzibar and I had been floating for days.
I laughed softly, shaking my head. At this rate, soon enough the world would fit in my very hands! If things continued this way, who was to say that Camille and Salina would not die? Who was to say that my children would make it to their first year?
No one could tell us, and no one could predict the roads we would take. But for our sake, I hoped that we picked the right trail.
“I’m finished,” I told him, striding up to him as the leaves crunched under my shoes. “Salina, are you going to be alright?”
“Tell me everything will be the same,” she sobbed, staring at me through bloodshot eyes. “Nothing will change!”
“I cannot lie to you,” I apologized, kissing her forehead gently. “But it’s getting chilly out here… I’ve been told that holding a giggly baby is often a wondrous cure for any ailment. Would you care to try it?”
She nodded, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. “I don’t know how we would do this without you.”
She left, but I flinched in her wake. That look in her eyes—her words had not matched her face! She had implied that she would be lost without me, but…
Her eyes had said that they would not need to do this if it weren’t for me!
“Do we have to trust her so casually?” I asked the wind, though that rotten traitor carried my words into Zanzibar’s ears.
“She is on our side, Alena. You’re just being paranoid,” he snapped, rolling his eyes. “I want to leave this place.”
“Okay,” I mumbled, glancing to the grave marker yet again. “Why don’t you like it?”
“They’re still watching me,” he muttered, shouldering past me as the words echoed around the solitary pasture.
“Everyone is watching,” I murmured to myself, shaking off the sudden chill that coursed through my spine.
I hurried after him, falling into place beside him as well as falling into the silence around him. His hands were shoved firmly into his pockets, and his head was held high as his eyes watched the sky closely; it was as if he was searching the clouds for his parents, as if he was so sure they had not truly left.
I let out a quiet breath, though the small sound was enough to pull Zanzibar from his thoughts. He glanced to me, smiling thoughtfully before catching my hand.
“There’s no turning back now, Alena; we are King and Queen no matter what anyone else may say. The past pairs have passed, and now we are in control.”
“Is this land worth ruling?”
His eyes clouded over for a moment. “I will tell you when I am ready, but until then, please, do not test me on this.” The haze vanished. “I only want to protect you.”
I laughed; that was obvious. “I know that.”
“Good.”
As the graveyard disappeared in the distance, I knew we would never return there again. And if we did, it would not be for the sake of nostalgia…
It would be our own funerals.
Zanzibar had, however, no problem with the sight, though he had managed to keep from laughing again. I did not know the extents of Cadence’s crimes, but I knew that Zanzibar would surely come to his senses with time; when that happened, I prayed that he would not regret everything he had done to her and Grayson.
“Are you done?” Zanzibar asked impatiently.
I glanced to him, but he was simply staring out towards the forest, his eyes full of apathy. I returned my eyes to the tombstone, not fully able to comprehend the fact that I would never see these two again.
I glanced to Salina, but she was at Zanzibar’s side. Her hand was enveloped in his, though I could not tell who was squeezing tighter.
I heard a soft “I love you” fall from Zanzibar’s lips, and that was when Salina broke into tears. I turned away as he tried to comfort her.
I knew she was not crying over her parents’ sudden passing; she was sad because she had just felt the weight of the world crashing down around her, she had just fallen into the same boat on which Zanzibar and I had been floating for days.
I laughed softly, shaking my head. At this rate, soon enough the world would fit in my very hands! If things continued this way, who was to say that Camille and Salina would not die? Who was to say that my children would make it to their first year?
No one could tell us, and no one could predict the roads we would take. But for our sake, I hoped that we picked the right trail.
“I’m finished,” I told him, striding up to him as the leaves crunched under my shoes. “Salina, are you going to be alright?”
“Tell me everything will be the same,” she sobbed, staring at me through bloodshot eyes. “Nothing will change!”
“I cannot lie to you,” I apologized, kissing her forehead gently. “But it’s getting chilly out here… I’ve been told that holding a giggly baby is often a wondrous cure for any ailment. Would you care to try it?”
She nodded, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. “I don’t know how we would do this without you.”
She left, but I flinched in her wake. That look in her eyes—her words had not matched her face! She had implied that she would be lost without me, but…
Her eyes had said that they would not need to do this if it weren’t for me!
“Do we have to trust her so casually?” I asked the wind, though that rotten traitor carried my words into Zanzibar’s ears.
“She is on our side, Alena. You’re just being paranoid,” he snapped, rolling his eyes. “I want to leave this place.”
“Okay,” I mumbled, glancing to the grave marker yet again. “Why don’t you like it?”
“They’re still watching me,” he muttered, shouldering past me as the words echoed around the solitary pasture.
“Everyone is watching,” I murmured to myself, shaking off the sudden chill that coursed through my spine.
I hurried after him, falling into place beside him as well as falling into the silence around him. His hands were shoved firmly into his pockets, and his head was held high as his eyes watched the sky closely; it was as if he was searching the clouds for his parents, as if he was so sure they had not truly left.
I let out a quiet breath, though the small sound was enough to pull Zanzibar from his thoughts. He glanced to me, smiling thoughtfully before catching my hand.
“There’s no turning back now, Alena; we are King and Queen no matter what anyone else may say. The past pairs have passed, and now we are in control.”
“Is this land worth ruling?”
His eyes clouded over for a moment. “I will tell you when I am ready, but until then, please, do not test me on this.” The haze vanished. “I only want to protect you.”
I laughed; that was obvious. “I know that.”
“Good.”
As the graveyard disappeared in the distance, I knew we would never return there again. And if we did, it would not be for the sake of nostalgia…
It would be our own funerals.
♠ ♠ ♠
Just to make sure everyone is on the same page for the soon-coming ending, let me break some things down from the last chapter:Camille approached Cadence with the news that Zanzibar told her (which we do not yet know because Zanzibar refuses to tell Alena the extents of his parents' alleged crimes). When she is screaming at her for not denying the accusations, Cadence has a heart attack and dies on the spot. While Alena is locked inside her room, she hears the frantic scene: meaning, Grayson refuses to believe she is dead and is demanding the many doctors to help her. And all while this is happening, Zanzibar is laughing over his mother's sudden death, as he admits to Alena.
Because Cadence is dead, Grayson has to make a choice: he will either go on without her, or he will join her in the heavens. According to the legend of the Gryphes, once the mother passed, the father stayed behind only until his children no longer needed him. As Grayson sees it, his children all hate him (which is certainly true to an extent, no matter how much they can think "He is my father, I must love him."). If his children hate him, he has no reason to stay behind: his children will not ask him for help, and essentially he is unnecessary to their survival.
It is to be assumed that Grayson ends his life, and this chapter started with the funeral of both Cadence and Grayson.
And now let's analyze this chapter, so you can see what I was attempting to convey:
The entire chapter is focused around the funeral, one which is full of no sorrow from Zanzibar or Salina. Camille stays behind for reasons explained in the chapter. Zanzibar is impatient once they are the last in the graveyard, because he does not wish to respect Cadence and Grayson any longer by remaining there. Salina, meanwhile, is devastated: however, she is devastated not at the fact that she has lost her parents but over the fact that this means that things will change. This was to show a bit of an Aquilan nature (sticking to tradition) to her, as she sometimes seems to belong to the other kingdom rather than the Leonian side.
The last element to this was paranoia. Zanzibar mentions that he feels as if his parents are still watching him, though they are dead. He truly believes that they are still there, though there is no tangible evidence. This was not to be taken as denial of death, rather as a warped state of mind. Alena agrees with him somewhat, because she thinks all eyes are on them. She believes they can no longer trust anyone, and that does not help either Alena or Zanzibar's remaining sanity (though there is not very much left of it at this point).
Hopefully this helped at least someone :) Everything is winding down to the final chapter, which is only a few pages away (chapter eighty). I will probably provide a summary of events in the remainders, if only to offer some insight as to how everything led up to this point.