Just Like Home

Thanks to Artorias' enhanced vision courtesy of his sickness from the Long Night, darkness was hardly ever a problem for him any longer. His vision was sharper, like someone had finely tuned his eyeballs to be the best they could be. They helped at night, and where Ash's vision was already becoming limited, Art could see the world around him clearly. The sun had finished sinking over the western sea, and nightfall was claiming the land. Fireflies sprung up from the golden grasses around them, glowing like stars fallen to earth. The plains were practically illuminated with thousands of the lightning bugs! It was strangely beautiful, and had Artorias not developed a natural apprehension towards the insects from prior events, he would have found the scene idyllic.

Asheila mentioned how she had never seen the stars in the summer, and Artorias was reminded of the grim reality that both of his sisters had been taken during the prolonged winter that had struck the lands when they'd first moved to Auster. Bowen had seen the Hallows in the summer since her return, but Ash had not. Artorias turned a tender smile back to combat her mournful expression, leaning closer to offer her a fraternal nuzzle on her cheek. "You will," he reassured her, "because you're home now." Art knew the regrets that his sister carried in her heart for the time they had lost. He didn't blame her for any of it, of course. None of it had been her decision and he had spent gods knew how long trying to find her and Bowen. But just because they'd missed out on their youths didn't mean they needed to sour their futures with remorse. "I'm just glad you're alive and with us, Ash." It was a simple yet deeply earnest statement. Their family was whole again—or at least as whole as it ever could be.

The gentle lapping of ocean waves nearby nearly masked the quiet padding of the wolves' paws while they traversed the autumnal path together in the early evening. Artorias glanced up at the vast sea of stars and cosmos overhead, drinking in the sights of the heavens like a fine work of art. Bringing up memories of the early days of the Hallows seemed to help her, and he exchanged a toothy smile with his sister. "Yeah, it really was beautiful there," he agreed with a nod of his head. "The castle will always be our home to me, but I'll still never forget it. I rode a tortoise up by those pools at the base of the falls. Mom thought it was the funniest thing she'd ever seen!" The happy memories seemed to do a world of good for Ash, so Art would continue to reminisce as much as she wanted to if it helped her.

"Artorias Carpathius"