i am a leaf on the wind

She is surprised when he agrees to go to the Edge with her. Pleasantly surprised, really. There’s a strange feeling of accomplishment that floods her, a warmth that makes her feel (for the first time in far too long) that she might be able to do some good in Helovia. She may not be much here, but perhaps she could help give others a home. Give them a life and a reason to stay here and help set them on their path. And even if that was all she ever did here, it would be enough.

Her smile spreads just a bit, if that’s even possible. Despite the sorrow that lingers somewhere in the pit of her stomach, she is almost always genuinely happy on the outside. Years of training mixed with an understanding that being happy is easier has made smiling natural for her. Has made it natural for her to simply be happy. What good does it do to dwell on sorrow? Yes, it creeps in, but she’s quick to banish it beneath a trip to the Threshold, or a flight to the Deep Woods, or something else that she finds enjoyable.
 
Now, the sorrow does not threaten to surface. Instead, she nods her head in the general direction of the Edge. “Let me show you the way,” she says, warmth in those words. No one had shown her the way, and it’s still a miracle she ever found the place on her own. She’d had to eavesdrop on a few conversation just to get a clue of where she needed to go. But Ichab wouldn’t have to find his own way.
 
She leads him through Helovia on foot, slightly less sure of the way on land than in the air, but comfortable enough with the journey that she hopes her hints of uncertainty don’t show. Instead she keeps up polite conversation if he wants, answering questions if he has any as they go. It’s not the shortest journey, but still, it doesn’t feel all that long as they travel together, the forest and the ruined glass wall finally coming into view.
 
“Welcome to the World's Edge. The glass wall – well, what’s left of it – marks the border of the kingdom.” She says, leading him through what used to be the only opening into the kingdom. Now there are plenty of holes large enough to wander in and out of, but it seems appropriate to take him through the true entrance. The forest, her favorite part of the kingdom, is the first thing that greets them. She moves through slowly but easily, wings tucked to her side to keep them away from the trees, weaving her way through until the land opens up. The wind is strong and cold at the cliff, and she turns toward Ichab. “Don’t rush forward here,” she says with a bit of a playful grin. She moves slowly, leading him to the edge of the cliff, or the end of the world.
 
“What do you think?” she asks, her excitement creeping into her voice just a bit. It was oddly pleasant having brought in a new recruit, feeling like she might finally belong. At least, just a little bit. 

watch how i soar.

lyanna

i am a leaf on the wind

If only he knew. She was hardly exotic here. At home, in Morham (no, not home anymore) she had been exotic, the teal a mark of her status in the royal family. But here? Here there were horses painted with the night sky, with skin like a seal’s, with companions of every animal imaginable. There were so many wonders, that in truth, she’d be rather surprised to hear his thoughts. She wasn’t much at all, though she didn’t necessarily mind. Whatever he thought, she was simply glad to be helping him, and more selfishly, glad to feel like she might have a friend in the Edge now.

 
She is starting to feel at home here in general, in the trees that are not her trees, but are becoming hers. In the wind that she can no longer speak to, can no longer hear what it whispers to them, but she feels she can understand anyway. Perhaps it is welcoming Ichab into the kingdom. Perhaps not. But she suspects the wind here is much the same as it is in Morham (the wind travels the world and back again), and if she’s right, then it is certainly welcoming it’s newest member.
 
Ichab’s reaction, though perhaps not a surprising reaction (it is beautiful here), still brings a massive smile to her face. She’d been afraid, without even realizing it, that she might let him down. That the Edge of the World might not be as amazing as it sounds. But he seems truly at awe, and she’s glad that she hasn’t led him astray. “Straight to the north, there’s another herd called Aurora Basin. But otherwise, I’ve never found anything else out there. Other lands, I’m sure, if I flew far enough, though I fear I might tire before I ever found them.”
 
It’s the most she’s spoken around here in quite some time, and it feels good to be conversing with someone again. Though it isn’t long before Tembovu finds them, with Mbwene right along side. She isn’t surprised that it’s the King that finds him. He does seem to be everywhere around here, and Elsa almost nowhere. Which of course is only true in her experience, and not simply true. She has no idea what Elsa might be doing, but she does hope to find the Queen one day, and thank her for the invitation here. She’d not yet had the chance.
 
“Tembovu,” she says with a nod, and then a nod to Mbwene as well, who she’d recently seen painting some of the broken glass. What a curious creature his elephant was. “This is Ichab. He’s currently looking for a new home, and wanted to see what the edge of the world looked like. I’m hoping he stays,” her smile turns a bit playful as she casts a glance toward Ichab, eyes sparkling slightly. Hoping too that Tembovu and his rather massive size doesn’t turn the much smaller stallion away from this place.  

watch how i soar.

lyanna