Chapter 14: The Winds of Hades
by Ivy Rangee
Hades
Proptiki Peak
Date and hour: Mutable
In Hades time wanders like mazy waterways through dense jungles, thus an entire epoch may pass unnoticed as drifting shades spiral, transfixed by illusions embedded within obscure temporal eddies. But for those aware of the complexities of Hadesian chronology, time as a barrier does not exist; they navigate this strange temporality with impunity. Thus, under Queen Persephone's protection the captain of the Silvana knelt in deep reverie, sometimes mumbling bitter words of regret, sometimes weeping. The equivalent of several lifetimes passed before calm emptiness flooded him. When, coming to his senses, Alexander Row raised his head, he found he no longer inhabited the Queen's garden. Now, he knelt upon the highest promontory of a glinting obsidian mountain, overlooking a glassy gray-silver lake encircled by fields of waving asphodel. Like a child who has seen the ocean for the first time, he stared, awed by Lake Mnemosyne's strange, heavy, heaving magnetic waves. When a sudden, powerful gust of wind lifted dust devils into the air, he raised his eyes to observe a dense sky laden with haunting, alien bluish-taupe clouds.
"This must be daunting, for as much as I love my lord, yet even so, I long for the blue, blue sky," mused Queen Persephone. By the sound of it she stood behind him, and as he turned, thinking to greet her, he felt the light touch of her fingers pushing his head down. "You may not behold me in Hades," she commanded.
"Where are we?" Alex asked as, closing his eyes, he turned his face to feel the sensuous touch of the cleansing gale.
"Upon Proptiki Peak."
"Why?" He spoke as if to a peer; he no longer felt the awe necessary to devise proper epithets.
"I could not let you leave Hades in such a state. You must gain perspective before you awaken."
"This is a dream, then."
"A dream from the Gods, at your request."
"I released Euris?" asked Alex, resting his forehead on his knee.
"Yes, you freed Euris without my interference."
"It's true then; she's really gone."
"You found it very difficult?"
"I have never done anything harder."
"You humans," the queen said, her voice wavering sweetly. "Impermanence imparts you such nobility."
"Did you lie then?" demanded Alex.
"Lie?"
"When you said I'd see her again."
The queen hesitated. "No…though she may be unwound to some degree."
"Unwound?"
"She will exit Hades with you as promised. As to her condition I cannot predict, never having dealt with an in-between situation such as this. However, the process cannot be stopped; human life is fleeting. And Hades is the place of unwinding. You find my words offensive?"
"What if Lord Hades were to unwind?" spat Alex.
The Queen said nothing as Alex fought the urge to punch her. After a few moments he heard her weeping, an incredible auditory experience which carried with it the vision of a garden, now fallow, yet poignantly beautiful, for the subtle imprint of the lost gardener's diligence. He wished he could still play music so others might hear an approximation of the sound, but then he shrank from such idiocy, for if Lord Hades found that Alex had made his Queen cry there'd be hell to pay. For a time, like statues, neither moved, and then Queen Persephone commenced whispering in an incomprehensible, mellifluous language at the threshold of Alex' perception.
"Alexander Row," said the Queen of the Underworld, when she ceased her susurrations. "You may count yourself fortunate, for few humans survive one trip to the underworld, let alone three. That in itself is boon enough, but I shall grant you one further boon. I give it freely in spite of your animosity."
"There is nothing I wish that we have not already agreed upon." As Alex said this he felt the ground beneath him shake as the air seemed to waver.
"I have remained silent long enough. Hold your tongue, apostate, or I shall hold it for you," shouted Lady Hecate who, with her pets, swarmed him. The trio's sudden appearance sent a rush of adrenaline coursing through Alex' veins as he rubbed his forehead. His senses found it almost impossible to parse the way the goddess and her creatures simply walked out of thin air. It was as if the fabric of his consciousness had been rent and then rewoven. With an intense effort of will, he recovered quickly, and, remembering Hecuba and Gale's tender treatment of Euris, he reached out to them. They responded, settling down next to him.
"That is not true, Alexander, there are many things you want besides death," responded the Queen, ignoring Lady Hecate.
"Not anymore. Once I have completed your quest my life is forfeit."
"Come to your senses, Alexander."
"Poor Euris, I am the evil one!" said Alex, his tone fierce with guilt. "It is I who belong in Tartarus."
"Indeed, that may be so, though you are one of the few who recognizes it."
"What difference does that make?"
"Most humans rationalize the evil they do, and, in the narrowness of their minds, turn wickedness into goodness through this convoluted process. At least you are aware of the shadow you cast; given this advantage you may find transformation."
"You waste your explanations on an idiot."
"Be warned, Alexander; I will not take back the boon no matter how much you testify against yourself."
"I have no say in the actions of a Goddess; I warn you, though, you squander your blessings on the likes of me."
"Have you forgotten your promise?" asked Queen Persephone.
"And what promise would that be?"
"To find Tamon."
"Tamon is real?" asked Alex, desiring this with all his being. The possibility that his child with Euris survived imbued him with phenomenal energy. It was as if the dark world he inhabited had lightened to a pale gray.
"As I said this is a dream from the Gods. Have you forgotten what that means?" demanded the Queen.
"Perhaps I have acted unwisely," he said, kowtowing. "Holy Kore, help me, that I may not fail Tamon as I have Euris."
"I am pleased to hear you say this. Tamon needs you, and it is time you made amends. In Hades, on this meandering day, you have made good start. Now get up! There is work to be done."
"Will this boon aid my quest?" Alex tried to suppress the eagerness in his voice as he stood, wondering at his buoyancy.
"You selfish low-life! I have tried to remain a bystander, but why, Your Royal Highness, why do you tolerate this rebellious, narcissistic pissant?!" growled the ever vigilant goddess of all crossroads.
"Narcissistic? No, Lady Hecate, deranged is more like it," laughed the queen. "I mean that in the best possible way, Alexander."
"Majesty, I do not find this humorous." Lady Hecate's voice reverberated through the thick atmosphere, as her pets leaped to her side.
"Ah, dear sister, I have a soft spot for tragic bad boys."
"That, Holy One, is obvious. One only need look around," Lady Hecate's voice softened in consolation, then she turned to Alex and commanded. "Express your thanks, you wretched miscreant; sing for us!"
"I must decline; I no longer have the ability to sing, Lady Hecate."
"Did you not wish to recreate the sound of my weeping?" asked Queen Persephone.
Of all the possible boons the Goddess might grant, Alex did not expect this; the return of music. He did not want it; it might soften his hatred and then where would he be? However, unbidden, a dark, solemn dirge rose to consciousness, and try as he might he could not rid himself of its persistent refrain. The more he listened the more enthralled he became; slow and sad, it conveyed a touching yearning – an expression of the wistful pain he'd grown to cherish. He wished for a note pad and writing implement only to find he once again wore the uniform of a Disith bridge officer whose belt pouch held the needed items. When he reached for a pad, he felt the soft, succulent red narcissus petals he'd gathered from Euris' grotto. If only he'd been able to give them to her, but he'd been dressed for death. The bitterness of this emotion harmonized with the melancholy melody in his head, and he wrote musical notes and lyrics with a coherence that had eluded him for the last ten years. When he completed a draft he sang for the Goddesses.
For you, searching,
Blind, downward winding.
Trailing the invisible god,
Even deeper, for you.
From a rindle of blood,
You, breathless, dazed.
You, once lost, still lost.
Strangers to lovers,
Confess amity and trespass.
Two suppliants seek recompense.
The incantation's power ebbing,
You, fading to flowers.
My heart turning to glass,
Shattering to shards,
Reflecting only you.
"You will see Euris again once you have destroyed the deviant and her machines," said the queen, weeping; her voice rippled like falling water.
"But, as you said, she unwinds - whatever that means. One thing I do know, when she drinks from the River Lethe her memories will fade," replied Alex, resting against the rocky cliff. He'd be in for it if the Lord of the Underworld heard his queen's trembling cry.
"It was the only way, Alexander."
"Was it?" wondered Alex. Picking up an obsidian pebble and dropping it over the edge, he watched it fall, but heard no report when it hit the cliff below.
"You will be together soon."
"If she has no memory why would she come to me?" wondered Alex.
"She will recognize you."
"But the things we've shared are gone."
"You can tell her everything, or write a history for her. It has been said by some that the effects of Lethe are unpredictable and even reversible in some cases."
Alex considered this. Was Queen Persephone hinting at some esoteric knowledge? He would ask Lord Zoi. "What you ask of me I may not be able to deliver," said Alex. "What then?"
"Then you will move on."
"No! I will drink from Lethe and remain here with Euris."
"But you are Yokujin. You may abandon the wheel of life."
"If I fail I choose to continue the cycle of rebirth. I will not leave Euris behind."
"But what of the rest of your family?"
"They will make the passage without me, but I'll not leave Euris."
"We will talk of it then; there may be unforeseen circumstances. Now, as to my advice regarding your quest, I beg you; do not indulge in childish daydreams."
"You need have no concern; I know what I must do," said Alex in his most imperious captain's voice.
"Contemplate carefully how you will proceed. Certainly you will gain your heart's desire should you succeed, but …"
"You are wrong!" shouted Alex, bringing his fist down hard on the sharp shards of obsidian. "Walking into the beyond with Euris is not my heart's desire! All I have ever wanted is a normal life with a home and children."
With blinding speed Lady Hecate swept down upon Alex, grabbing his collar and yanking him aloft so his feet flailed in the air. With her angry, yet startlingly beautiful face directly before his, she glared at him like the fearful dragon deities that guard certain hidden temples. Alex looked down to find she dangled him over the precipice; it would be a long fall should she let go, and he wondered if Hades' gravitational field were stronger then Prester's. Normally he would have been delighted to find out, but today he had other plans, and, because of these, he did not want firsthand knowledge.
"You blighted blister of a carrion beetle, first you call the Queen a liar, then you make her weep and now you insult her. Apologize to Her Majesty or you will be rolling a dung ball up this mountain for all eternity!" shouted Lady Hecate.
"Put him down, Lady Hecate," said Queen Persephone, gently. "Such judgments are not within your purview. Then too, for now he is one of us, so he may speak freely."
Alex felt gratitude to Queen Persephone for her generosity; Lady Hecate, however, seemed unmoved for she continued to hold him over the edge, intent on either strangling him or dropping him to his death.
"You will show respect even in your elevation to unparalleled freedom, human!" growled the Goddess of all Crossroads, growing to a great height before dropping him over the lowest portion of the rocky outcropping.
Knowing Lady Hecate's proclivity for revenge, Alex scrambled to his feet and bowed to her. He did not want to invoke her dark side given the work before him. He'd considered a full kowtow, but decided not to bother, since he was temporarily on equal footing.
"Forgive me, Your Majesty," he croaked, barely able to speak.
"Better," growled Lady Hecate. Her pets, Gale and Hecuba, joined with her in glaring menacingly at Alex. "You will not interrupt or speak in that surly manner to Queen Persephone ever again."
"As you say, Brimo Trimorphos." When it came to Lady Hecate, epithets rolled effortlessly from Alex' tongue.
"Alexander," said Queen Persephone. "You must have known from an early age your destiny lay outside normality."
"That did not stop me from desiring such a life. But it no longer matters; your quest has taken root in me. I find I wish to live to see how it ends, and as you say there is Tamon to consider."
"As to the quest, Alexander, I pray you can see beyond your own motives, for if you do not, you will be as one peering through a keyhole."
Alex considered this as he walked to the edge of the high precipice; before him spread a wide plain where the waters of Lake of Mnemosyne glinted in the hazy light; beyond that he could make out the flowering trees and gardens of the Elysium Fields, and, further still, the sea, beyond which lay the Isle of the Blessed.
"You are saying that I am too subjective – that I must put aside narrow self interest or be blinded by it."
"Yes, you must succeed in a way that all benefit."
In quiet contemplation, Alex wondered how to phrase what he must say next. No doubt Queen Persephone already knew, but, nevertheless, he owed her full disclosure; as his benefactress, she'd saved his ass innumerable times since childhood. "Your Majesty, as much as I find I wish to seal this bargain, there is something I must confess."
"Yes, Alexander?"
"I am… damaged."
"Damaged?"
"You could not have picked a more worthless champion. Not only am I mad, wicked, and dangerous, but a coward as well."
"I am not concerned about that."
"When I am under its spell, I see things…things that only I can see. I act in bizarre, irrational ways over which I have no control."
"I have done what is possible to alleviate this malady, though it required stealth so as not to alert the Fates, who would report me for such manipulations," said the queen. "There is some leeway to loosen one thread here and another there without detection. But your proclivity toward this condition is part of a greater constellation."
"You tricked the fates? Who would they report you to?" asked Alex, truly confounded by such a concept.
"It is a kind of compensation," continued Queen Persephone, ignoring his question. "You have many natural gifts, and each brings with it a downside. There is no way to heal your illness completely without removing its corresponding gift, which I would not do even if I could. This flaw and its balancing ability are imprinted at the deepest level of your being. Such innate flaws only surface during a lifetime when the causes and conditions for it arise in the outside world. You live in the war torn world of Prester. Thus your tendency toward soldiers' heart was bound to reveal itself."
"You have restored my health?" Alex succumbed to his old enemy: hope.
"I have done what I can, but the condition will return once the threads tighten. Therefore make haste; our worlds are under assault. This must be done for the benefit of all, not just for your sake."
"As you say, Holy Kore. Time wastes. But I must ask one more question," said Alex, pushing his luck.
He heard the Queen sigh; it was a sweet, heartbreaking sound. "And what would that be?"
"What of Exile?" he demanded. Perhaps she would permit him to blow the bloody thing to hell.
"Exile is not your concern; your fate is the destruction of the Guild."
"But that machine is a constant threat."
"Alexander, you know that is not true; Exile is part of the answer."
"The Guild controls it." Alex knew the goddess spoke the truth, yet like an idiot he stubbornly fought for his selfish desire.
"What is your point?"
"Should I destroy it as well?" He knew he disappointed his patron continuing this line of questioning, but maybe she would impart some new bit of information he'd missed.
"Now that question speaks to all I have warned you about. If you destroy Exile, you destroy Prester."
"But the cocoon is impenetrable."
"Not for much longer. The solution is close."
"Can it truly be subdued by a 'poetic key'?" Alex had found this term in one of Tamon Yokujin's journals. He'd have discarded it, but for his long-dead ancestor's accuracy in everything else.
"Yes, if the key speaks the poem in the correct pitch word for word."
"And must the pitch be in a certain key?"
"Key carries a double meaning here; it means both an instrument that unlocks and a tonal key."
"Is the key a type of musical instrument then?"
"I believe you know the answer, but perhaps you need reassurance. The key is a human who carries the proper imprint."
"You mean gene configuration?" pressed Alex.
"I do. Now pledge to me you will not blow up Exile."
"May I dream about it?"
"Why? Exile was not responsible for the death of your friends and Euris."
"It was witness."
"What foolishness. You could have been the one to speak the words, Alexander. As a Yokujin, and direct descendent of Tamon you were born to it, but you no longer have the heart for it."
"So I've been told."
"Do you fear what is inside Exile?" asked the Queen, softly.
"Why would I? I'll be dead by the time the thing is subdued."
"Let us hope not, for I know you would wish to see this."
"You are wrong! I hate the thing."
"I think not," she laughed. "You translated the ancient texts. Exile never completed the world building cycle; when it is reactivated it will heal all that ails Prester. Trust me; I have earned that at least."
Alex walked to the edge of the precipice and considered her words. It had been years since he trusted anyone but clan, and even they were subject to suspicion at times. Why would he trust anyone? Betrayal followed him everywhere; even Marius played him. But Lady Persephone had never failed him; he thought of their first meeting when he was a child, how she had stopped him from crossing the border into Hades, much to her husband's chagrin. How she had answered his prayer when his mother needed healing. The many boons she had bestowed upon him. The list went on and on. If all were lost and Tartarus beckoned, he had no doubt that she would comfort him in his suffering. "Goddess, you have earned my trust."
"Human, her majesty need not gain anyone's trust to work her will," growled Lady Hecate as her pets joined in menacing chorus.
"Leave him be, Lady Hecate, from Alexander that is high praise indeed. My blessing, Alexander, I shall do all I can to aid you."
"And Euris?"
"She will be looked after until the aberrant one calls her back to the Telluric world."
"Can you see to her at the Guild Stronghold?"
"Perhaps."
"I have used up all my boons then? There is not one left for Euris?"
"You have the will of all the gods supporting you - even Lady Hecate."
"I would not go that far," growled the Goddess of the New Moon. She frowned at Alex, her arms crossed and eyes narrowed.
"Lady Hecate!" demanded the Holy Kore.
"I suppose I can overlook this half-wit's demented behavior for now - given the seriousness of the situation." The intimidating goddess continued to gaze menacingly at Alex, but he glared back, managing his fear well. After all, he was on equal footing; he might as well make the most of it.
"Will that do, Alexander?" asked Queen Persephone.
"It will have to," yawned Alex, as if he could care less.
"Watch it, human," warned Lady Hecate. "Or when this quest is over you will rue your words."
"I have no doubt that will be true even without your retribution." Alex watched her for a moment. Then, overcome by sly, impish desire to teach the Goddess a lesson, he gazed at his hand. "Oh, Lady Hecate?" he asked like an innocent child.
"What, knave?" She turned her back on him and scratched Hecuba's chin. Gale tried to nuzzle in on the action.
"Where is Ourea? You haven't eaten her have you?"
"Are you just missing her, twit?"
"You will regret it if you devoured her."
"Is that a threat, beast? You do not have the power to make me regret anything."
"I suppose I should warn you; after all we are peers now."
"You, Captain Pissant, are not my equal…" Lady Hecate hesitated and then asked. "What warning?"
"All hermetic books concur, which in itself is remarkable. To a volume they agree that, for goddesses, or, more accurately, especially for goddesses, the ingestion of sylphs will cause extreme and malodorous flatulence due to this creature's airy nature. And I quote…verbatim."
"You dare insult me, varlet! Goddesses are not flatulent – ever - under any circumstances! And by the way, your sylph was quite delicious, in a spicy underworld sauce of onion and asphodel. How does it feel to be soulless, cur?"
"Why do you ask when you know the answer? And what is that odor?" asked Alex, for indeed there was an odd sulfuric scent in the breeze. The immaturity of this scatological conversation took him back to his school days with his best friend, Payson Eraclea.
"It must be Hecuba; she suffers from the occasional stomach ailment. Come, Hecuba. Art thou ill?" asked Lady Hecate, solicitously.
"Ah, Hecuba is it? Blaming the dog, Lady Hecate?" Alex watched the huge dog, who avoided his gaze, looking first one way and then the other. It was obviously her; dogs are so apparent when it comes to their failings. Hecuba acted just like Pythagoras, the headmaster's dog at Grimsley Royal Primary Academy - the first school from which Alex had been expelled.
"You know what they say in the Telluric world, human. He who smelt it dealt it."
"Both of you! Stop this childish display," ordered Queen Persephone. "There is important work to be done. Ourea is your soul, Alexander, when will you accept that? And Lady Hecate, dear sister, where did you learn such vulgarity?"
Lady Hecate looked sheepish. "At your son's last drinking party, Lord Ares recounted a human joke in which this was the punch line. After he explained it to me the third or fourth time, I thought it was very funny." The Goddess of the New Moon turned to Alex, glowering.
"You had better apologize, Brimo Trimorphos," advised Alex, his expression smug.
"Do not presume to tell me what to do, Captain Pissant," ordered Lady Hecate. Then she bowed low. "Please forgive my regrettable crudeness, You Majesty."
"You are forgiven, but promise you will not attend another of Lord Dionysus' parties. You are too impressionable."
Lady Hecate looked disappointed, but mumbled consent.
Alex, smirked at his victory, but then he apologized. He did not want a permanent enemy; he'd made his point. Lady Hecate would no longer take him lightly. Afterward he turned to Queen Persephone. "Your Majesty?"
"Yes, Alexander?"
"Thank you for answering my prayer." Alex meant this and not just for the time he'd spent with Euris or the return of his musical abilities and health. For the first time in many years, he found he looked forward to the task ahead. The Queen had provided a way to a fitting, even noble end.
"You are most welcome. My lord and I are depending on you. Now, go to the edge of the cliff, close your eyes, and empty your mind. Do not fear; I shall guide you back to the Telluric world."
At the edge of the cliff Alex followed the Queen's orders; he felt her light touch pushing him over the edge, but rather than falling, the winds of Hades lifted him; how, he could not discern. Light as a feather, the air currents carried him into the turquoise and taupe heavens of the Underworld. Blessed relief filled his inner darkness; a heavy burden had been lifted. For the immediate future he need not worry about his symptoms: the constant replay of the events in the Grand Stream, the blind anger, loss of control, headaches and sleeplessness. Thus freed, Alex subsided into thoughtless bliss, becoming one with the breeze, letting it carry him where it may.
Gradually, he was drawn back from this state into awareness of his surroundings by the lovely voice of one he knew well; he'd made music with her since childhood. Euris sang in Hades; the melody carried on the wind, and he strained to hear her words.
"Where are you?
Are you missing?
Or am I?
On the edge of memory,
A lonely boy, an outrider
In a deep blue world.
A sacred pledge to soar
Beyond the welkin,
Beyond the Heavens.
Once my lips touched yours,
begging pleasure,
Now they cannot form
The shape of your name.
Beneath guarded waters
Forbidden me,
It vibrates, submerged.
Hot, dry winds abrade my skin;
My heart churns a love pearl
Born of a fierce bond.
Let it be an offering.
May we find the path
Beyond oblivion.
May recognition dawn
Filled with sweet words
Fragrant as orchids.
With a grief-tinged smile Alex admired her song, all his work as her tutor had paid off. He would tell her if only he could rescue her, but her song carried with it the hint that even this situation was not beyond redemption. In the oblivion of forgetfulness, she remembered their bond, and as she repeated the song he tried to memorize it. His concentration was broken by the cosmic music of Queen Persephone's laugher which arrived with a burst of spiraling wind that sent him aloft. Moments later, he woke slumped against the wall of Amita Maya's cottage, shivering in the freezing cold of first light. Prince Nikator Messina's men sat about their Claudia heaters yawning as they ate their rations.
"Prepare to move out in fifteen minutes," shouted their captain.
It took most of those minutes for Alex to recall the circumstances to which he awoke. After all, he'd been in Hades for several eternities, though he did not look the worse for it. When he did come to his senses, he remembered he had not made the trip to Disith alone. Yukino had been with him, though now she'd gone missing. Trying to stand, he found his legs had no feeling, probably the result of Yukino's draught. Leaning against the wall, he searched for her. Where the hell had she gone? There were arrangements to be made. But, though he carefully surveyed each quadrant of the room, Yukino remained hidden among the soldiers and civilians who milled about, packing up gear. Watching them brought to mind Euris' papers. Carefully, going down on one knee, he picked up the bag in which he'd stashed them, and, as he did this, he recalled the note he'd placed in Yukino's hand just before he'd consumed the draught.
A string of curses ran through his mind. His clever plan had failed; he'd believed if all went well there would be plenty of time to retrieve the sheet before she woke. Like a cat, she always slept late; bloody hell, if she read it, she'd be furious with him. Placing the messenger bag over his shoulder he tried to walk, but his legs refused. So he leaned against the kitchen counter; while he rested, the bright checkered curtain that covered the small drafty window beside him fluttered and he pushed it aside. What he saw outside astonished him; but for a thin dusting that reminded him of powdered sugar on a sweet roll the snow had disappeared.
"Believe it or not, the katabatic wind blew all the snow away," said Yukino, who stood beside him. "Nikator explained the phenomenon to me. You see…"
"You're on a first name basis with the prince now?"
"Alexander, you know I love to learn new things. And the prince insisted on instructing me."
"Where were you?" He eyed her suspiciously.
"A gentleman does not ask a lady such indiscreet questions."
"Ah, but I'm not a gentleman, and you are definitely not a lady." He smiled as he said this slipping his arm around her waist.
"If you must know, nature called," she laughed. "Did you just make a joke?"
"Never, I speak only the truth."
"But your mood, I'd hazard your prayer was answered."
"Not in the way I'd hoped, but I am at peace with what the Goddess has granted me. It is far more fitting."
"You seem very well."
"I am, but it won't last," said Alex. "And because of that I need your help. I have much to accomplish before my time runs out."
"Before time runs out? What are you implying?" Yukino's eyes filled with tears.
"You know what I mean; don't make me go into it here."
"Later then, but be warned, you'll not escape my clutches until you explain exactly what you mean." She wiped her eyes with her elegant long fingers.
"Yukino…You knew all along Euris arranged for your sale to Count Caelus as his unbound concubine. Why didn't you ever tell me?"
"I had my reasons."
"I must know."
"Let us leave that until later as well. Did you mean this?" she asked, waving the note in his face.
"I did. Are you angry?"
Yukino gazed at him; her tears returned. "No."
"But you're sad."
"Not exactly, I…"
"What?"
"Thank you. It is so unfair; I see my foolishness so clearly now that it is too late. Your fate is sealed."
"I'm relieved; I thought you'd be angry. And it's not too late."
"I was angry, but as I held you, waiting to see if you would survive, I recalled all we've been through together; all we've been to each other. Even at your worst, you have always been there for me and I've treated you abominably."
"Yukino, you know that very soon I'll be gone; work with me to prepare for that day. I can't bear to think of you and Miyako uncared for."
"This note, Alexander, I will never say no to you again."
"Then you will do as I ask?"
"Anything."