The pair rode on in silence for a moment as Hanna waited for the man to stop scowling. The Fate reached over and patted his arm before sitting back upright in her steed. At last Silver's face returned to a more neutral expression.
Entering a thickly forested area, the trail narrowed until it was barely wide enough for them to ride side by side. Hanna's translucent blue skin glowed dully in the darkened path and allowed them both to see clearly by her ethereal light.
'She looks even brighter in the dark,' he marveled, realizing once again the power that emanated from her.
"You got the documents?" Hanna asked, but her words came out more as a statement.
Silver pulled the roll from his cloak. "I did. Though I can't read them."
"As I said before, you are clever. You will figure it out."
"I take it you won't tell me what they mean?"
"Are you asking?" A mischievous smile touched the corners of the Fate's mouth.
The Guardian grunted. Hanna knew he didn't like requesting help from her. "No. Even if I did, you wouldn't tell me."
Silver wondered if there were limits to how the Fates could interfere with the lives of humans. Otherwise, why hadn't Hanna just spirited the papers away herself? 'She answers to the Maker,' the Guardian reminded himself, 'just like I answer to her.' Hanna nodded in agreement, though whether it was to his statement or his inward thoughts, he was unsure.
"I suppose we have said all we can on that subject then." The Fate stared forward as they entered a patch of fog.
It was so dense that the Guardian could not see his hand in front of his face. It was very cold on his exposed skin, almost like floating ice. He was about to ask if Hanna had brought the strange weather with her when they abruptly came out on the other side. The land was lush and green after the white veil, making Silver appreciate the landscape all the more.
"You gave your sister the necklace?" Hanna posed another question-statement.
Silver sighed. Sometimes it was exhausting talking to the woman who knew everything and yet feigned ignorance. "Yes, it was hers anyway. It was a gift from you, I believe."
Hanna's eyes swirled. "So it was. And that little pixie will serve her much better than you. A gift like that can only be used by its rightful recipient."
'Used? Used how?'
The Fate interrupted his thought, "Why didn't you tell her who you were?" For the first time in the conversation, Hanna's question seemed genuine.
"Who wants a Guardian for a brother? Especially one with such a questionable background. Besides, she wouldn't have believed me." Silver fell back into brooding. It was his natural state after so much heartache. He was constantly fighting the self-pity that threatened to swallow him.
"Yet, you left her a note." Hanna reminded him, her eyebrows raised curiously. The Fate's beautiful white horse--whose horn seemed unable to hide in the bright greenish light-- whinnied her agreement.
"I regret that already." Silver slumped in his mount. Despite the nearly blinging luminescence of the land, a dark cloud seemed to descend over his head. His normally lustrous eyes were dim and rimmed with tiny droplets.
"Why do you regret it?" Hanna asked softly.
"Because now she will most likely come looking for me, and I'm not worth finding. It was better to leave her in peace." Silver blinked back the tears. "I should have just left her in peace."
Silver wiped at his eyes, feeling quite foolish. Cry baby, he scolded himself. When his eyes cleared, the horses were trotting across a hilly region. He looked up. The fog which they had passed through was surrounding them on all sides and leading up like a cone toward the sky. Above them there was no sun, only a strange floating building, austere and majestic. From it, an endless waterfall flowed, disappearing half-way down the mountain of mist.
"Where are we?" Silver asked, trying to take it all in. "I've not been here before."
Hanna smiled sadly. "This," she told him, "is a Place of Remembrance."
Silver could see by her change in demeanor that they had entered hallowed ground. Ahead of them a large structure was constructed with smooth white marble. It was unlike any building Silver had ever seen, and it caused a shiver to run up his spine. He could feel its power and importance, even if he wasn't sure of its purpose.
Around the structure were many statues. As the Guardian and Fate neared, they dismounted and continued on foot. Silver observed that the closest statue, clearly of another Fate, was made of the same white stone as the structure. Sitting atop a large rectangular box, the Fate had a flowing gown and his face was peaceful with eyes looking skyward. It was so lifelike, that Silver could almost imagine him speaking words of justice.
Other statues were similarly breathtaking in form and subject, all resting on great rectangular frames. The Fates and Guardians were both male and female and dressed in every manner of clothing that could be carved from the cold white stone.
This is a graveyard, Silver realized. "Why have you brought me here?" Silver's heart quickened. He had told her once that he should never have been born. Perhaps after all his melancholy, she finally was willing to take him at his word.
"I want you to remember." Hanna told him looking off into the distance. Silver followed her gaze and saw two mounds offset from the rest. They were less impressive than any other grave around, yet he felt drawn the most to them.
"Remember what?" he asked as he followed Hanna to the mounds.
"This place holds the mortal bodies of the Fates and Guardians," Hanna said, seeming to change the subject. "Their spirits have gone home, but this remains to remind me of what my life is worth. Humans cannot find this place on their own, and we do not typically bury them here either."
'Where is she going with this?' The silver-eyed man wondered as she stopped. The Fate raised her hand and pointed at the mounds.
"I made two exceptions." Before him two stones with names carved into them lay covering the mounds. Silver gasped in disbelief as he read the words: ALEXIS and GARETH.
Throwing back his hood, the morose Guradian dropped to his knees before the stones. He ran his fingers along the edges to commit each line of the stone to memory.
Hot tears landed on the white stone, causing spots of gray to speckle the alabaster. This time, he was unashamed to cry. "You brought them here?" he asked quietly.
"Of course," Hanna affirmed.
"Why?"
Hanna shook her head at the young man. Her eyes were full of compassion. "I told you. You need to remember. You are worth it. They gave their lives protecting a Guardian, and more importantly, their son."
Silver heaved a great sob. When his voice finally returned he spoke very softly. "I found her. I found Haven," he told his parents. "She is perfect. Everything you wished for her and more is at her fingertips. She is kind and generous. Haven even saved my life, just like you, mom. You would be so proud."
"They are proud of you too, you know," Hanna put in when he finally paused.
"Thank you," he said, straightening at last. "I will try to remember. When fear, doubt, and shame come to claim me, I will continue to fight against them for you and those who love me." Silver heaved a sigh as the burden on his shoulders lifted again, and the lightning in his eyes resumed its mysterious arcs.
"There's our boy," Hanna said like a proud mother. Her colorless eyes seemed brimmed with tears also, but Silver banished the thought as fanciful.
"Can I come back here?" the man inquired as he dusted off is knees, working to regain his equanimity. Lifting his loosely hanging hood back on his head, the Guardian straightened his shoulders.
"Any time you need to remember, you can find your way here in your thoughts. Of course you could always ask me, and I will escort you here physically myself."
"You know I don't ask for favors." Silver lifted his eyes heavenward. "Now, how do we get out of here? I am going to be late getting back." He went back to his horse and prepared to mount it. Hanna floated along beside him as he left the graveyard behind.
"I can whisk you home…." The Fate's colorless eyes bore into him. He was confused for a moment what she meant, and then the realization dawned on him.
"…if I ask?"
"Such a smart Guardian!" Hanna teased.
"I'll find my own way." Silver got on his horse and tried to decide which way to exit the foggy cone of a mountain.
Hanna smiled sweetly. "Very well, figure it out yourself, but Ethyn will be very disappointed that you missed his entire stay in Rynnlee." The taunt in her voice was too much for Silver.
He rounded on her, "Just how far away from home are we?!"
"Far enough. This place isn't exactly on any human map." Hanna told him with an innocent look.
The Guardian made a noise close to a growl, "So I either ask for your help, or I am stuck here."
"You could say that."
"You are enjoying this, aren't you?"
"Immensely." Suddenly a wind rose up and tugged playfully at Silver's cloak in every direction. 'She's just mocking me now,' he thought, frustrated. 'But it was no use arguing.'
"Fine. Oh wise and merciful Fate Hanna, protector of good and lover of kindness, your humble servant asks: will you deign to return him to his humble dwelling in Rynnlee." Silver made an elaborate bow and infused his speech with as much sarcasm as his voice would allow.
Hanna's face still held her smile. "Of course, dear one! Now, was that difficult?"
Silver eyed her stoically. "Immensely."