Tzoli's Red Leather Journal

Judgement

So, The time has come to say goodbye. I really enjoyed writing this Blog. I hope you all enjoyed reading it. I am amazed I lasted this long and pleased with how things went.

This is the IC last entry. Enjoy.

--Utopia

==================

"Yes, I do believe you are."

The voice is like ice on the surface of the molten River. There is no source. The sunless sky remains as it was, but in the distance, the boatman can be seen. "Come." She steps onto the boat, she is alone. "You are lucky you died on a Morday."

Crossing the river, she stares out. She watches the wave lap up and over the distancing shore. She smiles inwardly as she watches the sky pass by, unmoving, unchanging. Despite the River being of molten lead, it is calm, or perhaps it is merely the feeling of her heart.

"Soon, soon I'll be there... soon I'll see them all again."

A warm glow spreads over her and she smiles. "Yes, soon now." The boat glides to the far shore of the River, hitting land. "Off."

As she steps off, she is greeted by one of Morhiag's Cwn Annwn. She stares at the beast for a moment, knowing she should feel fear at it. Knowing that if she was not standing on the shore of the River Leath, she probably would feel fear. Instead, she simply smiles. "I rekkin yer here tah take me tah thah City?"

The beast turns and starts walking and she follows. A wall of thorns appears, another, soon, she is surrounded, following the beast through the maze. Others also wander, but she pays them no mind, her focus set only on the creature leading her through the maze.

For days, months or maybe only minutes they walk through the maze. Time has no meaning, no purpose. When they arrive at the end of the maze, the tall woman walks through the gate, greeted by a host of people on the other side. Most of them walk in a daze, uncaring, unaffected by anything. Some weep, others moan and wail, some even run through the streets laughing. This is the City of the Dead. The unjudged live here.

She smiles and turns to thank the creature, but it is gone and the gate is closed.

"Zo!"

She turns.

"Zo!"

She blinks. "Oh Gods above me an' below me." The tears fall immediately. And she runs to him. "I... dreamed, I dreamed of this..."

The boy embraces her. He is much shorter than she, younger, unaged and unchanged. Through her blurry eyes she strokes his hair. "Zo... I've been waitin'. I've been waitin an' waitin. I had tah tell yah I'm sorry." He looks up at her, his eyes clear now. "Zo... I'm sorry I left yah. I din't mean tah. I'm sorry I got yah burnt up with me."

"Six years...Yah waitid six year jus tah tell me thah?" She drops to her knees, embracing her friend. He kisses the top of her head. "Yup, I waitid. Yer awfal pop'ular here. Well, in sum circals anaway." He laughs, rubbing her cheek. "Yah found ah good place an made lotsah friends who loved yah."

"Why did yah wait?" She asks, looking up at him now from her knees.

"I hadtah. I said we'd be tagethur. I'd make yah happy. I left evarythin undone. I nevar told yah how much I loved yah. I nevar told yah how I begged yer mum to let me marry yah. I nevar told yah nuthin like thah." He pats her head lovingly. "I think mebbe I hurt yah real bad when I went and died without yah. I nevar wanid tah do thah, sah I hadtah wait. I had tah git yer fergivniss bafer I went tah find mah judgemint."

He lifts her up, she stands almost a foot above him now. "Yah got tallar agin, din't yah?"

"I rekkin I did."

"Why are yah here sah soon?" he asks, looking at her.

"Cuz I died."

"Why did yah go an do ah thing like that?" he scolds softly.

"Cuz I'mmah warrier."

He laughs, lifting a hand to her cheek. He touches her hand, bringing it to his lips. "I shouldah known. Yah fallahed aftar yer father anaway, din't yah?" he kisses her hand again. "I rekkin yah went an tried tah be all heroic, likah knight in onnah yer stories. How many men did it take tah bring yah down?"

"Jus one."

He scoffs, "One?"

"Mmm... I died tah save him. I rekkin it wuz technically thah demmin thah took me down."

He kisses her hand again. "We could stay here ferevar yah an me."

"No, we kinna. I gotta go." She waves to the Temple of Morhiag. She taps her heart, "I feel it here. I gotta go there. It's callin me."

He smiles up at her, caressing her face, "Lay with me then."

"Alright." And without qualms they did. They lay together both for the first time in the City of the Dead. They embraced as lovers and for a brief moment, everything was as it should have been in life. They lay together for days, enjoying one another as they had been unable to in life. And when it was over, they walked toward the Temple as one.

"Oh Zo... yer thah same as evar. I missed yah." He kisses her hand again. "I always knew yah werah hero. I knew yah'd grow up tah beah knight." He looks at her, "I'll join yah soon. I promise."

"Niko...I love you..." she says, touching his cheek again. "We wouldah hadah wondarful fam'lee. Yah an me. We wouldah... Mebbe in thah next life? Right?"

He smiles and nods. "Yes Zo, in the next life."

He falls away from her, over shadowed by others. Whether he goes to the Temple or not, she is unsure. She stands upon the stairs leading up to it in no time. The priests greet her there. "Are you ready?"

Her black eyes fall upon them and she smiles. "Yes. Yes I am."

The priests lead her in. They do not seem like the others in the city. Dead... alive.. it is impossible to tell. They begin to prepare her for the ceremony. She doesn't fuss, she doesn't prim. She simply accepts it as they dress her, clean her, pray over her. "Clean, I feel so clean. This is what peace is. This is it. I am ready."

"Come with us."

She follows the priests to the Throne of Morhiag. For a split second she feels fear. Fear of being overwhelmed in the presense of a Goddess, of a God. The ceremony begins, everything is a blur.

"This is your final judgement!"

She looks up, her lips parting as she stares into the face of her Final Fate. "You have served the Gods. You have shown Faith. For this, you are rewarded. You died with Your Lords's name on your lips." She simply nods then.

A hand is felt on her back, a strong hand. She turns to see a man, not so much unlike herself. "Come. I have come to take you home now."

She follows the tall man, a man she can look in the eye as he speaks. "Where...?"

"To our Lord. He calls for you." he says, taking her to the chariot that awaits them. He waves to a weapon with in. A gleaming hammer, simple, strong, sturdy. "For you, The Hammer of Yarsin... of Telantha."

She grins and picks up the weapon. "Thanks."

"Tzoli... nice work on that Vek in the woods. That Demon too."

She stops and stares at the man. "How do you know my name?"

"How can I not know the name of the child named after me?"

"Pappa..."

"Come now, your mother is waiting for us with Balor."

The End

Posted by Tzoli at October 31, 2005 10:22 PM