Mika's House

When she walked out of the house I expected a smile and a hug. I got the smile, but her eyes wouldn't even meet mine. "Hey thank you for checkin up on us yesterday, that was very sweet of you" I smiled not knowing if I should say anything. "So elk or cows?" I asked unsure

"Your welcome, that's what neighbors do" she said her eyes briefly meeting his but then darting away again. She pulled her hood up and looked around. "Um I think everyone is looking forward to beef. But if we come across a elk I wouldn't pass it up" she said simply. "come on lets get you a horse. Do you want to ride Beauty again?" She asked as she started walking towards the pastures looking straight ahead.

"Sure..." I said hesitently "Your horses, so up to you really" I said trying to avoid the subject but it would come up eventually. "i'll go get him if you want to go get Koda" I looked over at her but she wouldnt even look at me

Mika nodded "Sounds good. He works well for you" She stopped at the Mare and Foal pastures and put the hackamore on Koda. She watched Jarlon's back as he walked away but then shook her head and got Koda ready some more. When he came back she mounted up. "Ready?" She asked glancing at him and then away again.

~sheesh.....what did I do?~ I asked Imatari as if she would know. She just shrugged. I put everyting on Beauty as he pranced around. ~why are women so hard to understood?~ I asked no one in particular but mainly talking to Beauty. I swung up and rode beside Mika, "Ready when you are....and...." but she already rode off. I watched as the snow flew behind Koda's feet and her cloak blew behind her. I urged Beauty forward and he happily broke into a canter.

.........................Range land

"Good" at that she urged Koda forward and cantered off.

-------------Rangeland--------->

-----------Jarlon's Grave------->

Mika and Ria silently walked to her house. She took a deep breath as she remembered the words she had spoken to him there. She regretted every angry word she had said. But she couldn't take it back now. She shook her head and walked in. She went and carefully lit the fire. She smiled as she remembered how easily he could start fires. She shook her head and stood up. She looked around and smiled as she remembered the boogy man closet. Tickling and rolling with him on the floor. She bit her bottom lip and set herself and ria some dinner. She was preparing it when suddenly tears started rolling down her checks again. Her shoulders shook slightly and she tried to take a deep breath to stop crying but it didn't help.

She walked in an admired the inside of it. It looked so organized and clean. She had a seat at the table and watchd as Moon plaid with whispers tail before falling asleep as he chewed on it. Gladrial chuckled slighty then looked up and saw that Mika was resting on the counter a bit as her shoulders heaved a little. Ria wrinkled her brow and walked up behind her and placed a hand on her arm and then saw the tears dripping from her face. "Mika.....it's ok" she turned her around and wrapped her arms around her. She knew all she needed was do cry so she didn't say anything. She just rubbed her back as she let her cry. She began to sing a soft german song in her soft gently voice

Mika shuddered slightly as she cried and Gladrial gently wrapped her arms around her. "I'm sorry" she sniffed "I just miss him" she cried "I know I have to go on..but I don't know how. Not meeting him in the forest..not seeing his smiling face, not hearing his gentle voice. Not hearing that laugh ever again. How do I live each miserable day at a time?" she sniffed. Then something whispered in her heart. 'Find five things each day to smile about'

Not sure what to say to her aching heart she just held her tight. "Things will get easier, it may seem hard now, but it all happens for a reason. Just find five things to smile about" she repeated what her big brother always said to her when she got sad. He would make her say them out loud and would smile his big grin as she named them off to him and a smile spread on her own face. She then tried to think of his voice. How soft it was and yet piercing when angry. "When he got mad did he cock his eyebrow still?" she asked thinking of the goofy look

Mika had to smile slightly as she heard the same words from his little sister's mouth. "I know..he...he told me that as well. Only problem is I gotta find a new first thing" she laughed sadly as more tears streamed down her face. Mika sniffed and looked at her as she asked about when he got angry. She thought for a minute. She had to laugh quietly "Yes..yes it did. I never really noticed it but yes it did. He never seemed to get angry at me...but he did get pretty angry at one of his villagers that wasn't listening" she smiled sadly

"No, don't change it. It makes you happy, think of his gently soothing voice, and his touch. I remember it was always so carring, happiness radiated from his fingertips I swear" she smiled and then had to laugh at the thought of him getting upset with someone. She never really saw him really really mad but she can only imagine. "what's your favorite memory of him? Or do you just want to stop talking about it?" she asked not wanting to step on the toes of her new friend.

Mika bit her lip and nodded. "No..I want to keep talking...if it is silent I will relive memories anyway" she said sadly. She sniffed and put the meat over the fire to cook. She sat down on the low couch/ bed and patted it inviting Rial over. "Hmm favorite memory. I can't really decide. I guess one of them would have to be when I was first cleaning out this house. He came by to check on me. He was sweet that way. We..we had just discovered a secret room in the library with a skeleton in it a week before so I wasn't to keen on opening new closed spaces." She smiled. "So..I had never opened that closet before. I was about to and he reminded me about the room." she laughed remembering "so I pushed him toward it and made him open it. I remember he opened the door and screamed like a girl. I almost fainted right there" she shook her head. "There was nothing there and I tickled him good for it." she blushed slightly remembering they had ended up on the floor. She sighed and got up to check the meat before sitting back down again. "And yours?" she asked gently

Rial's face lit up as she listeneed to mika tell her story. A smile on both their faces. Rial folded her legs on her side to where her feet were touching mika's. She laughed with her as she finished the story. "he always had a kind heart like that huh, I'm sure all the girls here liked him, that's how it was in our village too" she playfully rolled her eyes. "My favorite memory" she repeated as she tapped her chin "well...I was hiding in a grain barrel when I was just little and I knew he was harvesting grain at the time. So when he opened the barrel I leaped out at him to scare him and he didn't even flinch, he just dumped the entire bucket of grain over my head. He then placed his han on my head and pushed me back in and closed the lid and walked away as if nothing happened." She looked at the wall behind mika remember his smile "oh oh oh and then...there was this one time...where we were all out swimming, and grandpapa tolled us about this BIG" she said putting her hands up "BIG fish got away with his favorite pipe. Well Jarlon filled my head with stories, about how fish that big could eat little kids. I pretended not to believe him, but we went swimming once, and he came up from underneath me and brabbed me feet and pulled me under. I had never beens o scared in my life. But now it's just funny" she averted her eyes to her feet and wiggled her toes. "Did he grow crops here as well?" she asked knowing that was his true passion

Mika laughed as Riel told her stories. It sounded so like him. A younger version..more carefree, the side of him that she saw when they were out on the range away from responsibilities. "Hahah ya..allllllllll the girls" Mika smiled "Yes he did...in fact he was in the middle of harvesting before winter" Mika sighed "we will need to help Vandecar harvest it. The two villages will be merging in a few weeks. He loved his fields. Besides the mountains he was happiest in them among the products of his hard work. Growing up....why did he never...get involved with a girl?" Mika asked curiously

"sounds like him, his 'Pride and Joy' he would say. 'Anyone could raise a horse,just turn it out to pasture, but give someone a seed and theyd laugh at you' "she repeated as well. "Why? he had to many other responsibilities. My brother and I were first on his list, then came his job. He was always thought girlfriends would distract him. I was the only women in his life. he would always say." her eyes shone. "You are so lucky that you were the one he chose, he is a very picky person, but yet so loving, I never understood how the two could coincide so well, but he as usual made it happen. I envied him"

Mika smiled slightly. That sounded so much like him. "I still don't know why he did, I am far from a unblemished specimen" she sighed. "For some reason that only seemed to encourage him. He was willing to dig past everything..why is still a mystery. I suppose I will never know..." she said quietly.

"Probebly because you were special to him, showed him that one doesn't have to be perfect to be happy. He had many people that looked up to him, and I think it got old. he wanted to be normal, I think he found that with you. Was able to be himself, love who he really was. It sounds that he had confided in you as a friend, and it probebly made him fall in love with you." she looked at Moon still sleeping with whisperes tail between his paws. she then placed her chin on her knee and listened to Mika and answered when needed. They talked late into the night sitting toe to toe by the fire on the big chair. Rial's eyes danced with the memories flowing from Mika and herself. She loved remanissing with someone that was even closer to him than she was growing up. There were many laughs and several tears.

Mika smiled sadly "I guess. I respected him a great deal. But I wasn't going to put him on a pedestal. It hurts to much falling down, and besides..I could never have reached him up there" she laughed softly. She and Riel kept talking and sharing memories. But the memories in the forest and out on the range between Jarlon and her she kept close to her heart. Those she would never share. Those would be something between her and Jarlon till the day she took her last breath. Something special and sacred as if between a married couple. It was then that it hit her. While they hadn't been legally married...in heart they were, brief as it was. He had loved her as he would a wife and she him. Nothing could ever change that or take it away. She sighed slightly as exhaustion started to take over. She started to drift into sleep and leaned against Rial slightly, her head lightly resting on Riel's shoulder. Tears made trails down her cheeks as she slept. Her head filled with dreams of Jarlon. But at least she rested.

As the night progressed Mika and Gladrial grew tired but continued talking about their recent loss. Mika soon shifted and laid her head on Rial's shoulder and soon her lap. Gladrial fell asleep playing with Mika's hair. She brushed her tears away with her sleave before laying on her side and falling asleep as well. Memories of the past filling her head.

Mika's dreams drifted out to the range lands, to the night in the cave. She had never been so happy or felt so loved as she had that night. It had been as if they were unharmable. Nothing to fear, nothing to flee. Just love and passion. Her memories played through her head like a movie. Going hunting, getting the two identical bulls. Making camp by the spring. Dancing, Jarlon proposing, the kiss, and then..." She jerked awake as her mind started to play memories of the black riders ripping her away from her love. She awoke with a small gasp and tears running down her face again. She slowly sat up and sat Riel still sleeping. She gently stroked her hair and found a blanket and put it over her. She then got up and stretched slightly before looking around. She grabbed her cloak and headed out the door. She needed to talk with Jarlon. Even though she knew he couldn't respond, she wanted to be close to him for a few hours. She quietly slipped out of the door and out into the early morning fog.

------------Jarlon's Grave--------->

---------Outside buildings--------->

Mika quietly came back into the house and set the packs down. She brought Jarlon's over by the fireplace and sat down again. She quietly started to unpack it. The first thing that was in his pack was his assassins cloak. She sniffed and gently brought it close to her. It still smelled like him and she sighed breathing in his scent one more time. She smiled slightly, and put it aside pulling out one of his shirts. She smiled slightly remember that was the one he had worn the night in the cave. She smelled it as well and sighed sadly. She gently refolded everything and waited till Riel woke up.

Rial heard foot steps in the house and opened her eyes. After Mika had left Moon had climbed onto the couch and curled up beside her. She opened her eyes and and sat up and then saw Mika sitting at the fire place "Good morning" she said softly as she yawned. As she yawned so did Moon, exposing his little claws when he stretched and his teeth with his yawn. Rial scratched his chin and he sat down and purred. His stomach grumbled and he quickly looked down and up at Rial. ~hungry aren't you~ she smiled. She then looked back to mika and walked over to her side and sat down. Curious she looked at the things. She had never seen the uniform of Ilaturi's assasins. Silent as she was she looked at Mika, studied her expression. "Please, do me a favore. Keep these things." She said.

Mika looked up quietly "Good morning" she said softly. She looked at the things as Riel did. She looked up when Riel asked her to keep them. "Why? It's not like I can pass it on to anyone" 'I don't think...' She said softly

"No, but neither do I. Besides it's not like i'm going anywhere. He would want you to have it. Being an Assasin was his biggest accomplishment, and what he was most proud of, till he met you. Please keep it" she smiled again.