Chapter Seven
The Losing
Ganlon watched his son's eyes begin to close. Just as the sun sets so did Garr's eyes. Rei bounded in unable to stay away any longer. "Is he done daydreaming yet?"
"Not yet……he seems to be falling into a deep sleep." Ganlon yawned and got up. "Which would be a good idea for the rest of us…"
"But I'm not sleepy!"
"I know that. Will you please just put on your pajamas and sit in bed keeping me company?" Rei considered this suggestion for a while looking for the trick before shrugging.
"ok!" Rei got changed and hopped into bed. Ganlon gently got in next to him. Before long the deep even breaths of sleep heralded Rei's demise into dreamland. Ganlon stared at the ceiling for several more hours before falling into an uneasy sleep.
~~~~*~~~~
Early the next morning Ganlon woke up and got breakfast going. He hadn't slept much but then again neither did Garr. He just stared at the wall on and off all night drifting off to sleep between daydream thingies.
"NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOO FAIR! NOT AGAIN!"
"Yup. Rei's up." Ganlon said to himself.
"YOU YOU YOU YOU YOU YOU! OOHHH! You're worse than the she-demon!" Rei came barreling out of the room. He stood there glaring at Ganlon with his nose wrinkled. Unfortunately that just made him look cute. Ganlon started laughing softly.
"IT'S not FUNNY!" Rei turned away and pouted for a while. After a while he turned back with greater things on his mind. "What's wrong with Garr?"
"……I don't know.." Ganlon looked off into his thoughts.
"Well…when's he going to wake up?"
"…………………………….." Rei poked him.
"I'm going to stand here and poke you," he warned. No response. "Not YOU too…" Rei turned and stormed out of the house. "I'm going to go bother Brother Peter!" His called back. Rei stormed down the path and to the gatehouse. Brother Peter was always to be found there. The priest was the official welcomer to Urkan Tapa.
"BROTHER PETER!" Rei came barreling into the gatehouse.
"Rei…what's wrong with you?"
"WHAT'S wrong with ME! What's wrong with Garr?" Rei asked.
"I don't know……I haven't seen him all day."
"Is Garr avoiding you too?"
"I suppose you could say that…….Garr's been avoiding you!" Brother Peter just caught on to the impossible. Garr….avoiding Rei? Impossible.
"yeah……"
"You've been having a bad day haven't you?"
"A BAD DAY! I've been having a bad yesterday a bad night AND a bad today." Rei started off on how he can't just have one bad DAY!
"Care to tell me about it?" Brother Peter said resigned since Rei was clearly going to do just that. Rei started off on a VERY long rendition of it with numerous comments about the people that he didn't like. Brother Peter listened very patiently.
"And now Garr's avoiding me!" Rei sighed. Today had been very long. He pensively looked out the window.
"EK! I've got to GET HOME!" Rei ran off without a word of warning. Brother Peter looked after him and shrugged.
~~~~*~~~~
Garr slowly opened his eyes. He stretched his stiff wings and stood up slowly. One really got stiff when you stayed in the same position in a long time. Garr walked over to the door and opened it.
"Is Garr awake YET?!" Rei's voice complained.
"Yes I'm awake….."
"GARR!" Rei came racing around the corner and managed to not slam into Garr again. "What do you think you were doing!"
"…..remembering…."
"Remembering what."
"I'll tell you when you're taller." Rei half-glared at Garr. The he turned and ran off. Garr stared after him perplexed until Rei came back with a stool. In all seriousness he placed the stool down got on it and stood up on his tippie toes.
"There…I'm taller. Now TELL me!"
Garr laughed. "I meant when you were taller than me." Rei thought for a moment. Suddenly he turned and ran outside. Garr followed. Rei climbed up onto the roof.
"THERE!" Rei stared triumphantly down at Garr. Garr shook his head and flew straight up. He looked down at Rei. "NOOOOOO! IT'S NOT FAIR! You have WINGS!" Garr landed next to him and wordlessly swept him up in a hug. "EH? What's wrong with you?! Let me go! Let me go! Let me go! Let me go!!" Garr hugged him tighter and gently set him down.
"..well at least you didn't drop me…." Rei muttered. He pouted for a moment. "Anyway! I'm hungry!"
"Then lets go in little brother." Garr easily flew down. Rei stared after him for a minute then shrugged and jumped down after him.
~~~~*~~~~
Ganlon sat looking through his journal after Rei and Garr had gone to bed. He flipped through remembering those long ago days when he had been a young Guardian. He smiled unconsciously. Garr's memories were sure to be as good as his.
Suddenly Ganlon looked up and felt the familiar tingling that heralded the Goddess's descent. "GREAT GODDESS!" Ganlon kneeled and bowed his head, "Great Goddess may I ask what brings you to my home?"
"Guardian Ganlon. I have been to the Patrick. Eh. I uh mean the Patriarch. He has told me that you harbor a Worren. Is this true?"
Ganlon paled. It was a good thing that his head was bowed or the Goddess would have seen that dead giveaway. Ganlon considered his options quickly. He had no choice. The Goddess could smell a lie easily. Unless one believed totally and utterly what one was lying about she could detect the lie. He could not make himself believe Rei was not here and part of the family any more than he could make the sun rise or set.
Ganlon erased his memories of Rei.
"You do know the price of lying don't you." Ganlon looked up, all traces of the internal struggle gone from his face.
"I do, I also know that we do not have a Worren here." The Goddess looked at him. "I have one request. Garr fell into a trance and was in it for over 24 hours. He just came out of it. I ask that you do not disturb him. He is in his room." Silently the Goddess cursed. His request was perfectly reasonable. She smiled suddenly. However, so was hers.
"All right. I give you my word I shall only stick my head in." Ganlon nodded. Myria tore threw the house. There was no trace of the Worren child. The only room left was the young Guardians bedroom.
She berated herself for promising only to stick her head in. A mortal may break a promise to another mortal. But a God or Goddess could not break their word no matter to whom it was given.
Myria opened the door and stuck her head in. Nothing but the young Guardian. She was drawing her head out as she heard a whimper.
"GUARDIAN!" Ganlon came at a dead run.
"Yes Goddess?" Either her Guardian had found a way to lie to his goddess or he truly didn't know there was a Worren hiding in his house. Myria wordlessly stepped aside. Ganlon stepped into the room.
"Daddy..?" a soft voice asked.
"Do……….I……..know you?" Ganlon said confused as to why a Worren child would be calling him family.
"Daddy…I'm scared." Wide eyes filled with terror stared into his face.
Myria turned away disgusted. No doubt the child was trying some Worren magic. Just as there was no doubt that her Guardian did not know that he had been hiding in this house. She glared at the wall remembering the few Guardians that had run into the Worren Mage. They had lost their faith in her. And all because of that Worren female.
Myria ascended back to her floating tower. It wasn't worth killing two of the last three Guardians just to get that child.
"Daddy…you…don't know me?" The Worren boy asked. Ganlon stared at the boy with a sense of confusion. He felt the urge to comfort this child, his enemy. But he didn't even know him. Not to mention that fact that it was his race that was destined to help kill his the Goddess. But that prophecy had been averted. Right? Ganlon shook his head slowly and backed out of the room.
"I don't know…you. I'm sorry…" with that he turned and left the house.
~~~~*~~~~
Garr woke up suddenly with a strange feeling. He sat up and looked around the dark room. Everything normal……except he could hear crying. It also felt like to Goddess had been there but that's stupid. Why would she visit their home?
"Garr….? Daddy……doesn't know me….." Rei spoke up from inside the darkness.
"What!"
"Daddy…doesn't know me. He said so. He said it when the bad smell was here."
The goddess…so she had come. "Rei……I think…that Father wiped his memories. He did it to protect you." In the darkness Rei shook his head even though he knew Garr wouldn't see it.
"But Daddy doesn't know me….."
"Oh Rei……….."
"I have to go home! I have to…" The dark shape that was Rei threw off the covers and jumped out of bed. "I have to go HOME!" he repeated fiercely. Rei ran off into the darkened house. Garr looked after him and then leaned back and stared at the ceiling. God help Rei. Not the Goddess but God.
The Losing
Ganlon watched his son's eyes begin to close. Just as the sun sets so did Garr's eyes. Rei bounded in unable to stay away any longer. "Is he done daydreaming yet?"
"Not yet……he seems to be falling into a deep sleep." Ganlon yawned and got up. "Which would be a good idea for the rest of us…"
"But I'm not sleepy!"
"I know that. Will you please just put on your pajamas and sit in bed keeping me company?" Rei considered this suggestion for a while looking for the trick before shrugging.
"ok!" Rei got changed and hopped into bed. Ganlon gently got in next to him. Before long the deep even breaths of sleep heralded Rei's demise into dreamland. Ganlon stared at the ceiling for several more hours before falling into an uneasy sleep.
~~~~*~~~~
Early the next morning Ganlon woke up and got breakfast going. He hadn't slept much but then again neither did Garr. He just stared at the wall on and off all night drifting off to sleep between daydream thingies.
"NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOO FAIR! NOT AGAIN!"
"Yup. Rei's up." Ganlon said to himself.
"YOU YOU YOU YOU YOU YOU! OOHHH! You're worse than the she-demon!" Rei came barreling out of the room. He stood there glaring at Ganlon with his nose wrinkled. Unfortunately that just made him look cute. Ganlon started laughing softly.
"IT'S not FUNNY!" Rei turned away and pouted for a while. After a while he turned back with greater things on his mind. "What's wrong with Garr?"
"……I don't know.." Ganlon looked off into his thoughts.
"Well…when's he going to wake up?"
"…………………………….." Rei poked him.
"I'm going to stand here and poke you," he warned. No response. "Not YOU too…" Rei turned and stormed out of the house. "I'm going to go bother Brother Peter!" His called back. Rei stormed down the path and to the gatehouse. Brother Peter was always to be found there. The priest was the official welcomer to Urkan Tapa.
"BROTHER PETER!" Rei came barreling into the gatehouse.
"Rei…what's wrong with you?"
"WHAT'S wrong with ME! What's wrong with Garr?" Rei asked.
"I don't know……I haven't seen him all day."
"Is Garr avoiding you too?"
"I suppose you could say that…….Garr's been avoiding you!" Brother Peter just caught on to the impossible. Garr….avoiding Rei? Impossible.
"yeah……"
"You've been having a bad day haven't you?"
"A BAD DAY! I've been having a bad yesterday a bad night AND a bad today." Rei started off on how he can't just have one bad DAY!
"Care to tell me about it?" Brother Peter said resigned since Rei was clearly going to do just that. Rei started off on a VERY long rendition of it with numerous comments about the people that he didn't like. Brother Peter listened very patiently.
"And now Garr's avoiding me!" Rei sighed. Today had been very long. He pensively looked out the window.
"EK! I've got to GET HOME!" Rei ran off without a word of warning. Brother Peter looked after him and shrugged.
~~~~*~~~~
Garr slowly opened his eyes. He stretched his stiff wings and stood up slowly. One really got stiff when you stayed in the same position in a long time. Garr walked over to the door and opened it.
"Is Garr awake YET?!" Rei's voice complained.
"Yes I'm awake….."
"GARR!" Rei came racing around the corner and managed to not slam into Garr again. "What do you think you were doing!"
"…..remembering…."
"Remembering what."
"I'll tell you when you're taller." Rei half-glared at Garr. The he turned and ran off. Garr stared after him perplexed until Rei came back with a stool. In all seriousness he placed the stool down got on it and stood up on his tippie toes.
"There…I'm taller. Now TELL me!"
Garr laughed. "I meant when you were taller than me." Rei thought for a moment. Suddenly he turned and ran outside. Garr followed. Rei climbed up onto the roof.
"THERE!" Rei stared triumphantly down at Garr. Garr shook his head and flew straight up. He looked down at Rei. "NOOOOOO! IT'S NOT FAIR! You have WINGS!" Garr landed next to him and wordlessly swept him up in a hug. "EH? What's wrong with you?! Let me go! Let me go! Let me go! Let me go!!" Garr hugged him tighter and gently set him down.
"..well at least you didn't drop me…." Rei muttered. He pouted for a moment. "Anyway! I'm hungry!"
"Then lets go in little brother." Garr easily flew down. Rei stared after him for a minute then shrugged and jumped down after him.
~~~~*~~~~
Ganlon sat looking through his journal after Rei and Garr had gone to bed. He flipped through remembering those long ago days when he had been a young Guardian. He smiled unconsciously. Garr's memories were sure to be as good as his.
Suddenly Ganlon looked up and felt the familiar tingling that heralded the Goddess's descent. "GREAT GODDESS!" Ganlon kneeled and bowed his head, "Great Goddess may I ask what brings you to my home?"
"Guardian Ganlon. I have been to the Patrick. Eh. I uh mean the Patriarch. He has told me that you harbor a Worren. Is this true?"
Ganlon paled. It was a good thing that his head was bowed or the Goddess would have seen that dead giveaway. Ganlon considered his options quickly. He had no choice. The Goddess could smell a lie easily. Unless one believed totally and utterly what one was lying about she could detect the lie. He could not make himself believe Rei was not here and part of the family any more than he could make the sun rise or set.
Ganlon erased his memories of Rei.
"You do know the price of lying don't you." Ganlon looked up, all traces of the internal struggle gone from his face.
"I do, I also know that we do not have a Worren here." The Goddess looked at him. "I have one request. Garr fell into a trance and was in it for over 24 hours. He just came out of it. I ask that you do not disturb him. He is in his room." Silently the Goddess cursed. His request was perfectly reasonable. She smiled suddenly. However, so was hers.
"All right. I give you my word I shall only stick my head in." Ganlon nodded. Myria tore threw the house. There was no trace of the Worren child. The only room left was the young Guardians bedroom.
She berated herself for promising only to stick her head in. A mortal may break a promise to another mortal. But a God or Goddess could not break their word no matter to whom it was given.
Myria opened the door and stuck her head in. Nothing but the young Guardian. She was drawing her head out as she heard a whimper.
"GUARDIAN!" Ganlon came at a dead run.
"Yes Goddess?" Either her Guardian had found a way to lie to his goddess or he truly didn't know there was a Worren hiding in his house. Myria wordlessly stepped aside. Ganlon stepped into the room.
"Daddy..?" a soft voice asked.
"Do……….I……..know you?" Ganlon said confused as to why a Worren child would be calling him family.
"Daddy…I'm scared." Wide eyes filled with terror stared into his face.
Myria turned away disgusted. No doubt the child was trying some Worren magic. Just as there was no doubt that her Guardian did not know that he had been hiding in this house. She glared at the wall remembering the few Guardians that had run into the Worren Mage. They had lost their faith in her. And all because of that Worren female.
Myria ascended back to her floating tower. It wasn't worth killing two of the last three Guardians just to get that child.
"Daddy…you…don't know me?" The Worren boy asked. Ganlon stared at the boy with a sense of confusion. He felt the urge to comfort this child, his enemy. But he didn't even know him. Not to mention that fact that it was his race that was destined to help kill his the Goddess. But that prophecy had been averted. Right? Ganlon shook his head slowly and backed out of the room.
"I don't know…you. I'm sorry…" with that he turned and left the house.
~~~~*~~~~
Garr woke up suddenly with a strange feeling. He sat up and looked around the dark room. Everything normal……except he could hear crying. It also felt like to Goddess had been there but that's stupid. Why would she visit their home?
"Garr….? Daddy……doesn't know me….." Rei spoke up from inside the darkness.
"What!"
"Daddy…doesn't know me. He said so. He said it when the bad smell was here."
The goddess…so she had come. "Rei……I think…that Father wiped his memories. He did it to protect you." In the darkness Rei shook his head even though he knew Garr wouldn't see it.
"But Daddy doesn't know me….."
"Oh Rei……….."
"I have to go home! I have to…" The dark shape that was Rei threw off the covers and jumped out of bed. "I have to go HOME!" he repeated fiercely. Rei ran off into the darkened house. Garr looked after him and then leaned back and stared at the ceiling. God help Rei. Not the Goddess but God.