-12-
Two days after, a carriage arrived at the manor.
Miriel watched Mark descend from the carriage. He wore a linen shirt with brown trousers - fixed with a belt - reaching his ankles, and leather shoes on his feet. His hair was neat and orderly.
She stood in front of the gate with Louis beside her.
"Louis! It's Mark." Mark waved his hand as he walked closer to them.
Louis bowed with a hand to his chest.
"You were to greet me first, fool. Must I remind you everything?" Miriel said.
"Sorry, sorry. Just couldn't keep it in." Mark replied.
She eyed him head to toe as he stood in front of them, half a head shorter than Louis, with a grin on his face.
"It seems you listened to my instructions. A young Mark would have worn his pants on his head." She said.
"I'd have a hard time at the barricade if I couldn't. Never knew anyone could shout so loud." He shivered..
"Oh, was it not tough for our hero Mark then? Is that why you stayed there so long? Should we send you back after we finish matters here?" Miriel said.
Mark shook his head fervently.
"Have some pity, would you? I just arrived and you're already grilling me."
"Maybe if you could use your brain, I could ease on you in turn."
"Shall we head inside? Lady Miriel? Mister Mark?" Louis said.
They stared at each other and nodded.
"Let us go." Miriel said.
They followed Louis as he turned and headed for the mansion.
"And some bread please, Louis. I slept in and skipped breakfast." Mark said, as they walked.
"I am not surprised." Miriel remarked.
-
Miriel sat in the guest room attired in a green dress. Across her sat Mark, wolfing down a loaf of bread. Crumbs fell to the ground, some stuck to his lips.
"Some water, Mister Mark?" Louis said. He stood beside Mark in his black suit, holding a jug with one hand, a glass with the other and a white cloth hanging on his arm.
"Yaffh nghank nghew hewis." Mark said, as he chewed the bread. He chewed more, drank the water and finally swallowed his meal.
He exhaled as he sank deeper in his seat..
"And now you eat like a beast. What other bestial habits might you have learned at the place?" Miriel said.
"Have to eat fast when you don't know what's going to happen and when." Mark replied.
"And." He continued, "When there's people that eat anything spilled on the floor." Mark blankly stared at the walls as he spoke.
"Are you saying you were starved then? By whom? We sent three cycles worth of food this year alone."
Miriel tapped the armrests of her seat while Mark shifted in his.
"Not that. No. It's the soldiers, or at least some of them. You wouldn't believe the stuff they do unless you saw them." Mark shivered.
"WIpe your mouth first, at least." Miriel said.
Louis handed Mark the cloth and he used it to wipe his mouth. He turned to see Miriel draw a circle in the air with her finger. He wiped his mouth again and handed it to Louis after.
"I shall excuse myself." Louis bowed and left the room.
Silence filled the room after Louis closed the doors. Light entered from the windows and brightened the room. The chirrupings of birds entered from outside, filling the looming silence intermittently.
Miriel stared at Mark, who had clasped his hands and was staring at the floor.
"How do you feel, now that you are back?" She asked.
He turned to Miriel, his dark brown irises apparent as he stared at her.
"I…don't know." He paused. "I expected returning home to be…more. But it just feels… empty." He cast his eyes downward as he spoke and smoothed his palms over another.
"Perhaps returning to your old house would help." Miriel said. Her hands rested on her lap.
"It's still here? I thought you'd have flattened it already." Mark's eyes widened.
"I would not destroy a perfectly good house simply because I want to." Her brows creased.
"I allowed them to use it as storage for now." She continued. "But they gathered everything inside and stored it before they did. You can stay there after they clear and clean the house."
Mark smoothed his hands, then shook his head and turned to Miriel.
"No. It's not different. There's nothing for me there."
"Do you not have at least one reason to go there even once?" Miriel asked.
Mark paused, then nodded.
"Well, there is one. Or two. Or three. Alright, there's three things I can get from the house."
"Then let us head there now and return before the sun falls." Miriel stood from her seat.
"We can go tomorrow." Mark shook his head as he stood. He went to the doors and turned to Miriel.
"There's another place I want to see today." He said.
Miriel looked at Mark for a moment.
"Lead the way then." She said.
Mark opened the doors and left the room.
Miriel followed.
-
Behind the Lerkester mansion and a distance away, stood a graveyard. Tombstones of varying sizes and shapes were erected atop stone tiles. Grass covered much of the graveyard and around the tiles.
Miriel stood in front of two tombstones erected beside each other. On them were carved the names; Albert Lerkester and Magdalene Lerkester.
She watched as Mark knelt on one knee above the tiles, one palm planted on a tombstone and the other on his forehead.
Wind glided over the graveyard and she breathed in the grassy scent it brought. A tinge of orange dyed the sun's light as it neared the horizon.
Mark stood while staring at the carvings.
"You still miss them?" He asked, turning to Miriel.
Miriel nodded.
"Always." She said, hands clasped at her front.
"Can't really say the same with my own folks." He leaned down and patted his hand and his knee.
"People differ. Best not force it." She replied.
"When was the funeral?"
"Two months past, making you two months late."
"Well, sorry about that, at least." Mark scratched his head.
"Worry not, even father knew how your brain works. He will understand." She continued. "I expected you later, even."
"If it means anything, I did try to return earlier, but stuff happened."
"Fair enough." Miriel said. "But you will learn everything again from the very start."
"Must I?" Mark stared at her, eyes pleading, his brows drawn together and lips pressed.
"They are worlds apart…" She whispered.
"What's that? What'd ya say?"
"Do not bother. I have seen much better ones." Miriel lightly shook her head and sighed.
"Don't blame me for trying, at least." Mark shrugged.
"Oh, I will. For any and every vain antic you pull."
"Sun save me, the camp would be better." He tilted his head up and stared at the sky.
"We can send you there again if you so wish." She said.
"No. Not at all." He shook his head.
"Let us return. The sun will fall soon." Miriel said, turning to the sun.
It shone bright orange and red as it started sinking.
"Okay then." Mark stepped off the tile and went to Miriel.
Miriel stood in front of the graves. She bowed, then turned and left for the mansion.
She paused.
Miriel turned back and saw Mark standing near the graves. He was staring at the woods a distance from the graveyard.
"Mark. Come along." She shouted.
Mark turned to her and nodded. He ran and stopped in front of her.
"What were you doing?" She asked.
"Nothing. Just thinking for a bit." He replied.
"You? Thinking?" Miriel rolled her eyes. "I will leave you behind if you tarry."
Miriel walked towards the mansion with Mark walking beside her.
"Say, were you always this short?" Mark turned his head and looked at Miriel.
"Should we see if you are still taller, convulsing on the ground?" She smiled at him.
Mark shivered. He shook his head.