kreios
don't you tame your demons, but always keep them on a leash As I turn to listen to her response, the realization that I’ve been missing the dozen telltale signs of exhaustion sudden descends. “You’re tired.” I say without preamble, knowing that she’s asked me about growing up here but feeling terrible that I’ve been so negligent as to ignore that she is tired. Of course she’s tired, I berate myself - she’d been sleeping before that rude stallion had gone about trumpeting to wake her up.
While part of me wants to just suggest that we head to the Orange Country, I recognize that Naira’s an adult and can make her own choices. She’s asked about the Desert rather than asking about a place to sleep, and though I’m inclined to suggest that she rest, I know better than to try and press someone into something that they don’t want.
“I grew up between here and the Forbidden Dale, the neutral mythic kingdom. My father lived here, and my mother there.” I begin, looking out at the dunes as they begin to fade into the horizon with the setting sun. “But I enjoyed my time here the most, and so I stayed.” I also stayed because my father demanded it of me and it never occurred to me to question the iron will of King Vanquish, but it is true that I do love this kingdom more than I had ever loved the Dale. Though it seems that she is eager to hear tales of my happy childhood spent on the dunes, I am sadly lacking in such stories. How can I make the tale of a boy with a broken mouth, tormented by his twin brother and living in a kingdom where his existence reminded the ruling queen of her lover’s betrayal, a good story? It is my story and I am not ashamed of it, but the telling of it would bring up feelings I am not sure I am ready to deal with.
“We can always come back and see more of it tomorrow,” I suggest, hoping that I do not seem pushy. “It’s best to not wait too late to go to the Orange Country – some of the trail down is fairly steep.” I combine the trip with my concern. Once there she can rest, and I will have all of tomorrow to show her both places. And hopefully, though I do not say so aloud, she’ll choose one in which to stay permanently.
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