An Ungstiri Tale - The Epilogue

An Ungstiri Tale: - Epilogue Airdate: 25 July 2004 Cast: Kittianna, Jeff Ryan, Taeren, Innokentevna. Summary: Lake's Treasure

Silent tears stream down the lunite's face as a kindred spirit parts for another realm, one he cannot follow. He looks from the now dead Lancelot du Lac to the Princess Larisa Romanov, he says nothing.

Kit regards the entire scene silently, loath to interrupt with so many already pressed near. Her eyes narrow as she shifts her weight uncomfortably, and when the librarian passes on, she turns away, her face studiously and utterly composed.

Taeren lets the librarian's knees go to ground, then shifts them, so that Lake rests in a sitting position ... and finally lying down, his head slightly elevated. The Timonae's hand goes out to slowly close Lake's eyes. "It's a shame," he whispers. "I would've liked to know how you did all those tricks with that staff." Rising, his eyes fall on the placard Lake had seen, and he blinks in dismay. "All this ... for Maza's own Park?!" He shakes his head in disbelief, taking a step towards the door again. "That ... that can't ..." His eyes fall to Larisa, and he stops, as if waiting to see what happens next and believing that, somehow, it all rests on her.

Tresillian stops still and silent, well almost still. With the old man's last breath he shivers and rubs at his kneck.

Blinking, Larisa swallows. "Mister?" She then turns, and runs up the stairs and through the doors

Jeff Ryan says to Taeran, "This is Ungstir, the wildlife here is a treasure beyond value to the Ungstiri." He looks after Larisa, still holding Lake's body, "Let's get him inside at least."

Innokentevna stands for a moment, leaning heavily on melody. She looks to Kittianna, and then to her beloved, and then to the broken form on the stairs. "Hoop ..." the single word shattered into a thousand pibces. "Vhat name are ve going to carve on the wall ..." She then looks to Katriel, and hand in hand leads Melody up the stairs.

"He ... he ... " Then Katya just nod her head. "Ve neet to see."

Avalon U-001 ........................................................................... The touch of snow upon crisp clean air... The scent of pine, adrift upon a autumn eve ... The ripple of wind through the trees ... The laughter of water across rocks unseen ...

The winter forest opens up, thick and dense over rolling hills, scattered in light underbrush, scattered with stone boulders large and small, ancient and gray. Tall ever green trees with branching tracery form a virgin canopy against the sky, with only the occassional shimmer of the huge forcescreen domes above betraying the hint of the vale's true nature. For a brief heartbeat a shadow haunts the edge of sight. And when it breaks, to vanish about a hillock, there is the lightest thunder of hooves upon the forest's floor. Almost forever do the ancient woods seem to stretch, a memory of a past lost and a promise against the future. And not silent, not a tomb, but alive with the wild's call. The chitter of small creatures, the snap of snowbird wings, the bark of a wolf-ish creature hunting complete the wilderness preserve. ........................................................................... A soft mixture of yellows and golds wash the far horizon, sending long shadows through the trees, banishing the darkness and a twilight mist as morning breaks.

Innokentevna whispers quietly, the young Ugstiri caught still, words laced with shock. "He vas rite. Eets ... eets .... eferythenk he sait eet vas ..."

Kit releases a silent sigh, but puts up no significant opposition as she follows close behind Melody and Innokentevna - only to stop short as she views what lies beyond the steel doors, a sharp breath only serving to drive home the facts all the more as the scents of growing things thriving is drawn in. "Impossible," she murmurs, a reflexive denial only, as she tilts her head back to view the tallest trees and the forecedome hovering over them.

Taeren looks around with wonder, eyes caught by the brilliant sunrise. "It's beautiful," he agrees quietly, and although he wears a warm leather jacket his shoulders twitch as if there's a chill up and down his spine.

The lunite says nothing as along with Taeran he places the knight-errant down in an approriate spot. After he's done so he smiles sadly, "It's beautiful Sir Lancelot."

The young girl looksall around her, eyes wide. Shepoints at a trunk, and then at the needled canopy above. "What is that?"

Lake resting in eternal slumber on cool tundra grass, Tay pauses behind Larisa and smiles a small smile. Lime hair gleams a little under the wintry sunrise. "That's a tree," he says. "You've never seen a tree before?"

Larisa shakes her head back and forth. "Uh uh ... its ... its very pretty."

"Er..." says Jeff as the magic seems to wear off, Knights and Queens and Princesses are from another world, another reality, stories and legends that might inspire the real world but are not the real world. With Lake's death the magic is gone, "Now what do we do?"

"Trees are ... fery pretty." Innkentevna just whispers. She then turns to Ryan and blinks. "Vee remember. An I shall go back, an vhen my Dina is olt enough I veell tell her ov a brafe librarian vho life't een a better place z'an one ov stone an hunger an death ... an zat vay, vhen she tells her taughter, and her daughter toes zee same ... he veell lef forefer."

Kit's eyes finally flick from the scenery to Innokentevna, and her brow furrows briefly in recognition at something the courier says before she takes a breath and says quietly, "If there is nothing else pressing for the moment, we should see to you and the ships before we decide what to do from here."

"Why?" Tay asks, indignation starting to rise in his voice. "Why did we have to fight for this? Why did he have to die?"

The tears haven't yet dried, Ryan nods as Katya speaks, when Taeran raises his questions he turns sadly to the Timonae, "He was an old man, he had something to atone for, at least to him. He chose this fight and he knew it would kill him, that makes sense now. He died bravely and fulfilling his final wish, no man, no ungstiri can ask for more."

Innokentevna looks back to Taeren then, and to Ryan, as she leans upon Melody. "You both ... you both are hoopin' vrong."

There is a strength in the Ungstiri's words, more than just a fierce invective.

"I met a voman stronger z'an me. She knev zere vs no hope, notheenk to stop zee Tark. But you knov vhat she sait to me. Hov ve die toesn't matter. Vhat ees eemportant ... ees hov ve hafe leefe't."