Death's Daughter (An Inheritance Cycle Fanfiction)

All Men Must Die

'I am the daughter of Death, a proud and noble Lady who knows her duty.' Lyris walked along the rocky shore where the black waves lapped against her bare feet, her dark-winged raven fluttering its wings where he sat upon her shoulder. Lightning flashed on the horizon, lighting up the sea at the edge of the world. She raised her head to stare beyond the water, where she knew her destiny awaited her. The wind ripped at her hair, making the light brown waves snap at her eyes and block her vision. She pushed her hair away in agitation. 'I must not be afraid.' The raven let out a caw.

"Daughter," the cold voice came from behind her, though she knew it was not from unkindness; that was just his way. She turned after plastering a smile upon her pretty face.

"Father," she greeted, coming to stand just in front of him. He smiled down at her, his own version of kindness in his stark, grey eyes. Lord Death was a stern man, but he had softened over the years since Lyris was born. Her mother, Keturah, had changed him in ways he never knew were possible. And when Lord Death had created life, it gave him new purpose. Keturah and Lyris gave his endless life new meaning.

"Are you ready, Lyris?" She chewed on her bottom lip nervously. All her life, she'd known this day would come eventually, but she'd never imagined it would come so soon. She was still just a girl, after all; no more than one hundred years old. Shaking a bit from her anticipation, she nodded quickly, sending her curls bouncing up and down and unsettling the bird.

"Yes, Father, I think so," she replied. Her black cloak suddenly felt heavy upon her shoulders, and the clasp at her neck seemed to tighten with her fear. The bird let out another agitated caw. "Hush, Armaros," she chided the bird. The raven must have sensed her nervousness, and Lord Death could also tell she was trembling.

"There is nothing to fear, child," he said, putting a hand upon the shoulder that was not occupied by the raven. "You have been training for this your entire life. The task is simple enough: ferry the souls of the departed to their eternal resting places. You must be the judge of who goes where. That is all up to you, Lyris. I trust you will judge wisely and fairly. There is much of your mother in you..." His thoughts trailed off as he smiled at his daughter. "Now come. There is work to be done." Lyris took a deep breath and followed behind her father, taking care not to step on the hem of his long, red cloak. Not a day had gone by where she had seen him without the cloak, but today would be different.

They stopped just short of the waves, near a small boat. Lord Death turned to his daughter and fiddled with the silver clasp at his neck. It was in the shape of a raven with outstretched talons and spread wings; it's mouth open as if it would cry out at any moment. The anticipation bubbled within her as the girl watched him unclasp the cloak and slide it off his shoulders. She did the same with her own cloak and let it fall to the ground. There would be no need for it any longer. As Lord Death handed over the cloak, a similar bird to the one perched on Lyris' shoulder flew forth from the enchanted clasp, cawing wildly as it flapped its wings. The raven landed upon Lord Death's shoulder, and he stroked the black bird's wings softly.

"It is good to see you, old friend," he told the bird, which rustled his wings in response. Lyris looked to her own raven, and he pushed off her shoulder, flying towards the clasp and letting the magic of the celestial object envelop him. "Armaros will be your guide as you travel through the worlds, Lyris. He will never lead you astray," Lord Death said. Lyris took the red cloak and clasped it about her own shoulders, letting the power of the garment wash over her. It felt as though her whole body was buzzing, and the air seemed to shimmer around her.

She looked to her father and held out her arms. "How do I look?" she asked sheepishly.

Lord Death smiled. "You are now Lady Death," he replied, "and I am simply Ademus once more. It is time." She nodded quickly and allowed her father to help her into the boat. As she sat on the wooden bench, he pushed her off from the shore. Lyris clung to the sides of the boat as it rocked against the black waves, and kept her eyes on the beach. Her father stood there and watched her disappear from the Land of Eternal Life, knowing it would be quite some time before he saw her again. Soon, the little boat disappeared beyond his line of sight, and his daughter was gone.