Under The Same Stars (Ben)

Prompt: Under the same stars

When the nights are slow at the ancestral shrine, no one calls for help, and the other ancestors sit content to talk amongst themselves in the timeless existence of the afterlife I find myself wandering. While I cannot stray very far, only within the confines of moving from shrine to shrine, there are enough of them around that I can go a considerable distance. Only when I get far from civilization does my tether to this world break.

One night I find myself wandering away from the Morag Tong shrine in Vivec City, as I had always considered Eno Hlaalu to be family, and wander up to the walkways and bridges of the Cantons. The ordinators on watch stand guard silently ever vigilant in this sacred and bustling city. The moons shine brightly over the water, with the twinkling stars reflected, seeming to move with the slow crashing of the waves. The ministry of truth also sits above the city, always threatening to crash down and cause destruction, and yet it remains unmoving.

Quietly I walk from the Arena past the Cantons of the saints and on until I get to the foreign quarter. Traditionally foreigners have not been allowed past their respective Canton into the rest of the city without proper papers, it seems for the most part this is still the case, though there is some more freedom of movement than there was when I was alive, and certainly much more than when many of the other ancestors were alive. I am not entirely sure what it is that drew me to this place, somewhere I would seldom go while alive, and have no reason to go to when dead. Still, whether it be simple curiosity or divine inspiration I find myself stepping into the Canton, the little town within a town, enclosed in stone away from the elements, and prying eyes.

The inn here is bustling and I find some of the shops still open even so late at night, the upper levels house many of the shops, though I find one or two on the lower level as well whose owners have since gone to sleep. I also find something I had not expected. Off the hallway on the lower level is a very small shrine, likely meant for foreigners whose families may be far away. Sitting on the stones that enclose the small pit of ash I find a spirit, one of a small girl, no more than perhaps six or seven years old at most. With the rake provided near the shrine she rakes the ash in patterns, initially not noticing my presence.

 She both looks and does not look Dunmer, she is taller than I would expect, with almost curly hair, and sharper features- perhaps she is mixed with something else, maybe Bosmer, or Altmer, perhaps even Breton. Though I do not know of any other culture that maintains a connection with their ancestral spirits, and the girl like me and many of the other ancestors wears a set of traditional robes, only child sized, in her case. “Hello.” I say to the spirit after a minute of observation and she looks up at me. “You’re dead.” She says matter-of-factly and I nod in response, a moment later she adds  “I’m dead too.” going back to her raking. “Do you have a name?” I ask the girl who once again stops her task and looks at me. “Leah. What’s your name?” That’s an uncommon name in these parts but one I have heard before nonetheless. “My name is Ben.” At that she raises an eyebrow, not believing me. “Fine.” I sigh “my name is originally Wei, but my common name is Ben. So I go by Ben.” With that cleared up the little girl puts down the rake and stands up, taking hold of the lantern that has been sitting next to her on the stones and walking over to where I stand by the doorway. “Want to go for a walk? It’s sad to go alone.” The girl says to me, holding up the arm that holds the lantern toward the door.

Why not? I feel a bit bad for the girl anyways. After agreeing the two of us head back up the stairs and out into the night. As we walk, the girl takes my hand, holding it with one hand and her lantern with the other. I can only assume she leads a lonely existence. The ordinators still stand at watch, and will remain that way until sunrise. “Where did you get your lantern?” I ask the girl as it lights our way in the absence of torchlight. “I found it.” Is all she replies with, I can only guess it somehow appeared when she died. “Where did you get your swords?” Leah asks, pointing out the katana and tanto with me. I explain what I did in life and how they were a gift from Eno Hlaalu, one of the first things he did upon becoming grand-master, in fact. “Constellation!” The girl exclaims looking up and finding a figure in the stars. I point out two more nearby, though one is harder to see due to the moons getting in the way. The two of us find ourselves down by the water eventually, watching how the light reflects on the water. “Do you have any family?” Leah eventually asks me after a period of silence. “Living family, I mean.” she adds after a moment. “I have a son, he is in his mid twenties now. He and his mother live in The Imperial City, though he recently moved back here, after being away for a long, long time.” While Valan was born on the tiny island of Sadrith Mora he and his mother moved shortly after I died, as it’s a difficult place to raise a child generally, and especially alone. After that thought crosses my mind I continue “There are also some extended family members, though we were never particularly close. The man I was telling you about though, the one who gave me these swords, he is still alive.” I lean in and whisper “In fact he lives in a secret hideout beneath the arena.” I put a finger to my lips when leaning back, that’s secret information, not to be repeated.

 “I have a brother, he’s much older than me though.” She pauses “And parents, though…they’re not very nice.” I suppose my assumption that the girl leads a lonely existence is correct, and should I ever find the whereabouts of her parents I will at the very least give them a stern talking to. In reality it’s more likely they will meet the sharp end of a katana, whether that is mine or someone else’s depends only on if they live in the country or not. “Do you ever see your son? What’s his name?” Leah asks as we talk more all the while observing the stars above. “I am usually the one that comes to help when he needs it, the other ancestors are too busy playing cards. His name is Valan. He also likes to do what you and I are doing now, watching the stars.” I point out his favorite constellation that is almost directly above us.

“Even though we’re far away, in the end we are all under the same stars.” I tell her, in hopes that perhaps that will bring her some comfort, knowing that she still has some connection to the world. That makes her smile a little, though it is a bittersweet smile, there is just a bit of sadness mixed into it. Eventually the sky turns from a deep navy to pink and orange as the sun rises in the east, it is time for spirits like us to go home until called upon. The world of the living may operate on its own during the day, but in the end we are all under the same stars, even the spirits of lonely little girls, and battle hardened warriors.