kiramaru7 | Cross-posted from Madrona Project

Title: A Tale of Forgiveness
Author: kira
Word Count: 775
World: The Duchy of Saint-Germaine
Main Characters: Pashmina, Grande Duke Alexander Saint-Germaine
Rating: PG 13
Borrow: no
Summary: Pashmina and the Grande Duke celebrate the Fest of Forgiveness…
Author’s note: Madrona is a post apocalyptic world, set mainly in Europe, in what is a new renaissance. Pashmina is a kitten which is a high class prostitute. Alexander is patron, wh9ich means he either owns a kitten for a set period of time, or bought out the kitten’s contract completely, so if that were the case, if the kitten wanted to, they would be free to leave and be their own person, should they tired of their patron or the patron tires of them. They generally go on to opening a brothel of their own after wards, although a few are lucky and manage to marry their patrons.
Author’s note 2: The Fest of Forgiveness is a Madronan holiday where you ask forgiveness from anyone you’ve wronged during the previous year, no matter how big or small the offence.

Pashmina sat at the writing desk and pen in hand; he began writing a letter to his stepfather. It did not matter that he could not remember the man’s name or what he looked like, all that mattered was that he was finally ready to forgive him for selling him as a sex slave all those years ago. Pashmina had realized that if he had remained in St. Mikhailsburg, he never would have met the Grande Duke, or if he had, it would have been when both of them were married off and miserable. As a kitten, he had been miserable too, but now that he had a wonderful patron like Alexander Saint-Germaine, he could not have been any happier.

After blotting up the excess ink, he sighed softly as he put the pen down and folded the letter. Pashmina took a fresh sheet of paper and picked up the pen again. This time, he wrote to his mother, begging her forgiveness for not trying hard enough to contact her and letting her know he was alright. Pashmina also asked her to let any siblings he might have know he fine and alive, and that he hoped his family would understand if he did come to see them. No use rising from the dead if I don’t have to… he thought as he stuffed the letter into another envelope.

Pashmina also wrote to his deceased father, telling him that he finally forgave him for dying and putting his mother in the position of having to remarry. Another letter was dashed off to the brothel, forgiving Madame du Pris and the girls for any wrongs done to him, real or imagined. These letters were also stuffed into envelopes, after they had been carefully blotted. His correspondence finished, Pashmina got up from the desk.

He went in search of his patron. “Your Grace? Alex…?” Pashmina found him a few minutes later, reading a book in his study. “I have my letters.”

Alexander looked up from his book. “I have mine too.” Marking his place in the book and setting it aside, Alexander got up from the chair, he was sitting in. He held his arm out to Pashmina and together they walked to the solarium. It was warm and humid in there, in direct contrast to the cold and snow that still blanketed the ground, due to the plants Alexander kept in there and the greenhouse effect they created. Pashmina loved visiting it, especially in the height of winter as it reminded him of spring and warmer days ahead.

Drawing his shawl closer around his shoulders, Pashmina watched as the Grande Duke struggled to open the French doors leading to the balcony that flanked the solarium on the outside. Giggling, he went to help, but the two of them only managed to get them open just enough to let the two of them slip outside to stand in the snow. It was cold, and a few lazy flakes fell from the sky, but Pashmina felt that now he had a better life, he should the right thing and beg forgiveness from those he felt had wronged him. Alexander, in a show of unity, eagerly joined him.

Pashmina held up his letters as Alexander struck a match. The Grande Duke lit his letters on fire and once they got a good flame going, Pashmina held his close enough to catch fire. The two of them carefully held their letters, shivering in the cold, until there was not anything left except a few ashes. The smoke, which curled up from them, carried their words of forgiveness on the wind.

As Alexander held the door open for them, he said to Pashmina, “Pashmina, I hope you’ll forgive me for any wrongs I may have done to you this past year, no matter how big or small.”

Pashmina smiled. Cupping the Grande Duke’s cheek, he said, “All’s forgiven.” Pashmina kissed his cheek. “I hope you’ll forgive me too, Alex.”

“Pashmina, my dear, you can never do me any wrong.” They walked inside and Alexander closed the door behind them, locking it. “And if by chance you did, all would be forgiven in a heartbeat without the need for a special month to beg forgiveness in.”

Pashmina giggled. “I love you too, Alex,” he said. Leaning in, he kissed him.

Alexander kissed him back. “Your nose is cold and I bet so is the rest of you. Come, my dear, let’s go back to my study and I’ll warm you up.” Taking his beloved by the hand, Alexander led him back to his study where they soon became warm by the fire.