Reunion - WIP
This story is a WIP that I never finished from OCtober last year.
TW for allusions to suicide, I don’t believe theres any other topics in here I need to TW but if you need me to tag something just let me know.
Reunion
For the past thirty-six years she had lived in a house on a golden field. It was made of old wood, yet it stood sturdy through all of these years. She often spent her days drinking tea on it’s porch, a book in one hand as she slowly rocked on her chair. Throughout those thirty-six years, her golden field had not once wilted due to winter or pest. She was lucky to live in eternal summer, only growing cold when the sun set and the sky filled with stars. Throughout those thirty-six years, she had not aged a day; remaining as young and as beautiful as she had when she had passed.
And throughout those thirty-six long, warm years; she had been alone without ever feeling lonely. Her days were filled with the mundane, yet she never grew bored. Life was good here, in her golden field.
It was a day like any other when she heard rustling from the field. The wind was sweeping in a light breeze across the land, but that was not the source of the rustling. Before she knew it, there stood a boy. A boy in the old, worn body of a man; but a boy nonetheless. His face was sad as he stood before the three stairs leading up to her house. It was, however, a face she remembered and held so dearly in her heart.
She stood, looking him up and down for a moment before stepping inside. She looked at the clock on her wall, which told her all she had needed to know.
“You’ve come too early,” She said simply, once she came to stand in front of him once again. He nodded, looking as though he was about to start crying.
“I know, momma. I know.” He replied, holding himself tightly.
“What happened, Kurtys?” She asked, before noticing the rope burn around his neck. It made her heart sink, the first time she had ever felt such an emotion in those thirty-six years. She knew that they would meet again someday- but this was not the joyous reunion she had pictured all those years.
“Can I sit down, please? I’ve been walking for a long time.”
She nodded, stepping aside to let him up onto the porch and into her home. He looked around once inside, glancing back at her.
“It’s just like our old house.” He said, moving to sit down on the comfy, plush couch she had chosen for the house.
“I couldn’t spend an eternity anywhere else, really.” She replied, a small smile on her face as she looked around fondly. It had been decorated almost exactly as the home they had shared when her son was only small, every knick knack and scratch on the floor being the same. “Now tell me what you’ve gone and done, Kurtys.” Kurtys let out a small, shaky sigh as he buried his face in his hands. “I grew too weak to continue on with life, momma. I was too sad all the time.”
“I doubt you were weak, Kurtys. Us Lutalos aren’t weak. Don’t you know what our name means?” “Fighter- I know it means fighter. But I’ve always been weak, momma.” Kurtys sighed, sitting back against the couch. “My life was good and I just gave it up. If that isn’t weak then I don’t know what is.”
She moved to sit beside him, resting a hand on her boy’s shoulder.
“Tell me of this good life. I want to hear what happened to you after I left.” Kurtys was silent for a long few moments, thinking hard about what to say and all that had happened.
“I became a knight, just like I had always wanted to. I was a damn good knight, momma. Even got promoted to head knight. I protected a girl when I was younger from her terrible father- the ex-king of Ishida Edgar Derre- and some years later she became my wife. We had many beautiful children, and though some of them didn’t make it very long I loved them so much. My first daughter carries your name within her own. You two would’ve gotten along so well.”
She sat and listened as her son spoke, and she couldn’t help but smile fondly to him as he did. Her boy had been okay.
“I bet they miss you very much, Kurtys.” She said in reply, and it brought a great frown to her son’s face.
“I miss them. They’re the only reason I regret leaving so soon.” He sighed, running a hand through his long hair. Tears welled in his eyes, but he didn’t dare cry. She studied him for a long moment, her eyes tracing the old and worn features of her boy’s face.
“It’s strange to see this, you know. My little Kurtys, older than me.” She tried to change the subject.
Kurtys nodded in response, looking up at her from his hunched position. “I’m forty-six now. I got to see so much more of life than you ever did.”
“I’m glad for that, though. I think that if anything… my death was the reason you received so many gifts from life.”
“I think that, too. Sometimes I think that you died at the right time, no matter how morbid that may be. There’s so much you were spared from. You died when you were your happiest. Dad and you had made amends, you were about to have another little boy- dad told me you had hoped for a girl, though- plus you and grandpa and grandma were growing close again.”
“And I’ve been happy ever since that day… I’ve missed you, and your father, but I’ve been happy.” She nods, smiling fondly once again. “You know who your dad is now, then?”
“Yes. I met him shortly after I became a proper knight. Sometimes I feel dumb for not knowing it earlier, considering he was around nearly all my life. He told me lots about you I didn’t know. Like about Henri. Dad and I were real close. I even named my son after him. He also told me that he missed you very much.”
“He really said that?”
“Yeah. And it really did seem like he was telling the truth.”
“And Henri- that’s your younger brother?”
“Yeah. He’s a real good boy, momma. We only met a couple times before I left, but he’s a sweetheart. Adopted by a rich couple so he was a bit spoiled, but he’s got a little girl and she looks so much like you, mom. You’d be so proud of him.”
“Though it sucks I never got my little girl, I’m glad I had three healthy and happy boys. Did- Did you ever find out about your older brother?” Kurtys cringed at that, glancing away from her and to the floor.
“You wouldn’t want to know Alfonze. He was a horrible man.” Kurtys responds after a few moments, grimacing. “He was nothing but a filthy fucking rapist.’
“Oh…” She frowned.
“B-But hey, two out of three aint so bad, momma. Henri and I did the Lutalo name proud- and I’m sure our children will do the same.” He reassured her.
“Tell me more about these grandkids of mine.” “Well… there’s four of them. Fluvius Jr is our first born, he had a twin brother who unfortunately passed. He’s a good kid, my pride and joy. You should see the art he creates, my wife taught him how to paint and draw from the moment he could hold a pencil. He’s got some problems, but I know that he’ll turn out alright. I hope so, at least… Then there’s Ilonia, my little firecracker and princess. She reminds me so much of you it hurt, mom. A natural love for animals, confident, good head on her shoulders- I almost thought you had come back to me in the form of Ilonia. Our adopted son, Dietrich. There’s not much to say about him, he’s just a good boy. And finally, Elise. That little girl was just… god, there wasn’t a moment in the day I didn’t have her by my side. A bit slow, but such a sweetheart. She had a rough start in life, but she was doing well. I loved- I still love them all so much.”
“So why did you leave them, then?” The look on Kurtys’ face was as if she had just punched him in the gut. She knew it was a blunt question, but she wanted to know. What man who claimed to love his family so dearly would make such a horrid decision such as to leave them?
“I-... I’m not a strong man. I know- I know. Lutalos are strong. But as Kurtys… I’m weak. Ever since you died I’ve been weak, momma. Life just got to a point where I couldn’t fathom carrying on with it. Depression was crushing down on me from all angles, I was at a point where no matter how many good things came my way I couldn’t seem to break out of its clutch.” He explained, staring down at the floor with such an intensity Katia almost thought that he’d burn a hole straight through it. “I regret it now. Fuck- I regret it so much, momma. My wife probably found me by now… I don’t know how time works here versus back there. I only hope it was her and not one of the kids. I remember what it was like seeing your body wrapped in that sheet… and I couldn’t do that to them. Taifun doesn’t deserve to be the one to find my body, absolutely not, but still.”
“Jesus, Kurtys…” It was all Katia could manage to even think to say once he had finished speaking.
“I know…” Was all he could respond with.
There was a long, almost uncomfortable beat of silence between the two of them. In this place, the silence could almost be deafening.