(Thursday Morning)
Nimor stepped out onto one of the higher branches and stretched as he awoke from a long night's sleep, the sun's rays already spilling over the trees as the forest awoke around him. Looking out from the top of the oak tree, he could see the forest spread out before him, the vibrant colors of early summer dazzling to see. It had been a very long time since Nimor had last seen this place, and much had changed in the time since he and his kin had gone north to the lake country.
The night before, Nimor had spent time with his daughter, trying to get through to her as she continued to mourn Steven's death. The events of three days ago had devastated her to the point where she did not want to come out and enjoy the beautiful weather that the Maker had provided for them. Instead, she lay in her bed, staring off into the distance, her thoughts weighed heavily with remembrances of Steven as she hugged his tunic, as if afraid to let go of the last reminder she had of him.
During that time, Nimor had assumed responsibility for her duties as guardian, tending to small matters while she hid in the hollow. There was much to do since the incident with Lia's human friend. The storm had created damage that would take time to heal, but Nimor found that the forest had not suffered greatly from the wind and lightning. For the most part, he tended to creatures of the forest who had been unfortunate enough to be injured by falling branches and other debris. During the day, he would excuse himself from Lia and go off into the forest for hours on end, only to return in the evening to spend time with her.
Leaping off the branch, Nimor fluttered down to Lia's hollow and entered, knocking softly on the side of the opening.
"Lia?"
Looking up from her bed, Lia smiled softly, "I'm here, father."
"As you have been for the last three days. Daughter, its time you came out of this hollow. You have to live, Steven would be disappointed with you if he saw you now."
Closing her eyes, Lia nodded, "I know father, its just hard not to think about him. I keep remembering our time together. It's hard to let go."
"Daughter, I think you should come with me," Nimor stated, reaching down to her and gently taking her hand.
Lia stood up slowly, "Where are we going?"
Smiling kindly, Nimor replied, "Humans have a ceremony that I think you should see. They call it a funeral, it is where the body of the deceased is put to rest."
A gasp escaped Lia's lips and she tore her hand out of his grasp, "No, no please father, don't make me go! I couldn't bear it."
"Lia," Nimor took her hand into his again and pulled her towards the opening of the hollow, "I think it would be best if you did this. Trust your father as you once did when you were younger."
Reluctantly, Lia nodded and followed him out to the branch. She turned back, reaching out for Steven's tunic, but Nimor stopped her, "Leave it. You won't need it." Lia bowed her head, but followed his direction as they leapt off the branch, flying off towards the forest.
An hour later, they landed beside a large willow tree at the edge of a field that was filled with stone markers. A gentle breeze stirred the grasses, creating a wave that swept across the field. Nimor explained that this was what humans called a cemetery, where they buried their dead. Lia wondered how he knew this, but he refused to answer her.
Nearby, a group of humans were stepping out of machines like the one that Steven had used to get to the park, cars he had called them, and were gathering under a large tent. A smaller group of men grouped around the back of a larger car. As the back of the car opened they carefully, almost reverently, pulled out a large black casket, gathered around it and proceeded to carry it to a hole that had been dug near the tent where Lia and Nimor now stood. Another group of humans had already gathered around the hole, some seated, while others stood around the edges of the large pavilion. Lia could see Steven's parents and someone who looked to be a brother, seated in front.
"What is this?" Lia asked.
"Sssh! Watch," Nimor replied.
Once the casket had been placed above the grave, a tall, slender blond-haired man in his late twenties approached the front of the group and looked out amongst the gathered crowd.
"I'm Chris Carothers, some of you know me, but for those of you who do not, I was Steven's best friend for the last seven years."
All around Chris, whispers ceased and all the onlookers turned their eyes toward Chris in respect. "I think it goes without saying that Steven touched us all in one way or another. For me and my friends," Chris indicated over to the small group of men who had helped as pallbearers, "De, Earl, Dan and Dana, he was a quiet, steady friend who was there when you needed him, who never asked much, but who always tried to help where he could. He radiated a calm assurance that let you know that he may not be able to fix a problem, but he'd stick with you through it no matter what. Steven cared passionately about his friends, and he loved life. He was a dreamer, someone who dared to believe in things that most of us would scoff at, but that was what made him special.
Chris bowed his head for a moment before continuing, "When his fiancée died, a part of him died as well. Sadly, none of us knew what to do to help him, and instead of sticking with him through that period when he needed us so badly, we went our own separate ways, confident in our own minds that he would be able to get through this without our help. After all, we'd seen him do it before in other matters, and we believed he could do it again; but we were wrong.
Placing a hand on the casket, Chris said, his eyes glistening with tears, "Steven, we commend you to the earth. May you find in death, the peace you never found in life. You passed on before your time, and those of us assembled here must now continue on, a little sadder without your presence in our lives. Rest in peace, my friend."
Turning away, Chris joined the others as another of Steven's friends, Dan McDonald, approached. Dressed in a Scottish tartan with a set of bagpipes set against his chest, he looked up at the crowd. "Steven once told me that the most beautiful song he'd ever heard was 'Amazing Grace' when it was played on bagpipes. Earlier this week, his father told me that Steven's fondest wish was that this song be played when he passed on. Steven," he said, glancing towards the casket, "this is for you, my friend."
A soft hum rose into the air, followed immediately by the haunting strains of 'Amazing Grace' floating on the breeze, weaving its way through the assembled mourners. As Lia listened, her heart soared as the melody reached toward heaven. A gasp escaped her lips as slowly, one by one and two by twos, Steven's friends and family took up the song, adding their voices to the strains of the music that Dan played, creating a sound so beautiful that tears of joy sprang into her eyes, flowing freely down her cheeks.
Seated in the front of the pavilion, nearest the casket, Steven's parents and his brother wept in a mixture of sadness and joy as the song washed over them, providing some measure of comfort in their loss. Lia could not help but smile at the outpouring of love that these people showed for Steven, it was unlike anything she had ever imagined. Finally, when Dan finished and the last chords faded on the wind, a silence fell over the assembled group, broken only by the sounds of the wind in the trees. The pastor looked up, wiping tears of his own from his eyes, gave his benediction, and the mourners slowly departed until only Robert and Lucy were left.
Lia looked on with her father standing beside her, tears trickling down her face. "I don't understand," Lia whispered, "when his fiancée died, Steven didn't kill himself. Why would he do so when he thought I had abandoned him?"
Nimor put an arm around her shoulder and hugged her gently, "He loved you very much, Lia. In the end, he gave up everything to be with you. Steven felt he had nothing left to go back to in his human life."
"But look at what I did to him," she said, blinking back the tears as she gestured towards the grave site, "it was my magic that killed him."
Gently, a thought brushed against her mind, *You didn't kill me, Lia. You set me free.*
Lia's eyes grew wide as she heard the voice inside her mind. She looked at her father, who smiled at her but said nothing.
*Turn around.*
Trembling, Lia obeyed the voice and gasped in surprise as she saw him standing there. Standing in the tunic she had left in the hollow, Steven smiled back at her, his eyes filled with a joy Lia had thought lost to her. "Do you believe in miracles?" he said softly.
"Steven?" Lia whispered, slowly reaching out to touch his face, "is it really you?"
"Yes, Lia. It's me."
With a strangled cry, Lia flung herself into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably as Steven hugged her, whispering softly in her ear that everything was all right. After a few minutes, Steven was able to calm her down enough that she could speak.
"I don't understand. You died. I saw you die."
Steven shook his head, his hair, which now fell to his shoulders, waving in the breeze, "What died was a shell, Lia. By the time you got to me, I had already begun to change."
She actually looked at him for the first time, noticing differences that she'd not seen before. Reaching up, she pulled back his hair and gasped, "Your ears!" Lia marveled at Steven's ears, which were now pointed, just like her own.
Steven grinned, "You like them? I admit it will take some getting used to, but Nimor says that's what to expect when you're a faerie."
"And . . . and you have . . ."
"Wings?" Steven laughed and flexed his wings, which had lain flat against his back. They glittered as sunlight reflected off them and he flapped them gently. Steven rose into the air, flipped easily and landed with a grace that surprised Lia. "I must say, it certainly helps one get around when you're this small."
"But, you . . .," she glanced over at the casket, "how can . . ."
Steven smiled, the sweetest sight Lia had ever seen, "As I said, Lia, that was a shell. I think your father can better answer what you're trying to ask me, Nimor?" Indicating that Lia's father should take over with the explanation, Steven put an arm around Lia as she turned to her father.
As Lia looked at her father, she noticed for the first time that he was somewhat embarrassed, "I must admit that keeping Steven's return from the dead a secret was not easy. He thought it would be best if you did not see him until today."
"But why," Lia asked, turning to look at Steven in confusion, "I spent three days in mourning for you. Why didn't you tell me?"
"When I left you alone the day that Steven had," Nimor cleared his throat, "'died', I walked outside onto the branch and looked down to see what damage the storm had done to the great oak. Imagine my surprise when I saw Steven lying at the base of the tree, transformed into one of us."
Steven picked up where Nimor had left off, "Actually, I was unconscious. Whatever had happened to change me, in addition to the injuries I'd received while getting to the park, exhausted me to the point that I didn't wake up until the next day. Nimor had to carry me to one of the old dwellings that other faeries used when they still lived here so I could recover. He explained a little bit of what happened to me, but to be honest, I'm just as curious to know the whole story as you are." Steven looked over at Nimor, his eyebrow arched, "So do we get to find out, or are you going to keep us in suspense?"
"Actually Steven, I think it is time that I reveal what I had suspected since meeting you the first time," Nimor admitted. Indicating that they should all sit down, he waited until they were comfortable before he began. "I was not completely honest with you concerning why you were experiencing the changes that you had undergone, including the abilities you had mysteriously gained. Tell me something first though . . . was there a member of your family who spoke of faeries before? Perhaps an older relative?"
Steven thought for a moment, "I . . . wait a second, my father mentioned his great-great grandmother. Sylvia, I think her name was. He said that she had told stories to him and his siblings when he was very young."
Nodding sagely, Nimor said, "As I thought." Looking at his daughter, Nimor asked, "Tell me Lia, do you remember long ago a member of our kin who fell in love with a human and left us to live with him?"
Lia thought for a moment and then replied, "Yes, her name was Sylviana . . .," Lia's eyes grew wide as she realized what her father was trying to say. "You mean that . . ."
Nimor smiled, "Sylviana was Sylvia, and she was Steven's ancestor."