For the first round of QL finals, I'm writing as Beater 2 for the Arrows. I had to write about a centaur, using the prompts: Dialogue-"I hope you live a life you're proud of. If you find that you're not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again." –Eric Roth, Everything happens for a reason, and Dialogue-"Is that too much to ask?"
Thanks to Reppad for being a wonderful captain and for betaing this for me!
xox
"Can I have a word with you, Firenze? Over here, if you please," his grandmother said, gesturing to a pair of tree stumps in a secluded area of the forest. This was where they had always gone to talk about important things, most prominently, the time Firenze found out that his parents had passed on. It was hard for him, even though he had been very young. This spot still harboured bad memories for him, and Firenze tended to avoid the stumps in the clearing whenever possible. The look on her face did nothing to settle the cold sense of dread in his stomach. He didn't want to hear what she had to say, but he knew better than to deny her this time to talk. She looked so sad, he could practically see the tears she was striving to hold back.
"Sure," he said, cantering over in his grandmother's wake. Firenze was nearly ten years old. His mane had grown out over the long summer, the white-blond locks falling gracefully on his back. Taking a seat, he noticed how serious her eyes were, and swallowed hard.
"Now, my dear, you probably know what I'm about to say, don't you? Always a bright one, you were." Firenze made to get up and argue with her, but she turned her sad eyes on him, and he returned to his seat on the stump. "Now, before you get all up in arms, you need to know that everything, even if it doesn't seem like it, everything happens for a reason, Firenze. Nothing you or I can do will stop this, and frankly, I wouldn't like it to be stopped. We all have to move on sometime, and my time has come, we both know it.
"I've taught you so much. You know your stars and planets and what they tell us. Follow in my footsteps and bring that knowledge to others, alright? Widen your mind and discover new things. You could be the one to bring a new realm of learning to the world, Firenze. Don't deny your gifts, you have been given so many wonderful gifts. Use them."
Firenze looked around at the towering trees of his homeland. He had grown up with his grandmother, and she'd been more of a mother to him than his real mother had. They shared so many tender moments, so many memories had been made. He wasn't ready to let go, not now, not ever. But he was mature enough to know that all things must come to an end, and better now than somewhere down the road where there would be more things holding him to her.
"I don't want you to go, I'm not ready," he muttered. "—Please."
"Firenze," she said, holding his hand in her own. "I am so immensely proud of you, and I will never forget you. I'll see you on the other side. Don't let yourself forget me, and I'll never be gone from you. Keep remembering. Keep believing.
"You've been so smart, so strong. You've made these past ten years worth living, and I will never be able to thank you enough." She gestured to the open patch of ground before them, and they laid on their backs, eyes searching the familiar night sky. "See, Firenze, my star is burning out. Carerina is dying, as am I." Firenze watched a tear fall down her cheek.
"I have only one thing left to tell you, I think," she continued, looking deeply into his sapphire-blue eyes. "Firenze, I hope you live a life you're proud of. I truly do. Don't feel like you have to do only what is expected of you, because you can reach far greater heights, I know you can. Live in a way that makes you happy. If you find that you're not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again. Can you promise me that, please? Yes, learn up, share that knowledge, but don't pass up opportunities to do more. Follow your heart. That, I must say, is my one regret – that I didn't take risks, I didn't enjoy life the way I know I could've. Don't make the same mistakes I did. Is that too much to ask?"
He couldn't bring himself to say anything, so he shook his head, looking at her with concern. Carerina tightened her grip on his hand as she looked out onto the forest surrounding them. The two of them sat in silence for a few moments, before his grandmother continued.
"Firenze, darling," she murmured, wrapping a feeble arm around her grandson's waist. "I've lived a long, happy life. I've done everything I've wanted, learned more than I'd ever expected. Now that I've passed that knowledge onto you, it's time for me to go. There's nothing here in the material world left for me, no need for me to stay any longer. I should save my remaining breaths for my next life. I shall see you there. Goodbye, Firenze." With a final staggered breath, she fell limp into his lap, eyes closed serenely, body still. He stroked her white hair gently, thinking of what would be best to do now.
He was used to loss at this point. His parents had both passed on before he had gotten a good chance to know them, but they left him in good hands. His grandmother had taught him all he would need to know to live successfully, and her time, too, came to an end. Firenze wasn't sad, exactly. He couldn't be. He had known from a very young age that the goal in the life of a centaur was to learn the secrets of the universe, the secrets the rest of the world was too blind to notice and build upon, and to bring that information to new light, giving it a purpose to live out. He would continue on this mission, of learning about the planets and stars, of what their messages were for those on earth, and bringing that knowledge to others. Carerina would live on in his heart, her learning would inspire new generations, she would go on through him. He felt a great sense of honour in carrying on her spirit.
Everything happens for a reason, he thought, and everything ends. But nothing is ever ended permanently, not if it made a difference in just one person. And she did.