The attention of such a beautiful being was more flattering than Kel was used to, and under her gentle questions his confidence began to slowly blossom. His smile came more easily though he shook his head in negation. ”Neither,” he admitted, but without regret. ”She was far away from his land by the time I was born. But… being half-human I couldn’t travel with her on the wind. She wanted to raise me, and she does love me…” A stumble in his words, not for the past but for the present and the loss of a woman who had done her best for them both. ”But staying to raise a halfbreed who couldn’t ride the wind would have… it would have killed her.” An admission darkened by the pain of losing her now, even if it wasn’t to death. He looked down and drew a breath to steady himself, then met Hotaru’s emerald eyes again with a reassuring if wan smile.
There was a flash of wariness at Hotaru’s generosity, something fresh and bruised in his eyes after the cons he’d fallen for in Kaiholo in his first few visits there, but for her willingness to listen to him he was willing to take a chance and he nodded a slow, wistful acceptance of the offer. ”I… would,” he admitted. ”I should… probably start finding more ways to fit in here. And your dress is beautiful,” the praise shy but sincere as the smile returned. ”Anything you wanted to make for me… I’d really appreciate it. Thank you, Hotaru.”
Her explanation of the guild had him nodding in relief that it was the same organizations he was familiar with. Her revelation of royalty caught him by surprise however, and he was torn between worry and fascination. The smile that curved plush lips eased much of the anxiety, but the wistfulness of her expression caught at his heart as her regal profile looked out over the waves. The strength she had displayed with her magic earlier surfaced once more, subtle and refined as she spoke of her former life and the reflections of light from the water danced across her face, giving her even more of an ethereal quality. Her story was one of war and glory, shining towers and distant battles, and the way she tempered it with reality only made the banners snap more proudly in his mind’s eye. It was an incredible life, but the longing for it in her eyes when she turned to look at him caught his heart.
Greatly daring, not wanting to overstep, he reached out his hand to touch a fold of her dress beside him, offering his small comfort to such a great lady. ”There were but… none that I ever saw,” he admitted. ”Kings and Queens were all far away. Might as well have been human fairy tales. The Grove was ruled by the matriarchs, and the human towns at the edges of the Forest didn’t have more than mayors or governors. I hunted and work – worked,” he corrected himself, a brief stumble, ”as a guide, leading merchants and travelers through the Aurangwy Forest. Human enough to blend in with them, but Hidden enough to keep them out of trouble with the Forest’s other inhabitants,” he added with a flicker of pride. ”Sometimes Hidden nobility came to the Grove, but being a halfbreed it was… usually better if I stayed out of their sight.” A wistful admission, but it was clear that human nobility were more fascinating to him than Sidhe.
There was a flash of wariness at Hotaru’s generosity, something fresh and bruised in his eyes after the cons he’d fallen for in Kaiholo in his first few visits there, but for her willingness to listen to him he was willing to take a chance and he nodded a slow, wistful acceptance of the offer. ”I… would,” he admitted. ”I should… probably start finding more ways to fit in here. And your dress is beautiful,” the praise shy but sincere as the smile returned. ”Anything you wanted to make for me… I’d really appreciate it. Thank you, Hotaru.”
Her explanation of the guild had him nodding in relief that it was the same organizations he was familiar with. Her revelation of royalty caught him by surprise however, and he was torn between worry and fascination. The smile that curved plush lips eased much of the anxiety, but the wistfulness of her expression caught at his heart as her regal profile looked out over the waves. The strength she had displayed with her magic earlier surfaced once more, subtle and refined as she spoke of her former life and the reflections of light from the water danced across her face, giving her even more of an ethereal quality. Her story was one of war and glory, shining towers and distant battles, and the way she tempered it with reality only made the banners snap more proudly in his mind’s eye. It was an incredible life, but the longing for it in her eyes when she turned to look at him caught his heart.
Greatly daring, not wanting to overstep, he reached out his hand to touch a fold of her dress beside him, offering his small comfort to such a great lady. ”There were but… none that I ever saw,” he admitted. ”Kings and Queens were all far away. Might as well have been human fairy tales. The Grove was ruled by the matriarchs, and the human towns at the edges of the Forest didn’t have more than mayors or governors. I hunted and work – worked,” he corrected himself, a brief stumble, ”as a guide, leading merchants and travelers through the Aurangwy Forest. Human enough to blend in with them, but Hidden enough to keep them out of trouble with the Forest’s other inhabitants,” he added with a flicker of pride. ”Sometimes Hidden nobility came to the Grove, but being a halfbreed it was… usually better if I stayed out of their sight.” A wistful admission, but it was clear that human nobility were more fascinating to him than Sidhe.
