"Some call memories of the past baggage to be distanced from. Those fools could not be any more wrong. Memories of the part, be they of joy or sorrow, are proof that you had lived, that others had lived, and would live on with you, so long as your memory of them held." - Nec Aarin, the Bone Lord.

Long have you been gone~

And yet I still yearn~

That we could return~

Back to our first dawn~

I missed your warm touch~

Warm hands on my skin~

How nice it had been~

With you, as my crutch~

And now I cry, I cr-y~ "Farewell!" To my lost love~

My tears had long, run dr-y~ Are you watching, from above~?

It happened to be a particularly silent night, on the second night the ship left the docks of Lake Sabaya. Aideen, who happened to be walking on the deck that night, looked up, and saw the two moons both present in their full glory, a rather rare occasion that only happened once every several decades.

The last time she had seen such a sight… was on a similar ship, on this very same river. It was when she was on her trip to the empire six decades ago, and were visiting the capital city from Artair's home. Back then, Artair was beside her as they basked under the bright moonlight.

I wish you were here~

Just right beside me~

Yet it could not be~

And I shed my tears~

The sight of the moons~

Recalls of the time~

When you were still mine~

But now, no such boon~

And now I cry, I cr-y~ "Farewell!" To my lost love~

My tears had long, run dr-y~ Are you watching, from above~?

Moved by the memories, Aideen had spontaneously brought her lyre out, and her fingers strummed a melancholic tune, to which she sang a sad song. It was all on the spot, very improvised, yet the words she sang melded with the tunes as if they were meant to be.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

The lyrics came to her as she saw the moons above, a reminder of the love she once shared, and had since lost. Words from the heart flowed out from her lips, where they entangled themselves with the piercing, melancholic melodies played by her lyre.

I'll always miss you~

Thoughts of our last kiss~

'Fore you rest in peace~

Stays in my heart true~

And now I cry, I cr-y~ "Farewell!" To my lost love~

My tears had long, run dr-y~ Are you watching, from above~?

And now I cry, I cr-y~ "Farewell!" To my lost love~

My tears had long, run dr-y~ Are you watching, from above~?

By the time she finished her song, and the last echoes of her lyre's tunes vanished into the quiet night, Aideen noticed a pair of other passengers near her, watching her in silence, as if afraid they would disturb her if they made a noise.

A second look at them allowed her to discern that they appeared to be a young therian couple, both of whom shared some resemblance to Artair's second mother and older sister, and that the woman was wiping her tears on a silken handkerchief while gripping the man's arm tight with her other hand.

The man seemed to be trying to placate the woman as he patted her shoulder reassuringly, even though his own eyes seemed to be on the brim of tearing up, as much as he tried to hold it back.

"That… was a wonderful song, miss bard," complemented the man after he finally managed to hold his tears back - he had actually just wiped it discreetly while the woman wasn't looking - as he clapped his hands. "Pardon my question if it feels too much… but were you singing something you've experienced yourself?"

"That was the case… yes, mister?" admitted Aideen as she asked the passenger of his name. She might have seen the couple from a distance, but she was not too certain. "I do not believe we've met?"

"I do not believe so," said the man as he gave the woman next to him his own silken handkerchief. The young couple seemed quite well to do, considering their clearly tailored clothing and perfectly-groomed fur. "My name is Tyr Jarnett Alexandrov, eldest son of Baron Raz Brahn Alexandrov. This is my lovely wife Danize."

"Call me Aideen," she said in turn, as she accepted the therian man's proferred handshake. Many therians were still unfamiliar with the mostly human gesture, but the nobles amongst them are used to it. His grip was firm, but she expected as much. "Newlyweds I assume?"

"Indeed! We had just married the week before. This cruise will serve as part of our honeymoon," replied the therian man cheerfully. He was lithe of frame, and not as tall as Artair had been, but still stood half a head taller than her. Under the bright moonlight, his tawny spotted fur was easily noticeable. "How do you know, miss Aideen?"

"My late husband was also a feline breed of therian," said Aideen in a wistful, melancholic tone, as she reminisced of the days when she and Artair had just gotten together. "I noticed that some of his mannerisms from when we had just gotten together were present on you as well, sir Alexandrov."

"I see, my condolences, then," said the therian man in a more somber tone of voice as he eyed Aideen somewhat sadly. "The two of you must have been very close if you noticed even small things like those."

Whatever words they were about to exchange further were interrupted as right then, the lady Danize held onto the boat's railings and vomited into the river. Her worried husband naturally came over to hold her and rubbed her back as she dry heaved a few times.

"Danize, dear… is something wrong?" asked the worried man to his wife who just shook her head to indicate that she had no idea what caused the sudden bout of nausea that struck her.

"May I?" interjected Aideen, who had approached the couple by then. She had lowered her hood and placed both her hands in plain sight, a gesture amongst the therians that one meant no harm. "I'm a fleshweaver. Mayhaps I could help the lady some."

"Please do," said the worried man as he stepped to the side to make room for Aideen. "And thank you for your kindness."

"Think nothing of it," she said as she placed a hand on the therian lady's wrist and carefully channeled her magic through the connection. Aideen's brows raised, then lowered again shortly into her inspection, but she kept silent until she finished.

"How is she?" asked Tyr with obvious worry and dread in his voice. He had not missed Aideen's change of expression when she did her inspection. "Please tell me she's all right…"

"Please be at ease. There is nothing wrong with lady Danize's body," said Aideen with a smile at the couple. She had noticed a few minor issues which she had just quietly done away with, but the lady's ailment was actually not one at all. Rather, it was a cause for rejoicing. "In fact, I must congratulate you two. You are going to be parents in another six months or so."

The surprise, which turned to sudden joy on the couple's faces, was like a balm that soothed Aideen's heart in a way, as she watched them lovingly embrace one another while mumbling that they are about to be parents.