Chapter 9: Heaven

"Elizabeth Ann du Lac! This is the fourth time I've had to tell you to wake up!" Lancelot, the father of the girl called, had a strong scowl on his face and his hands planted on his hips. He glared at the mass of ebony fur and blankets on the bed.

The clump slowly moved up. Elizabeth, now ten years of age, groaned. She rubbed her sleepy eyes and focused them on her father. She looked him up and down and observed his irritated form. All she did was close her eyes and fall back onto the sheets. Lancelot's breathe hitched and he bared his fangs as he shouted, "Elizabeth you better rise from that bed or face the consequences!"

When she didn't respond he walked over to her and ripped the sheets from her body. Immediately, she started to squirm and whine with discomfort. She put a pillow over her head and growled loudly. "Why do I even have to go to church!? Can't Tyrone just tell me what I've missed?"

"I'm not just taking you to the church just to make you miserable. I'm doing this for your benefit," he snapped, "Now, get up."

Not wanting to hear anymore of his shouting, Elizabeth rose and glared, eyes a light red, at her father before, hesitantly, climbing out of the bed. She, at first, accidently bumped into her father, on her way to the washroom, but as Lancelot waited for an apology, she just snorted and walked away.

The ebony male in inhaled and exhaled deeply and tightened his fists. He chuckled in angered way and shook his head. "You, girl, are giving me one large headache," he muttered to himself and walked out of the bedroom.

Elizabeth finished putting on the dress that was hanging. The light purple dress reached to the tops of her feet which were enclosed with flats. The short sleeves were puffed up. The middle section of the dress was a darker purple but then returned to the original color. Around her mid-section was a black bow. As of now, all that was left was for her hair to be made.

The girl sat down, on the floor, as her father sat on a chair behind her. He held a brush in his hand a section of her quills. Elizabeth had her chin in her head and crossed legs, grumbling. Lancelot frowned at her before saying, "Fix your attitude and straighten up. I don't favor bad posture." Obeying, she did just that but still slightly slouched her shoulders. Lancelot grunted at her but didn't do anything but start to brush her quills.

It was very unusual that any male even go near a female's hair, even more so to style it (in this time period). It was, more so, the woman's job to do anything of the sort. It was both weird and degrading if a man do this but Lancelot could care less. To be honest, he kind of liked doing this. It wasn't as if he didn't have a choice. There was always a maid around for the job but he didn't like the idea of anyone touching her quills, except for him. It was an unusual feeling but he went by it. Brushing the tangled locks not only calmed him, but he really felt they were their closest during it.

Well, not now, of course.

Two beings couldn't exactly bond if they were irritated with each other. So, as for right now, the two sat in silence; Elizabeth picking at the ends of her dress and Lancelot brushing. For awhile nothing went on, and then, the father started to hum. It started out as a barely audible hum. One so low, Elizabeth couldn't hear. Then, the sound started to louden. Lancelot started to sway his head as he recalled the tune and soon his daughter started to move also.

The rhythmic tune was soothing to both pairs of ears. The deep sound of Lancelot's voice cleared up the irritation and replaced it with a more calming aurora. The knight finished with her quills leaving it down and straightened. It lowered to her mid back and gently spread across her shoulder. Lancelot set the brush down and Elizabeth stood up. He kneeled studying her and then started to pat down the crimpled patches of fabric. As he did this Elizabeth held onto his shoulders to keep herself from falling. She then thought of the tune he sung.

"Daddy, what's the song you just sang? I liked it," she asked.

Lancelot inspected her one last time before standing up. He smirked at her and took her hand. "The song is something your mother used to sing to you when you were still in her stomach."

She wanted to know how she had gotten in her stomach but there were more pressing matters.

"Where is mommy, daddy? Tyrone has one and she's always with him. Does she not like me so she won't come out of her hiding spot?"

Elizabeth instantly regretted the question as her father's visage got stone hard. His features looked pained for a minute before his face visibly softened. He sighed heavily, sadly smiled at her. Her ears lowered.

"Daddy-"

"Elizabeth, don't worry," he interrupted, "And your mother loves you very much, but she's in a better place. Remember the place I told you, where people go later in life?"

"You mean heaven?"

"Correct, your mother is there right now, but don't worry, you and I will see her one day. I promise," Lancelot said nodding.

The young girl also nodded, looking forward. She then said, "Oh wait, you didn't tell me what the song was called."

He smirked, "It's called "Dearest"." Lancelot pushed open the church doors and was happy to see the service just about ready to start. They walked, hand in hand, to a seat somewhere in the middle. "I'll teach it to you after you've mastered Japanese."

Elizabeth gave him a questioning look. "Why?"

"Because the song is in Japanese, my dear," the church organs began to play, "Now hush."

Elizabeth continued to gaze at him even though he looked to the front. She tilted her head in wonder. How was she supposed to learn a song in the language her father was teaching her? She'd gotten the basis of the language down, but it was still a bit difficult for her. And the thing was, she really wanted to learn it. It sounded so….so magical. That was the only adjective she could describe it with, and even that seemed to be too less of a word. She sighed and paid attention to the pastor who spoke.

The white feathered goose, who was dress in a white robe, spoke with much glee. His voice was loud and bold but somehow seemed to speak with such a soothing tone. Lancelot and Elizabeth both took a liking to his voice. Just listening to it made them feel….calm. And it wasn't only his voice. It was also the way he spoke. Now, every pastor is a good one. They spread and teach the word of God. But most townspeople loved this one. He not only spoke clearly, he added things to make the service interesting. Frequently he would add a joke or two to make others laugh or he would relate any verse or teaching to a real life situation. Something everyone could relate to.

"I hope everyone had a wonderful week, yes?" he asked with a gleeful smile as he placed the Bible on the glass stand. A low rumble of maybe groans filled the church. The geese frowned.

"Well I know there are dumb people out there, but my word, be happy you're alive," he chuckled. A burst of laughter spread throughout the church.

"No, but I am happy to see you all here. I do not think I see any new comers but even so I will introduce myself," he scanned the multiple rows of seats, "I am Pastor Thomas and I am…well, the pastor…" he said slowly earning a few chuckles.

He smiled brightly before announcing, "Okay, let us start with opening prayer." He said, "Let us pray," before bowing his head.

"Dear heavenly Father, thank You for gathering us all here today to come hear your word. If there are other's traveling on their way here I ask that You protect them. I pray for this service to run smoothly and that by the end of this everyone one of your people will walk out of here, not the same, but with new hearts, Lord. I ask You to talk through me and use me as a vessel to teach these wonderful people of yours. In Jesus name, thank You for answered prayer. Amen."

Murmurs of amens were heard and Pastor Thomas began his preaching. "I will now, please ask you to open up your Bibles to Revelation 24:4."

Elizabeth looked towards the brown book that her father held. She had tried herself to look through the book and find where the pastor was, but every time she'd finally gotten to the page, he would already be done reading. So she just decided to let her father do the finding and she'll just follow along. When Lancelot had flipped to the verse he put the Bible in between them so they could both see.

"And I read," Pastor Thomas began, ""He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." What I have read has just stated a part of the topic of today's service: After death, or heaven."

Immediately Elizabeth's ears perked. She patted the side of Lancelot's hand and whispered, "Daddy, he's going to talk about where mommy is!" Lancelot smiled and nodded. He rubbed her back and they faced the front.

"Death is something no one likes, but it is unavoidable. Every living thing must come to an end. But after death, everyone goes through judgment from the Lord. It is stated in Revelations that whoever is in the Book of Life shall enter into heaven. If not, they are casted into the lake of fire. Let us say your name was in the Book of Life and you have been granted access through the gates of heaven. You are now with the Lord and his people, rejoicing onto the fact that pain and misery are no longer existent. In heaven, there is no such thing as disease, pain, tears of sadness, and death. Your soul is at peace. It has now placed itself with the Lord and can forever be at rest, peacefully. So, I stress, it is okay to mourn and grieve for loved ones but do not lose faith in our God. He has taken them away to a place where pain and misery do not exist. A place where they are not exposed to the underlying effects of sin. A place of where they will be truly happy. And I can't wait to see that special place. They do not say, "He is in a better place now," without reason. Now then, let us move on to how to get in. You can't really enjoy a place if you're not in it."

Wow.

That was all she could think of at the moment. Elizabeth had heard of heaven. She knew it was supposed to be a wonderful place but, this seemed magical, way beyond anything she could ever dream of. Just to think, there would be a place where her father wouldn't get mad at her anymore. There was a place actually like that. It was real! The idea of heaven sparked the gears in her head. Suddenly her mind was filled with pictures of a pure white castle with gold trimmings. In the castle was her mother her father and of course herself. They were all on a bed just hugging each other. All of them were dressed in white, softer then cotton, material; like silk. The bed on which they lied on was big enough to fit four families, but it was all for them. She didn't exactly know what her mother looked like so she envisioned a taller version of herself. Elizabeth laid between Lancelot and Lenora and all of them snuggled closer to each other purring, love and warmth radiating. The silence that was among them wasn't uncomfortable. It was just the opposite actually.

She didn't know why she imagined heaven being that way but that was the first thing that popped in her mind. The picture was so realistic too. The feeling she got from it left her dazed and happy. And so, for the rest of the service, Elizabeth daydreamed about the different possibilities of heaven; how it looked like. She barely recognized her father's voice because she was so into her mental pictures.

"Elizabeth," he called for the third time.

The ebony girl shook her head. "Huh-what?" she looked to the sides and then up at her father who mildly scolded, "Why do I find that today, I must repeat myself several times? Come along. Church has ended," Elizabeth just giggled childishly before grabbing her father's hand.

(0…)

"What do you think heaven looks like, Ty?"

The young boy moved his lips to the side of his face and concentrated hard on his homework, which consisted of multiple problems of division. "Hmm? I don't know. Why do you ask? Oh and what is 54 divided by 9? " he said.

"Six. I don't know, it's just that in church the pastor was talking about it and my mommy is up there. I just wonder what it looks like," Elizabeth said in wonder. Her chin was in her hand as she looked up and twirled the pencil around. She turned her head to Tyrone who was copying her paper. Her eye narrowed and she snatched the paper away.

"By the way, where were you?" she questioned getting really close to him. Tyrone's muzzle immediately turned shades darker and he put his hands up keeping her from getting any closer. "I-I was there, I promise," he added after she eyed him over she placed herself back her seat.

"How come I didn't see you?" she said.

"I came in late. I wouldn't wake up. I'm sorry."

Elizabeth looked at him funnily, "There's no reason for you to be sorry Ty. Tell you the truth, daddy almost blew a gasket Sunday when I wouldn't wake up," she giggled. She then looked at his paper, half done, and decided to help him. She took her own pencil and started to fill in some of the answers.

Tyrone observed, astounded by how fast she answered the problems. "How come you're able to solve the problems so easily?"

It took the green hedgehog to snatch his paper away from her before she answered him. "Hey!" she shouted, "Why'd you take it away from me? You were copying my paper before?"

"Well, that was before, and now I feel bad that you're doing all the work. Let me just do the rest, okay," he replied. Elizabeth studied his eyes which darkened before concentrating on the paper. His face scrunched up as he fumbled with his bottom lips. She didn't know why, but she felt a very funny feeling in her stomach and it was really weird when her cheeks heated up. She touched them and gasped at how hot they were.

What was happening to her and why? She had never blushed when she was around Tyrone. And her stomach felt like it was doing flips. Was she sick? It didn't hurt but it felt weird? A hand rose and she felt her forehead. She wasn't forming a high temperature, so what was it? All Elizabeth knew was that something was wrong with her because when Tyrone asked if she felt okay she actually felt faint. Especially when she peered into his eyes.

His eyes were lovely, though.

"I-I'm alright," she lied through her teeth, "Are you sure you don't want any help?"

"Yes. You've done a lot. I'll do the rest. Thank you Elizabeth."

Speechless, she nodded and sat quietly, waiting for the school day to end so she could go home. Her stomach was really bothering her.

(0…)

"Why do we have to go to dine with the king again? This is the third week in a row. We usually don't go this much," Elizabeth whined. Percival chuckled while she helped put the girl's shoes on. "You do know we will be doing this every day. You and your father didn't do this before because you were a bit young, but now that you're a little older he has agreed to do this. All immediate family members of any knight have to dine with the king."

Elizabeth only groaned. She played with the end of her dress and grumbled, "It's no fun there. I like it better when it's just me and daddy."

"Why is that?" Percival questioned, putting her hair in a ponytail. She had offered to fix the young ones quills but she had declined and said she would rather have her father do it. It was a rather odd answer but she had decided to let it be.

"Because when it's just us I don't have to call him father." The purple feline raised a brow.

"Apparently saying that shows" she lowered her voice to imitate Lancelot's," good etiquette." Elizabeth rolled her eyes and continued her grumbling. "Plus, I won't be able to have dinner with Ty and his mommy anymore! That just takes away the fun in everything. I mean, what's the point anymore!" she exclaimed.

Well this was rather interesting. This Ty person she had recently hearing a lot about must be really something if she's this upset. Percival put the brush down and put a hand on her hip. "So this Ty person must be really important, huh?"

Elizabeth sighed. "Yeah, Tyrone. He's my friend. Well, my only friend from school. I don't think any of the others like me." For a moment the two were silent. Percival sadly looked at the wilting form before her. She tilted her head and reached out for her.

"Elizabeth-"

Said hedgehog, jumped off the bed she sat on. She shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. "It is nothing to worry about though. As long as I've got Ty I think I'm alright. Tyrone's all I need," she winked.

Percival only blinked in amazement. This girl, no older than ten, could push aside the fact that she only had a single friend and not let it burden her. She seemed so cheery, so optimistic about it. It was rather unbelievable. A soft smile played on her lips. She'd been like this too. Back when she was younger, all she had said was that she wanted to become a knight. And, of course, she was viewed as weird, strange, hopeless, and any other word associated with those. Women weren't viewed as superior to men so she was always looked down upon. But here she was and all it took her was her own strength. Strength Elizabeth seemed to show at such a young age. So, she showed no regret when she said, "You're right. As long as you have that one friend, you don't need any others. Now, why don't you go get your father and fix that mess on your head, yeah? We have to leave soon."

Elizabeth laughed as she shook her head rapidly messing up the jungle she called quills even more. "Aunt Percival, don't you know this is the new fashion?" she struck a pose before giggling wildly and running out of the room.

Percival shook her head. "What a special child."

(0…)

The dinner was as she expected. It was boring beyond belief. Not once was did Elizabeth find her head move from her plate. Maybe when dessert was served she might've smiled but other than that, that was the bit of emotions she displayed the whole time. This dinner was boring. The knights were boring and for the first time in her life she actually wanted them to stop talking about swords. She hated how that was all they talked about. Didn't they have other things in their lives? She would be fine if she talked about math, it was her most hated subject but still. It was better than this!

Her cheek was smushed against her hand and her fork lowly scraped her half empty plate. The gold colored plate was filled with tiny scratches she was sure to be asked about. But she didn't care. She just wanted this to be over. Elizabeth groaned and turned her head to her father who concentrated solely on a lizard. He and the other knight had their conversation while the others were also in their own individual conversations. She sighed and looked back at her own plate and continued scraping. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't interrupt her father's discussions. It would be rude.

Elizabeth, again, exhaled loudly and observed the following attendants. There was, of course, her father, uncle, and aunt. There was also that buffalo from last time but she didn't see other's from last time. She was pretty sure that brown bunny and purple chameleon weren't here last time. But it wasn't like she cared. Her purple orbs traveled around until she gasped. She jumped in her seat and dropped her fork. It clanked against the plate, but made little to no disruption amongst the others. Suddenly a wide smile almost split her face in half.

She didn't know eyes could go that way.

There, a few seats away, King Arthur made the funniest face he could muster. He sat cross eyed with a goofy smile. He stayed like that for awhile before making another one, this time he pinched his ears stretching them out while he puffed his cheeks out and squeezed his eyes shut. Elizabeth found herself laughing wildly, having to put her head down. Her shoulders shook. She looked around, wiping a tear away, wondering how no one noticed. They were probably too deep in their conversations. She turned back to the king and blinked as he was eating and discussing with someone as if nothing had happened. She tilted her head in confusion, but then smiled brightly when he winked at her.

From then on, King Arthur would make funny gestures to keep her entertained. There was once a time when he actually got caught but was able to play it off to her surprise. She couldn't exactly grasp why he would even risk it in the first place. Why would he make funny faces for her? Was it because he could see her boredom? Was it because he just felt like playing around? Or was it for other reasons? Well, whatever reason it was Elizabeth hoped it would continue to will him on.

These dinners were getting funnier with each passing day.

Can't ramble. Gotta run!

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Thank You. R&R

~God Bless You~