[Mkguild] Remembering a Friend part 2

[cokane8116 at aol.com]

  Edmund found the Longs gathered together on Long Hall.  All of them were dressed in black. Proudlyembroidered on the front of their tabards was the crossed gold bow and axesymbol of the Long Scouts.
 
  He recognized all the people who had been at the first funeral. Alsopresent was someone Edmund didn't recognize. The piebald pony stallion waswearing the rough, tough clothing of a worker. In one hand was a large denimhand bag that was filled with various tools. The stallion seemed ill at easeamong the scouts in the black dress.
 
  Misha walked up to the paladin. The scout leader was dressed in fullchainmail armor covered with a tabard. Like the rest of the scouts on thetabard both front and back was the crossed bow and axe. Last time Misha had evendyed his full black in mourning. Now his fur was its natural coloring."Thank you for coming," he said calmly. "We're keeping this lowkey. If you could fall in at the end of the group. That's where you were thelast time."
 
  "I understand. Is there any way I can help?" The paladinasked.
 
  "I'm not sure," Misha admitted sheepishly. "I'm justroughing it. No real deep planning and I'm honestly not sure how this willgo."
 
  Edmund patted Misha on the back. "It will go fine. Neverfear."
 
  The scout seemed to relax. "I hope so."
 
  Misha walked up to the stallion and shook his hand. "Thank you forcoming Stephan. You just follow at the end of the group till I ask you to comeup. Then you can do carving. That all right?"
 
  "That's fine." Stephan answered.
 
  "Will it take long to carve?"
 
  Stephan shook his head and his mane flipped back and forth. "No.Just a few minutes.  I'm not sure abouttouching the monument," he asked nervously.
 
  Misha patted Stephan on the shoulder. "Never fear. I havepermission. Besides Kyia herself created it. If she didn't want us to do it, wewon't be able to get near it."
 
  The stallion seemed to cheer up. "I'm ready."
 
  "Good. Please just follow along at the rear," Misha ordered."With Edmund."
 
   Misha walked to the front of the group andhalted. He came to a stiff, upright position of attention. "FALL IN!"
 
  The scouts all moved together and came to a position of attention in two,neat lines.
 
  "Right face! Forward march!" The scout Commander ordered.
 
  The group of Long Scouts turned in unison and marched across Long Hall.Edmund motioned to the pony and the two followed at a polite distance.
 
  A few moments marching took them through a door and into a brightly litcorridor. The corridor seemed to stretch onward forever. As they moved thegroup saw no one and passed nothing. Not even a closed door or window. Timeseemed to drag on and Edmund could not tell how long they moved. It was as ifthey moved in a different world where time didn't matter.
 
  Suddenly the corridor ended and they stepped into bright sunlight. Theywere in the large open area that lay before the gates leading to the inner wardof the fortress. In good times it was a place of celebrations and meetings. Andit was here that many of the Duke's proclamations were often read out loud. Nearbya beautiful fountain burbled and bubbled lightening the mood and atmosphere.
 
  In the center of the area was a four sided, stone column whose taperedform rose some twelve feet above the pavement. The stone was of the same grayas all of Metamor but was new and bore no weathering. Potent magic protected itand the monument would be the same in a thousand years.
 
  Carved into the gray stone sides of the monument were over a thousandnames each incised carefully by a master stone carver. One thousand, fourhundred and thirty-seven names to be exact all arraigned in neat rows runningfrom the tip to the base. They listed the names of citizens of Metamor, youngand old, male and female.
 
  Scattered around the base were flowers and a large bouquet of ribbons, bowsand colored cloth. Resting against each of the four sides of the stone was alarge wreath made of pine boughs.
 
  Misha had already arraigned things with the Watch and a score of themhad surrounded the monument keeping crowds at a distance. So they had themonument to themselves for the moment.
 
  The group was gathered on the east side, facing the monument.
 
  "There it is," Misha said and pointed up the pillar to a spotabout a third of the way up. Above that spot was the name Philip Barquez andbelow it was Cassandra Philips. Both had the names carefully chiseled into thestone. But in between was different. It was blank. It wasn’t that the letteringhad been removed or worn off. That one line had been deliberately left empty,only the smooth, gray stone where a name should have been.
 
  "I always wondered about that blank space," Stephan commentedin a whisper. "I never expected to find out."
 
  The Longs formed a half circle around one side of the monument. Lockingarms and looking toward the pillar. Next to the pillar was Stephan. The ponyfumbled nervously with a large step ladder before setting it up in the rightplace.
 
  They ignored the crowd that was starting to form and the Longs fixedtheir attention on the stone carver.
 
  Stephan climbed the ladder slowly and examined the blank spacecarefully. He gently ran his hand along the stone getting a feel for itstexture. In his mind he was judging the shape and placement of each letter.
 
  The artist took out a chisel and mallet and slowly began to carve.
 
  Traffic through plaza had come to a halt as people watched the carver atwork. Soon a good sized crowd had formed and grew with each passing moment.
 
  "What are you doing?" A voice from the crowd asked."You're adding a name?"
 
  "We forgot one," Meredith said out loud. "Now we'reremembering him."
 
 
***************
 
  Theworld around him faded from his attention. All that mattered was the stone infront of him and his tools.
 
  Stephan took only a few minutes to finish his task. The stone yielded easilyto his tools and his skills. Once done he used a fine brush made from hair fromhis own mane to remove the last chips and dust. Finally satisfied with his workthe carver climbed down from the ladder. He stepped back and examined hishandiwork.
 
  The name "Baldwin Grphus" had been carved into the stone inneat and precise lettering.
 
  Misha patted Stephan on the back. "Nicely done. Thank you."
 
  The Long Scout leader walked up to the Watch Lieutenant. They talked fora moment and then he shook the woman's hand.
 
  Misha spun about and took three steps then stopped. He came to a stiff,upright position of attention. "FALL IN!"
 
  The scouts all moved together and came to a position of attention in twoneat lines.
 
  "Right face! Forward march!" The scout Commander ordered.
 
  The group of Long Scouts turned in unison and marched away with Edmundand the pony trailing along at the back. Behind them the crowd quietly gatheredaround the monument and examined the latest addition to it.
 
end part 2
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