(Following the events of "Moyna's Children - Part 5"...)
Once again, sadness was the price for her wished for answers. Sadness and that spark hope that hadn't been altogether lost yet. And she wouldn't lose it; she had decided upon that already. Such a decision wasn't borne out of stubbornness or pride but, rather, a desperate wish; a strong will that couldn't be killed or forced down. Everything would be alright. It had to be.
It took hours for her to properly fall asleep. Though she had been exhausted both inside and out, her mind hadn't remained silent as she bedded down upon ancient stone. She had opted to sleep upon the stone overlook that was nestled into the grey hill behind Bree-town rather than spend the night at the inn of the Prancing Pony. After her last excursion to her Grams' grave and her home village ended with the ruin of a few good pieces of Barliman's furniture, she didn't want to make the same mistake again, even though that strange righteous anger wasn't present within her now. And, besides, she thought to herself, she had always found comfort in sleeping under the vast array of stars in the sky on a clear night.
And, when she finally did slip into sleep, it was quick and engulfing, much like being plunged into the depths of the sea. And, in the deepest levels of sleep, Finchley began to dream...
-
A red sky. A strange coldness. The smell of sulfur. Strange lightning through gnarled and bare treetops. The sensation of heaviness throughout her body, like falling through water. Deeper and deeper...
Voices; whispering, crying, soothing, yelling.
A man's voice; uncertain and unsure. Then angry and bitter. Wordless apologies. Desperate cries.
A woman's voice; resolute yet anxious. Soft weeping. Steeled commands. Echoes of a thousand said and unsaid 'I love you's that caused ripples on the surface as she sank deeper... ever deeper...
-
Finchley awoke with a soundless gasp, green eyes flying open to see... the same stars she had fallen asleep under. The night had not passed just yet. She looked about herself and saw she was still nestled in between both Xandilif and Eduwiges, both asleep on either side of her. And yet, despite their closeness, she could still feel that loneliness growing in her chest again; only, this time, it ached like nothing she had ever felt before.
Hot tears blurred her vision, making the stars appear dimmer and further away. They ran in twin rivers down her temples and into the blanket that was set beneath her. They ran through the cloth and sank deep into the very stone of the ruin she slept upon. All was still save for her shaking. All was quiet save for the occasional dog barking down in alleyways of Bree-town and the sound of her hitched breathing. A hand reached towards Xandilif but then stopped and clenched into a fist instead. Likely the elf was already awake. But, on the off chance she wasn't, Finchley didn't feel it right to wake her up now after all they had seen under the light of day.
"Ma...!"
She half whispered half sobbed it into the cold night air, voice choked and shaky.
In all her years under her adopted grandmother's care, not having a mother never much mattered to her. How could it when she had all the love and care she could ask for and then some? And it never occurred to her that she had one to wonder about for the longest time. Yet, she had one none the less. Or used to have one. Whoever her mother was, she was likely long gone now.
But, in this moment, she wanted her. She didn't know who she was, what she looked like, or what her name had been. But, oh, how she wanted her more than anything in this moment.
The tears still came as the night dragged on and only ran dry when first rays of sunlight began to creep over the grey hill. Starry sky was replaced with golden dawn and Finchley forced herself to sit upright, rubbing at her face with the backs of her hands.
This was the start of a new day. She would keep on going. She would try again.
