The Time Before

The glade was peaceful as he stood silent, watching. It was as if nothing had changed. That the world around him wasn't broken and dark, and he himself wasn't different. He wasn't the same man when he had visited the glade for the first time, no; the darkness had engulfed that man and destroyed him. Now he was just a living shell, breathing with no purpose. He had once had a kingdom and now it was lost. Well, in better hands.

He remembered his first moments here in this glade. They were of playfulness, passion and absolute joy. There was laughter too, so much that he remembered thinking the Gods could hear them. And her smile, if he could weep in remembrance of that smile, how cheeky it was with that gap between the two front teeth. Yet he did not have the energy for weeping, that too was lost. A pity.

A slight breeze was making its way through the glade. He felt it tickle his skin and wave through his hair causing a small curl to seep forward. He immediately touched it and wondered, his hair used to be wild until he started grooming it. He had done so for a long time. But he also remembered how she played with it, messing it up, and how it annoyed him to no end. Yet now after all this time he didn't mind the lone curl, perhaps that was a good sign.

An owl hooted in the distance. It woke him from his reverie, startling him. He looked to the lone tree in the glade; it was a sessile oak and quite old. He loved this tree, it was tall and broad and brilliant for climbing. And it was now coming into bloom with beautiful, slim catkins. Soon they would grow acorns. But he also remembered something else.

Up to the top of oak was a string of paper cut stars, strung around like a halo effect. They were now old and most of the stars were rotten from decay. He remembered when they had first put them up there, how there was once a mixture of bright colors with tiny notes on each star. And now he could barely see any of it and it saddened him deeply.

However out of the corner of his eye he noticed something. A large boulder was lodged against the tree and trapped inside it was something white and pointy. He walked over and bent over to retrieve it. On further inspection it was one of the paper stars, he gently pulled it away from the boulder, making sure not to rip it.

There was a slight tearing noise as he pulled it away, but luckily there wasn't too much damage. No color remained on the paper, probably due to the fact that it had been outside for quite a long time. But as he closely examined it, he noticed that the writing was still there. His heart leapt a bit.

A ruler's gait is focused, bent on one path. He only knows that one path.
But a traveller, that is a different story. They are focused but the path yields many branches and 'all' are promising.

He frowned. It wasn't him that had written this.

"Hello Logan."

He stiffened, yet refused to turn to face the voice. "Why are you here?"

"You know why."

He answered that remark with silence.

"It is time to go."

"Page-"

"Logan."

They waited once more in silence.

"It is hard." He finally said, his voice stoic.

"I know." Page answered softly. "But we must go."

"Give me a moment."

Page sighed. "Fine. But I'm only giving you a minute." He then heard her walk away.

Logan took one more glance at the glade. Today would most likely be his final memory of it. He had hoped he would return to it as a better man, but of course that did not happen.

So instead he soaked it all in; the lulling sounds of birds, the wet grass beneath his feet, the wise oak and of course the memories.

For they were truly the happiest moments in his life.