It was a sobering thought. What could they do against the Gods? A poignant question, to be sure, but more so even for Gareth. He caught his breath for a moment and held it, willing the roiling swell of emotions boiling in his gut to calm down. He didn't need to get angry at Winter, not right now, not when she needed comfort so badly. But at the same time he wanted to scream, tear his hair, cry... why hadn't he been chosen? What could he do against the Gods when he wasn't even worthy of notice?
But as the anger, hurt and more, self-hatred passed, he found the words he hoped would comfort her. "Evidently, we can do a lot." He grinned at her, then pointed in the vague direction of the temple. "The whole world stood to be changed by this. Imagine, every temple on the continent! And every cult quashed, every magician imprisoned."
"But you did something about it. We did. And now-- now--" he hesitated for a moment, cursing himself for his lapse in memory. Why couldn't he remember the God's name? "The sun-God, he's gone. We did that. You did that."
"We're finally strong enough to fight against everything going so wrong in the world. And we're only going to get stronger."
Maybe he was right; she wanted to believe he was. that they could do something about all this crime and injustice. The idea of imprisoning mages simply because they existed was the sort of talk she'd expect from Red Dragons; not humans. Not with the kindness, they could show, should they choose to. After all, Gareth showed her such kindness time and again once he had become comfortable with all of them.
A breath escaped as she felt exhaustion take hold-- at least that was a reprieve from the feeling of her muscles threatening to tear her apart. Eyes closing she sucked it back in, held it to let her body settle before nodding firmly. "You're right." She couldn't muster conviction, but if she could not trust in her own beliefs she could trust in Gareths. She could trust in his knowledge and beliefs. Could trust that he believed this, that they would find a way-- if she couldn't believe in herself because of her failings she could trust in his word to help her get past that point.
"Can we rest, please?" It was an odd request; and in that moment perhaps he'd know she would continue fighting this very moment if they needed it of her, that she would break to make that happen. Perhaps her body could do it better than some, but her heart could not. She wanted a moment to settle, to breathe, to tend to her wounds. She wanted a bath, she wanted ice, she wanted quiet; and perhaps time to cry when she did not feel like she would be a burden to all those around her.
He breathed out a quiet sigh of relief as all the tension left Winter's body, bit by bit, inch by inch. She stopped just at the edge of limp, reserving just enough strength so that she could still make it to wherever they were headed next. And Gareth thought a bed was a perfect destination. "Rest," he agreed, and it was clear looking at all of them it was a sorely-needed reprieve. All of them, even Dink, looked like they'd been through Hell. "It'll give Zelly some time to recover too, before we go wherever they went next. And it would give Gareth an opportunity to decide where exactly that would be.
"Let's pay our old haunt, the Silver Swan, a visit. Silver Phoenix," he corrected himself. "Maybe the gods are telling us something with a coincidence like that: rising from the ashes."
The group stood unsteadily, nursing wounds and pains, hurting on the inside and the out. But they were standing.
Gareth offered the ice-blue dragon a hand and smiled, his lips meeting the edge of the burn mark that marred half of one side of his face. "Let's go."
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no subject
why hadn't he been chosen?
What could he do against the Gods when he wasn't even worthy of notice?
But as the anger, hurt and more, self-hatred passed, he found the words he hoped would comfort her. "Evidently, we can do a lot." He grinned at her, then pointed in the vague direction of the temple. "The whole world stood to be changed by this. Imagine, every temple on the continent! And every cult quashed, every magician imprisoned."
"But you did something about it. We did. And now-- now--" he hesitated for a moment, cursing himself for his lapse in memory. Why couldn't he remember the God's name? "The sun-God, he's gone. We did that. You did that."
"We're finally strong enough to fight against everything going so wrong in the world. And we're only going to get stronger."
no subject
A breath escaped as she felt exhaustion take hold-- at least that was a reprieve from the feeling of her muscles threatening to tear her apart. Eyes closing she sucked it back in, held it to let her body settle before nodding firmly. "You're right." She couldn't muster conviction, but if she could not trust in her own beliefs she could trust in Gareths. She could trust in his knowledge and beliefs. Could trust that he believed this, that they would find a way-- if she couldn't believe in herself because of her failings she could trust in his word to help her get past that point.
"Can we rest, please?" It was an odd request; and in that moment perhaps he'd know she would continue fighting this very moment if they needed it of her, that she would break to make that happen. Perhaps her body could do it better than some, but her heart could not. She wanted a moment to settle, to breathe, to tend to her wounds. She wanted a bath, she wanted ice, she wanted quiet; and perhaps time to cry when she did not feel like she would be a burden to all those around her.
"I know we have travel to do."
no subject
"Rest," he agreed, and it was clear looking at all of them it was a sorely-needed reprieve. All of them, even Dink, looked like they'd been through Hell. "It'll give Zelly some time to recover too, before we go wherever they went next. And it would give Gareth an opportunity to decide where exactly that would be.
"Let's pay our old haunt, the Silver Swan, a visit. Silver Phoenix," he corrected himself. "Maybe the gods are telling us something with a coincidence like that: rising from the ashes."
The group stood unsteadily, nursing wounds and pains, hurting on the inside and the out.
But they were standing.
Gareth offered the ice-blue dragon a hand and smiled, his lips meeting the edge of the burn mark that marred half of one side of his face.
"Let's go."