ASHE
She was reluctant to get up at first. Ashe lay in the small, comfortable bed in the room across from her own, her arm draped over the softly sleeping form of Theea. She rested with her nose against the little girl's hair, her finger still gently stroking over her brow. She had fallen asleep a while ago, but she had stayed. She told herself it was because she had to be there to be sure she didn't wake with nightmares, ones of the storms.
Eventually, the heat of the fire in the other room made it hot enough for the slumbering, living furnace in Ashe's arms to push away, grumbling softly without waking. She left the girl be after that, and walking through the silent house and rubbing feeling back into the arm Theea's head had been on. An ever present tug within told her where to find Kalt, and wrapping herself in her cloak, she left the shudders open a crack behind her as she clambered up onto the roof.
Her breath clouded in front of her as she hauled herself up, finding Kalt sitting with his back to her. She paused, crouching in the snow at the peak of their roof and looked across at him, smiling crookedly. "It's fucking cold," she complained as she rose to walk her way across the slippery roof, her feet nimble and sure as she balanced her way to him. Her hand slipped over his shoulder, brushing her chilled fingers under his collar and over the back of his warm neck with an amused glint in her eye, as if to prove a point.
She glanced down to the paddock where Kysma played, and her chest tightened. Percy was here somewhere in the Hallowed Grounds, but he had outright avoided her these weeks in her return, and she'd yet to find him. He was a proud stallion, and no doubt felt abandoned by the rider he'd chosen to trust and bond with. Her eyes moved up toward the sky, promising herself she'd search for him again in the morning.
"I didn't realize that I missed seeing the sky until I made it back," she said absently, her eyes dancing over the stars, reflexively going to Vanya's, and the space where Ronin had been beside her.
Eventually, the heat of the fire in the other room made it hot enough for the slumbering, living furnace in Ashe's arms to push away, grumbling softly without waking. She left the girl be after that, and walking through the silent house and rubbing feeling back into the arm Theea's head had been on. An ever present tug within told her where to find Kalt, and wrapping herself in her cloak, she left the shudders open a crack behind her as she clambered up onto the roof.
Her breath clouded in front of her as she hauled herself up, finding Kalt sitting with his back to her. She paused, crouching in the snow at the peak of their roof and looked across at him, smiling crookedly. "It's fucking cold," she complained as she rose to walk her way across the slippery roof, her feet nimble and sure as she balanced her way to him. Her hand slipped over his shoulder, brushing her chilled fingers under his collar and over the back of his warm neck with an amused glint in her eye, as if to prove a point.
She glanced down to the paddock where Kysma played, and her chest tightened. Percy was here somewhere in the Hallowed Grounds, but he had outright avoided her these weeks in her return, and she'd yet to find him. He was a proud stallion, and no doubt felt abandoned by the rider he'd chosen to trust and bond with. Her eyes moved up toward the sky, promising herself she'd search for him again in the morning.
"I didn't realize that I missed seeing the sky until I made it back," she said absently, her eyes dancing over the stars, reflexively going to Vanya's, and the space where Ronin had been beside her.
and in this story —
if I am the moon, my darling
— then you are the night.
