Pk - The Final Page of your Book

[Lirinya 4021]

 

 

 

The book closed with a snap as Cosima glanced out through the window of the houseboat she rented in the canal of Portoregne. Construction had began for the city’s defenses moons ago, and she tired of the noise, the unrest.

 

There was little else she could do but accept it. San Adriano stood, yes, but it was no longer safe- she felt. 

Marcel had offered her a place with the Vuillers, but even then, what was the point? She could go to Ravenmire? Ravenmire, ha. She had no one there. Her son was dead, her husband was dead. Her grandchildren and great grandchildren were alive, but they did not know her. That was her fault.

 

August- Dead. Ophelia- Dead. Olivier- Dead. Marcel.. Dear, sweet Marcel. He had his own life, the trials and torment that came with fighting for Balian, for its defense. Well, today she’d join the fray.

 

The hour closed in. The Balianese rallied the final time. They knew that the fight was lost, they knew the Kingdom was lost.. But there was something honorable in the way they still fought on. But also something stupid.

 

Cosima layered on her armor, an old set purchased years ago. It had seen better days- and so had she. Her sword, A Balianese Defender it was called, was sheathed at her side. 

 

“This will do.”

 

And so Cosima took to the gatehouse. That was where some of what remained of the defenders made their stand. She couldn’t name them, she’d been disconnected from Balian for quite some time now. But the King was there, and he was worth standing beside. 

 

But they knew the war was already lost.

 

 

---

 

She had enjoyed her time with Balian, though it had all not gone according to plan. She had fought to leave Petra when the nation had begun to suffer, when it held no more promise for the family of Temesch. She had bickered with her father to join Balian- she had seen its promise. It’s bright, colourful nature. It’s love for its people and its ability to welcome all and any.

 

They had settled there. Her father, Adrian @Kaii with her mother, Wilhelmina @FireAGN, at the head of the family. San Adriano had been constructed just off the main road, a keep atop a cliffside overlooking the beautiful beaches and shores. 

 

Her love for Balian had begun with Marcel @SmartScout. Did she ever tell him that?

They had met in their youth; Marcel had been sitting outside the tavern on a particularly sunny day. It had been a chance meeting, but it was one which led to more, and more, and then more still.

 

But something happened; her eldest brother and the family heir was injured, and in turn, she was given the role. It had thrown everything off track- they couldn’t pursue a relationship when they were both heirs.

 

So they moved on, though he was always the influence for change, for something better, and Cosima thrived in Balian alongside her family for a time. She began her legacy- she wanted to construct a library filled with her collection- a collection that grew to over two hundred. She got there, in the end.

 

But being heir was not something she could handle, particularly when every man she adored could not wed into her family. So she made the decision to pass it to her brother, August @__Stal27. He was deep into the world of politics, had a beautiful partner in Ophelia @comatoseprincess, and she was certain he would drive Temesch in the direction it needed to go. And he did.

 

She fell in love once or twice. Marcel, obviously, Olivier @Mykei- a childhood friend grown companion for a time, and then eventually her husband. Allerick Rostova @XoxoMinnieXoxo. They had met in Petra, on that step she would always recall. He had complimented her dress; they were young, she waved him off. But they kept in touch here and there.

 

They were supposed to fix Ravenmire together. That had been the plan, but plans change, don’t they? They had a child- a singular one- Thorin @Javert.. But the birth had been tough and the mental strain had been far greater, and Cosima just couldn’t handle him. Allerick was nowhere. His mother had rode off some time before and he had simply never been the same. So she was alone. In a place that she did not like with people she did not love.

 

Thorin was left to be raised by Ravenmire, and Cosima just…. Stopped. Everything. She struggled to function. She had lent on Sigmar @Terry for a time, he had been a good friend, and her greatest lament was that they had not kept in touch.

 

There were many regrets, many losses- some of which she would never recover from. But there were good times. Happy times. It’s a shame that the mind can not recall them, when they are needed most.

 

---

 

Allerick died first.

Cosima had already accepted his departure as that being the end of his days. She never expected him to return, and she had spent decades grieving. So when the official notice came- it was of no surprise.

 

Then she met with Thorin. 

 

For the first time since he was but two years old. A grown man, with children and a Sovereignty to inherit. It was his rightful place, even if she had never accepted to love it. She met her grandchild, Alysanna- such a character, such energy. 

 

And then he died, too.

 

It was as though a piece of her had gone missing in an instant, even if they had no connection as such. A hole, caverness and empty remained in her heart forever, and no amount of trying could mend it. It sat besides one August had left when he died, and Allerick, and Ophelia. All of them.

 

 

---

 

Sounds of war cries echoed in the distance as the enemy began their approach. They were many, and Balian was not. The wildlife and the people had long since evacuated. Birds fled their nests as the rolling metal of armor rang through the trees and the Balianese who did not, could not, or would not fight had left long before. What stood between Portoregne and the enemy- the church, or so they claimed to represent, were a handful of men at the gate, and the remainder deeper within the city.

 

King John @Andustar drew his sword first, and rallied their group to ready. Cosima drew hers, and awaited the charge.

 

 

---

 

A flurry of men and women on foot, on horseback, charged the Balianese intent on destruction. They were savage, relentless, but there was no turning back now.

She threw herself into the frey alongside John and the others, seeking to harm, seeking to kill- but then she fell. 

 

There was no time for memories to make their appearance. A blade pierced the joint of her chestplate, knocking wind from the Temesch-Rostova in an instant. 

 

But she had been dead the moment she layered on her armor. 

 

She knew how this was going to end.

 

 

---

 

Letters were written and mailed to individuals prior to the final attack on Portoregne, and were not publically available.

 

To Alysanna Rostova, my Grand daughter

Spoiler

Our last meeting was many moons ago, now and I regret the nature of which it was. I have many regrets in my life, and many revolve around the absence and neglect your father faced of his parents' company. How you as his children were not given the chance to connect with your Temesch heritage, and how you were not able to enjoy the warmth of Balian.

 

I have not met the rest of your siblings, and so I leave what valuables I have to you to distribute as you see fit, or not at all.

 

I was never too religious as a person. I valued opinions and research over the word of saints and gods. But I pray, as we make our stand here in Portoregne, that you and your siblings are happy.

 

To Marcel Vuiller, my Love

Spoiler

There is nothing more that I can give you which you have not already had. You have had my thanks, my praise, my encouragement. My well wishes and my woes. My greatest lament is that we did never find the time to meet again. Perhaps we might have done, had we both made it out of Portoregne. 

Alas.

 

My feelings for you were always conflicting, but they never did subside. Meeting you in Portoregne at any age, whether we were teenagers navigating the uncertainty of the future to grown adults with our own children and more, you always brought a smile to my face and a warmth to my heart.

 

To Sigmar var Ruthern, my Friend

Spoiler

There would have been many stories to catch up on, had we ever had the chance. But our lives turned down different roads. I pray you found happiness, and peace, and purpose.

 

To Adriana Temesch @HIGH_FIRE, my Niece

Spoiler

I wish we could have spent time together. I wish we could have properly utilised the gift that was San Adriano and the position Temesch was left in by your grandfather, August. But wherever it is that Temesch land now, I am content in the knowledge that its legacy will remain protected.

My collection of books have and forever will remain with Temesch. Continue to collect, continue to gather, and continue to learn. They are left to you.

 

To The Son of John, Lothar

Spoiler

Since before you were even a thought in the greater scheme of it all, I have had the pleasure of calling Balian my home. Queen Sybille took us in with open arms, and we worked tirelessly to ensure she never once felt that we were not worth the time and trust she gave us. 

 

Petran at birth I might be.

Ravenmiran by marriage.

But I will die Balianese.

 

Wherever you and your people take to next. Protect them. Treasure them, and may god watch over you all.

 

---

 

Spoiler

Cosima was a wonder to play from start to finish. Thank you to everyone, tagged and otherwise, who helped me form her to what she became. It is a story well ended.

 

[HIGH_FIRE 5490]

Adriana cried a lot, more than most people did, but she had lost a lot, especially in her own family. Reading Cosima's letter tore her apart... but at least she knew something. "I will continue our family's book collection and build it even more, in your name Great Aunt Cosima..."

[Andustar 4143]

He never forgot their faces - those of the men and women who had pledged themselves unto the end. John admired the loyalty each of them bore, but he admired their courage far more. They had earned the right to leave without rebuke, for they had already given what was expected and more. And yet they stayed, never flinching, never doubting. Perhaps it was suicidal, charging forth and into the enemy advance whilst woefully outnumbered, but then one final effort in defence of their home was worth the risk.

Cosima was a kind woman. A moral lady and refined scholar. This was not the end one would have expected, nor say she deserved. But it was the end she chose, and even as he was dragged into the mud. Even as the daggers pierced his flesh and life left his body, John was proud of her. At last, peace - the Temesch had earned it.
 

Spoiler

 

 

[Terry 2680]

Ser Sigmar clenched the letter in one hand, the other used to support his head as he sat upon his bed. The man, once young when he had met Cosima, shook his head when the news were delivered to him, sighing as a tear or two dropped from his face, to hit the floor of his confines.

 

In truth, he had not thought to reach out to Cosima in years, since they last caught up in Balian. From being knighted to meeting his own wife and joining the Aulic Government, his life had jumped from one busy adventure to the next, but he too regretted it deeply, never more so now than at that very moment of the news of her passing. It was yet another death, another loss to face. Another friend he would have to do without, another reminder that his time too were coming.

 

He hoped she would not be disappointed in him, to learn he had found none of what she wished upon him. At least as of late.

 

He'd roll himself to his feet, then, as he passed the letter to his wife. Mahaut (@pomegrad) may not have known Cosima if at all, but what Sigmar said as he passed it to her would make sense in that moment. 

 

"Vyr right, retirement has never sounded better." He'd speak, hurt, before disappearing to throw on his armor and continue his day as he'd done everyday since the war.

[EmiliainWonderland 2309]

Spoiler

I may not play on the server anymore, but I HAVE to reply for Cosima who I'd managed to roleplay with on at least two of my personas.

A sister had watched her elder sister's journey from the seven skies. Austina was proud, proud that her sister had done all she could for their family in the past yet she'd never said it. Proud that her sister made her own way, despite how Austina never got to see it happen. She had been too busy in her own life before she died, too filled with anger for the father they'd all shared. Some things like that had never died down until she herself had passed. Yet, she was proud.

 

A daughter-in-law had many regrets. After her husband's passing, Isabel hadn't reached out to Cosima much. Hadn't made that effort to get to know the mother who had finally tried being a part of her son's life before his untimely death. Maybe they'd all get to know one another now, now that there was no titles, nor anything to keep them from pretenses. Yet another Rostova who'd fallen, yet another to join the ranks of the many that would leave her children behind. Yet she did not mourn for them, not anymore. They made their own way, she hoped she'd get Cosima to see that someday too.