The Return

[Laron]

Laron is back in Duskwood, standing at Raven Hill Cemetery. He is alone and it is dark; too dark. The moon is not radiating its soft glow, but he can still see. Walking along, he trips. Or rather, something grabs his boot. As he falls to the ground, skeletal hands break through the earth and start to grab at his clothing. Struggling to get to his feat, he sees a woman in a flowing white dress walking towards him. In the distance he sees the glowing green eyes of the Forsaken. As she approaches, her face has small holes of decay, but it does not hide the distinct features of the woman’s face. The same face Laron had seen almost every night for sixty years and had continued to haunt his dreams for over a decade after her death.

Laron had buried her in her favorite dress, and the first pair of shoes he had bought her. Looking at her feet, they were decayed by now, with only the straps and buckles left hanging off her boney toes now almost devoid of flesh. Her dress now tattered and falling apart, hung off her gaunt frame. Laron breaks free from the hands and stands to face his dead wife. She reaches out her skeletal hand, and touches his face. Running her sharp fingers lightly along his cheek, her voice sounds dry and raspy.

“Laron? How long has it been? You haven’t changed at all…” Even as her eyes glow, they carry sorrow behind them. “You found someone new haven’t you?” She runs her hand down his shirt. "But My Love, how can you give your heart to someone else, when it belongs to ME!!!"

Driving her hand into his chest, she pulls his heart out and cups it to her chest, as a woman holds an infant. The pain is too much to bear, as Laron drops to his knees and struggles to stay conscious. Clinging to her ripped dress, he places his head to her leg and whispers as the darkness takes him. “I’m sorry.”

With cold sweat running down his face, Laron jerks awake. The jar to the bed wakes Najme from her slumber. Laron looks around frantically, trying to find Briann waiting in the shadows of the room, to strike at him!

[Laron]

Grabbing her hammer, Najme starts to glow with the radiance of The Light, looking to Laron for a direction of the attack. Gripping his chest Laron feels his heart pounding in his chest. He breaths a sigh of relief, and turns to Najme, who looks deadly even in her night clothes, holding her hammer and glowing softly. “I am sorry for waking you like that…” he trails off and walks over to the wash basin and pours some water. As he splashes water on his face, Najme walks over and places her hand on his back. “You okay?” The concern in her voice makes Laron happy to be here in this moment of time, but makes him wonder if he is causing a dishonor to his first wife. Seeing Laron in such a sad state, Najme pulls him to her for a hug and asks him. “What’s wrong sweetheart?” Laron stands holding her for a while, then gets an idea that might put everything right. Looking down to her he says. “We have to travel to Red ridge.” With a confused look she stares at him getting dressed. “What? Red ridge, why?” Putting his boots on, he stops and says to her, “Don’t think of this as strange, but it’s time you met Briann.”

[Laron]

On the trip to Redridge, not much is said. Laron is still shaken up by the thought of his wife being angered at him, for having feelings for another. He keeps trying to tell himself that is was just a dream, and wondered if he would have it in him to bring final death to his ex-wife.

As they arrive, he tells Najme about his house that he had built for her. Coming up on the hill that Briann was buried, Laron points it out to Najme. He tells her that they planted the tree in the front yard when they first moved in. He turns to her and says, you once asked me about her, well this is where I laid her to rest. So she can be by the lake. Najme hugs him and tells him. “Thank you, for sharing this with me.” They walk down the hill holding hands.

((I will combind the two stories now.))