A Chance Meeting

Finally, Caiside's face faltered, the fake smile desperately trying to cling to his lips before falling into a distant frown. It wasn't just that he didn't want to share his past, but on his own world, nearly everyone already his story. He had never had the chance to tell it himself, not really. Caiside barely knew where to start.The very beginning seemed most relevant, and so he began there, he words coming from him quietly enough that they were almost lost. "When my mother died, I was left with no one in the world." This was the simplest part of the story, the part where he didn't have to carefully think about the words he chose. It only got harder from there. "I was still young, but old enough that no one could stop me from leaving. So I did, and I met a man on a forest road. I was lost, and sad, and alone, and... he was kind, and invited me to travel with him, so I wouldn't be alone." Caiside paused, chewing on his words. "I learned my new friend was a prince, exiled from his home, and gave my help when he asked. He had been so kind to me, and we had... a great deal in common." A quick, tight smile flashed across his face. So not every memory was completely bad, but the good couldn't outweigh the bad. "Once we succeeded, w-... he realized there were people who had issues with his return, and... he made moves to defend himself. The situation... escalated, and before I really knew it, I was in a war." It was an obviously sanitized account, and it very clearly didn't end there, but Caiside had fallen silent again, the gaze focused on something far in the distance. He blinking, shaking his head a little, and turned to look at Emmett. The tears and... vulnerability were still uncomfortable, but Caiside found it was easier to empathize with the other man now. Caiside Deep in the ocean, dead and cast away Where innocence is burned in flames A million miles from home, I'm walking ahead I'm frozen to the bones, I am...