If it had not been for the ceaseless light of day, Alysia might have considered the violet canopy that blanketed Lakeland to be quite beautiful. There was nothing quite like it in the Source but what it lacked made it glaringly ugly. No birds sang in the trees. The winds felt warm and stagnant. Everything was constantly glaring and invasive, no sense of wonder or mystery.
The hyur exhaled as she sat on the windowsill in her room at the Pendant. It was the only real sanctuary available to her. Her friends meant well with their concerns but it was hard to ignore the gravity of the predicament she faced. At least in these walls, she could be alone with her thoughts and aches. She could be vulnerable and just be Alysia; not the Warrior of Darkness.
The gruff sound of someone clearing their throat punctuated the silence. Her lips curled up in a small, cynical smile. Of course, she had forgotten that even in this place, she was never truly alone. Head turning to rest her cheek upon her shoulder, she spotted the imposing apparition lingering in the center of the room. She’d become accustomed to his presence for the most part but still to see him doned in his armor, with monstrous battleaxe strapped to his back was quite a sight to behold.
“What’s wrong? You look sad…” Ardbert bluntly stated the obvious. Alysia inhaled deeply and forced a smile that did not meet her eyes.
“It’s nothing. Just a little homesick…” She replied, not feeling particularly conversational at the moment. The throbbing of the Light she had consumed was a constant discomfort in her chest; even more so since her last battle with the warden. “I miss the sea…”
Ardbert slowly approached the window, keeping his usual distance from her. His arms crossed over his chest and he seemed to lean against the wall just opposite of her. “Are you afraid it will change when you return?” He asked, trying his best to provoke some sort of conversation. Not that she could blame him. When you couldn’t talk to anyone for nearly a century, there was a new novelty to idle chit-chat.
Alysia ran a hand over her face and gave her head a shake.”Change is always inevitable. It’s more the uncertainty of not knowing what is happening in my realm that nags at my thoughts.” There was the war with the Garleans, Ascians, City States and the welfare of her allies to consider.
The ghost murmured thoughtfully. “Some things are just beyond your control. Take it from me. I have had to endure watching everything fall apart and feel the weight of that responsibility. You do what you have to in the moment in the hopes that your actions will bring about a better tomorrow.” The red head couldn’t help but chuckle at the rather thoughtful insight of the warrior. His brow furrowed at her reaction, starting to fidget in his embarrassment. “What? What’s so funny?”
“Maybe I’m wrong.” She admitted, looking at her companion with a certain fondness. “Maybe not everything is subject to change. A hundred years and you have every reason to be skeptical and pessimistic about the state of your world.” WIthout thinking, she reached out to touch the man but when her fingers phased right through his arm, she withdrew quickly and looked ashamed in her thoughtlessness. Ardbert looked equally as frustrated, though not for anything she had done but his own disappointment for his current circumstances.
“What I mean to say is that, after everything you’ve endured. All the salacious rumors and falsehoods, you’ve never given up. Even in death, you still are here trying to help me better the world. A hundred years and you are still as much a hero as you were then.” Alysia continued with genuine appreciation.
If a ghost could blush, Ardbert likely would at her compliment. He looked down at the slender woman before him and scoffed loudly. A hand brushed the back of his head and he seemed unable to look her in the eyes. In him, Alysia saw herself, a kindred spirit of sorts. If her deeds and actions could someday measure up to his own, she might finally feel accomplished. For now though, there was much to consider and at least her words would garner her a few moments of quiet before the ghost finally managed to compose himself.
