Cederic Fennelroot - Introspection

[Kindo]

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[INDENT][INDENT][INDENT][INDENT][INDENT][INDENT][INDENT][SIZE=16][SIZE=10][SIZE=13][]This is a well-kept journal, full of well-phrased and carefully written sentences, with minute precision in spacing and spelling. The quality of the hand-writing is surprisingly high, albeit not perfect.[]


[]There will also be a few events represented in here, that took place during Cederic's childhood, but they are not part of the actual journal.[]



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[Kindo]

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 Homeward Bound

I have decided to start writing my thoughts down, for once. The Journal of Cederic Fennelroot... There is something wrong with that title.

I have been on foot for many days. Home should not be far away now. I wonder if everything is as I remember it, or if anything has changed. How is the old farm? How are little Siri, Linn, and Ferona? Well, they are not so little any more. I hope Mother and Father are still well and healthy. I suppose I will find out soon enough. I think I will arrive sometime near the evening, tomorrow, in perfect time for supper. I feel so guilty...



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[Kindo]

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Sleepless Nights

I have not been able to sleep. Not since I left has my mind been put to enough rest for my body to slumber. My soul is in constant turmoil. Was this all a big mistake? Should I just turn around and head back? No, I must continue. I must see my home and once again feel the warmth it offered before I left there. In all sincerity, I have not felt at ease for all these years I have been away. All I have felt is fear, and worry. A fear for what Ariel might say or do if she ever found out how I felt, and a ceaseless worry for her well-being. I was always so weak. Now my weakness has robbed me off my sleep.



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[Kindo]

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(Jointly written by Kindo and MJZ)

[Memory]

Cederic is at home, clad in an apron in the kitchen, working on a huge pile of dishes that has accumulated after this evening's supper. He has developed a system over the years, and is quite proud of the level of efficiency he displays as he is cleaning off the plates and utensils one by one. His mother is tucking in little baby Siri, while Linn and Ferona are playing some sort of game in the common-room. His father is comfortably sitting in his favourite chair, puffing on his own home-made pipe weed, as he does every day after supper. He claims it to be purely for business purposes, however, saying "It is every man's responsibility to make sure his wares are of highest quality."

Then, suddenly, a familiar humming is heard from somewhere outside the window. To Cederic's veiled delight, it is Ariel, undoubtedly having left her own house, leaving someone else to clean up after their evening meal. The humming suddenly stops and is replaced by a few moments’ silence, before Ariel lances in through the open window, barefoot and windblown.

"Hi, Ced!" she announces rather loudly, picking herself up and tugging back her long hair.

“Ah, your feet! They are all muddy! And I’d just cleaned the floor!"

Ariel looks down at them briefly, and makes a sound as if to say “so they are!”


“What happened to your shoes?” he queries, only a child and yet already chiding.

“Oh, who needs shoes, anyway. Come on now, Leah says she’s found some elf-bolts in the glade.”

"- And what have you done to your dress?” he continues, “I thought you got that only last week, and it already has a rip in it?"

"It does? Where?” she mumbles, twisting and turning towards the torn part of her frock with a slight frown on her lips. "Oh dear. We’d better get Ferona to stitch it together again before mother sees. But not right now – come on, to the forest!”

"I can't," Cederic replies. "I am still not done with my chores."

“Yes, yes, good little Cederic, always minding his p’s and q’s and sweeping and scrubbing and so on and so forth. Come on now!” she tsks, already halfway out the window again.
"You can do your dreadful chores when you get back, since you love doing them so much! Anyways, we won't be long, I promise!" The dubious look on little Cederic’s face suggests the spry girl’s promises are not always to be trusted.

"But Ariel,” he draws out each vowel in her name in an attempt to detain her, “what if mother finds out?”

"What do you mean what? What’s she going to do?" she retorts from the other side of the window.

“She will be most unhappy with me,” he returns the half-done pot to the pile of dishes, rather reluctantly.

“Oh, pfft, is that all?” his young friend scoffs with a roll of indigo eyes.

"No, that isn’t all – for starters she would-" he begins, but naturally Ariel interrupts him.

"Exactly. She’s not going to do much of anything, and you’re just sca-ar-ed like always, you cowardly custard.”

"I am not!" he retorts between gritted teeth, already moving towards her.

"Yes you are, cowardly, cowardly custard! Cowardly, cowardly custard!" she sing-songs, pulling him on invisible strings.

"I am not a coward!" he tosses the dish cloth at her, and she dodges it easily, that mischievous laugh of hers starting up.

"And you’re slow as Aunty May’s maple molasses on a frigid Decilar day!” she taunts and starts to bolt away.

"Just you wait..." he threatens, un-strapping the apron and leaping out the window to give chase. "You've never been able to outrun me!"

"But you've never been able to catch me, either!" she shouts back as the two of them disappear in the distance.



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[Kindo]

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Familiar Sights

At long last, I am back in my homeland. I arrived to the village of Firna in the late afternoon today. Everything is pretty much the way I left it. While children have grown up, others have taken their place, frolicking around in the fields and the nearby woods, their laughter and light-heartedness giving life to their surroundings. As relieving it is to return and notice nothing has really changed, I still admit it is a bit odd. As if time has been standing still for all these years. Nevertheless, it is good to be here with my family. Despite the fact that my real home is with Ariel, since that is where my heart lay, I will always consider this to be where I belong. At least geographically.

Mother and Father were joyfully surprised and happy to see me again. Father is still in the business of pipe-weed, saying it is still profitable, in the despite of the current state of the world. When I come to think of it, it does not seem like much has suffered here, yet. Firna is still more or less self-sustaining, from what I hear. It pains me to think of how this may change, however. Not even my idyllic paradise will be able to hold out forever.

As for my little sisters, I have heard nothing but good news. Both Linn and Ferona have married. Ferona actually has three husbands, in fact. No doubt bossing them all around quite ruthlessly. Linn's husband works as with wood-craft, building everything from chairs to wagons for the ponies. Little baby Siri has continued with her glowing interest in astronomy. She is something of a loner, actually, spending most of her time nose-deep in books or research reports. She has not displayed much of an interest in finding a husband, saying "He would only distract me from my work! What I do is far too important to be pushed to the side by some love-sick banter!" when I asked her about it. Apparently, she is on to something vital to our future, although she keeps any specifics a secret. I never thought she would turn into such a dedicated, young woman.

The questions I receive are too many to list. They all want to know everything about anything, why Ariel is not here with me, and so on and so forth. I had to excuse myself, telling them it had been a very long and taxing journey to get here, and that I needed some rest. I promised them I would fill them in on my adventures and whatever has been going in the morning, once I feel a bit rested. It is good to be here, although I miss Ariel more for each day that passes ever since I left.



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