Stavanger Bay gently, gently, the constellations aligned

deirdre's eyes brightened as he spoke. you are hers? what fortune had brought him to her! o, but what misfortune had befallen him to be here! perhaps this was the price eshe would pay for deirdre's magick, and though her heart ached for the woman deirdre was soothed to know that she, herself, was here to look after him. deirdre beheld him, then, fully; even in the dimness, there were hints of his lineage. deirdre smiled, her expression all the fonder for her newfound knowledge. the mayfair child let out a small sigh for his longing, and she hummed, i know in my heart you will see them again, though on the topic, she said no more. skellige went about things in a way she did not understand, and his tradition of taking children without their wishing it... it intrigued her. was there ever a time the child loved him for the action? respected him? did it not birth hatred rather than respect...? there was a weary look to her features that she passed onto him, that expressly said [i]do not speak any longer on this,[i] and oh, how she prayed that he would abide by it.

his inquiry caused deirdre to look at him with the tilt of her head, though she did not patronize him for his stubborness. that is unwise, deirdre informed him, for i love the forest, too; but i would not let myself be a fool, if the opportunity to learn of something i did not know of came upon me. no matter what the circumstances, knowledge can only bring one power, for there was magick in knowing! deirdre, the giver, provided him with more: there was a time when the forests were stripped to nothingness by a curse that scourged the wilds. the prey you and i know best, the creatures of the forests, had gone with the green--the ocean provided, more than the rivers, more than the lakes. it was skellige that showed me this, she informed. and then  she quieted, wondering what he might make of this, wondering if the mention of knowledge bringing one strength might appeal to him more than his hatred of a man. but he was young, and so she could not know what he would decide!

his eagerness caused her tail to wave. because your body must rest, and the herbs must take. i would not have you be in pain; you have endured much, rannoch, and i see that you are strong. but you must not be hasty, for that would be foolish and would never serve you well. when the moon waxes you will have had your rest, she hummed.