[private] I have loved you for a thousand years; Arrya

[Rhory]

I have died every day waiting for you.
Darling, don't be afraid. I have loved you for a thousand years.
She rolls her eyes at his mention of fairies, and Rhory is about to nod in resigned agreement (magicians and fairies care little for the ‘little guys’ after all), but Arrya’s revelation that she’s lost her wings makes him pause in surprise. “What?! Your wings are gone?!” He’s briefly distracted by the mental image of how she must have figured that out (thank god she’s alright), before his brown eyes crane around her to peer at her back. Of course, he doesn’t notice a difference either, given the nature of her wings. But he imagines it must feel horrid to have lost them.

But then she drops the real bomb. “Wha …?” Having known Arrya almost her entire life, Rhory knows how important her light is to her. How much she needs it, loves it. For it to be suddenly gone?

It must be awful for her.

“How? Why?” But of course she mustn’t know. She’d have already told him if she did.

But this just doesn’t make sense. Why would the change in the land trigger Arrya losing her abilities (he’s assuming that the two must be connected, it seems too much of a coincidence for them to not be)? Why Arrya specifically? Despite being the light of his life, he has to admit she’s not really ‘important’ in the grand Beqanna-wide scheme of things. It wouldn’t make sense to pick on her. Unless … “Are you the only one? Or has this happened to anyone else?”

He can see her struggling to keep a more positive expression, and he reaches forward to lip gently at her neck. “You don’t have to pretend to me Arrya. How are you doing with all of this?” He’s never had a trait, but he knows that Arrya’s light, most of all, is an important part of her (not to him of course, but to herself). It must be hell for her.

She muses about where her daughters might be, and he in turn leans deeper against her cheek. She must be so worried about them. What with all the recent changes, they could be practically anywhere. But he means what he said - if they have even an ounce of her stubbornness, they’ll be just fine. “They will be.”

She finally smiles, really smiles at his comment, and his heart leaps as she reaches closer, pressing herself against his side. “Exactly! Far too bullheaded for a world wide disaster to take us down.” She’s so, so close, and his shoulder feels so warm where her cheek presses against it. But argh, this is not the time for such thoughts

She’s talking again, with an unusual displeasure in her tone that brings him back to attention immediately. She stumbles for a few moments, before finally managing to get it out. “Of course Arrya! I’d love to search out a new home with you. Please don’t feel obligated to though …” Why does she sound so unhappy about the prospect?


Rhory
I'll love you for a thousand more.