Chapter 10: As Water Flows to the Sea
Ultear sat near the edge of the cliff and trailed her fingers in the wide stream of water as it flowed by her and down to the ocean below. The water that used to be her mother's body. She wanted to be angry. Angry at the idiots who had followed a man blinded by power and a need for revenge on the demon who ruined his life. But it was too easy to imagine Lyon or Gray in his place with just one small twist of fate. Gray, as he'd been when she'd first met him, would have done the exact same thing. Ultear wondered what she would have done if things had gone differently, if she'd blamed Gray and Lyon for her mother's death, if she'd held onto the anger and rage deep inside her until it rotted out her heart. It didn't bear dwelling on.
Lyon sat down next to her, and trailed his fingers in the water as well.
"Would you judge me too harshly if I were to say that I wanted to lie down in this water so that I can pretend that I'm getting one last hug from Master Ur before she's gone?" he asked, not looking directly at her.
Ultear's lips pulled up in a wan half-smile.
"No."
"Good, because I was planning on doing it anyway." Lyon pulled off his shirt and pants, and lay down in the water. It wasn't quite deep enough to cover his face. He closed his eyes and let out a quiet sigh.
"I'm not sure whether I should be disturbed or jealous that I didn't think of that first." Gray crouched down on the opposite side of the stream, eyeing Lyon thoughtfully. He was moving stiffly and a massive bruise was starting to spread across his ribs.
"I'm glad to see that you managed to keep track of your pants for an entire battle," Ultear commented. "Where's your shirt?"
"No idea." Ultear rolled her eyes. Typical. "I think-" Gray hesitated and then continued, "I think Ur would have liked this. Becoming a part of the ocean."
Ultear rested her chin on one knee and watched the water rippled between her spread fingers.
"Yeah."
They were quiet for a long moment.
"What are we going to do about the villagers? You said stopping Deliora wouldn't fix them."
"No. I have an idea, but it will probably take all three of us-"
Lyon abruptly sat up, splashing water everywhere. His eyes were wide, and tears were gathering in the corners.
"Damn it, Lyon-!"
"Get in here," Lyon demanded. He sounded shaken.
"What are you-?!"
"Just do it!" He grabbed both of them by the arm and dragged them into the water with him.
"Aw, come on!" Gray yelped. "I'm actually dressed for once! And now I'm sitting in Master Ur! That's creepy."
"Lie down and close your eyes!" Lyon ordered, glaring at Gray. "I'll sit on you to make you do it if I have to."
"Fine, fine." Gray complied.
Lyon turned his attention to Ultear.
"Please, just trust me, 'Tear. I know it's not just me imagining things."
"Alright." She was already wet, so she might as well. Besides, Lyon looked so earnest – it was an expression that was hard to disappoint.
Ultear lay down in the freezing ice melt and closed her eyes. Her hair streamed out around her as the water tugged gently at her clothes. It was a little like an embrace. For a few moments, Ultear simply lay still wondering what Lyon had gotten so worked up about. Then she heard it, soft, like a whisper in her ear,
I'll always love you with all my heart, Ultear.
And then the memories flooded over her, but they weren't her memories. They were her mother's. A thousand little moments, a thousand joys, a single bright tear shed for the birth of a daughter.
My little Ultear. My little miracle.
She saw her mother begging for her dead daughter's body to be returned, felt her anguish at her loss. Saw her sobbing with relief as she clung to her daughter returned from the dead like a miracle. A miracle. And that's what every moment after that was – a miracle. More than she could have ever asked for or dreamed of.
Memories crowded and washed over Ultear like the water flowing around her. She saw herself, so much younger, practicing her ice magic, befriending Lyon and Gray, playing pranks on the boys, sleeping sprawled with her arm across Gray's face, dancing to a fiddler's tune in the marketplace.
And through it all was an overwhelming feeling of love.
I'll always love you.
Ultear sat up slowly as the last of the water trickled away around her. Tears were running freely down her face.
"She was right. All this time she was right. She really is still alive." Ultear threw her head back and laughed and sobbed at the same time.
After a while, the laughter slowed and the tears subsided. Gray and Lyon were sitting up as well, their hair plastered to their heads. Both of them had red-rimmed eyes. Gray was wiping at his face, but Lyon didn't seem to care about the tear tracks streaking his cheeks. Lyon leaned against Ultear's right shoulder. Gray shuffled forward so that he was sitting to her left. They all stared out at the sea.
"So now she's the ocean." Lyon sounded oddly content. "I knew training with her was the right choice. What other wizard could become an entire ocean?" There was a nostalgic grin on his face. Gray reached across and gave him a shove, but there was no real force behind it.
Ultear smiled and pushed a damp tendril of hair behind her ear. Then she started to giggle wetly.
"My mother's an ocean!" It wasn't funny, per say, but for the moment, she couldn't cry anymore. It was better this way.
Deliora was gone, finally gone, and her mother may not have been with them, but she really was still alive. Ur had kept them safe for nearly ten years. In a way, it was a miracle. One more miracle to give back and share with the world.