Private Sorrow

[Mizar Mossbrow]

Five Years Ago
Midvinter, the Ruins of Thainbroek​

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It was a long, almost howling moan which ripped from her lips as she knelt there in the ashen snow. The battle was over, the defenders victorious, but at what cost?​

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Mizar had spent the fight tending to the wounded, rendering indiscriminate aide as any good healer ought to. She'd wrapped injuries, administered potions and poultices, and seen her fair share of lives fade within her arms. Grief had weighed heavy on her with each soul that was lost, and though it had felt insurmountable, grave and incapable of worsening, she'd been proven wrong when all was said and done.​

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The black bear which lay before her now, flopped on his side and still as a mountain range, was one she knew well, more than well, intimately. She had been with him from his first breath, had reached each milestone at his side, soothed every fever, kissed every bump, taught to read, and write, and craft, and walk... Her beloved Kodu, a son she was blessed with in spite of her infertility. He had grown into a fine Beorni, a prized teacher who passed on all he had learned to the newest batch of cubs, well loved by their sleuth.​

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Her dear, sweet Kodu...​

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It was as though her heart had been torn in two, in three perhaps, one of those thirds had rotted and turned black, disintegrated within her rib cage. It would never beat the same again, she would never, could never, be whole.​

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She did not move, not even when urged, she did not try to stand, or move her grieving body from over his, she just whimpered and sobbed even as the tears froze on her cheeks. Mizar felt certain that she would never move again, for how could she ever go on living without her dear sweet boy?​

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Arnor Oathkeeper ​

 

[Arnor Oathkeeper]

The loss of life had been staggering. An entire city lay in ruin, destroyed irreparably. What others called the "battle of our age", the scarred Beorni and the tiny white-haired woman walking at his side agreed that it was simply a tragedy. When all seemed lost, all of Midvinter had come together to push back the forces of darkness; the impenetrable Valkyri shield wall bearing the brunt of the assault, allowing for the Aelvar to fill the enemy with arrows, and relying on the unmatched might of the Beorni to take down the larger brutes. They'd proven united in battle, but now they were also united in their grief.

"It's so horrible," uttered a shocked Nina, both arms wrapped around Arnor's giant hand. "It's all just... so horrible. A waking nightmare."

The Great White Bear wheezed with each laboured step, suffering from his grievous injuries. Together he and Nina had helped fell the greater demon preventing access into Tháinbroek. Nina had pierced its fiery hide several times before the flick of its tail knocked her out, leaving Arnor alone to face off against the flaming behemoth twice his size. As the demon charged, Arnor was able to match it in brute strength if only briefly. A deep slash from its clawed hand across his chest put the Beorni on his back, but he'd delayed it long enough for Prince Thrand to leap from his winged steed and plunge his grandfather's greatsword hilt-deep into its skull, delivering the killing blow and allowing their troops to pour onto the streets, rooting out the last opposition.

There was no celebration when the battle was won; no triumphant horns blasting their victory for all to hear, nor thunderous cheers from the victors. There were no victors, only survivors, all of them changed forever. Everywhere they looked they found Men, Elves, and Beorni mourning a newly identified corpse.

A howl rang out, spine-chilling to he who could recognise that voice anywhere. Suddenly his strides increased, forcing Nina to jog along in order to keep up. She never let go of her friend's hand, though. There, in the courtyard just before the steps leading up to the now-ruined Great Hall, he found Mizar Mossbrow bent over in motherly grief. Before her there lay a black bear, still and lifeless.

"Who is it, Arnie," asked Nina, curious as to who could bring up such emotions in her usually unphased companion. It was harrowing to witness the change on his face.

"Snowflake... go find family. I fine. Please..." Nina looked up at her friend, wanting to protest with every fibre of her being. But the look in his eye rendered any argument null and void. That, and her own desire to find her kin. With a kiss on his hand, she bounded up the steps leading to the Great Hall, leaving her friend behind.

Arnor appeared by Mizar's side, kneeling beside her. She was utterly devastated, as any mother would. The fallen was on his side, lying unceremoniously among the dead. Arnor's first act was to roll him over on his back, working through his own grief as he put the deceased in a more dignified pose. "Kodu," he uttered, barely holding it together as his hand rested upon the still heart of the black Beorni.

"My s-son..."

Mizar Mossbrow

 

[Mizar Mossbrow]

She was lying with her chest protectively over her fallen son when another sank down to their knees beside her. Mizar knew his presence well, she could feel the way the air rippled around him, and the Spirits spoke softly to inform her regardless of whether she'd understood in that moment or not. Arnor... He who had given up some of his own freedoms and space to facilitate her unexpected family, who had raised the cubs alongside her, and who had been a most invaluable friend and support system throughout the last twenty five years of her motherly life.​

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If it had been any other who tried to touch her boy she would have growled or snapped, but instead she relented, slinking down from his side and into the bloody, slushy snow. Another wail, but at least now he was in a better position. At least now it seemed as though he was only sleeping... She was not the kind of Beorni who allowed herself to believe such falsities though, she was pragmatic and one with nature. She knew well the cycle of life, of death, and rebirth.​

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That did not make it any easier to bear.​

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Her hand settled over Arnor's, on Kodu's chest, and her wails turned to whines. She didn't say anything, couldn't say anything, her grief was too heavy and strong, but just having the great white bear present made breathing just that little bit easier. Her grief was his grief, and his grief hers, they would share in it until the end of days, as if they had not already been bound by the babes before.​

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Arnor Oathkeeper ​

 

[Arnor Oathkeeper]

As Mizar rested her hand upon his, Arnor responded by putting his other arm around her shoulders, resting her head upon his shoulder. Neither would let their gaze wander from their adopted son for what seemed like aeons. Whereas Kodu's mother made her grief palpably known, the stoic father would only allow faint whimpers as tears vanished amidst dried blood and muck miring his otherwise pristine white fur.

The true tragedy of Kodu's death was the young age at which he met his untimely end. Three decades was but a drop in the ocean for a Beorni, barely old enough to be considered an adult, and yet his passion was to school cubs in the ways of the world, to pass knowledge on to others. And now, here he lay, another casualty of war. He'd signed up believing in the Three Kindreds Alliance, wishing to fight for the unity of Men, Elves, and Beorni. To come so far, only to perish less than a stone's throw from the Great Hall.

"He is with the Spirits now," he spoke softly, knowing it would offer little the way of comfort. "He is with Alira and all that have come before us. May his eternal soul know peace forevermore, unburdened by sorrow or regret. Know that he will live on and that we shall see him again."

Arnor then sat upright and closed his eyes as he reached deep inside to bring forth the Song of Sorrow, his throat singing so deep and reverberating that the very ground seemed to quake at their feet. Back on that island all those years ago his impatience was often confused with irreverence, but he knew every song and tradition by heart.

Mizar Mossbrow

 

[Mizar Mossbrow]

The words were of comfort, but provided little else. Yes, if there was something after all of this then the boy would be back with Alira. They were the guardians of her cubs, they raised them in her honour. Mizar just wished that they hadn't been reunited so suddenly.​

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"The others" she whispered nervously, nose snuffling as she tried her best to regain some modicum of control over herself. It didn't help, of course, a mother's grief ran deep, inconsolable, "Have you seen Lira, Hune..?"​

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Mizar was not sure that she would survive another loss so close to home, not when her Kodu was gone, not when so many of their already dwindled species lay within the crimson snow.​

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She turned her face into his shoulder, and whined softly.​

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"Oh, Arnor... What are we to do?"​

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Arnor Oathkeeper ​

 

[Arnor Oathkeeper]

"I saw them," he reassured the grieving mother as he put an arm around her. "They were at the same aid station as me. They were in shock, but otherwise unharmed." It wasn't right that such horrors should be forced upon the young, but this had been a battle for all of Midvinter. Children had as much to lose as fathers and mothers, and many had chosen to fight for their right to exist.

There was honour in simply taking part, no matter in what capacity.

"I don't..."

There wasn't time to provide a proper answer as more and more bloodied warriors began to gather, lining the street on both sides. Arnor raised his tall neck to see what all the fuss was about, and when he saw it his heart sank even more.

There, solemnly marching down the hill, came a similarly grief-stricken Thurion Heavenshield carrying the lifeless body of the Phoenix King. Just behind him came Lady Coci, and behind her walked Nina clinging to her brother Théodred. Then came the Queen and her firstborn son, named after their Sun God. The royal family was followed by dozens of mourners, which soon turned to hundreds as more fell in.

"Thyrian the Uniter is no more," he told Mizar with great sorrow. It had been he who brokered the treaty which united the Three Kindreds two decades ago, finally guaranteeing the freedom and equality of the Beorni and effectively ending millennia of enforced exile. No Valkyri had ever shown such generosity to their kind, and certainly no king.

Arnor stepped out in front of the others and knelt on the side of the cobblestone street, prompting the rest to do the same. When the blank-faced Thurion drew near, the procession came to a sudden halt. The king's brother was seen sharing words with Nina, who then strode over to retrieve her friend.

"Come, Arnie," she instructed gently, cheeks damp with tears. Arnor stood and lumbered his way towards the visibly devastated Warden of the West. For a moment or two nothing was said as the Beorni stared down at the lifeless Thyrian. He seemed at peace, at long last.

"Arnor," Thurion addressed the Great White Bear, drawing his animalistic gaze. Though his voice verged on breaking, the Lion spoke. "It was the will of my brother that I... that I succeed him. Here, then, is my first decree as High King: These are the heartlands of our Great Mother, where civilisation first sprang to life. I hereby bestow them unto you and your kind, so that you may rebuild what my people took from you so long ago."

The swelling of emotion within the otherwise stoic champion of the Beorni brought him to his knees, now honouring the new king.

"I hold your lifelong oath fulfilled, Arnor. Rise now, as Oathkeeper. We are constructing a funeral pyre for the slain outside the city gates if your traditions allow for the sending of fallen warriors." Thurion seemed to have noticed the body of a young Beorni behind the lines of people.

"I honoured, Lion King," said Arnor, too emotional to even met his gaze. "Beorni honour Lion and Phoenix for rest of time. You give hope to Beorni. Thank you."

Thurion nodded, then resumed his mournful march through the ruined city of Tháinbroek. Arnor rejoined Mizar as they watched the procession and the banners of the Lion and Phoenix disappear into the distance.

"We are not alone," he said, somewhat reassured by the fact. "Our grief will forever unite us."

Mizar Mossbrow