It was the last night that Kratos and Lloyd would ever have together. When morning came, Kratos would be leaving for Derris-Kharlan. Lloyd was taking it hard, but was trying to hide it. He wanted to be strong.
The two went up to the terrace at Dirk's house. The sky was clear and filled with stars, and the air was warm. Lloyd was keeping very quiet, not wanting to get upset. Kratos was aware of his son's tension.
"Lloyd," he said in a soft voice.
"Yeah?"
"Do you remember your mother"
"Can we not talk about this?" Lloyd asked quietly.
Kratos looked at his son but Lloyd avoided to make eye contact. "It's just that you're a lot like her," Kratos finished.
A tear ran down Lloyd's cheek but he brushed it away before Kratos could see. He knew that he'd been strong throughout the whole journey. But still, he felt that he wasn't allowed to cry now. All Lloyd ever wanted in his life was his real parents but he never told anyone. Not Dirk, not even Colette or Genis. No one.
Kratos put his hand on Lloyd's.
"Are you alright?" He asked gently.
Lloyd couldn't hold it in anymore. More tears fell. Kratos finally brought himself to do what he wanted to all along. He embraced his son like he had all those years ago. Lloyd hugged his father back.
"It's alright to be sad," Kratos told him.
"I know. I just wanted to be strong right to the end," Lloyd said as he brushed away the last of his tears. "But it's okay. I'm done crying now," he smiled.
Kratos let go of him and turned to look at the stars. Lloyd did the same.
"So what was it you really wanted to say?" Lloyd asked, once again becoming the strongswordsman he was before.
"Anna would be proud of you," Kratos let a small smile creep upon his lips.
"You think so?" The boy asked.
"I know she would. She loved you more than anything. ...We both did," Kratos said.
Lloyd couldn't find any words that expressed how he felt, so he just smiled.
"She was so happy when she held you in her arms for the first time. And I was delighted as well,"
Kratos told his son, feeling himself opening up to someone once again. It was a great release, everything he wanted to tell Lloyd was being told.
"I'm really sorry," Lloyd suddenly said.
"For what?" Kratos asked.
"The night I found out you were my father, I acted terribly. I didn't mean to. And I'm sorry if I hurt you."
"Oh, that. Well, it's alright now. I didn't know what your reaction would be. But I certainly didn't want you to find out that way. I was going to tell you myself when the time was right, but that's just not how things turned out," Kratos told his son.
"Yeah, but you forgive me?" Lloyd asked.
"Of course"
The sky was becoming darker and it was time to go inside. Lloyd started to lead the way to his room, but stopped suddenly. He turned back to Kratos.
"I've been wanting to say this for a while, but could never bring myself to," Lloyd paused.
Kratos tilted his head in curiousity.
"I ... I love you, Dad!" Lloyd shouted, then continued into his room, a huge smile on his face. Kratosstood in the doorway in shock. Nothing hit him like that did. He smiled at his son.
"Thank you, Lloyd," he whispered.
The sadness of the parting was forgotten after that. The two stayed up most of the night, sharing stories. Noishe also kept them company. He lay on the floor beside Lloyd's bed and seemed to enjoy listening to his companions. Eventually, the father and son fell asleep, wondering what lay ahead of them. It may have been a parting of the ways but it wasn't the end. It was just a new beginning.