Halcyon
She could not shake the memory of Atticus' face from her mind as she swam, the expression in his eyes kinder than she deserved. Halcyon wasn't sure why he had felt compelled to intervene on her behalf, but she could not deny that she appreciated his concern. Their interactions had been brief, and she wasn't sure how to feel about knowing she'd made such an impression on him. It made her feel like she mattered... and if there was one thing Hal had learned since Fritjof's disappearance, is that she didn't matter to many.
The rhythmic sound of their combined swimming quickly shifted to sloshing, and then to the soft shuh-shuh of hooves on sand as they reached the shores of the Forest. Her gaze refocused on the tall stallion in front of her,the stranger who had offered her a home without knowing all of the baggage she carried with her. Perhaps he would be lucky, she mused as she shook herself off, perhaps I will forget everything next time. She felt guilty for even having such a thought, but she could not escape it either. Sometimes only remembering bits and pieces felt like more of a burden than forgetting entirely, although she knew that wasn't fair.
Better to remember some of him than to forget the love that had shaped her into who she was.
"It's beautiful," she murmured, her gaze lifting to dance along the ridge where the ocean met the territory proper. "Will you show me around, Voyager?" Perhaps if she just kept repeating his name, she wouldn't lose that too. "And perhaps you can tell me a little more of yourself?" Even that request was posed as a question, her voice soft. "How did you come to these islands?"