WEAVER
His breathing grows steady, not quite asleep but somewhere near enough to it. She closes her eyes, content to simply be in the moment. There are a million things she could be doing, but nothing is as important as him. The Kraai would survive without her. Their chores could wait; the house was always messy anyway. So she just stays, arms wrapped around him, holding on tighter than she has in so long. Which is saying something, because she has always held on tight to her brother, for he is all she has left.
There may be outlanders now. There may be the Kraai now. There may be portals and Loren and dreams to dream and lives to live. None of those things mattered without him though. Maybe she didn’t tell him that enough, didn’t explain well enough that all those things were just bonuses. She did need him. She needed him to be her brother, to stay, to be safe and tucked in her arms forever. Without him, what other reason to go on did she have? He’d been her whole reason for so long, though she has never told him that. It feels like too much of a burden to put on him, and so she keeps the secret. Maybe it would be better if she told him.
He speaks, and she opens her eyes to look at him, a little surprised. Her smile is soft, gentle and kind, a smile that is almost only ever seen by him. She cannot respond without the paper, and that would involve letting him go for a moment, which she will not do. So instead, she hugs him tighter, leaning her face down to kiss his forehead, wrapping him up in her as he cries. Without words she can tell him that she loves him. Without words, she can tell him it’s okay to cry.
There may be outlanders now. There may be the Kraai now. There may be portals and Loren and dreams to dream and lives to live. None of those things mattered without him though. Maybe she didn’t tell him that enough, didn’t explain well enough that all those things were just bonuses. She did need him. She needed him to be her brother, to stay, to be safe and tucked in her arms forever. Without him, what other reason to go on did she have? He’d been her whole reason for so long, though she has never told him that. It feels like too much of a burden to put on him, and so she keeps the secret. Maybe it would be better if she told him.
He speaks, and she opens her eyes to look at him, a little surprised. Her smile is soft, gentle and kind, a smile that is almost only ever seen by him. She cannot respond without the paper, and that would involve letting him go for a moment, which she will not do. So instead, she hugs him tighter, leaning her face down to kiss his forehead, wrapping him up in her as he cries. Without words she can tell him that she loves him. Without words, she can tell him it’s okay to cry.
I was made to be wild, wicked, and free
