Meadow
Force-claiming is not allowed here. This is a peaceful, neutral area meant for socialising.
Posted on February 24, 2021 at 09:20:37 AM by Faldne
Her companion was silent throughout the entirety of Faldne’s confession and her question, perhaps finding the meandering course of their conversation—and the mercurial plane of her moods—difficult to trace. For a moment, the small dark mare considered how strange it was that two who were as different as she and Evandr should share any sort of connection. She even wondered whether it was only the stallion’s unfaltering kindness that held him at her side. The warmth of his lips on the quivering canvas of her skin was evidence that he must feel something more than revulsion or pity...and yet… If a stranger had found it in himself to embrace the Icelandic warrioress so wholly—to accept her quirks alongside that which was commonplace—then what did that say of Faldne’s own people?
And if she could have a friend here in the world beyond, then why should she ever want to return to a place where intimacy was defined as the physical distance between two bodies? At this question, the mahogany woman felt her resolve shift again; felt the crevasse between her and them widen. In the face of everything that Evandr had given her, the duty and honor that had been her life’s blood were suddenly insignificant.
The caramel-brown stallion began to speak, responding to her question—and Faldne clung to his words with the desperation of one who did not want this moment to end. Yet his answer was a sobering confirmation of the differences between them that no amount of familiarity or affection could breach. Evandr spoke of warmth even as the glow of hers began to dissipate; even as the bright embers of her hope were buried beneath the ash of hard truth. Though her coat might be short and sleek now, the stout mare’s shaggy mane still hinted at her kind’s affinity for the sort of land in which her companion would be uncomfortable and unhappy. How could she ever believe that she might belong in his world—or he in hers?
It was only in the second half of Evandr’s response that she found her smile again. Wry humor filled her thoughts when he confessed to the belief that he’d outgrown kindness—was such a thing even possible for the soft-spoken male who wore his compassion like a second skin? “I would have an easier time believing that I’ll outgrow you than you your kindness,” Faldne teased, her pale eyes warm and soft. “Perhaps on that day, you might even see me well enough to regard me as more than a friend.” Her voice became sultry again for a brief moment, but only half-heartedly so; by now, the seal brown woman could not bear the thought of stealing Evandr’s innocence. Particularly since any fulfillment such an act granted her would only be fleeting, while his friendship—if he was to be believed—would last for far longer.
“Your home sounds terrible,” she continued after a pause, steering the flow of words back to more amiable topics. “But then, the sun has never been my friend. Your family, on the other hand—if they are even half of what you are, Evandr, then I regret that I will never meet them.” One ear twisted back to listen for the sound of his voice, and only when Faldne was certain that she would not interrupt did she continue. “Kindness is not a word that exists in the world that I came from, because it is equated with weakness. But after meeting you—why, I believe that your kind will survive long after my own return to dust.” The Icelandic’s voice was sad and wistful, but her smile remained—if twisted slightly by bitterness. A heavy sigh and shifting of limbs followed, as if Faldne were beginning to prepare herself for the inevitable moment of their parting. But after a moment, she spoke again, wanting—no, needing—to share the contents of her heart.
“If only I could claim to have outgrown their cruelty, Evandr. Then I might find myself worthy enough of your friendship to remain at your side.”
FALDNE
forsaken daughter of the sovngarde
forsaken daughter of the sovngarde
Replies:
- so fill to me the parting glass - By <evandr February 28, 2021 at 10:53:08 PM
- should swing the sword [ x ] - By Faldne March 3, 2021 at 01:53:27 AM
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