Beautiful? Cerva would laugh if she heard the term used to describe herself. It isn’t that she finds herself ugly, but she considers herself plain especially when she reflects back to mother. She would never amount to Noori, no, not even to her father’s greatness. It would be easy for her to be lost in a crowd of faces, she has mused before during a long, lonely night. While her siblings were vivacious and lively, determined even, Cerva was reclusive and mostly kept to herself where she could never find herself disappointed or insulted. Where there was no one to criticize her there was no way that she could allow herself to be hurt, or so she told herself.
Unfortunately, solitude eats away at the soul after so long. The silence was beginning to feel like needles prickling her skin, gradually burying deeper and deeper. It became uncomfortable, unwanted, and so she finally eased herself from her hibernation and forced herself back into a kingdom and back into the company of others. Not having confidence, like Sahm, she has been struggling, but still she tries.
Underneath his gaze she shifts from side to side as though it will simmer the uneasiness of having a conversation with a stranger. Her jaws clench together then releases periodically while he looks at her, but once he speaks, his voice filling her ears, she smiles. A relieved breath rolls through her like the ocean’s tide and her muscles quickly become less rigid. ”It’s a pleasure to meet you,” her voice is uplifting and sincere, her nutmeg eyes just a little brighter. ”I’ve just been wandering, to tell you the truth. I had never been here before so it’s quite a lot to take in,” she glances over her shoulder for a moment to see the rolling hills and flowered fields. It’s a beautiful place. Her head turns to look at Sahm again as she considers his question carefully as though it’s a test to pass.
What can she say?
Many things.
What should she say?
Perhaps not as much as she would like.
”I’m looking for a home and to find something as remotely close to a functional kingdom family as I can,” she chuckles knowing well how no one can predict how dysfunctional of a family she stems from.
Cerva