hold my hand

lily from what i’ve tasted of desire i hold with those who favor fire The notion that Lily might be more sensible than her courageous friend was something that had not occurred to her. History remembers the brave ones, the heroes and heroines who go swinging into battle, who live and die by the blade. It does not remember the women who sit back and wonder if rushing into battle is a good idea or not, unless said women prevent a massacre. And is Lily at the head of an army? No. No, she is not. She can’t even compose an Ode to Arduinna right now (a sneaky, but also legitimate way to at least get her name into the books). In some other world, certainly not her own and definitely not Caido, she might be worthy of acclaim. But today is all about personal growth, so onward, ladies! Melita might feel Lily’s grip tighten and a certain rigidity begin to afflict her normally fluid and graceful body. It’s nothing severe - it doesn’t keep her from walking and it doesn’t keep her from breathing (two very essential things), but it does betray whatever trepidations she might have, which is why it’s so good when her companion asks for a story. Ah! The perfect thing to take her mind off the next couple of steps. What is one of her favorite stories? Scrambling to think of something entertaining and adored, Lily finally lands on one. “There is this one, and it’s about a very smart woman.” She swallows, trying to remember the story as it was laid out on gold embossed pages, the heaviness of the leather-bound tome as she read (a rarity, for a servant) aloud to her mistress. “A long time ago, in a far away land, there was a woman named Scheherezade. She was the beautiful and learned daughter of one of the king’s advisors. She read everything.Now, this king’s first wife had been unfaithful to him and he killed her for it, and vowed that every day he would marry a new wife, and then the next day, he would kill her before she had the opportunity to be unfaithful.” The ultimate dick move and no way to beget heirs or run a kingdom, because eventually all the other men get pissed off at you for taking away all the women, but hey, no one asked Lily. “So, against her father’s wishes, Scheherezade volunteered to spend one night with the king, and during this night she told him a wonderful story, but dragged it out so that she was only half way through at dawn. She stopped and the king asked her to keep going, but she said she’d run out of time. So the King promised to spare her life until the end of the story.” Her body becomes more relaxed now, as Lily begins to forget about the bridge and the abyss and everything except Melita and the story. “So the next night, she finished the story and then started a second, even more exciting tale than the last. And the King spared her life again, as he wanted to hear the end of that story, too. She was able to continue this for one thousand and one days, until finally, she ran out of stories. But over the course of those thousand nights, the King had fallen in love with her and ended up making her his Queen.” Lily chuckles a little at the absurdity of the whole situation, but is ultimately smiling at the wit of the woman and her ability to manipulate the situation. It's how women have always been able to survive - by outsmarting the men in power and finding ways to use the situation to their advantage. They are adaptive creatures. “Do you have any favorite stories from home?” she aks, hoping the Melly's story will take them to the end of the bridge so that they can then turn around. Surely the trip back will be easier!