As soon as Gilander left, along with Albyn and High Priest Aubin, Jocelynn returned to the pyre, taking several deep, calming breaths as she tried to summon up the pride and dignity that people had come to expect from her as she addressed the crowd who had come to mourn with her.
"Thank you, all of you, for coming to see Eleanor on her way," Jocelynn said, blinking back tears that threatened to flood her vision as she spoke the words that needed to be said. "If anyone deserves to reach the Heavenly Shores at the end of their struggle, I'm sure that Cousin Eleanor did."
At the back of the courtyard, the Sisters of Light shifted nervously at Jocelynn's declaration that Eleanor deserved to reach the Heavenly Shores. Only the Holy Lord of Light could sit in judgment of the fallen, and no one could presume to know whether or not a person was truly deserving of a peaceful end to lifetimes of struggles.
