Matheau s2: Final Good-byes
Matheau s2: Final Good-byes
The sun awoke Matheau bright and early the next day. In addition to the cave that WOULD have been his being so small, the sun would have also been a constant nuisance, not allowing him to sleep late in the day. He looked down at Beijara who was still slumbering peacefully. She must have been used to the sun falling on her face in the mornings. But he, however, was not. He carefully pulled himself from her and made his way outside to stretch. He grunted satisfactorily as he heard the bones in his back and wings cracking. It felt wonderful to sleep with his new mate and queen in their joined position when they had fallen asleep the night before, but waking up in that same position was quite a different story altogether. He sat down carefully by the edge of the cliff and let the wind play over his body. It was rather chill this morning. More chilled than he had remembered it being since his arrival. But that was to be expected. He had not been living in this region for long enough to know its weather patterns. When he felt something touch his shoulders, he jumped, and whipped his head around to look up at his mate, who was smiling down at him. The sunlight reflecting from her scales made her look all the more beautiful in her eyes. "Good morning, my love." She said. "Did I scare you?" Matheau shook his head. "Of course not my darling." He said, rather half-heartedly. "Did you rest well?" She nodded. "Better than I have in months, I think." She smiled. "Now that the false king has been unseated, and you have taken me for your mate, I can sleep much better."
That really put a smile on his face as he patted the ground next to him. Beijara moved and sat beside him. He draped a wing around her and pulled her closer, kissing her neck gently. "It has been some time since I last saw the sun rise with happiness in my heart." Matheau admitted quietly. "Though there are still things I must do before I can put my past behind me and be truly happy." Beijara knew to what he referred. While his family's tomb was completed, they had yet to move the remnants of his family there. And while practically the whole kingdom had offered to move them, Matheau absolutely refused to let anyone handle their bones but him and Beijara. "We can go do it today, Matheau." She said. He turned to look at her. "But.....It's our honeymoon." Matheau said. "It can wait until tomorrow at least." Beijara laughed lightly, music to Matheau's ears. "Matheau, last night was wonderful enough to be worth five honeymoons. Besides, we have many, many years together. And I know how important this is to you." She stood and shrugged his wing off, stretching herself out.
"Come, my husband. Let us be off. You must lead the way, for I am afraid I know not where your family lies." Sighing softly, Matheau stood and took off, Beijara following right beside him. After a few hours flight, they reached the cave that had been Matheau's home for some time before he became king. Matheau stood outside for the longest time, tears welling up in his eyes. Beijara waited quietly, respectfully. She would let him go first. After a good fifteen minutes, Matheau finally took a deep breath and walked inside, Beijara right on his heels. The bones were still there. Beijara gasped at the size of the largest bones, which she presumed to be his fathers. He had to have been a mighty dragon indeed! "Matheau, these bones are so big....were going to have to take quite a few trips to get these all back. Matheau turned and shook his head. "It won't take long." Matheau said "I'll use my magic to control the bones to follow behind us so we won't have to carry any of them. It may be a bit taxing on me, but I am going to make sure that I get them to their final resting place." Matheau moved into a different room and chanted a spell that she heard, but did not understand. Then Matheau exited the room, and three separate piles of smaller bones floated out behind him. Beijara could literally feel her heart sink. Those must have been his brother and sisters. They were so young when they were killed. Matheau chanted the spell again and the bones of his parents rose from the floor and started to follow him. "Alright Beijara, you must lead the way back to the palace. Keep a visual with me at all times. I know not how long I can hold this spell."
Beijara nodded. "You will have my support as well, my love. With that, they started off again. At the halfway mark back to the palace, Beijara looked back and saw that Matheau was lagging behind. She slowed her flight and turned to fly back to him. He was perspiring heavily, panting for breath. The spell was indeed taking its toll, and it seemed that it was all he could do to stay airborne. Beijara began to panic. What if he fell? She would most certainly lose him from a fall of this height. She had to stay calm, or her judgment would be bad. She took a deep breath to calm herself. "Matheau, we have to land right now. "Beijara.....I.....can make it." Matheau panted heavily. Beijara shook her head. "Were going down right now Matheau, come on!" She grabbed his claw and started to descend, and Matheau obediently followed. As soon as they set down, the bones included, Matheau fell to his knees. "Beijara.....I......thank you." He said, his voice barely above a whisper. She shook her head. "There is no need to thank me, Matheau." She said. "I love you, and I don't want to see anything happen to you the day after we were married." She smiled and tried to lighten his spirits. "You're not getting out of this mateship, or away from me that easy!" They both had a good laugh at that. "Beijara, how did I end up with such a loving mate as you?" Matheau asked after their laughter had died away and scattered on the winds. "That's easy Matheau." Beijara said, her voice gravely serious. "It was fate.....destiny. That is how." But instead of laughing as she expected, Matheau nodded. "I believe that." Was all he said.
"You do?" Beijara asked, amazed. Matheau nodded. "When I was still very young, I read all of the materials my father had written. He wrote extensively on fate, and on destiny. He wrote that that was how he met my mother. I'll tell you the story sometime." Beijara smiled. "Your father was very wise." Matheau looked over his shoulder to his father's bones. "Yes, he was. I wish that he could still be here to teach me his wisdom. But......" He drifted off to silence, and Beijara did not press him to talk. A half hour of silence went by, and Matheau finally stood up. "Let's go, Beijara. With luck, we can be home by sundown." The took off, and their flight was filled with that same silence. This gave Beijara a lot of time to think now that she didn't have to worry about him tiring again. He was still emotionally weak, and she did not blame him. In the past month, he had been through so much. Finding his origin, defeating his evil grandfather in a battle to reclaim a throne that was rightfully his, finding out who his parents were, becoming mated to her. She felt very sorry for him, but she would be by his side whenever he needed support. She was so lost in her thoughts she did not see the rapid approach to the palace until Matheau called out for her. She turned her head and saw him turning towards the tomb that would be his parents resting place.
They landed softly outside of the tomb, and the guards moved aside as they entered, bowing to their king and queen. Matheau moved inside, and with a wave of his claw, directed the bones of his mother and father into their places, then his sisters, and finally, his brother. He stepped back. "Beijara....could I please have a few moments alone?" He asked quietly. Beijara nodded. "Of course honey. I shall be right outside should you need me." Matheau watched her leave, then moved to the place designated for his father. Tears streamed from his eyes, but he cared not. "Father....we never got a chance to bond, and you never had a chance to pass your wisdom to me. But I know that you will guide me always, as will mother. You may be gone from this plane, but I know you will forever be in my heart." Matheau then moved to his mother. "Mother...for that brief moment that I was in your arms....I truly knew what it was to be loved. I wish that I could live that moment again. I wish I could be in your arms forever. But I know that you loved me. As I love you. You and father both. For so long, I had hated you....because I thought you left me. Now I know the error I made, and I feel a pang of guilt in my heart. But I know that you understand. Goodbye, Mother. I shall see you again, when it is my time to pass." He moved to his brother and sisters, and knelt before them, tears streaming from his eyes rapidly now. "And my brother and sisters....How I wish we had had an opportunity to play together, even once. I know that you, my sisters, were heavy with children. And they probably would have hatched before I was born. I would have had plenty of playmates....You both would have been great mothers. Especially with our mother and father by your side. And you, my brother, would have made a fine father. I will visit you as often as I may, my family. I will never forget you, or what you did for me that day." Matheau fell into silence and fell to his knees in the middle of the tomb, and sobbed.
Beijara was starting to worry when Matheau finally emerged from the tomb. The guards bowed. "We will seal off the tomb so that no one may try to tamper with the bones, m'lord." One of the guards said. Matheau shook his head. "No, leave it open. I want two guards to stand post at this tomb at all times, just in case. But everyone in the kingdom should be allowed to pay their respects." The guard nodded. "Of course, m'lord. We shall have two guards at all times." Matheau nodded. "Come, my queen. Let us go home and rest. I am weary from all that has occurred." Beijara couldn't agree more. She really hadn't done much, but she too felt exhausted. But something was different about Matheau. It seemed as though a heavy burden had been lifted from his back, and he walked taller, straighter, more proud. They took off for the palace, ready for bed as the day was ending. Matheau only looked back once, and out of the corner of her eye, Beijara could see tears in his eyes, but also a smile on his face. He had said his final good-byes. And though it had hurt him, it had also helped him a great deal.