Age of Kings 1066

POV Rio

It was now fully Winter, and it seemed that the weather reflected how I was feeling. It was a heavy blizzard outside, and traveling outdoors was difficult. Ralts and Hatterene were staying home, but they came by to visit every couple of days regardless of the weather. It had just passed the New Year, and my Mom was getting worse by the day. So today I decided to lighten her mood with a story.

"How are you feeling today, Mom?"

"Better now that you are here," She flatters me, but I can see she isn't doing that great.

"Well, today I decided I would tell you a story to help you feel better."

"What's it about?" She asks.

"It's about Fellowship, Good vs Evil, Willpower, and the refusal to give up even in the hardest of times."

"This sounds interesting," She says.

I cast some illusion spells to give me some sound effects, then I take a seat and begin the tale.

(AN: Play LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring - Opening Scene - (HDR - 4K - 5.1) for the Audio if you want. )

"I amar prestar aen."

I start by speaking in Elvish, which surprises her.

"The world is changed."

"Han matho ne nen."

"I feel it in the water."

"Han mathon ned cae."

"I feel it in the earth."

"A han noston ned gwilith."

"I smell it in the air."

"Much that once was is lost, for none now live who remember it."

The music starts.

"It began with the forging of the Great Rings. Three were given to the Elves, immortal, wisest, and fairest of all beings. Seven to the Dwarf-Lords, great miners and craftsmen of the mountain halls. And nine, nine rings were gifted to the race of Men, who above all else desire power."

"For within these rings was bound the strength and the will to govern each race."

"But they were all of them deceived, for another ring was made. In the land of Mordor, in the fires of Mount Doom, the Dark Lord Sauron forged in secret a master ring, to control all others."

"And into this Ring, he poured his cruelty, his malice, and his will to dominate all life. One Ring to rule them all."

"One by one, the free lands of Middle-Earth fell to the power of the Ring. But there were some who resisted. A last alliance of Men and Elves marched against the armies of Mordor, and on the slopes of Mount Doom they fought for the freedom of Middle-Earth."

The Illusion Spell shows the final battle. It showed fighting death on a massive scale, and then I moved into the next part.

"Victory was near."

"But the power of the Ring could not be undone."

I show Sauron destroying entire groups of soldiers with ease. The men were not stopping and kept fighting. But then the King is struck and killed. And Isildur ran to his father.

"It was in this moment, when all hope had faded, that Isildur, son of the King, took up his father's sword."

Then Sauron approaches Isildur.

"With one desperate strike, Isildur severed the fingers of Sauron."

It showed Sauron being "defeated," and then I continued the narration.

"Sauron, the enemy of the free peoples of Middle-Earth, was defeated."

The music starts again after pausing earlier.

"The Ring passed to Isildur, who had this one chance to destroy evil forever."

"But the hearts of Men are easily corrupted. And the Ring of Power has a will of its own."

I then show the ambush of Isildur and how he fled the battlefield instead of remaining.

"It betrayed Isildur… to his death."

"And some things that should not have been forgotten were lost..."

Several Hours Later...

"Okay, that is it for the first part. We can continue the story tomorrow."

"Ahhh, but it was getting really interesting. Can't you tell me more tonight before I go to sleep?" My Mom pleaded with me.

I thought about it and saw no reason.

"Okay, but I won't tell it for as long tonight, you need your rest."

"Fine, fine, who is the parent here?" She murmurs that last part quietly, but I still hear it. But I chose to pretend I didn't

'Hmm, I think my senses have been getting sharper as I grow older.'

When I was three, my hearing was slightly better than average, but now I could pick out the movements of someone 100 feet away in a blizzard with strong winds. That wasn't even considering my vision and smell. I could smell someone coming around half a Kilometer away. And I could see 100 meters away, down to the smallest details. I could spot a fly on a blade of grass from 100 meters away with no problem. I could also actively control my sense of taste to detect the faintest trace of materials in food or water. I knew all of that was beyond ordinary, but now that I know I am the child of a Kitsune, I can see how some of those features came from my father.

I stopped thinking about that and refocused on my tasks I need to do today.

'Hopefully, this blizzard passes soon.'

Two Weeks Later...

I had finished telling the Lord of the Rings Story yesterday, and today I was struggling to think of a story to tell her this time.

'Maybe a more family-friendly story? But something that is still within the realm of understanding for her.'

I knocked on the door, but I noticed something strange. I could hear anything from inside the room. I burst the door open and rushed to my Mom's side to check her pulse, but found that she was ice cold. I froze for a moment, and my body went through the automatic processes for determining the time of death. I estimated she died 2 hours after I had gone to bed.

(AN: Play padme's funeral - john williams (slowed & reverb + rain) for some music. )

I just sat there staring at her body. Her face seemed at peace, and she even had a slight smile. She had the same pitch black hair as I did, but her beauty was ruined by the massive black veins all over her body. I was able to find the smallest amount of peace knowing I helped her go without pain.

'At least I could help her with my knowledge of my past life.'

I had made a herbal remedy I invented in my last life that worked as a non-addictive painkiller. It had only a couple of side effects, but they were minor. But I knew that I was avoiding the topic. She was gone. Dead. I was all alone. Again.

'Perhaps this is fate. Perhaps I am destined to always lose my mother.'

I knew I was just being pessimistic, but I couldn't help but feel empty and angry. I had no idea how long I had just sat there, but I was snapped out of my thoughts by Hatterene.

"I'm sorry, Rio," Hatterene said with an unusually subdued tone.

I just hugged her and cried. I let out all the pain and grief I had from both lives. I later found out that I had been sitting watching my Mom's corpse for 3 days. And I had ended up collapsing in Hatterene's arms. I was exhausted in multiple ways. When I woke up, we started the preparations for my Mom's funeral. 

The first thing we did was make a pyre. My mother was placed on it, and then we began to say our goodbyes. Ralts and Hatterene went first, so I could have time to think. When it was my turn, I went up and gave a simple speech.

"Keira Draconis was a loving Mother and an excellent parent. She gave me all the love and attention she could give me. She taught me everything I know about magic. Even helped me learn about magic she herself didn't know. Haha, I remember a time when she tried to teach me how to cast an illusion. I did exactly as she told me to, and it blew up. We both ended up with massive afros."

I smile to myself at the memory of it.

"She was taken from us far too soon. As a Master Restoration Mage, she could have lived for several centuries to come. But I don't blame her for her actions. She did what she believed was right. She saved a life, and in turn, I was eventually born. We each have our paths in life. And sometimes it may lead to our end, but I can't say that is wrong, for if you die doing the thing you love and it ultimately benefits others, then I can say they lived a good life. I will miss her. More than she will ever know. I am grateful for the nearly 10 years I had with her. And I wish her a good afterlife, whether that means she goes to the Elysian Fields or is reincarnated into another life or something else. I hope she and my Father may rest in peace. May Arceus, Zeus, and any other god that witnesses this grant her safe passage to the afterlife and guard her soul as if it were their own."

I step down, and Hatterene and Ralts hug me. Hatterene asks me if she should light the pyre, but I just shake my head.

"I'll do it."

I walk towards the pyre and use a spell to light it. The fire burns hot and strong. I just stand there watching as the fire slowly consumes her. It starts to rain, but I refuse to leave. Hatterene doesn't try to stop me and only creates a barrier to keep me dry. I kept watching until the last ember had extinguished and nothing remained but ashes. I gathered the ashes and put them in an urn, which I would bury under the Oak Tree along with my father's ashes. Once all that was done, I just went into my house and fell into my bed. I just lay there. After some time, Hatterene and Ralts came in and joined me.

We didn't say a word to each other and just lay there. After some time, I fell asleep.