2024 Story Collection

The Marked VI

Elder Violet is dead.

The words echo through Cedar's mind.

The warriors cut through the last of the hoard. His body moves as if puppeteer'd by another. His mind lost in the depths of sorrow and relief.

He'd never really cared much for Elder Violet, not until now. Not until he realized just how kind she'd been to him, not since he realized that despite everyone's objections, she'd given him his first mark at 9. She was the only one that had treated him not as a pathetic child but as a future warrior. She did not see him as weak; it gave him strength.

She'd cared. She had an odd way of showing it, but she cared.

He slices through the last beast and looks around, only to find other warriors doing the same.

He feels someone grab his hand. He turns.

"That's all of them, its over." The words take a moment to sink in. She squeezes his hand. Her gentle touch helps to bring him back to reality.

"Its over?" He asks, still in a daze. "Really?"

She nods and smiles. It's not a full one, it's quite bittersweet, but it is a smile. His people were safe, for now at least. Elder Violet was gone and the sickle at his hip weighted heavy on his mind.

"Come," she pulls him along behind her.

---

The clan gathered together around the two of them. River announced that Elder Violet had appointed her as the new Elder of the clan. The words came easily to her. She was a natural leader; she was a natural speaker. Cedar was not.

It was now Cedars time to speak, to announce that Elder Violet had appointed him Chief, but as he opened his mouth, nothing came out. He snapped it closed before he could make a fool of himself further.

He does the only thing he can think of in that moment. He pulls the sickle from his belt where it hangs and raises it above his head, wrapping an arm around River.

He says nothing, but he doesn't need to. The people understand and cheer.

---

The rest of the day goes by in a blur. He's shuffled around from one place to the next. From one ritual to another. The only thing he really remembers was watching as the bodies burned on the pyre. Unlike other clans, they burn their dead, not bury them. River had held his arm, standing beside him, watching with him as they threw Elder Violet into the flames.

After that, they separated. She had to attend to her duties as the Elder, which were many after the long hard battle they'd fought.

He'd simply disappeared somewhere to clear his mind. His duties could wait till tomorrow.

He'd only realized once he'd done an entire loop of the main settlement that he was doing his old guard run. He sighs. Old habits die hard, I suppose.

He walks a bit farther, making his way back to the small entry in the eastern part of the settlement. But as he wakes his way there, he finds River waiting for him.

"Don't you have warriors to mark?" he asks, walking closer to her. She pulls him into her, embarrassing him warmly.

"Don't you have a wife to entertain?" He reaches down and lifts her high, embarrassing her while spinning.

"Are you entertained?" she giggles and nods. He gently sets her down.

"I only have one warrior left to mark," she places a hand on his cheek. "Unlike the others, he decided to run off."

"Can't it wait till tomorrow?" he asks. The grin that spreads over her face tells him no.

"No."

---

"Lay down." She demands with kindness. He follows her instructions and, much like she did earlier that day, she sits on the back of his legs. However, now everything feels different. He is much more acutely aware of where her skin touches his own.

She pulls out her dagger and begins the process of carving the mark.

"What deal?" The words come from him, though he doesn't remember thinking or speaking them. All he knows is he wants the answer.

River chuckles and caresses his shoulders. He shivers at the gentle touch of her cold hands. His wife's hands.

"She killed the monster my brother had become and I would take her place as the Elder of this clan." She turns and grabs the charcoal and begins to grind it as she continues. "I had wanted to kill him. I thought I had to, but when I saw him-" her voice cracks and she stops stirring, "when I saw him I realized I couldn't."

"Elder Violet must have known that and offered helped you," he continues for her. His voice seems to help her refocus on what she was doing.

"Yes." She rubs the charcoal into his the fresh carvings. "And in return, she asked for my help. She told me she'd lived long enough and wanted rest and to see her husband again."

"I miss her," he says suddenly and realizes only after that he means it.

"She was quite the warrior. I would've never known." River comments.

"You didn't know?" He asks, confused. "I thought no secret could be kept from an Elder."

"Elders can keep some secrets, even from other Elders."

She goes quiet. Cedar decides to change the subject.

"Elder River," he says, testing out the name. "Is that what I call you from now on?"

"No. You call me your wife," she replies. His heart races at her words, his mind filled with River, with his wife. He wants to say something, do something, but doesn't know what. Luckily, before he can make a fool of himself, she places the glowing red metal over the mark.

He winces slightly and holds his breath, trying to avoid the smell of the burn.

She steps down off the table and applies the salve.

"Will you be my wife?" he asks a little too late.

"I will." She chuckles and wraps her arms around his neck and kisses him.

His eyes widen at first, but he quickly melts into the kiss, wrapping his arms around her.

He knew then that no matter what life threw at them, no matter what nightmares he would have to face, as long as she was beside him, they would be fine.

"I love you," he says once they break apart.

"So cheesy." She fakes a cringe. "I love it, say it again."

"Only if you say it, too." It was a childish request, he knew, but in that moment, in her arms, he didn't care.

"Of course I love you too," she says, placing a kiss on his cheek.

"I love you," he repeats.

"Say it again," she says as she kisses him.

"How about I show you instead?" he lifts her and sets her on the table, kissing her neck roughly. She giggles.

"Oh, please do, my loving husband." She leans back onto the table, pulling him down with her.

The End.

January 15, 2024