The Skeleton Queen

Busy Lives

Every day since Albarino, the entire Bennett family knock on their parents' door to spend time with Melody and William. They come up with a collaborated schedule of activities with things to do before they pass away. Neither Will, Bumva, nor Mel object to the ideas they came up with.

"Let's have a picnic," Tuzah declares today's activity. They all dress up before heading to the park. They sit in the lush green grass and offer portions of their meals to Mel and Will.

"Ninos, we're going to eat well. Go ahead and eat," Will assured them.

"Hmmm! This is so good, Esmie!" Mel compliments while eating her squash casserole.

"Gracias, mama."

"I helped her make it," Tuzah interjects.

"That's my little warrior," Bumva smiles.

Will closes his eyes and feels the spring breeze that passes through him. Ever since he gave half his life to Melody, he enjoyed the little things more. He pulls out a blade of long grass. "Did you know that when I was a kid that this was how we made music?"

The bard puts it to his lips and hums into it. His children are amazed by the notes of the fluttering grass. Tuzah and the others each take grass to join in. Joyous laughter fills the park.

"What else did you do as a child?" Emilia asks.

"Sword fighting but with sticks. Let's grab some."

The children scatter and find sticks of various lengths. Luis gives the biggest one he can find to his dad. They spar with their father but cannot seem to land a hit on him as he dances around their attacks. He parries some incoming attacks and disarms their weapons. He then feels a swipe on the back while disarming Luis. 

"Got you, dad!" Emilia proudly declares.

"You sure did," before getting tackled by Mel. "Ow!"

"Oh, no. I must administer medical aid," before locking lips with him.

"Eww!" Luis comments.

"Don't complain. This was the start of how you were all born," Will tells them. 

The joke flies over the youngest children while unfortunately being absorbed by the oldest.

Mel pulls him up.

"What did you do as kid, mom?" Jaime asks.

"Reading, a lot of schooling, and sparring. They wanted a well-rounded princess who can defend herself."

"Another reason why I love her and your mom."

"Careful, bard. They may get another sibling," Bumva playfully warns.

"I want to be a big sister!" Tuzah demands without knowing what that entails. Emilia stifles a laugh from erupting out of her mouth.

They enjoy the rest of the day at the park skipping stones, collecting flowers, and napping in the grass before returning home. Jaime goes straight down to the cellar with his mother following. Mel pours out a glass of wine into a glass.

Jaime swirls it around first, sniffs the fruity and flowery aroma, and drinks a bit. He swishes it around in his mouth and spits it back in the glass with a frown.

"I thought I had it. I did everything right down to the ratios you gave me."

"That's okay. My first time was just like this. It's only been a month so far."

"But your wine is perfect no matter how much time has passed. What could I be missing?"

He drinks some water and spits out the remaining into a sink. He opens a bottle of the original wine and swishes some in his mouth for comparison. Mel watches silently.