wanted to be the first to introduce Maeve to snow. I guess because it seemed like something special that I wanted to take the credit for. She had been asking about it as we got closer to winter, so I knew I needed to keep an eye out for those first flakes to fall.
Today turned out to be that day. Fortunately, we were already out walking together so there hadn't been any rushing around necessary.
When she saw that first snowflake, I think that's when my heart became warmer than it had ever been before. The look on her face had to be the cutest thing I had ever seen. Then watching her as she jumped around was priceless. She made me join in too and soon we were laughing together. I think the last time I genuinely laughed this much was when Antiope and I first became friends (back before it was just all business all the time).
She is sticking out her tongue now trying to catch the snowflakes like I had suggested. I remember being young and doing the same, although I was disappointed that they didn't have any real taste. Maeve doesn't seem to mind, of course. It's just as fun to her as jumping around had been.
The snow is falling softly around us and it's not exactly the kind I was hoping for. It's more wet and isn't accumulating very fast. It'll likely be a while until it covers the entire ground and becomes the right consistency for building. Something else I was hoping to do was build snow animals because I remember it being fun as a kid. Of course I always created the "scary" animals compared to everyone else, but I took pride in my creations.
I know Maeve will probably model one after her hawk or Bram. The wolf is laying down nearby watching us. He's become a good guard animal lately and I've noticed he's become very protective of Maeve (sometimes more so than me). As for Rory, Maeve's bonded… well, it seemed like their bond needed some work. He was far more elusive than Bram had ever been.
Still, I'm glad she's found our games fun and that I ended up being the first to show her snow after all. It's moments like these that make me grateful to be a mom. It feels weird to admit that, but it's true. Al'Zahra and all that shit aside, I still wouldn't trade my daughter for the world.
Of course, I noticed a couple horses approach us and I'm a bit annoyed that our mother-daughter bonding is being interrupted. That is, until I recognize who the taller one is. There's a little one by her side, likely not too much younger than Maeve. The sight is definitely surprising.
"Elena? Long time no see," I say as they approach, my face not exactly hiding my shock. I don't remember Elena being pregnant the last time I saw her, but I guess a lot could change in several months. Maybe this won't entirely ruin my plans with Maeve after all. While I don't know Elena well, our axe throwing session was pretty fun. Plus, my daughter could use more playmates her age.
"Who is this with you?" The girl is a striking contrast to Elena's bright palomino coat and she has a unique crescent moon shaped marking on her shoulder. It actually reminds me of Tenebrae but that just seems too far fetched. The monks are always going on about their spirituality being more important or whatever. This makes me a little suspicious, but I figure I'll wait to see what the woman says before jumping to too many conclusions.
✦
i've lost a part of me ; tell your friends to sharpen their teeth
Winter is not kind to Elena. She was made for summer skies and warm sunshine. But Winter always brought something in her, like the sharp blade of a knife against her heart. Nothing could replace her family, and on this cold morning, the ache in her heart cuts a little deeper than usual. She loved Terrastella, she loved her court, she loved healing, loved the friends she had made here, friends that have nearly become family, but it was not entirely the same. She wanted her mother and father to meet Elliana, she wanted Elli to know her great-grandma. She wanted her daughter to gaze up in awe, just as she had, at Paraiso’s giant waterfall, or smell the lavender beside Murmuring Rivers. Elliana, her heart, her joy, her anchor. The gravity of her life. Elena wished she could at least meet her namesake, Lilliana, her godmother that she hears so much about but has still never seen. It startles Elena still, even on this cold morning when Elli stands carefree in the new snow, and she sees Lilliana pass over her face, and her skin flashes crimson for a second, as those same bright blue eyes look at her.
The corners of her lips quirk into a smile, and it is serene, kind, the kind of smile her own mother wore when she first saw her daughter in the winter snow. She watches as Jack runs over to her, a biscuit (where he got it Elena does not know, does not want to know) in his little paw. Elena sees her daughter’s lips moving, talking to her companion, but she cannot hear what stories she tells. Her heart still bruises against her ribcage every time she breathes, pushing against it. It hurts, standing here in the cold. “Elli,” she calls out to her and her ghost like daughter turns to her. She is a shapeshifter and suddenly she no longer looks like Lilli, but Tenebrae.
She has her head tilted, staring up at her golden mother, their matching blonde hair collecting soft snowflakes like pollen in the wings of a butterfly. “We are going on a trip,” she says and the two set off in even, graceful strides. Elliana for her part, shifts again and she looks like she is no one’s daughter but Elena’s. Matching blue eyes, ivory hearts on their brows as if they had been kissed by love.
The prairie offers fresh snow and it is near the lake (the lake that Elena cannot manage to face, but she imagines the image of her daughter ice skating and it is almost enough to break her.) She thinks the prairie is close enough, maybe one day. They are not alone in Elena’s idea though, for there stands another mother and daughter, two faces that are all too familiar to Elena. Elliana races ahead, nearly losing Jack in the process who clings tighter to her neck. “It is good to see you again,” the palomino says when she is close enough. Elliana greets Maeve with enthusiasm that tells Elena they know each other from another time, another place. “This is Elliana, Maeve, it is good to see you,” she smiles at the young girl. “I was not aware Maeve was your daughter,” Elena says tilting her head before turning blue eyes to eyes to watch the girls. “And how is motherhood treating you? You seem….at ease, more so than I last saw you,” Elena jests, gently (and so very carefully). Elena, try as she might, she can never resist playing with fire.
It's a new world, it's a new start
It's alive with the beating of young hearts
Snow! It's my new favorite thing as of today. I had heard about it from Momma when she first told me about the seasons but it wasn't until now that I could actually experience it. There's such a difference between just hearing about it and then seeing it.
There isn't much on the ground yet but it's changed the entire world. Everywhere you look there's the soft white flakes falling down. It's like I stepped into a dream but I'm actually living it! When I stick out my tongue to try tasting them, they just melt in my mouth and taste like fresh, frosty air. I had imagined what this would be like in my head but it's not nearly as cool as the real thing. I'm enjoying every minute of it.
Momma and I planned to spend the day together. I don't know what she has planned, but I know that as soon as the snow started to fall, she rushed me out of the castle. Now that we're here, I don't know that I really need any plans. I'd be fine with just watching the world be covered by snow and me along with it. We could both chase the snowflakes as they fall and see how many we can catch on our tongues.
When two others join us, I get excited. I can tell Momma isn't sure at first, but then she starts to talk to the taller one like she knows her. I'm already tuning out whatever they're talking about because I know who the other is.
"Elli! You're back!" I shout and run over excitedly. My legs don't keep up with my body and I end up slipping on the wet snow. I fall face first right in front of my new friend. When I manage to stand back up, my cheeks are warm from embarrassment. "Uhh.. that didn't happen," I say sheepishly but it's hard to hold in my laughter.
Of course, Bram never skips a beat. The timber wolf is already by my side and sniffing my face. "It's okay, Bram, I'm okay," I tell him and nuzzle his shoulder. He looks at me with his soft yellow eyes and nods, but seems to prefer to stay close in case. I watch his gaze shift and his expression turn to a slight snarl. When I look over, I recognize the black and white furred creature on Elli's shoulder.
"I see your friend is better," I say with a smile, remembering our adventure not too long ago. My own bonded had helped us a little bit that day, but Rory isn't by my side today. He's a little more independent than Momma and Elli's bondeds, but I know he still watches over me. Even now I can feel our link a little bit, so he's likely high up in the sky and hunting for something tasty.
kissed my penny and threw it in
prayed to keep my soul
S
ometimes her mother looks at her and it is as if she has seen a ghost. Elliana should know this best. But she has little time to think as her companion comes over to her, a biscuit, no doubt from some place he should not have gotten it from. “You need to stop thieving, Jack,” she chatters to him as his noisily munches, climbing up onto her shoulders. She then turns to her mother’s voice, the sound of her calling her name on her lips. Another ghost—no, this time it is a shadow.
Trip, an adventure, she did not need to say anything more. Elliana bounces along her side as they walk the familiar path to Night Court. And she spies Maeve up ahead, racing off in an instant, her companion clings tighter to her shoulders, terrified of flying from Elli’s back. Maeve slips in front of her, and Elliana quickly pulls to a halt. “Maeve!” She cheers excitedly. “Are you okay?” She asks, pushing her nose out towards her friend. The adults talk, they always, always talk. Sometimes Elliana tries to listen, but she hears so many people speak so often in the dark, that in the day, sometimes she just wants the quiet grace of friendship and childhood.
“Elli,” she tells the grown up she does not know. Elli, because Elliana is too heavy for her shoulders, it is too square to fit comfortable in her mouth, and too large for her tongue to wrap around. She quickly returns to Maeve, Jack sliding around her shoulders at the mention of him. “Yeah, he is,” she says, looking to Maeve with blue eyes. “What have you been up to? Were you and your mom playing in the snow?” She asks. “Where is your bird?” Simple questions, simple simple questions. As simple as the way the snow floats to the ground, and winter settles in around them.
orrighan watches as Maeve takes off to greet her friend. It seems to come as a surprise all around that Maeve is her daughter and Maeve already knows Elena's daughter. Although it's a bit confusing, she's happy to see her daughter making friends her own age.
"She is, yes. How do you know her?" she asks, feeling all the questions pop up in her mind. Then she remembers a story Maeve had told her about when she found her bonded and had help from a healer to fix his wing. It all makes more sense now. "Oh, were you the one to help her with Rory? She couldn't stop talking about how amazing your healing skills were."
It made her happy to see Maeve so excited and feeling accomplished. Of course, it had been so ingrained into her from when she was young that warriors had more respect from others compared to healers. It's why she tried so hard to prove to everyone that she was just as worthy of a soldier as anyone else, despite her late developing magic and smaller stature. It didn't occur to her that Maeve might not follow in her exact footsteps.
Of course, how could they forget their first meeting. It had been long before Maeve had been born and when Morrighan was still pregnant with her. At first, Elena seemed suspicious wandering the streets and being so far from Dusk. Then she proved to be not that bad and Morr got to show off at an axe throwing session.
The Regent laughs. "Yes, well, I guess I have Maeve to thank for that," she admits. It's true that her short fuse hasn't been quite as bad lately. There will always be moments, but she's trying to be better for her daughter.
"And you? Elli seems to be just as full of energy as Maeve is. I… didn't even know they knew each other." Morrighan takes another look at the girls now. They're not too far away, but she hasn't been paying attention to their conversation. It seems the girl has a bonded of her own- a creature she's never seen before. He clings to the girl's shoulder and it's quite comical. Very different from Maeve and her bonded who seems to prefer watching over the girl from afar. At least there is Bram, Morrighan's bonded, who will keep a much closer eye where Morrighan can't.
"Did you two come to enjoy the first snow as well? I was going to try and show Maeve how to make snow animals," she tells Elena, although now that she's said it, it seems kind of silly. Here she is, a wielder of fire, and going to attempt to play with snow.
✦
i've lost a part of me ; tell your friends to sharpen their teeth
Elena’s blue eyes widen for a moment with a steady, “Careful,” as Maeve slides over to them on the ice. Elena had experienced something similar when sparring with the Dawn Court King. There is still a dull ache in her shoulder if she thinks about it too much. Elena watches as the girls greet each other, friends it would seem. Elli needed more friends than just her paintbrush and canvas. She turns to the fire wielder when she speaks, allowing a moment for the girls to catch up with one another. “I was,” she says nodding, blinking blue eyes. “I have been healing since I was very young, I started as an apprentice, just a little bit older than Maeve,” she says, those eyes twinkle as she looks down at the girl.
Elena came across Maeve at a time in her life when she was questioning whether or not she would actually be able to be a mother, and the girl, Maeve, showed her through her beauty and her innocence that she could, that she would. “Glad to see it,” she says in response to Morrighan.
“I did not know they knew each other either,” Elena replies, glancing at the children. “Her father lives in Night Court so we travel there and often she will stay with him,” she responds. “So I am not surprised they ran into each other.”
Elena grins at the Regent. “We did,” she says brightly. “I thought we could use an adventure today, winter does get so dreary,” she adds, thinking about all that has happened since the heat of summer and the crash of fall, and how winter brought her both snowfall and Elli. She turns in the direction of their daughters and speaks across the cold air. “Hey girls, who do you think can build a snow animal faster? The grown ups or the kids?” She asks them, smirking before turning to Morrighan. “Ready? ….Set…..Go!”
It's a new world, it's a new start
It's alive with the beating of young hearts
It's really embarrassing every time I fall. Not only because I've fallen, but because others worry about me after. I'm grateful that I have so many that care about me, but sometimes I wish they'd relax a little. Especially Momma… she can get overly worried at times. I nod to Elli though, knowing she doesn't mean it to be annoying. I'm glad the subject changes.
I grin at Jack, happy to see that he's okay and him and Elli are still together. It had been a wild adventure trying to keep him away from all those workers in the castle. Hopefully no one will recognize him out here, but I think so far we're the only ones in the area.
"Not much! Momma wanted me to see my first snow. Isn't it so pretty?" I ask her while sticking out my tongue to catch a few snowflakes. They taste cold, but I guess they don't really have much of a taste at all. Still, I find myself doing it for a little longer. "And Rory's out hunting somewhere. He likes to do his own thing sometimes," I reply with a shrug. Sometimes I wish he would spend more time with me, but I also understand he's a different animal. He has different needs and wants than I do, but I know he still looks out for me from above even if I can't see him. I also know he'd come to me if I called out for him. He never seems to be too far away.
Elena's voice breaks me away from Elli for a moment and then I'm alight with excitement. Snow animals? I've never tried to make any before, so I'm not really sure what to do, but I turn to Elli with the biggest smile on my face. "Come on, I bet we can beat them!" I've never really been the competitive type, but this could be fun.
I start moving the snow into a ball with my mind, although I'm not sure how to make it look anything more than a blob. Every now and then, I glance at Elli and back to the adults to see how everyone is doing and maybe if they know something I don't. "What are you going to make?" I ask Elli while I still try to figure out my own plan.
kissed my penny and threw it in
prayed to keep my soul
S
he offers Maeve a smile in response to her fall, blue eyes finding her own that look so bright and warm. Jack watches carefully from her shoulders, recognizing the girl as the one that was with Elliana. He chatters in Elli’s ear, asking if this was her, Elli nods in response. Their language was—strange at best.
“I was born in the snow,” Elliana says with a blink before looking out and over the snowy landscape. The girls sticks out her tongue and Elli watches with a are curiosity. She played games, sure, but when she thinks of this winter season, she pictures mixing the right shades together to capture a snowy night, rather than manifesting snowballs. Jack on the other hand jumps down for a moment, builds a snowball within his palms before climbing back up his bonded’s shoulder, as if prepping for some sort of battle that has not been declared.
“It would be fun if you could fly with him,” she says, thinks about the prince’s wings she had seen that day in the field. She would paint them one day, she promises herself. Maybe by then he would learn how to fly.
Delicate head turns at the sound of her mother’s voice. Maeve is smiling wider than Elli, who still wears just a simper of a grin, she looks like her father here, but she doesn't know, and Elena tries to pretend she doesn't notice. “Okay,” Elli jumps forward, letting Maeve take the lead, happy to follow. She remembers her dreams, of the creature, she has had and turns to Maeve with soulful blue eyes, and she thinks of the white raven, that is her idea, but when she speaks that is not what she says. “Lets make a dragon.”
lena is not someone Morrighan would expect to befriend. There is a certain… sunshine to her that makes her a little sick, but at the same time it can feel comforting. She's not usually someone for small talk or being all "happy-smiley", but somehow Elena brings that out of her. Plus it's clear that Maeve's found a good friend in Elli, so she can't not appreciate that.
The other thing she didn't expect was to find out Elli's father lived in the Night Court too. Could she have been right at first? Was this the one the monk was beating himself up about? "Who is that?" she asks, deciding to keep names out of the question. The last thing she needs is to get stuck in the middle of some weird romantic drama. She had had enough of that all on her own.
The dreariness of winter is probably the very reason Morrighan prefers to stay inside by her fire. At least the kids don't seem too phased and, if anything, they perk up even more at the mention of a snow animal making competition. Morr didn't prepare herself for this and she just awkwardly stands there looking at Elena.
"Uhh…" she says, then starts to slowly gather some snow into a pile. She hopes Elena might be better at this so she can watch how she does it. This is definitely going to be a game that the kids are better at, she can already tell. It also doesn't help that her body temperature is naturally a little higher so if she leans in too close, she starts to melt the snow around her.
There are bits and pieces of the kids' conversation that she can hear- something about making a dragon. As her own snow pile gets bigger and lumpier (but looks nothing like a creature), she laughs.
It feels out of place. She rarely laughs and if she does, it might be more of a sarcastic laugh. But this might be actual, genuine laughter.
✦
i've lost a part of me ; tell your friends to sharpen their teeth
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