"Hearts and Minds"- Seladon, Brea
Gelfling do not mark graves. Podling do, Seladon had learned upon actually getting to know one- they considered their dead to be seeds returned to the soil, and planted true seeds above them, to continue the cycle of their lives. But once Gelfling return to the song, the place does not matter- they are everywhere, in the plants and rivers and mountains, breathed in the wind, alive in the hearts of those who loved them.
They sit in the arms of the Cradle Tree- two sisters, titles long set aside, and a little bundle with white-gold hair. Seladon presses one of the babe’s tiny hands to a gnarled knot in the trunk, and Brea lays her hand over theirs. They close their eyes, let the familiar comfort of the song wash over them, before the voices find them. They are ephemeral, wordless, but no less recognizable. As it turns out, a body turned to ash returns to the song just the same, and Seladon pushes down the inevitable rush of shame. “No more apologies,” Brea had said. “Show it with how you live.”
The baby giggles, transfixed, and Seladon lets out a wet laugh.
“Tavra...Mother….this is my daughter.”