Gridgor's Passing

Chapter 4-- Decision


The next days were relatively peaceful in the castle. Orolo's magic had managed to keep Theron's violence at bay but it would pop up again during the nights in the form of night terrors. Hezekiah lost quite a bit of sleep but holding him seemed to quell some of the fears and he would sleep right through the night without so much as a whimper.

However, he'd grown distant. Theron ate alone, drank alone and would only associate himself with the King or one of the boys when they visited. Hezekiah managed to coax him out of the room several times to eat dinner a family but it was so quiet, you could drop a pin and not hear a sound. It was just after dinner when they received a guest.

Calth'air had a pack slung over his shoulder, standing in the receiving room. When the King walked in, the Amestrian man's ears flattened back. "I came to see the mage, not the King."He said flatly.

"He's not himself at the moment. It's best if you took refuge in one of the guest rooms for the night until tomorrow when it's a little better." Hezekiah said calmly.

"Not himself? What? Did he suddenly change into a goose? Let me see him."Calth'air insisted.

"If you insist."Hezekiah said, shaking his head. Calth'air followed behind the Grayharte King, glaring daggers into his back. His weapons had been relinquished from him at the door but that didn't mean he couldn't take down the King right then and there if there was some form of disagreement. The stopped at two big double doors, Hezekiah pulling open and stepping in.

In the room, Theron was watching the boys as they played chess on the King's table. He sat still as a statue, his eyes flickering a little when Ludwig or Mamoru made a move on the board. When the two men came in, he stiffened.

Theron could see flashes all over when he saw Calth'air. Gridgor laughed joyously in his head, talking about their childhood and stood with a stupid grin on his face. When he stepped closer, he jumped from the bed.

"See?"Hezekiah said with a sigh.

Ludwig and Mamoru looked to the newcomer, sitting up.

"Hey, you're that mean fella."Ludwig said bluntly.

"Wiggy, be nice."Mamoru said, giving the boy a flick on his ear. Ludwig winced and stuck his tongue out playfully. "Pappi, what's wrong?"

"Ah…Nothing. Please, keep playing."Theron said as he tried to settle himself down.

Hezekiah pulled Calth'air to the side, away from Theron's immediate view. "That's the most he's said in the past almost three days. I know your here on your free will and it's a surprise but Theron's not himself."He said, glancing over to the mage.

"I can see that, Pale One."Calth'air grumbled, shrugging Hezekiah's hand off his arm. The Amestrian man dropped his things on the floor, walking away from the King towards Theron who jumped again when Calth'air came into view. His eyes were wide but the taller male could see something that the others couldn't about his eyes.

"Where is his will?"Calth'air asked, looking up. The other three looked confused.

"Will? Like a last request on a piece of paper?"Ludwig asked, shifting a pawn on the chess board.

"No, Nadle child, his will to live."Calth'air corrected. "When someone suffers loss to a certain extent, they themselves lose their will to live. I can see it in this one's eyes….It's gone. Something is keeping him from fulfilling that final task."

"I had Orolo subdue his violent side because of losing Gri but…I didn't know that would happen to him. I wanted to help…"Hezekiah said as he walked over, leaning down to look down to Theron, staring into his eyes. They were still a lively and bright violet but they were unfocused, staring off past them into some invisible ghost.

"I'm taking him."Calth'air said straight on, Hezekiah looking at him fiercely.

"What?"He scowled.

"I'm taking him to my village. It will do him good. My village is near the water, very relaxing. My people will take him in and the shaman will bring him in to the fold."Calth'air said, his hand touching the top of Theron's head and smoothed some stray hairs down.

"You would take him away? From Here? We're his family."Hezekiah said firmly.

"Do you want him to remain like this? A doll?"The other inquired.

The King fell silent. Looking to Theron who was looking just as confused as before then back to Calth'air. What was he to do? As position demanded a lot of time and attention, he couldn't keep caring for the Lord mage while running a country at the same time. As for the boys, they were strong together but he couldn't rely on them to care for a grown man on their own. Shaking his head, he brought his hand down his face with frustration.

"How long would you keep him?"He asked.

"For however long it takes for him to reclaim his own mind. He'll be able to decide on his own."The taller man said as he removed his hand. "We'll leave as soon as he's better dressed. It's a long road for mage robes."

"You're leaving today?"Hezekiah asked, the boy's heads perking up like prarie dogs out of their hole.

"Leaving? Now? Why?"Mamoru asked, getting up and tugging on Hezekiah's shirt. "Why's Pappi going away?"

Calth'air raised an eyebrow, reaching down for Mamoru and picking him. Of course, he was very light but he carried him over to the table and set him on top of it. "I'm taking him somewhere so he can feel better. He'll be back in…how you say…No time?"He answered being as kind as he could be.

"Can we go with you?"Ludwig asked. Calth'air looked to Hezekiah, who shook his head. "No. You have your Papa to look over too. He's going to need your help."

Theron was looking confused but he understood that he was leaving. Leaving where though? Hezekiah sat beside him, looking as down as ever. When had this happened? "Where…am I going?"He asked, looking to the King.

Hezekiah raised his head. "Somewhere nice…I hope."He said, bringing a hand up to touch Theorn's cheek. There was no bruise where he had hit him but the mage flinched a little. "I won't be going with you…You'll be going with Calth'air."

"Oh…okay…"Theron said, looking away again.

"Do you want to go?"He asked.

"It's somewhere…nice…I think…I've been due for a vacation…for a long time…"Theron said softly.

A vacation made it sound a little better. Since the war, Theron hadn't even taken a day off since he retired. He put himself in charge of projects and helped to restore the castle to it's former glory with the rest of the servants. He still taught his students and now he was working to keep himself from going crazy. Hezekiaha felt a little more relieved, bringing his hand to pet Theron's cropped hair.

"Then…have fun."Hezekiah said, bringing his hand to the mage's shoulder and giving it a squeeze.


Calth'air decided that he would give the family some time together and they would leave in the morning. He was given a small guest room to stay in since it would be easier to clean up and in the morning, he helped the Lord Mage dress for the journey. Theron typically wore his robes but Calth'air made him wear an extra outfit he had in his pack. It was a poncho, a pair of black pants, wraps for his ankles and flat black shoes. His hair was tied back low at his head and the hood of his poncho covered his head from the weak light of the Grayharte sun. However, Hezekiah had packed some things to remind him of home: a warm blanket they shared, a ribbon Mamoru used to tie back his growing hair and Ludwig's favorite book out of the entire palace library.

Calth'air helped him to get up on the horse, riding behind him to keep him upright. The King, the royal family and their two sons stood on the bridge, watching them both leave.

The journey would only be a half a day's ride and after a couple of hours, Calthair dismounted off of the horse and helped the mage down. ~"We're taking a break here. It's another few more hours until we reach my village."~He said, pushing the poncho back away from Theron's face. ~"There's a small stream there, can I trust you to fill the waterskin?"~

Theron was silent but after looking toward the stream and then back to Calth'air. He took the waterskin, wandering over to the steam while Cal started a small fire to cook some of the meat they were given. The mage sat by the stream, filling the sack with water as the stream ran through it. In his reflection, he could see a worn out tired man that stared blankly out into existence. His hair was mussed from the poncho and his skin was a tint lighter.

Cal watched him from the bushes, seeing him rise to his feet and returned to camp. He sat down quietly under the tree where the horse had been tied for the time. The taller Amestrian man watched him and removed the skewers of meat from the fire. ~"Here. You didn't have a big first meal."~He said. Theron stared but took the meat, eating it hungrily. Cal ate his a little slower, enjoying the peace and quiet of the forest.

The bird chirped, the horse flapped it's lips at some of the insects that tried to attack its nose…Theron had finished his meat and stared down at the grass, his eyes flicking about once in a while with the nearest sound. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. They left almost an hour later, Cal choosing to walk along with the horse. Several hours non-stop, they managed to make it to the shore line, following it along to find the village.

Children ran around everywhere, some of them playing in the water while they're fathers or mother chased them around before they scared the fish away. Many of them were tanner than Theron himself since he was from the inner plains. Calth'air entered the village, some of the younger men and women running up to him.

~"Calth'air, is this him? The Lord magic user you were talking about?"~One of the younger men asked, looking to Theron who just stared blankly back.

~"He doesn't look like a Lord. He looks like berry picker from the bushes."~ A woman spoke, sniffing. ~"Smells like the pale ones."~

~"Be nice."~Cal said as he helped Theron off the horse, putting an arm around him. One of the men helped to put the horse away while Cal took Theron into the village. The mage trembled, maybe not showing that he was nervous but Cal could very well feel it. In one of the tents, the largest that he could see, Calth'air took Theron to see the Shaman first out of respect for the elder of their tribe.

~"Cal-son, do come in. Tell me about your travels. You as well Lord Mage, come sit. I have hot honey tea leaves in the pot."~The Shaman said, smiling warmly.

~"Thank you, Father."~Cal said with a smile.

This got a reaction from Theron that was startling. His eyes went wide, staring at the elderly man.

~"Fa…ther? He is your father?"~Theron asked. Cal beamed, looking to the mage.

~"Cal is my third eldest son of many."~Cals' father added, pouring two hand-made cups of honey tea. Cal took his cup and handed Theron's his. ~"I am very proud of my family. You are welcome to the village Lord Mage Rhodhir."~

He hadn't heard that name in a long time, spoken in his native tongue. Bringing his hand to his eyes, his body trembled heavily. It reminded him of everyone. His mother, his father…Gri…Theron leaned heavily on Cal, the tanner man nearly falling over.

~"Rhodhir…It's ok. You can cry if you need to."~Cal said, bringing his hand to Theron's head and petting his head.

"I'm…I'm okay…It's just…It's very overwhelming." Theron breathed, raising his head and sniffing a little.

"You speak common tongue very well, Mage."The Shaman spoke.

"I have lived in Grayharte most of my life…"The mage answered. The Shaman rose, having shrunk with age. He could hear the popping in the elder's knees as he walked over, a wrinkled hand touching the top of his head.

"You will be welcome here."He said, petting down his dark hair then looking to Cal. ~"Take him to rest. I'm sure it's been a long journey. There's already been bedding laid out for him."~

~"Yes."~Cal said as he finished the rest of his tea. Rising, he offered a hand to Theron, who took it and let himself be pulled toward the back of the tent. It had been pitched so it made a long hallway of cloth, each bright piece of cloth being a room. Down towards the end, Calth'air parted the curtains, leading Theron in.

There were two mats on the floor that were stuffed with scrap cloth, chicken and goose down to make it soft enough to lay on. Both of the mats were set on top of a very low platform, a bump up top near the pillow to keep things from sliding around during the night. Cal pointed to the one on the right.

"You will sleep here. I sleep there. Rest here for a while, I will return for the evening meal. The village is excited." Cal said, watching Theron go over to the bedding and sit down. He removed his shoes, pulling back the bedding and lying down with a heavy thud. It wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world but it was a bed.

Calth'air stood watching him, backing slowly out of the room. When the curtain was closed, Theron let himself break, pulling the covers over his head and letting himself cry. Cal listened, smiling softly and shaking his head. He knew that it would happen. His elderly father had an affect on people that he didn't understand and it showed amazingly.

Turning, he headed back down the long hallway back to the gathering room to continue to have tea with his father.