Metamorphosis
Posted: Mon Apr 03, 2006 7:18 pm
Rhiannon sat at the edge of the docks, the warm breeze playing gently with the strands of her loose black hair. Her feet dangled in the sparkling water, below the hem of her loose, white skirt. As the warm wind caressed her skin and gently tangled her hair, her gray eyes were fixed on a piece of paper covered with a boyish handwriting. Her eyes read the letter over and over, taking in its meaning.
Gordwayn's parents had called him home immediately once the academy had dissolved. He had returned home already. But...
There was a ship coming to Gobiath now that would make a return trip to Salkamaeria. A merchant ship, but one that would let her ride for a price. And... Gordwayn would be waiting at the dock on the other side, if she chose to come.
She remembered how he had fretted about telling his parents about them, how he had worried and wondered if they would allow her to live with them. He hadn't indicated if they'd allowed it, even if he'd mentioned it to them. He hadn't told her anything about what to expect when she got there, where she'd live, what the future would be between them... He hadn't told her anything except...
He would be waiting for her at the docks.
Rhiannon jingled the coins in her skirt pocket and looked up, as the ship moved into the dock. Men on board began scrambling to adjust sails and ropes, to shift heavy cargo from the hold of the ship up to the deck. As the boat moored, men began carrying the cargo onto land.
All too soon, the boat was empty, and the captain was calling out, "All aboard for Salkamaeira! 50 copper to travel!"
She had come this far, but she hadn't truly decided if she would go.
She stared at the ship, remembering her journey here on a similar ship. She had been so much smaller, so much younger. Her hair had been dull and unwashed, and she hadn't cared. her skin, pale as snow, had been marked all over with disfiguring cuts and bruises, and she had been afraid of the world, so afraid.
She had come here, and she had loved. She had loved Pendar, she had loved Caitlin, Caden, Mairead, Lance, Dimhyd, Dei, Kamik, Arynne. She had loved Shandariel, Rainny, Salathe, Conner...Aokan. She had loved countless other people, and most of them had shown her love in return, had cared for her, had taught her valuable lessons about life and living, whether they had been aware of it or not. She had come here, and she had made her first friends. Each of them through joy and sorrow, through heartache and loss, through love and the bonds of friendship, each of them had helped shape her into the person she now was.
And who was that person? Rhiannon contrasted herself with the small slip of a thing she had been when she had arrived here. She was now almost four years older, a good deal taller. Her hair was shiny and healthy, and her eyes had lost the haunted, fearful look they had held for so long. Her skin was still pale, but not deadly-white anymore. There was even the first hint of a sun-kissed brown over her forearms and cheeks, light sun-freckles across the bridge of her nose. Her clothes were vibrant and white, the clothes of a carefree young woman, not the drab grays and browns she had always worn before. True, her back still held years-old lacerations, and there would always be places where she could trace white scar-lines over her skin... but to look at her, it wasn't apparent anymore. There were no bruises, and the cuts remaining were not in very visible places. She held herself with a moderate amount of grace and self-assurance.
There was more than that, too. Inside, her soul was no longer bruised. It was soft and tender, still; would need sensitive care for years to come to erase the marks that had been left on it in her childhood. But that was just it: Her childhood was over. She was no longer a scared, insecure child. She was a grown woman, or very close to it, and she had emerged from her fragile shell into a woman who was stronger, braver, and.. yes... prettier than she had ever thought she could become.
This place had been home. Even when she had felt alone and hurt, it had been home. Though most of the people she had loved had moved on, their imprint was on this place for her in so many ways, She could still see flowers and trees that Caitlin's loving hands had planted, She could sit by a forgotten battlefield and remember Pendar's cocky grin and flashing eyes as he had welcomed any challenges. Caden's childish wonder was still there every time she saw something new, and she could feel Mairead's friendly embrace with the warm wind. They had all left their marks on her, too. The straighter way she stood: That was Shandariel's inspiration to have more faith in herself as a woman. The caution she now used when making the distinction betwen genuine friend and manipulative imposter: That was something Aokan had inadvertantly imparted to her. Being able to smile through her tears: Lance and Mairead had taught her that. And Caitlin had opened her eyes and heart to so many new things, so many new feelings. Caitlin had truly been a mother to her, even for the brief time she had been able to.
Without them all, without this place, she would have become something very different. But they had moved on, and she had remained.
She had needed to find this place when she had. She had needed its land, its people, to heal her body and her heart. But one doesn't stay in a medico's care after they've fully healed.
Besides, there was one more person that she had loved here. Gordwayn. He had forgiven her mistakes, had embraced her even with her fualts. He had stood by her; had promised to, and had fulfilled that promise this far. He loved her, and she loved him, and this was a love that was different from everyone else's. There was something more to their bond, something that might truly develop in ways she could now only imagine. But there was only one way to find out.
She didn't know what would happen, where she would stay, what she would make her life into. But she did know he would be waiting for her.
Rhiannon climbed onto the ship.
Gordwayn's parents had called him home immediately once the academy had dissolved. He had returned home already. But...
There was a ship coming to Gobiath now that would make a return trip to Salkamaeria. A merchant ship, but one that would let her ride for a price. And... Gordwayn would be waiting at the dock on the other side, if she chose to come.
She remembered how he had fretted about telling his parents about them, how he had worried and wondered if they would allow her to live with them. He hadn't indicated if they'd allowed it, even if he'd mentioned it to them. He hadn't told her anything about what to expect when she got there, where she'd live, what the future would be between them... He hadn't told her anything except...
He would be waiting for her at the docks.
Rhiannon jingled the coins in her skirt pocket and looked up, as the ship moved into the dock. Men on board began scrambling to adjust sails and ropes, to shift heavy cargo from the hold of the ship up to the deck. As the boat moored, men began carrying the cargo onto land.
All too soon, the boat was empty, and the captain was calling out, "All aboard for Salkamaeira! 50 copper to travel!"
She had come this far, but she hadn't truly decided if she would go.
She stared at the ship, remembering her journey here on a similar ship. She had been so much smaller, so much younger. Her hair had been dull and unwashed, and she hadn't cared. her skin, pale as snow, had been marked all over with disfiguring cuts and bruises, and she had been afraid of the world, so afraid.
She had come here, and she had loved. She had loved Pendar, she had loved Caitlin, Caden, Mairead, Lance, Dimhyd, Dei, Kamik, Arynne. She had loved Shandariel, Rainny, Salathe, Conner...Aokan. She had loved countless other people, and most of them had shown her love in return, had cared for her, had taught her valuable lessons about life and living, whether they had been aware of it or not. She had come here, and she had made her first friends. Each of them through joy and sorrow, through heartache and loss, through love and the bonds of friendship, each of them had helped shape her into the person she now was.
And who was that person? Rhiannon contrasted herself with the small slip of a thing she had been when she had arrived here. She was now almost four years older, a good deal taller. Her hair was shiny and healthy, and her eyes had lost the haunted, fearful look they had held for so long. Her skin was still pale, but not deadly-white anymore. There was even the first hint of a sun-kissed brown over her forearms and cheeks, light sun-freckles across the bridge of her nose. Her clothes were vibrant and white, the clothes of a carefree young woman, not the drab grays and browns she had always worn before. True, her back still held years-old lacerations, and there would always be places where she could trace white scar-lines over her skin... but to look at her, it wasn't apparent anymore. There were no bruises, and the cuts remaining were not in very visible places. She held herself with a moderate amount of grace and self-assurance.
There was more than that, too. Inside, her soul was no longer bruised. It was soft and tender, still; would need sensitive care for years to come to erase the marks that had been left on it in her childhood. But that was just it: Her childhood was over. She was no longer a scared, insecure child. She was a grown woman, or very close to it, and she had emerged from her fragile shell into a woman who was stronger, braver, and.. yes... prettier than she had ever thought she could become.
This place had been home. Even when she had felt alone and hurt, it had been home. Though most of the people she had loved had moved on, their imprint was on this place for her in so many ways, She could still see flowers and trees that Caitlin's loving hands had planted, She could sit by a forgotten battlefield and remember Pendar's cocky grin and flashing eyes as he had welcomed any challenges. Caden's childish wonder was still there every time she saw something new, and she could feel Mairead's friendly embrace with the warm wind. They had all left their marks on her, too. The straighter way she stood: That was Shandariel's inspiration to have more faith in herself as a woman. The caution she now used when making the distinction betwen genuine friend and manipulative imposter: That was something Aokan had inadvertantly imparted to her. Being able to smile through her tears: Lance and Mairead had taught her that. And Caitlin had opened her eyes and heart to so many new things, so many new feelings. Caitlin had truly been a mother to her, even for the brief time she had been able to.
Without them all, without this place, she would have become something very different. But they had moved on, and she had remained.
She had needed to find this place when she had. She had needed its land, its people, to heal her body and her heart. But one doesn't stay in a medico's care after they've fully healed.
Besides, there was one more person that she had loved here. Gordwayn. He had forgiven her mistakes, had embraced her even with her fualts. He had stood by her; had promised to, and had fulfilled that promise this far. He loved her, and she loved him, and this was a love that was different from everyone else's. There was something more to their bond, something that might truly develop in ways she could now only imagine. But there was only one way to find out.
She didn't know what would happen, where she would stay, what she would make her life into. But she did know he would be waiting for her.
Rhiannon climbed onto the ship.