Noctisardor Bypass [m] ave verum corpus

rapt once more, each word of his own held between trembling hands;
woman
mother
wife.
clear as day she heard it! surely this was of god, this leaping and harmonious glissade between them. amadeo's words overwhelmed heda in a glorious way; she truly had to listen with great effort, great effort as her mind skipped about in shock and surprise, want and worry.
i'm not ruined? she wanted to ask, tremulous and soft-eyed, searching his face for any hint that he was lying, that he only said it for his own reasons. no one had ever communicated the sense of ruination to heda; it was her own mind, and her own mind said she deserved nothing.
meant for me.
the tears came but they were silent and ones of awe rather than pain;
quite overcome, she allowed herself to touch amadeo, only the hardness of his shoulder. his body was a contrast to the gentle sound of his voice, though she did not give herself more time to contemplate further.
"if god has said it —"and heda hated how weak her voice felt! "then we should obey."
her eyes conveyed a not-quite-sense of readiness, one that wanted to be more but not — there were things to do. to say.
but her chest swelled with anticipation. would amadeo guide her through the waiting? she wanted to be — better, for him.