Harvest Days Epilogue

By K'Arthur

Konami owns Suikoden and its characters, Straya owns Ardeth and Jael, MercWanderer owns Rachel, and the rest belong to me.



Morning came and it was time for my friend to leave. We all ate breakfast, and then the knights went outside to get their horses ready. Except Father. He stayed in and helped Mother clean up after breakfast. He didn’t say much of anything to her, though.

Then Lord Salome came back inside and said the horses were put to, and it was time to go. Jael took his pack and I walked him outside. The adults said their good-byes and he and I walked over to his father’s carriage.

“Well, I had fun, Ryan.”

“Me too.”

I offered him my hand the way that the knights do when it’s important. He took it and we smiled at each other. “Maybe you can come back next year.”

“Maybe. Or maybe you can come to my house for Yule.”

“Yeah, that would be fun.”

We sorta stared off at the adults for a few minutes and then he said, “I know we’ll see each other again.”

“We should make it a pact.”

“We should.”

“How do we do that?”

“I think we just did by saying it.”

Lord Salome walked up to us and gave me a pat on the head. “Be a good boy, Ryan,” he said. Why does everyone always tell me to be good?

Then he said to Jael, “Ready? I’ll need you up front again.”

“Yes sir!” My friend said as he rushed to the steps of the carriage.

There was some more waving and well-wishes. Then Jael snapped the whip and the horses trotted away. I watched them until they disappeared. When I turned around, I got a big surprise. Father was still there!

He smiled at me. “Well, I’ve been granted an extra week of leave. It must have been your mother’s cooking!”
I looked at him. “But Mother’s cooking is—“

She was right behind me, but I didn’t know that. He cut me off. “Wonderful!”

“Don’t lie, Percy,” she said with a laugh.

“It’s not really lie.”

“Yes, it is.”

Father laughed again. “Come on, Ryan. Let’s all go for a ride.”

Even though I already missed my friend, I couldn’t say no to that!

~~~~~~



Eleven years later, I still hold the memories of that Harvest most dear. My new friend, my best friend, and his family made it special. I learned quite a bit, as I grew older. I learned that Charlotte wasn’t annoying and that her father wasn’t much of a man. I learned that “three sheets to the wind” meant drunk. I learned that Uncle Borus loves my mother more than he loves himself. I learned that Geoffrey would stop crying and grow up to be a good friend, and I learned that sometimes a shred of hope can bring forth a miracle.

And with all that, the words of Hugo rang true and provided me with the most valuable lesson as I followed in my parents’ footsteps and enrolled in the military academy. I began to realize what he meant by just being himself that night. There was no race, no war, and no anger in that house that night. We were just people. A group of people, from all walks of life, from different countries, from different races, who came together and celebrated the most important of Sadie’s gifts—each other.

There were no disagreements, no politics, and no hatred that night—just love and kindness for our fellow men. To this day, I wish I could go back to the tiny house in the back of that meager cornfield, where all those people gathered to enjoy each other, and where I met my best friend.

P. Ryan Fraulein II
In Solis 493


Author’s Note: Special thanks to Alastair, AJ, Catherine Rain, MercWanderer and Sam-Chan for their wonderful beta-reading services on various phases of this story.


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