I love only that which they defend; Tickani/Keeper/Any

[Ryan]

I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness,
nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory

The rest of the world moves in hurried starts and stops, great lurches of destiny and power balances. Some are destined to play on that stage – his own ancestors had been major players, once upon a time, even Ryan’s mother royalty twice over. But he knew none of them, had not met a single one, and had seen the way that had taken it’s toll on Nairne, before she had left him here in Beqanna, and he had never sought that life for himself, perhaps even actively avoided it.

He was content, for the most part, with his quiet existence on the fringes of Hyaline’s society. The urges which drew him out to the Meadow were rare, and perhaps somehow related more to her surprising presence than any real desire to socialize with anyone new. Now, with his best friend pressed against him, Ryan feels nothing but content. Someday in the future he might once more be compelled to go looking for Nairne or Woolf or any of the countless other family members he never met, but today he is perfectly pleased to just be this. Ryan and Keeper, the strangest inhabitants of Hyaline.

At least it is quiet here in this corner of the meadow, and so there are few witnesses to the way he unashamedly has thrown himself at the mercy of his friend’s affections. Ryan is loathe to put any space between them, but he wants to see her face while they speak, which he cannot do in their current configuration. So, reluctantly, he pulls away, his normal shy and wistful smile on his face. “You don’t have to be sorry,” he says with calm certainty. “Everyone must wander, and be, and live. I just missed you.” No blame in the gold-and-purple stallion’s voice, just affection. “Hyaline has been my home for a long time, but sometimes I think my home now is just wherever you are.”

Ryan

( I love only that which they defend. )

@[Kristin] sorrrrrrry I'm so slow