Honor

Elder Honor led the way. Trees parted and the sounds of the wind rushed from time to time through the pine like branches. Animals called. As the sun was beginning to set, they rounded a bend and before them became silent. Sen’s eyes grew wide. The land looked different. It seemed to be full of trees, but they were without branch, as if it was just trunks. Some laid on the ground, others crashed into each other. But not one moved with a gust of air. Not the spindly tall ones or the large trunks. She shivered. Not even the song of the forest was here. Elder honor moved forwards into the grove and stopped. Sen came over and stood near him. The sun set behind the cliff side and her sunstone began to glow.

“Shine your light over there, Sen,” Honor said, his branches moving to indicate to a large boulder in the middle of the valley.

“Okay…” Sen hesitated and moved the light. She noticed it sparkled and gasped. She looked again, and it seemed like an ordinary stone. She sought permission to go over and explore, and Honor gave it. As she came to the stone, she noticed it flashed a few times. There was something inside. As she came close, she saw the gap and moved the sunstones around to shine it in without obstructing her line of sight. She froze. Inside were all sorts of colored stones that glittered and shined.

While she stared at it all, the sun set and lights began to pop up around them. She looked over at moss and plants that glowed a hue on the boulders. It was ethereal. Sen began to walk around, seeing boulder and tree truck one right after another. She placed a hand against one of the trees and then retracted it. It wasn’t wood. She looked it up and down, trying to understand.

“I see you’ve discovered the peculiarity of this place,” Honor said with some amusement to his tone.

“What’s going on?” Sen asked, whirling to face him as he moved closer.

“This, is a stone forest. At one point it was like any other forest, filled with trees and life,” Honor said as Sen looked at the stones and their lichens and moss. It couldn’t be. “A landslide came after a storm and covered this place with mud and rock. It was mass devastation.”

She stepped around, taking in the view with a different perspective this time.

“With time, they changed, becoming stone just like the ground that was around them. What was once fragile wood is now stone. It is not a gentle transformation, but it is a lasting one. Time, water, and wind wore at this place, but they endure. The life within them did not disappear; it simply changed form.”

“But, they aren’t the same.” Sen voiced.

“Yes, these trees once lived as wood—flexible and vulnerable—but the world didn't wait for them to remain as they were. Now, they have become something unyielding. They responded to the world’s challenges, adapted, and still held their place, standing tall even as the storms change their environment. Life doesn’t require you to remain unbroken, only that you don’t fall apart. We grow through the seasons, but it is in the depth of endurance that our true strength is revealed.”

“But they can’t have posterity,” Sen quipped.

Honor sighed as he moved and set his branches around her.

“What you see is only this far. Look behind you Sen,” he said, and she noticed the river. “That river carried away the soil and ground of this place. In that ground were seeds from this place and the lands above. I was among them.”

Sen jumped and looked up at the tree.

“You remember that?” she asked, surprised.

“Not entirely. The forest below where I grew told me of some of my origins. I traced it back and found this place. In a way, these are my ancestors. And I am their posterity.”

“But, you can’t talk with them,” she argued.

“Yes I can. They still sing. Surely Bard has mentioned this before.”

Sen was about to continue the argument but paused. They sung? But it was so quiet here.

“You can’t hear it. Can you.” It wasn’t a question. Sen’s head shrunk down.

“No…” she answered.

“If you wish to honor Bard and his changes, his pains and help him in his journey, then stay here and learn to hear the rocks.”

“But-”

“I will help Bard for now,” Honor said as he began to move. Sen held her light stick and sunstone as she watched him leave. Could this place really have a song?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Bard woke to a blanket and pillow. A fire was nearby, but Sen was nowhere to be seen. He shook himself as he tried to sort through his memories. She hadn’t seemed likely to leave him. But after he broke down like that, had she?

Kai was here and so was her portion of their gear. She couldn’t have gone far. Honor moved nearby and his stomach growled. He chewed his lip as he realized he felt a bit hungry. Food. That’s what he needed. An empty stomach wouldn’t help him figure things out.

Bard focused on cooking some food, while a small thought rang that maybe if she was nearby and smelled the food, then she would come. As he ate, he kept looking for her. When she didn’t appear, he grew worried. Had a shade come? Was she injured?

“Good morning, Bard,” Honor said.

“Where is Sen?” Bard asked without delay. Honor stayed still, too still. Had he lost track of her.

“She is where I left her,” Honor said.

“Left her? Where?” Bard asked, starting to rummage through his things.

“In the stone forest. She is listening to the rocks and trees there,” Honor answered. Bard froze and then let out a sigh of relief. She was safe. But why was she listening to the rocks? He looked at Honor, who didn’t say anything else before moving on.

“Hmmm. What should I do?” Bard muttered to himself. He looked at Kai, who was quite happy to see him.

“In high spirits today, at least compared to yesterday,” Honor pointed out.

“Sort of. I had a dream where I talked with Father about it. It’s helped make it less painful, but I’m still not sure I’m really up to doing much today. And as much as you are likely curious… I’d rather not talk much about it,” Bard said.

“A wise decision. The spring runoff has cleared, and the river is nice. Care to join me today?”

“Sure,” Bard answered. He grabbed the felt from yesterday and followed Honor to a spot where they could look over the river. Bard made himself comfortable and watched the river with Honor for a while. Occasionally his hands felt restless, and he worked on the felt, but most of the time, he sat there and let the world pass by.

Two days passed with Bard spending time with Honor. Sen was nowhere to be seen. Bard grew worried. She hadn’t eaten to his knowledge. He wanted to trust her to take care of herself, but he also didn’t want to find her starved and lifeless.

The morning came, and he sighed and made a large portion of the meal. He packed the whole thing and headed to the stone forest. After getting turned around since he hadn’t started in the place he knew last time he was there, he managed to make it to the entrance. He looked in and saw Sen laying on a boulder. He panicked and ran over.

“Sen? Sen!”

Her head moved as she jerked, and then she froze.

“Bard?” she asked as she sat up. Her balance faltered, and she began to slide down the boulder. She let out a little squeal of fear, and Bard ran over to the side and grabbed her feet. He positioned himself to have her stand on his hands, and he slowly lowered her down till he could grab her.

“Aw, now I’m dirty,” she grumbled, wiping dust and lichen off. “Hey Bard. What brings you here?”

“I… I brought you some food,” he said, relieved to be near her and that she was alright.

“Food?” her stomach growled and she gripped it. “Oh. That would be lovely.” She sat down and sighed as she closed her eyes. “I forgot the last time I ate,” she said.

“Sen…” he grumbled.

“I’m glad you’re up and about. You look better.”

“Yah. I’m feeling a bit better,” Bard replied. He unpacked the food, and she grabbed the bowl with its pan bread and vegetables. She greedily gobbled it down, while Bard was amused at the display.

When she was done eating, she sighed in contentment and then looked around at the scenery.

“This place… it’s so different,” Sen said softly. “There’s a lot of history here, and yet… I can’t hear them.”

“You can’t?” Bard asked, surprised. The song was softer and lent to an older time. It reminded him of the older songs of Perspective and Father, though even they admitted theirs changed slowly. This forest, however, never changed its song. It was frozen in time just like how their form was made into stone, hardly changing anymore. The only difference was the flowers and moss that grew here added different tones and highlights with the changing seasons.

“And you can?” Sen asked and Bard smiled.

“Sure. It’s softer, but there is an old sound to it,” he communicated. “Couldn’t hum it to you, and I left my instruments. But… I don’t think it would serve you to do that. Was this Honor’s instruction?”

Sen nodded and then sighed, looking out. She looked frustrated. Bard chewed on his food while she began to wander. In this place, her presence was definitely ephemeral, but he hoped it would leave an impression on the stone trees and the boulders. Her footsteps wouldn’t last, but her hope and fortitude were what he appreciated and hoped she would leave.

He wasn’t sure if this place would last against the shades. The very fact that they hadn’t made it here was likely due to Honor’s song. He was one of the strongest songs because it seemed bound to something more grounded than the others. The shades weren’t in sight, and it made it seem like all that nightmare of an event was just a passing dream.

Bard looked at his tokens and felt the ache in his heart, but his eye didn’t shed any more tears. He knew Sen was right. If they had made it past the storm, they might have saved them, but it wasn’t guaranteed. However, because of all the changes to the plan, they did save her people and established the groundwork for Sal Shefa. If the shades were growing in number, then it would be safer to gather in as many as were willing to this refuge, this land of prosperity.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sen sat atop one of the boulders as the stars began to come out. She looked for healer, her favorite constellation. Then she located duelist, archer and warrior. She traced them against the shattered sky and looked at the broken moon. Half floated there, sometimes showing light and other times being a dark spot in the sky. The shattered pieces too. Sometimes they joined the sky scape, other times they blended in.

She shook her head. She needed to be listening instead of watching. Sen quietly shifted her gaze to the stone forest and then closed her eyes, forcing herself to focus on her ears. The sounds of the river were distant as she had moved as far from it as she could. The cliffs had this unnatural presence and chill. But at least it was quiet. She waited, hopeful to hear the first note. Her concentration faltered as she felt the first twinge of fatigue. She couldn’t fall asleep. Not now. But her body ignored her will and slowly forced her to lay down until she couldn’t keep awake and welcomed the darkness.

In the darkness of sleep, her mind wandered, and a song began to emerge. She grew excited and listened intently. The melody was foreign yet familiar. She moved about with the song, nearly dancing to the tune. Then she felt something around her stomach and she tried to break away. A voice began to come in, calling her name.

“Sen. Sen!” Bard called to her, and she watched the darkness fade around her until she was standing in Bard’s embrace.

“Bard?” Sen said, and he sighed in relief.

“Awake now?” he asked. He had a sunstone with him, which illuminated their faces. Beyond that, it was hard to see, but she did pick up that she could hear the river a lot more clearly.

“I think so?” she asked. Why was he asking her this? He pulled her towards him, away from the sounds of the river. He then shifted her to the other side of him.

“You heard the song, but fell to it,” Honor’s voice came. She looked in the general direction and noticed a bit of green. It grew as he came more into the light. “She is awake now, Bard. You may let her go.” Bard hesitated but eventually let her go.

“What do you mean ‘fell’?” Sen asked.

“This place. The song isn’t normal. I did tell you that, right? The first time you hear it, it seems to compel you to the river. It contains their desires and their fears,” Bard answered.

“You didn’t tell me that would happen,” Sen rebuked.

“Well, it’s hard to believe until you’ve experienced it,” Bard chuckled. “Though, it does seem different. Perhaps your influence rubbed off on them.” Sen looked in his eyes, which held such a calm and hopeful joy. It was both relieving and comforting. She felt this swelling energy within as she looked at him. She stood on tiptoe and placed her lips on his cheek. When she lowered, she noted how surprised he looked. His hand came to the place where she had kissed.

“Thank you, Bard. For taking care of me, and for being there. I really appreciate it. Truly,” she said from her heart. Bard seemed a bit lost from all that, and she half smiled as she held a bit of concern for him. “Are you okay?”

“Uh, um yes. I’m fine. And… you’re welcome.” He shook his head lightly as if to escape from this stupor. She stretched and then felt a sudden sleepiness come over her.

“Um. If possible, and if I did hear the song. Then… can I go to bed at camp. Rocks aren’t exactly comfortable to sleep on,” she said, and Bard flinched before smiling and letting out a laugh.

“Sure. It is still late out,” he chuckled. Sen smiled, grateful to see him laughing and smiling again. She vowed she wouldn’t take it for granted anymore.