Winter Lullaby

Yaeume had proven herself in their spar and, as he’d promised, he’d led her back to the Ashen border. He made sure she knew that his offer was not formal and that the Shogun and Empress would have the say as to whether or not she would be granted entry, but Take was known to be a generally good judge of character and he was sure his parents would know that. They’d made camp in the battlefield the night of their spar and had shared some of the dried meats the boy had brought before making the trek back down. Several hours later the trees began to change from tall pines and oaks to the thin, wispy white barked trees that were characteristic of the Shrine. They tiptoed onto the border then stopped, the boy flashing a meaningful gaze to stay put toward the pink woman before tipping his head back and issuing a call to his parents to join him.