Work Text:
Title: Memorare
Author: Aeron Lanart
Rating: G
Warnings/Spoilers: None
Disclaimer: Panzer/Davis Productions own this concept of immortality. Siannon O'Niall however is mine.
No copyright infringement intended, no profit made
~*~
Memorare
*
Siannon bent to kiss him one last time, smiling through her tears. For the first time in years, lines of pain were no longer etched on his beloved face, and he looked almost happy. With a gentle touch she brushed the hair away from his forehead, and let her fingers linger briefly on rapidly cooling skin. She could hear others moving around in the room behind her; it was time.
"Goodbye, my love," she whispered. She dried her tears, trying to gather her dignity around herself like a cloak. She should be used to this by now, but the pain of loss never ceased to pierce her heart like a sword of sorrows, even if that loss had been expected. Avoiding the too-sympathetic stares, she left the room, and her old life. A little time away from the world for healing and remembrance, and she would be ready to start again; the endless circle of an immortal life.
~*~
The hinges creaked slightly in protest as she lifted the lid of the wooden chest, inhaling deeply; sandalwood and cedar, the dusty scent of lavender, myrrh and memory. The warmth of half-hidden gold winked in the flickering light; keepsakes of lost loves and lost lives. Gently, she tugged the ring off her finger, cradling it in her palm for a moment, letting the memories take her. He was young and vibrant; full of light and laughter, determined to have the fey Irish woman listen to his reasons of why he had to be in her life. Each reason was more outrageous than the last and they'd collapsed laughing onto the nearest seat. He asked; she said yes. They both knew what pain there would be ahead of them, but hoped it would be worth it. It was; for thirty years and more. As she lovingly wrapped her wedding ring up she smiled at the surge of happy memories it evoked, obliterating the later pain-filled ones.
She had so many loved and loving people to be remembered, all represented by the treasures stored in the simple cedar wood chest. She placed the ring to one side for a moment, and let her fingers drift the other items for a moment, remembering. The golden torc was her first bride-gift; from Cormac, larger than life and as bright as the sun; she hadn't had to watch *him* getting old without her. She laid the torc back in the chest, the gold chiming softly against the other items; bracelets, rings, necklaces, brooches, each one a gift of love and a celebration of life. In her heart, they all lived still, each memory, each life a treasure more valuable than mere gold, never dying while she still drew breath. Carefully, she placed her latest wedding ring in with the rest of the items; her marriage was well and truly over, but would never be forgotten. None of them were ever forgotten; silently she chanted their names as a litany to love and remembrance, adding Michael's name to the end of the list as she closed the chest, cutting off the glint of gold. Tenderly she put her wedding chest back in its place, and said her farewells once more, until the next time.