KAHLUA & KHAN

If there was embarrassment on Parelia’s face, the queen did not see it or notice it. Her own eyes were busy, as the pair’s had been just a few moments ago, studying the armor that protected the mare’s wings. It was beautiful, though the queen thought it rather a shame that armor was needed at all. Someday, when Helovia had finally found itself at peace, there would be no need for such things. Until that time, though, she understood why there must be warriors. There were always threats and darkness, whispers around corners and trees, daring to reach their inky fingers out when it was least expected.

Parelia’s words suddenly drew her back from her musings on peace and evil and slowly Kahlua’s eyes drifted back towards the warrior’s face. The words were timely, important even, and the Sunshower found herself thinking over them. Embracing fear? Is that what she was doing? Somehow she wasn’t sure. It still felt an awful lot like she was running away from it, pushing it into the shadows and pretending it didn’t exist when she could. And yet, at the same time, perhaps Parelia had a point. She had been asking others about it, trying to learn, trying to educate herself and understand what she was going through. Was she really as strong as this warrior woman implicated? Maybe there was more to her than she had dared think…

Slowly, though, the conversation shifted, to the needs of the herd. She had been listening to the advice of her council, to the advice of her king, and Parelia’s statement was actually rather timely. “Actually, there is something,” she murmured softly before being distracted. It was so easy for her addled mind to shift and sway through the breeze like the willow’s branches. “His claws do hurt a bit,” she admitted, hoping that Parelia was right in that it would get better. As for Khan himself, the newborn opened his mouth at her advance, making some sort of strange squeaking noise that might be more terrifying as he grew older but for now only sounded absurd. Somehow, though, Kahlua could tell that it was a happy noise. “He likes you.” She said curiously, wondering how she seemed to know it. The idea of an emotional bond with a companion was almost foreign to her- she had never bothered to ask.

“Anyways,” she said, suddenly remembering that she had been about to speak about something else. “I was wondering… I know you’re very happy here as a warrior, and it seems you do your job very well, but the herd actually does need some help.” Frowning for just a moment about Aaron’s step down from crafting, needing time to learn about himself as an individual, she carried on. “Our Glazier Dragomir is sorely overworked… Only if you’re interested of course, but would you… would you be interested in being Glazier with him. The moon goddess is lovely, she lets you create such wonderful things…” Her eyes danced slowly back towards where they had come from, searching for her glass basket, but it was lost in the woods and the shrubs. “I was glazier once,” she added, motioning to the shattered wall. That had been her creation, her grand achievement, so long ago. Perhaps one day, as queen, she could find a different way to make such a difference for her herd.

@[Parelia]