All grown up

Vanta felt the subtle shift in her father's grip, the steadying of his breath as he reclaimed his composure in fragments. Her heart ached for him, for the pain that was so clearly etched into the lines of his aging face, for the raw sorrow that he bore with the strength of mountains. For the love he still held for her mother, and how her name could still bring him to his knees. She had glimpsed behind the curtain, had seen the depth of his loss. The raw emotion there had scared her, but it also had brought them closer. Oh, father.

His request was a whisper, a gentle plea. She nodded; Vanta would do anything to give him back a connection to the mate he had lost. "S-she.." A steadying breath. "She told me... she's proud. Proud of us all." It was the easiest place to start. Her chest thrummed with anxiety, anticipation, the weight of words still unspoken. "She wants to be here, she misses us desperately, but it's too hard. I don't know why - maybe the flood?" Her mother had always appeared to her over fire - maybe the mountains were too cold, or too wet, or too... she shook her head and sighed.

Swallowing hard, she continued. "I.. she.." The words stuck hard in her throat. "She... She told me to come back, to seek your blessing to build the future I envision for myself - one of honor, of strength. And that's why I'm here, that's why I had to return. To make those dreams a reality, for her." Her head lifted. "For myself."