Lament for the Dead

[Soraya Octavius-Parini]

Mira's body had been washed and dressed in a simple, white robe, then kept cold for its return to Kezan, under the watchful eye of Mira III. During the long flight across the sea, Mira could not help but think about the circumstances.

The first Mira had died during the chaos in Shirekeep after the fall of Dominus. Mira III had been 12 years old at the time. The second Mira had also died in Shirekeep. And now Mira III had sworn herself to the Kaiser as the Countess of Shirekeep. She wondered how long it would be before the Imperial Capital came to claim her own life as well.

Jamie III, sitting beside Mira in the pinnace's main cabin, wrapped one of her arms around Mira and squeezed her tight. Mira vaguely noticed the hug's warmth and pressure. When she turned to respond in kind, hers was rather limp and ineffectual. The two cousins had grown up closely, something noted in their youth as their respective elders had not been especially attached to one another. Once they were sent off to older members of the family to shadow and assist, however, they were only able to keep in touch by correspondence and the few times their work brought them in proximity. Mira spent hers on Kezan, where most of the family resided, while Jamie had gone to assist Mira's elder in Shirekeep. Now, Jamie would be returning to Kezan.

When the pinnace finally settled on the landing pad at Fort Kezan, more members of House Octavius greeted them. Aina II, Mira's sister, her greying hair sticking out from underneath her black veil, led the group in procession, carrying the body across the airfield.

The nome at Fort Kezan had a dedicated mortuary hall, which was their destination.

At the gateway to the nome, they were greeted by an ulaphephore, who offered incense to the party and to the body and led them to the mortuary hall. The body was placed upon a platform, surrounded by an arrangement of bellflowers, the house's symbol. The ulaphephore then began circling the body, offering incense and chanting a prayer for the newly deceased. When he completed the dirge, an assisting zonophore took the censer and offered incense to the people there, chanting a prayer for the living.

Once they completed their tasks, the two zonophores gave the family some privacy to watch over the body. The Aryani kept vigil first. When their turn had passed, most went to bed. Mira III struggled to settle herself, and instead took to wandering the grounds at Fort Kezan.

It was a chilly night, moreso than it tended to be during this part of the year in Kezan. Mira could see wisps of breath trail upwards as people breathed. She wrapped her black, woolen shawl closely around her, shivering slightly in the cold. She wandered for hours, as the stars slowly processed above her, eventually finding her way back to the nome and its tight cluster of buildings. A small portico, that of the syndomate dormitory, still had a light glowing in the dark. Mira concluded that it had probably been triggered by another member of her family who struggled to sleep and had taken to walk.

As she approached the portico, she could see two people dressed in black, sitting on a nearby bench. One was her cousin, Jamie III. The other was a young man. Thin, narrow framed, pale with a hint of pinkness. They had fallen asleep keeping eachother warm.

Mira nudged her cousin's foot with hers. Once awake, Mira gestured with her head towards the mortuary hall, where the Leilani would be holding their vigil soon. Jamie shook the young man's arm until he stirred. She whispered into his ear, and he roused himself. When he and Mira came into eye contact, she could sense alarm in him. He stood and, excusing himself, made away quickly.

"Who's the boy." Mira III asked her cousin.

The two huddled together for warmth as they made their way back towards the mortuary hall.

"He's Kezanese. We met in Shirekeep. The—umm—" Jamie's face became flushed with red, "...eldest Jamie introduced us. He's really nice."

Mira rolled her eyes. Boys. "He looks young."

"He is, a little. Not by much. His parents... they're are really nice." Jamie's voice cooed. "He—umm—insisted on taking a separate flight from us. For propriety's sake."

"I suppose I'll need to get to know him." Mira said, flatly.

The two paused briefly under the mortuary hall's portico. The outer doors, made of glass, were closed, while the inner doors, made of wood, were open. Mira could see through to the inner room. From this angle, it barely seemed as if there were a body, just a heap of flowers. The Adelaidini encircled it, a couple sitting, the others standing, one of them, Aunt Erin, was reciting from a book over the body. Some of the Leilani had already begun to gather in the entrance hall to replace them. One of them waved Jamie in.

Mira and Jamie hugged, and Jamie opened the door to go in. Words echoed out from the inner room.

"...until stout-­hearted he knows clearly to where thought of his heart will turn. A wise man must understand how terrifying it will be, when the riches of all this world stand deserted, as now in..."

The door slit shut. Mira now felt ready sleep a lot.

[Soraya Octavius-Parini]

At dawn, the body was wrapped up together with the flowers, all contained and bound tightly within a shroud. The family then carried the body out from the mortuary hall to the burial grounds, led by a group of clerics, coming to a stop at the designated plot.

The shrouded body was lowered down and came to rest on the dirt. The ulaphephore offered incense and chanted quietly, while members of the family each spoke a few words and poured dirt atop the body with a shovel. Once they had each taken their turn, the junior clerics filled in the rest so that it reached ground level.

"...when I am laid in the ground, may my transgressions trouble your hearts no more."

The ulaphephore completed his chant and poured the remaining incense out from the censor onto the dirt, then a wooden plaque placed on atop and pressed into the soil. It read:

αλλοτε εκεκλημην
η Μιρα Οκταυια της δευτερας
In another time I had been called Mira Octavia of the second.

As they filed back out from the burial grounds, Soraya II lifted her eyes to see a wall of plaques. One in particular stuck out to her:

περιμενω την Χαιδιν Οκταυιαν της πρωτης
I await Heidi Octavia of the first. The sign was heavily worn from decades of hanging there.

"How are the Gen Fives?" Soraya asked Aunt Erika. The reception had been going on for several hours. Faces that hadn't seen in years got to catch up. Erika I in particular, had unintentionally been an anchoring point for many of the Gen Twos. One of the last true elders in their family, and the one who had been in charge of raising them all. Mira II was the first loss among the Twos in years, the first since Alba.

"Hmm? The Gen Fives. Yes, quite good. All healthy and thriving. It's a joy, especially now that they're on the verge of leaving infancy." Erika smiled and patted Soraya with her wrinkled hand. "Rina almost started walking last week. She's almost got it, but she isn't quite there yet."

Soraya nodded and smiled. She had been gone the last several years, taking care of the Kaiser's own growth from childhood to young adulthood. All of them who had tasks abroad had missed Generation Five's emergence. "I look forward to seeing them. How's little Soraya?"

Erika grinned widely. "You always want to know how you're doing, even when it isn't you, don't you? She's fine. She's wonderful. Come see her. Come give her hugs and kisses. She may say something to you!"

"She's talking?"

"She's making sounds with her mouth. Whether they're words is another story."

Erika I was momentarily distracted when Erika IV delivered her a cup of tea. "Here you go, Nana."

"Thanks, dear." Erika sipped. "This will be the last generation I oversee, the Fives. I've already handed off nearly all the tasks for them already. I've stayed in charge of this for long enough. I would have preferred it if you Twos had finished your takeover before we started burying you. When does your lot go back to Shirekeep?"

"I'll be going back next week. There are some things to take care of here that I'd like to be here for."

Erika made an undignified grunting noise which only vaguely resembled a laugh. "And the others?"

"I'd rather they all stay here."

Erika wagged her finger. "No no no no no. You keep us involved in imperial politics. All of you. The third Mira has a job to do now. Nasrin has her job to do. Sadie and Isidora and Bethany and Robin all need to be there until that matter is resolved. There is no avoiding it. You have your tasks to do. We have our tasks to do here."

"Yes, Nana." Soraya said, rolling her eyes.

Erika took a deep drink and finished her tea. "Young Jamie's boy is cute."

"He's fine."

"I don't like it. It wasn't authorized." Erika concluded her grumbling with another undignified sound.