Roen stood stunned in silence. She stared into the darkness that coiled and unfurled all around her, save for the glow of the two moons above and below. Faces of friends and loved ones rose before her mind’s eye one by one, as she recalled their times of anguish and regret. They all bore wounds behind their expressions--scars that the paladin had been entrusted with or discovered. But here, she could see those cuts splitting open again to bleed fresh and anew. Their faces twisted with agony before the visions faded away like a mist.
The paladin laid a hand over her abdomen, calming the churning of doubts she felt within.
"If you had asked me this a year ago... I would have accepted, nay, begged for you to take away my memories. Or if it was even possible, take away his memories. His torment.†Roen trembled with that confession.
“Perhaps if Nero had only let go of his own past, even if it was through your unnatural influence… maybe he could have been happy. Could he have found some peace and joy in this lifetime? Did he not deserve such a thing?†Her voice nearly faltered, and she had to swallow the lump that rose in her throat.
“You ask me to consider his soul. How would I be able to refuse such an offer? Knowing what I know, how his life comes to an end, I would be a fool not to accept it. This second chance. But that is not what you are offering. You can only give me a glimpse of the man, fragments of his soul pulled from the lifestream.†She smiled sadly. “And for that, you have my gratitude. Even with what little time we had… I came to realize that letting go, freeing myself from this guilt… is my responsibility. It is not yours.
“I do remember my own despair that brought me to Coerthas. How desperate I was to flee from it. Now, I do not want to forget. Perhaps a part of me will always hold onto some of that pain... I cannot forgot. I will not forget who he was. There was a goodness that was in him, a passion that few others are like to possess, and a want for suffering to end. It was because of that goodness that he was so tormented by his past. I do not want to forget any of these things about him, even though it is because of these memories, that his death pains me so.â€
She shook her head slowly. “Still. I do not want to forget. To take away those memories would be to forget his ideals.†Like the stone markers littering a forgotten graveyard. A familiar voice rumbled through her thoughts unbidden. “But… I can forgive,†she murmured softly.
“You say that this reality--that you cannot save his people--would bring Khadai undue suffering and pain. Are you warning me that such woe would mar his soul irreparably?â€
She inhaled deeply, her chest lifting as she gathered herself. Her tilted her chin up, her grey eyes looking to the bright moon above.
“I do not believe,†she said defiantly. “I do not believe the truth would forever damn him as it did Nero. You dismiss the mortals of being unable to grow, of being too weak and yet too curious. I believe Khadai to be much more.†She narrowed her eyes. “You may peer into his aether and see his memories, but do you see his strength? His optimism?â€
She took a step forward, her hands open and held at her sides. “Even the Kinslayer, she bears her scars with unwavering fortitude. Despite the darkness of her past, or because of it, she forges onward tenacious as ever. And in living through those choices, she is the woman she is today. That is the only woman I know, and one I have come to accept, trust, and call friend.â€
“Even those who seem weak to you, or broken, they all rose again. My brother, Coatleque and Gideon… they have all survived so much violence and sorrow. And yet they still stand, and live. And move forward. And someday… their scars may only carry the echos of pain.â€
An arrow’s echo cannot hurt you. That familiar voice rumbled again, and this time, it instilled in her a breath of courage.
“It is what makes us mortal; these wounds that hurt us, these scars that mold us. Many of us will falter, and some of us… will succumb. But I… I must believe, that it is a choice that has to be given to each one of us. No one has the right to take that choice away. No one should be arrogant enough to presume they have the power to choose someone else’s path.â€
Roen dipped her head slightly, a shadow of remorse flitting across her features. “That is a lesson that I have come to learn, that I now impart onto you. So nay. I will not try and make that choice for another. Khadai has the right to know the truth, and the right to choose his path.â€
She gazed upon the reflection of the moon beneath her feet. It rippled and so did her own reflection.
“But I will be there for him in however way I can.†She stared at the frozen image before lifting her eyes back to the luminescence above. “He should know the truth. After all that he has risked and endured to find the answer… he deserves to know.â€
She set her jaw, and there was no doubt in her voice. “I will not take that away from him. And you cannot either.â€
The paladin laid a hand over her abdomen, calming the churning of doubts she felt within.
"If you had asked me this a year ago... I would have accepted, nay, begged for you to take away my memories. Or if it was even possible, take away his memories. His torment.†Roen trembled with that confession.
“Perhaps if Nero had only let go of his own past, even if it was through your unnatural influence… maybe he could have been happy. Could he have found some peace and joy in this lifetime? Did he not deserve such a thing?†Her voice nearly faltered, and she had to swallow the lump that rose in her throat.
“You ask me to consider his soul. How would I be able to refuse such an offer? Knowing what I know, how his life comes to an end, I would be a fool not to accept it. This second chance. But that is not what you are offering. You can only give me a glimpse of the man, fragments of his soul pulled from the lifestream.†She smiled sadly. “And for that, you have my gratitude. Even with what little time we had… I came to realize that letting go, freeing myself from this guilt… is my responsibility. It is not yours.
“I do remember my own despair that brought me to Coerthas. How desperate I was to flee from it. Now, I do not want to forget. Perhaps a part of me will always hold onto some of that pain... I cannot forgot. I will not forget who he was. There was a goodness that was in him, a passion that few others are like to possess, and a want for suffering to end. It was because of that goodness that he was so tormented by his past. I do not want to forget any of these things about him, even though it is because of these memories, that his death pains me so.â€
She shook her head slowly. “Still. I do not want to forget. To take away those memories would be to forget his ideals.†Like the stone markers littering a forgotten graveyard. A familiar voice rumbled through her thoughts unbidden. “But… I can forgive,†she murmured softly.
“You say that this reality--that you cannot save his people--would bring Khadai undue suffering and pain. Are you warning me that such woe would mar his soul irreparably?â€
She inhaled deeply, her chest lifting as she gathered herself. Her tilted her chin up, her grey eyes looking to the bright moon above.
“I do not believe,†she said defiantly. “I do not believe the truth would forever damn him as it did Nero. You dismiss the mortals of being unable to grow, of being too weak and yet too curious. I believe Khadai to be much more.†She narrowed her eyes. “You may peer into his aether and see his memories, but do you see his strength? His optimism?â€
She took a step forward, her hands open and held at her sides. “Even the Kinslayer, she bears her scars with unwavering fortitude. Despite the darkness of her past, or because of it, she forges onward tenacious as ever. And in living through those choices, she is the woman she is today. That is the only woman I know, and one I have come to accept, trust, and call friend.â€
“Even those who seem weak to you, or broken, they all rose again. My brother, Coatleque and Gideon… they have all survived so much violence and sorrow. And yet they still stand, and live. And move forward. And someday… their scars may only carry the echos of pain.â€
An arrow’s echo cannot hurt you. That familiar voice rumbled again, and this time, it instilled in her a breath of courage.
“It is what makes us mortal; these wounds that hurt us, these scars that mold us. Many of us will falter, and some of us… will succumb. But I… I must believe, that it is a choice that has to be given to each one of us. No one has the right to take that choice away. No one should be arrogant enough to presume they have the power to choose someone else’s path.â€
Roen dipped her head slightly, a shadow of remorse flitting across her features. “That is a lesson that I have come to learn, that I now impart onto you. So nay. I will not try and make that choice for another. Khadai has the right to know the truth, and the right to choose his path.â€
She gazed upon the reflection of the moon beneath her feet. It rippled and so did her own reflection.
“But I will be there for him in however way I can.†She stared at the frozen image before lifting her eyes back to the luminescence above. “He should know the truth. After all that he has risked and endured to find the answer… he deserves to know.â€
She set her jaw, and there was no doubt in her voice. “I will not take that away from him. And you cannot either.â€
