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The funeral had been a state affair.
You don't save the world, help lead a city, and serve on the Council of Taldore'i for 10 decades without earning a state funeral.
People from all over had turned up to pay their respects. Generations of half-elves that had inherited sharp wit and smug grins, residents of Whitestone, political and diplomatic acquaintances, friends both old and new.
The city was packed to the gills with mourners, well-wishers, and political figures. They would start to filter out now that the formalities had finished, but things wouldn't go back to normal.
Or, well, they would. Just a new normal. A normal where Lady Vex'ahlia de Rolo, Baroness of the First House of Whitestone, Grandmistress of the Grey Hunt, Champion of Pelor, and Coinmistress Of the Taldore'i Council, was but a memory.
Keyleth leaned back heavily in the chair she was sitting in, holding a glass of unsipped ale, sighing deeply as she looked over the crowd.
The formalities had ended hours ago, and those closest to The Lady had retired to the castle for a private reception. Private being relative, as the de Rolo family had grown quite large and there were many dear friends.
Vesper Elaina, aged herself now, was seated on the other side of the room, holding one of her great-great grandchildren, looking a bit lost. Her wife and son had died a few decades before, as they were both humans. She had thrown herself into work afterwards, as she had taken over for Cassandra when she grew too old. Vesper had turned control over to Wolfe's eldest son when she grew too old, and he was in the process of handing the reins to his eldest child.
The lost and broken look on Vesper's face broke Keyleth’s heart. All five of Vex and Percy's children had been adored by their parents and had adored their parents, but Vesper was the only one of them who had them to herself. Vesper knew them when they were young and scared and freshly wounded. Vesper had grown up alongside her parents. And now they both were gone.
“Hey,”
Keyleth looked over at Pike, who had walked up beside her. Pike, who, like Keyleth, had hardly changed much physically in the last one hundred and twenty odd years. Gnomes lived for-fucking-ever and still not as long as Keyleth herself would. And Keyleth was already tired of funerals.
“How are you holding up?” Pike, ever the caretaker, asked. She had a kind, sad smile on her face.
That was all it took for Keyleth to tear up.
“Aw, Keyleth,” Pike said, stepping closer to wrap her friend in a hug. Keyleth returned it, careful not to spill her drink over her friend. “I know.”
“I knew it was going to happen, I know all of you are going to leave, and I thought it would get easier but…”
“Loss never gets easier,” Pike said. “And that's okay.”
First it had been PopPop, and then Grog, and then Tary, and then Percy, and then Keyleth’s parents. And now Vex.
Keyleth sniffled miserably. “They're back together now. That's what I keep trying to… tell myself.”
Pike chuckled, pulling back. “Yeah, Vax and Vex are causing all sorts of trouble. Vax is making sure of it somehow, I bet.”
That made Keyleth crack a watery smile. “I mean, yeah, but I really meant Vex and Percy.”
“Oh yeah,” Pike replied softly. “Them too.”
“They loved each other so much for so long, it… felt weird to have Vex without Percy.”
“It was weird. They belong together.” Pike agreed. “And Keyleth, we all loved them, but I know that they meant a little more to you.”
Keyleth frowned as she studied her friend. “I, what?”
“You know…” Pike shrugged. “I had Grog and Scanlan and the kids. You had Vex and Percy and their kids. We were all a family, but you were closest to them. And that's okay. Percy was your best friend and Vex was your sister.”
“You're my sister too, Pike.” Keyleth argued.
“I know,” Pike replied, reaching for Keyleth’s hand and squeezing it.
They fell into silence for a few moments, holding each other's hands, before Keyleth broke the silence again.
“Watching them love each other was… special.” Keyleth said quietly.
“Yeah, I'm glad we got to see it all the way through. That's, that was a gift.”
Pike was right. Watching them go from the sad boy in prison that gave all his money to Vex immediately to a happily married couple with five children was a joy. They had seen Percy and Vex's love story from the very first moment until the day Percy passed and beyond.
And the legacy of their love would live on, through their children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren and so on, through Whitestone flourishing and growing, through written accounts in history books and stories passed down, through every single one of Percy's inventions and creations and every coin Vex had ever touched. Their love was the stuff of legends. And truly, what an honor to be there for it all.
“Fuck, I know Percy would be so damn proud.” Pike said, turning to look over the crowd once more. “Look at this, how many lives they touched in some way. And this isn't even half of them.”
And that was true too, because knowing Vex meant knowing Percy, even once he passed away. She had spoken about him at every opportunity, about how clever he was and what a wonderful man he was. How much she adored him. How he was a wonderful father.
Every single one of the people in Whitestone at that very moment had known the Lord and Lady. And every single one of them loved them.
Despite Percy's death of old age at about half of Vex'ahlia's life, she never remarried and never had more children, nor did she express any desire to do so. Percy was her great love, and marriage and children were reserved for him alone. Vex had told Keyleth once that Percy had told her to make sure she was happy after he was gone and that he had given her his blessing to remarry if she wished. The children had agreed too, after Percy was gone, and had told their mother that if she wanted more children that would be fine too, but Vex had never considered it. She had never had relations, emotional or otherwise, with anyone after Percy passed away.
Keyleth smiled. “And he always thought he wasn't a good person. He got better with time, but never truly believed it.”
Pike nodded. “For all of his intelligence, he was a pretty stupid man.”
Keyleth and Pike both laughed, the happiness welcome on such a sad day.
Keyleth and Pike and Scanlan, along with the immediate family, had been present when Vex was lowered to her final resting place beside the love of her life. Their shared plot was adjacent to Cassandra's, near to where Vesper's wife and son had been buried and a memorial stood to honor Percy's parents and siblings. Keyleth had crafted beautiful blue flowers to grow along the grave site, along both sides, but she had been silent. Those around her had been teary, but she hadn't made a sound.
She hadn't spoken in days, which felt childish, but her heart hurt. Pike had a way of comforting people into talking.
“Thanks, Pike.” Keyleth said quietly.
“Any time,” Pike replied. “Hey, uh, I know there were formal words spoken during the funeral, but Gwendolyn told me she wants people to speak here soon. I… wanted to say a few words, but I don't think I can stand up there by myself. I'm gonna ask Scanlan too, but would you come up with me?”
“Yeah,” Keyleth said, swallowing a lump in her throat and squeezing Pike’s hand. “Of course.”
Lots of people had wanted to speak about Vex. Each of the children had something to say, many of the grand and great grandchildren did too. Staff members of the castle, Whitestone shopkeeps Vex had gotten particularly close to, people from every facet of Vex's life. Velora had said some beautiful words about her dear older sister. Many people were brief, though some had longer stories to share. There were tears, but a lot of laughter too. Time flew as everyone shared stories about the beloved Lady.
Gwendolyn had asked Pike, Keyleth, and Scanlan to go last. The three of them walked up, hand and hand, Pike in the middle.
“Um, hi everyone.” Pike began. “If you don't know me, I'm Pike Trickfoot, and this is Scanlan Shorthalt and Keyleth, The Voice of the Tempest. And we are… the last three surviving members of Vox Machina.
“Vex was… she was something, in the best way. Clever and strong and funny. Brilliant with numbers. Creative. Loving. She was my- our, really- sister. She was an aunt to my children and I'm an aunt to hers and… yeah, we all went through a lot together. I wouldn't change a thing about the last several decades, because changing anything might mean that I'd have never known Vex, or that Vex may never have fallen in love with Percy.” Pike's voice cracked and Keyleth squeezed her hand.
“Keyleth and I were talking earlier and she told me something I hadn't considered: Percy and Vex are reunited now. They're where they were always meant to be, at each other's side. It's hard to think of one without the other since they were always together, and it's almost as if something is right with the world again now.
“They were each incredible in their own rights, of course, but together… geez, they were incredible. The three of us and our friend Grog and Vex's twin Vax were lucky enough to be able to be there as they fell in love. And I'm a cleric, Keyleth’s a druid, and Scanlan's a bard, but that was real magic.
“And I know Vex is proud and Percy would be so proud of everyone in this room. You all are continuing their names, the de Rolo family, and their legacies. There's so many de Rolos around these days, I can't have Auntie Pike sleepover parties like I used to,”
There were chuckles in the crowd. Vesper smiled.
“But please know that I love each and every one of you. And I'm sure Keyleth and Scanlan do too,”
Keyleth and Scanlan both nodded, misty-eyed.
“If any of you ever need anything, de Rolo kids, Whitestone citizens, whoever. I'm here. We're here, okay?”
There were nods all around.
“All this to say, we miss you already Vex. We'll take care of each other here. You take care of our boys that beat you there. Gods know they need it.”
Keyleth laughed at that, along with everyone else. The image of Vex whipping Percy, Tary, Grog, and Vax into shape in the afterlife was a great one.
“And now, one last thing,” Pike said. She dropped her friends’ hands and looked around. “Oh, uh, could someone get me a drink really quick?”
Some of the de Rolo grandkids scurried off and appeared a moment later with three glasses and passed them to Scanlan, Pike, and Keyleth.
“Thank you,” Pike said. She held up her glass and cleared her throat. “A toast to Lady Vex'ahlia, wife of Percy, Baroness of the First House of Whitestone, Grand Mistress of the Grey Hunt, Champion of Pelor, member of Vox Machina; a hell of an archer, a hell of a mother, a hell of a friend, and a hell of a woman!”
A cheer rose up and those who were holding drinks lifted in toast.
In the distance, Percy's beloved clock tower tolled the hour.
Pike's smile was wet and weak, Scanlan and Keyleth were teary, as were all the de Rolo children, all six or so generations.
Vex was gone, as was Percy, but they had left the world behind far better than they had found it.
And what a legacy to be proud of.