echoes of truth | ❝ tales of loss and fire and flame. ❞

[dragonssung]

song of hope

BOOK 3.5: EVER HEAVENSWARD

Tales of loss and fire and faith
Every word on our hearts engraved
In the dark you will not stray
Forge ahead, till the end, we prayCODE BY TESSISAMESS

Comments

[shepherdtostars]

[ She so very depends on those determined words and strong posture. He is a leader, even if he cannot see it at the moment. His words strike inspiration and hope, but also a path to a better future. While she and K'thisru may be the ones to carve the path? Aymeric is one who lays the ground work of example as he walks. She knows he is unable to see it in this moment, but his steadfastness has always helped ground her while she has been far away. He is so very like Ishgard. Any storm may shake him, but he can weather it.

Unlike her.

Her sobs quiet after a few moments, ears lifting as he says her name. Her breathing is ragged, hitching even with her attention fully on his words. For a moment she fears her heart has stopped. And an even poorer candidate for being your husbandI. The tremors in her hands move to her whole person as her mind runs with what he might say next. Does he mean to end their engagement? Has it all finally become too much to bear? Does he look down at her now and not see her as the person he fell in love with? She bites down on her lip hard to try and keep from crying once again.

Somehow his words cut through the fear and doubt in her mind. Her hands reach out and arms wrap around his waist without her fully realizing it. While she has no fear of rejection or abandonment as he does? Her own fears and insecurities amount to the same. While she may never share it, she feels as if finding him as brought a missing piece of herself back. Perhaps not in the sense of a shard and reflection, but something far deeper.

Slowly, she pulls herself to sit up. Alkaid takes another moment to raise her eyes to find his. Her face stained with tear marks and her eyes red from crying. Blood sits on her lip from where her bite has broken the skin on it. Blonde hair with pink edges still rests over her shoulder, but it is clear her pulling on it has caused it to sit in an unnatural way.

One hand raises to brush the tears on his face away. Her beloved knight. There has already been so many times in which she has almost lost him. Yet, he remains there, as firm as the Foundation that his home city is built upon. Her hand cups his cheeks. ]

I missed you, my love. [ She speaks in barely a whisper. It is not only due to her trip to the First, or his tempering, but something else. A feeling that comes from deep inside her soul that she cannot truly express--something ancient.

Her eyes search his for some understanding or knowledge of what she speaks of. Perhaps it is just her who feels this way. Perhaps she is projecting and he does not feel as if they belong together not in just this life but all lives. ]

I... I want to go home--with you. My knight.

[thewayforpeace]

[ He longs to take her in his arms and hold her as closely as he can, being resolved to never let go of her again... or at least, until such time as she is called away from him again. At that thought, his heart clenches inside him and although he despises himself for shedding tears, they only flow faster from his eyes.

In time, he is certain that the wounds he has taken from this will heal and his strength will return, but for now, his heart is raw and he finds it difficult to hold back his emotions.

More importantly, he hopes and prays with everything he has that her wounds will heal as well. But even if they do not, even if she remains wounded and hurting for some time yet, he knows that he will remain by her side through all of it. After all, she has done that for him more than once.

And it is because of that that he ignores the exhaustion creeping over him once more, because while he would do nothing but sleep, she needs him, and that is more important to him than anything in the world.

As her hands move to encircle his waist, he moves his hands to rest on top of hers, fingers lightly ghosting against the smooth skin of her hands.

He gently reaches for her when she sits up, a look of sadness coming to his eyes once more as he sees the spot where her teeth broke the skin on her lip. Perhaps they truly are of one mind and heart, because looking at her, he cannot help but feel hurt for her: hurt and regret that he cannot take all of her pain and place it upon himself.

He would do it without a second's thought, because he loves her so very much. His tears continue to fall until she gently wipes them away, and it is only when her hand cups his cheek that he attempts speaking once more. ]

And I have missed you, far more than I can put into words.

[ His head falls forward once more, but he catches himself at the very last second. It seems as though his ability to forestall his exhaustion is waning, but he does not wish to give in even now. ]

If I were able to, I would see our steps leading us home at this very moment.

[ He strongly desires to see what has become of Ishgard and her people, and he fears that there have not been any casualties or loss of life. And barring that, he prays that the numbers remain small, because any life lost is one too many. ]

I wish only to return to our home with you by my side.

[ Still, he knows that the opportunity for them to rest may very well not come again until the matter of Thordan and the towers has been dealt with. Because Ishgard is his home, and because these are his people, he knows that he must see this to its completion, if Halone sees fit to grant him the strength to do so. ]

We will return home one day soon. [ Even though there is much he cannot speak confidently about, this is one thing he is wholly certain of. Well, this, and the notion that their lives and their destinies are inextricably woven together and will continue to be that way.

He falls silent then, but his gaze remains locked on hers, his blue eyes meeting her mismatched pair. There is tiredness in his gaze, yes, but there is unbridled love there as well, if only she looks to see it. ]

/starts to wrap this up

[shepherdtostars]

[ Her eyebrows turn upwards once he speaks. The look of love he has in his eyes is met with her own that seems ready to pour out of her at any moment. Yet, it seems her underlining meaning has gone unnoticed, which is to be expected. She has not told him of the origins they learned for their star on the First. Alphinaud has most certainly compiled a lengthy report of it all for the Alliance leaders by now. One that Aymeric most certainly has read. Though she suspects, as with all her retelling, it will mean something more to hear it from her. There is an urge--a need--to tell him what they had learned; what she suspects their case might be. Now is not the time. Perhaps once they return to Corethas and have gathered the state of his people.

She raises her other hand to hold his head the moment the wave of exhaustion hits him and his head dips forward. He clearly needs to rest more, instead of trying to carry her broken state at the moment. Alkaid slowly stands then with her mind made up. The cols hands still rest on each side of his face. She looks down at him with her eyes never leaving his. ]

We should retire for now. [ Her tone shows she has every intention of helping him back into bed. This time she will join him under the covers. She hesitates to kiss his forehead, an action that she never hesitates to inact. Her heart is so raw and battered that she is unsure if he would even wish her affections. She may not be a monster, even still seeing her as LantaaI, but the hurt and trauma make her pause. She does not wish to hurt him more by all she has inside her. ] When we return to Corethas? I... I will tell you more.

[ As she has much to tell him and more for him to understand. ] Then, we can return home. Together.

weh good thread ;;

[thewayforpeace]

[ He desperately wants to understand everything that she speaks of, that he can finally know what she and her sister went through on the First, but it seems that obtaining that understanding will have to wait.

For the moment, all he wishes to do is fall asleep beside her, and if she had not stood up, he would have moved to rest his head against her shoulder. But move she did, although he remains where he is, with her hands still resting on his face. ]

Yes, I think- I think that is for the best. [ His voice further gives away his exhaustion, not that he was trying to hide it not anymore. ]

And when we are rested, I would hear and listen to anything you wished to share with me. Home will be waiting for both of us.

[ And with that thought in mind, he pushes himself up to stand as well, hand reaching out to take hold of one of hers. It might not be a long walk to the bed, but he reaches for that contact regardless. ]