Minutt the Vigorous
A memoir, played out in a distant realm
The humble chamber resonates soundly with soft snoring, thin walls of light streak across the widely spaced room. Under immaculate sheets and thick quilted covers of royal preference, a young prince stirs restlessly before waking and sitting up with a start, lightly panting with his ears folded back in realization of the day he's woken upon. His dreary eyes glaze across the dimly lit room until they rest upon his most trusted guard, snoozing upright against the wall, her long polearm weapon at her shoulder. Undoubtedly still vigilant in her slumber, snoring soundly at his door. The prince catches his breath and sighs, gritting his teeth behind his clenched lips, "Today ...why must today be... today..." he utters softly, bringing his finger tips to his closing eyes, pinching them tightly. A deafening silence echoes between his ears until it elicits the softest sob from the Prince of the Kingdom Avant, Dazir De Vestibule Corazon.
A mature and caring voice softly finds Dazir's ear, "My prince, what ails thee?" Sturred from a seemingly deep slumber to a full at-ready demeanor at the duress of her prince, Guard and Keeper of The Prince of Avant, Minutt the Vigorous is suddenly at his bedside, tenderly stroking his furred head with an armor plated paw.
The Prince, still clenching his eyes tightly feels her strong paw and begins reveling in the memories of years invested in diligent and honor-bound servitude. The guard's armor clatters against itself. The worn and battered mail bore the rust of age and scars of battle from defending the home and land of the royal family. The looming scent and sound of the old metallic plates and chainmail rings through the prince's memory. Prince Dazir lifts his reddened eyes to meet the faded jewels of a gaze, "Minutt..." he sighs, calming his spasming diaphragm, "... Pray, know that I love thee wholeheartedly..." he whispers in a cracking voice as he runs his paw over her rusted breastplate. "Pray, know that..." he pauses thoughtfully, "... I must have thee know that there was but one who even approached the-" a break in his voice interrupts him. He clears his throat and continues, "-pure and fiery natured vigor that has been presented by thee in the protecting my home and land."
The smiling guard nods softly, "Alas, Ye did not deem my likeness, "-The Vigorous" for naught, my lord." The guard moves to take her paw off the prince's head, being so boldly familiar, but he quickly clenches it, keeping the familiarly loving pressure against troubled brow. She sighs, "My lord speaks of my predecessor, Tokiett the Loving, who's essence dances in the Flow of Eternity, though her demise was truly sudden and tragic." Minutt blinks softly in the dim light, her faded vision hardly making out the silhouette of her prince before her. "If fate had been kinder, might thee not have had to bare my burdens. Might my lord may have brought Tokiett to-"
"But know, Minutt!" The prince quickly objects, "As true as her nobility was, the strength of will and fire that was been exercised between thee both, truly... truly was..." The prince sobs, refusing to break fully in front of his guard. "...Magnanimous. Truly Magnanimous."
Minutt gently slips her paw from the prince's grip and tips his chin to meet her faded eyes,
"There is a secret to this fervent vigor mine, my dearest prince of Avant." The guard smiles and wipes a stray tear from the prince's quivering chin,
"Pray tell, Minutt. Pray..." the prince grasps her paw softly against his cheek,
"My dearest Prince Dazir," she kneels before her dissembling prince who's gaze follows hers, grasping their paws with her free one, "T'was her love that has been my guiding light and fire to protect all she hath loved for, and t'was thee the most and above all that she loved entirely." Minutt admits with a tired, half smile.
The prince, his head now drooped yet still clenching his guard's paws against his cheek, cries softly. His heart, filled to the brim with sorrow, but a proud sorrow; A sorrow that carries no shame or regret. For today, of all sorrowful days, this prince must bring his beloved guard to a mountaintop of legend. Over countless generations, great kings and great queens made this pilgrimage of honor and as a rite set before them, have humbly ushered their most beloved guards into the cascading flow of eternity. Fate is as fortunate as it is cruel being that many and most guards meet a more tragic end during their time and will never see this mountaintop. Alas, For those whom were wrung by life and duty yet remained loyally standing would meet this place of legend immortal. A place where angels sing in a chorus of breezes and gusts, resounding the skies with that of a washing shore. A place where the very lands breath the essence of purity and mercy into the ever blooming flora. To bring a guard to this mountaintop, christened by a glorious spectrum of colors no mind could fathom, is to immortalize their glory and ensure their essence is siphoned from their mortal form and into the Flow of Eternity. It's at the top of this mountain that the prince, Dazir De Vestibule Corazon, gives his final words to his most trusted and beloved guard, Minutt the Vigorous.
"Minutt, we have arrived. Can thee not feel the breeze? Can thee not smell the flowers? Lie down Minutt, rest thy weary bones now." the Prince Dazir whispers as he helps his tired guard down to the soft ground of the mountaintop. A wonderous breeze brings the sounds of oceans meeting land across the beautifully sunlit space. Scores upon scores of ever blooming flowers and herbs cover the mountaintop, filing the pleasant breeze with scents of the most relaxing nature. Exhausted from travel and a long life of service, Minutt can only quietly obey and breathe softly, lying down before her knelt prince, clasping each other's paws with fading tightness. The Prince calmly kneels with her and sighs deeply. He senses an encroaching force of light and knows he doesn't have much time. He looks down and his eyes meet with Minutt's faded and loving gaze, long blind but ever vigilant. He smiles and rests his paw on her warm cheek, "Minutt, thine eyes harbor my safety and love." He feels his eyes begin to well again. "So soft and loving, yet fiery and strong when threat was abound... And the clatter of thine armor..." He wipes away the welling tears only to have them stream down his cheeks. "... Thine armor always rung out to me. Thine feverous trot, always so excited to see me come home. Thine heart..." he chokes back a sob, "-so light and airy, I thought it would fly right from thine chest lest I held thee close to me again." He laughs tearfully while staring deep into Minutt's silent gaze. "Thine-" he sniffs hard and chuckles again, "Thine snoring honestly helped my restless nights. T'was was more enticing of slumber than any warm tea or lullaby, ye know this is the truest of truths?" Dazir sobs hard, hot tears falling onto Minutt's quiet face. He wipes them away and holds her face with both paws, kissing her softly on the forehead for a long moment. He whispers again, "Thine hath always, and will always be, a good girl." As he rises, his eyes meet with The Ferryman, a being of light and mercy, beautifully adorned in immaculate robes of divine constitution. He rises to his feet, chest out and head high, proudly delivering his announcement to the being;
"I, Dazir de Vestibule Corazon, Prince of the Kingdom Avant, Chosen offspring of King Damazir the Disposed, with all the pride of my blood and fire bring here; Minutt the Vigorous, my most cherished guard whom sought refuge in my lands, whom protected these lands from threat foreign and familiar," Dazir sobs hard but proudly continues, "Whom watched over me while I slept and watched over my home while I absolved my kingdom's discrepancies; whom proudly obeyed my command with nary doubt nor question;" a cough rips its way out of the prince's chest and tears begin to unabashedly wash over his face, but he proudly continues, "whom forgave my indolence, my arrogance, my shame; whom showed me the love I could not and will never expect from any other being, to have her essence ferried across the Bridge of Rain and Glory and to be accepted into the Flow of Eternity! What say thee, Ferryman!?" Dazir's furrowed brow and fiery stare at could rattle a mountain as he awaits the Ferryman's response. The being, with no facial features but beaming light and flowing essence, looks down quietly at the beloved, honored, respected and dearly cherished guard and slowly kneels down next to her. At that, Dazir suddenly drops to his knees by his guard, unable to keep his composure any further. "Minutt!" a furious torrent of divine wind enraptures the guard, buffeting the prince but he holds fast by her side, "I love thee Minutt! I love thee before the sun rises and far long after it sets! I love before the stars come out and night and long before they disappear into the day! I love thee as.. As..." Dazir stumbles on his words between sobs and before he can speak clearly again, Minutt and the Ferryman suddenly burst into a bonfire-like cascade of light, forcing the prince to bar his line of sight. He yells into the light for her. He howls her name into the gusting tornado.
As the torrent dies down, the flaming light flashes away and the prince drops his arms from his eyes, looking about him for his guard and the Ferryman. They had vanished with the light and the wind, leaving him alone at breezy mountaintop.
"Minutt... I... I..." Dazir whimpers. His ears suddenly perk up to the ethereal voice. Not in the wind or by his side, but in his heart.
"My dearest Dazir," it said, "My love for thee is like the rain nourishing the grass and flowers. My love for thee is an immaculate spectrum of light bowing before the sun."
Through blurry and teary eyes, Dazir, Prince of the Kingdom Avant, looks up at the glorious rainbow above him for a long moment... and he howls, feeling a minute shard of Minutt imbedding itself into his soul... for eternity.
"My love for thee shall know now bounds or borders, for I have been ferried across the rainbow by your love and honor, and shall forever love thee."
Written in Loving Memory of Minnie