#fenthiras

𝐻𝑂𝑊 𝐿𝑂𝑁𝐺 . . . ? the halls of white stone castle , treaded path once familiar now felt like mystery. even the sun tree , once considered great friend slipped from her. it was easy to dismiss , to lend words that her role as tempest is what kept her busy. but her friends , her family could read so easily beyond the words she spoke. here lingered memories , ones she could not face.

keyleth was a flower in eternal bloom , and her friends would wilt away. she would be the only one left. the pain of loss had already rooted it's self within her heart. it was felt daily , upon sunrise and sunset. the inability to move on , while life continued around her. marriages , children. time did not stop , it did not give mercy. heavy was the weight of the mantle , leaving no time for true mourning. she arose to the tasks expected of her , to be the leader who was promised to the ashari. but she was still that girl frozen in place , repeating the same goodbye. her life did not move on , her heart did not continue forward.

keyleth sees him here , in the faces of the de rolo children. in the way vex'ahlia carries herself. traces of him , everywhere. another reason , behind those blurred words of excuses she does not visit. an ache of jealously , that maybe ? could her life have mirrored this in same way ? her own children , a family. it was a dream now , and it would never be anything beyond that. moving on was something she was incapable of , so she settled for visits of wings and trinkets. he was still with her , in the smallest of ways. breath catches in her chest , when the arms of her sister wrap around her frame. too long , had it been since she had known the touch of someone else. the touch of someone so dear. she's brittle , frozen in response for what seems like an eternity. but she moves , her own arms coming to hold vex'ahlia. too long.

hour  after  hour  ,  sunrise  to  sunset  ,  the  day  grows  dark  with  age  and  he  grows  tired  with  time  .  silence  is  a  language  learned  ,  and  he  communicates  his  presence  through  the  shifting  of  his  feet  and  the  buckles  of  his  bag  that  clink  'gainst  one  another  with  every  step  he  takes  .  the  air  has  not  been  silent  all  the  day  ,  however  ,  as  its  been  quite  full  of  banter  betwixt  two  he's  come  to  know  more  closely  .  sometimes  he  likes  to  guess  to  himself  which  person  will  respond  in  what  kind  of  way  ,  and  he  smiles  when  he  gets  it  right  .  regardless  ,  vax'ildan  and  percival  have  headed  in  an  otherwise  undiscussed  location  ,  and  vex'ahlia  remains  by  her  seemingly  unusual  lonesome  .

link  trots  quietly  over  to  her  side  ,  placing  his  sword  against  the  log  behind  them  in  a  casual  effort  to  rest  .  detached  from  his  waist  ,  but  still  near  enough  that  he  could  draw  it  from  its  sheath  if  necessary  .  he  pulls  his  knees  to  his  chest  ,  and  the  air  he  breathes  is  visible  from  the  cold  of  winter  ;  there's  a  vague  shiver  that  emerges  from  his  arms  .

she  lays  beside  him  as  darkness  takes  ahold  of  their  surroundings  .  his  eyes  open  in  a  panic  and  he  flinches  when  her  delicate  fingers  touch  at  the  base  of  his  jaw  .  wide  -  eyed  and  frightened  ,  he  looks  to  her  in  horror  until  reality  sets  in  ,  and  the  breaths  he  draws  suddenly  start  to  steady  him  .  he  lets  loose  a  scathing  sigh  ,  irate  with  himself  for  his  lack  of  decorum  ,  disappointed  that  she's  seen  him  in  such  a  way  not  this  once  ,  but  now  several  times  ,  and  he  presses  his  eyelids  together  ,  as  if  it  might  hide  him  from  the  daunting  reality  that  stares  straight  back  at  him  :  the  present  gift  that  wears  concern  so  beautifully  against  her  brilliant  and  striking  features  . 

these  nights  have  grown  more  frequent  ,  like  they  cannot  pull  away  from  one  another  for  much  too  long  .  percival  finds  himself  making  excuses  to  remain  at  her  side  ,  to  tire  himself  to  sleep  beside  her  ,  to  enjoy  the  warmth  of  belonging  next  to  her  in  their  slumber  ,  and  he  reveres  these  delicate  nights  together  like  they're  something  holy  .  but  he  knows  nothing  of  holiness  .  a  bitter  man  plagued  with  demons  who  lay  aside  an  angel  born  of  warmth  and  light  .  he's  hardly  deserving  of  it  ,  he  knows  ,  but  cannot  sate  the  desire  of  her  presence  .  she's  like  a  siren  ,  luring  him  into  her  arms  ,  but  without  a  song  ,  without  a  charm  .  her  natural  way  of  being  is  enough  to  have  him  wrapped  around  her  finger  .  he  would  bend  to  her  most  every  will  .

opening  his  eyes  to  greet  his  sight  with  her  silhouette  fills  him  with  a  warmth  ,  and  she  speaks  .  her  words  ,  sad  and  soft  .  quiet  and  meaningful  .  and  something  unfamiliar  washes  over  him  ,  blanketing  him  like  a  layer  of  thin  white  sheet  .  it's  comforting  in  that  way  .  like  he's  covered  ,  yet  vulnerably  visible  .  it  hides  him  from  the  world  ,  but  if  one  pays  enough  attention  ,  they  can  see  .  it's  frightening  ,  being  exposed  in  the  ways  of  weakness  ,  yet  invigorating  ,  revealing  ways  of  being  that  no  one  knows  ,  ways  of  his  heart  that  not  even  he  is  privy  to  .  he's  let  her  step  into  his  veil  of  shadows  ,  but  will  never  allow  her  unguarded  access  ,  lest  she  be  tainted  too  .

〝   well  ,  yes  .〝   the  contemplation  of  her  feelings  and  in  what  ways  they  mirror  his  own  ,  and  which  ways  they  differ  and  how  ,  is  clearly  evident  in  the  short  two  words  he  provides  .  there's  something  much  deeper  to  the  simplistic  articulation  of  her  expression  ,  and  he's  sure  that  he  feels  it  too  .  the  air  around  them  grows  quiet  for  a  moment  ,  like  they're  both  searching  for  something  out  of  sight  ,  out  of  reach  ,  but  so  palpable  between  their  breaths  .  he  closes  his  eyes  with  full  intention  ,  allowing  the  closure  of  the  world  to  enhance  the  complexity  of  his  thought  .  these  feelings  are  strong  ,  coursing  through  his  blood  stream  ,  and  there's  a  silent  tension  that  emits  between  them  ;  he  wonders  if  she  feels  it  too  .

a   sister's   defense   is   like   a   protective   shield   ;   not   often   required   (   at   least   ,   not   as   a   rogue   )   ,   but   always   understood   to   be   appreciated   .   the   way   she   bristles   like   a   feral   cat   in   the   face   of   danger   leads   him   into   the   self   -   inflicted   role   of   some   sort   of   shitty   mediator   ,   and   he   places   a   reassuring   hand   against   her   shoulder   .   he   offers   a   smile   of   practiced   pride   and loving calmness in   an   attempt   to   assuage   her   fears   ,〝  careful   ,   stubby   .〝 

flexing   his   fingers   against   the   hilt   of   his   dagger   ,   he   strolls   in   front   of   her   with   a   decided   confidence   ,   the   smirk   upon   his   face  ,   best   described   as   cocky   .   his   hand   drifts   from   her   touch   in   a   brisk   movement   ,   his   steps   pointed   and   calculated   ;   the   enemy   has   yet   to   detect   his   light   -   footed   approach   when he speaks ,

ㅤㅤ ↪     ･     𝑼𝑵𝑷𝑹𝑶𝑴𝑷𝑻𝑬𝑫     :    ...    always accepting   !

no one should blame her for being just a bit curious.   vex has always cut as a courageous,    pretty figure with bow in hand,    self-assured in every breath,    tilt of the head,    the tug of a hard-earned smile   ──   it is an unabashedness that keyleth envies,    and can't help but try to replicate.    wielding fenthras could rub off a little on her.    maybe!    it's harmless,    and she'll put fenthras back where it belongs before    ...    before    ...    !

keyleth nearly drops the longbow,    fenthras bouncing its way back in forth in her hands as she tries to grip it again,    her palms slick.    she clings to it as tight as she would her staff.    ‘‘   vex!    i'm so,    so sorry,  ’’     keyleth says,    mortification burning red in her face.   ‘‘  i thought maybe if i tried to be like you a little,    i would    ...      ’’ 

her words are quickly and rapidly unwinding,    the usual creek merging into the mouth of a river,    until she glances up at vex's face and it's the way light leaks orange and mellow,    settled in sunsets, warm before the closing of night.   ‘‘  oh. you're not mad.  ’’  fidgeting,    pushing her weight back and forth between her feet,    she holds fenthras out at vex for her to take.   ‘‘  this is yours.  ’’ 

ㅤㅤ ↪     ･     𝑫𝑶𝑵'𝑻 𝑺𝑴𝑰𝑳𝑬 𝑨𝑻 𝑴𝑬     :    ...    accepting   !

what a terrible, aching void.   vex's face has collapsed, features pinched with that familiar, sardonic, pain   ──   and keyleth is indelicate, and imperfect, and the limbs of a tree can only stretch towards the sun so far.   ‘‘   o-oh vex,   i'm sorry.   ’’      it's brittle;   it's meant to break.   for keyleth, with the world, the earth,   crashing up to meet her,   she's afraid of the future,   of all the things that have yet to come to pass as though a bud that has yet to bloom.   it's her fear;    already toiled soil.

but vex has lost things, past-tense,   felt its sting and carried it like the pelt around her shoulders:    never too heavy, but persistent,   a side-glance that shows all that she can't trust and won't.

   ‘‘   i didn't mean to   ──   say that you didn't, or don't, understand,  ’’    keyleth attempts to mend, to stamp her own heart into the wet dirt beneath her feet,   ‘‘   don't mind me!  ’’    awkwardly, she reaches out her curled fingers to vex,   as though to bridge the gap where all her wooden limbs and vowels can't,   but she's afraid of that too,   and it ends up an aborted motion,   the distance between them as literal as it is metaphorical.