Lore/Prologue Two: Nothing Lasts Forever
Part of the lore of New Bradford.
Frederick and Melina lived happily. Not happily ever after, for all things must come to an end. But their lives together were filled with love and joy.
Even though the people of Bradford were not happy to have a newcomer in their town, which led to a change in the way things were done, they quickly grew to love Melina. She had a way with people where even the hardest heart would fall for her.
Frederick's sons grew to love Melina wholeheartedly, even though they would never forget the mother they lost. She treated all of the children equally, never putting her birth child, Amelia, before any of the boys.
Melina's mother, Lenore, had always been an excellent homemaker, and Melina learned everything from her. Melina was the best cook in Bradford by far. Baxter was always under her heel hoping to catch some scraps or to lick a bowl when her back was turned.
Garridan had always brought Lenore recipes from his travels, so Melina had grown up learning recipes from foreign places that no one in Bradford had ever heard of. The most exciting thing in town was to get an invite to Frederick and Melina's house for dinner.
Besides the amazing food, people loved going to the dinner parties for Melina's company. She had a mesmerizing way about her. Everything that came out of her mouth was captivating. She knew all of her father's stories from his adventures on his travels. She was able to spin the tales in such a way where the listeners felt as if they were really there, and could picture every creature, even ones they never knew existed.
Frederick and Melina never grew tired of each other's company. They acted like newlyweds even when the grey started to appear in their hair. Frederick always surprised Melina with a trinket or gift when he came home from work. Sometimes it might be a treat from the bakery or a flower he picked on his walk. The best gift Frederick ever gave Melina was her horse, Scarlett.
One day after work Frederick was at the docks visiting with his first father-in-law, Christof. He noticed a shipment of horses had come in. Most of the horses were plain and ordinary and could be found in any land, near or far. But there was one specific mare that caught Frederick's eye. She was a beautiful dark brown, so dark that if you looked at her in certain lights she appeared the dark red of blood. She looked identical to the horse in the snow globe Melina gave him when he was five.
Frederick inquired about the mare and found out that she was a very rare breed from far away. He knew he had to get her for Melina. The owner of the creatures wanted an extremely high price. A higher price than Frederick was able to pay. Christof saw how badly Frederick wanted to get the horse for Melina. He remembered how well Frederick had always treated Cordelia. He also had grown fond of Melina, like everyone else in town, and understood Frederick's love for his second wife. Christof happily paid the gold and gave the horse to Frederick.
Frederick brought the mare home to Melina. Melina cried tears of happiness when she saw the beautiful beast. It was the thing she had wanted most since she was a child. Just like the horse in the snow globe they still had displayed upon their mantle at home. She named the horse Scarlett. Scarlett became Melina's best friend after Frederick. She rode her every day and treated her as another one of her children.
Many blissful years went by. The children grew up happy and healthy. All of them married and started families of their own, except Aiden and Amelia. They hadn't yet turned 20 when everything changed.
One winter a terrible storm came to Bradford. It was unlike any the town had ever seen. The snow piled up to the windowsills. The entire town was cold. Not just cold, but the kind of cold that permeated into the very center of a person's bones and wouldn't go away.
Fortunately, Bradford was run so well that the food stores were not in danger. Everyone had enough to eat and there was no worry of starvation. All the townspeople knew that the best thing to do to survive the storm was to stay inside and stay warm. At this time all of the children had moved out of Frederick and Melina's house, except Aiden and Amelia.
Scarlett lived in the barn next to the main house. She obviously needed to be fed every day, so Melina trekked out into the cold to tend to her friend. Frederick and Aiden offered to feed Scarlett for her, but Melina wanted to see her with her own eyes and to comfort her during the storm. She went to the barn every day to check on her and keep her company. By the time Melina returned from her visits she was soaked to the bone and her fingers and toes were almost as dark red as Scarlett.
Despite trying her best to warm up after her trips to the barn, Melina ended up falling ill. It started in her head, she spent the first day sniffling and sneezing. Then it quickly spread to the rest of her body. Melina became so wore down she couldn't even get out of bed. Her body burned up with fever, yet she shivered constantly. She couldn't eat, she could barely drink. Frederick tended to her during his every waking moment, he never left her side. He begged her to try to eat or drink, but she could hardly hold up her head to sip some broth.
Melina deteriorated quickly; despite everything Frederick did to help. She wheezed and coughed constantly, usually coughing up blood. Quentin even brought over some of his books of potions to try to find a cure for his step-mother. Nothing helped. It seemed like every hour she became a bit worse. Her body became frail and started wasting away.
Melina knew the end was near, so she called her family together one last time. She told them all how happy she was to be able to be a part of their lives, and she considered each and every one of them her children, even if they were not all her blood. Even though she never traveled as much as her father, she considered her life the most amazing adventure she could have ever wished for. The room was filled with tears, no one wanted to say goodbye. Everyone professed their love to Melina and then left the room so she could be alone with her husband one last time.
She had a million things she wanted to say to Frederick, but Melina was too weak. The bond between them was so strong that words weren't necessary. The look they shared said more than any words could have hoped to express. Frederick tenderly held his beloved wife's hand and sat with her quietly. He was right there at her side as Melina breathed her last breath. At that very moment, Frederick could feel himself die as well.