Gath glanced around the little ice cream cafe awkwardly, not really sure what to look at. Ever since their heart problems, Gath had been declared semi-retired, and was basically free to do whatever they want. So Gath had been using their free time to do most of the in-person planning of their wedding. In fact, that was why they were currently on Thresisa, a long distance away from their beloved poten-partner, making various arrangements. That morning, Gath had selected the snacks and beverages that would be available at the reception, and the day before, they had arranged the small keepsakes that they planned to give to everyone who was coming to the wedding.
Right now though, Gath was waiting for their mum. They were feeling anxious about a lot of things and had called home to ask for advice. Lesii had immediately told Gath to go to the old ice cream cafe they used to go to as a kid and to wait for them there. So that was what Gath was doing.
Eventually, Lesii arrived. They were easy to spot because they were so short. But while some short Rethans wore padded shoes and extra armour to make themselves look larger and taller, Lesii had never bothered. That was because Lesii was a former teacher and had dealt with so many naughty kids over the years that they didn’t feel the need to big themselves up. Lesii was a stupidly tough teacher while also being somewhat approachable. And today, Lesii showed that they clearly didn’t care what others thought of them, they were wearing very basic armour. If it wasn’t for the fact that the ice cream cafe was mostly empty and Lesii was Gath’s mother, Gath would have missed them.
Lesii grinned as they ordered ice creams at the counter and brought two over. They sat down and grinned even more as they shoved one colossal ice cream towards Gath.
“Eat up, my darling daughter! You look like you need it!”
Gath looked down at themselves. Since Gath was technically on official leave, they weren’t wearing traditional 1000th Legion armour, they were just wearing some basic dark brown leather armour, plus a scarf, since it was windy outside. They weren’t sure why Lesii was suggesting they needed to eat ice cream.
“I ought not to. I need to lose a little more weight.”
Lesii smiled some more. “You look like you need it because you look sad. I do not want my giant baby to be sad!”
Gath hesitated, then took a scoop of ice cream. It was chocolate flavour with chocolate chips and caramel swirls, their favourite.
“I am not sad, I am nervous.”
Lesii tilted their head to one side. “Nervous?”
“Yes. But I feel I should not be nervous.”
Lesii took a spoon of their own ice cream. They had a basic strawberry sorbet. “You are allowed to be nervous. You are in the middle of planning a wedding. You are getting married. It is a big event and it would be weird if you were not nervous. But Gathy, my darling, tell me, what exactly is making you nervous?”
“I…” Gath stuttered, then hesitated and trailed off, thinking for a moment. “I… I am not exactly sure. Part of it is the security. There will be a lot of important people there. Yes, I know I have worked alongside highly ranked Generals for a long time, but I am dragging them out to the middle of nowhere so I can marry the High Advisor. It is messy. And… well… considering how my… how my last marriage went…”
Lesii frowned briefly, then reached forward and put their hand on Gath’s. “Gath, none of that was your fault. You did nothing wrong.”
“I still feel like I did something wrong. The grief still gets to me.”
“And that is completely understandable. Grief never truly goes away. You are allowed to be sad about what happened and you are allowed to feel scared now. At the same time though, let me tell you something. I am ever so proud of you.”
“How comes? It has taken me four decades to start moving on, I have been terrified about moving on, and I am terrified that I will lose Relkir.”
Lesii patted Gath’s hand. “That is why I am proud of you. You could have let the pain tear you apart forever. But instead, you put one foot in front of the other and kept on going. Through the thick and thin, through the mud and the sand. It does not matter that it took you a long time. It does not matter that you are still scared. You are still here. And you will not lose Relkir. Because Relkir loves you the same way Vikal did, and Relkir will do anything and everything to be with you.”
“I am still scared though.”
“That is fine, Gath. You are allowed to be scared. The fear will pass. The pain will lessen. You will be happy. Maybe not right now, maybe not tomorrow, but you will. Things will be alright, Gath.”
“Really?”
“Of course!” Lesii beamed. “I will make sure of it. I want you to be happy. You deserve happiness. And you will get it. You are already getting it, and these nerves will pass. Your future is bright. And once the wedding is over, you will feel so much better. You and Relkir will be happy, together.”
Gath lowered their head, then wiped away a tear. “Thank you. I needed to hear that. I feel bad feeling these emotions.”
“I guessed as much. You do not need to feel bad though. Gath, darling, my giant baby, if you are sad, if you are scared, if you need someone to talk to, I am always here for you. Whether it is in person or over the phone. I will do whatever it takes to make you feel better. Because I am your mum, I love you and I want only what is best for you…” Lesii trailed off, then perked up again. “Anyway, is there anything you need help with in particular?”
“No, no. If anything, all the major planning is done now. It is mostly just… waiting for the big day.”
“Does that mean you have time to pop by the family home? I am making pizza tonight. Dad and I would love to have you over for dinner. You can stay the night too, if you want.”
Gath hesitated, then smiled. It was a proper smile. “I would love to come over tonight. Can we also have more ice cream?”
“Yes, but you need to eat what you’ve got first!”
With a silly grin, Gath picked up their spoon and took a massive spoon of ice cream, but they paused again briefly. “Of course… I… I love you.”
Lesii patted Gath on the hand again. “I love you too, my little Gathy. Now eat up, then have a think about what you want on your pizza! Then we can go to the shops and get a few bits and pieces. You may be getting married soon, but that does not mean I cannot treat you!”
“Heh. Thank you, mum.”