Returning Home

Very few people know this about me, but I love to write. More importantly, I'm working on a book. This is one of my favorite chapters that I've written, thus far.

Returning Home

“Japheth,” Melaine’s bell-like voice rang out over the lull of the crystalline river.
“Japheth, sweetheart, I’m going further into the woods, stay here with Nanny, okay.”
Melaine excused herself from the clearing to trek further into the woods. Each tree was familiar to her; each tree held within it part of her past, part of her soul. She allowed her hands to graze the rough bark of evergreens as she followed the familiar path.
Tears were welling in her eyes as she approached the threshold of her most treasured possession: her home. The oaken door was shut, secure as she had left it, and for a moment, she swore she could hear Aiden’s voice singing from the paned window. For a moment she could hear his lullaby:
“When you close your eyes
I’ll be there.
When you take a breath,
I’m in the air.
And with every tear I’m at your side.
I will be with you ‘til the end of time.”
Though she could not back her tears, she felt stronger than she had in years. She had forgotten Aiden’s lullaby to her; she had forgotten her strength. Silently, she mustered up all of her strength and pushed open the heavy door, listening to the loud creak of the neglected hinges, wishing so badly to see Aiden standing on the other side, in the foyer, awaiting her long overdue return.
What she found, however, were merely memories, the ghost of her husband. As she turned about in the dusty, long forgotten living room, memories filled her mind. On the goose-down couch she could see Aiden, hard at work on his bookkeeping logs before beginning his journey to Lewa’oh to deliver his tax collections to King Vallin.
Sighing, she entered the kitchen where she could see; Aiden blessing the dinner which she had prepared. She sat atop the dusty stool at the table and started upward at the place where Aiden’s family crest still hung. Smiling, she remembered the way she had felt when she had first seen the crest hanging. She had been so overcome with joy when she had found out that he, too, was a Christian. He would have understood Japheth’s name.
Slowly, she rose and walked, dazedly into the bedroom in which she had slept so many nights. She allowed her hand to meet plush velvet of her comforter. Smiling and caring not about the flood of tears rolling down her cheeks, she sat upon the bed that had once been hers. Feeling the rich velvet crumple beneath the weight of her body, Melaine closed her eyes and allowed her mind to be taken once more, into the past.
“It was in this very room that I fell in love with you.” She caught herself saying aloud.
She could remember opening her eyes and seeing the scared man with whom she would fall in love just as vividly as if it had happened the day prior. He was so concerned for her. He had been so pale, so distraught it had taken her by surprise. She had hardly known the man, yet he had fought to save her life. He had saved her from her life that day. God had blessed her with a beautiful gift that day—a new life.
Wiping the tears from her eyes, Melaine rose at last and left her bedroom, walking slowly, as if in a funeral procession until she came upon the threshold of Aiden’s room. This room had not been disturbed in four years. Not even when Nanny had been sent to collect Melaine’s belongings—Melaine had left specific instructions not to enter Aiden’s room.
Quietly, reverently, Melaine pushed open the door to Aiden’s sleeping quarters. Breathing deeply, she prepared herself for the mental and emotional breakdown that was inevitable, and entered the room.
It was hard to ignore the chills creeping up her spine, to shake the goose bumps spreading across her arms. She had only been in his room three times before that moment: on her wedding night and the two nights following. She was supposed to return the day she had found that she was pregnant.
She spun around the room, scanning it slowly, soaking in each memory. A pair of trousers and a tunic lay, forgotten, where he had shed them to sleep the night before he had been murdered. Reaching down to pick up Aiden’s clothes, Melaine hugged them closely, hoping that, despite four years’ time, his scent hung closely to the discarded clothing.
As she faced the bed, at last, she noticed a sheet of parchment lying upon what would have been her pillow, beneath the shriveled stem of a long-dead rose. For what felt like an eternity, Melaine just stood there, stunned, her jade hues fixated upon the folded paper. Cautiously she crept toward the letter as if afraid that a quick movement might cause the letter to spontaneously combust.
Melaine felt like her lungs had been frozen solid—her breath stood still, and she could neither exhale, nor inhale. A lump lodged itself into her throat, and she physically hurt as she pined for her husband. With a trembling hand, Melaine reached for the note addressed to her, careful not to disturb anything around it.
Her entire body shook uncontrollably as she carefully unfolded the stiff parchment. Her eyes scanned the page as if searching for something, but she was merely soaking in his scratchy handwriting. After a few moments, she began to actually read the letter.
My beautiful bride,
I’m sorry that I wasn’t home when you arrived—I was called to the castle for an emergency meeting with King Vallin. I promise to return as soon as I can. I just want you to know that since you came into my life, I have been the happiest man alive. God has blessed me unendingly by putting you in my life. Even when I am not with you, know that my spirit is at your side. You will always have my heart; we are never apart.
I love you so much.
Aiden
Aiden’s voice rang in Melaine’s head like an ethereal narrator, echoing his promise: “My spirit is at your side…we are never apart.” There it was, in ink as blue as sapphires, his promise—what she’d always prayed was true. What shocked her the most, however, was the fact that she no longer desired to cry, the pressure behind her eyes had been alleviated and she had long since regained control of her lungs.
“Aiden, my husband, I love you. We will be together again, one day.” She voiced, at last, a genuine smile creeping along her face. She finally, for the first time in four years, felt complete again, felt whole.
“You always did have a way with words. Even in the afterlife you know exactly what to say.” Melaine spoke softly, a newfound resolve bubbling up from within her. Carefully, Melaine folded the parchment back up and slipped it into the pocket of her flowing summer dress. After drying her face on Aiden’s tunic, the raven-haired beauty discarded his clothing back onto the floor. She would take with her four things: her dagger, which she soon found on Aiden’s nightstand, Aiden’s family crest, her letter and Aiden’s spirit. She no longer needed trinkets of his to keep him close, she was a bold, new woman.