04-22-2017, 09:14 PM
He was a fool to think it would all just go away. But each night it returned to haunt him.
In another place, in another land, so far now it could even have been another reality, a kingdom fell. The royal family had ruled as a dynasty, passed from generation to generation for six rightful successions. And they all died because of him. His family. The kingdom fell to their enemies while he was away and like a coward he ran.
But he'd never outrun his shame.
Here, in this world, this Beqanna, he'd drifted and melded into the background. As he was meant to, as he was trained to. He watched, he waited. He kept active and sharp, held the condition of his warrior's body and strength, stamina, agility. He even passed on some knowledge to the girl that had become his world, trained her as a child in the form of games. Taught her to duck swift, to dodge wide, to feint, to leap, to run at large. He drilled in reflexes that would come naturally to her. It was only fun and play to her, but it was his only way to guard his heart when he couldn't be there to protect her all the time.
But it was only physical protection. He hadn't realized how futile it all was until he'd heard her father was dying. He could never protect her from such a loss. There was no knowledge or training that could have prepared her for that. And it would be soon, he knew. So instead of being away, running his routines and drills and keeping watch along the border, he made sure to be in the area and available. He made sure he could be there when she needed him. If she needed him.
Then something in the air shifted, a subtle change almost entirely unnoticed. He turned his head towards it and stood still, waiting. His vigil was rewarded after a time, and his brown eyes tracked her as she ghosted through the trees like some empty, hollow shell. The sharp pain in his chest didn't reach his face, expressionless and impassive as was his usual, as he lined himself to interrupt her path. He cut her off and stepped into her, pressed his solid chest to hers and buried his nose in her hair.
Rora.. he said softly, so surprisingly soft for such a cold, hard man. He wasn't meant to be this close to anyone, it wasn't his place in life, but she needed it. She'd stolen an innocent cuddle on occasion as a little child, and it had taken him a while to get used to it. So maybe this wasn't as difficult for him as it should've been.
I'm sorry, he said quietly. He didn't have to ask, already knew. This wasn't the bright girl he'd spent so much time with, the starry glint in her eyes dimmed and the ready smile not quite so ready anymore. But what more could he do for her? Nothing could make this any easier, nothing could change it. He could only hold her and hope it brought at least a little comfort.