Katniss was quiet as he shared his story from Rift, about how he had once wanted to be a warrior. He mentions Merrick and she nodded her head ever so softly. “I met him once or twice.” She remembered the big draft, though she didn’t know much about him. Their conversation had been quick, but it had served it’s purpose. But what happened to the large draft after that conversation was nothing but a mystery to her. There were so many others that she wished she had forged a better relationship with. Perhaps then she could have saved more lives. But then again, how could she have known that Rift would swallow itself whole? There was no way she could have saved everyone, no matter how hard she might have tried.
He moved from his mentor and onto his realization that fighting was not for him. She smiled sweetly at him, her muzzle lowering to brush against his shoulder. “Not everyone is cut out for war.” Not everyone had the stomach for fighting, just like others did not have the stomach for healing either. “I have a confession.” She paused for a moment, hoping to get all of his attention before she would continue. “I would have chosen a different path for myself if it had been my own choosing.” She had been born to fight, trained from the moment she hit the ground. She did not feel like a mighty warrior, just like she never felt like a leader. Being thrust into queen-ship had been a surprise. While she adapted well, it was still not a choice she would have chosen for herself. “I would have loved to be scholar, if I had been given the choice.” One thing that never waivered was her lust for knowledge. Surely she would have been good in a scholarly role, perhaps even teaching the next generation. But none of that was in the cards for Katniss. She had the life she had been given and it was best that she make something of it.
The conversation between Katniss and Metaphor had always been smooth, always flowing from one topic to the next without any thought or hesitation. Perhaps that is what made their relationship seem so effortless. They could easily talk about a thousand things and yet, the conversation flowed without skipping a single beat.
But it was the murders that caught Katniss’ attention. “Murders? In Delumine?” She had not heard of murders. For the most part, Novus was a placid place. People here were innately good. To hear that someone had been murder was out of character for this place. Who might be behind it? Surely not the gods. Had they not taken enough from their citizens?
She sighed softly, knowing that murders in Delumine would only lead to further chaos. He might not like it when she went into battle, but war would come to Denocte, whether or not he was ready. “I would love to travel with you. Perhaps in spring when the flowers are in bloom.” Perhaps once the murders had been solved and whatever was brewing north of here had settled. Besides, Katniss liked the flowers. And little did Katniss know at the present time, but she would not be traveling with Metaphor alone. Perhaps a child would once again fill her womb.
@Metaphor
