The Trial of Valor (Florian)

[Aegis]

The Fortress of Valor

Frost 88th, 121 AoS

The door slammed itself shut behind Florian, and the noise formed the world around him. He would find himself surrounded by stone walls and stone ceilings and stone flooring. There were thin windows around, though no light came in through them, and several doors to other rooms. The main area Florian was in was poorly decorated, only lit by the soft light of the fire in the hearth across the room. The firelight revealed a few old, broken down couches and chairs in front of the hearth, and a few decorative suits of armor along the walls. By this light, Florian would be able to see two doors, one left and one right of the hearth, both closed.

Every surface was covered in years upon years worth of dust, every corner with long since abandoned cobwebs. The air was stale and old, without even the slightest bit of draft, coupled with some smoke from the fire. A log cracked in the fire, sending an ember hurtling toward Florian at an unnaturally fast speed. It struck the man in the chest, just over his heart, leaving a rune there that glowed in the color of the fire. As the rune settled in, Florian would be able to hear a familiar voice, one he hadn't heard in a long time, the voice of the woman he called mother, echoing around the chamber, words he would've heard before, many many years ago.

"Ellie, get your toys together, we can play before I need to go to work."

Upon hearing that, Florian would find himself back in the body he had at age 10, completely unchanged aside from that glowing rune from the fire over his heart. He would even be in the clothes he wore back then. There would be that smell of the slow frying Zaichaeri bratwursts in his mother's favorite cast iron pan wafting through the space, seemingly coming from the door to the left of the hearth.

There was humming to be heard, the tune of which Florian knew all too well, it was one of hers as well. And as the tune continued, the dust of the room began to disappear, and the cobwebs began to vanish, and the room began to grow warmer. The sofas were now repaired, looking comfortable, and the armored suits were shined to a polish.

!	Message from: Aegis
	Please reply by February 22.

[Florian]

FLORIAN

Land of Nod - Trial of Valor

It had been over a decade since Florian wore a dress. Over half a foot shorter, with his long, curly white hair and a tattered doll in his hand, it was almost like reliving a memory of himself, just a few years before he had plucked the name Florian from a book. But he came complete with all of his memories and thoughts and feelings and the dark mark on the palm of his small hand. The closest thing to a mirror to inspect himself was in the polished suits of armor along the walls, though he barely recognized the face he saw, with its two full horns and two full arms. It had been so long since she called him Ellie, and he knew that part of him was long gone, just like his mother. He wasn't a child anymore, waiting for his mother to come home from work, but he so desperately wished to see her again. He instinctively ran to the left door of the hearth, but there was some sense in him still, even after everything that had happened. This was a trial of Valor, meant to repair a man he had never meant of his courage. Fear was a feeling that Florian knew all too well, and now he was in the realm of it.

Speak your fears and know them. He did not know what he would see on the other side of the door, and that scared him. He did not know if he would see his mother, or if he would see someone — something — anything else. This was not his home. This was not his life. Perhaps what scared him most of all is if there was nothing to fear behind that door that hid the smell of her wonderful cooking and the sound of her humming.

Florian dropped the doll and slowly opened the door. "Mama? Are you in there?"

[Aegis]

The Fortress of Valor

As Florian opened the door to the room, his mother was there, cooking those sausages he loved so dearly. She looked just as he remembered her, in the kitchen that Florian would remember her from. She looked up at him and smiled, "Of course I am. Are you hungry?" She would continue to hum as she cooked, happy, healthy and whole.

But while the scene was exactly as Florian would've seen so many times, it was not a memory. This was was something else entirely. Once the sausages were readied, Florian's mother scooped some fried potatoes and greens onto a plate, carrying them over to Florian's seat at the table, and setting it there. She fixed a plate for herself, and moved into her own chair.

"My love, there's something I would like to talk to you about. It's a concern of mine that I've had for..." at this she looked so tired, like she might after working so many more days than normal, "many, many years now."

A scent began to cut through the sausage and potatoes and warmth of the room. Slightly metallic and sticky, but Florian's mother continued to eat, unnoticing or unconcerned. "I was so happy to see you grow up into such a grown man. You made me so proud, every single day. You had a rare gift that so few can find, and that was knowing who you are. Who you really are."

The temperature in the room began to drop, and Florian's mother's face looked a bit more pale now. Florian would find himself in his adult form, in his normal, physical self as she spoke, a soft sigh escaping her lips first, "I know I'm dead, that's fine. We all have our time. But I just have to ask.."

She looked up from her food staring Florian directly in the eyes, "Why haven't you found my
--"

There was two dull thuds against the wood of the door. Someone was knocking. Florian's mother smiled, a bit of color back upon her face, a little less tired looking now. She scooted her chair back, "Keep eating my love, you'll need your strength." As she walked, there was a soft, squelching, wet sound where her feet lifted from the wood. But the fire light was low in the room, so it mostly just looked dark.

Florian's mother opened the door, and one of the suits of armor was standing there, the same one Florian had inspected himself in earlier. In its hand, a bloodied knife. Florian's mother, "Is it that time again already?"

The armor said nothing, and Florian's mother turned to look at him, smiling from her very soul, "I love you, my son."

A voice echoed from the armor, “What a mess we’ve made," as it plunged the knife deep into Ava's chest. She gasped, choked on her own blood, as the light faded from her eyes. The armor yanked the knife back out, and she fell backwards into the room, blood splashing up all around as she landed. The armor looked at Florian, "We want the best for Florian," and began to turn to leave.

!	Message from: Aegis
	Please reply by March 1st.

[Florian]

FLORIAN

Florian was awash in emotions he had neither the time nor inclination to realize. Relief, love, confusion, fear. He started to eat, the fried potatoes first, then greens and sausage. His eyes widened as she spoke and he realized he was an adult again as the fork clattered to the table. He picked it up with his left hand, but his appetite waned as she grew pale. And the smell. The smell of blood was too familiar — his own or hers, it made him gag, and whatever was left of his appetite disappeared.

Florian tried to force his face to remain neutral as she spoke, and he wanted to believe it was really her. But he could ont understand how he was seeing her through this door. He answered a call, and for what? To see his mother? He was horrified at the thought that she had been unable to pass on for whatever reason, and he reached for her hand even as she stood up to answer the door.

"Found what? Mama? Your killer?" He asked in quick succession, but she was already opening the door and his eyes followed her. "What are you talking about? Mama? MOM!?" He screamed, but he was too late to save her again. He stood up and ran to her side, but the armor had already started to turn to make its escape. The voice it spoke with was vaguely familiar, but it had been so long since he had heard it that if there was a name attached it had been shoved out of his mind much before.

We only want the best for Florian.

Without much thought he found himself kneeling next to her, tears brimming. He had cried so much already that it was getting hard to make them fall. "I love you, too." He mumbled, and then he remembered what he was supposed to do — find the fragments. He didn't know how much time he had to complete this task and he had already spent some time on this meal. Florian closed her eyes, dropped her hand, and stood up. With blood on his pants from kneeling in it, he stepped back out to the main room.

[Aegis]

The Fortress of Valor

As Florian stepped out into the main room, following the Suit of Armor, the nearby hearth grew in brightness and intensity of light. It went through the colors of reds, then oranges, then yellows, fading into blinding white light that came with no additional warmth. The moving armor raised an arm, a loud, terrified screeching echoing from within the armor. Seemingly uncharacteristically, the armor turned suddenly to run away from this growing brightness. And as it did, its visor flung open, revealing the shadow within that lacked any discernible features whatsoever. The light passed through it and it ceased to exist.

For a moment, Florian would be blinded, but a moment later the light would be faded. The room would be perfectly cleaned and immaculate, glowing and comfortable. There was the sound of songbirds outside, the hearth was warm and inviting now. And for one, singular moment, Florian would feel a familiar hand upon his shoulder, one he'd felt countless times. Ava stood there behind him, leaning in to whisper once more in his ear, "Why haven't you forgiven yourself, my love?"

And then Florian disappeared.