[in time lestan would come to himself, notice kirain intent upon him. caught now as he was, lestan was taken by the moment. at moments, traces of the past slipped to mingle with the present; a shoreline, a glimpsed den beside the sea. the sound of a faraway cousin's voice. judgement in a doctor's eyes. screaming -- bleeding. but these things suddenly were unable to strike lestan as before. they were wondrous images, some sorry, but all muted behind the veneer of gold that is time. his children wove to and fro, and he was there to guide them. no strife existed between himself and kirain. they were both peace, and this place itself a balm. they had healed from loss as one and found this new world. he was content, if it was a delicate contentment; the witch blinked curiously toward his mate, breaking into a wide bright smile to have so much of her focus upon him. th-they all have their o-own way, he observed, compelled to come closer and pepper her irresistible face with several kisses.]

in time lestan would come to himself, notice kirain intent upon him. caught now as he was, lestan was taken by the moment. at moments, traces of the past slipped to mingle with the present; a shoreline, a glimpsed den beside the sea. the sound of a faraway cousin's voice. judgement in a doctor's eyes. screaming -- bleeding.
but these things suddenly were unable to strike lestan as before. they were wondrous images, some sorry, but all muted behind the veneer of gold that is time.
his children wove to and fro, and he was there to guide them. no strife existed between himself and kirain. they were both peace, and this place itself a balm. they had healed from loss as one and found this new world.
he was content, if it was a delicate contentment; the witch blinked curiously toward his mate, breaking into a wide bright smile to have so much of her focus upon him.
th-they all have their o-own way, he observed, compelled to come closer and pepper her irresistible face with several kisses.

Watching his face as he sat lost in thought, Kirain couldn’t help but think how beautiful he was. So light and free, or at least, that’s how he always seemed. No shadows lingered around him. He was simply Lestan, in all his quiet glory.

Indeed they do. I love watching them grow, she murmured, voice soft with affection. To catch glimpses of you in their sweet little faces… my heart is so full.

No truer words could be spoken. She basked in his tender affection, eyes fluttering closed as a content hum slipped from her throat. When she opened them again, her gaze found his, warm and radiant. She wanted to shine for him, like his own personal sun. She never wanted his world to darken again. If she could keep his light alive, she would always be satisfied.

You know, she began after a pause, her tone thoughtful, Stardust offered to watch the little ones for us. Give us some time to ourselves. Perhaps we should take her up on that offer, spend some time together, away from all the responsibilities. It’s been so long since I’ve been able to just… run free.

A soft sigh left her as her eyes drifted toward their children. Do you remember the days we traveled together, when Wake first went missing? You were so shy and timid then. We used to race through fields, challenge mountains, endure the cold. As long as we were together… Her voice trailed off, carried away by memory.

Then, barely above a whisper, she asked, Do you miss it? Being free? Not being tied down with so much responsibility? I know you wandered alone for a time. Do you ever think of going back?

She wasn’t entirely sure where this line of questioning had come from, Lestan had never given her a reason to doubt him. Yet insecurity crept into her heart all the same, and she tried to quiet it by watching their children wrestle and play in the grass.