Fading...

[Gwynnera]

The figure steps inside, eyes downcast, walking toward the boards with resigned, tremulous movements. Her face seems pale, streaked with tears long-since dried. Her eyes seem so cold, yet, at the same time, so haunted, so full of pain and despair, like a child who has just been told Santa Claus does not exist. Tremulous fingers take the charcoal and pen the note in furious scribbles on the small scrap of parchment.

You...you once told me I was kind. You once told me so many things, but they are not so, not any longer. Thrown in my face are the words of truth, that I am no kind person, I am but a shadow, posing as such. Perhaps recent events have changed me, perhaps I am just not the woman you once thought me to be. But I was cruel, I was cold, and all the while, as I conversed and tried to keep my distance, all I wished to do was weep.

I wished to weep for the woman I have become. I wished to weep for failing one of my best friends. I wish to weep for bringing an attack upon a kingdom who does not deserve it. But, most of all, I weep because now that you know my flaw, now that you see who I really am, you might just turn away. I say might because I am no longer certain. I still carry a glimmer of hope that this flaw will not turn you from me.

But I know that you should turn away. I have deceived you. I am not the woman you thought me to be. Please...forgive me...if you can...

Resigned fingers pin the note on the board, and she stays there for a moment longer, reading, rereading, over and over again. A part of her wonders if perhaps she has left something out, but with a sigh and a shake of her head, she realizes that it must be good enough. However, she realizes at the last moment that she missed something. So with the charcoal, she leans in and pens one last thing. At the bottom, she signs:

Gwyn​

 

[Gwynnera]

The woman who posted the first missive returns to the boards again, though her demeanor is not nearly so resigned, though her injuries are more extensive. Her arm is bandaged, and the bulk of bandaging can be seen on her abdomen, but she does not appear as sullen as before. Instead, a glimmer can be seen to her features, a shred of hope in her beautiful face. With her uninjured hand, she lifts the small scrap of parchment and pins it over the first, dismissing the previous.

The shadows come slowly and echo your name
Now that I have found you, I will not be the same
In darkness, I see you, I feel you, I sigh
The shadows concealing tears that I cry
The tears that are falling bely no more pain
No anguish, no fear, no, never again
Eyes close, I hear you, speaking my name
My heart flutters faster and soon I awake
Alone, aimlessly drifting, left far behind
Suddenly, no longer am I locked within my mind
A ray of illumination washes over me
I open my eyes and at last I can see
Gone are the shadows, casting me in fear
Gone are the insecurities, I can feel you near
Once locked away inside myself, I am now free
Blindness is banished, at last I can see
I yearn for your touch, the feel of your kiss
I yearn for the way you make me feel bliss
I sigh and I wonder at the joy we have found
I feel you, I see you, always around

Beneath it, is penned a small note in the same flowing script as the poem.

My dear Darion,

Things have happened, and hardships have been faced, and I tried to run back to a place where it was an evil I understood. Where it was a pain I understood. But the only pain that was left for me was the absence of you, of your touch, of your presence. I miss you horribly, and I love you even now. Please, I wish to see you again, and soon.

With love,

Gwyn​

She peruses the note after it is pinned up and smiles softly, reading and rereading the note over and over, as though checking for any errors. In the end, she sees only one thing it is missing, and she leans in to press her lips to the parchment, leaving the soft line of her gloss at the bottom. Then, with a smile, she turns and walks away.