Upon the Death of Richard

There was a somber mood in the temple which had been once the home of Richard. Richard had been a staple of their home for years, even with the knowledge that he was doomed to die young. It was one thing to know of its inevitability, and another to see it.

Richard had no family worth speaking of, so no one would pay for his funeral. However, the church of Isis decided to bury him as one of their own. He had been family for them, and family shouldn’t pay for final goodbyes.

Even in death Richards retained his beauty, his sickly yet slender body, his white hair a good match for the pale skin. Once. His shocking blue eyes had contrasted with the rest of his fragile body, yet now eyes closed arms crossed, Richard gave off the feeling of a fallen angel laid to rest. Attending his funeral were many of the priests who attended the temple, as well as the nuns, and even 2 of the vestal virgins attended.

Perhaps the most important two people who had come were in the forefront. A young man, only a year or two older than Richards, one Galileo who had recently became a paladin-in-training. He had only found out of his friend’s death a few weeks later, and Lyssandra the dragonewt. At the young age of 50, she had been Richard’s caretaker since the day he had arrived at the doorstep. She’d also been the one who had raised and taught Richard, and in the end had been the one to find him.

Lyssandra had convinced herself long ago that she was ready for Richard to die. She was a dragonewt and dragonewts live as long as 1000 years, much like elves. She had told herself that it was like raising a dog. Cute, and while it would be sad she would learn to move on.

As he grew older and the curse got worse, she found it harder and harder to tell herself so. Every day he grew taller, and yet every day he grew evermore fragile. By the end of it all, he looked like an oak that had toughed the ages, ready to fall. She wasn’t ready for it.

She stopped seeing him those last few days as if in denial. She wasn’t ready.

In the end, she went back, telling herself she had to be there for his last hours. To send him off with a smile, only to find out she was too late. She missed her chance to apologize.

Lyssandra buried her face into Galileo’s chest and sobbed. Galileo could only nod, all the while staring at his friend’s body.

…

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“She has the right to know” stated Galileo, while staring down his mentor. Copernicus was a rather famous paladin who served Isis and used the power of the sun to bring his enemies down. Richard had been rather happy for Galileo when he was chosen to be a student of Copernicus, as it meant he had a chance to learn from one of the greatest.

One of the greatest sighed, all the while the head of the temple looked on. Mistress Trenee was an old elf, likely already far past her prime, though no one knew her true age. She was a calm and collected lady, and even at a time like this she was stoic, despite her relationship with Richard.

“She cannot know” Stated Trenee.

“But why?” Retorted Galileo. “It’d make her feel better to know that Richard is still alive, even if it’s a new body!” “It’s a monster body” noted Copernicus. “She’d be happy if he was alive regardless of who he has become.”

“It’s pointless to tell her when we don’t even know where he is, or what he is exactly. We know that he’s a hatchling dragon in the Ymir range, but we know little beyond that.” She got up from her chair as she walked down to where Galileo and Copernicus stood. “We don’t even know if he’ll survive. The Ymir Range is a place full of dangers the deeper you go. You’d be telling her he lived only for him to die again and for her to go through it all again.” Galileo furrowed his brow but couldn’t deny that. The church had been informed by Isis herself that Grant had been given a second chance. The people who were informed were elated to hear that, only to then be informed Grant was reborn as a monster and in the Ymir mountains.

Galileo, Copernicus, the lead priestess of Isis and the Vestal virgins were the only ones who knew. “If that’s what you’re worried about, then why did you tell me?” Galileo was just a paladin trainee, and frankly speaking, had no reason to be informed about such an important thing. “I suggested it.” Said Copernicus. “I believe it’ll serve as good inspiration for you, no? To find an old friend, trapped in dangerous mountains? We cannot change what has been done, but we can change what is to come.” Galileo perked up, clearly more interested now, and less downturned than before.

Trenee nodded. “If Lyssandra were to find out, she might put herself in harm's way. Despite being a dragonewt, she has lived her whole life in this temple. She’s only 50. For dragonewts who can live for centuries, she’s still young and untrained. You are a paladin in training. If you get strong enough, paladin Copernicus could take you and a squadron of paladins and check the edges of the Ymir mountain range. As it stands, it might be good to cull the forests a bit to lower the chances of a monster wave.”

Galileo, now far more invested looked excited. He turned and saluted Trenee “Then I will do my best to live up to expectations head priestess.” He turned to walk out of the room they had been using, Copernicus chuckled seeing Galileo noticeably more upbeat than before. He turned and saluted: “I shall also take my leave head priestess” before leaving the room to go pursue his now excited trainee.

Trenee slouched now, noticeably more tired than before. Like many orphans abandoned at the temple, Richard had been like a son to her. And his death hit hard like every other orphan who had passed through these halls. And now he had been given a second chance, only to be tested anew. She knew not what her goddess had planned… all she could do was believe. Hopefully Richard was doing fine.