This House of Mine

Mordred Leporum

I was exhausted. This last trip was the most action I had seen since, well, ever. Never before have I had so many emotions run through me in a course of the week. Grief, horror, fear, confusion, and that pure sickening feeling of death.

I stared out the stained glass window, the colorful light warping the outside world into a mess of colors and shapes. It looked broken, fractured into each of their own aspects and worlds.

In the red, I saw the blood pouring out of Solskin, out of everyone. In the dark blue, I saw the graves of the villagers that stood quietly in the dark night. In the green was the forest, Lucian toying with me, sword raised above his head.

"Mordred." Alistair tapped me on my shoulder. He had recovered nicely, but his weathered face was now marred by a ugly jagged scar. It reminded me of Xavier. He probably got it in similar fashion.

"What is it, Alistair? I have much paperwork to do. The work never seems to end for me, does it? I have to travel to sell my wares. I have to come home and file taxes, take in-"

"Do you want to talk?" From behind, he pulled out a bottle of red wine.

"You snuck into my cellar again?" I raised my eyebrow.

He shrugged. "Shouldn't have given me a key."

I laughed. "I gave it to you for a reason. Half of it is honestly your personal collection that you grew working for me."

He laughed with me. Honestly, it was a little unexpected. I didn't think we would be able to joke around like usual after all that happened. I was thankful for it. Kept my mind off things. My errant thoughts had not been the most pleasant. "So, do you want to talk or not?"

"Sure. Let's get out of this hallway."

Together, we headed to my study. The room was quite large, bookshelves filled with different books and records lined the walls. A chess board sat inform of the fireplace, already set up, fire roaring behind it.

"You sure you want to play again?" I asked, recalling the last time we played. We had played 5 rounds and in all 5, it was one sided slaughter.

"Maybe I picked up a trick or two," he retorted, popping off the cork of the wine with a satisfying sound. He began rummaging around in a far cabinet and pulled out the 2 largest glasses I had.

I took the bottle from him and began pouring before sitting down in front of the fireplace. The dim lighting and crackling of the fire made the room feel so small, so intimate. It was relaxing.

I took a sip of the wine and moved a piece. "What is it that you wanted to talk about?"

"What is it you wanted to talk about, Mordred? I can tell something has been weighing on your mind."

I thought for a moment. "I believe the most accurate term with the thought of my own mortality. Death and all that fun stuff. The kind that drives one insane given enough time."

"Are you insane?" Alistair asked with his eyebrow raised and almost a sarcastic fashion.

"Of course I am. Why else would I have a friend like you?"

He chuckled, taking a long look at the chessboard before emptying the contents of his glass and standing up to refill it.

"I take it as you resign."

"Yes, yes," he waved his hand, consigned to the reality of the disparity between our skills. "I went to Baress's place."

"How is Jenny? Is she ok? Should I go visit her, too? After their last miscarriage, she wasn't in the right place, but now… I am just worried."

"She is fine for now. I expect that to change soon. When I arrived, she had two dinner sets out even though it had been a week already."

"I will drop by tomorrow. Make sure she knows I am here for her. Maybe I can get in touch with her brother. Get him to come back from New Khorone. How about Schieff and Anatesi?"

"Anatesi was still not talking to the rest of his family, but they came in yesterday. For all their differences and arguments, at least they were able to come together for this. Schieff's brother just came by for compensation."

"F*ck him. I hoped that we would at least grieve over his brother instead of spending his time staring into the bottom of a pitcher."

"He had us. He had this house of yours."

I looked up at the ceiling and stared at the darkened mosaic of the gods. It was poetic in that sense. The gods' light was in no way shining upon me after all that happened.

"Mordred, I don't really know what to tell you. I won't lie. The same thoughts are weighing on my mind. All I can say is enjoy life while you can. Do something you find worthwhile. Something you enjoy. That way, at least your death will be the least of your concern. For me, I think I will take up crocheting or something." He smirked at his own poorly conceived jest.

"I might join you." I thought about the course of my life so far. "What have I done with my life?"

"As I said before, you built this house of yours. Ashlee, me, everyone. We all have lived here for years. Together, we have grown together, experienced life together, made a living together. We are a real family. This is what you have done."

I ran my hand down the side of the table, feeling the familiar age worn grooves of the table, feeling the names we had carved into it. He was right, I had a family. That was all I needed in life.

Resetting the board, we played and drank until the sun went down, listening to the crackling fire.

I looked around at the books around me, the once vibrant tomes faded in color from dust. I hadn't touched them in years. I stood up suddenly, feeling the warmth of the booze and fire on my face. I picked up a tiny book, crammed between two massive tomes. It was practically falling apart, the pages yellowed and cover damaged beyond recognition..

"Remember this?"

"Yes, your first ever book on magic. Didn't Ashlee buy it for you on your 12th birthday?"

"Yes she did. I read it so much I practically memorized it."

I turned open the cover and saw Ashlee's sloppy and childish handwriting.

Happy Birthday, Mordred. Remember to teach me whatever you learn!

I remembered those days. Me and Ashlee staring into this one book, trying to learn magic. Those were some happy times.

"Alistair?"

"Hmmm?"

"How would you like to learn some magic?"