"Papa always loved this place," Flindra said
quietly as she watched her brother dig the grave.
Leudh was a tall man and his strength was easily seen in his
broad shoulders and muscular arms. He'd
taken off his tunic to work and his chest glistened with sweat.
"He did," Leudh answered as he worked. "I think he would be pleased to know we
chose this place for his grave. This is
one of the best spots overlooking Lake Eghero and I know he loved coming here
to enjoy the view."
"I bet Papa was proud to have been named after the
lake," she remarked.
"He wasn't named after the lake," Leudh corrected
gently, but with the authority of an older sibling. "There was once a king named Eghero and
it is told that he was a wise and just man.
Grandpa chose a strong name from our history to name his son. In fact, the lake was named after King
Eghero."
"I never knew that."
"Papa told me the story once."
Flindra had just celebrated her nineteenth birthday this
past summer. She was five years younger than
her brother and was tall like him. That
was where the similarities ended. Leudh
had inherited their mother's blue eyes and blond hair, while Flindra was
crowned with strikingly beautiful auburn tresses. She had expressive brown eyes, which seemed to
mirror her emotions.
It was autumn and the breeze blowing from the northwest felt
cool on Flindra's face. Raindrops from
an earlier shower still clung to the grasses and leaves of the trees along the
crown of the hill. The sunlight shining
though the droplets gave the impression of jeweled beads adorning the
landscape. The breeze toyed with the
droplets, blowing them from the leaves and onto the ground.
The breeze rippled the surface of the lake, which softened
the reflection of the surrounding landscape.
Great flocks of geese and ducks were resting along the shoreline as they
paused on their migration south. The air
was filled with their raucous voices and the lake was busy with their
presence.
"I remember Papa and I came up here one afternoon before
he fell ill," Flindra reminisced with a tender smile. "He was so filled with the beauty of the
day and this place. He seemed to make
the whole world so alive that I felt blessed to share the moment with him. He told me that the beauty of the world is a
mirror reflecting the grandeur and glory of the Spirit and that every day of
life is a blessing from Him. He said
that to notice the beauty abounding in the world is to appreciate and do homage
to our Beloved Spirit."
Leudh smiled as he wiped the sweat from his brow with the
back of his hand. His blond hair was
dark with sweat and his mustache tasted salty as he licked his lips. "Papa was a wise man."
Flindra handed her brother a waterskin for she knew he was
tired from his labors. Digging was always
difficult work and this task was made harder with the knowledge of the purpose
of this effort.
Leudh put down his shovel and drank his fill. "Thank you." He returned the water to her.
"You're welcome."
"I think this is deep enough," he remarked sadly. "I'll widen it a little at the bottom
and then it’ll be ready."
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