Epilogue 4.3: Family Memorial
Argrave and Anneliese sat by the hearth as the fire crackled, the both of them staring up at the family portrait that’d been made so many decades ago. It was a little microcosm of what they’d experienced this week—a vibrant family. All save Vincent and Hannelore had Anneliese’s colorful amber eyes, while most had inherited Argrave’s black hair. They were all quite tall. Elimar was bigger than Orion, even, who also stood in the photo right alongside Elenore. Their daughters hadn’t liked that much, while all their sons had.
“Maybe we should get another portrait painted,” mused Argrave idly. “One for the road.”
“The family is much larger,” Anneliese responded. “It would take far longer. We had enough trouble posing last time.”
Argrave sighed. “They’ll make a camera someday.”
“Would we remember this so fondly had it not taken so long?” Anneliese asked.
Argrave shrugged. “Maybe not.”
Silence spread between them. Argrave had come to appreciate silence a great deal more. Time was, he spent every second talking, jabbering, joking. He still could, of course, but he found there was as much power in refraining from talking as there was in speaking eloquently. More than power, he simply felt at ease near his wife. There was no need to impress, to pretend. Their lives were almost one in the same.
“I think it’s time to go,” Anneliese broke the silence. “They might be waiting for us already.”
“Ah.” Argrave rose to his feet. “It’s... it’s prudent to remember, before we go. Remind us of the price of arrogance, complacency.”