Rest now great Knight
#1
And your spirit still lives on....


Charlemagne nickered loudly outside of the old Victorian home. The cart to his side held evidence of the goings on inside of the home, and the horse was not happy to be tied up. It wasn’t out of spite but his mood today had angered Saluce and he needed his horse today, even if he had decided to just be out in the field acting like he had something better to do. Saluce was in the home, the second story to be exact, his tools laid out along the floor as he surveyed the damage to the home. All the anger and hatred he held for the once alpha of this land had washed away from him as memories flooded him of what he was. He had come un-announced figuring no one would live here, but he gathered enough that Gideon still resided here. The behemoth didn’t care if he held any objections, the scarred male needed help, and this task needed to be done.

A great loud grunt escaped his lips as he strained to remove a chunk of the tree that had fallen on the once bustling home of Conor and Bris. It was a shame, a great shame that the home hadn’t been repaired and that those two vibrant individuals weren’t filling this house with their happiness. A few months ago one could have come to the conclusion that this would have remained forever, and those two would have filled Dahlia with their children. That nothing could have broken their world so vividly, so disastrously that the image and shape of Dahlia would be forever changed. The heave was successful as the brute pushed the great log off the framework and into the yard. It was step one of many, next he’d have to salvage what he could then add in new boards and redo the roof. He’d need an extra hand and if Gideon showed up he’d put him to work, hoping he could assist him as best he could. No longer did Saluce look down on that man, he had been through so much while he had been away and now it wasn’t worth him teaching him anything other than compassion.

But he was here more as a tribute, Saluce was sure that something foul had befallen Conor. He couldn’t say with a hundred percent certainty but he was sure that Conor had met his demise within Anathema. So Saluce worked, to restore the memorial to his spirit, the side they all knew and loved. For what secrets the man held, what sickness that ate at him, he kept secret from them. No Dahlia would remember the liberator for what he stood for, not his downfalls. Conor Soul had freed this land from his father’s shadow, and he had given it redemption from the sins of the father. So Saluce merely acted in auto pilot, working one thing right after another, all kinds of noise and sounds coming from his work area as he started to repair the trusses of the roof.
#2
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432.

As many days as not, Nayru awoke in the stain glass windowed church, the light filtering in through the colored designs and decorating the patches of white upon her pelt. Blues, greens, yellows and reds burst upon her fur like some sort of magic, and disappeared as soon as she moved herself into the shadows. That she and her two sisters had been conceived in this place, and almost born here, was of no sentimental value to the girl. Merely she found the quiet church to be calming, and it was much more conveniently located than her greenhouse, which was still her primary residence. Also it seemed to her that the church, if belonging to her mother and father and still unclaimed by any others, was rightfully her's and Farore's. Mostly the tall ivory lady slept in the small bedroom in back of the church, whereas if Nayru crashed in sanctuary she simply spread her tiny body out on a pew and fell into a slumber on the hard wood.

When she swept through the main room and into the kitchen in back she found the fish, half cooked on the dying coals, and knew that her sister was already working in the vineyards. After having consumed the breakfast so thoughtfully left by her sibling she set about her daily duties. Patrolling did not just mean border patrol and scent marking any longer. There were so many tasks to be attended to, Nayru hardly found time in the day. As a rule the young alpha had to trust that the others did their part, and for the most part they did. Rarely did she had to reprimand anyone for not pulling their weight, and if she did it was often more in jest and a soft warning than with any real bite to it.

As she wandered up through Berwick and into Wolfville the mottled girl sang to herself, a soft and unintelligible song under her breath. The song continued as she made her way along a very familiar route, and ended when she ended at the tall Victorian home. Blinking up at the building Nayru realized she had not purposefully come here, but here anyways he wondered if Gideon was inside. The girl took two small steps and then realized something was different about the partly destroyed home. The noises that came then were a great tip and Nayru soon found herself on the second floor, amid a mess of construction. Or rather: reconstruction. “Saluce? What are you doing?” As if it wasn’t clear enough. Yet she asked all the same.

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#3
The behemoth was perched atop the railing, standing on the supports that sat twelve inches apart, holding roof truss up with his shoulder, nails held in his mouth and a hammer in his other hand. The maneuver was complicated, and painful, the weight of the truss was giving him all he could handle at the moment as he grunted to push it up far enough to set a nail in it. He should have gotten help with this, the hard part was going to be driving the nails in to set it in place and with his hands tied some trick or magic was going to be required. Finally he gave up, his body slowly lowered the truss onto an exposed support and let it rest there as his body relaxed. The ache in his shoulder was only getting worse, this was the second truss, he had already preformed this acrobatic act once and even for his massive frame it was difficult. It didn’t help that the roof had fallen in such a way to put a massive amount of weight on the fallen trusses.

So there he was when she entered, rubbing his right shoulder with a look of defeat on his face. Saluce hadn’t given much thought about not being able to do this alone. He had fixed many things since he had come back, his work should have been evident all along the numerous trails in dahlia, where he had cleared fallen limbs and trees from them. But his blue hues gazed back at her ruby red and again he was overcome with wanting to wrap his massive arms around the woman and never let go. He had hurt her so many times and now he never wanted to see a bit of sadness ever cross her face. The question rightfully asked but the answer was plainly clear, made him wonder if he had done something wrong. His gaze faltered a bit as if he was somehow scolded and he looked around for a moment wondering what he might say.

“I’m trying to fix the second story,” he said out of having nothing else to say. Out of anyone around he was probably the best equipped to do such a task but even he had his limits. “But it looks like even I can’t bear the weight of the rough and nail the truss in to hold it.” Finally he moved to look up at the roof his mind a mess with thoughts and things he wanted to tell her but figured could wait. He’d have to tell her eventually and he hoped today he’d be able too.
#4
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501.

"I'm trying to fix the second story." It was obvious but cherry eyes still peered questioningly at the man. It seemed a little late for the work he was now doing. The repairs, if completed at all, should have been done ages ago. They should have been done before Conor left, it should have been done by Conor, so that Bris and Eclipse might have a place to stay. Failing that solution, Gideon, Saul and Naryu should have fixed it, because that had been their home growing up and the children of Dahlia de Mai might have thought to preserve their past. Yet everyone who had called the house a home had turned a blind eye to the damage, even if it sat in the back of their minds an awful lot.

And now the mighty knight who had come back, who had maybe spent a few nights within these walls but had never really known it to be home, struggled to lift the roof back up and nail it into place. As if fixing this broken aspect of Dahlia de Mai might fix others. Or at least fixing this might allow them to forget the man who had lived here and the time when so much of Dahlia de Mai centered around the Victorian home and those inside of it. Slowly she peered around at the strew nails, the wood, her eyes moved up and found patches of blue exposed where roof and supports should have been. Nayru had thought of fixing the home, but there had been so much else to do. At least that was what she told herself. Really, it was just easier to avoid walking by unless she was coming for Gideon, who increasingly seemed a ghost from the past and so it was most fitting he lived in this ruin.

"So I see. " Her gentle voice was simply matter of fact, softened when she realized her previous question had been taken almost as a reprimand. Saluce had tiptoed about her since his return, and though she was warming to him daily their relationship hadn't returned to the state it had been before his departure. Once she had thought she could trust the man completely, she had though she could trust Conor in much the same way. Now the young warrior knew that anyone who came into her life could and probably would also leave; it was best not to give one's whole heart to another. Yet Saluce was still a Dahlian member, and so Nayru couldn't help but giving her whole self minus one heart to him, as she did to any and all who called the flowered lands their home. So the next words that came from her mouth shouldn't have been a surprise to anyone. "Let me help you with that." The fairy sized woman moved to pick up the hammer and nails, for clearly with the heavy weight of the truss it was he who would be holding it in place.

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#5
While she may have had problems giving him all of her heart again, he didn’t. The one thing that always hurt him was when he saw the look of disappointment on her face. Nayru had almost been a daughter of his, he had watched her grow up into the woman she was. Now though he feared that connection was long gone. He missed having a casual relationship with her but for now he was content to just do what was needed of him to help her with such a great task. Finally he nodded and rubbed his shoulder a few times before lifting himself back up into the rafters.

A great loud grunt escape his lips, almost borderline a growl as his sturdy legs pushed upward on the truss. His teeth gritted tightly as the frame was slowly lifted back into place. Saluce knew her nimble form would easily join him up there and as soon as she hammered in the nails and he felt the weight of it shift off his shoulder he sighed heavily. The massive weight hurt him every time he lifted the trusses but he wouldn’t protest. No it was one of his many burdens, for failing them all. Saluce didn’t know how long he would have to toil in Dahlia to prove he was here to remain, he may well have to do it the rest of his life but it was his burden.

“I found where Conor’s scent trail left off,” he told her in a soft tone. They were alone, they could talk pack business in private here while they worked. Now was as good a time as any he assumed and as he looked at the one last remaining truss he started mentally preparing himself for it.

“Stopped inside Anathema borders. It didn’t leave Anathema borders,” he grunted again as he moved along the supports and took up another position under the next truss. This one shouldn’t be as heavy so he waited for her. “Lets finish this last truss, then I could use a break,” he said finally.
#6
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Shoooort. <3

The man lifted himself into the rafters and easily Nayru followed, as if she floated rather than hoisted herself up. With deft hands the small girl hammered one nail after the other in, simply focused at the task at hand and not thinking of anything else. She did not think of why they were doing this, or what would happen after, only that at this moment they were repairing the house. For a long while they worked silently and Nayru was content with that. They did not always need words, so often in the past they had fallen into silence. Yet before it seemed they were in the same place in their thoughts, now it was clear they were not.

Saluce’s words alerted her to this fact. He spoke the name that she tried to avoid, having only used it when addressing the other leaders and the pack as a whole. A gentle flick of her ear told him she’d prefer not to chase after that ghost, but like the sponge she was the girl absorbed this knowledge. So recently she had been to Anathema and met warmly with Naniko once again. The pendants Naniko had given Conor and Eclipse resurfaced in her mind… Nayru released the memories as Saluce’s voice broke through once more. “Certainly. Here.” She moved to hammer in the last truss and when that was complete she climbed down from the rafters, eyes trailing up to await the man to follow her, hoping that they did not have to acknowledge the former owner of this household again, but knowing from Saluce’s demeanor that was not likely.


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#7
When the last nails where hammered, his form slowly relaxed before hopping down. He was no were as graceful as she, but sometimes the warrior in him slipped to the recesses of his mind. Finally he found a chair and fell into it with an exasperated sigh escaping his lips. A hand instantly went up to rub his shoulder. Sometimes he over exerted himself, today seemed to be one of those days. His eyes looked up at their work. The framework and roof structure was fixed, but it would still require more work to get it ready to accept a new metal roof. He had some old shingles in a shed behind his home he’d bring to tack to the structure once they finished putting back down the paneling to hold it.

“I know you may not want to talk about this Nayru,” he started but even now he knew she needed to hear this. Saluce would have to urge her to listen, even if the feelings cut too deep to want to listen. “I fear he died in Anathema Nayru, and I fear he died by someone in Anathema. All the evidence I have is circumstantial, but Gabriel accused him of raping one of his nieces. I think their might have been a pregnancy from this.” He paused a moment looking over to gauge her reaction. All through the retelling of these events his voice held a calm and emotionless quality that expressed he was talking about this matter with a level head. He respected her and hoped that she understood that this conversation wasn’t meant to be heard by anyone else.

“I am keeping my suspicions to myself, but wanted to address what I’ve found with you. Conor meant a lot to all of us, and in many different ways. But it seems the reason for his sudden departure might have been because something was wrong with him.” That was all he could come up with, it didn’t make sense that Conor would rape a girl, but if he was suffering from some illness it was plausible. And if he was suffering alone with it than leaving Dahlia might have been the only way to cleanse Dahlia of what seemed like a curse passed on from his father.

The behemoth went back to rubbing his shoulder; the sore pain that ebbed there still bothered him. So much was left to be done here, hopefully Nayru wouldn’t leave in anger, and he hoped she’d stay and talk and help rebuild this forgotten relic of another time. So as soon as he felt he had rested long enough he stood and began looking back up at the next step, a hand found a square and pencil and began climbing back up, checking how square the rungs where between the trusses.
#8
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571

The man who had once been her mentor spoke, and while much of the information was news to the slender lady, no surprise or understanding came to her face. Simply she kept the calm, slightly curious look that she usually wore and listened to the cadence of his voice rise and drop. The understanding that they had had, as student and teacher, was perhaps long gone. The man expected her to have emotions that never would have belonged to her, even at a younger age. Storming away in anger had never been her style, and even if there was a subject she did not wish to discuss never did she silence a voice. Merely she listened, soaking in what she said, and simply she shrugged at the great brute.

Conor Soul had left of his own accord, and Nayru had not bothered to follow him. Had she ever wondered where the lilac eyed man had gone, she could have easily sought out the answer. Tracking had always been the skill that came easiest to her, speed and had been the natural gifts given to her when size and strength had been without. Had she wished, Nayru could have trailed the man the night of his departure, without his ever becoming aware of the ghost at his heels. Yet she had held back, letting him go, and then later letting Bris go in search of him, because after they left Dahlia de Mai, in body or mind, it was no longer any of her concern.

Yet before the alpha could even reply Saluce set back to work, and at this a slight irritation grew in her. As if repairing this building was so important! Lifting crimson eyes as he lifted his great body to the rafters her quiet voice floated up to him. "Forget the damned roof for a moment. If you wish to discuss this, then return to the ground and discuss it." And the fairy girl stayed silent until again the large man was standing before her. Ruby gaze brushed over him, and the irritation she had felt just moment ago melted. She was not angry he had gone looking for Conor. Even if she had set aside any need for closure, many others needed it. The news of his possible death did not jar her, to the patchwork woman Conor Soul was long dead. Yet others would not take this so easily and sooner or later word would spread.


"I thank you for bringing this news to me Saluce, surely it was not easy or pleasant trying to trail him so long after he left." Nayru knew the effort that had probably gone into such a task, the longer the trail was left unfollowed the more cold it would grow. Yet all that for what? "The others have a right to know of his death, if you wish to share this news." This was not something they should keep to themselves, and yet, if word spread about Anathema being the cause? What then? "But Saluce, for me this means nothing except that sooner or later I must make another trip out to Anathema and this does not please me." The ever gentle voice died then, and she looked up at the face of a man who had once solved many puzzles for her as a child, and now as an adult he was laying great ones at her feet.

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#9
What a twist of fate, once a teacher now a sub servant but still there seemed to be many things the little black and white female still needed to learn. Today seemed to test his patience, he was repairing the roof and when her comment rang up to him, it was indeed a smack across the face in the most unpleasant way. His form slid back down to the floor but the look on his face had changed. In some respects the man never took direct orders from anyone other than god, and he didn’t talk all that often. Saluce turned on her with a look of disgust, this topic was not one he was comfortable talking about even with her, it had been easier to distract him from the feelings welling up inside him if he had kept busy.

“What news? That he may have raped someone in inferni? No and I don’t have any concrete proof he is dead. What do you want them to learn? That their famed leader was afflicted by the same shadow his father suffered from?” Saluce spat on the floor, why the hell was he even here in this damn house, what exactly was he hoping to accomplish other than prop up some stupid image of a man who never once asked for help with his problems.
“do not ever shy away from the duties you have in this pack. Choosing not to act is acting all the same, you could have tracked him yourself, probably much better than I, and you choose to stay here and wait for the news to find you. Well the news has found you and you are now lead on another track.” He sighed audibly, seemed lately all they did was bicker, they never seemed to ever be on the same wavelength and they got along much better in silence. He gave her a look then, almost expressing his displeasure over all of this. Saluce couldn’t expect her to act in perfection and he knew it, just being around all the infant acting young adults here was really irritating the man.
“If you need to go to Anathema then you must, and if you need someone with you then all you need to do is ask. The pack should know of his demise but I don’t think they should know of this rape accusation. Inferni has been nothing but a thorn in our side, and any comment would be made to make us act in anger. But I do believe it is worth looking into.”
#10
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571

Ruby eyes watched the man as he came back down, rather unhappily and Nayru held in her annoyance. Was it so unreasonable to ask to speak on the same physical level if Saluce insisted on speaking about this in the first place? The girl knew it was not and simply ignored the man's irritation with her. When she spoke she spoke gently, as if no tension existed between them. "I could have tracked him, but he left , Saluce. Of his own free will. Should I go hunting after everyone who decided Dahlia isn't their home anymore?" There wasn't the time in every day to do that, and what's more, Nayru had no desire to. If they left, they left. And with that a realization occurred to her.

"I shouldn't even go to Anathema. Conor wasn't part of Dahlia. It's none of our business." Her voice lowered, because even if it wasn't Dahlia's business, many in Dahlia de Mai still had a stake in the man's existence. "And all the same, we need to tell the others. If he entered Anathema and did not leave, he's dead." Nayru did not question this. She simply knew it. "I have no intention of speaking to them of rape or whatever else, but it's their right to know of his demise. " Nayru titled her head at the man, wondering why he had grown so angry when there seemed little reason for it. Yet already worn from the exertion of fixing a house no one lived in, and her sharp words might have been enough to set him on edge. Yet just what she was doing wrong, Nayru didn't know. She only wish to serve them all, including Saluce, as best as she might.


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#11
“Conor was the leader of Dahlia, and no matter if he left or not he was the son of Haku, and his fate is tied to Dahlia” he gave her a nod and then quickly decided to continue the task he had set for already. For the grey behemoth it was hard thinking of the two sides of the once leader of this pack. For now he didn’t care to continue talking about the topic anymore. If she felt as if this meant nothing to them then so be it, he’d keep on doing what he was doing and that was just that.

“I don’t know why I’m here rebuilding this home, I guess because of the good memories I had of him. The bustling place this used to be, maybe I’m here for the good image of Conor. So if you want to help then let’s do this, if not I’ll work on it by myself.” He climbed back up into the rafters to continue working.
#12
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The alpha couldn't help but disagree. Haku had nothing to do with Dahlia de Mai anymore, so what did it matter if Conor was his son or not? And Conor had nothing to do with them either, except that he seemed to persist on in the memories of those he left behind. Nayru was content to let him die fully, forgetting his piece by piece. It was too much of a burden to carry around the dead forever, even if most the memories of him were positive ones. She would not pursue him or his death, for turning over those rocks would only uncover things Dahlia de Mai did not need to deal with. They had had enough hardships. They didn’t need any more.

Nayru watched as the great man pulled himself up to rafter once more. The hardest parts had been done and there were other tasks to do. Besides the man was irritable and Nayru knew it better she give him his space. Turning tail, she did not look back at him, content to let him patch up whatever homes or buildings he saw fit, but she would not be a part of it. They had to look to the future, not the past.


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