Xth day of September in the year of 5317:
Before she even opened the door to her room, she could hear the crackling of a fire within, the promise of warmth her hands ached for but did not ask. In fact, her whole body ached for the comfort of that room, causing her hand to pause rested on the door knob. Never before had her body and mind had fallen at ease so freely in a single place before, and she stood in the hallway confused as to why.
Why had this single room became what she had been longing for longer than before she had stepped foot in Helms Deep for the first time almost five years ago? How had this room become 'home'?
She had not noticed it before, but now after returning to it after a complete month of being surrounded by nothing but herself and nature, she wanted nothing more to be inside that room with the fire going, a platter of food, a jug of cold water, and a washing basin of clean water for her clothes. But what kept her from opening the door, was her fear bubbling back up to the surface of her mind. She was scared for those who have grown closer to her over the years as they walked a dangerous line that often led to death and the weight of their deaths grew heavier and heavier on her soul. A part of her wanted to run; run away and distance herself from those people and start anew, but Mitra had brought her here for a reason, and there was nothing she could change that with. Mitra had led her this far, she couldn't abandon the path He had set before her now.
Letting go a breath she didn't know she had been holding, she turned the knob and stepped into the cloud of warmth that broke through into the hallway with her, her mind instantly letting go of the worrying thoughts and succumbing to the rhythmic crackling of the fire and the smell of burning rosemary. Home.
Stepping through the threshold, her fingers started to unbuckle her quiver and within no time it was where it belonged hanging on the wall by the now closed door. Eventually, she would get to cleaning and sharpening the arrow heads, but they will have to wait. Her bow soon followed, unstrung and leaning against the wall below her quiver, then within the light of flickering candle light and the fire place, she finally saw how dirty her hands and clothes were. For a month, she had been wandering around the forests surrounding Helms Deep and Dagger Deep, tracking, hunting, and re-training herself skills to adapt with her new armor, then went to Dagger Deep to break the cycle. Without a proper break in between, she hadn't had the time to fully wash besides in a natural water sources, nor the proper lighting to fully see the extent of dirt. She let out a sigh as she approached her bed, it still neatly made and untouched since her first arrival. She began peeling off her clothing, a faint cloud of dust and dirt falling to the floor around her feet. Groaning, her muscles protested in moving, but with a final shove, her tunic and under-padding flopped into the top of the bed altogether. She might not have had much to her name a couple of years ago, but ever since being moved into the castle, the seamstresses have been hard at work developing a wardrobe for her, stocking the small simple dressers with everything they thought she needed. However, her mind didn't settle on any new garment, but something old instead. Untieing her boots, she finally slipped the rest off, then reaching from underneath her bed, she produced a neatly folded pile of clothes. Shoving her dirty clothes aside, she began to unfold the pile, revealing a pair of blue baggy gypsy pants, an olive green small top, and a green wool knitted cowl. These three pieces of clothing were almost virtually the only things she had on herself the first time she ever stepped foot on the lands of Dagger Deep, and now even amongst the new again, she found herself drawn to them. She couldn't help herself from smiling at the memories they brought to her fingertips.
Climbing every tall tree, watching and learning about people, being covered by moss, sticks, and sap, being chased through the winding paths by raging orcs....being a nervous wreck the first time talking to Marcus, afraid of her own shadow....
Everything had led up to where she is, and how she is now, and she would not trade anything to change her past....
Acta non Verba.
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