Kingdom of Ash

throngs of celebrating, weeping people.
A lone candle had been lit in the empty
barracks room where they’d set his body atop
a worktable.
It was there that Aedion knelt before his
father.
How long he stayed there, head bowed, he
didn’t know. But the candle had nearly burned
down to its base when the door creaked open,
and a familiar scent flitted in.
She said nothing as she approached on
silent feet. Nothing as she shifted and knelt
beside him.
Lysandra only leaned into him, until
Aedion put his arm around her, tucking her in
tight.
Together, they knelt there, and he knew her
grief was as real as his. Knew her grief was
for Gavriel, but also for his own loss.
The years he and his father would not have.