One of the village elders had passed, and a grand ceremony was held in her honor. A gathering to celebrate and honor the life she’d had as a valuable community member was held on the beach. After listening to the words of those closest to the deceased, her body was placed reverently onto a sturdy pyre decked out with flowers and fabrics. At dusk, the pyre was pushed out to float serenely along the water’s surface. The sea was glimmering with the fading light of the sun, and that was soon enhanced by the light radiating from the rising flames. Light reflected and bounced along the surface as the pyre faded into the distance, until the light itself was all that remained within sight. Only once the light had completely vanished did those gathered begin to head back to their homes.

Pruu sighed softly and turned to leave. While she hadn’t been particularly close to the elder, there had still been that communal affection that most Elarians tended to share. Plus the general respect one had for a warrior who made it to their elder years still fighting. The whole incident with Kou… she had practically run the whole way to Kahikina after hearing that Kou had left Yael. She only had Pyrrha’s word on how the incident had played out. Perhaps it was merely for the sake of keeping the local ruckus to a minimum, or maybe to leave one shred of decency for Myrcella to cling to, but she had managed to leave out the worst of the details when she had returned with news of Kou’s demise… She needed a moment. Akel had already gone ahead with the girls at Pruu’s request while she headed for a different path for some silent reflection.

Though, having it actually be silent seemed to be asking too much. She was passing a group of women when a sharp voice rose loudly. “I have to wonder, where was my mother’s pyre?” a familiar voice huffed, clearly wanting to be heard. The others tittered softly, looking over their shoulders with embittered curiosity. After all, they only had one side to the story. “She should have had a proper funeral pyre just like her sisters and cousins before her. Instead, her body remains lost to-”

Pruu pressed her lips and kept walking. This certainly was not worth her time.

Myrcella, once Pyrrha and Pruu’s sister, scowled and gave chase. “Pruu! How could she? How could Pyrrha do this to our mother? Not only does mother go across the water to that filthy place for closure, but then she’s murdered and her body wasn’t even sent back for a proper pyre! So much for the peace those traitors proclaim to want. Maybe mother was actually right and we would have been better off without such a stain on our lineage.”

And that was the limit. The only reason Myrcella had been able to finish that last sentence was simply because Pruu needed to spin and close the distance between them. Furiously, she grabbed Myrcella’s shoulder and yanked her back and down. The shocked Alkidike fell easily against the ground with a solid thud, and Pruu bent over the stunned gaze with fire in her eyes. “Kou was insane, Myrcella. She had completely lost her senses. Going to kill your own child who had found a peaceful life is not a mission for closure. It was a mission of utter lunacy. She went there to kill Pyrrha and her family.” Pruu bared her teeth fiercely. “Are you listening to me? Kou went there to kill Pyrrha and her family. Younglings. Innocent daughters. And for what? Why?!”

Though Myrcella shook her head in denial, her eyes subtly shimmered with doubt. Myrcella wasn’t stupid, but she was her mother’s daughter. “No. It’s not like that. Mother was-”

“I’ll tell you what it was for,” Pruu continued without distraction. “It was the delusions of a deranged woman who could not accept her mistakes of the past. A woman scarred by her mistakes and unable to let go. A woman who succumbed to madness. ..Lest you forget, Kou’s claim was that she and Fassala had only one daughter. One. You. Pyrrha and me? Elzira is our mother.” Seething from every pore, Pruu straightened up and stared down her nose at Myrcella, unsympathetic to the growing tears in the other’s black eyes. “Where was her pyre? She did not deserve a pyre. She did not deserve to be honored and remembered; there is nothing from her life to honor.” She narrowed her eyes pointedly. “She got the ending that she deserved… rotting in the ground like her heart had done in her breast long ago.”

Blood boiling, Pruu left the stunned Alkidike behind. She could hear the soft, desperate denials growing behind her, but she knew the truth.

Not everyone deserved to be remembered and honored… Especially Kou.

(( Word count: 818 ))