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Rumors abound of a couple greeting the more timid souls in the afterlife. They were whispered by those in the stockade, joked about by others in the employ of the reapers. The moment The Raven Queen heard of it, she knew the three troublemakers of her reapers must have had a hand in it.
Of course it was the couple. Julia and Magnus. The Queen sighed as she stared hard into Kravitz, glaring at him. Give an inch and the petulant children will always, always, take a mile.
It was getting out of hand. The Raven Queen looked over her lists of the dead currently missing but in the astral plane- names swam in front of her, Lizzy, Emz, Meg, Eli. She kept reading. Reid. Jord. Aspen. More and more, her anger grew as she slammed the scroll down. Something must be done about this. There were laws to uphold.
She spread herself thin over the astral plane, finally culminating in a space on the other side of the river of souls from where she knew Magnus and Julia to be. She stood to her full height, the goddess of death, and surveyed her land. She could see for miles and miles.
She saw a cottage. A beautiful little cottage, made by hand by a woman who was capable and caring. She saw a fenced yard with too many dogs, all happy with their tongues sprawled out and running, always running. On the little island in the stream, she saw a cherry blossom tree, a wooden picnic table underneath. It didn’t seem big enough for everyone she saw, but somehow it always had room. There was always enough room.
And she saw him- Magnus Burnsides, protection fighter. Savior of Faerun and everywhere else. He was throwing a ball in their yard to a horde of dogs, each of which he knew by name. The dogs chased after them. Behind him were a few children, playing games with each other and laughing, neverending laughing. He turned with a wide smile, his voice booming across the astral plane.
“See?” He said, handing another ball to the smallest child, “Here, Reid, you try. Just huck if over to them, they’ll chase after it.”
Their pitch was not as perfectly thrown as Magnus’, but with the way Magnus reacted anyone would have thought that it was the definition of a perfect fetch toss. He howled with laughter as the dogs ran after the ball, several of the children betting which dog would get it first.
It was rambunctious, in a way The Raven Queen was not used to. It was harmlessly chaotic- not the serene pond of gentle souls, not the loud, abrasive sounds of the Eternal Stockade. It was a soft kind of chaos.
The door of the cottage swung open. And there she was- Julia Burnsides, just as important to the story of Faerun, a key player left unseen save for her love and influence. She had a basket on her hip as she stepped over to the picnic table and set it up with food, more than enough food for everyone to have their fill.
The children, their ages unknown and unimportant, all squabbled and sat at the table, trading stories of their lives and their families. They asked Magnus to tell their favorite stories again- of twin elves and of brave ship pilots, necessary sacrifices, little boys learning magic and clerics prayers answered. Magnus turned to Julia to ask her which she wanted to hear, but she was staring off into the middle distance.
Something must have tipped her off. She looked up and saw clear across existence to The Raven Queen, spying on their perfect life. Julia paused for a moment then smiled, waving to her.
The Raven Queen watched. She watched them laugh and play, watched them eat, and clean, and put everyone to bed, only to wake up and do it again the next day. Games and food and songs, more stories than anyone quite knew what to do with. She saw warmth. She saw love.
Occasionally, they let a soul slip into the river. But only when they were ready, and never alone. It was never a quiet affair. There was a huge party, a celebration of life, not mourning a death. It was a new beginning. It was the same fate everyone would come to- but the transition only made it softer. Kinder.
The Raven Queen watched them for a long while. Time meant very little to her. Julia smiled and waved to her every night before supper began, completely unphased by the goddess staring at her family.
Finally, after weeks of watching their home, The Raven Queen waved back.