#cynedra

Daily Writing Challenge May 21st 2023 – Day 1 – Forgiveness

 Forgiveness was not something Cynedra often thought about in regards to herself. She hoped that her family would ask for her forgiveness for casting her out and cutting her off completely from her family, her home, her land, and peoples. As of yet, that was not the case. She was still living in Elwynn Forest, near Stormwind City, the capital of the might Alliance, her business was booming, flowers were blooming, yet, her personal life had been a mess, ever since he had come back into her life.

 She found it hard to even write his true name, even though she was well aware of it. The Florist had been drawn to him immediately; she couldn’t say why exactly on that first meeting, but there was some kind of pull there, something in the magic that surrounded him that drew her in, made her want to know him, everything about him. They developed an easy, casual friendship, but, at the time, it was clear that he was not available for more than that.

 At least that’s how it had seemed at the time.

 With the opening of the Dragon Isles, many of her friends disappeared, off on adventures there, and the Dracthyr had come to both the Horde and Alliance, seeking out allies in their fight against an ancient enemy. Many left to aide them, some went just to explore the new lands, and learn what they could from them. Others saw it as an opportunity to do something different.

 Yet Cynedra remained.

 He was gone, but in the absence of his friendship she had met Raikis at a Hallow’s End party. He was so handsome that she was immediately enamored with him, even if he was missing an eye, and had prosthetic arm. He had a quick wit, and an easy charm to him that made her comfortable around him, enough so that she asked him to dance. And then later on, she snuck into Orgrimmar to see him.

 It did take her quite some time to completely trust him, but over the years they developed a rather satisfying, long term friends with (many) benefits type of relationship. She fell in love with him, but she knew, somewhere deep down in her heart, that if she asked him to be hers and only hers, he would say no. Sometimes it hurt to think about, so she pushed those thoughts away, and focused on enjoying what they had, while they still had it.

 And then, one day, he returned. By this time she had already forged another relationship with a Dracthyr man named Nate, in conjunction with the relationship with Raikis. She was happier than she had been in a long time, she had two men that doted on her, made her feel special and wanted, and she really couldn’t ask for anything more than that.

 Then Love is in the Air happened, and Nate disappeared. He had told her that he was going to the Isles to aid in something, but he had not said what, and other than one letter soon after he left, she could not reach him. Gifts she attempted to send came back, unopened. Letters were returned, also unopened. Something in her heart cracked when the last letter was returned, and she cleaved to Raikis for support, which he was more than willing to give.

 Not long after she was taking her daily evening walk through town after closing up her shop, and then she saw him, Van. Her friend with those crushingly blue eyes, soft smile, and an aura that made her want to reach out and touch him, just to see if he was real. She had never touched him before, in fear that her abilities as a seer would kick in, and she would learn the answer to the secret that she already knew. He, however, was unaware that she had guessed this secret long ago.

 They spent an evening together, talking, reminiscing, listening to the music that the bards around time played. It was… nice. It was nice to just sit and talk to him, like this was something they had done a hundred times over, even if their past conversations had usually been brief, and kind of one sided due to a shadow that was cast over him.

 He had made her a puzzle ball; a beautifully intricate thing of shining, cold metal that would reveal a secret once solved. She sat up nearly the whole night, trying to solve it. But, at last, she had to give in and sleep. The next morning, she took the ball with her to work, and tried solving it in between serving her customers. Finally, around midday, she unlocked it, and what she had already known was confirmed.

 She was so excited to tell him that she figured it out that when she saw him, she nearly jumped on him, giving him a tight hug. He was shocked, more than a little, at the contact since she had a habit of not touching anyone without their express permission, and her gloves, which sometimes held the images that flooded her mind when she touched someone else at bay. Yet, he hugged her back, and they again had a lovely, long conversation. She invited him to stay in her new home, she had many guest rooms already made up for anyone that needed a place to stay.

 They sat on her front porch and drank tea and had some pie, just enjoying each other’s company. She felt more comfortable being around him, and would lean her shoulder against his arm, just to have a bit of contact. And when he prepared to leave for the evening, she kissed him. And, oh, it was one of those moments when the pieces of the puzzle just seem to fall into place. It was like the fireworks at Fire Fest, bright and shining, and loud, and wonderful.

 She felt whole.

 She felt seen.

 They saw each other more often, and it was amazing… until it turned scary.

 There was a curse, or some kind of spell, that had been placed on Van, and it was either unraveling, or becoming stronger, because his thoughts and actions became erratic, frenzied. One evening by the pond, he seemed to have some sort of break down, and she spirited him away from the city, tucking him in to bed in one of her guest rooms, where she sat up most of the night, just making sure he was breathing. Eventually, she fell asleep in the chair, and when she awoke the next morning, he was gone.

When she saw him again, he tried to explain what had happened, and some of it did make sense, but other parts did not. He told her that he had known from the minute he had met her that she was destined to be his, and his alone. Obviously, she was a bit taken aback by this, but she already had extremely strong feelings for him. He still seemed a bit out of sorts, so she sat close to him, and held his hand, hoping it her touch would bring him a bit of comfort. And it seemed to be working, until his sister, Aleilayla Azureflame, walked up.

 It was glaringly evident that she did not like Cynedra, even though they had never met before. Van had apparently told her about Cynedra, and what he felt for her, what he believed her to be, but Layla was not convinced. She thought that Cyn was somehow using Van for her own gains, which was so far from the truth that Cyn laughed when Van told her that. It seemed ridiculous to her that someone would think that about her, but then, Layla, barely knew her, and only really knew what Van had told her.

A few weeks after Cynedra had met Layla, Van invited her to his promotion ceremony with the company he was with. It seemed like the perfect time to get to know Layla better, and to show that she had a real, deep connection with Van. And it was a lot of fun. She had a new outfit made for the occasion, a very fancy leather jacket, and matching boots, with a silk shirt and crisp, new slacks, all topped with her usual flower crown. She met new people, was able to talk to Layla at length, but the best part was just being with Van, and seeing him more relaxed and at ease.

 Regrettably, a few days later, while working on her business’s books, Cynedra got to thinking about everything that Van had told her. She started wondering if she could be the kind of partner he needed. Would she have to give up her business, her shop, and her flowers? Would she have to attend events like the promotion ceremony often? What would be expected of her in the long run? She knew that the Sin’dorei often married for status and wealth, but what about Van’s people? Would she just been seen as his consort, there to hopefully bear children for him so that he had an heir?

 Panic set in.

 She had already ended her fragile relationship with Nate. He had returned and not told her, and his demeanor was so different when she spoke to him that she found it off-putting. She had also broken things off with Raikis, something that had hurt her quite a bit. She hadn’t realized how much she loved him until she let him go. And she had done all of this for Van, to be with him, but what was that going to be like?

 Unable to get all of these nagging questions out of her head, she had fled the area. She hired someone to look after her flowers, closed her shop, packed a small bag, and went to Pandaria to hide out. She knew she would eventually have to go back home and face the music, and ask the questions. But for weeks she was unable to do anything beyond just existing.

 Finally, she was felt strong and brave enough to write a letter to Van, seeking his forgiveness for disappearing the way she had. She didn’t know if it would mend anything, or if he even still wanted her, but she had to try. So she sent out the letter, and waited.

Cynedra flipped the sign on the boutique’s door to “CLOSED” and pulled off her gloves, tossing them on the counter. Scooping her long, blonde hair up into a loose bun, she sighed and rubbed her eyes.

 “Finally!” she said, to no one since her shop was now blessedly empty.

 Love is in the Air was over and done with, for another year at least.

 All the Ren’dorei woman wanted to do now was go home, run a hot bath with lots of bubble bath, and sink into it, with a cup of her favorite tea nearby. It had been a long few weeks, even with the days off she had given herself this year, and she was exhausted, her hands were a mess of little cuts from rose thorns and callouses, her feet had blisters on top of blisters, and her shoulders felt like she had been holding up the whole of Azeroth instead of just moving flower pots, vases and little gifts.

 All in all, it hadn’t been a bad year. She had made quite a bit of gold from the pre-orders she took leading up to the holiday, and that wasn’t counting the “last minute” gifts and arrangements she had sold at a markup. Sometimes she felt bad about marking up the prices for this holiday, but then she looked at her hands and feet, and decided it was justified.

 Being a florist during the most popular love holiday on Azeroth was not easy work.  

 A few years ago, when she had just been setting up her business, it had been a lot harder. She didn’t have her own shop for the Boutique, she had a tiny garden and even smaller green house, and she’d had to cart all of her wares into Stormwind City to the stall she rented every morning, set them up, and then cart them home at the end of the day. She had worked every single day of the holiday that year, and she thought she may go mad from smelling roses after that.

The worst part was that she had been completely alone. She had not yet met Raikis, and was years away from meeting Natheus, so spending those weeks around happy, in love couples had been a struggle. She knew she should be grateful that she had a home, no matter how small the cottage was, and the beginnings of a lucrative career… but watching smitten young ladies smile at their new beaus, or couples that had been together for decades always tugged at something deep inside and made her feel her exile from her homeland even more keenly.

 She believed it to be her greatest weakness, that she could not put aside her personal feelings of loneliness to try to enjoy the holiday and all that came with it. Only after meeting Raikis did she understand why she felt that way. He made her happy in a way that no one else had before, even if they couldn’t be together as much as she would have liked. Just knowing that he would be there if she needed him made her feel better. And then she had met Nate, and although he was gone to the Isles for now, she felt like with him she had found a kindred spirit. His love of plants rivaled her own, as did his love of nature.

 Cynedra was so unbelievably happy with the two of them, that even the “worst” holiday, in her opinion, had been made bearable. She had even made gifts for them on one of her days off, and she couldn’t wait to see them again so she could give them the gifts.