Thank you (Aramus)

‘Thank you’


The pain was incredible, it was if his chest was on fire and the muscles desired only to snap themselves and reveal the inner workings of the man. He clawed and gripped at the tabard he wore for relief, throwing every last inch of his will into his survival. This was all he had done since his teenage years, this pain and this struggle was all he could remember. The life he had led was just a constant struggle with brief glimmers of light. Those glimmers would be snuffed out as easily as blowing out a candle and he would once again find himself in that same pit of struggle, dodging all the claws of fate as they tried to drag him to the end of his path.

He was never willing to let them do such a thing, he would always dodge the grabbing claws, no matter how many wounds or losses he sustained in the process. He had a desire to live, a desire to struggle no matter the price because he had things to do, promises to keep and lives of others to live alongside his own. He had accepted that his path would never end happily, but at the very least he had lived long enough to pass on what he knew.

He had found himself a new family, even if he would forever be outside it. He had sought to form a bond between the most important people in his life, he had watched them grow into the best they could be and in his final hours he had met his granddaughter and held her, a moment he had never really had with his own son.

As his heart began to stop beating he uttered his final words and passed. Azeroth had lost one of the finest men it had in terms of war and knowledge. He died knowing that he had not been the best father or friend but he knew he had done almost everything that was asked of him. The world had lost a man angry at it, a man that had never understood the need for war or pain. The boy in the man had never died, the boy that had wanted peace for his entire childhood, writing away into the early hours of the morning in the hope that one day people would listen to him and his parents would be able to lay down their weapons. The boy that had simply wanted his family back.

His name was Aramus Galenos, a general of the grand alliance. After all of his struggles, his loss and his pain, he would finally get his reward.

--

He felt as if he was floating as he twitched his fingers, his eyes still firmly closed. He had rarely felt this light in his life and he knew he wasn’t in any of his armour anymore. He carefully opened his eyes as he felt himself touch against the ground, as if the breeze had lightly laid him on the floor. As he slowly sat himself up, he blinked heavily at the sight of a bright sun. He shook his head slowly and peered down at himself, he was wearing similar clothes to his standard dress when he was a teenager in Lordaeron. A slightly frilled white shirt, black trousers and boots, the clothes he would regularly wear when he was writing his world-weary letters to the nobles of Lordaeron.

He peered up at the sound of footsteps and widened his eyes at the sight of a man. He watched as the man offered him a hand.
“A Galenos never rests for long, boy”

“Father?” said Aramus as he took the hand and was slowly lifted to his feet. He shook his head in disbelief as his father smiled at him. He hadn’t changed at all, he was still tall and broad, the lines of his face telling the stories of his battles.

“You became quite the man, Aramus. In my stead you became all that a Galenos is meant to be” said Lucas as he patted his son on the shoulder. He sighed and looked at Aramus a little more seriously as he gripped the shoulder slightly.

“The reason I have appeared before you is to apologise for what I did to you. You never wanted to become a man burdened with war and pain, nor did you wish to see your son end up in a similar life. I am sorry, Aramus, I simply could not take the pain of losing your mother. Nor could I understand why you refused to follow in my footsteps. I was a foolish old man, but I always loved you, son, just as many others have and do”

Aramus closed his eyes for a moment and frowned inwardly as he raised a hand to rest it over his fathers. He wasn’t even sure where he was, let alone why his father had appeared before him but he felt an overwhelming urge to forgive, as if the weight had finally been lifted from his shoulders.

He opened his eyes and smiled slightly at the feeling of his rage slowly melting away and gently patted Lucas’ hand. “I forgive you, father. I… spent my entire life resenting you for everything; I could never get past the feeling of hatred you implanted in me. Yet, I have received the forgiveness of my own son and I did far worse than you ever did” he muttered quietly.

Lucas nodded and stepped forward a little, wrapping his other arm around Aramus’ shoulders and held him close, patting his back after a moment.

“Everything you have done has been for a reason, Aramus. Not once have you stepped so far out of line that you have lost your honour. And now, my boy, you have earned the reward you would never have thought to ask for” whispered Lucas.

Lucas took his arm from around Aramus and stepped away. He nodded and stood at attention, saluting Aramus with respect. “In this world Aramus, you have your youth and are free of pain. I cannot be here with you; my deeds do not allow me the chance to be with you or those we love. Collect your reward son, you have done so much more than I to deserve it”

Aramus nodded and watched as his father slowly vanished from view, as if fading into the background effortlessly. He lifted his hands and peered at them, turning them over and back again. His skin had lost the age it had developed, as if he had become twenty years younger. He smirked slightly and ran a hand through his now, jet black hair.

He turned to his left and began walking down a stone path. He gazed around him at the trees and flowers on either side of that path; the wildlife seemed to whistle with the breeze. He couldn’t help but smile widely as he looked up at the sky to see birds flying across the bright sun. He chuckled quietly and returned his gaze to the path, stopping in his tracks at the sight of several people lined up on either side. At the end of the path he could see a figure, he squinted to try and make them out to no avail. He closed his eyes and stepped forward, looking from side to side as he passed each person. He recognised some of their faces, he nodded at a few of the more important men and women. Everyone he had ever made a promise to, every dying wish he had accomplished for a soldier, and they were all here.

He closed his eyes and continued to walk and slowly slid his hands into his pockets. He smirked very slightly at the sound of the words ‘Thank you’, as each and every person he passed said them. They had been waiting for him to come to this world since their deaths, they had wrongly burdened them with leading their lives as well as his own and they had nothing but love for him. Aramus Galenos had done everything he could in life to ensure that no promise had gone unfulfilled, he had even sacrificed the bond between father and son for such a feat. Aramus Galenos was the true embodiment of selflessness.

He opened his eyes and stopped as the last thank you faded. He slowly turned round to see the smiling faces of his friends and war buddies slowly fade from his vision. It was if they were finally free to go on with their time in this world. They had waited for him to pass, just for the chance to thank him for everything he had done to make sure their wishes had been granted.

“Aramus?”

Aramus turned sharply at the sound of this voice and widened his eyes. He stepped forward with an arm out-stretched as his eyes began to well up with tears.

“M-…mother?” he whispered as he took another step forward.

He froze in slight shock as his mother darted forward and wrapped her arms around him, her long blonde hair flicking through the air. She wrapped her arms around him tightly, resting her head on his chest.

“You’ve grown” she said happily.

Aramus lifted his arms slowly and wrapped them around her, holding her against him gently. He smiled widely and looked up at the sky as tears flowed from his eyes.

Catherine pulled away slightly, leaving her arms around him and looked up, smiling widely. “I think you’ve shed enough tears over your years, dear. I would hope those are tears of happiness” she said softly.

Aramus looked down at her and moved an arm from around her, slowly wiping the tears and dampness from his face. He smiled as he wrapped the arm around her once again and nodded. “They’re definitely tears of happiness mother, I promise you. I’m so happy to see you again” he said quietly. Catherine smiled and nodded before looking over her shoulder.

“Well, my dear. You’ll find me here somewhere… but I, like the others that have come before you, will fade. In this world you are bound to a single person and you’ll spend the rest of your time with them. If you search hard enough you’ll find me” she said as she looked back at Aramus again.

“And don’t you worry, my dearest little boy. You will find me, I assure you, because I will be looking for you now. The best is yet to come, dear” she said with a wide smile before slowly fading from his arms and out of vision.

Aramus let his arms hang by his side and smiled a little sadly, before looking to his right. He could see the figure of a woman walking through a field of sunflowers, toward him. He stood and focused his sight on the figure as it got closer and closer to him.

He widened his eyes yet again as the woman stepped out of the field and stood in front of him, her dirty blonde hair gently resting over her shoulders. She looked up at him with a smirk and patted his chest.

“So, no running towards each other through a field moments, hm? I guess you haven’t changed much!” she said with a soft laugh afterwards.

“Julia… you’re here. Considering you’ve greeted me with a pat rather than a kiss, I’m going to assume you haven’t changed much ei-…” started Aramus before being interrupted by Julia standing on her toes and pressing her lips against his.

As the two wrapped their arms around each other and continued kissing, both of them could feel the relief of finally being together again. They had loved each other in a strange but deep form of love, they had fought together and they had given Azeroth a gift in the form of their son.

However, Azeroth had kept Aramus away from Julia for almost twenty-two years and now it was her turn.

The man had received his reward.