Alice & Garion
Alice
Garion
Alice decides to tell her cousin about one of the most important events of her past: the dissapearance and death of her son: Liam. Garion tries to be as supportive as he can to ease the pain, even though it's impossible to do so.
Alice wasn't quite sure why she'd decided to tell her cousin. It... was something he would never need to hear about, if she never found her son again - but... it was his right to know, she supposed, as the head of the family. And there was still the remote chance of Liam being alive, in which case... maybe he could help her.
She had asked a maid to summon him to her study, where she sat in an anxious wait. Alice had always been great at keeping secrets - revealing them, however...
Garion was walking through Alice's mansion as various thoughts were spooking through his mind. Something seemed off about this situation. There was something wrong. Something. Garion didn't know how or why he knew, but he just did. It became clear the moment his cousin asked to keep this a secret from Maria. Alice knows how much Garion loves his sister and that he tells her pretty much anything. For Alice to ask him this...
He stopped as he noticed he reached the door leading to Alice's study. He raised his hand to knock on the door - he didn't know why he bothered to - and with three soft movements he notified Alice he was there.
"Come in," she said with a quiet sigh. The only people who knew about her son were herself, and the house's servants - all of whom had strict instructions to never say a word about the boy to anyone.
This was... more unnerving than she would have liked.
Garion reached for the knob, let out a heavy sigh and opened the door. He immediately spotted his cousin sitting on the other side of the room, as he gave her a small nod and closed the door behind him. A chair was standing on the other side of Alice's desk and Garion started to move towards it. Every step seemed more audible than it should be. Perhaps he was only imagining it, but the silence seemed painfully obvious.
"You wanted to see me, cousin?" Garion tried to keep his tone as neutral as possible.
"Yes," she said quietly, clearing her throat briefly. "I... have a confession of sorts to make, cousin."
"A confession, cousin?" Garion asked curiously, as he sat down. He wasn't quite sure on where this was going.
"Yes."
Alice wasn't quite sure how to go about this, so she decided to skip the whole beating around the bush phase and go straight for the revelation.
"Atira and I had a child."
A child.
Garion's mind went over his cousin's past again. He knew about her being married to Atira and moving to Valhalla at the age of sixteen. He knew that Atira died and left Alice as a widow. He knew she's been living alone ever since. This is something he did not know about.
"You're a mother? Why didn't yo--" It then struck Garion like lightning on a clear, blue day. "It-- I-- ... I'm sorry."
She sighed, gaze turning to the floor. "And..."
How would she explain this?
"Atira... disappeared from home one day, and he... took our son with him," she murmured, shaking her head. "I never knew where he went... I got an official letter of condolences a few weeks later saying he and the child had been found dead."
Several thoughts came at once.
He was uncle? Atira, that bastard. What had he done with her baby? Why did she have to go through this? They're dead. Atira's dead. Alice's child is dead. This must have been torture for Alice. Why did all of this happen?
"But," Garion started, as he tried to search for the right words. "But how did this happen? Did you ever see their bodies? Who did this? Why? And--" This was probably a good time to shut up.
"I did not," she admitted, after a few minutes of silence. "I... would like to believe that Liam - my son - isn't... gone, but..."
She brought a hand to her face, not sure if she could continue. It had been hard enough without talking about it - how could people say that talking helped your troubles?
"This... was five years ago."
Liam. So that was his name. Liam Valmont.
Five years ago. He barely knew who his cousin was five years ago. That's why he probably didn't know about this. So she's been living with this burden for five years. Five years. Five whole ye-- wait, what did she say?
"You don't believe he's dead?" He ignored the 'would like to' part of her sentence, for some reason.
"They disappeared. I never did see the bodies. I... know it's a foolish hope, but."
She shook her head, stood, turned away. "I'm sorry. I can't... talk about this in detail. Just-" Alice paused, swallowing to try and prevent herself from crying. "I'm sorry I never said anything."
Garion leaned over the desk, far enough to take his cousins hand and hold it firmly into his own. "Don't apologize. Please. There is absolutely no reason to. If anyone has to apologize, it's me."
A short moment of silence fell, but then Garion spoke again. "I wish I knew. This is not something you should have gone through all by yourself. I wish there was something I could do. To ease this pain you're going through. Even for a little."
"There's nothing anyone can do," she whispered, looking over her shoulder at her cousin briefly. "But... thank you. For understanding."
She had, admittedly, been worried he would be angry that she'd kept such a thing from her family.
"I suppose you're right." Garion let out a sigh before he continued. "I won't pretend I know how you feel. To lose a child and your husband... But you do have my support. If there's ever anything you need, I'll do my best to help you."
And that's a promise.
She let out a small, bitter chuckle at the 'losing her husband' bit. "Atira was a terrible man."
'Terrible' might have been an understatement. He was violent, strict, cold-blooded, unfeeling. If there had been anything positive in what happened, it was that he was gone.
"A terrible man? Then I suppose you'll forgive me if I curse him for taking your chi-- Liam with him?" He didn't know why, but Garion figured it'd be more respectful towards the boy if he called him by his name.
"He deserves every curse he can get," she murmured with a frown.
It was obvious that Atira had caused Alice much grief. Garion hated the guy already, without having ever seen his face. Then again, Garion heavily disliked everyone who dared to lay a finger on one of his family members.
"Anything else I can do for you, cousin?"
She shook her head. "No... thank you."
This... had been as awkward and unpleasant as she had imagined it would be, if not more. Hopefully the festive atmosphere of Valhalla would help get rid of this unpleasant feeling...
"Ah... I think I will rest for a bit now, cousin, if you don't mind?"
As if she even had to ask...
"Of course I don't mind." He stood up and moved towards the door. As his hand touched the knob, he glanced over his shoulder, eyeing his cousin. This hadn't been easy for her. But neither had it been for him. Sigh...
Garion opened the door and for a moment he just stood there, one hand on the knob and one foot out of the room. "If you ever find yourself in a desperate situation again... please remember you have a cousin who loves you and would do anything in his power to help you."
Not waiting for a reply, he shut the door behind him.
Garion
Alice decides to tell her cousin about one of the most important events of her past: the dissapearance and death of her son: Liam. Garion tries to be as supportive as he can to ease the pain, even though it's impossible to do so.
Alice wasn't quite sure why she'd decided to tell her cousin. It... was something he would never need to hear about, if she never found her son again - but... it was his right to know, she supposed, as the head of the family. And there was still the remote chance of Liam being alive, in which case... maybe he could help her.
She had asked a maid to summon him to her study, where she sat in an anxious wait. Alice had always been great at keeping secrets - revealing them, however...
Garion was walking through Alice's mansion as various thoughts were spooking through his mind. Something seemed off about this situation. There was something wrong. Something. Garion didn't know how or why he knew, but he just did. It became clear the moment his cousin asked to keep this a secret from Maria. Alice knows how much Garion loves his sister and that he tells her pretty much anything. For Alice to ask him this...
He stopped as he noticed he reached the door leading to Alice's study. He raised his hand to knock on the door - he didn't know why he bothered to - and with three soft movements he notified Alice he was there.
"Come in," she said with a quiet sigh. The only people who knew about her son were herself, and the house's servants - all of whom had strict instructions to never say a word about the boy to anyone.
This was... more unnerving than she would have liked.
Garion reached for the knob, let out a heavy sigh and opened the door. He immediately spotted his cousin sitting on the other side of the room, as he gave her a small nod and closed the door behind him. A chair was standing on the other side of Alice's desk and Garion started to move towards it. Every step seemed more audible than it should be. Perhaps he was only imagining it, but the silence seemed painfully obvious.
"You wanted to see me, cousin?" Garion tried to keep his tone as neutral as possible.
"Yes," she said quietly, clearing her throat briefly. "I... have a confession of sorts to make, cousin."
"A confession, cousin?" Garion asked curiously, as he sat down. He wasn't quite sure on where this was going.
"Yes."
Alice wasn't quite sure how to go about this, so she decided to skip the whole beating around the bush phase and go straight for the revelation.
"Atira and I had a child."
A child.
Garion's mind went over his cousin's past again. He knew about her being married to Atira and moving to Valhalla at the age of sixteen. He knew that Atira died and left Alice as a widow. He knew she's been living alone ever since. This is something he did not know about.
"You're a mother? Why didn't yo--" It then struck Garion like lightning on a clear, blue day. "It-- I-- ... I'm sorry."
She sighed, gaze turning to the floor. "And..."
How would she explain this?
"Atira... disappeared from home one day, and he... took our son with him," she murmured, shaking her head. "I never knew where he went... I got an official letter of condolences a few weeks later saying he and the child had been found dead."
Several thoughts came at once.
He was uncle? Atira, that bastard. What had he done with her baby? Why did she have to go through this? They're dead. Atira's dead. Alice's child is dead. This must have been torture for Alice. Why did all of this happen?
"But," Garion started, as he tried to search for the right words. "But how did this happen? Did you ever see their bodies? Who did this? Why? And--" This was probably a good time to shut up.
"I did not," she admitted, after a few minutes of silence. "I... would like to believe that Liam - my son - isn't... gone, but..."
She brought a hand to her face, not sure if she could continue. It had been hard enough without talking about it - how could people say that talking helped your troubles?
"This... was five years ago."
Liam. So that was his name. Liam Valmont.
Five years ago. He barely knew who his cousin was five years ago. That's why he probably didn't know about this. So she's been living with this burden for five years. Five years. Five whole ye-- wait, what did she say?
"You don't believe he's dead?" He ignored the 'would like to' part of her sentence, for some reason.
"They disappeared. I never did see the bodies. I... know it's a foolish hope, but."
She shook her head, stood, turned away. "I'm sorry. I can't... talk about this in detail. Just-" Alice paused, swallowing to try and prevent herself from crying. "I'm sorry I never said anything."
Garion leaned over the desk, far enough to take his cousins hand and hold it firmly into his own. "Don't apologize. Please. There is absolutely no reason to. If anyone has to apologize, it's me."
A short moment of silence fell, but then Garion spoke again. "I wish I knew. This is not something you should have gone through all by yourself. I wish there was something I could do. To ease this pain you're going through. Even for a little."
"There's nothing anyone can do," she whispered, looking over her shoulder at her cousin briefly. "But... thank you. For understanding."
She had, admittedly, been worried he would be angry that she'd kept such a thing from her family.
"I suppose you're right." Garion let out a sigh before he continued. "I won't pretend I know how you feel. To lose a child and your husband... But you do have my support. If there's ever anything you need, I'll do my best to help you."
And that's a promise.
She let out a small, bitter chuckle at the 'losing her husband' bit. "Atira was a terrible man."
'Terrible' might have been an understatement. He was violent, strict, cold-blooded, unfeeling. If there had been anything positive in what happened, it was that he was gone.
"A terrible man? Then I suppose you'll forgive me if I curse him for taking your chi-- Liam with him?" He didn't know why, but Garion figured it'd be more respectful towards the boy if he called him by his name.
"He deserves every curse he can get," she murmured with a frown.
It was obvious that Atira had caused Alice much grief. Garion hated the guy already, without having ever seen his face. Then again, Garion heavily disliked everyone who dared to lay a finger on one of his family members.
"Anything else I can do for you, cousin?"
She shook her head. "No... thank you."
This... had been as awkward and unpleasant as she had imagined it would be, if not more. Hopefully the festive atmosphere of Valhalla would help get rid of this unpleasant feeling...
"Ah... I think I will rest for a bit now, cousin, if you don't mind?"
As if she even had to ask...
"Of course I don't mind." He stood up and moved towards the door. As his hand touched the knob, he glanced over his shoulder, eyeing his cousin. This hadn't been easy for her. But neither had it been for him. Sigh...
Garion opened the door and for a moment he just stood there, one hand on the knob and one foot out of the room. "If you ever find yourself in a desperate situation again... please remember you have a cousin who loves you and would do anything in his power to help you."
Not waiting for a reply, he shut the door behind him.