After days of running, of hiding from the darkness that consumes Helovia and sleeping in hollows of the earth, barely able to shutter their eyes for a few moments with the fear that when they awoke it would already be too late. Muriel had never had to rely on her own wits and strength before, especially in order to protect Leliel. Blind and helpless, he relied on her, and it shook her to the core like a furious earthquake to know she was so defenseless on her own. How could she possibly help him, when she couldn't even help herself? There was nothing she could do, and she didn't know where the strength came from inside of her to possibly lead him onward towards safety. Where, inside him, could he possibly feel that she was trustworthy? Didn't Leliel remember how weak and frivolous she'd been? It led to her silence, most days. They were an odd pair- she mute by choice, and he blind unwillingly. It had been a harsh, discordant process. Together they had stumbled and fallen, scraped knees and shoulders alike, bruised and banged until they were sore and losing faith that there even was a place of sanctuary.

Muriel had never had to lead a blinded figure before, and the both of them had much to learn from the other. Not that Muriel was prone to share, these days. She yearned for Onni's presence. Somewhere along the way, in the craze of the traveling, they'd been separated from the gentle soul. Muriel was left in the presence of the stallion she both loved and hated, perhaps even equally, with a mess of things to sort out in herself and no time or privacy to do so. Instead, she turned inward, seeking solace in the only place she had left. Who could even be sure that she'd be received well by Leliel, if she tried to initiate conversation with him? The quad-flighted male had always been stand-offish, with nary a care for frivolous feelings and emotional tendencies. Unluckily for Muriel, that was her all wrapped in one. So she remained mum.

The cavern was clearly the place that seemed to be thought of as the safest, with well-traveled entrances and paths that stemmed out from place to place like a spiderweb of history. Giving a soft sound she reached a wing towards her companion, the touch a by-now familiar language between the two of them. With a mere touch she could direct him, not trusting herself most days to speak. Moving ahead of him, she stretched her lowermost wing backwards towards him. It was a way to lead him forward, instead of worrying about where the both of them were stepping at the exact same time. Her muscles screamed at her, aching in ways she'd never thought was possible. All she wanted was to get inside and not have to worry about anything else ever again. Or maybe sleep for a good three years. She'd take either at this point.

A hole in the earth was her only sign of activity, and leading underground a steep hill, pebbled and weak soiled. "Steep hill ahead, go slow," she murmured behind her, her own fuchsia hooves digging deep into the loose earth as she slowly clambered down. Voice rang out from below, soft melodies of worry and confusion. They'd finally found it. It took a while, mostly out of her own hesitation to go too fast, but she wasn't eager to mingle with people she didn't know. Instead she kept her head low, hoping she wouldn't appear too odd in her pink hues and Leliel's electric blues. Not to mention their quad-wings of Janet. All she wanted was to find a quiet spot. That's all she asked for.

Wandering deeper, careful not to move too fast or navigate in spaces too complicated for her blind companion, the desire to be away from people odd for the normally bubbly mare. She followed the sound of water. The shores of the sunken falls reflected light that seemingly had no source, but it wasn't as if Leliel could see it and enjoy it with her. Sighing, she slowly lowered herself down to the soft sandy shores of the underground beach. Everything hurt, and she let out a tiny whimper as she finally settled. The sand was cool and pleasant against her belly, and if she let her wings spread out like a broken bird, well...at least Leliel couldn't see how pathetic she looked.

Looking over at him, she murmured only a few more words. "Rest, Leliel. We're safe now."

Despite her warning, he slides, and her heart seizes momentarily in her chest. It's ridiculous, she chides herself, to be scared for him. She's right in front of him, braced just in case he slides or falls so that she may catch him. It is just soil, she tells herself. But it does nothing to stop the erratic beating of her heart, the craning of her neck as she looks to make sure he is alright. At least in that fashion, he can no longer snap at her. He can't see her worry anymore. Muriel hates feeling grateful for that. For a few moments she loses track of him, slows further to let him find her on his own as he shoves past the bodies of nameless others. Leliel values his independence even when he relies on her, now. She fears he will be angry if she turns around to find him in the crowd and assume her position once more at his side. It doesn't take long, and soon he is again following the lead of her feathers, gentle kisses of flesh she would have died to have a few seasons ago. Now it just hurts her.

Together they progress until the sounds dim and the echoes quiet. Only the sound of the water accompanies them now. As thirsty as she is, she instead watches as Leliel slowly approaches until his hooves touch water, feeling awkward even thinking of joining him. Instead she lays on the sand, wanting to be alone so she could cry and scream and throw a tantrum. But she could in no way leave Leliel to his own devices. Not only because it would be cruel, but because she worried for him enough with him in her sight and realm of touch. Once he has had his fill, he turns his head towards the pink maiden, and she frowns. She sighs as well.

"There's no need to thank me, Leliel." It's soft, defeated as it leaves her lips. He moves away, burrowing down into the sand like she did. Muriel frowns and steels herself, knowing that it was now or never. They had to talk. Shifting painfully, her wings flutter uselessly and she whines softly in her throat as her muscles protest. Eventually she is up on her knees, placing her forehooves into the sand and lurching up. She practically limps over to the pool of water, dipping her head and drinking her fill before turning back towards the electric blue stallion to her right. Something jerks in her stomach, seeing him laying there, reminiscent to how she'd found him in the Threshold. Dropping her head, she stares at her reflection in the water. She looks how she feels; miserable, disheveled, broken. The days when she'd fret over her appearance weren't long ago, but they feel like they were actions done by someone who was not herself. How much had changed that she was unaware of?

Not trusting herself to turn, fearing she would either run or try to lay beside Leliel, she speaks. "I wanted to hate you." Idiot! she chides herself. What a great way to start a conversation! Wincing she decides the damage is done, speaking only loud enough to be heard, head hanging as if she no longer had the strength to hold it high and proud. "I wanted to, honestly. You were always so mean to me. And when you kept disappearing...I felt like you were running from me. Actually, you probably were," her laugh is bitter and humorless as it echoes out of her maw.

"But you know what? I never could. I guess I knew I would never be able to. I knew you acted the way you did for a reason. Janet wasn't such a large place, you know. I know how you were raised. But I always held out hope that maybe I could get you to trust me someday." Now she's just rambling, but her eyes begin to sting, and she only manages a fleeting thought of prayer that if she starts to cry that Leliel won't be able to tell. Not that she's mastered the art of doing so silently, but maybe she can start today. "And then the sun disappeared. And you were gone, and I realized that because of my love for you, I'd cast away all potential friends. I skinned my knees and hurt my wing in the blackness, and I cried. I cried and I realized nobody would come to help me." Her lithe shoulders shake and the tears are hot when they touch her cheeks.

Her breath hitches as she sobs, hiccuping softly as her body shakes. Even crying hurts with how her body aches. "And I realized that even though I'd always considered you one, you were never my knight in shining armor." She's a mess now, crying and breaking her words, curling her wings in close to hug herself. Muriel only wanted comfort, but nobody around would give it to her. The doubt she held towards Leliel was too strong for her to trust he would want to. "It was always me! I had to pick myself up every time you cast me off, patch up my heart with every insult, slap a smile back on my face every time it tried to fall off." She'd felt so happy and carefree, back then. Had she just been blocking out the thoughts that lingered behind her own facade? She'd tricked everybody so thoroughly, she'd even managed to deceive herself.

"I had to be strong, but I'm not. I'm not, Leliel. I'm just a stupid, brainless mare with nothing but a freakish coat and even more freakish wings!" Her words break, rising in anger and self-hatred, kicking out a gold-lined, pink-ribbon leg to crash into the water. She sobs, choking them down audibly, shoving them back down into the box in her body that never appeared from behind the curtain of her smiling face and happy laugh. Sometimes, she thinks sorrowfully, the ones with the brightest smiles have the blackest tears. With that thought, she manages to muffle her crying, and clears her throat wetly. "I'm sorry. Ignore me." It's what you do best, she adds bitterly in her mind.

Honestly, she should have run, she mused to herself. Should have turned and sprinted out of the cavern as fast as her legs could take her. Some foolish part of her had assumed that Leliel wouldn't respond. Had even hoped so, actually. She didn't want to hear anything, didn't want him to spit her words back into her face. The fear of rejection, of him mocking her, was still too strong. Years of blatant disgust and frustration from him, always directed towards her, could not be erased by a few days of changed heart. Who was to say that out of nowhere, Leliel would revert back to how he'd been before his disappearance? Muriel secretly dreaded it and hoped for it simultaneously. At least then she'd know how to react to him. Right now? She was constantly second guessing herself, her feelings for him, what to say and how to say it, what to do and when. It only furthered the tempest inside of her, and it drove her to the onslaught of words she'd just spat out. Now, she wished she could cram them right back into her body where Leliel could never hear them.

Of course it was too late, and her eyes drooped to a close, a pained expression on her face at his first words. She was a fool to think he'd respond kindly to her. Of course he'd want her to hate him, because then he'd be rid of her. But fate has a different plan, and when he continues speaking she turns her tear-stained face towards him, silent and shocked. Easier? She waits as he thinks, collects himself, but she gives a soft wounded sound when his next words come. You think your life has been so tough. And every word is a dagger as they follow that sentence, reminding her that she has no right to feel the way she does, that she is a worthless piece of dirt for thinking she could possibly whine and cry when he'd had it so much worse.

"You're right. I shouldn't be crying like an idiot. You had it a lot worse, I don't have the right to act like this..." But she wants to! She wants to feel the hurt, because it makes her feel like she's alive. She wants to be worthy of pain. And it's such a sad existence, but she knows she was a spoiled brat as a filly. It's ridiculous to think she'd have the same privileges as Leliel, who had gone through hell and back countless times in his life. Of course, when he speaks once more, her head whips towards him in disbelief.

"We are all strange, Leliel! All of us! We're from Janet, we look nothing like Helovians! You are handsome, Leliel. There is no reason to despise your appearance." It is decisive, refusing to accept any rebuttal, even if each word is hypocritical when paired with her own insults aimed at herself. To her, Leliel was gorgeous, and she knew that others saw it. It's why she got so jealous, so petty, when others would take notice of him. He was...gorgeous. Stunning. Ebony and sapphire, simply breathtaking. She only wished she could be beautiful enough to one day be worthy of standing at his side as an equal. Even she was losing hope that he would ever consider her in any way reminiscent of a mate.

His words make her flinch away, and she falls silent. When she speaks, her voice is cracked and defeated. He has taken away all passion in her, the tiniest drops left in the bare bones of her soul. "You're right. I haven't. I spoke out of turn." She feels like a subordinate chastised by their superior. Feels like a slave beneath their master's hoof. But she knows that their relationship is not so controlling. It was true, after all. She was a bitch for complaining when he was the one who should be. It stung, to be reminded that her pain, no matter how small, was insignificant and unwarranted.

But then he further confuses her. He is going from hurting her to being sweet and back again, and Muriel doesn't know if her heart can bear it. It's so confusing, it twists her heart and mind simultaneously. What was he implying? "I would have done it, you know." It's soft, but it holds conviction as she speaks. "I would have gone through it all if you'd so much as asked." No truer words had ever been spoken by the coral damsel. She'd give him the entire world on a silver platter if he so much as gave the inclination of wanting it. Her love for him was so profound, she could imagine no other reaction to him telling her to do something. She'd go through hell and back if it meant he'd be at her side for the journey.

Heat took up storage in her cheeks at his last words, wondering if she was taking it too out of context. Was he being serious? "I...Leliel..." she stutters, breathless, clearly flustered. "I promise, we'll find a way to fix this. The Gods will help us. I will do anything to let you see again. Anything. But you may change your mind about seeing my face by the end of it...I feel as if this is only a brief interlude. A dream. You'll just go right back to hating me...and I'll be left chasing after you..." At least that was a game she knew well.

Unable to help it, the pink fae winces at the harsh, discordant sounds of his irritation. Her desire to leave strengthen, until he continues on to say, in a language she's worked her entire life to understand, that she had misunderstood. She murmurs a quiet assent, feeling a burden lift a little from her shoulders. Of course, he would not accept so easily her compliments. Coral aurals pin back into fuchsia locks, disgruntled by his own hatred of his physical expression. Did he truly not see how stunning he was? He attracted mares like a magnet, never wanting any of them, and he still claimed that he was distasteful to the eye. "I am looking at you! You catch every eye, you always have! Why do you think I was always so jealous when you talked to mares?!" She's exasperated with him, but there's a fondness in her voice that never wavers, never falters or weakens. She loves him. Nothing can change that with any sort of ease.

The thought of him plummeting to his death makes her whimper and she steps closer, needing to reassure herself that he hadn't done it, that he was still there. Tangible. Touchable. "I would have cared. So long as there's one person who cares, isn't that enough to continue on?" Desperation coats every waver of her voice, fear in her tone as she tries to calm the revulsion in her stomach at the mental image of his broken body on the ground. Shamsiel would never be able to sway me. He wasn't Leliel. He was wrong in all ways, and frankly he kind of scared Muriel. He was just...so intense. Leliel was softer, in most aspects, even if he always appeared so jagged and hateful.

Ebony face shakes, and she tentatively moves closer, stopping directly before him. If she extended her neck just a little, she'd be able to touch him. Nevertheless, she refrains. "You wanting to protect me from it..." she whispers, and her breath hitches when Leliel steps closer, searching for her with blind eyes. It pulls at her heartstrings. "Even if you wouldn't have wanted it, I would have done it. But this isn't Janet. We can...we can be safe here, we can start anew." Hope and desperation are painfully evident in her voice, tremulous heartbeat the only other sign of her nervousness. Would Leliel even want to build a new life here with her? Was she even included in his plans for the future?

His fears aren't without reason, though. Muriel remembers Onni, remembers the faith and passion in her friend, how close she was to the Sun God. "Because they are not the gods of Janet. They are benevolent. They care for their devotees. Onni is very close with the God of the Sun, does that not show that they are capable of bonds with mortals?" Muriel only wants to instill in him a sense of hope, that things will be alright. Perhaps it's a selfish desire, as well. She wants to see him glance over at her and know he actually sees her. Wants him to know when she's smiling at him. Instead she takes a deep breath, knowing she is tentatively offering her heart to him for the thousandth time with her next words.

"Even if you don't hate me, Leliel, I don't think I can ever make you love me. And...and I promise not to make this, whatever this is, awkward. I won't bring it up, I won't act on it, just let me care for you." Slowly but surely, her voice drops to a whisper, lacking all confidence and drive. Would he want her to be gone from his side? Tentatively she reaches out her muzzle, nostrils trembling as she hopes to brush against his cheek. Surely he knew how close they were standing? But she didn't want to scare him, since he could not seeing her approach. Even so, she couldn't clamp down on the desire to touch him.

Shame flushes pink cheeks as she recalls how horribly she'd treated all the other mares who had dared to hang off Leliel's shoulders like parasites. It still made her feel embarrassed, remembering it. "I only treated them so cruelly because I didn't want them to take you away from me...childish, I know. But I wanted you to feel that comfortable with me, to want to seek me out for conversations. I was jealous, afraid they'd be more appealing, that they'd take the only thing I'd ever wanted to keep." It's hard to admit, especially considering how abnormally sweet he was alluding to being with each word he spoke. Muriel had never wanted to examine her own actions, anyways. They usually instilled in her a sense of disappointment and guilt. Leliel claimed everyone liked her, but he'd never liked her, had he? He claimed he didn't hate her, which she was okay with believing, but she'd been on the wrong side of his temper enough times to know he hadn't liked her before his disappearance from Helovia.

Anger bites at her insides, and her sigh blows warm air towards his muzzle. "Maybe I would have moved on. But even if I did, I wouldn't have forgotten you. I wouldn't have stopped missing you. Maybe I can't make you believe it, but I know it to be true in my heart." How sappy could the little roseate girl be? Apparently there were no boundaries. If there were, she crashed through them with her brutal honesty and bluntness. Sometimes she wondered where the filter on her mouth disappeared to, the moment she was born. She sure would like it back.

Neither of them are moving, merely standing there, sharing air and nervously laying their secrets out to be clearly seen by the other. It took a lot of courage, even more strength, and Muriel was already beginning to feel the uncertainty setting in. As if her body didn't hurt enough on its own, she had to start attacking her insides.

"His brothers accepted him, he helped burn away the darkness. The Gods grant so many gifts to those in Helovia. Even if you don't trust them, I will do it, if it means giving you back your sight." Her words are final and strong, resonating with surety. Not like her at all, to summarize. But it felt right. Muriel had always believed herself to be weak and useless, but now she was beginning to see that on the inside, she was strong. How she chose to use that stubborn will that had kept her alive in the absence of the male now opposite her was unknown. Truthfully she didn't know how to use it, or what for. If it kept Leliel safe and happy, though, she'd take it.

Exhilarated when he does not move away, her breathing shudders, unsure what to do next. With Onni, touch was easy, almost like a welcome home. With Leliel, she feared so much as blinking at the wrong moment, terrified of shattering such a precious, rare moment. Violet eyes are pained when he speaks, clearly hesitant. "Never loved? Leliel, I have always loved you." She's quieted by their muzzles touching, and she sighs softly in contentment. "I can show you how to love. Even if you end up using it on someone else. It's the one thing I'm actually good at." The thought of teaching him to love, and him not feeling affection for her, nearly rips her heart to pieces. But she imagines him smiling, laughing and nuzzling against some lucky mare, and she realizes that even if it's not her she'd do anything to make him that happy.

"I never thought you were a freak...I thought you were handsome. If I had known..." she sighed, knowing it was too late to think of what if's. As much as she'd like to shred every single person who had dared to hurt him, it was in the past, and she could not hurt a memory. But memories could still hurt him, and it made her heart drop even lower in her chest to know that. Turning, she brushed her muzzle a bit more firmly against his. "I wish I could go back in time, change things..." A silly wish, surely. Muriel wasn't even sure she wanted to change anything, if this was how it all turned out. Of course, if he was right, would she really have had foals? A light frown tugs at her lips and she tilts her pink crown into his, bumping the bridges of their noses together gently in an act of affection and hopefully comfort. "Maybe. But I hope that even I would not have been so shallow back then...I wouldn't want anything different than where we are now. If we hadn't come to Helovia..." she trails off and her voice becomes strained. There are good and bad things, but she doesn't know which list to center on. Her own growth, or Leliel's blindness?

Distrust is thick in his lyrics when he speaks, and she goes mum, listening to every single word. Trying to understand. Her own faith was perhaps blinding, like he'd said. Taking a deep breath she only jerks a little when he angrily turns his head and smacks her on accident. She similarly murmurs an acceptance of his apology, and tries to formulate a reply in her mind before she speaks. "You may be right. I might be walking straight into betrayal. But I'll be put into their debt, I'll take the fall, I'll do it all if it means they can heal you." She has already chosen her course, and even if Leliel tries to stop her, she will endeavor in secret. One way or another, Leliel would see again. Muriel swore it to herself that she would witness the day when he could see once more.

All spirit leaves him when she speaks, seemingly hesitant when faced with the topic of love and affection. Muriel hums softly as he steps closer, her own neck arching to allow him the continued touch of their muzzles. "Simple. You let me love you. You let me do little things for you like any mate would, and maybe in time you will feel comfortable enough with reciprocating, even if it's just to test it out." She keeps her voice soft, calm. On the inside, butterflies are swarming in her stomach, and she wants to throw herself into his hold. Sadly, she knows he would never accept it. Had to understand, no matter how hard the information was to swallow, that he might never accept her doing such a thing.