Loneliness

Clove's immediate joy to see him brings a huge smile of paternal affection to her sire's face. Clove was such a bright beacon of love and joy and served as a reminder of what he strove for in his life—making his family happy and giving his children the best lives he possibly could. A care free, worry free, safe and happy life. The kind of life he'd never had growing up. They sat together on her balcony watching the fading sunlight disappear beyond the horizon of the western sea, the crepuscular masterpiece of a scene unfolding before their very eyes as stars and auroras came out to play in the darkening heavens. Another beautiful sunset in scenic Auster... Truly they were blessed to call such a place their home. He was grateful he got to share these moments with his daughter. He always wanted to be there for her; to be better than the father he'd never known.

When asked about herself, Clove expectedly tried to reassure him that she was all right, but with a bit of a skeptical brow raise from her sire, she began to confess her feelings in earnest. She was bored and lonely. Artorias' heart drooped to hear his daughter was feeling lonely, but he could understand why. The family was busier now more than ever with the threat of war with the Syndicate looming, and with Talyssa gone on her journey and Ember and Bramble off on diplomatic missions, it also felt like the family was fractured to Artorias too, despite understanding that it was necessary. Art listened pensively while Clove revealed her innermost thoughts and feelings to him. She felt like she'd been left behind. He breathed a sigh and nodded his head.

When she began a hurried rephrasing and assurance that she loved her role in the Hallows, Art just gave his little girl a lopsided smile and rubbed over her head with a giant blue paw. "You're allowed to feel the way you do and still love being a scout, little love," he reassured her with gentle words. Artorias gladly accepts Clove's body against his side, letting her rest her head on his shoulder, the dire brute lowering his body slightly to lean over the balustrade so she could more easily use him as a pillow. "You don't have to worry about the Syndicate, my sweet girl. They are far away and I'll never let them lay a paw on you or your siblings so long as I live. You should never be afraid to leave Hearthstone." Hearing Clove say those words... it was a harsh callback to when Oxx had terrorized the Hallows. It drove a knife into Artorias' heart. He would never let his children feel unsafe to explore the world.

As for her feeling of loneliness and being left behind, Art mulled over what he could do to help give his little girl something to focus her time and energy on, something to give her purpose. She mentioned loving being a scout and exploring, and he knew of her interests in hunting and navigation. How could he put those to good use? As if divine providence sought to answer him, a cry from overhead caught the Lord of Cinder's attention as one of the Hallows' ravens flew around the castle spires, heading back to roost for the night. Artorias' ears perked and eyes widened as he found the answer to Clove's problem. "You're still good with animals, aren't you, Clovie?" he asked with a smile, glancing at his young daughter with her head on his shoulder. "What if I gave you an extra special job just for you? One that's so incredibly important to the Hallows and to our heritage?"

"Artorias" | "Carpathian"