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Chapter 36:- Ending
Coming home without their friends was painful. Toku looked unsure of how to express himself, and settled on standing near the closest window to stare out at the snow. Niki began to cry and disappeared down a corridor to be alone, though Amy thought she noticed Micah watch her go with special attention. But he could not follow after her while Mimi was in charge.
Helen had walked into the cathedral, already pulling her coat and boots off, and demanded that Mimi take charge and no one disturb her until tomorrow. Then she'd stormed off to her room, and remained sequestered for the remainder of the evening.
Meanwhile, Mimi pushed everyone into the nave of the cathedral and set to work bandaging and treating all the cuts, bites, and breaks. Amy was surprised when Mimi gave her ribs a few good pokes and pointed out some cracks. She had not felt them break or any of the pain, though Mimi insisted she would feel them in the morning. It was somewhat amusing to look around and see almost everyone wrapped up in bandages. It looked as though they were humoring a small child bent on playing doctor.
When Mimi declared she had finished, Toku and Jack took it upon themselves to retrieve Jacqueline and Danny's bodies. Micah had vanished as soon as he'd been treated, and Reed was talking with Faud and showing him some of the books from the library, though it appeared that Faud would topple over within minutes due to very apparent exhaustion. Amy felt the same as him, and as she was also trying to fight back some heavy emotions, Amy retreated to her room for sleep.
When she awoke, the light was brighter than ever, so Amy assumed it was the next morning. The first thing she did was search out Robert.
He had tucked himself into one of the more private side chapels in the now empty nave, and was holding the black book his father had written. The pages he had torn out before were sticking out at odd angles, but it appeared he had tried to put them back in the right order. Robert looked serious, yet distracted. He didn't notice Amy until she was sitting beside him.
"Hello."
"Hey."
He held the book out to her, biting his lip. "I've been trying to fix it."
Amy took it and opened it with care. The pages were loose, and some were ripped and torn. The handwriting was neat and dark. Amy traced some of the lines, finding it strange to think that Robert's father had held this book and written in it. The man who raised the man she loved.
"I've been thinking about your father, Robert." She pressed the book into his hands. "I don't... I don't think he hated you."
Robert nodded, "I have considered that possibility. When he sent me here, this book arrived in my possession. I read it hundreds of times, trying to understand, but this book is an introduction to the why's and how's of this life, so it refrains from being personal towards me. But my father had put a letter in the book, addressed to me."
"What did it say?"
"I never read it. I was so angry, I tore it to pieces. A few days later, I gathered the pieces together and put them in a parchment envelope and hid it in the library. It's been there ever since."
"You mean, it's been hidden among the books for centuries?"
He nodded again.
"Why won't you read it, Robert? This is killing you..."
"I want to read it. But I'm terrified that it will confirm his hatred for me. And I prefer to go on living with the possibility he might not have hated me."
Amy frowned. "That's stupid. You're being an idiot."
Sighing, Robert ran his hands through his hair. "I know. That's why I found the envelope yesterday and used some of Mimi's home made glue to reassemble it."
He then pulled a crumpled piece of paper from the back of the book. There was a thick bonding agent holding the dozens of pieces together, but it was legible. Or would have been if Amy could read French.
"Was your father French?"
"No. My mother was. We lived in England, but French was what we spoke at home while I was growing up. Perhaps he thought it would be more personal this way..."
"What does it say?"
"In essence? He asks me to forgive him for sending me here. That he did it to protect me. He wanted me to be free and happy, and I couldn't be either of those things in the real world because dragons were so widely feared. I would have been slain, or have become a killer to protect myself. He felt this was the best option. He hopes I'll be happy and then asks for forgiveness again."
Amy bit her lip, unsure how to respond. She waited for some sign of his own feelings. Robert set the letter down on the book, staring at it.
"I thought about the letter yesterday, while you were asleep. I checked in on you and you looked so beautiful... I wondered if this was how my father felt about my mother, and how I would feel if I was in his place and you in my mother's. Then I remembered the letter, and that he was probably trying to tell me. I hope I can forgive him, one day."
Amy pushed the book and letter from his lap and turned him to face her. "I think you have already begun to, Robert." Then she took his hand and pulled him to his feet, leading him out into the snow.
The snow was thin beneath their feet and they sank into it. The moisture dampened their legs and the air felt much warmer than it had the days before. Robert slipped on some unseen bit of ice and collapsed into the slush.
"What--What's happened to the snow!" He sputtered, spitting out ice.
"It's melting," Amy smiled.
"Melting?"
Amy nodded, pulling him back up. "I noticed this morning when I looked out my window. The icicles were melting and dripping. See?" She showed him the icicles on the cathedral and the steady droplets that fell from them. A few had broken off and protruded like small, tree stumps from the snow. "I was sure this world was connected to you. And now that you're moving on, the world can let go of the cold and death."
Robert wrapped his arms around Amy, turning her around. He pressed his shivering lips to hers until they were warm and soft again.
"Amy, there are a lot of unknowns. Specifically, I'm not sure how long I'll be alive. Dragons live for hundreds and hundreds of years, sometimes almost a thousand years. I've been alive for over 600 now, and that seems like a very long time to me."
"Maybe you haven't been aging, though. Maybe you were stuck in a time in your life, just like the weather was. Maybe you're still just 22, and now you begin to age."
"Maybe," He sighed, giving her a quick kiss. "But whatever the case may be, I hope I can spend the rest of my life with you. I want to, I mean. I intend to."
"You intend to?" Amy smiled, blushing at the pretty words.
"If you'll have me, I'd like to marry you."
A strange knot the size of an over plumped basketball appeared in Amy's stomach, and the muscles in her back lost all tension. She leaned on Robert, as she stared up at him, and nodded as a smile erupted across her face.
Robert pulled her off of her feet and kissed her with the same spine shattering kiss she'd experienced the first time their lips had touched. But something occurred to her, and she pulled back for a moment, looking at him from the perch in his arms.
"Hey, Robert? Whose going to marry us?"
Coming home without their friends was painful. Toku looked unsure of how to express himself, and settled on standing near the closest window to stare out at the snow. Niki began to cry and disappeared down a corridor to be alone, though Amy thought she noticed Micah watch her go with special attention. But he could not follow after her while Mimi was in charge.
Helen had walked into the cathedral, already pulling her coat and boots off, and demanded that Mimi take charge and no one disturb her until tomorrow. Then she'd stormed off to her room, and remained sequestered for the remainder of the evening.
Meanwhile, Mimi pushed everyone into the nave of the cathedral and set to work bandaging and treating all the cuts, bites, and breaks. Amy was surprised when Mimi gave her ribs a few good pokes and pointed out some cracks. She had not felt them break or any of the pain, though Mimi insisted she would feel them in the morning. It was somewhat amusing to look around and see almost everyone wrapped up in bandages. It looked as though they were humoring a small child bent on playing doctor.
When Mimi declared she had finished, Toku and Jack took it upon themselves to retrieve Jacqueline and Danny's bodies. Micah had vanished as soon as he'd been treated, and Reed was talking with Faud and showing him some of the books from the library, though it appeared that Faud would topple over within minutes due to very apparent exhaustion. Amy felt the same as him, and as she was also trying to fight back some heavy emotions, Amy retreated to her room for sleep.
When she awoke, the light was brighter than ever, so Amy assumed it was the next morning. The first thing she did was search out Robert.
He had tucked himself into one of the more private side chapels in the now empty nave, and was holding the black book his father had written. The pages he had torn out before were sticking out at odd angles, but it appeared he had tried to put them back in the right order. Robert looked serious, yet distracted. He didn't notice Amy until she was sitting beside him.
"Hello."
"Hey."
He held the book out to her, biting his lip. "I've been trying to fix it."
Amy took it and opened it with care. The pages were loose, and some were ripped and torn. The handwriting was neat and dark. Amy traced some of the lines, finding it strange to think that Robert's father had held this book and written in it. The man who raised the man she loved.
"I've been thinking about your father, Robert." She pressed the book into his hands. "I don't... I don't think he hated you."
Robert nodded, "I have considered that possibility. When he sent me here, this book arrived in my possession. I read it hundreds of times, trying to understand, but this book is an introduction to the why's and how's of this life, so it refrains from being personal towards me. But my father had put a letter in the book, addressed to me."
"What did it say?"
"I never read it. I was so angry, I tore it to pieces. A few days later, I gathered the pieces together and put them in a parchment envelope and hid it in the library. It's been there ever since."
"You mean, it's been hidden among the books for centuries?"
He nodded again.
"Why won't you read it, Robert? This is killing you..."
"I want to read it. But I'm terrified that it will confirm his hatred for me. And I prefer to go on living with the possibility he might not have hated me."
Amy frowned. "That's stupid. You're being an idiot."
Sighing, Robert ran his hands through his hair. "I know. That's why I found the envelope yesterday and used some of Mimi's home made glue to reassemble it."
He then pulled a crumpled piece of paper from the back of the book. There was a thick bonding agent holding the dozens of pieces together, but it was legible. Or would have been if Amy could read French.
"Was your father French?"
"No. My mother was. We lived in England, but French was what we spoke at home while I was growing up. Perhaps he thought it would be more personal this way..."
"What does it say?"
"In essence? He asks me to forgive him for sending me here. That he did it to protect me. He wanted me to be free and happy, and I couldn't be either of those things in the real world because dragons were so widely feared. I would have been slain, or have become a killer to protect myself. He felt this was the best option. He hopes I'll be happy and then asks for forgiveness again."
Amy bit her lip, unsure how to respond. She waited for some sign of his own feelings. Robert set the letter down on the book, staring at it.
"I thought about the letter yesterday, while you were asleep. I checked in on you and you looked so beautiful... I wondered if this was how my father felt about my mother, and how I would feel if I was in his place and you in my mother's. Then I remembered the letter, and that he was probably trying to tell me. I hope I can forgive him, one day."
Amy pushed the book and letter from his lap and turned him to face her. "I think you have already begun to, Robert." Then she took his hand and pulled him to his feet, leading him out into the snow.
The snow was thin beneath their feet and they sank into it. The moisture dampened their legs and the air felt much warmer than it had the days before. Robert slipped on some unseen bit of ice and collapsed into the slush.
"What--What's happened to the snow!" He sputtered, spitting out ice.
"It's melting," Amy smiled.
"Melting?"
Amy nodded, pulling him back up. "I noticed this morning when I looked out my window. The icicles were melting and dripping. See?" She showed him the icicles on the cathedral and the steady droplets that fell from them. A few had broken off and protruded like small, tree stumps from the snow. "I was sure this world was connected to you. And now that you're moving on, the world can let go of the cold and death."
Robert wrapped his arms around Amy, turning her around. He pressed his shivering lips to hers until they were warm and soft again.
"Amy, there are a lot of unknowns. Specifically, I'm not sure how long I'll be alive. Dragons live for hundreds and hundreds of years, sometimes almost a thousand years. I've been alive for over 600 now, and that seems like a very long time to me."
"Maybe you haven't been aging, though. Maybe you were stuck in a time in your life, just like the weather was. Maybe you're still just 22, and now you begin to age."
"Maybe," He sighed, giving her a quick kiss. "But whatever the case may be, I hope I can spend the rest of my life with you. I want to, I mean. I intend to."
"You intend to?" Amy smiled, blushing at the pretty words.
"If you'll have me, I'd like to marry you."
A strange knot the size of an over plumped basketball appeared in Amy's stomach, and the muscles in her back lost all tension. She leaned on Robert, as she stared up at him, and nodded as a smile erupted across her face.
Robert pulled her off of her feet and kissed her with the same spine shattering kiss she'd experienced the first time their lips had touched. But something occurred to her, and she pulled back for a moment, looking at him from the perch in his arms.
"Hey, Robert? Whose going to marry us?"
The End
