The funeral

Hikary sighed. She still did not know where to begin, and how to explain. How do you ask people to look out for a magical stone, because it might save them all? Yet her mother was too busy governing the country, so she was left in charge of the stones. They had one… only one stone. They needed five, so there were four more out there. But she had no idea where, or what purpose they served. They had come upon this one by chance, because an aunt had gotten hold of it. But where she had gotten it, Hikary did not know. She had already decided she would write that aunt first, and that letter hadn’t been that hard. The stories she had heard from Regina told her this aunt knew a lot about the stones, so there was little she had to explain.

But the letters to the various queens of the continent was an entirely different story. How could se explain she had gotten a message from a stone, that the end of the world was near and that was why she was looking for four more stones? Would they even believe her? She put down her quill, thinking of how she would react if she got a letter like that. No, she would only think someone was trying to take a treasured item away. She couldn’t even guarantee that the stones would be returned safely. In fact, she was pretty sure they would disappear.

And what if no one replied? What if no one knew anything about the stones? Where then would she look for them? What if they were buried, hidden, lost forever? These thoughts poisoned her mind every day, and there was just no answer to them. Even though she still had almost six years left, there was no way they could search the entire continent. If only Taira was here, Hikary thought. Maybe she would know what to do. Maybe… But Taira was gone, and Hikary had no idea when she would return home. It could still take months. Taira had no idea what had happened to her, she did not know about the stones… her sister was taking her time, not knowing what had to be done. Well, Hikary thought, maybe, for a little while, that’s for the best for Taira. Some time for herself… It would be good for her. Some time to rest.

A knock on the door awoke Hikary from her thoughts.
“Yes, please, come in.” She said. To her surprise, it was not Vin, who she was expecting, but her mother.
“How is everything coming along?” Regina asked while she closed the door of Hikary’s room.
“It’s going… fine, I guess. But it’s hard. And what if they don’t believe me? What if they don’t know anything, either?” Hikary said.
Regina smiled. “Well, then we will have to think of another way. But for now, this is what we need to do first. Don’t worry to much about the what ifs. After all, maybe they do believe you, and maybe they do know something. You won’t know until you try.”
Hikary smiled. That was true. It might not work, but it might just as well work. She felt renewed energy inside her, and she picked up her quill once more.

As the day had progressed, Taira had not left Fjaril’s side. His mother would be returned to the earth tomorrow. She had no idea how that would feel. She had found her mother, she had begun to love her mother, but she had not been the person who had raised her. It was not her mother’s fault, but Taira simply could not imagine how it felt to say goodbye to someone like that.

But her feelings, right now, didn’t matter much to her. She had to be here for Fjaril, and support him. She had tried to do so yesterday, today, and now, for the funeral. He had to say goodbye to his mother, and she had to be there for him. That was all there was to it. She sighed, as she looked at the sun who was returning to the earth for another night. The funeral would start soon. The butterflies had spent two days preparing the grave side. They were already there, together with Ivy, waiting for them.

Fjaril would soon come out, but he had wished for one more moment alone with his mother. He wanted to say goodbye to her, alone. Taira understood, and she had decided to wait for him outside. They had put Daiyin’s body on a carriage, which they would pull through the island together. One last journey, before she could rest eternally.

Taira turned when she heard hoofsteps in the hallway. Fjaril was walking towards her, pulling the carriage on his own. Taira rushed towards him.
“Are you ready?” She asked.
“Yes… let us go.”
Taira took one of the ropes from Fjaril, and she began to pull the carriage. It was so much lighter than she had expected, and when they had to step down, it did not wobble, either. Taira did not doubt that some western powers were in play here, which Fjaril had activated so that the carriage would make it to the funeral site properly.

They took the carriage down into the fields, and they followed the road that led them through the flowers to the western part of the island. She could see the shrine, made for all the ancestors that had once protected this island. Now Daiyin would join them. She could see the butterflies and Ivy. Somehow, Ivy looked like she belonged here. Well, she did. She had been there when Daiyin passed, she had heard her message, and she was related to Daiyin through Ruki, too. Ivy belonged there just as anyone else did.

When they had arrived, Taira could see the shrine was decorated with flowers. Usually, it was strictly forbidden to pick flowers on the island, but there was an exception for a funeral, when the flowers that would fade would guide the spirit of the deceased back to the earth. The shrine was made of a purple stone that shone brightly. There was something written on the stone which she could not read. She had never learned the old western language.

All the butterflies and Ivy bowed when they arrived. They stopped the carriage in front of the grave which the butterflies had made during the night. It was right next to the one of Haerolin, Fjaril’s father. They would be reunited now, for eternity. When they had secured the carriage, Fjaril and Taira stood next to Ivy. Taira was waiting for someone to start speaking, and she wondered who would lead the ceremony.

But nobody spoke. Not because nobody wanted to, but because the entire ceremony was in silence. Ivy did not seem as surprised as her, and she was sure the butterflies had informed her of the tradition. The carriage with Daiyin’s body stood in between them, with a silk blanket covering her. Nothing happened first. Everyone stood still, with their eyes closed. It took Taira a while to realize the butterflies were humming a song in a language Taira did not understand. They were doing it so softly, it was as if it did not even interrupt the silence. It was beautiful, sad, but also hopeful. A lament to guide Daiyin’s spirit to the earth.

When they were done, Fjaril stepped forward. He closed his eyes, concentrating on something. Taira wondered what was happening when she saw a green light surrounding Daiyin’s body. It got lifted off the carriage, and softly flew towards the grave. It landed there without a sound. Fjaril stepped back. Taira could see he was sweating. Surely, lifting something took a lot of energy, even on someone who was so strong in the ways of the earth as he.

The butterflies started a new song. This one was sadder, and there was actual singing. One of the female butterflies, Taira suspected it was the one who was pregnant, began to sing, to guide the humming of the others. As if she was summoning nightfall, the last rays of the sun left the grave. Darkness fell on them as a cold blanket, covering them with the cold truth that was now spread out before them.

When the butterflies’ voice faded and the humming stopped, Fjaril stepped forward to the grave. Instinctively, Taira accompanied him. She bowed before the grave then Fjaril did. She could see the tears in his eyes, but he did not utter a sound. When he got up, Taira followed him. They walked away from the grave, probably back to the mansion. Taira suspected the butterflies would fill the grave. She silently followed Fjaril, wondering what would happen next.

It was completely dark outside when Ivy and the butterflies also appeared at the mansion. While they were gone, Taira and Fjaril had not spoken a word. Fjaril did not look like he was in need of talking, and Taira did not know what to say anyway. She helped him prepare the simple dinner that would be served later. There only were a few slices of bread, water from the well and the most simple fruit that grew on the island; grapes. Other then that, there was nothing. It was perfect for a meal after a funeral, though. Her stomach did not ask for anything more.

Taira felt relieved when the silence was broken. When everybody sat down at the large dinner table that was set out in one of the mansion’s many rooms, Fjaril stood up. “Thank you, everyone, for the lovely service. My mother has now returned, and thanks to everyone, it could not have been more graceful. Now, let us eat.” Fjaril sat down again, and everyone began to take a few slices and grapes to put on their plate. She sat next to Fjaril, and on the other side sat one of the butterflies. Her young sister sat down next to Sindo.

There was soft talking during the meal, but Taira hardly participated. She did not have anything to say, and her mind was still on the funeral. Even though it was simple, the meal took a long time, and when they were done, it was time for the butterflies to return to their homes. Fjaril, too, announced that he was going to bed. He asked Taira to join him, but she wanted to talk to her sister first. Fjaril left, leaving Ivy and Taira to clean up the table.

“It was beautiful, was it not?” Ivy said softly, when Fjaril had left the room.
“Yes… it really was. It was different from what I expected, but it was beautiful.” Taira answered.
“Yes… It was very different from how we bury ponies, but it was special.” Ivy said while she picked up a few plates to bring to the kitchen.
“Special it was.” Taira agreed.

“What are we going to do now?” Ivy asked when she returned from the kitchen. “Are we still going to leave as we planned?”
“I don’t know yet.” Taira answered. “We have to return home… we will go home. But maybe, we will stay a little longer than we planned. I don’t really want to leave Fjaril alone like this. He needs me now, and I cannot just run off. I hope you can understand that, Ivy.”

“Yes, of course I can. I don’t mind staying a little longer. This island puts me at peace, and I don’t mind to rest before we take the long journey home. And I can help you and Fjaril a bit, so he has some time to learn to live with his grief. Besides, I am really fond of the butterflies… I would really like to get to know them better.” Ivy smiled.
“Thank you, Ivy. That means a lot to me.” Taira replied.

Ivy disappeared to the kitchen again. Taira was relieved that Ivy agreed with her. She did not want to leave Fjaril, and if she was honest with herself, that was not only because of his mother’s death. For a little while longer, she wanted to stay here on the island, safely, with the one she loved, to rest, to calm down and think, before she would return home.