The future began to unfold before her eyes. She would bear Kaj's child, would give birth among his herd, would raise their baby beneath the cascading falls that he called home. She would watch as their child grew into adolescence, making his or her place among the Falls herd, striving to please the Aurelight and succeeding at every turn. She could see the stallion doting on their child, training it to be a warrior if it were a colt, spoiling it as a princess if it were a filly - she could see it as plainly as the understanding on his face, as though she were standing beside him, watching every moment. She could feel her happiness, could taste her joy, could sense her contentment with all that their life would have to offer.

She would not ask him for love - no, that wasn't true. She would take his love, his adoration, but she would not ask him for romance. That was not in the cards for them, even if it might have been if this had happened a few years sooner. But she could see their friendship, their comfort in one another continuing to grow, blossoming into some deeper connection that she could neither name nor explain. As she gazed into his blue eyes, she could see the future that they could share, and she suddenly longed for it as she had longed for nothing else in her life.

This could be her new beginning. Their child could be their new beginning.

She turned her head to press against him as he traced the curve of her belly gently. A small smile had found its way to her face as she allowed herself this moment, this reprieve from the past and the future. It was only now that mattered, only this, and it was more than enough for the Transcended. Her bonded crooned softly from the trees above, relieved to find that peace coursed easily through her veins for the first time in years. Nothing about her past had been easy, but this - this was as simple as breathing. This was as simple as living.

Or maybe living was as simply as this.

The thought rocked her to her core, and as Kaj pulled away, she considered the possibilities that lay before her. "The child will know only the greatest depths of love," Kaj promised. "Our child," she corrected, peering at him from beneath her lashed, unsure if she was asking too much of him. "You're right, Kaj," she added. "I promise you, I will give everything I have to our child." She paused, suddenly shy again. "I... can I... stay?" she asked. "... Permanently?"

"Talk talk talk."
--Astraeus.--

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