i am a leaf on the wind

She hasn’t really spoken about what happened. Her sister and her had a few moments to talk, late at night when they took time to rest. But mostly, they ran and slept and ran some more. There was so little time for thinking, talking, grieving. At this point, the tricolored mare thinks talking about it would be an unnecessary burden for the others forced to listen.
 
Though Apollo might not find it that way. He’s too kind, she thinks, to be any less than a gentleman if she suddenly broke down crying, gushing the story of the last few months of her life. But she doesn’t, because one, she is simply enjoying the idea of touring a new forest and getting to know this place. And two, she doesn’t want to ruin their conversation. It’s the first real interaction she’s had in Helovia.
 
Sure, everyone she’s met has been polite and accommodating and perfectly wonderful. But her encounters in the Threshold were recruiting based; her encounters in the Edge so far were simply to introduce her to the place. This is the most personal conversation she’s had in months. Maybe longer. She’s not even sure how long it's been anymore.
 
His stuttering response almost takes her off guard, though she’s doing better at hiding her emotions than she did when he first approached. She’s had plenty of training - being a princess requires it. Court is terribly dull and you can’t look bored after all. And when she’s not so lost in her thoughts, she’s actually pretty good at keeping herself composed.
 
But she does smile. Not a wide, giant grin, but one of those soft, truly happy smiles reserved for the better moments in life. His boyish grin is infectious, seeming as real as she knows her own smile to be. “Thank you,” she says, glad that her request wasn't strange and doesn’t seem to have put him out.
 
“In Morham,” she starts, following him as he nods her forward, “where I came from before here, that is.” She adds, a bit hastily, realizing no one here is likely to have ever heard of Morham. She’s traveled too far for the name of her home to be recognized. “I used to wander the forests there all the time. Not quite so dense and dark as this, but still, I’ve always had an affinity for trees.”
 
She laughs slightly, perhaps just a bit shyly, not entirely sure why she’s telling him all this and yet feeling like he deserves the information. She could never think someone else a fool for finding home and sanctuary in a forest. The trees were alive and attune to so much. If you know how to listen, there’s much they can teach. Though Lyanna is going to have to learn a new way of speaking to them without the aid of the wind to guide her now.
 
He mentions where they are going, and her teal eyes light up at the idea of it. “Oh, that sounds beautiful.” She steps lightly and easily, picking her feet up high enough to avoid the roots, and placing them back down with care. And though she knows to tread carefully, part of her is excited and anxious to see everything he can show her.

watch how i soar.

lyanna