(Spoilers for the Dalen's Closet One Shot, I really enjoyed that final scene…but I felt like there were a few other characters that deserved more proper goodbyes.)
"I wish that Vax'ildan can say a few words at his sister's wedding." The voice of a friend, power resounding in every word as it fought against the Divine Gate reached his ears and that of his Lady-Matron. She turned to look down at him for but a moment, before beckoning him towards her form, into the darkness beneath the cloak.
He walked free of the blackness that surrounded him, appearing on a pristine cliff side the sound of waves crashing against its base far below. Looking up he spotted…those he'd left behind, sadness, shock, and joy rolling off the like an encompassing fog. Like a beacon, his sister shone with the light of the Dawnfather, resplendent in her gown as tears began to well up in her eyes. Standing beside her Percival, slightly worse for wear, drenched in seawater stood staring at him with a hopeful but as always carefully coached expression, Pike stood before both of them, turning to look at him with…regret, tears welling in her eyes as well. Grog towered over the rest an unabashed wildly pleased smile on his face. Vax's heart had not beat for over a year, but he knew if it still could it would have stopped when he spotted Keyleth standing beside Percy, shock in her eyes, tears on her cheeks soft sobs wracking her body. Lastly, his eyes fell to Scanlan, who stood there smiling his, "I've done a very good thing" smile his eyes misty as well.
"Scanlan Shorthalt." He spoke, his voice raspier and slower than it had once been, a gasp from his twin causing him to pause longer than he had meant to, "You are toying with the designs of the gods still I see, old friend."
For a moment the bard looks stunned, for once unable to find the proper words. When he finally spoke his voice was raw, "I didn't have a present so…"
Several members of his family laugh just a bit sadly at the joke, and once he would have joined them, instead he simply sought to give them a bit more peace of mind.
"She will allow it." He watched as Scanlan's face morphed into an immense grin.
"Okay." His friend half-whispered, much of the tension fleeing his form.
"And thank you." Vax finished, turning ever so slightly away but finding himself not fully able to look at the face of his twin as of yet. She meanwhile fought for his gaze, stepping towards him several times before back-peddling, crunching the bouquet in her hands, her whole body shaking.
"Hello." He said, slowly turning to face her.
"Can you come over here?" His sister pleaded, and with that, whatever kept him from looking towards her broke. He felt a soft smile break across his face as she looked him over, gesturing plainly to remove the mask he now wore. As he slowly pulled it free of his face, he watched as her own face broke into a wide tearful smile.
"Am I allowed to hug him." Vex pleaded, to no one at first before turning to look at Scanlan, who shrugged stammering out, "I don't know how this works."
Before the bard had finished speaking however his twin had pulled him into a desperately tight embrace. Slowly he embraced her as well, nestling his head into her shoulder. She laughed, light and happy and then he spoke.
"I am so glad for you." As the pulled apart still embracing each other's arms, a true smile on both of their faces, "A child!"
The joy within him eclipsed anything he had felt in quite some time as his sister laughed, nodding her head furiously.
"Yeah, a little girl," Vex stated, still shaking, still on the verge of tears, but happy, so very happy at that moment. Vax felt the threads behind Creation pull and he could see his niece in the years to come growing, learning, being loved and giving it. It was to be a beautiful experience, one he would only be able to watch…from afar but still there would be beauty in her life, and within the lives of the many de Rolos that would follow her.
"Like our mother," Vax stated, knowing full well who she would grow into.
"Yes, named after her," Vex stated, her smile melting away as the tears came rolling down, "I miss you so much!"
"I know," Vax stated, speaking more truth in that sentence than he ever had in life. His sister continued to sob, her body shaking with grief as he reached out and stroked her cheek, wiping away tears as he did so. She looked up at the caress, his comforting smile greeting her.
"I am no longer worried for you." He stated, turning to look at Percival who had been managing to fight off the tears, a soft smile on his face, "I know…the de Rolo family is born anew."
Percy continued to pleasantly smile, while a laugh and grin fought its way through his sister's tears.
"Congratulations on this your first, of many blessings Percival," Vax stated, eliciting another joyful laugh from his sister.
"Thank you." Percival stated, leaning in ever so slightly, "Talk to her idiot."
Keyleth laughed at that, and once more Vax felt as though his world would stop at that moment, even as a smile crossed his face, "Thank you."
He turned back to his sister and stared for a moment. Which was shattered by his sister suddenly shaking him, yelling as she did so.
"Don't be weird! Talk normal, talk normal!" Bringing a smile to his face, which coaxed another from her.
"Don't worry about me." He stated, drawing another laugh from her, "I am sage and taken care of. I am always with you."
"I know." Vex stated, her voice ever so slightly dejected, "I know."
"You will live," Vax stated, not just to her but to all of his found family, drawing tears that streamed down Pike and Keyleth's faces, wistful smiles from Grog and Scanlan and sighs from his sister and her groom.
"As long as all of your hearts are beating I will live within them." He continued, his sister nodding along with his words, "And my love will never dim."
He focused once more solely on his sister, and he could feel the ghosts of tears and his own grief welling up inside, "How beautiful you look."
"I am so proud of all of you." He stated once more to all of them.
"Turn around dear." His sister stated, pushing his face ever so slightly to look at Keyleth who had stood silently, weeping only feet from him. From deep within a wave of guilt rose as he looked at her standing with grief-stricken serenity.
She couldn't quite look at him, and he found himself once more not fully able to look at her, and at that moment the side he had grown to know the past year took over.
"Hail to the Tempest." He stated, bowing low before her.
"Don't be weird!" His sister demanded, slapping him on the back of his shoulder, "Go hug her!"
Keyleth's laugh cut through the tension, and he rose to face her fully. He moved, sliding towards her and embraced his beloved fully within his arms his wings encompassing the both of them.
"Hello." Such a simple word, but the roiling meanings and emotions behind it carried onward all the same, "My love, my home, Zephra blossoms under your boughs as I knew it would."
"It's not the same without you." His beloved stated, sniffling slightly as she melted into his embrace.
"It will not be." He stated, the plain honesty of it all hurting him as well.
"How am I supposed to get over you if you keep sending Ravens to me?" Keyleth asked, looking up at him with deep, painful grief in her eyes, a dejected laugh on her lips.
He stood silent for a moment, still wrapping her within his embrace, and for a moment felt the need to take a step back only for her arms to lock around him tighter.
He looked deeply into her eyes, and smiled sadly, "I am…imperfect as are the Gods…"
A silence followed that had he not already seen eternity he would assuredly have felt was one until Keyleth broke the tension with a soft smile, and a softer touch to the bottom of his chin.
"That was my poor attempt at humor." She remarked sadly, "I'll never get over you."
"Nor I." He responded, once more with a truth he had never known in life. It was then that the kissed, a long slow affair his cold skin against her warmth, the Tempest and the Raven locked in one final embrace. They broke apart from each other, and Vax felt just a small hint of grief for the words that followed next.
"But you will live and your life will touch thousands." Over the grief rose pride, as he stared at the women he had wanted more than anything to be his bride, to be the mother of his children, to be his final home and saw instead her rising to become a bastion of safety, calm and leadership for generations to come.
"Thanks to you," Keyleth said, a sad smile on her lips as she rested her head against his shoulder.
He saw the threads branching out like the antlers atop of her head, he could see her finding new love, raising children that would not be his…though their futures could intersect with his in a number of ways, "Your children…"
He stopped as he watched Keyleth slowly and sadly shake her head, "I'll watch over hers…and her."
She looked up and he followed her gaze to his sister, who gave her own saddened smile.
"For as long as I live," Keyleth stated, already the threads of her future realigning before his eyes.
Vax pulled her in tighter, his head bowed as he whispered into her ear, "I am far but not gone."
"We know." Keyleth returned, nuzzling into his neck ever so slightly.
The grief and guilt inside him became too much to bear as the last words left his lips, "Forgive me."
Keyleth leaned back in their embrace and looked him deeply in the eyes. She began to shake her head, a soft smile playing across her lips, "There's nothing to forgive."
She kissed him on the cheek as she caressed the other, "Nothing. We get to go on because of you. It's not taken lightly."
He looked up and away from her his eyes falling on Pike, tears fresh in her eyes, "Your Grace."
"I…I'm happy to know that you're safe." Pike choked out, though her smile was as luminous as it had ever been.
He turned to Grog, a slight grin crossing his face, "De Doink."
Grog nodded, "Vax, I miss you brother."
He then looked out and found the crowd that had come to aid and then watch the marriage of his sister, spotting the shocked faces of Allura and Kima, tears in the former's eyes, while the latter gave him a lazy wave and just shook her head with a smile. Tary had taken a step back, for all his pompous air he had decided to not insert himself at this moment.
"You are doing good work," Vax stated, his voice a whisper but Taryon started as if it had been said by someone directly next to him. He smiled at Vex, wiping a few tears from his eyes and nodded, mouthing, "Thank you."
He then turned to Scanlan, who looked at him with the love of a best friend, mentor and well even the pseudo-father-figure he and his sister had thrown upon him. Vax smiled and intoned once more, "Thank you."
He stepped away from Keyleth and made to walk away from the group a bit when a voice rang out across the cliffside!
"Vax! Wait!" As he turned around he saw a small figure pry their way free of the crowd and then race towards him as fast as their legs could carry them. As if emboldened by that action two more figures broke free of the crowd and made their way towards him, one almost as frantic as the first figure and the last at a more sedative pace.
Velora raced towards him her brown hair bobbing frantically in the wind, the owlbear feather pinned within holding firm despite the speed at which she raced towards him. Tears were flying free of her face and falling to the ground behind her.
He knelt down, opening his arms as he did so as she fell into his arms with a joyful sob. He picked her up as he had done two years ago, her arms wrapped fiercely around his neck.
"You're back!" She cried, pulling away tears still streaming down her face, "I told Simon you'd come back!"
"For…for this moment yes I have returned," Vax stated, smiling softly at his younger sister.
"For the moment?" Velora asked, new tears beginning to brim in her eyes, "Why, why can't you stay?"
"I made a promise Velora." Vax said, wiping the tears from her eyes and moving a bit of her windswept hair from her face, "And one must always keep their promises."
"I don't want you to go!" She cried out, her grief magnified by how young she was, "It's not fair! Please stay! Please!"
Vax looked up at Keyleth and Vex, both with fresh tears in their eyes, "You're right little sister, it is not fair…but I will never be far from you. I am your big brother, and that will never change. The blood in your heart is the same as mine, and you will always carry a part of me with you, isn't that right Simon?"
The Belt in response to his voice unfurled, long and sinuous and curled up Velora's arm, his head bopping her playfully in the cheek, his tongue shooting out to lick away a few of the tears.
"Take good care of each other." Vax stated, and know that if you ever hear a raven in the middle of the night…it's a friend of mine making sure you sleep safe and sound."
"You're friends with Ravens?" Velora asked, childlike wonder briefly replacing her grief.
"I'm very good friends with their Queen." He returned giving her a soft smile, as he turned and spotted the others that had come up to him.
"Velora darling, come over here please," Vex said, opening her arms into a welcoming embrace which Velora greedily took to.
Vax turned to the second figure, his long ash-blonde hair also tousled by the wind, his young face marred with grief and anger.
"Kynan Leore…it's been some time since we last spoke," Vax stated, looking him deeply in the eys.
"I…I failed again sir." He said, refusing to meet Vax's eyes, "I couldn't protect the people I was supposed to."
Vax reached up and placed a comforting hand on the younger man's shoulder, "I would never blame you for what happened here today. Nor would anyone here, I know as well as you that had Sylas Briarwood come for Lady Cassandra, you would have fought with every single ounce of your strength and spirit to keep him far from her."
"I…I don't deserve your praise sir." Kynan stated, still looking down at his feet.
"You more than almost anyone deserve my praise." Vax stated, "You have come far in spite of me, and I know that you're future will be one bright and filled with more than a few surprises."
Kynan stood up a bit taller but still fought meeting Vax's gaze, "I promise I'll do my best to keep your family safe, even though…they have much more capable guardians than me."
"You are more capable than you think, and despite your doubts of yourself I know you will continue to be more than worthy of that second chance," Vax said.
Kynan finally looked up, a few tears sliding free of his deep brown eyes, "Thank you Vax."
Vax then turned…and moved to embrace the final person, Shaun Gilmore.
"Shaun, I am sorry," Vax stated softly, as Gilmore hugged him, more sedated the Keyleth but still comforting and intense in its own way.
"Vax, the only thing you will ever have to apologize to me for…is being much too pretty for your own good," Gilmore stated, with a laugh on his lips and tears in his eyes. Keyleth laughed as well, a beautiful happy laugh.
Vax pulled away, staring at the man who had once had his heart, and who still carried within his own heart a love for him, and smiled ever so slightly.
"If you won't take my apology will give you something that you more rightly deserve instead," Vax stated, still smiling warmly.
With that, he kissed Gilmore on the forehead, and then whispered two words, "Goodbye."
Gilmore laughed, tears tracking down his face, "Thank you."
With that Vax stepped back, turning to look at them all, a single tear tracking down his cheek, his sisters, found, twin and younger, his found brothers, the young man who had only ever wanted to follow in his footsteps, the man he had once loved and the woman he still did and smiled, "Thank you. Live."
He looked over and spotted Trinket approaching, and reached out to scratch the great bear under the chin as he disappeared, "No, I didn't forget you boy, I know you'll take care of them."
Trinket huffed appreciatively, and marched back towards Velora and Vex, licking the tears off the former's face, eliciting a peel of laughter.
And as returned to the darkness beyond he heard Vex cry out on last time, "Wait! What about the boots?"
Another tear tracked down his cheek, his laughter joining the echoes of his friends as he was carried beyond the Divine Gate for the final time.