Running From Myself [Thyrian Ashborn]

[Lief]

Voss-Ka; Outside the Tower of Prophecy​

​

She had all but run down the many flights of the Tower of Prophecy upon leaving the meeting room, only her respect for the people of Voss and those who inhabited the Tower kept her pace in check. But by the time she was on the ground floor the emotions she had been fighting with since she first spotted her Creator came pooling out, the seal which kept them tightly contained bursting at the seams.

When she was finally outside, with the cool air against her cheeks, Mysa allowed herself a few quiet tears. It was extremely overwhelming, it felt as though her whole life had come to a halt and was crumbling around her. She did not want to lose her family.

They meant the world to her; Thurion was the Father she'd never had, a guiding hand whose patience knew no bounds. Coci was the Mother she'd never gotten to know, encouraging and loving beyond compare. Nina was her sister, and while the pair never spoke verbally her actions alone revealed a compassionate depth in her fellow Umbaran. And Theo... What could be said of her beloved little brother? She could remember the first time she had ever seen him even to this day, and his swift growth had brought with it more fun and adventure than she'd care to admit.

They were hers, these Heavenshields, even Thrand was her kin', he had given her the gift of the Gods, he had manifested the blood of the Valkyri within her very soul.

Feeling somewhat numb after her quiet cry, Mysa found herself a seat upon the floor with her back to the Tower. Thankfully her breathing had begun to return to normal by this point, the emotions gone with the fleeting wind around her. She had to find a compromise. Because whether she liked it or not Kara was her Creator. Blood didn't mean anything to a girl who had never known her real family, but that didn't mean she could be disrespectful and not at least try.

And who knew, maybe in doing so she and her rag-tag family could find peace for her Creator and the light-eyed giant.

[member='Thyrian Ashborn']

 

[Thyrian Hearthfire]

As soon as the others took notice of Mysa's departure from the Tower, Thyrian was the first to act, telling the others he would bring her back safely. Whether or not Kära cared didn't matter, and whether or not Coci would let him mattered less. His brother knew him to be truthful in caring for the little one, and so did not stop him from leaving the room. Dashing down the stairs following the girl's Force signature, Thyrian cared little for the clerk who happened to stand in his way and promptly shoved him aside.

When he reached the ground floor Thyrian spotted the little Umbaran sat quitely upon the marble floor, back turned to him. "Mysa," he spoke softly, approaching her from behind. The Ashborn didn't wait for her to get up, and instead sat down beside her on the floor. His eyes were filled with nothing but concern for the girl, just as they had been two decades ago for her Creator. Upon spotting the wooden elk in her hands, Thyrian extended a single digit to gently pet its imaginary fur. "What's his name?" he asked with genuine interest.

[member="Mysa Snowstrider"]​

 

[Lief]

Mysa jumped to the sound of a foreign voice, and lifted her gaze toward the man. "Hello sir" she said quietly, she wasn't quite ready to join the others so was grateful when he sat down alongside her instead of ushering her back upstairs to the others.

When his attention was drawn to her little friend the girl smiled, genuinely happy to have someone take interest in her beloved Éar. "His name is Éar, Grandpa Thrand gave him to me." Mysa blinked afterward, she had never referred to Thrand as her grandpa the way the other kids did before now.

[member="Thyrian Ashborn"]

 

[Thyrian Hearthfire]

Mimicking the way Mysa sat on the cold floor, the Ashborn kept his eyes on the tiny creature in her lap, not fully realising what she just said until moments later when his stroking of Éar's mane ceased. "Grandpa Thrand..." he whispered, looking straight ahead. He could feel a slight tremble in his hand, causing him to ball it into a fist in an attempt to make it stop. His throat got caught and for a time he was unable to speak, while struggling to breathe properly. "He... gave you this?" Never in a million years did he ever think he'd hear the name of his father uttered again. Thurion never knew him by name growing up, and Thyrian had made his peace with the thought that he might be dead. It was far easier to accept than the fact that the man abandoned his own two sons, leaving them to fend for themselves for seven years.

A few sniffles escaped the large man while fighting the urge to bare his soul to the little girl beside him, and instead he scooped her off the cold floor into his arms to sit her down in his lap. His big arms wrapped themselves around Mysa, immediately ridding him of the internal pain at the memory of his father leaving. "My sweet Snowflake," he finally spoke, a tearful smile reaching his lips. How he wished he'd been able to do this a lifetime ago with another Umbaran girl her age.

[member="Mysa Snowstrider"]​

 

[Lief]

Mysa could sense the change come over her light eyed companion at the mention of Thrand. The little girl could never comprehend the complex relationship he had with his Father, the horrors of being abandoned by someone who genuinely cared for you. She could empathise with the latter to some extent, but Kara had never been a mother to her. "I'm sorry" the small girl whispered, "I never meant to upset you." She nestled down into the cloak he had also gifted her and closed her eyes for a moment, feeling absolutely horrible for making him upset.

All at once he swept her up from the ground and settled her on his lap. Mysa had never really ever had a parental figure who showed her affection; Thurion and Coci both cared for her dearly, but they had never wanted to overstep the mark and be too affectionate. As a result, to begin with Mysa was a little tense. But slowly she eased up and rested her head on his shoulder. "Are you my real papa?" she whispered; she knew who her Creator was, but surely there had to be an accompaniment to that? Theo and Nina had both Coci AND Thurion after all. And anyway, why would he care so much if he wasn't?

[member="Thyrian Ashborn"]

 

[Thyrian Hearthfire]

"You have nothing to apologise for," he whispered before pressing his lips against her forehead. Without really thinking about he'd begun to cradle the little girl in his arms, much like he would his younger brother in another life. "Thrand was a good father, once," he spoke while on the subject, but left the latter half of his thoughts untold. It was obvious Mysa cared a great deal for his old man and he did not wish to tarnish their relationship. "But when our mother passed away he... disappeared." As good an explanation as any, he supposed.

The words she then uttered left him without any chance at keeping a tear at bay, nor did he make any attempt at wiping it from his cheek. What was he to tell her? That he wasn't? Would that be worse than lying to her? Did he even know the truth to begin with? "If... If you want me to," came his answer. "I'll be your papa." Pulling away from their embrace for a moment, Thyrian looked down into her Umbaran eyes so similar to Kära's. "Listen to me, Mysa; what she said back there, about not wanting you... She didn't mean it. Kära's feelings towards you are... complicated. She regrets what she did to you, and by looking at you she is reminded of her mistakes. But you are not a mistake, Mysa. Anyone who says otherwise will have to answer to me."

[member="Mysa Snowstrider"]​

 

[Lief]

For a while Mysa sat in silence, her head remaining upon the man's shoulder. She kept her beloved Éar held close to her chest, listening to what was being sad. Thrand disappeared? What kind of space magic was that? Unless his kind of disappearing was the same as Kära's...

"My Creator did the same" she whispered after a little while of thought, "but Grandpa Thrand would love nothing more than to have you back, Kära doesn't want me."

She turned her face to hide it into his chest; for whatever reason she felt oddly at ease, but maybe that was because Kära wasn't there. The woman set her on edge. Thyrian said he could be her papa, but that still made her confused; was he or wasn't he? Did it really matter?

As he pulled back and looked her in the eye Mysa met his gaze. She didn't entirely agree with what he said, Kära's declaration against wanting Mysa had been pretty firm. "She doesn't have to want me" the little girl finally said, "Thurion, Coci, Théo and Nina... They love me, for who I am. She doesn't have to force herself to try, if she doesn't want to."

But then she sighed, and out of nowhere began to cry. "I don't want to have to choose! Why can't I have two families? I'm never in one place anyway, always moving with the Sanctum, with the Heavenshields, whats one more home on top of that?"

Deep down Mysa just wanted to be accepted by her mother, it wasn't that the Heavenshields weren't enough for her, they were, but this meeting had opened a whole can of worms that she'd never before had to face. Pandora's box was easy to open, and impossible to close.

The child sniffled and buried her face back into his shoulder.

[member="Thyrian Ashborn"]

 

[Thyrian Hearthfire]

Her tears were heartbreaking to behold, and when the girl finished speaking Thyrian gently pressed his thumbs against her cheeks, causing her tears to evaporate as they made contact. He then wrapped his arms around her once more and just held her there, close to his chest. "I... I don't know," he finally said. "I don't know the right answer. I'm not wise like my brother or intelligent like Coci, and I have no experience raising a child. Truth be told, you would most likely be better off with the Heavenshields." They were honest thoughts, and he didn't hesitate admitting his faults to the little Umbaran. He'd never been a smart man, nor claimed to be. When Kära died he'd been left without purpose as well as the drive to find a new one. All he's ever been good at it hurting people.

"I'm sorry, Mysa. I shouldn't have put you in a situation like this." He rested his chin upon the girl's head and closed his eyes. Suddenly he rose from the floor, taking her with him as he then placed her atop his broad shoulders. The two would then begin to wander the exhibit aimlessly just to clear their heads. "How... how is Thrand? When did you last see him? Is he here on Voss?"

[member="Mysa Snowstrider"]​

 

[Lief]

For a time Mysa said nothing, she simply lay there against his chest and sniffled every once in a while. It was still very new to her, affection and contact with others, but her ease grew with each passing moment. Deep down she had longed to be loved and accepted, ever since she had been sent away from the lab on Aurum; Thrand had been the first to see her for who she truly was, truly giving her a chance, then Thurion and Coci and their children. But now it was her own flesh and blood, in her mind the Ashborn was her father. For who else could it be? She had seen the way that he looked at her Creator. Even more intense, perhaps, than Thurion and Coci.

"I don't want to lose the Heavenshields" she whispered, "but I don't want to miss out on getting to know her, or you." Mysa felt terribly selfish, a trait she had never before possessed, and it made her feel sick to her core.

All at once the man rose, and Mysa found herself hoisted into the air and set upon his shoulders. Together they walked through the Tower, and while they feigned curiosity at the exhibit Mysa's attention was more focused on the giant who held her upright. "He's not here" she said, burying her chin down against his hair, "He lives on Midvinter, with the rest of the Valkyri. He's well, from what I saw. I don't know, it's been a while."

[member="Thyrian Ashborn"]

 

[Thyrian Hearthfire]

"You won't," he did his best to assure the girl atop his shoulders. "The Heavenshields are my family too. For better or worse, I am part of it now as well, and I won't let anything happen to them." Much had happened in the span of mere hours; he'd been reunited with his brother, who he thought would never accept the fact of his connection to the Dark side. Instantly this triggered the protector in him, returning him to when they were kids on Pelagon with no-one to help them. He could only imagine what Thurion must've gone through to be where he is now - a Jedi Master in his own right! Hopefully not as many hardships as himself.

When Mysa mentioned the Valkyri and Midvinter, however, he froze in place. "Those are both real?" he asked while turning his head to look up at the girl. "I thought they were just stories Thrand told me when I was little. A frozen kingdom called Midvinter and her people, the Valkyri..." His head reset itself while he pondered. "So that's where he went when mother died. Why didn't he take us with him?" Had he not been in the company of the little one, he'd probably argue himself into a flaming inferno, but seeing as she was present he let the emotions pass before they'd even taken hold of him. "I... I have to see it for myself. I want to see him."

[member="Mysa Snowstrider"]​

 

[Lief]

Mysa hid her face in his hair and breathed in his scent, eyes closing. She was beginning to feel more at ease, one hand clutching his shoulder the other settled against his cheek where his beard lay. It was for support moreso than anything, but it was comforting all the same. She wouldn't lose anyone, regardless of what she chose. But truly she still did not want to choose.

As a result she was more than grateful for the change in subject.

"Yes, they're real; I've been there a lot!" Her words were a little muffled, face still against his head. "I could point it out on a starmap if you wanted. And I could take you to Thrand. He was the first of your family to take me in."

[member="Thyrian Ashborn"]

 

[Thyrian Hearthfire]

He didn't know what to think about his father at this point. He remember well the day he woke up only to find Thrand was gone. Their mother had died only days before that, leaving Thyrian to take care of his infant brother. So their father had gone to this Midvinter he'd been raised to believe a mere fairytale. Right now he wasn't sure whether to feel angry for him leaving all those years ago or glad to know he's still alive and knows where to find him, all thanks to this little girl sat atop his shoulders.

Mysa's soft palm against his scarred cheek provided a great deal of comfort to him, and he found himself nuzzling against it. "Thank you," he breathed with eyes closed shut. "I'm glad to have met you, Snowflake, for what it's worth..." His hands found her legs dangling on either side of his neck and gently held onto her ankles as the two would remain for a while longer before returning up the stairs to rejoin the others.

[member="Mysa Snowstrider"]​