48 Gravestone

"Those… are big cherries," were Caina's first words to Noah as he arrived back at the farmhouse. Her having plucked from the unusual root shaped basket a set of the drupes to inspect them.

"That's what I said," he snorted, his gaze turning around the room in search of Liora. "Has Liora not woken up yet?" he asked.

"She has," Caina responded, trailing off at the end as she realized the strangely organic nature of the basket. "She's busy doing something in the back. She looked lost in thought." in saying so, she plucked one of the segments of the basket and felt its rigidity and coarse, bark like texture, "where did you get this? It looks like it grew on a tree."

He was tempted to say it had all grown on a tree, though that would likely fall to revealing Serris' existence and he was unsure how Caina would react, 'it's inevitable, but I'd rather tell Liora first.' he thought and came to respond to Caina's question, "I don't know, I just found it while looking around the field. I think it might have been Harv's and he lost it when he was still alive."

"Hmm…" Caina's eyes narrowed doubtfully, she knew he was hiding something though she wasn't going to prod. Not yet. And when she did, she had other means to get her answers should he refuse to answer her.

Letting the basket of berries lay atop the table, Noah took a set and pulled away, backing into the hall, "I'm going to check on Liora. Try not to eat them all."

"You make it sound like I'm a glutton," watching as he disappeared around the corner, Caina rolled her eyes and brought a drupe to her lips and bit into it. Eyes parting wide as she relished the delectable texture and rich flavour.

"This…" her mind raced, remembering Noah's earlier question and proceeded to mumble to herself, "is not a normal fruit…" she turned her head to the window, pushing through them to stare out towards the lonesome serrul tree atop the slight inclination of a hill. It's leaves rustling in the wind, scattering the odd petal across the field.

***

"Oh Harv, what do I do," Liora voice escaped her in a worried whimper as she gently stroked dust and the odd fallen leaf from the roughly carved headstone that her husband had crafted long before his sickness had claimed from him his life.

She would often find herself out here, wandering through the green pasture that marked the yard she and Harv had played games and had picnics with their daughter those many years ago. Those days when everything was simple and when she needn't worry for more.

Perhaps it was being in his presence that calmed her soul, to know he was there always listening. Illogical though it was as his soul had long since left for the crook back road.

"He's… Noah he's charming me. Haa…. He saved my life, he's cared for me for days and now he's gotten hurt because of me." her hands interlocked and rose to squeeze against her chest, feeling her hastened heartbeat. "And yet… he doesn't show frustration or, or, blame. He doesn't blame me instead all he does is calls me beautiful and, and…" she flushed, her mind wandering to their first meeting, "he even calls me sexy."

She turned her gaze upwards, gleaming into the brilliant blue sky and its fluffy white clouds. "I can't fall for him Harv. I'm not fit for another chance at love. I'm too old and my body, its nothing like Caina's or those younger girls. We… we made a promise to love each other forever and more, no matter if death took one of us. Yet here I am, my heart pattering like galloping centaurs and flushing whenever he stares at my body. Is it wrong that I feel like this? No, no… it is. It's wrong. It's so wrong."

Unfurling her fingers from each other, Liora once again patted away dust from the headstone. Pausing when she'd realized she'd already done so. "Look at me. I can't even remember past a few seconds and I'm chattering about love. It's strange, don't you think? I just know you wouldn't blame me. That you wouldn't hate me for falling for someone else and I just can't reason it. I really can't reason with it. If… if I acted on these budding feelings, I would be a disgrace, I would ruin him."

"I've got nothing anymore. We went shopping in Redle and all I could do was watch as Caina handed buckle after buckle after buckle to the merchants. I know it was all Haggar's money but still. Even then." A mist stole her eyes, threatening to assail her reddening cheeks with the stains of tears.

"I can't do anything anymore. He… Haggar, he said I should go to mom, to ask for her help. But I know her. The moment I get there, she'll latch her fingers around me and force me to stay, Gods above, she's likely already heard of my debt and is waiting with bated breath for me to come running to her. I've tried so hard Harv. I've tried so hard to keep away from her, to be my own woman and I've become that." Going silent, Liora fiddled with her fingers and pondered a thought, "oh we've had it so good the two of us and Eleonora, oh I miss her.

"Perhaps… I should go. Give her myself so long as she saves this farm… let Noah start a life here. Far from the war. Far from his past." with a sniffle, Liora wiped down her cheeks. "Look at me. I'm a mess, a royal mess. Things were so easy with you here. I miss those days, I miss us, I miss Eleonora, I miss those odd things you would do, those frogs you would scrounge up out of nowhere and hide in the bath just to hear me scream. Oh you were such an arse. But, you were my arse…"

The odd soft rapping of feet against soil drew Liora's voice to stilling, her head slowly swivelling to the boy, to Noah. His tawny hair a shiny, healthy gloss compared to those days when he'd first arrived. Even his face, and body in general—though still ominously thin—one would be challenged to notice so were he dressed in heavier garb. His eyes were soft as he glanced to the gravestone and realized exactly what this was.

"Noah," she exclaimed as he drew near. Her cheeks flushing just a bit and her heart pattering as evidence to her former notions, "w-what are you doing her. I thought you were out in the fields." noticing a glint of red in his hands, she questioned, "what are those?"

Holding his hand out, he presented her two plump cherries, her brow rose confusedly. 'Cherries? where did he get these from?'

"Well, I was out by the tree on the hill and as I was passing by, I noticed a bunch of these growing on the branches. They looked ripe enough so I collected a few and thought I'd bring them to you to show you them." he said, hand bobbing indicating for her to take it from him.

From his words she could feel there was more to it, though she didn't pry as that was not her place, taking it, Liora felt its smooth skin unblemished from imperfections. Confusion still evident on her expression, "it held fruit? It's… never done that before."

Noah lightly jerked, 'of course not. No one ever thought that the tree needed semen to fruit.' he thought.

"Really? I wouldn't know, ahahahaa…" rolling his eyes around, unsure of how he should fess up to the tree being a monster and one he'd had an intimate encounter with, Noah's gaze soon fell onto Harv's gravestone.

Seeing his gaze soften and his voice die, Liora turned back to Harv with solemnity in her eyes.

"Hi, Harv." All of a sudden, Noah descended into a light squat.

"Noah?" Liora questioned but could only listen as Noah continued.

"I suppose you don't know me. Or, you do. You probably do, you're likely watching over this place aren't you?" a wry chuckle he let out and Liora's mouth parted with a light trembling. "I may not have been here for long. But I owe Liora a lot. She's a good woman, brilliant in many regards. Though her self confidence is a little lacking."

Her cheeks sparkled to red, not hearing the latter portion of his words as she repeated the 'she's brilliant' remark again and again. Each time making her heart race faster.

"Otherwise, she's perfect. As perfect as they get. I might not have much in the way of skills, or anything for that matter but what I do have is decent amount of determination and a good… mostly good mind to myself. And to that degree," pushing on his knees to raise himself from the ground, his head swivelled, his eyes locking onto Liora's with a sharp, heart shuddering determination, "I promise to do everything I can to help her."

Like a roaring dragon, Liora rumbled and rocked, her face turning the pinkest she'd ever felt since that day when Harv accidentally walked into her room whilst she was changing. More than that day she'd ran out of her home to explore the city only to trip and be caught by a passing peasant boy who'd unashamedly groped her then developing bosom without remorse.

It was a cruel feeling, a truly cruel feeling.

"You are mean Noah. Really, quite mean." She murmured, earning a confused look from the boy.

Pressing down her heart, she stilled it as well as she could yet could only find herself spinning around. The parting of her gaze from him being the only cure to her sickness. "Did you need me for something Noah?"

"Actually, I was hoping I could talk with you about something."

"Really? What about?" she gulped nervously, her mind racing about, pondering just exactly what it was he want to talk to her about.

Noah nodded though she couldn't see that and spoke, "I, think I have an idea of how we can save the farm."

***

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Officially last chapter I have on backlog, I'll be working on the new version now.