; i stand amid the roar of a surf-tormented shore

[Hybris]

oh there were scars to be found! a web of them - how much like her mother she had become! - each with a story to tell. a lesson learned, a battle lost, a victory earned. a thousand stories written in the parchment of her flesh, but hybris was not done, yet. once more she had picked up the pen, though the tip was not so sharp now. it was not a blade to main or mark but a tool to weave her words in to the history books. hybris had fought for her jungle, for her sisters, but those days were behind her. it was her voice she offered, now. her voice and her skills as a diplomat. fight if she must, but it was not her intent. still she stood proud before the one that came - empress, surely - and did not balk nor hesitate. hybris was an amazon; though the sparrow had not been born as one it was what defined her now. it was the one thing that she KNEW was true and permanent. "hybris," a gift in return for one given, "and yes, though i am sure you already knew that." they were already sisters, whether they wished to be or not. but when had hybris ever turned away a sister? "it was long ago." she is old, now, but she is not useless. tell me, empress, do you see her worth? hybris stood before the queen and allowed herself to be judged, to be truly seen, and she is not afraid. "but i have returned, if you will have me." it was hardly a question - she already knew the answer. they were sisters after all. hybris ; it was but a dream within a dream