Neverwinter Forest vi. not too cold,

this place was no stranger to her. 

aiwë stood before what remained of the ulaq -- of the place where she'd borne her twins into this world. 

the spirits did not come for her. perhaps on account of the fact that the grief still lived within her. there were no ghosts here. only a litany of memories that returned, half-formed behind the wall of stone in her own mind. 

the doe could do little more than stare, wracked numb with all of it. evergreen gaze locked up on the threshold of the mélamar. 

the chill in the air went unnoticed. even the rain that hid the tears coursing along her thin features was little more than a muted background noise. 

wilwarin had been here, the thought came to her wildly. wide emeralds darted to the surrounding trees, scanning for a flash of white even as she jerked violently. it was as if her body had forgotten for a moment. 

her children were gone. 

or more accurately, it was she that had gone. again. 

she squeezed her eyes shut against the thought, fighting the hot rush of emotion that drove her to do something reckless. 

scream. collapse. beat her head bloody against the sturdy pines until it cracked like an egg and it all came spilling back out to her. 

a deep breath and she managed to do none of those things. 

"bear it anyways," she reminded herself, the rasp of her whisper lost beneath the symphony of rainfall against the needles. 

aiwë allowed herself one last glimpse of the den before turning west. she'd lain one child to rest here. that daughter's siblings still lived. 

the four-year turned away from the tomb of what would have been. she turned her sights west once more -- intent on finding @Saviguk (who'd given her this moment of privacy) and leaving this cursed place behind her.