Hushed Willows [m] Doing all these things that you won't like

The moment she laid eyes on Blossom, her own sorrow was forgotten. A little gasp slipped from her and she went to her daughter thoughtlessly, curling around her, starting to groom the tangles from her beautiful golden fur. Why do people have to hurt? Words she'd never wanted to hear from her daughter.

But she'd asked herself this so many times. Even the beauty she'd found in her life often burned like fire; even this new beginning, even now. Reverie still couldn't forget that hurtful morning with Boone. The way he'd dismissed her, the way he'd broken the first promise she'd ever asked of him. She loved him but he'd set a precedent then, the same precedent set by Lestan so many months ago: when he was upset with her it meant he would break his promises, it meant that her comfort was secondary, it meant that her trust mattered less than whether she did what he wanted. And that hurt. Why did it have to hurt?

It's - it's just a part of - life. A part of loving people, Reverie explained gently, faltering. It sounded like a flimsy excuse even to her. Sometimes - bad things happen. And it hurts because you care. But caring is - it's how we make it hurt a little less for the people we love. It's how we find happiness again.

She kissed the top of Blossom's head gently. The hurt doesn't last forever. It fades with time. I promise.