Shadows at the Dawn - Part 10

It had taken two years to work out, but Remmus would finally get to be with his princess. Well, in a relative way at first. He would certainly get to be much closer to her geographically speaking, and everyone involved agreed that if they had waited this long, a little longer would not hurt all that much.

He would be staying with King and Queen Saturn, learning the ways of the great houses of the Silver Millennium. It was not going to be easy giving up one life to start another, but none of that seemed to matter. Zeeda had finally given up trying to convince her parents that they were not losing him. He was only going to be a vid screen and a transport pad away. But she herself know she would miss him just as much.

Remmus was a bit nervous about leaving when the time finally came. Marshant had come down with a strange illness the month before, and while he seemed mostly recovered, his little brother had yet to fully regain the spark he had once had. Zeeda had threatened to whip him soundly however if he used Marshant as an excuse to put off his going, and Marshant himself had been adamant about his brother going off as well.

Zeeda had been a terror to be around lately, blaming herself for some unknown reason for Marshant's condition. Even Lienta was finally at his wits end trying to deal with her. Little did they know that their world would soon come crashing down around them.

The day had started out like any other. A family breakfast together, everyone joking and enjoying their last few days with Remmus. Even Marshant had joined them, being tired of staying in bed all the time. He stated he felt better than ever, and they had even played a few games of kill the troll. Husel was only ten, and it was still his favorite game - especially when Zeeda was the troll. The day ended with everyone tired and happy.

Remmus woke in the middle of the night to the sounds of worried voices and pounding feet traveling up the hall past his room. Opening the door, he caught Lienta rushing back the other way. The answer he received chilled his blood.

"Marshant is worse."

Before he even made it to his brother's room, Remmus saw his father rush out, the boy limp in his arms. Zornah was right behind them as they rushed towards the bath chamber, Zeeda waiting outside the door. His sister answered him before he even got his mouth open to ask what was going on.

"He's burning up. The fever just..just started out of nowhere."

She dragged him with her down to the kitchen, where they set to work filling one of the largest pots to heat water.

"Um..why are we doing this?" Remmus asked.

"It removes any lingering impurities. We need cool clean water to soak him in to hopefully bring the fever down." Zeeda replied, stirring a smaller pot with some herbs in it.

It seemed like it would take forever for the large pot to boil, but finally it did. Remmus helped her lift it from the fire and set it on a nearby cooling stone. He was not sure exactly how she managed it, but he felt her drawing on her inner power and the room around them suddenly got a lot warmer. Zeeda had managed to siphon of some of the heat from the water somehow, enough that they could safely carry it upstairs. Behind them, one of the maids was straining the herb mixture into a pitcher to follow them up with. They reached the stairs at the same time as Lienta and the healer he had gone to fetch. Taking his wife's place hauling the water, Lienta sent them on ahead.

No one in the main house slept that night. They lost track of how many trips they made hauling water up the stairs, and in the end it proved a futile effort. Remmus watched in numbed shock as the healer left his brother's room, shaking his head sadly. Marshant slipped away from them in the early morning, and an eerie silence descended upon Clan Centurious.

Millions of miles away, King Saturn was jolted from his slumber as his wife woke shaking from a nightmare.

When the first initial shock of Marshant's passing had worn off, they had all watched helplessly as Zornah crumbled before them. The healer had to give her a sleeping draught to help calm her, and Kalah had taken up station by her side. That left everything else on Zeeda. Remmus watched, having no idea how his sister was managing to keep everything, and everyone, together. He had the feeling though that when she lost it, they would all go crashing down with her.

With his mother unavailable, a confused Husel attached himself to Zeeda. He refused to let her out of his sight. There were times that morning Zeeda wished she was his age again, so someone else could deal with everything and just take care of her. But she knew at that dire moment the family needed someone strong, and it was part of her job to take care of things - in good times and in bad times.

What few workers they had in the house did a marvelous job in handling the steady trickle of visitors and communiques coming in once word got around of their loss. The stronghold village residents understood, and were not offended when a maid spoke with them briefly. They merely wished to let the clan that protected them know their neighbors cared. The only time the staff bothered the family was when it was a close family member calling in, or a friend considered close enough to be family. That was how Lienta found himself talking to Queen Saturn, her worry carrying through the vid screen quite clearly.

"Oh, Lienta - what's happened?"

"M...we lost Marshant early this morning." his voice sounded dull and lifeless in his ears.

"No..oh Lienta..no."

"How did you..."

"I'm not really sure. I woke from a terrible nightmare and I just felt something had happened. Zeeda and the others?"

"Remmus and Kullah are doing alright, I guess. Husel is scared and confused. Zeeda's holding everything together...but I'm not sure how much longer that will last. She's running on reserves right now Turna, and I'm afraid of what will happen if she cracks."

"Kalah, and Zornah?"

"The healer had to give her a sleeping draught to calm her. Kalah hasn't left her side since then. We haven't seen either of them since."

"Oh...I'll be there as soon as I can. Just hang in there."

Turna smiled weakly before ending the call. Lienta decided that since he was sitting in the com room already, he had better just go ahead and inform his family. His mother gave him the same message as Queen Saturn - hang in there until I arrive. He did not have the heart to tell her he was not worried about himself, he was more worried about his wife and the rest of her family.

Lienta let Remmus talk to his aunt, while he went to see if Zeeda and Husel were still napping in the study. Remmus spent close to half an hour reassuring his aunt that they were going to be okay, and that they did not feel offended she could not be there to help. Zornah's sister was expecting her fifth child any day now, and was thus forbidden from any sort of travel. When Remmus finally managed to end the call, he sent one off to the House of Pluto, hoping she was there. With a little luck, he soon had her face before him on the screen.

"Remmus, what's wrong?" Pluto had immediately picked up on the haggardness of his face.

"My little brother died this morning." Remmus felt hollow, the words hanging there before him.

"Not Marshant! Oh, Remmus, I'm so sorry."

"I..I just wanted to let you know..I'm going to be delayed a bit in getting there."

"Remmus, I'm not going anywhere. Your family needs you right now."

"Thank you." he managed a weak grin.

"Take care of yourself, please? And I'll be here if you just need to talk, okay?"

"I will."

Remmus bumped into Queen Saturn coming down the hall from the transport chamber as he left the com room.

"Oh, Remmus." she gave the young man that towered over her a one armed hug, her luggage still in the other.

"Here, let me get that Turna."

"How is everyone holding up?" She asked him gently.

"Kullah's asleep - I think. Zee and Husel were too the last time I checked. I think Lienta's with them in the study. Haven't seen mother or father since the healer left."

"Why don't you go try and rest. It's hard, but your body needs some sleep."

"Oh, I think Lienta's mother is on her way here too. I'm surprised you got here before she did to tell the truth."

"Go on and get some rest. I can take care of things."

Queen Saturn shooed him off to his room, and decided to check on those in the study. Zeeda and Husel were waking from their nap as she entered the room, Lienta dozing in a chair close by. Zeeda was physically as numb as her tired brain felt, and she did not realize Queen Saturn was there. Husel noticed her, and rushed over immediately.

"Aunti Turna!"

"How's my favorite boy?" she bent down to give him a hug.

"Marshant is gone." he mumbled into her shoulder.

Turna looked up in alarm as Zeeda let out a great shuddering gasp, her friend's eyes wide and panicked. Reaching over, she gently prodded Lienta to wake him.

"Take her somewhere more private." Turna hissed.

They both looked up to see Zeeda with both hands pressed over her mouth, desperately trying to not break down while Husel was still in the room.

"Husel, are you hungry?" Turna asked him, getting a nod in return. "Good, so am I. What do you say we go find something to eat?" She gently, though quickly, led him from the room.

Lienta jumped up after they left and gathered Zeeda in his arms. She clung to him desperately as he carried her towards their rooms, like she was afraid something would happen if she let go. Her whole body shook, as if she was trying to keep something in, or force something out. There was nothing he could say, and little he could do other than hold her close.

Masy had been startled when Queen Saturn had entered her kitchen with Husel in tow, but that soon vanished with a smile from the great lady asking if there was something around for them to eat. While she had not had time yet to cook anything proper like usual, the cook soon had a meal before them of some leftover stew and rolls from the night before.

"Thank you for coming, my lady."

Turna smiled at the tired looking cook.

"I couldn't leave them to suffer alone Masy...but I am worried."

They both knew she was speaking of Zornah, but neither would say more with Husel sitting there between them. No one wanted to voice such thoughts right then. Thanking Masy again for their lunch, Turna and Husel bumped into Kalah in the main hall after they left the kitchen. The boy had immediately let go of her hand and rushed to his father. Kalah, still looking rather numb, picked him up and held him tightly.

"Thank you for coming, though I'm ashamed at how you find us." Kalah said, his voice rough.

"Oh..no, there's nothing..." Queen Saturn found she couldn't finish that thought.

"We've neglected our treasures lost in our own grief."

"Where's mommy?" Husel asked quietly.

"She's sleeping son."

Kalah grimaced. He had been forced to give her another dose of the sleeping draught, she had been so distraught again when she woke...he had not wanted her to do any harm to herself.

"She going to be okay?" Queen Saturn asked gently.

"I...I hope so. The others?" he gazed at her with haunted eyes.

"The boys are resting, or at least making the attempt. Zeeda is as well, I think. She held on for quite a while this morning."

The look on his face told her he understood the unvoiced thoughts racing through her head. Zeeda had been forced to play parent to the rest of the house because both of hers had gone missing in action. He did not know if he could ever quite forgive himself for feeling like he had deserted them in their family's greatest time of need.

"And here we've pulled you away from your family."

"Don't you apologize for me being here. You're as much my family as my husband, who should be here in a day or two."

"I'd...better get back to check on Zornah. I'll keep him with me." Kalah attempted a smile before turning away.

Turna looked around the empty hall with sad eyes. These people had finally helped her out from under the shadow of her own loss, and she felt powerless to help them right then. It felt as if there was nothing she could do. Sinking down slowly onto a nearby bench, she sat there staring blankly at the floor.

Lienta hoped Zeeda was in a dreamless slumber, and while he did not like to leave her alone, his body felt tense and fidgety. Leaving quietly would hopefully disturb her less, and he left the rooms they shared together. Coming out into the main hall, he noticed Queen Saturn slumped on one of the benches that lined the room.

"Turna?" he said softly as he approached her.

"Oh, Lienta." She had no idea how long she had been sitting there. "I'm sorry, I was feeling a tad useless. Not too good when the comforter needs comforting..."

"It's hard when this place feels so empty and quiet." he sat down next to her. "I feel like I don't know if I should be grieving right now. There's this numbness I can't get past. I don't know if it's just the shock from what happened, or if I'm just being brave because that's what she needs."

"It's more like all of the above." Queen Saturn replied with a sad smile. "The day my son died, nothing felt real. And for many days following, I felt like I was trapped in some strange dream. I wasn't me - I was some stranger trapped in someone else's body. I could see those around me, but I couldn't reach them..."

Silence surrounded them, each lost in their own thoughts for the moment. They had been there for quite some time when they were suddenly jolted from their musings as the entry doors opened and a woman came bustling towards them. Lienta rose to greet his mother.

"Oh, my boy," Dreenal murmured as she embraced him. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine mother."

"And the family?"

Lienta could only shrug at that.

"Oh, and Queen Saturn." his mother gave her a hug as well - very few people escaped a hug from Lady Dreenal. "So good to see you again, though circumstances could be better."

"It is good to see you again as well." Turna returned with a smile.

"Son, not that I want to cause pain, but have the..arrangements..been taken care of?"

"Zeeda took care of everything this morning." Lienta replied tiredly.

"Zeeda? But..." Lady Dreenal stopped at the look on his face.

"I'm afraid Lady Zornah had to be given a sleeping draught." Turna supplied. "Kalah has been tending her."

"But the boys?"

"Husel is with Kalah, and the others are upstairs resting."

"Oh..I hope we can get them all through this."