The memorial was held on a sunny day, just about two weeks after the fall of the Guild. That had been how long it took to create the massive marble structure that would cement their legacy into live into the Guild never would.
The statue had been quite the undertaking. Ridley had worked alongside Arwin, Ida, Koyu, and Wallace in order to create something that felt suitable for its purpose. But the result somehow felt about as perfect as something like this ever could have.
Carved from pure white marble that had been more than happy to serve such a purpose, filled with enchantments to protect its form, and covered with ultra-fine engravings that would ensure it remained clean, the statue was liable to end up outlasting everyone who had worked on it by a great many years.
It depicted a man clad in brilliant white armor standing upon a short enough platform that one could stand eye-to-eye with it. He had one hand resting upon the hilt of a blade he’d buried into the ground. The other held a shield, raised to protect whoever may have been standing behind him.
Every single part of the statue had been created with such meticulous detail and care that it may as well have been a living person. It would have been nearly impossible to tell that it was carved from stone rather than flesh if not for the man’s face. Where there should have been features was only a blank slate, polished to a near mirror-like state.
There was no way to look into the statue without seeing your own gaze reflected right back.
Something about that felt right. The memorial wasn’t just for One and Two. It was for Blake, for the nameless men and women who had fallen in defense of Milten. It was for those who had been stolen from their home planet and those who had been born into a war that had never been theirs.
This was the result of all of their combined effort, an attempt to ensure what had been paid would never be forgotten. Arwin wasn’t sure if it was enough. But it had been the best they could do. Anything fancier felt like it would have started to take away from the actual sacrifices that had been made.
He’d been standing here since the sun had risen in the morning. A crowd had ebbed and flowed around him as people came by, leaving flowers at the statue’s base. They’d already formed into a pile so large that it had entirely swallowed the lower half of the memorial.
Lillia had stood at his side for quite some time, too. But she’d left to make food for all the people that had come by. It wasn’t like her to let anybody go hungry. Arwin just hadn’t quite managed to pull himself away yet. There wasn’t anything that immediately called for his attention.
He was fine to simply stand there.
The air was surprisingly light. Perhaps it was the scent of the flowers and the warmth of the sun enveloping the him and the other onlookers from overhead, but Arwin could have sworn the statue was smiling at him.
Someone stepped up alongside Arwin. Long black hair hung around the pale features of a tall woman, but it had been cut back at the front and pulled into a neat ponytail that hung all the way past her waist. It took Arwin a moment to realize it was Eleven.
He blinked in surprise. Then he quietly turned back to the statue.
Neither of them said anything for nearly a minute.
“It’s nice,” Eleven said quietly. “They would have liked it.”
“I hope so,” Arwin said. He shook his head. “But I’d have preferred to find out from them directly.”
“Yeah,” Eleven said. “Me too. But that’s not the way the world works. You can’t get something without paying for it some way or another. Greed was how we ended up here in the first place. Let’s leave it behind, if even just for a day.”
“Wisely spoken,” Arwin said. He blew out a small breath. “If it wasn’t for men like One and Two and Blake, who knows how long it would have been before the Guild fell… if it ever did.”
“And now the entire world knows that.” A small smile crossed Eleven’s lips. “Your memories did all of them more credit than a statue ever could. But the statue is nice, too. It’ll hopefully help the generations that follow to avoid making the same mistakes the Guild did.”
“But they will,” Arwin said. “People have short memories.”
“Maybe,” Eleven said. “Then there will be men like this again. And the next time around, with any luck, the Horde and the Kingdom of Lian will be standing on the same side. I actually saw some demons in Milten a few days ago. They were opening a mattress store. Can you believe that?”
“Seriously?” A chuckle slipped out of Arwin’s lips. “A second one?”
“It’s apparently already pulling some customers,” Eleven said. She glanced over to Arwin. “Apparently, they’re quite comfortable. I might check it out at some point soon.”
“Yeah?” Arwin grunted. “That does sound nice. And the ones in the Den are pretty much all destroyed. Maybe its time for an upgrade. Let me know how they are. Nobody I’d trust more than you for what gets someone a good night of sleep.”
“You might have to wait a while,” Eleven said. “But I’ll send word.”
“Oh?” Arwin asked. “You planning on getting busy? I’d thought you would want to take some time off.”
Eleven let out a small laugh and shook her head. “That would have been nice. But the rest of Setting Sun… well, they’ve elected me as the new Guild Leader, against my wishes. But what’s done is done. I’ll do it for a bit. There’s still more to deal with in the kingdom. The lands of the Horde as well, now that it looks like we’ll be entering some degree of an alliance. Someone will have to work that out. Leadership is broken on both sides. Something new will need to emerge.”
“You’re planning on taking lead there?” Arwin asked, surprised.
“Absolutely not,” Eleven replied, nearly choking. “But someone needs to make sure that goes smoothly. I’m sure some people will want to try to take advantage of the power vacuum. We’ll work with some of the top guilds and try to keep at least some semblance of order until a structure is established. Then I’m stepping back and sleeping for a year.”
Arwin sent Eleven a sympathetic smile.
“Don’t look at me like that,” Eleven said. “Like you know something I don’t.”
“Best of luck with your guild,” Arwin said. “If there’s anything at all you need, feel free to let us know. I’m sure everyone in the Menagerie would be more than happy and try to assist… once we’ve gotten the place cleaned up a bit more. Lots to do everywhere, I guess.”
“Yeah,” Eleven said. She looked back to the statue. The two of them were silent for a second longer. Then Eleven nodded. “I’ll be seeing you, Arwin. Probably sooner than either of us would like.”
“Probably,” Arwin agreed with a grin. “Just make sure you swing by every once just to visit. Not everything has to be business.”
“I will,” Two promised. She clapped Arwin on the shoulder. For a moment, the two of them stood in silence.
Then Eleven turned and left.
Arwin stood there in silence for several more minutes. Then he quietly approached the statue, crouching beside the huge pile of flowers and setting the rose he’d brought amongst the others. Then he straightened and took a few steps back.
He let his gaze linger on the statue for a second longer.
“Couldn’t have done it without you,” Arwin said softly. “Couldn’t have done it without any of you. Thank you.”
Then he turned and headed back toward Milten.
There was still a great deal of repairs that needed to be done. Blake had always been tireless. One and Two had been no different. They’d probably all have given Arwin shit if they knew he was just sitting around staring at a statue when there was still work to be done.
Remembrance was more than just a statue or kind words. It was a deed.
And, so long as people continued on the mission that Blake, One, Two, and everyone else had bought with their lives, then their spirits would never cease to be.
You know what to do! What do you want to see next? I'm still looking at previous comments of course, just want to keep judging.