Darkness Surrounding, Light Within (Open)

[Willow]

"It was a dark and stormy night."

Willow sighed and threw the book down, standing up and looking out of the church's doors. It was a bright and peaceful morning, very early. The Valkyrie had been unable to sleep, and so she had tried to read, tried to clean, tried to exercise, and now tried to run again. No use. She was worried about Oya, far away on business for his mother. She was worried about the state of the world, given the current changes in Lycia and Bern. She was worried about the Saint, and what Her Blessed Will was. And she was worried about the growing child she had borne, who now slept peacefully in the house behind the church.

The Invasion of Sacae had been difficult, and overall a failure. But she had been preoccupied, especially as she had felt herself grow and the life within her expand. Now, she was at home, a child mere months old depending on her for life and sustenance. Her parents were helping her raise him, but he would require her focus and care. What a mystery and a miracle life was. She knew her child would grow to be strong like his father, pious like his mother... And hopefully more perfect than either of them, more free from blemish or taint.

The Valkyrie took out her book of prayers and miracles and opened it, reading softly from it and summoning a sphere of gleaming light.

"Oh Blessed Saint, protect my child. Protect my parents, and protect my husband. Protect our world and protect our virtues. Protect your Divine Will, O Saint.

[Hugo]

The old warrior was on leave from the army for a time. He had reunited with his family in the Western Isles and relayed any information he had to give them. He spoke of his time on the battlefield. How he had helped Oya and his wife Willow. He had told them how Willow was expecting a child. In order to help stay within the good graces of the Eturian army, they decided to send the new mother a care package of sorts. A gift of the softest furs they had to be used as a blanket for the baby. They sent a set of equally fine cloaks, one for both Willow and Oya. These fur garments would keep the family warm during Eturia's winters. 

He was tasked with delivering these items to the commander's family. And so he rode out with a small wagon and a horse. The various siblings and cousins he had in the military told him where the family home was. He had a feeling that he would not see either Willow or Oya. Most likely he was going to have to leave these garments with some sort of servant. He would have no real confirmation that these gifts would be received by the commander's family. Servants were notorious for stealing things. He sighed softly and tugged at the reigns of the horse. The mare gave a neigh of complaint and eventually stopped. He had arrived at the Church. If his memory served the home was supposed to be behind the temple of the Saint. He looked around hoping to see a gate or a passageway towards the back.

[Willow]

The Valkyrie let the orb of light dissipate, emitting a bright flash as it filled the room with a momentary golden glow. As the brilliance faded back to the normal lighting, Willow gave a long sigh. It was difficult, difficult to see her path and to discern her future. She needed support and guidance, and the Blessed Saint, who had always been there for her, was oddly quiet. Yes, she still received signs, dreams, messages, commandments… But the fire and the straight-ahead focus she had always taken for granted was now replaced by the gentler warmth of a mother. She felt at times the old blaze erupt, as many mothers do when enraged, but for the most part she was calmer and more sedate. The Etrurian Army had told her to wait, to delay becoming involved in the two-pronged invasion at present, to take time to raise her son before renewing her service and pledging herself again to the cause.

It was a difficult decision to accept. She had grown to love the organization and the chaos of conflict, had grown to welcome the dangers of war, had grown to love the rough and rowdy soldiers who were willing to fight and live and die for their country and cause. Her devotion to the Saint had been enhanced, given new life in the form of devotion not only to her Elimine but also to her Etruria. In a way, she was a patriot and a champion of both the will of the Saint and the will of the State.

Her son was now only months old, although he approached a year. It would be exceedingly callous for her to leave the child she had borne, the helpless new life that the Saint had blessed her with. But it was difficult for her to sit still, to simply gather alms for the poor and mend the sick and wounded. It was as if she had lost one arm but gained another leg, a new limb with which she was unfamiliar and awkward.

All of these thoughts flew through her mind, and she had been so engrossed in her musing that she had not heard the horse approach, not heard the horse stop in front of the Church. The light she had released would surely have illuminated the outside, sending a glow through the ajar door and the mighty stained-glass windows, but she had not thought of it. She simply remained sitting within the Church’s grand hall.

[Hugo]

The old warrior looked at the church and noticed the light. Someone was inside. He assumed it must be the priest of the church or a sister of some kind. He sighed again and pulled the horse towards a stable. He paid the stable boy a coin and then took the gifts from wagon and made his way inside the church. He glanced around at the holy temple and found it to be rather empty. There were some rather large statues of what he presumed to be Elimine. Hugo himself wasn't very religious but he knew enough of the holy woman's lore to work in Eturia. His eyes found a lone woman in a church. He knew this woman. He recognized the holy woman's blue hair and clothes. This was very convenient for Hugo. He wanted to insure that this delivery was received by the general's family. What better way to do so then to hand deliver the goods to the woman of the household, the second in command of his army. Hugo grabbed his familiar raccoon hat off of his head. He bowed lightly as a sign of respect to both Willow and to the church of Elimine.

"Good day Lady Willow." He spoke softly so as not to offend. He approached the woman carefully so as not to frighten her. Granted the pair of them had met in the war and he assumed that Willow would not perceive him as a threat. However he was not sure if there were other people roaming around in the other rooms of the church. Guardians of Willow who did not know who he was. They might think of him as a threat, so he choose to exercise caution.

[Willow]

"Hm?"

A voice.

The Valkyrie turned, her gaze alighting on a man who came towards her, calling her by name, and bearing some sort of package. His face looked oddly familiar, and as Willow stared intently at him, her eyes boring into his, the emerald gleam of her irises seeming to shine slightly as she narrowed her eyelids and thought back, recalling who this familiar face was. He was...

"Hugo. You fought with me at the City of Heroes. Good to see you again. Have you been well?"

The Valkyrie moved, beckoning with her arm to the Warrior and leading him into a back room, where she drew two chairs to a finely-finished wooden table. She took two goblets, filled them with dark, dry wine, and set them upon the table. Placing the bottle nearby, she then took a loaf of dark, dry bread and sliced off a few pieces. With the quiet, knowing manner of the housewife, she set all of these items out, and then offered a chair to her guest, sitting down and resting her hands on the table, where they seemed to patter, like a pianist playing a slow concerto, a mournful, almost uneasy rhythm evident in their listless taps.

While she was in good health, it was clear the Valkyrie was not the same dynamic and single-minded woman she was on the battlefield. This was a much more human portrait of her, a window, a still life portraying the wife at home with child, the warrior of Elimine now nursing and rearing a child younger than a year.

[Hugo]

“Aye, My lady. I did fight alongside you during the fort seize.” He was satisfied with the notion that she had remembered him. There were hundreds of not thousands of people in Etruria army. His face could have easily been lost among the crowds of her memory.

“It is good to see that you are well. I pray that the babe is also well.” He nodded and looked up at the altar. That statement was both a truth and a lie. He didn't actually pray. But he did hope that Willow and child were well. He knew plenty of people who lost their mothers in birth. He knew several women who lost children too. While, cases like that are terrible for those going through it, he didn't find it particularly bad. He understood the harshness of life and death.

The blue haired woman motioned for him to follow her. And so he did. He was led to a back room. This seemed to me some sort of small reception area for the clergy. He noticed the fine table and wooden chairs. Willow had poured him a glass of wine and served some bread. It seemed that Willow knew her place in the world. At the battlefield she was a healer and fighter. At home she was no different than a common woman. A wife, mother, and lady of the household.

“Thank-you milady Willow for your hospitality.” He took a seat. Then he placed his boxes of gifts carefully on the floor.

“I have come bearing gifts from my family to yours. As a means of both congratulating you and Oya in parenthood. I have been told rearing and raising children is one of the most difficult jobs in the world. I hope my family's gifts help to ease that job if only slightly.”

[Willow]

The grizzled warrior seemed pleased. Was it that she remembered him? Perhaps, or maybe he was simply pleased that he had found her. It was no matter to her, but she was glad that for some reason, in some way, she had brought a little happiness and contentment into his mind. That was what she was to do – always help to support and defend.

“It is good to see that you are well. I pray that the babe is also well.”

Willow nodded. Indeed, she and her child were both doing well. Her health, and that of her infant child, was excellent, and there was nothing to complain about save her own idleness. Between nursing the babe, reading, and praying, there were many empty hours filled only with the whisper of the wind through the trees. Often, the sound of silence was her only companion during the nights, even with the warm body of her child nestled next to her.

Willow drank slowly and shallowly, doing little more than wetting her lips as she sat, fingers still wandering over the wooden table top as the warrior placed down his boxes on the floor.

“I have come bearing gifts from my family to yours. As a means of both congratulating you and Oya in parenthood. I have been told rearing and raising children is one of the most difficult jobs in the world. I hope my family's gifts help to ease that job if only slightly.”

The Valkyrie nodded graciously, her hair shifting as she inclined her head in thanks. Her eyes, however, remained focused on Hugo’s, and a strange light had come into them.

"Hugo, let me ask you something. I would like you to respond honestly, without thinking of rank, or status, or decorum. Respond truly, from your heart, as you would in a council of war.

What is my duty? Where should my energies be focused? I know that my place is here, with my child, supporting the family and providing a solid pillar of support. But I also know my calling, my holy obligation to the Saint to further Her will and spread Her message. So I am torn, stuck between loyalty to my family and loyalty to my faith. Is my place here, in the home, or there, on the field of battle with my husband?

So you see my dilemma. I have no clear path to take, and each comes with risks and rewards that are immeasurable. I do not know the way forward."

[Hugo]

Hugo was pleased that Willow accepted these gifts so easily. He had hoped to eat his fill of the bread, cheese, and wine and dismiss himself from her presence. He considered this job to be finished. But, he could not be given that mercy. Willow seemed to want to talk about things. He did not blame her for wanting to gossip, he simply was not in the mood to hear it. But, he had to be courteous. She was his superior even though they were not on the battlefield.

She wanted his opinion on her life. What action she should take. Hugo would have sighed at the notion but he held it in for the sake of politeness. He was the last person in the world to talk to about issues between work and domestic duties. His life was full of work and loyalty to his family. Perhaps he was in a unique position to sympathize in some degree. Just not in a manner of choosing between being a mother and being a fighter. His experience with women who weren't directly related to him was varied. He slept with women, did business with women, he’s even killed a few in his day. He had seen women raise axes as big as they were. He had seen women captains and mothers who would do anything for their child. While believed that each woman should have a family to tend to, he had seen many different types of families. Not all of them were so comfortable as this one. He had no children of his own that he knew of so he could not offer any advice on parenthood.

“Madam. I am no fortune teller, prophet, or soothsayers. I cannot tell you what you must do with your life. That is something you must figure out for yourself. However, I can offer you some advice.. in my life I have seen many women. Weak women. Strong women. Wives, prostitutes, slavers, bar maids, mothers…” He started to count on his fingers but stopped.

“Some women have managed to be all of those things.. all at once. If women in a lower rank and position can do all those things surely you can too.” He did his best to not make that sound not terrible.

“What I mean to say is that, there is no law saying that you cannot be both a mother and a fighter for your saint. If you feel that your calling is both then do both. You simply need to figure out how.” He took a sip of the wine.

[Willow]

“Madam. I am no fortune teller, prophet, or soothsayers. I cannot tell you what you must do with your life. That is something you must figure out for yourself. However, I can offer you some advice.. in my life I have seen many women. Weak women. Strong women. Wives, prostitutes, slavers, bar maids, mothers…Some women have managed to be all of those things.. all at once. If women in a lower rank and position can do all those things surely you can too. What I mean to say is that, there is no law saying that you cannot be both a mother and a fighter for your saint. If you feel that your calling is both then do both. You simply need to figure out how.”

Willow listened as the grizzled warrior explained his experiences with women and his thoughts. It was good logic, all rational and practical. Hugo was not a man of many words, but he certainly did have things of value to say. The Valkyrie appreciated his directness, his honesty, and his pragmatism. It was refreshing, to be able to hear an unbiased position and be able to evaluate it without fear of the advisor being political, or falsely polite, or offering condescending, unhelpful suggestions. She was truly grateful to the Warrior.

"I thank you for your insight, Hugo. It is truly a blessing to have advice that I can feel assured is not merely political babbling or artificial words, sweet like honey and meant to garner favor or privilege. You speak truly and directly. I admire your ability to be both uncompromisingly honest and tactful. I know what you say is the truth... I just wonder how to go about that. And that is not a question you could ever answer for me. That is something that only I can find, and I will have to search for it."

The Valkyrie pushed more food across to the man, gesturing to the bottle if he needed to fill his cup.

"Please, enjoy our hospitality as long as you would like. I do not mean to detain you, but I invite you to rest and recuperate before you travel again. Do not feel any rush."

[Hugo]

"My Lady you asked me to be honest with my words and I obliged as politely as I could. I will continue to offer you some advice. You say you do not know where to start.. so I offer you a starting point. Your family is powerful no? Servants and whatnot.. start with them. I'm sure there be more then one maid in your company that is both a mother and worker. Talk to them. Befriend them... well don't befriend them. You still must maintain a status of superiority since you be their boss.." He spoke after he had finished his wine.

"If that starting point doesn't work then find another. You have other servants. Land tenders. Merchants. Step away briefly from your life of privilege and learn from the people. You can probably even ask any officer's wife how they manage.. you have many avenues from where to start. Just do not become overwhelmed or too involved in the problems of others. If you do you will end up neglecting either your child or your duty." The man put the cup down on the table. He never imagined that he'd be giving advice to a woman of nobility. But, this was an incredibly rare opportunity to rub elbows with someone of Eturian peerage. Sure, he had family who worked for and with the army. They had every chance to rise to the ranks and make a name for themselves and the family they came from. But, a military life was short lived. One had no idea when they would meet their end. And their blood would never be considered blue. A trait that was needed if one was to truly become something great within society.

"I am humbled by your hospitality Lady Willow. Unfortunately, I must be going." He finished his plate of cheese and bread.

"I have received orders, I am to transfer to the Ilian division. They requested someone who is familiar with rugged mountain terrain and is accustomed to the colder climate. Some parts of the Isles have a similar landscape and climate as Ilia come winter." He got up.

"I will be doing what I can to train our soldiers in order to survive and be of better use to the army."

[Willow]

“Step away briefly from your life of privilege and learn from the people.”

Though at first it sounded odd and left a bit of a bitter taste in her mouth, Willow quickly realized that this idea was truly sound. It was a way to get to know and understand how the majority balanced their responsibilities, and it would inform her as she attempted to weigh her own commitments. And it could hurt no more than this endless cycle of languishing, wishing something would happen, and cursing her inaction when inevitably nothing did happen.

“I am humbled by your hospitality Lady Willow. Unfortunately, I must be going. I have received orders. I am to transfer to the Ilian division. They requested someone who is familiar with rugged mountain terrain and is accustomed to the colder climate. Some parts of the Isles have a similar landscape and climate as Ilia come winter. I will be doing what I can to train our soldiers in order to survive and be of better use to the army."

As Hugo rose to leave, so too did Willow, extending her hand once more to the Warrior and nodding in thanks to him.

“I thank you, Hugo. For the gifts, for the advice, for the company, and for your service to Etruria and the Saint. May your path be blessed and smooth, and may St. Elimine cloak you in her grace and protect you from the enemy.”

Willow raised her hands, and let golden light shine forth, which gently descended upon Hugo, bathing him in the warm glow of her power. It would feel to Hugo as if a cloak, light but strong, had wrapped itself around him, shielding him with divine grace. While the effect would only protect him for a short while, it was the gesture that Willow hoped he would appreciate.

“Take care. Travel safely, and may you fight well. Until I see you again, Hugo.”

OOC: Thread End; if you would like, Twi, feel free to make one last post.