Amalia
the shield of safrin
Of all the reactions she anticipates, him coming to blows with the barn door is not among them. Amalia might have pulled away, recoiled swiftly from whatever mistake she has made to elicit such a reaction from her friend (angry at her for being absent, disappointed by her presence, told by Jigano of her many sins), might have vanished back into the insecurities that rise so easily within her mind- except that before she can he turns against her, clings to her with a desperation so fierce it nearly breaks her heart.They fall together into the snow, their backs to the door, their arms around each other, one of them broken and both of them fragile. Gently Amalia pulls him closer, easing him to lean against her, to let her lean her head against his hair as he places his head against her chest. Can he hear the thundering of her heart, the fear and anxiety as she checks that he is well, surreptitiously passing hands along his form to check for wounds? What happened, what happened, what happened it beats, begging to find understanding entwined with his.
Can he hear the way that heartbeat changes, catching and leaping as she finally makes sense of the words that leave his agonized lips?
"Oh-" She was here. Was. She can feel her throat close in understanding, an uneasiness rolling in her stomach as the memory thousand LongNight losses flood her brain. She was here- "Was?" you whisper, knowing that there are a thousand things this word could mean. "Did you see her, Rory?" Are you sure?
someday we'll find what we're looking for
or maybe not
maybe we'll find something much greater
