Once Upon a Time
01-01-2016, 05:37 AM
Esarosa saw the concern plain on his face when she looked up at him; he worried that she might have hurt herself. But within moments, they'd both had a quick laugh. No one was hurt and all was well. By chance, they'd met once again. She wasn't sure it got much better than that. He commented on the passage of time, just as uncertain as she was how the months had gone by so quickly. As she quirked a brow, looking up to meet his gaze, she noticed his eyes cast downward. An apology slipped from him, and she merely shook her head softly, smiling with a glimmer of understanding in her eyes when he mentioned Threar. Considering where her mind was at right now, thinking of the valley she'd come from as she stood in this beautiful place, she could imagine the pain he was in at losing yet another home. Still, he clung to hope bravely, another beacon of light shining for him in the west. "I heard about what happened to Threar," she stated simply, her tone low, "You don't have to apologize. There's no need. If anything, I'm sorry. I don't think you deserved to be passed around like this, to lose your home so many times... at least you will have somewhere to call home when the time comes." Esarosa... well, she had chosen to be alone, in exchange for personal freedom, adventure and the absence of lawfulness. If she ever felt lonely, afraid or sad, she knew it was the price to pay for everything else she had gained. For a young man who tried so hard, who had so much to offer, Miksa hadn't reaped the rewards of those personal virtues and efforts yet. It was a fate that Esa wished she could fight for him, with him, wished she could physically strike out against it, but fate simple was not a tangible thing. At least it was somewhat comforting to know that her friend still had hope, had been offered another home, though yet to be established. Trying to shake herself of deeper thoughts, she fluffed out her jet black coat, removing the last flakes of snow that clung to her. He'd spoken of the bay, the one she'd hoped to see with him; she knew exactly what he meant the moment he said it. She loved the ocean, and she'd wanted him to show it to her one day. Her heart both lifted and sunk at the mention of this. He remembered what they had intended to share together, but that opportunity had been lost. And she'd already seen it - she had gone not long after catching news of Threar's fate, hoping to find him there. Instead, she'd met a friendly stranger and watched the whales play in the warm waves. It had been a good experience, yet it still left her with a pang of disappointment. But to focus on all of that, everything that was lost and could not be retrieved, would be to sabotage the present moment. They were here in a beautiful valley, a new place, drawn together again by forces unknown. How they kept finding one another in this vast continent, Esa did not know, but she wouldn't question it. "It's okay, Miksa," she assured him, emerald gaze lifting to meet his eyes, "I can't even be angry, or sad, or anything... It's just great that you're here now." The smile that pulled at her lips reached her eyes, and her chest swelled slightly, full with glee. She had to share with him the reason she had stopped in this valley, and why she was so pleased to meet him here. "This valley is beautiful," she commented, her tone elated and a shimmer of delight in her green eyes, "It's just like the place where I was born... the only home I've ever known, where my family is." She'd not spoken of her past life with anyone. Perhaps she'd mentioned the name of her homeland once or twice in the many seasons of her travels. But she'd never mentioned her family, the mother that had adopted her, her sister, her brothers, and the fertile valley in which they'd been raised. Perhaps she'd speak of them now, and perhaps she wouldn't, but all that mattered to her in this very moment was that she almost felt at home for the first time in ages. |