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It was about a week after the first Court of the summer, and once again
Karissa found herself in the gardens of the Temple of Saint Michael.
She had been wandering around for a few minutes, and was just preparing
to settle down and write a bit when she noticed the now-familiar black-clad
form of Sir Aeric strolling up the path towards her. She raised a
hand in greeting, and he responded in kind.
"Oh, Sir Aeric," she said, "have you come to meditate some more?" "Actually," he said with some hesitation, "I was hoping to find you here. I wanted to apologize for my absence at your dubbing. As your sponsor I should have been there. I'm afraid I let all the talk of Sir Mollari get to me. That is why I left so abruptly. Please forgive me." "Oh, no need for apologies. I understand. I, too, found it rather unsettling. He was a good Companion and I am sorry to see him go." Karissa paused a moment. "Besides, my heart wasn't completely in the ceremony. My time left is short and I must fulfill my promise to the Pendragon before... I mean, I pleaded my word and I must continue on. Now there is a problem with the trees and I don't know if I will have the chance." Karissa plopped down on the stone bench exhausted. "What do you mean?" Sir Aeric asked. "Are you going somewhere?" "Soon, I will have to return to Blyth and take..." Karissa paused for a moment trying to find the correct words, "…my rightful place there. I feel it is my destiny." "And what place would that be?" he asked. "The place left to me by my sister and by our birth parents before that." "And what place is that?" he asked again. "I'm sorry, Sir Aeric,” she replied sadly. “I can't tell you at this time." Aeric nodded his head solemnly. "I understand. We all have our burdens. I thought it might help to share yours. If you cannot, then you cannot." "I appreciate your concern, Sir Aeric, but in this case I must wait for all things to work themselves out. In the meantime, I do what I can, here in Warwick." Eager to change the subject, Karissa turned to Aeric. "Please forgive my asking, but how are you faring? You seem a bit more distant than usual..." Through her veil, you can see a small grin on Karissa's face, "Even for you." "Thank you for your concern, milady," Aeric says, most seriously. "There weighs upon my mind a matter most serious and important, but like your own affairs, I fear it, too, must remain secret for now. At times I wish it were not so, but the burden is mine alone to bear. I should not share it." Sir Aeric paused reflectively, and after a long moment asked Karissa, "will you tell me about your homeland?" "What is it you wish to know?" Karissa asked excitedly. "It is a most joyous place." Looking down a bit and with a heavy heart, "That is why I am here. I could not bear to let them see me like this." "Blyth is filled with so many giving people. Almost everyone, from the time they are born, are trained in acrobatics of some form. You see, Blyth is full of entertainers, jugglers, magicians, and, of course, the all around merry-makers, the jesters. From age twelve the children are trained in a specific form of entertainment. It is such a joyful place to grow up." Karissa says, sighing heavily. "But I was raised outside of Blyth, so I would not know first-hand. It was my sister that grew up there. Not I," Karissa said holding back the tears. "She was so much more talented than I." "A nation of entertainers?" Aeric asked. "Who, then, is left to be entertained? And what do you mean, 'raised outside of Blyth?' I thought you said it was your homeland...." “I had never thought of it that way,” Karissa answered, “but yes, we are a nation of entertainers. The Royal family is not raised in that way, so they are there to be entertained. In fact, in order to travel the countryside as an entertainer, you must first obtain the permission of the royal family and perform for them. Every year, fa..., I mean, the King would host a week-long feast and tournament. It was the best time to be in the city proper. So much to see..." Karissa trailed off, lost in thought. Realizing that she had drifted away from the question, Karissa returned abruptly, “Blyth IS my homeland, Sir Aeric. I was born there. In fact my name, Karissa d'Arminian Blyth translates to 'Karissa From the Light of Blyth'. I think that is partly why I feel so at peace in Warwick. The light within is so much stronger here. I will miss it so much." Sir Aeric nods. "You will be sorely missed, I assure you." "And what of your homeland, Sir Aeric?" She asked. "I've told you of mine...it seems only fair that you tell me of yours." "Hmm. My place of birth is no far-off land of mystery, I'm afraid. I was born in Lyonesse. There's not much to tell that you don't already know...you've been there, I know, at least once, so you must know what it's like...." "I do," she said. "When I asked about your homeland, Sir Aeric, I was more interested in the 'home' part than the 'land' part." "Aah." He said, taking a long pause. "My family,” he began, “was minor nobility. My...father...was a baron sworn to the king of Lyonesse, and we had a fairly decent-sized castle to live in. I had three brothers and one sister. Her name was Celfina. She was my twin sister." When talking about his sister, Aeric starts to trail off a bit, but then comes back to himself. "My brothers were all older than me, and they were all going to be knights--except for Cedric. He was going into the priesthood. I wanted to be a knight, too, but the baron had only so much land and gold to give out, and I was the youngest boy, so I wound up with nothing. When I was twelve, I ran away from home and joined the army. I thought that if I couldn't be given what I wanted, I would earn it like a commoner." "That's good," Karissa commented. "Yes, well, I didn't join the army for a sense of accomplishment; I wanted power. I couldn't get it at home so I sought it elsewhere." He paused for a moment. "While I was away," he said, "an evil knight killed the baron. My father. While I was in the army, seeking my own advancement, my brothers all sought vengeance on his murderer, and they were all killed by him. Even my mother and sister were killed." Shocked, saddened, Karissa asked in a small voice, "why?" "Because he was jealous, I think. He wanted what my father had. I don't know. Anyways, when I found out about my sister's death, I quit the army. I wandered around for a long time, living like a beggar. Then one day I met Panthra. She reminded me so much of Celfina...." "What about the dark warrior," Karissa interrupted. "Didn't you go after him?" "I didn't have to. We met face to face on the night my sister and mother died. There was a convent in the north...they had gone there after my father's death, to become nuns. The warrior had destroyed the convent and killed everyone there. He didn't even realize my mother and sister were among them. I found him there, after they were both dead. We battled all night long; in the end, he was defeated, and I left." "He is dead, then?" "I think so. I hope so. I always fear that he might return some day, to destroy everything I’ve built for myself here in Warwick. That's why I have to be strong...to make sure he never hurts anyone again." "That is such a large task for just one man,” Karissa said. “No wonder you are not found of Court. It must seem so frivolous compared to everything that has gone on in your life." Karissa paused for a moment unsure of what she would say next. "Do you miss her?” She asked finally. “I mean, do you still feel as though a piece of you is missing inside and you don't know how you will go on living?" The knight could hear the pleading in her voice. "I was not close to Tiggeria, but I always knew what was going on in her life no matter where I was and vice versa. Now, I have no one to..." Karissa’s voice trailed off as she began to sob again. As she buried her face in her hands, she felt Sir Aeric's hands on her shoulders from behind, comforting her. "Does it ever get easier?" she asked sheepishly. "The pain never goes away," he said, giving her shoulders a light and comforting squeeze, "but it does get easier to deal with." Suddenly Karissa felt something wet hit the top of her head. She turned around in Sir Aeric’s arms, which he let fall to his sides as she did so, and caught a glimpse of moisture in his eyes before he could turn away. "I have no business counciling you," he said, suddenly sullen. He took a few steps away from her. "What right have I to cry? What RIGHT have I to CRY?!" With the second RIGHT Aeric became suddenly angry, lashing out at a rosebush with his fist. He clutched the fist in his other hand as pink rose petals drifted silently to the ground at his feet. "Aeric, you know I understand your pain--" Karissa began. "NO!" he shouted furiously, whirling to face her. "You DON'T understand! How COULD you?! I KILLED HER! As surely as if I held the sword in my own hands." Just then, you notice that a small line of blood is trickling out from between his fingers. "No. You could NEVER understand." Karissa grabbed Sir Aeric's hands, gripping them tightly at the wrists, and looked him straight in the eyes. "I do understand,” she said. “I am as guilty as you." Karissa squeezed more tightly. "Now, can you calm down so I can at least tend to your hand?" Sir Aeric paused a moment and opened his fist, looking away angrily. The remaining rose petals drifted to the ground. Karissa pulled some salve, holy water, and a bandage from her basket. "Your body will survive this wound,” she said softly as she cleaned Sir Aeric's hand. “The question is, how long will your soul survive, with all the anger that has built up inside of you?" "It's not that simple," he replied, most of his anger having left his voice. "I wish it were." Karissa finished dressing the wound and looked up to find Aeric looking right back at her. His countenence had softened in a way she had never seen before. "Thank you for your kindness, Karissa," he said softly. "There is something you are not saying, Aeric,” Karissa said as she replaced her supplies. “I can see it in your eyes.” "It's nothing," he replied, flexing his bandaged hand experimentally. "Thank you again. Good day." With that, he turned and left. "Good day," Karissa said in turn. Thinking aloud as she watched the dark knight walk away from her, she said, "I know that look. I have seen it before. If only I could place it…." |
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