Nabi could feel the raindrops against her face. Her eyes were heavy with fatigue, although she could not asleep. She felt each stride as she was carried, plodding footsteps echoing with metallic clatter of armor. It was a sound she had become well familiar with over the last moon. Whenever she heard it approach the stall, she found herself turning around with a smile in anticipation.
She inhaled deeply and she could smell the distant scent of the mountains. It was brisk, although she no longer felt cold. There was a tinge of mint and sweet tobacco upon the wind as well.
No... that wasn’t the wind.
A muted heartbeat sounded against her right horn as she laid against his chest, protected behind the breastplate. The hold of his arms around her frame was strong yet gentle. She felt safe. Calm.
“I’ve come to count on you.†She heard her own confession echo in her mind. “I knew you’d come.â€
Nabi woke from her dream, opening her eyes to squint at the shaft of sunlight that had found its way into her room. It was speckled by the pine needles sprouting out from the gnarled branch that swayed with the breeze just outside her window. It had been five suns since Tserende had retrieved her from the caves within the Steppe, and yet whenever she closed her eyes, she could easily imagine herself back there again.
A house sparrow landed just outside her window to peer in, before hopping along the length of the branch to scratch its beak against the bark. She watched it for a moment, as another sparrow joined the first. They chirped and chased each other, before both taking flight again. Nabi rose from her bed as her eyes followed their pursuit. She paused as she noted the extra layer of blanket around her feet, and a teapot and cup laid on a tray nearby. Mimiyo had not stopped fussing over her since her return, and even Yoshinari restrained his usual grumpy demeanor, only looking in on her now and then with his stubborn frown in place.
Nabi slid her left foot out from under the blanket, and was pleased to only feel a distant ache there. Her bones were mending quickly, thanks to the mandible powder, and the daily massages loosened her tendons. She was still using the cane for support, but her movement was improving every day. She considered herself lucky that the break itself was not a bad one, and that she had the sense to splint it right away.
She reassured both Mimiyo and Yoshinari that she was doing much better, but they hovered still, their regard of her more attentive than usual. Tserende also made it a point to visit her daily, likely to check in on her as well. Nabi did little to protest, even though a part of her felt guilty for it. Was she taking advantage of his concern for her well-being to satisfy her desire to see him?
“Your face would be a very comforting thing,†she had said to him when he asked about visiting her in the morning. He seemed skeptical of it, saying that none had ever said such a thing before. But it was true. She had grown fond of the light freckles upon his cheeks and his piercing pale eyes. As icy as they were, she did not believe they reflected the warmth of the man that bore them.
"I depend on you, too. Whether I would like to or not, I think." Tserende had quietly admitted to her. Despite the frown that were etched on his face with that revelation, those words filled her with unexpected happiness. Such glimpses were rare, but precious when given.
“You don’t like to rely on anyone, do you?â€
"It's a dangerous prospect, is it not?"
Nabi bowed her head, a finger lightly touching her lips in thought. A small smile found its way beneath her fingertip as she recalled how he had embraced her, placing his chin upon her head as his arms wrapped around her. She stayed there, tucked against his chest, as the sun painted the sky in orange and gold, setting into the sea.
“What shall you do when you do not like what you learn?†were his last words of caution when she reminded him she still wanted to know everything about him.
“I already know what I need to,†she reassured him. “How I see you will not change.â€
“You will see,†Nabi murmured as she rose out of bed, echoing the quiet promise she had said to him.
She inhaled deeply and she could smell the distant scent of the mountains. It was brisk, although she no longer felt cold. There was a tinge of mint and sweet tobacco upon the wind as well.
No... that wasn’t the wind.
A muted heartbeat sounded against her right horn as she laid against his chest, protected behind the breastplate. The hold of his arms around her frame was strong yet gentle. She felt safe. Calm.
“I’ve come to count on you.†She heard her own confession echo in her mind. “I knew you’d come.â€
Nabi woke from her dream, opening her eyes to squint at the shaft of sunlight that had found its way into her room. It was speckled by the pine needles sprouting out from the gnarled branch that swayed with the breeze just outside her window. It had been five suns since Tserende had retrieved her from the caves within the Steppe, and yet whenever she closed her eyes, she could easily imagine herself back there again.
A house sparrow landed just outside her window to peer in, before hopping along the length of the branch to scratch its beak against the bark. She watched it for a moment, as another sparrow joined the first. They chirped and chased each other, before both taking flight again. Nabi rose from her bed as her eyes followed their pursuit. She paused as she noted the extra layer of blanket around her feet, and a teapot and cup laid on a tray nearby. Mimiyo had not stopped fussing over her since her return, and even Yoshinari restrained his usual grumpy demeanor, only looking in on her now and then with his stubborn frown in place.
Nabi slid her left foot out from under the blanket, and was pleased to only feel a distant ache there. Her bones were mending quickly, thanks to the mandible powder, and the daily massages loosened her tendons. She was still using the cane for support, but her movement was improving every day. She considered herself lucky that the break itself was not a bad one, and that she had the sense to splint it right away.
She reassured both Mimiyo and Yoshinari that she was doing much better, but they hovered still, their regard of her more attentive than usual. Tserende also made it a point to visit her daily, likely to check in on her as well. Nabi did little to protest, even though a part of her felt guilty for it. Was she taking advantage of his concern for her well-being to satisfy her desire to see him?
“Your face would be a very comforting thing,†she had said to him when he asked about visiting her in the morning. He seemed skeptical of it, saying that none had ever said such a thing before. But it was true. She had grown fond of the light freckles upon his cheeks and his piercing pale eyes. As icy as they were, she did not believe they reflected the warmth of the man that bore them.
"I depend on you, too. Whether I would like to or not, I think." Tserende had quietly admitted to her. Despite the frown that were etched on his face with that revelation, those words filled her with unexpected happiness. Such glimpses were rare, but precious when given.
“You don’t like to rely on anyone, do you?â€
"It's a dangerous prospect, is it not?"
Nabi bowed her head, a finger lightly touching her lips in thought. A small smile found its way beneath her fingertip as she recalled how he had embraced her, placing his chin upon her head as his arms wrapped around her. She stayed there, tucked against his chest, as the sun painted the sky in orange and gold, setting into the sea.
“What shall you do when you do not like what you learn?†were his last words of caution when she reminded him she still wanted to know everything about him.
“I already know what I need to,†she reassured him. “How I see you will not change.â€
“You will see,†Nabi murmured as she rose out of bed, echoing the quiet promise she had said to him.
