Saturday, November 17, 2007

Harsh Reality: Losing Faith (Part 2)

What peace she had found, was not to last.

What memories she had experienced were to be buried in the sands of time, beneath private grief and unshed tears. What trust she had in the bonds that held two together, was to be scattered to the wind. Apparently, only death had the power to bring souls together for eternity and she seemed to excell at dealing that out.

'..how many lost now, Nymaya..?'

She could not weep for another lost to her though, for surely he was. She had made that oath to herself upon the eve that she had learned of Laegard's death. Cold determination and a deep profound bitterness would hold her to that.

She could feel the weight shift upon her soul as she watched Delabriel sleep, her features peaceful, beautiful...bearing his likeness. It was as if she looked upon a piece of her husband's soul, and all it did was taint the purity of her joy at this creation of love, with sorrow.

This child would grow without a father..

She slammed the door on that and shut it out, shut it all out, but it forced her from the side of her daughter and out into the cold night.

Breath misting in the air, she lifted her head back and looked to the starry night sky as if some answer could be found there. She was not surprised, of course, when nothing was forthcoming. The Goddess Taliena had given her an answer long ago. Why now did it hold no comfort to remember?

No, comfort was not to be had, only the deep welling of loss.

She had to smirk then and her dark eyed gaze turned upon the statue of Taliena, encircled within the loving arms of Austinian, the water of the fountain bubbling softly around them in the still night air.

"Where is your guidance now." She whispered hoarsely, the smirk fading from her lips, leaving only a barren look of bitterness in her gaze and then she left, leaving her daughter within the care of a sleeping Krysadis.

She had other matters she needed to consider and that was not getting done here.

Friday, November 16, 2007

Harsh Reality: Two Years, Two Days (Part 1)

The child slept peacefully, a tiny thing in her arms as she looked down upon the resting form, absently reflecting that she certainly hadn't felt tiny on the way out.

It stole a warm smile across her lips that was bourne of relief and love. Two days to bear this child; two years to see her formed and yet it had felt like an eternity. Ironic, really, that thought.

The streaming sunlight in the room became a gentle distraction from her musings and she turned her head from the life within her arms to look outside. The rounded window was regretably far from her but just being able to see that sunlight, watching it creep towards her with the ponderously slow movement of the sun within the sky, comforted her. This was nothing like to her first terrifying pregnancy and she was determined to treasure the moments.

A solitary bird fluttered by, pausing to perch upon the outer sill before it went on with its business. A butterfly soon after and then there was nothing to see but the harsh reflection of sun upon glass.

Oddly enough, Krysadis chose that moment to enter the room, her movements light and soundless. She was smiling gently, a very palpable joy in her gaze but she seemed unable to hide that spark of sorrow that Nymaya had noticed on more than a few occasions.

The sorrow of her own losses perhaps, of all the dreams and hopes she had once dared to believe in, lost within the ashes of time.

Nymaya dared to believe that this elf of such depth and age shared a small piece of something with her now but even as she watched Krysadis walk to the window, her movements fluid as she leaned over the desk to open it, she felt another piece of herself turn away from that idea and fall back into the shadows within. She could not afford such a thing. It was beyond her now.

Her dark brooding was apruptly dismissed as her daughter shifted in her sleep, the movement so gentle and light, her soft sleepy sound delicate to hear. It brought Nymaya's gaze down just as Krysadis was finishing with the window and that same warm smile spread over her lips and through her sore body.

Lifting her free arm which had been resting gently around her daughter, she carefully smoothed back the soft yellow blanket that had been wrapped around her and passed the pad of her thumb very lightly over the small sparkle of silver that was quickly becoming apparent over the right eye, earning a tiny frown in response.

A breath of a chuckle escaped her lips and Nymaya shook her head slightly and ran her hand gently over the the soft down of her daughters hair, already showing black strands amongst the nearly translucent silver.

"Like to your fathers." she whispered on a breath, her silver hair shifting over the pillows at her back and over her arm, "At least he will remain with us through you now as well."