Sun Mote Copse time's the revelator

arcturus hadn't heard the tail of the sleeping beauty, or the wolf with the long tail -- he supposed if he lived alongside wraen for long enough, he would hear it eventually. it bemused him to learn that in most of these tales, the princesses needed saving.

he had not met many feeble women in his life -- if anything, his life had been dictated by women of the opposite disposition. amakaze, lyra, hydra, towhee, niamh.. even wraen, while no warrior, did not need saving.

he balked at her last question. now would be the time to lay bare the frameworks of his tender heart -- to expose all of his hidden desires (some not so subtle, some very covert), to let her know he had been chasing her all this time..

that it had only ever been her that he wanted.

he looked away, reining in those galloping emotions with a hard check. it was not the right time (when would be?) - it was not the right place (where would be?).

"i would like a long life." arcturus commented vaguely at first, playing it safe. "i'd like a mate. i'd like children eventually -- maybe even to start my own dynasty, like my parents did.." he looked down at the ground, recognizing the parallels. "only this time, it'd be different.

i'd be different." by now the mountaineer's voice had trailed off softly, and he was gazing at the tree line in deep thought.

he could ask her the same, but he had asked a similar question before and had listened to her words, only to be dismayed there seemed very little place in wraen's future for him. "are you afraid of the future?" he suddenly asked, recognizing like him, several of her answers had been vague.