Tiny, Glittery Thing #3
You'll definitely want some time to yourself for a bit afterwards. And that's alright.
It's kind of romantic, if you think about it.
Just make sure you stay hydrated. It takes a lot out of you.
Honestly, some of their comments were a little confusing, but Aaryn let them slide. She would learn for herself soon enough.
She walked the platform with Starspark as she pondered these things, watching the Awakened practice with their dragons. And what distracted her from these thoughts was the subject of said thoughts themselves.
Thea.
Across the way, Thea walked into the training grounds with a group of other druids.
Aaryn found herself walking toward them before she registered a familiar face in the small group, her steps faltering. It was Runa.
The druids all looked to Thea as she chattered about something, hands moving as she spoke, an intense look on her face. The same expression Aaryn only caught glimpses of when they talked about their days in the evenings, if Aaryn was even still awake by the time Thea returned.
It was intense. It was a bit sad, and most of all, it was determined. That expression hadn't left since she'd confessed Vaelen's certainty of Rolim's capture.
Was Thea talking of Rolim's rescue that very moment? What did Runa have to do with it?
Runa was probably a valuable source of information. She might know the schedules of the guards, or where they might keep Rolim, or…
Runa must have felt her stare, because she glanced up and beamed as she caught Aaryn's eye, waving before she nudged Thea.
Thea still smiled that same smile she always did when she saw Aaryn, and her heart pattered obnoxiously as they exchanged a wave… before Thea returned to her explanation.
It was a short-lived greeting, and Aaryn did her best not to let the disappointment fester in her chest as she turned back to watching the Awakened train with their dragons.
Carissa's chuckle was dry as she approached and leaned against her dragon, looking tired, but more alert than Aaryn had seen her in days. "Did you eat a lemon?"
"What?" Aaryn asked.
"Just wondering about the sour expression you've got there," she teased.
Aaryn smoothed the emotions out of her face. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Uh-oh. Trouble in paradise?"
"No," Aaryn was quick to answer. "There is no paradise to have trouble in," she remarked, and resumed her pace.
Carissa tilted her head back. "Ahh," she said, and followed.
An awkward feeling squirmed in Aaryn’s chest. It didn't feel right to complain about these odd emotions that kept bubbling up concerning Thea, not when Carissa was hurting over Rolim.
The silence was stilted, and Carissa sighed.
"Please treat me like I'm normal, and not a widow," she said, and Aaryn snapped her head around.
Her next words were casual, light, as if they were gossiping and walking the halls of the castle once more.
"You know, when Rolim and I first started…
circling around one another, it wasn't awkward and soft and sweet. It was a one-night stand."
Aaryn gasped. "Carissa!"
"What?" She raised her hands in innocence. "Have you seen that man in armor?"
Aaryn's lip curled as politely as possible, and Carissa laughed, the sound comforting to hear after Carissa had been so distraught for days. "Right, right, I know. Different tastes. The awkwardness came after, when we both couldn't stop thinking about each other. I confessed first," she admitted.
"You’re really happy with him," Aaryn noted.
Carissa's smile fell. "You mean sneaking around and trying not to get caught consorting with a guard within the castle walls?
Or maybe you meant when I decided I loved him so much I didn't care if he had betrayed the crown?
Running away with him?" She tilted her head.
"The honeymoon was the happiest, I suppose.
He showed me how to fish, which might not sound romantic at all. "
Aaryn was quiet, leaving room for Carissa to speak, eager to hear her story.
"It was so early, I could barely keep my eyes open, but the coffee he'd made me was the best I'd ever tasted. The rocking of the boat made me a little nauseous, but the sunrise was the prettiest I had ever seen, on the water like that. His kisses were sweeter because of the smell, I think."
Aaryn wrinkled her nose, but Carissa looked… at peace, as she relived the memory.
"All this to say, it's not always pretty. It's not easy. It could be, if you let it," she said, nudging Aaryn. "You should tell her how you feel."
Her cheeks heated at just the thought, and she shook her head. She placed a hand on Carissa's knee. "We're going to get Rolim back. He's going to be alright, and you can see many, many sunrises together."
Carissa let her head fall back against her dragon's scales. "I know," she whispered, and the way she said it was fact, as if the Great Dragon had decided such fate and told her so himself.
"But while I wait for the impossible," she said with a sad smile that pierced Aaryn's heart, “You don’t have to.” She flicked the dragon pin on her breast.