i am a leaf on the wind

She can’t help but note similarities and differences around every corner. The thoughts simply slip into her mind. She keeps comparing Helovia and Morham, trying to figure out where the customs are the same and where they are different. Mostly, she finds only differences. Subtle in some places, but still, differences.

Morham, for one, only had one kingdom. There were bordering kingdoms, but if you came to Morham, you lived under her family’s rule (until the rebellion, of course). Her father always introduced himself as King and her mother as Queen. As had their parents, and their grandparents, and everyone who had come before.

But the stallion that approaches now simply introduces himself as a leader along with Elsa. And Elsa had mentioned nothing of the sort in the Threshold. Old habits kick in quickly, and she actually has to stop herself from bowing. Alysanne doesn’t, and Lyanna quickly figures that might not be how things are done here. So instead, she offers the horned stallion and nod and a smile.

Alysanna introduces her, so Lyanna simply adds, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Tembovu.” Alysanna gestures them forward, and so Lyanna falls into step beside her two companions, following wherever they led her. Her attention darts between the landscape around her and the conversation at hand as they go.

Tembovu asks where she’s from, and what vocation she might want. The thought of what path to follow in a herd had never even crossed her mind, really. She was groomed to be a princess for life. She knows a bit about ruling, but that’s not where’s she’s going to start here. And really, she doesn’t even know if she’d want to. But what else can she possibly do?

“I come from a place called Morham. It’s rather small, and a good distance from here, so I suspect the name might not mean anything.” She says with a pleasant smile, not sure she needs to go into exactly why she left. She would, certainly, if asked. But she doesn’t want to bring the mood of their little conversation down with the tale of how her family was killed, and how her and her sister came to Helovia in order to save their own skins. That’s the sort of thing you save for a rainy day, or something.

“Forgive me, but I’m pretty clueless to Helovian customs. What vocations do you have here? Though I can tell you for certain you probably don’t want me in your army. My brother always told me I’d make a dreadful warrior.” She laughs slightly, keeping the sorrow from that laugh. Instead, she remembers Corbin teach her to fight. She could fight, honestly. And she didn’t mind beating up her brother. They got into a plenty good, playful spars. But at the same time, she hated it, and when instructed to spar with anyone else, Lyanna almost always lost the fight on purpose.

He’d known her heart well. Lyanna was no warrior. But there must be something she can do for this new herd of hers. Some place for her. She’ll just have to figure out what.

watch how i soar.

lyanna