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Here’s the last story as it is now. I made a few changes during CEW, but I don’t think I made many
A breeze swept over the countryside, traveling over the hills and through the meadows, before stopping to tangle a young woman’s hair at the command of the man who sat in the grass beside her.
“Baron! Why?” She whined, trying to straighten her long hair out again.
The man who had commanded the breeze chuckled. “Because you always react and it’s funny. See, even your father thinks so!”
Dr. Handel was grinning, as his wife (who’s hair had also been disturbed) glared at him as if he had betrayed her.
The Jenna grew a bush of burs in her hand, throwing a handful of the sticky balls at Baron. “Never mess with an Earth Seedling!”
Baron lurched back quickly, brushing the burs out of his face, and trying to keep them from getting stuck in his snowy hair. He laughed. “I deserved that. Are you happy now?”
“No, my hair is still a mess!”
Baron turned to her, reaching out a hand to gently brush away the wisps of hairs from her face. “It’s not all that bad, is it?”
Their eyes met, Baron’s filled with tender love, the woman’s with slight annoyance that soon faded away. She laughed. She had a beautiful laugh. “Why do you love to annoy me so?”
Baron smiled with a shrug. “I don’t know. It’s always amusing to me how you react.”
The woman shook her head. “Guys make no sense.”
“Oh, I beg to differ, Jenny. Girls make as much sense as a horse being called a dragon. Guys always make perfect sense, right Dr. Handel?”
Dr. Handel nodded
“To you two!” Jenna retorted with spirit, taking a sandwich from the picnic basket to eat.
Baron, Mr. and Mrs. Handel, and eventually Jenna too, laughed.
Baron let out a sigh, casting a breeze across the grass, causing the meadow grass to bow and the flowers to bob their pretty heads. Jenna watched him with a happy smile. All was peaceful in Jenny’s world.
Yet inside Baron’s heart, despite the happy moment, a small shadow
Jenny ran her fingers gently through her hair, trying to remove the tangles Baron’s previous wind had created.
They sat silently for a time; Jenna absorbed in her work and Baron with a heavy weight on his heart, as Dr. Handel and his wife talked quietly to each other in the background.
Baron wished to be rid of this weight, he knew that if he ever obeyed it, Jenna’s heart would be broken. He had ignored the tug of his heart, wishing not to separate himself from Jenna and all those he now saw as family, but as each day ended and another started, the tug grew stronger. Now, he knew that it was time to say something. “Jenny, would you be mad at me if I went back to Albandra?”
Jenny’s fingers stalled. “Why would you go back? You know you’d probably be killed.”
Baron nodded “I know, but don’t those families of the ones I killed deserve justice? Isn’t death what I deserve?”
Dr. Handel’s gaze shifted to Baron, watching him as he spoke.
“I thought we were over this ‘I deserve to die’ business. Maybe it is the justice that those families wish for, but God has forgiven you, and I…I don’t think I could let you go.” Jenny’s voice sounded as if she was on the verge of tears. “Are you really considering dying?”
Baron looked up at her, eyes meeting. Slowly a faint smile came. “It was merely a thought. You’re right, God has forgiven me.”
Jenny smiled back, wiping her tears and beginning to comb her hair again.
Baron watched the flowers sway in the wind. “I think today was a perfect day for a picnic, the flowers are in full bloom,” he commented lightheartedly.
Jenny cast her eyes over the meadow. “Yes, it is wonderful.”
Baron’s smile turned genuine. He directed Jenny’s thoughts to things not related to his question, but when evening came, the heaviness of his heart grew.
Later that same day, Baron walked with Andy out into one of the wide fields on the Handel property to fetch a couple of the horses when he opened up the thoughts of his mind to his friend. “I asked Jenny if she would be mad if I went back to Albandra to face judgment from the authorities. She almost cried, so I quickly changed subject, but I feel it is the right thing to do. Jenny reminded me that God had forgiven me, but still, that doesn’t erase what I did. Those families deserve justice, and this is the only way I can think of to give it to them. But if I go, I’d break Jenny’s heart. I don’t know what to do.”
Andy swung the halter in his hand. “As your friend, I don’t want you to die. But also as your friend, I want you to do what is right. I’m not sure exactly what is right in this instance. Does God’s forgiveness mean you don’t have to be executed, or does the punishment still stand? I can see where the families of your victims would want you dead. If you gave yourself up, that might change the way they view you. Maybe they’d forgive you.”
Baron shook his head. “Most people aren’t as quick to forgive as you are Andy. And even if they did, that also doesn’t excuse my actions.”
Andy’s brows knotted. “I’d say talk to God and listen to your heart. Where is your heart telling you to go?”
“To death,” Baron replied. “My heart is telling me to face man’s judgment, and then God’s final one.”
“Then think about it, pray about it, talk about it, and decide. Maybe give yourself a month.”
“But I have prayed about it. I think this is what God wants me to do. I don’t hesitate because of fear, or even because I’m unsure about whether I should face execution or not, I just worry about breaking Jenny’s heart. If I tell her that I am going to go and die for sure, she…I don’t even want to think how she’d react.”
Andy was silent again for a couple minutes. The halter no longer swung in his hand. “Wait a month. If your heart still tells you to go, then go. I don’t know what to do about Jenny, sorry.”
“Don’t apologize, you have helped me more than you can know. It was nice to release my thoughts. Thank you.”
Andy stopped walking, meeting Baron’s eyes. “You still beat yourself up over all those deaths, don’t you?”
Baron looked at the ground and nodded. “I know God has forgiven me, and I know that Immanuel has made my crimson stains white, but I still remember the faces, the expressions they had before they died. I still remember the blood, and the cries as they perished. I still haven’t forgiven myself, and I don’t think I will.”
Andy rested a hand on Baron’s shoulder. “Know that I don’t hold Granny’s death over you. I wish I could say the same for all the other families of your victims.”
“Thanks,” Baron mumbled.
Fingers danced across ivory keys. Ink streaked in short lines across a page. Words of conversation drifted through the air.
This evening was like many others, with Jenna at the piano, and Baron working on a drawing. Mr. Handel, Mrs. Handel and Ken sat talking with each other. Usually Baron joined them, but he was oddly quiet, seemingly absorbed in his work. Ken cast him occasional looks, but didn’t say anything.
Finally Baron set down his pen, taking his drawing, and announcing that he was turning in. Jenna halted playing to say goodnight, hugging Baron tightly, and the Handel’s wished him a pleasant sleep. Baron thanked them and was heading up to his room, when Ken excused himself, got up, and followed him, halting Baron in the hallway outside his room.
“What’s bothering you?”
“Nothing, Ken.” Baron’s eyes dropped to his shoes “I’m merely…weighed down by thoughts.”
Kens eyebrow raised, he looked at Baron’s tired face. “What’s wrong?”
Baron hesitated, but opened his door, holding it open for Ken to come in, and closing it gently behind him. Baron set aside his drawing by his bed, sitting on the edge and flopping backwards onto the coverlet with a sigh. Ken sat in the chair by the window, his usual place.
“You know, whenever I used to want to talk about something, I’d go find Faren, or Father. I used to curl up in the chair in Father’s room, and trace the embroidery with a finger, before sketching it when I got back to my bedroom,” Baron reminisced, fingers tracing invisible patterns on the ceiling with his finger.
Ken looked over at Baron, a bit of concern in his eyes. “Are you still upset over Faren’s death?”
The finger paused. “No, not really. My mind has been on my past lately.” Baron sighed, his hand falling heavily. He proceeded to share with Ken the thoughts of his mind and the conversation he had had with Andy earlier that week. Ken listened in silence, watching Baron.
When Baron was finished, Ken finally spoke, voice stoic as usual. “I think you’re right to face justice, but you’re right to think that Jenna will be heartbroken. If you tell her, you will probably loose your resolve, after seeing how the news will affect her. I’d suggest following Andy’s advice and waiting a month. Spend that time leaving behind the best memories for her to remember you by, and then leave. Don’t tell her, simply disappear. Leave behind a letter of explanation.”
“But won’t suddenly leaving break her even more than if I told her and she could expect it?”
“If you’re going to do this, I think this might be the best way.”
Baron was silent for a moment, finger lifting and tracing the invisible patterns again. He sighed, hand dropping a second time. “If you say so, Ken.”
Ken rose from his seat. “I’ll leave you now. Have a good night, Baron.” As the door shut behind Ken, his voice came out in a faint whisper, soaked in unusual emotion: “Please forgive me Miss Jenna, for allowing him to break your heart.”
Baron took Ken’s advice. The next month was the best of Baron’s life. He treasured Jenna’s laugh, storing it deep inside his heart. He did his best to make her happy, with all the horseback rides and picnics, the drawings, and the piano-playing showered with attention and compliments.
While Jenny was joyful, Baron tried to hide the black shadow inside his mind, grower larger and darker as each day passed. He kept his smile sweet and happy for Jenny, but some days it was partially fake. His heart grew heavy, his thoughts grew overshadowed with the knowledge that he would soon leave Jenna behind. Sometimes his resolve would begin to slip, but soon he would harden it again, though it hurt to do so. He would lay awake some nights, tears slipping down his face, regretting his decision to die, for Jenny’s sake, but knowing that it was right in his heart.
Ken was his rock. Often, late at night, the two would find company in each other, talking about different topics, whether Jenna, Baron’s decision, or lighter things like laughing at quizzels or talking about Mary’s cakes.
The last month slipped so quickly through Baron’s fingers, and one day he said good night to Jenny for the last time. The last thing he ever told her was a tender “I love you” as she smiled and went to her bedroom, oblivious that this would be the last time she saw that snowy hair, those moss green eyes, and that pale face she thought so handsome.
He stayed awake in his room unable to close his eyes, waiting until the moon rose. He dressed himself in travel clothes, and his worn leather jacket. He left his old blue scarf folded on his bed with a few letters of farewell and a final piece of art, a portrait of Jenna and Baron on a picnic, Jenna laughing.
Baron grabbed his previously packed items, slowly closing his bedroom door behind him as he left. He was silent as he crept down the dark hallways of the Handel mansion, meeting Ken before he came to the door, where they had a final talk together.
What words were said between the two men in this moment I cannot reveal, for the topics were tender and near to each man’s heart and to reveal such things without Ken’s consent would be a cruel of me.
Afterwards, they went outside, where Andy stood holding Lucky’s reins. Baron said his final good byes to the two, and Ken gave him a large hug, both uncharacteristic for Ken and suffocating to Baron.
With that, Baron mounted Lucky and rode slowly away, letting a few tears fall as he left his life and love behind.
Six months later, the news reached them. The Silver Streak was dead.
Confuzzled, RAE
(PS. Pfp by SelkieSeal on Unvale. My dear Chase ❤️?)Been a while since I posted on here, but I would like a little feedback for this little creation in Canva from 3 in the morning (I really need help sleeping.)
Obviously, this won’t be the actual cover (you kidding, I still have a little ways to go before that), this is just me having fun.
Confuzzled, RAE
(PS. Pfp by SelkieSeal on Unvale. My dear Chase ❤️?)That looks really good!! It looks like a real cover I might find, maybe in the graphic novel section of the library. The gold lettering contrasts nicely with the cool colors. I’ve mentioned before that the lighting in that piece is great.
This is unrelated to the art, but I just realized I didn’t help much with Baron Chronicles even though I said I would. (I think school was taking up all my time.) Is there anything I can help with now? I don’t know if you’re still in the editing phase or if you’re past that.
I am out of signature ideas
@rae beautiful!! I know you said that’s not the actual cover but it still looks very good.
"When in doubt, eat cheese crackers."-me to my charries who don't even know about cheese crackers
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