Age of Heroes (Age of Heroes Chronicles)

Chapter 478: Farewell

The old man looks at the garden walking slowly with his wife beside him, walking together enjoying the beauty.

The man is fifty and four. He is dressed in the most exquisite clothes, his boot is made with the rarest leather and his body smells like rosemary. 

He has a white beard and his smile is jovial and full of kindness. His eyes is full with compassion, his hair is as white as snow, and eyes as blue as the skies.

'Julia, how is our granddaughter?' he asked as he walked.

Julia smiles bitterly.

'The movement in the palace is troubling.' She replies. She didn't want to make her husband worried.

And in the absence of their son, the inner matter of the Imperial Palace is under her governance and she didn't want to tax her husband heart.

The physician advises that her husband should exercise and walk around comfortable environment because of his weak heart.

Aries nodded. 

He then looked at the skies and then he wondered about something. He smiles and closes his eyes, feeling the wind on his face and smell the fragrance of the flowers in this garden.

'Dear?' Julia asked.

'Nothing' he says and then he sits on a bench not far away from them. 

He was silent but it was not a cold silence like the Emperor but a contemplating silence and Julia didn't ask anything. 

They have ben husband and wife for ages. They both know each other habits.

As he sits down on the bench, Julia leaned her head on his shoulders and Aries smile contently.

To Aries, the only things that make him strong was the smile of his wife and the laughter of his children.

'What are you thinking about, dear?' Julia asked again as she keep playing with Aries fingers, her head on his shoulder, her hair is caressed by Aries gently.

'I'm thinking about our son.' Julia just nodded. 

Aries looks at the skies again and he remembered his son. Between Adriana and Arial, he is always worried about Arial more. They both still do.

Yes, Arial is capable…powerful….but for some reason, when he looks at his son, there is this disquieting feeling, a feeling that he is trying to push everyone around him. 

This becomes more apparent after the death of his wife.

Aries think about all of those years ago when looking at his son fighting a group of bandits in the woods. 

He thinks of the son who went to the Knight Academy to become a Knight. 

He notices the more years passed, his son become more and more…..distant. During those years, his son is always worried of something. 

Always doing things like he was on a deadline, always rushing…..always running away, keeping secrets close to his heart

Then Aries remembered all of the things that happen to his family. 

The rise of his family. 

Looking at the garden, this huge garden with hundreds of flowers and type of trees, with servants ready to serve him at a moment notice, he could not imagine this kind of life before. 

He is the Father of the Emperor, living in palaces and castles, and villas, possessing all the land in the Empire. 

He is rich beyond compare. He could not squander away his wealth even if he has one hundred lives.

He thinks all about the things that have changed. 

Arial was his light, his prince. Aries never say this to anyone and as he looks at his wife, he remembers that life before Arial was not as lively as with him in his life.

He remembers that when Arial was born, he become stronger. He farm harder all to hear the laughter of his child. 

He works harder, he love harder and he tries his hardest to provide for his family by toiling the farmland.

And he smiles every time that his son is proud of him. Pride rose in his heart every time he saw that smile, every time, that he could make his family happy.

Even though he was poor at the time, even though he does not live in a palace, for him, he always…always…. remembered that wooden house and all of its memories that it holds for him.

The memory of his son laughter, the smile on Julia face when he comes home or the taste of a burned meat, the sound of Julia singing on winter night cold.

He remembers the story he told his son when they have to huddle up in front of the fireplace.

Julia looks at her husband face and his face was peaceful so she asked.

'Happy memories, dear?'

'Hmmm' he nodded. Then planting a kiss to Julia cheeks Aries smiles.

'What is that for?' Julia said, playfully trying to shove Aries while her cheeks are still blushing red. 

She was as beautiful as the first moment he saw her, all those years ago.

The farmer and the noble daughter. Thinking about all those years ago, he could only be grateful that they, even after these years, their love remain strong.

'I love you' he said.

Julia smiles and she answered.

'I know.' 

And then she kisses him on the cheek and leaned on his shoulder again, watching the sunset.

Fingers intertwining, they look at the sun as it sets above the horizons and they smile.

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EDEN, THE IMPERIAL CITY

NIGHT

THE VERMONT PALACE

Tonight Julia is at the Throne room advising Ariadne to cease the private battle between her and her aunt.

The conflict is beginning to boil and Julia as the Dowager Empress possess more authority and influence inside the Imperial Palace.

Today however, Aries is feeling a slight cold….no, he contemplated as he felt that the cold is biting.

Then he suddenly feels his heart constrict and he feel pain and his senses dimmed. Then the cold came. 

Licking him, biting cold like winter. The cold spread and crept.

Slowly his body shivers like a man in great fever, and slowly the cold spreads across every single of his nerves, like the frozen tide of a frigid winter.

And he knows….that he is dying. 

The pain was about to come but then it was replaced by a sensation of warmth and peace and he…..unconsciously smiles as memories of love flooded his brain and then smiling he closed his eyes slowly, gracefully, accepting the natural order and he died.

Then a light came enveloping him and warmth flooded his heart. 

Slowly Aries opened his eyes and he is sitting under a tree, overlooking his old house with the cabbage farm on the far out back and the sound of cuckoo by the roosters on the morning and beside the house was a vast plains of green grass as far as the eyes could see.

Then suddenly something appears out of a mist, with something that resembles melody ringing inside his ears signifying the woman arrivals, a woman so beautiful that there are no words to describe her. 

Her hair was white as snow, her eyes as blue as the beautiful ocean and her skin were like silk.

If his vocabulary consisted of all the known words in the world, maybe then he could describe the beauty in front of him more accurately. 

Looking at her, he felt a certain familiarity, like she was family. The woman smiles at him and for some reason, Aries feel happy and giddy, like Love are staring at him.

'My child, Aries Vermont, you have done well' the woman said, her voice was like the song of summer, hearing it enough to feel happy.

She smiles a look of proudness in her face, proud of him and he was infected by a feeling of exhilaration like her smile did this to him.

'I've been waiting for you' she said

'Waiting for me?' Aries said startled by this declaration.

And she stands there floating in the wind looking at him, beaming with smiles. She does not mean any harm but her words baffles him.

'Who are you?' He asked. Then something crossed his mind.

'Are you…Death?'

The woman smiles and she chuckles.

'No, I'm not him. You could say I was the opposite of him. I come here because you are of my blood.' 

'Your blood?' And this only further Aries confusion.

'You could say I was your ancestors.' 

'Ancestors!?' Hearing this Aries becomes more shocked. He has this beautiful ancestors and he never knows about it.

Then one question suddenly crossed his mind and then he asked.

'Am I dead?'

Smiling a peaceful smile, she nodded.

Then she said.

'You know, all of my descendants before they died, they will always smile. Do you know why?'

Aries shakes his head. 

'Because I show them love. I showed them life. I showed them all that is good and all that is great. Death is the most painful pain one must endure. But for my blood, there is an exception. Showing love at the moment of your death, dispel the pain. And some smiles because at the end of their life, they know they will meet me. Your ancestors have all met me before they embark on the next journey. And you Aries…..you, of all my descendants are the one I love the most.'

Hearing this Aries blush red in embarrassment.

'I did not do anything great' he said.

Chuckling, the woman said.

'You love. You give love. You share joy and pain with other people. Your heart is strong. People think it is easy to love. But, it's not. Sometimes it's the hardest thing to do. To simply love is an act of great joy. I have seen many of your ancestors, Aries. They were kings, queens, conquerors, rulers and commanders in a war, heroes, liberators, all were born leaders.'

Hearing this Aries becomes more embarrassed and he said.

'I'm but a farmer.'

'Yes' she said, still beaming with pride.

'A farmer who sows love. In every life I have met you; you have always keep hope even though the darkness is strong. You keep the Light alive even though darkness is all you can see. You love even when love is hard. You face love head on, true to your heart and your conscience and I like that. The fact that even though love is hard, even though love is uncertain, even though love is fickle...you of all others, have faith.'

The wind blows and the smell of spring can be smell on the air. 

The spring grass grew on the surrounding as the surrounding colors become brighter; flowers bloomed in a matter of seconds, giving off a pleasant smell.

'I come here because it is the end of your life. I come ferrying the souls of my blood. I have seen all of my blood dies. They are all great characters of their times, but you, you are the greatest of all of them. Levitia seeks vengeance. Your son seeks redemption…but you…you live honestly with love and you do not envy love and shares it with another. You seek nothing but the welfare of those you love. Simply love. That is your great deed. To simply love. How many lives have been touched because of your kindness? Because of your compassion? How many fates have changed because of your generosity? '

And then she smiles.

���Faith, love and hope' she said

'These are great virtues, and you have all these. A man like you will be mourned greatly' she said proudly and with a hint of sadness.

'The world was better with you in it. Your son life was better with you in it. But we all have our time.'

Then another light came and shined down on the old house and the woman looked at that direction. So does Aries.

'What's that?' he asked

'The Light that will bring you to your next journey' she said.

'Are you ready?' She asked.

He looked at the light and hesitating he asked.

'Where will I go? Heaven or hell?'

Looking at Aries face, the woman said.

'I can't tell you that. But I promise, with hearts like yours, He would be clearly touched.'

Looking at the old house, his mind recalled once again of all the memories he have with his family, his memory with his wife. 

His memory with his son.

His memory with his daughter. Slowly his eyes were filled with teardrops. He shed a tear not because he died but because he is worried about his wife. 

Even in death he worries that if his wife would be saddened and he is worried about his son and his daughter and his granddaughter. 

The woman could clearly see his worries and she said.

'That is not your concern anymore, child. The struggles of life are for the living. The one who has no worries are the one who have died'

'Will I meet them again?' he asked. Smiling she said.

'One day.' She replies. Closing his eyes slowly, he smiles and then muttered under his breath.josei

One day and he nodded his head. 

'I'm ready' he said and as he walked to the old house, memories flooded him with each steps.

Good memories. 

Bathing on the creek with his son when he was but a few years old, singing with his wife on the farm when it was summer, kissing his wife under the large tree on Dagur Hill when it was spring and huddling up near the fireplace when it was winter, telling stories to his family, all this memories surfaces and the closer he came to the light, the lighter he feel his heart and he forgets all of the worries of the mundane affairs.

And then he was in front of the door. 

It has a hole in the middle and he remembered it was made by Arial when he accidentally thrown the hunting knife to the middle of the door when he was three years old and he and Julia laughed at that moment seeing the dumbfounded expression on Arial face.

Turning his head back, he could see that the woman is still looking at him beaming with pride, watching over him, like a faithful guardian.

Aries leave a smile and he pushed open the door and before disappearing…he felt at peace….and he felt content as the light takes him away.

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04 EDENIAN ERA.

The Father of the Emperor, Aries Vermont passed away on his bed at night. He was discovered by his wife, smiling in peace lying on his bed. 

His death was mourned by all the people of the empire because of his great kindness and love. 

Aries Vermont is famously known because of his many kind deeds to the citizens. All of his friends admit that Aries was a man filled with love and compassion and kindness has always been his greatest virtue. 

He was interred in Eden, a great mausoleum constructed for him. 

Those who were at his funeral noted that his body even after days of death smell like spring flowers and his cheeks are as rosy as he was alive.

Many priest and clergy at the funeral noted that this means that Aries Vermont dies a saint, a miracle performed by god.

It was a year of great grieving for the people of the Empire that year.

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So another star fall

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