cold in the violence after the war
hope is a fire to keep us warm
This chilly day standing on a windswept cliff in Nerine is so vastly removed from the time they had met in a warm, flowering meadow, and yet it feels incredibly familiar. Perfectly natural, in a way. As though life had been leading them here, to be friends in another strange land.
Of course, it’s not so strange to her anymore, but it is nothing like the tropical beaches she had spent the first half of her childhood on. It is home, but it is a home that suits her mother far more than it suits her. Still, she has nowhere else she’d prefer to be, and so she stays. And now, knowing Corban had come, staying seems suddenly much less burdensome. It is comforting, in a way, to know she would have a friend here.
Her smile is genuine as he vows to always be there, and she reaches out to lightly touch his cheek. She knows how volatile life could be. She doubts that physically he would always be present, but she chooses then to believe that his friendship at least would always be hers. “Thank you Corban,” she replies earnestly, her voice softening with the more serious tone. “You are a better friend than I deserve.”
But as the conversation turns and he suddenly realizes her rather dubious status, Brazen cannot help the laugh that escapes. “I don’t feel like a princess,” she replies with humor, her eyes glinting as she peers around at the rather stark landscape. Shrugging, she turns back him and adds, “Maybe my mom’s a queen, but I’m still just Brazen.”
Lips twitching with her fading humor, she looks at him more astutely now, surveying the changes that had occurred since the last time they’d met. He had grown too, of course, becoming a man rather than a boy. She wonders then if more than just his appearance had grown as well. Did his interests change greatly too?
Certainly she could not boast of the same playful innocence.
“I haven’t chosen a caste,” she admits after a moment’s hesitation before a small, self-deprecating laugh escapes. “I’m not sure I have much to offer as a mentor, but I have been learning how to fight. I think maybe that’s all I’ll probably be much good for anyway.” She shrugs again before glancing away. It must be obvious to him, given her appearance, that she had not been designed for much else.
Brazen
