Have a seat in the foyer, take a number
i was lightning before the thunder
Hers was a home of the brightest love in the darkest decisions; her moments of non-glory marred with the taste of defeat seemed dim in the light of his presence beside her the whole way. She knew of hardship, knew of disappointment in who she was simply because she was. She did not choose to be, instead given a life defined by a god, but she did pick him and that was, perhaps, one of the greatest honors she could have had bestowed upon her. She was not a creature of great love, though, sharing few emotional bonds with any save those of rare in childhood. He was one of the few that called not just to her heart, but a mind woven shut with winters endless and fields drawn with blood. So long she had spent trying to prove an unmatched wit and strength for a kingdom, then so easy they had strung themselves together.
It was quiet for a time, mindless bustle weaving while they held themselves in place—one pressed against the other. It should have been comforting to be in a place that didn't require her to beat down every warrior surrounding to show her worth, to not have to sit in complacency and listen to every squabble placed at the foot of a throne. But being back in the land of Dusk filled her with a dread that not even Máni beside her could dispel; she was their Queen, and she simply threw it all away. She fell to nothing, and that might have been what was best for the court, yet a hole filled in all the spaces previously occupied. She needed time, maybe. She needed a new song to sing.
He spoke and she nodded solemnly, unease at the mention of 'home.' "What face do they see as mine, now?" Her heavy voice created a void between them as she copied his motions to pull back. Eyes locked onto eyes as she searched his face, desperately wishing for a simple answer. "What do we do, here in 'home' without titles?" It was all she knew, to lead, to fight for rights not given out merrily. The Court of Dusk had moved on without them, and where she once felt seamless in their lives it became almost a chore to remind herself that she was overthinking.
It was quiet for a time, mindless bustle weaving while they held themselves in place—one pressed against the other. It should have been comforting to be in a place that didn't require her to beat down every warrior surrounding to show her worth, to not have to sit in complacency and listen to every squabble placed at the foot of a throne. But being back in the land of Dusk filled her with a dread that not even Máni beside her could dispel; she was their Queen, and she simply threw it all away. She fell to nothing, and that might have been what was best for the court, yet a hole filled in all the spaces previously occupied. She needed time, maybe. She needed a new song to sing.
He spoke and she nodded solemnly, unease at the mention of 'home.' "What face do they see as mine, now?" Her heavy voice created a void between them as she copied his motions to pull back. Eyes locked onto eyes as she searched his face, desperately wishing for a simple answer. "What do we do, here in 'home' without titles?" It was all she knew, to lead, to fight for rights not given out merrily. The Court of Dusk had moved on without them, and where she once felt seamless in their lives it became almost a chore to remind herself that she was overthinking.
@Máni
