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The more that Sylnan stared at himself in the dirty mirror, the more wrong he found. His cuff wasn’t folded high enough, there was a bit of soot on his forehead, and the bags under his eyes were more than noticeable.
Sylnan flattened down his hair for the eight time, running his fingers through the dense locks. Even though he had cut off his ponytail two years ago, the feeling of his fingers running short of hair so soon still was so alien to him. Katherine had loved it long; she’d always figure out some new hairstyle for the half-elf.
Two years had felt so long ago, a part of Sylnan almost missed the Great Wharf. Of course, he didn’t miss the racists that gave them side glances every time they left the factory, nor the poverty-stricken streets that affected him and his brother all too well.
Well—now that he thought about it, he wasn’t sure what he missed besides his mother. Maybe it was the absurd heists him and his brother would pull to steal bread, maybe it was naïve market keepers that were too dumb to guard their goods.
Maybe it was the feeling of being safe, not having to move around from place to place. Things were less than safe in the Great Wharf, but at least 18-year-old Sylnan didn’t have to worry about a king and his army that had his name on a wanted poster.
He could only pray that the king hadn’t put her name on the poster as well.
Then, a sudden tug of his hand shook him out of his thoughts. He looked down at the little girl, giving her a soft smile.
“Are we leaving soon?” Miri asked.
Sylnan nodded his head, readjusting his cloak. “Yeah, yeah—make sure you got her ring.”
Miri felt her thumb, nervously looking down at her hand as she realized she couldn’t feel the silver band. She felt the pockets of her pants and her cloak hurriedly, “Dad, I—I can’t—”
Sylnan raised an eyebrow, checking his own ring finger. He grinned for a moment, realizing the ring still wrapped around his finger. He pulled it off, holding it out to her.
Miri looked up from emptying her cloak pocket, and upon realizing the ring was sat on his palm, she frustratedly groaned and snatched it.
“Dad.” She whined, placing it on her thumb.
Sylnan chuckled, “Sorry, bud. It slipped my mind.”
The 11-year-old frowned, tucking it tight around her finger, “You can’t forget about this! This is really important.”
Sylnan ruffled her hair, “I know, I’m sorry.”
To Sylnan’s surprise, the little girl swatted his hand away with a scowl, turning away to adjust the ring on her thumb. Sylnan’s heart sunk as Miri looked back up at him with tears in her eyes.
“You should be sorry.”
“Sorry about what?”
Br’aad peaked out of the corner, adjusting his own purple cloak. Sylnan looked up at him, and before he could open his mouth, Miri stomped over to her uncle.
“He forgot about Mom’s ring. He knows that—that it’s important that I need to have this w-when we visit her.” Miri’s voice wavered, nearly giving way to tears that shamefully ran down her face.
Br’aad frowned, “Hey, c’mon Miri. Your dad didn’t mean it.” He looked up at Sylnan, cocking an eyebrow and mouthing Did you mean it?
Sylnan quickly mouthed back a, No! Of course, not.
“I—” Miri sniffled, sitting down on the floor. She kept staring at the ring, playing around with the reflection and the glare of the candlelight.
Sylnan took a seat next to her, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. He wasn’t too surprised when she swatted away his hand again.
“Miri, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it.”
Miri said nothing, tightly wrapping her cloak around her as she curled her knees closer to her chest. Sylnan could hear the soft fading footsteps of Br’aad, presumably to leave them be. He was always grateful that he would leave them alone in moments like these.
Sylnan gently moved a strand of hair from her face. “I know today is hard for you. It’s… It’s hard for me too. Things can easily slip my mind, but I know how important today is. I think—” Sylnan paused for a moment. Swallowing a gulp, he said to her, “I know, no matter what, your mom’s really proud of you.”
She tearfully looked up at him, pushing away the cloak around her shoulders. Sniffling, she shoved herself into her father, tightly wrapping her arms around him as she let out a quiet cry in his shoulder. Her tears and snot would definitely stain his cloak.
But even so, he instinctively held Miri in his arms, caressing her cinnamon hair and rubbing circles around her back.
“I’m sorry—I get so upset, and I just miss her so much—”
“It’s okay.” Sylnan mumbled, gently rocking her back and forth, “It’s okay. I.. I miss her too.”
Every time Sylnan saw Miri, he was ever so reminded of Katherine. She had her smile, her mean glares, her attitude and her joy. Even when she was first born, he had fond memories of adoringly watching Katherine hum lullabies and melodies to a smaller Miri in her arms.
After a beat of gentle silence, of Sylnan holding Miri as tight as he could, the 11-year-old girl was the first to pull away from the embrace. She wiped away tears with her balled fist, and gave a light giggle.
“I’m gonna tell mom you forgot her ring.”
Sylnan scoffed, “I swear to the gods, Miri..”
“I am!” She grinned, leaping to her feet.
Sylnan couldn’t help the warm smile on his face. “Let’s go then, I don’t want to walk in the dark.”
Miri nodded, running off the direction that Br’aad went into. Sylnan could hear a faint, “Br’aad! Let’s go! We’re gonna see mom—c’mon!”
And moments later, an eccentric Br’aad was being forcefully dragged out by a mighty Miri pulling at his arm. Br’aad picked her up and spun her around, eliciting a loud shriek from her as she playfully begged him to put her down, speaking promises of “I’m not gonna drag you anymore, please!”
Sylnan swooped in, picking up Miri from Br’aad and resting her on his arm. He pressed a sloppy kiss to her cheek and swung open the door.
Of course, to Sylnan’s unsurprised horror, Miri kicked her way off of Sylnan’s grasp and excitedly dashed out the door.
“Put up your hoodie, Miri!” Sylnan yelled, quickly sprinting after her.
Katherine wasn’t too far away, they didn’t even have to take the horses. He swung Miri’s hand as she skipped along the cobbled road with Br’aad at her other hand.
“When are we gonna see Velrisa, Mountain and Taxi again?” She had asked him at one point during the journey.
Sylnan hummed, thinking for a moment. “I’m not sure, they should only be just a few more weeks.”
“A few weeks?” Miri groaned.
“Taxi’s been sending me letters,” Br’aad piped in, “They’ll be visiting soon, I think! But things are messy where they are so they might be late.”
Miri pouted. “Why doesn’t Taxi send me letters?”
Sylnan looked up at his brother with a soft smirk, “Br’aad, you should tell Taxi and the rest of them to send a letter to Miri.”
Miri’s eyes lit up happily, as Br’aad grinned back at Sylnan. “Will do!”
And after moments of loud jokes from Br’aad, Miri running off and Sylnan hurriedly trying to keep up with her, they had arrived at the smaller cottage. Lovely flowers planted in the front; mushrooms dotted in the pathway as greenery covered the exterior nearly head to toe.
Sylnan walked up to the wooden door, giving it a light knock. The door creaked open, and the group were greeted by the smile of a familiar healer.
“Sylnan, Br’aad, Miri.” She greeted. “Come in!”
The group stepped in, taking off their cloaks as Miri ate a small candy that the healer had gave her.
“It’s nice to see you Agnes.” Br’aad grinned, leaning against a wooden support.
“You as well. You can all go on ahead to Katherine, she’s in the garden where she always is.”
“Did you give her a gift, yet?” Miri asked.
Agnes chuckled, “Like every year. I think she likes the petunias I grow for her. You can have one as well on your way out if you wish.”
After thanking her, they walked past the back entrance, to the garden where they had gone every April 18th. Miri’s excitement had seemed to tone down, as she stood by Sylnan the entire time they walked to the garden.
She stared at the petunias that grew near Katherine’s grave, they had been planted and had grown beautifully around it. There were vines that had also grown, but it seemed to make her look alive, rather than abandoned and overgrown.
Br’aad was the first one to step up, not having much to say other than the traditional “Happy birthday, Kath.” And his gift, a rose that had grown in the garden behind their own house.
Miri stepped up next, and unlike the two brothers, she was more excited and giddy than the both combined. Her death had hit her hard, Katherine had told her about the life they could live in Viecta, one where Miri could walk around places by herself and make new friends without people making fun of her father’s ears. She told her about the garden they could have together, one where she could have a pet bird like she had always wanted, or the animals they could see—like the ones in her picture book.
No one could’ve anticipated that Katherine would die a month after they had left the Wharf, to sickness, nonetheless. Sylnan remembered the way that Miri had stood at her mother’s bed after the healer had declared her dead, numb and in disbelief.
“Hey, mom!” She grinned, her hand playing around with the ring around her thumb. So, I know you said you liked roses best, but it looks like Agnes didn’t really get the memo for it. I’m sure you like petunias, they’re really pretty.”
She bounced around, waving around her hands as she excitedly told her how she met a nice Tiefling boy in the square earlier that week. When she had finished, she unfolded a crumpled drawing that she had made, resting it in the soft patch of dirt.
Sylnan stood there for a moment, almost afraid to step close to her grave. He had thought the two had already stepped inside when he felt a tug at his arm. He looked down, realizing Miri had grasped the fabric of his sleeve.
“Go say hi!” Miri egged, gesturing to her grave insistently. Sylnan chuckled, ruffling her hair once more and shooing her inside.
When he could hear the door slam behind him, he faced Katherine’s grave once more.
Katherine Vengelor. Beloved wife, mother, friend.
Sylnan stepped up, nervously thumbing the ring on his ring finger. Even though there was a plethora of things he wanted to tell her, things he wanted to show off to her, his mouth always felt dry when he stood in front of her. The feeling of it all almost punched a hole in his stomach, realizing that he hadn’t visited his mother’s grave in years.
But it couldn’t matter now. Not today. So, he gave a soft smile.
“Hey, Kath. I’m sorry we can’t come visit every day, I actually have a job and stuff.” He awkwardly chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck anxiously.
A beat of silence passed, as if he had almost been expecting Katherine to give him some sort of assurance with a quiet giggle.
“I know Miri doesn’t show it, but she misses you every day. She’s getting better, um, compared to when—” He swallowed a lump down his throat. “—when you passed. It’s hard to make friends here, and I know that, even though it’s been two years, we’ll have to move again eventually but I think you heard when she told you she made a friend. Uh, Noe was his name, I think? His mother is really nice, they come over sometimes.”
The wind howled as it brushed against Sylnan’s cheek, his foot crunching against the fallen green leaves and the soft green grass as he shuffled closer to Katherine.
“I wish I could tell her more, but every time I see her, or even hear her—I can see you. I can hear you in her voice, and I know that even though you aren’t here now, you’ll always be a part of her.”
A beat of silence, and then a tear down his cheek as his voice wobbled ever so slightly. “I’m proud of her. Because—she’s handling it so well and I think she’s the only reason why I haven’t fallen apart. I.. I miss you. I miss you so much.”
The wind’s howls came to a crawl, the forest around him silencing.
“I love you Kath. I’ll see you again, next year.”
And then he turned around, heading inside to be with his brother and his daughter.