"But the dream, the echo, slips from him as quickly as he had found it and as consciousness comes to him (a slap and not the gentle waves of oceanic tides), it dissolves entirely. His muscles relax as the cold claims him again, as the numbness sets in, and when his grey eyes open, there’s nothing but the faint after burn of a dream often trod and never remembered." --Brigade, written by Laura
The years have not caused her affection for her friend to wane, and she feels the warmth of her smile like sunlight on her skin when she spots him in the meadow on this clear autumn day. Catryn had thought of him often through these bizarre years, as Beqanna shifted and changed and brought marvels and frights into the world. When their land was limited and all of them were lingering in a small cluster of places, she had looked for him - wanting some assurance that he had made it out of the drowned lands okay.
Even though she had not found him, she hadn’t given up hope. Not for one minute.
And now here she was, moving through the meadow with an eagerness that made her feel like the same youth that he had taught to fly. The feeling in her heart and stomach was exactly that sensation that flooded her when she had leapt off of that hill, trusting his guidance and her wings. She is ignorant to everyone else she passes - they are all strangers, anyway, and her sights are set on the one face she knows.
She’d seen him before, of course - and is glad for it now so she could recognize him easily - but it still brings forward a thrill. “Targaryen.” Once she is there with him she does not stop. Her brindled legs carry her right up to him so she can embrace him without any hesitation, as ever still perfectly happy to show exactly how she is feeling.
“Oh how I’ve missed you.” She laughs these earnest words out, ignoring how her eyes are stinging from the wash of joy, and she steps back to a more reasonable, conversational distance. Those black eyes shine as she looks him over - checking for any signs that the years hadn’t been kind to him. Catryn sincerely hopes that they were kind - she hopes for nothing but happiness for Targaryen (even though she is so aware life does not often work like that).
