#maspen

He was just short of his 95th Birthday, and in those nearly 95 years he'd lived more than many could live in two hundred years. He'd had four beautiful children, fifteen grandchildren, and he'd even been around for the birth of his twenty-four great grandchildren. He'd been there for every birth and every wedding, if that's not living I don't know what is.

I was thinking about all that when I made my way up to the front of the church. Kaden had just given the eulogy and it was my turn to say a few words.

"Good afternoon," I said speaking into the microphone. "As many of you know I'm Soren Schreave, Maxon's grandson." Taking a deep breath I shoved my cue cards back in my pocket, I didn't need them for this.

"Growing up in a large family it's hard to give everyone what they need, but my grandfather always made sure we were all happy. For instance; when my sister Clarion was ten she had a ballet recital but everyone forgot about it. Most of the family, including our parents, were off in Swendway on a bit of a vacation, and when Clarion reminded me I had no clue what to do. Luckily for us Grandpa Maxon was still at home and as soon as I told him he gathered up Grandaunt May, General Leger, and the woman you now know as Queen, my cousin Kerttu."

Getting out of the car I felt a little bad dragging Kerttu with us, she was five months pregnant after all. It was my fault I brought the dance recital up when she was in the room. I directed it at May but Kerttu piped up instantly.

"Can I come Grandpa? Clarion's been practising so hard it's a shame Uncle Osten and Aunt Mira aren't here to see it."

I couldn't argue with her there. Mira was pregnant with baby number six, when they got home there still wouldn't be a lot of attention for Clarion.

Once Kerttu and May agreed to come I headed to talk to Aspen.

"Good morning Maxon," he said as I came in the room.

"I hate to be a bother Aspen—"

He laughed. "You love to be a bother Maxon you just hate to be impolite."

I shrugged after all these years he knew me to well. "Clarion's got a dance recital tonight and as you know most of the family isn't around to attend."

"Do I look like I'd enjoy watching a dance recital?"

I patted him on the back. "No but you look like you'll come anyway. As a grandfather I'm not allowed to pick favourites but let's face it you have a soft spot for Clary."

"You are a master manipulator Schreave." He said shaking his head. "It's not my fault she wreaks the least havoc of all your family."

"I'm just stating the facts," I said smiling. "Here's another one, you flew all the way to France for Luis' graduation."

"That is true, but," he said raising his index finger. "Lucy and I already had the trip booked, it was a happy accident that Luis was graduating that week."

I sighed. "Don't make me resort to pleading."

"Relax Max," we both let out a laugh. "I'll be there."

He was true to his word and ten hours later we took our seats in the Angeles theatre.

Once it began May and Kerttu couldn't tear their eyes off the stage, but Aspen, Soren, and I were just a little bit bored to say the least.

Soren watched contentedly when Clarion's group came out onstage and for the most part I did as well, during their second number Aspen turned to me.

"Which one's Clarion?" He asked in a whisper.

"The blonde one," I replied.

"Maxon I only see three up there who aren't blonde." I took a second look and realized he was right.

"She has a gardenia in her hair." I tried again.

"What in the world is a gardenia? Actually more importantly how do you have any clue what a gardenia is?"

"I don't actually, but when I told Clary the flower was pretty she said it was a gardenia."

"Huh," he said still trying to pick her out in the crowd. "I wonder if we have any in the palace gardens."

"If we don't we should get some planted, they're quite pretty and I think the gardens could do with a few less roses."

Aspen laughed trying as hard as he could to muffle it. "Good luck with that, Josie had all those planted in her first year as a Princess. They're practically her children."

"Maybe so but Kaden's been talking a lot lately about moving out."

"I've seen a lot of things in my time at the palace Maxon, but no day was more surprising for me than the day Osten moved into the city. I figured Kaden would be the one to leave."

I smiled, it was bittersweet thinking about when Osten and Mira moved out of the castle. "I'd be fine if he was just moving to the city but he's talking about going all the way to New Asia."

Aspen opened his mouth to reply but was stopped by Soren. "Are you two finished?" We both turned to look at him as he rolled his eyes at us. "Clarion's routine ended a few minutes ago. She was the one in the black leotard."

As the current performance ended the lights in the theatre turned on and I turned to Soren.

"It's over already?"

He shook his head smiling. "It's only halftime Grandpa."

"It was moments like that," I continued. "When he united different generations, and family and friends, that I felt most proud to be his grandson. He made every moment for each of us special. Yes Clarion didn't have her parents there, but she did have family and I can speak for her in saying that that meant the world to her."

I took a deep breath getting to the difficult part of my speech. "It was five years after that, thirty years ago now, that Clarion passed away. The day she died was the hardest day of my life," I stopped trying to avoid tears, staring up at the ceiling. "It was my grandfather that got me through it. After the funeral he took me to the beach and we sat there for hours just staring out at the ocean. When I finally looked him in the eyes he told me about when Grandma America's dad died. Somehow just hearing him talk about how she got through it changed everything for me."

I took one last look at the ceiling ready to return to my seat. "He found a way to be there for me when I shut myself off from everyone. I only hope I was worthy of his help.” I was almost there. “Thank you all for being here,” I said closing my speech. “It means a lot to me and the rest of the family."