AN: Hello, this has been edited. I've only made some spelling changes, and destroyed a lot of the notes.
Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING.
Summary: During The Singing Maerad ventured into Dernhil's study. What if she wasn't as alone as she thought?
Don't read if you have not read The Singing.
It had been a long time since anyone had come into these rooms. A thin layer of dust had now settled onto the carpets and furniture. Spiders had made their homes in the tight empty corners of the room.
From the study, shouting and high pitched squeals of laughter could be heard. But none of the happiness could slice through the lost and cold atmosphere inside. The room had become a dark corner that no-one dared to enter anymore, and so no light; save for the stream of sun that swam in through the window and illuminated dust particles. After the body had been removed and grieved upon, people had come to move all of his statues, books, stationary, written works. Now the room looked lifeless showing none of the personality of the previous occupier.
A spirit, not yet gone, lingered. It's heart full of a sadness that did not seem to leave. Currently hovering by the desk, watching through Innail prepare for a battle that the spirit knew would come. The spirit had not crossed over yet, simply because it believed a job still had to be done. A knowing told it to wait in this now lonely study, before the spirit could move on. For nine months he had stood in this study wondering if the time for peace would ever come.
In the beginning many of his friends and family had come into the room to cry and sing sorrow filled laments about him. He had rushed up to try and hugs them, give them some sort of comfort, to tell them that he was perfectly fine and not to worry because he was just waiting and it would only be a little longer before he passed beyond the gates rather than wait at the entrance for them.
Nine long months of waiting and Dernhil had been ready to try and leave the room. His hope and faith was dwindling and he needed a release from his old life. However as he approached the door he heard small footsteps outside the door, hesitant and fearful, pausing every so often so rare that the walker themselves might not even realise. Dernhil would not have heard it if he had not found himself straining his ears at the rooms outside, listening for the visitor to enter. Dernhil went to stand by his desk again, wishing he could tap his fingers on the desk top while he waited impatiently for the person to enter the room.
A thin Black haired, blue eyed girl walked into the room. She looked around at the room, absorbing the sorrow built into the atmosphere; she spotted one of his pens that had survived the mass clears out of his possessions. He watched as she picked it up and held it to her chest. Dernhil's heart flew. Maerad had come back to him, Maerad had survived! Those horrible servants of the dark had not found her and his heart sang.
He was worried that she would hate him for kissing her, for forcing her to relive horrible memories about her slave life, he could suddenly see the love in her eyes for him, and it made him happy to know that as he stood in front of her that she would not hit him for kissing her now. As Maerad opened her mouth to speak he could see the hurt and pain in her eyes and she tried not to cry. He wanted to gather her up in his arms and kiss her lips and tell her that he was okay and that he loved her so much.
"I wanted to tell you that."
Dernhil jumped. He had never been spoken to after his death, only about.
"Your poem saved me when I was captured by the Winter King"
THE WINTER KING? ARKAN! What had this girl been doing! Was the Treesong up there? Did Cadvan go with her?
"Even though you're dead you're still speaking to me. I hear your voice every time I read your poems"
His eyes wished they could cry and his arms wished they could hug her. She had kept reading and writing as much as she could, she still had his poem book he'd given to her.
"It made me feel sadder Dernhil."
His poems had made her cry! How he wished he could erase the sadness that had crept into her heart.
"Is not the same as talking to you"
I want to talk to you too Maerad my love, he thought
"I know I'm just talking to an empty space, I know that you are not here"
His heart stopped, He wished he could give her a sign that he was here listening. Carefully he drew his hand and placed it millimetres above her cheek.
"In some other place where the time is different, you might hear what i say and smile"
Oh Dernhil smiled; glad she was no longer completely distraught over his death and just missed him terribly like everyone else. It made him happy to know she was no longer hurting so very painfully. Dernhil's hand pressed against her cheek a bit more.
"Maybe it's not so stupid"
Of course it wasn't, Maerad was many things but none of them fell into the stupid category.
He gave her a Small hug, not touching her but a hug none the less, as she sat there and grieved some more. Then she stood up and walked to the door and opened it. Walking past the frame she looked back
"Farewell my friend"
Please review and tell me what you think of it.
AN2: Gosh it's been years, and this is newly edited. I can't believe I spelt flames wrong. What a child!
Thanks FP15