Stories

Chapter 15

They walked hand in hand. Steel under there feet, the ocean to both sides partial hidden by the mass of wire and steel. It was like walking through a hall really, a very large steel hall... As he felt her hand slide into his, as he felt her pulse under his fingers, he recalled the other times he had held her hand. He tasted the desert, the grass of the forest, phantom sensations, little more them memory. Yet it seemed wrong somehow, with the sun blazing above them it seemed wrong. He loved the night, loved the mystery. He found beauty in the world as it fell into nights shadowed embrace, the stars, the moon, seemed more graceful then the sun. There were few clouds in the sky, distant wisps that slithered across the heavens. A shame really, there were not enough to pursue Anna's favorite past time of cloud gazing.

Perhaps some other day...

The wind kicked up, the scent of sea filled the air. Both of them sighed, both of them allowed their memories to take them back to childhood. They had both lived by the sea, Kratos the son of a solder and pretty fisherman's daughter, Anna's family while not right on the ocean had lived close by. Noishe sneezed, wrinkled his black nose, then whined. Lloyd seemed happy enough, his eyes were fixed on some sea gulls that floated around the horizon to there backs. Their baby had stared at the water, had stared at the few people that they came across, and just about anything else that moved. He was very quiet, not fussy, as were other children. Or rather the other children Kratos saw. So long as Lloyd could see them, so long as he could hug them, be hugged, he was happy. Kratos recalled seeing a harried looking couple early on in there walk across the bridge, recalled how the couple's child had howled and fussed. In a strange way he was proud that Lloyd took all of this in stride, and he hoped that the stoic nature their son was showing now would stay with he as he grew up.

"You've been awful quiet." Anna's eyes seemed to glow as she took in the experience of walking over the ocean. She was enjoying herself, and her enjoyment was contagious. "Thinking about something important, dark, or deep?"

Kratos smiled. "Not really, I am dwelling on nothing I guess."

"You, woolgathering? Dear Martel I think I heard the underworld freeze over!" Anna mock gasped and Kratos snorted. "I swear, any moment now some demonling is going to come up to us in heavy fur garments to chew you out."

"That would be an interesting sight." The seraphim chuckled. "Unlikely but interesting all the same."

"Think of the theological turmoil it would raise!" Anna laughed and he smiled. They were alone so it seemed a safe enough comment.

"Anna, that is enough." And though he scolded her his smile softened what harshness could be found in his tone.
"Humph!" She tried to imitate him and failed miserably. "Grouch."

Suddenly seized by playfulness Kratos mock winced. Mimmed taking an arrow in the heard and looked to his wife still stuck in that melodramatic pose.

"I am wounded to the heart, can you not see the arrow here?"

"Sarcastic grouch."

He dropped the pose, snorted, and decided to act the roll of "sarcastic grouch".

"The agony..."

"Very sarcastic grouch."

"Really Anna, you've been with me long enough to think of a better rejoinder then that, haven't you?"

"Very very sarcastic grouch... who will be having tomato soup tonight."

"How many "very"s do you plan on adding?"

"Very very very sarcastic grouch."

"Do you plan on doing this all day?"

"Maybe." Anna's tone had a wicked note to it. "It annoys you, so I might just remember it for special occasions."

"Oh joy..."

"It'd be a good way to make you not sarcastic. My very, very, very, very, sarcastic, grouchy, husband."

He laughed, a sound that had once been so rare for him now came more easily. To Anna a smile, laughter, joy, these were old friends of hers. Only from very early childhood did he recall being free with his emotions, and as an adult he had very little to take joy in. Little joy until Anna had stepped into his life. She carried her own joy and laughter in the Camp, and had more or less rammed it down his throat until he had "loosened up" as she once called it.

Lloyd made a happy noise, reached for his father. Anna laughed, then Kratos found himself holding their son without knowing all of what happened.

"You two look adorable like that. Of course Lloyd's always adorable, he's just the right type of adorable though, the type that spreads when anyone holds him. Even you." Anna cocked her head to the side, considered them both for a long moment. " He has your eyes, and the shape of his face, I bet as he get's older it'll look more like yours then mine."

"Your eyes are the same color as mine beloved."

She looked at him, and smiled. Was there a hint of sadness in her? For some reason he thought that there was.

"No, he definitely has your eyes. Yours are a lot darker then mine, and I don't know, but there is something different about them. And your age has nothing to do with it... It think they might be a little closer to black then brown, that's all." She smiled, then they walked for a little bit. About halfway across the bridge she stopped, rubbed her leg, and Kratos suggested they take a break. If he hadn't she would have kept going, despite the fact that she was in pain. As they rested, or rather while she rested since he had no need to, Kratos cradled their son in his lap. Anna was right, he mused as Lloyd stretched his arms up, trying with all his might to reach up and give his father's hair a tug. Lloyd's eyes were a little bit darker then Anna's, they held slivers of black, much like Kratos'.

For some reason that bothered the seraphim.

"Ga!" Lloyd cried out, he wanted a Noishe ride. But they were too tired, Anna and Noishe were drained. The bridge seemed a small obstacle to a man who never grew tired, but to Noishe who's little paws had to scramble to keep pace, and to Anna who was unused to such physical labor. It had been a long day, a very long hard day. So Lloyd had to settle for a ride on Daddy's shoulders. He took the compromise gracefully enough, and spent a long time tugging on his Father's hair and squealing. Kratos' scalp wasn't having as fun a time as his Son, and he honestly considered shaving his head for the sake of a little peace. Another sharp tug made the seraphim wince. The way Lloyd was going there wouldn't be much to shave.

Anna was asleep, she had set up the tent and she and Noishe had retreated inside at suns setting. Lloyd, had perhaps inherited a little of his father's nature, he didn't seem to want to sleep. Didn't seem to need to sleep unless he wanted to. That's all Kratos prayed his son had inherited from his fathers twisted blood. Could his son feel heat, cold, would he some day come to grow wings? Would he live for an eternity? As horrible as it was Kratos prayed that his son would live a mortal's span, that he would enjoy the weakness of a mortal's existence. The other alternative was worse, so much worse.

"Shh." At the seraphim's command Lloyd fell quiet, looked to his father with those dark brown eyes. "You need to sleep, you are worrying me because you sleep so little."

Lloyd giggled, not understanding, just taking joy in his father's voice.

"You are not going to sleep, I know that look, but you need to."

Lloyd made a noise, stirred.

"You are not even two and I am already boring you with my speeches. You certainly know how to make a man feel less important about himself."

He shushed again, and Lloyd giggled quietly as his father picked him up and carried him away from the camp. They didn't go far, just far enough to stand in the moon streaked darkness. Away from the gold and red of the firelight.

"I think it's time for a little story, if I tell you a story will you go to bed?" No response, save one hand gave a vicious tug to one of Kratos' dangling locks of hair. "Well I'll tell you one anyway, who knows, maybe it'll work."

With his son in his grip the seraphim lay down. For a moment Lloyd snuggled against his father's chest then squealed as the warrior lifted his son. Kratos held him for a few seconds, then eased him back down. They both spent a long moment laughing, and the seraphim decided that some tickling was in order. Lloyd giggled as he was supposed to while his father expertly hit every weak spot with gentle fingers. When Lloyd seemed to settle down Kratos stroked his son's wild hair, put some order to it while he gathered his thoughts.

"Once, long ago, in a place far far away there was a man. He lived in a place way up high, higher then any other place in the whole world. His name was Syhin, and he had one of the greatest treasures in all the world. You see his father was a very wealthy man, a good wealthy man, who shared all he had with the world, except the worlds greatest treasure..."

Lloyd settled down, snuggled against his father's chest and though he must have been to young to understand, seemed to be paying total attention.

"You see, un-like now, when the sun sets there was no stars that came out. Only Luna, and with her came the moon. The moon's radiance was enough, just barely, to make it through the night. But you see, human's need light and dark, and though Luna tried her hardest she was not strong enough to truly nourish humans through the night. No one knew what to do, but it was rumored that Syhin had the greatest treasure in all the world, and that that treasure could fill the sky with light. Light that the people needed. So people from all over the world came to Syhin, they asked him to give up that treasure, that it was for the good of all. Syhin refused, would not give up his father's keep sake, not for anything or anyone in the world. Not even for the whole world... The treasure, he said, was worth a thousand worlds. In someways Syhin was right, it was worth a thousand worlds. It was in a way a thousand worlds... For you see the treasures Syhin so coveted was the millions and of human hopes and dreams, the shards from Origin's work."

Lloyd yawned, gripped his father's tunic, and though it seemed as if he was trying his hardest but his boy was scumbling to sleep.

"A young man named Aska fell in love with the moon, he was a strange man. He loved the moon, and the moon maiden, and seeing her every night suffering he could not take it. He went to Syhin and begged the man to give him the treasure. When the man clung to his treasure and said that he would never part with it Aska left, or seemed to. Later that starless night he slipped back into Syhin's home, and stole the treasure chest. As he ran, Syhin behind him he called to Luna, asked her to help him flee. And she did, she gave him wings, and Aska became a great bird and scattered the shards of creation across the heavens. And from that night on, we have had stars, and Aska and Luna have had each other. Kind of like you, your mother, and I. We have each other, and we always will."

Lloyd yawned, his grip was going slack, and Kratos smiled. His boy's chest rose and fell in the pattern common to those asleep. Until dawn Kratos lay still, just enjoyed the sensation, the raw experience, of being with his son in this peaceful summer night. At the suns rising he heard the sound of someone's approach. A soft huffing pant told him that it was safe, so he re-closed his eyes, relaxed his grip on his sword's hilt.

Less then a half hour later after Noishe's arrival Anna came out of the tent, and after a minutes searching found the three of them. She "aww"ed softly, muttered something about wishing she had one of those Desian camra-thingies. Kratos smiled, and moved a little so that she could join them. As Anna lay besides him, one hand absently wrapped around both her husband and son Noishe whimpered softly.

"Oh hush you big baby, there's room for you too." Anna whispered.

Kratos grimaced as Noishe decided that his spot was going to be to lay across Kratos' legs. But this was right, a little uncomfortable, he amended as the protozoan shifted a bit, but it was right. There was nothing more right to him in the whole world then this one moment.