The First Hearth

[Lief]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QBuRBrYfKo​

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“Try not to resist the changes that come your way. Instead let life live through you. And do not worry that your life is turning upside down. How do you know that the side you are used to is better than the one to come?”​

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- Jalaluddin Rumi​

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I wish that I had known I would be filled with such things as doubt and regret the first time I experienced loss. Somethings seemed to always be, to always have been... And I took for granted the idea that they always would be. Like the rising of Rôrik or the phases of Aéros, I had come to believe that my first friend and confidant would be eternal. That his warmth would remain a thing I felt throughout the entirety of my existence in the Galaxy. Alas this was not the case. For man was not a celestial body... Man could be broken, man could be beaten. Man could perish. ​

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Then again, with enough time does the same not apply to all things? Stars expand and burn away into nothingness, we simply do not live long enough to witness it for ourselves. Most of the time. I, however, had the privilege of knowing first hand a God among Man. The very first individual to show me even a small measure of care and consideration. The first to grant me freedom and welcome me into his fold like one of his own. And though he has since been taken from me, though his mortal days may have come to a close, I know that he lives on... A Man among Gods.​

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I will never forgive myself for the silence I showed on the eve' of his life. Before the longboat was cast and his body torn asunder by flames which led him to Beornskald and beyond to the Realm of Odiir. So many things I could've said. So many things I should've said. In a moment rendered obsolete. No chance for redemption. No way to turn back the clock and provide him with the thanks he deserved. No graveside to sit at and mourn and weep. No way to speak to him.​

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Living in the past is a dangerous thing. Living for the future can be equally as perilous. Perhaps it is time that I begin to reside in the now. Learn from the mistakes of my past. Hope for the future, while expecting little. For this day could be my undoing... But it could also be the start of something new. Something great. A brand new chapter in the story of my life, in the legacy I shall leave behind as all are want to do.​

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Cholganna awaits me. A new world to explore. A new leaf in my book of existence.​

 

[Lief]

While she frequently traveled from Midvinter, now that she was of an age to venture forth into the Galaxy without the watchful gaze of her parents or her Master, Mysa still found it strange every time she stepped onto a world that was not completely covered in snow. She had, of course, done her research. Her ship settled in the Northern Hemisphere, overlooking the Tethyrr River Valley, and while the air was still vastly warmer than she had come to know it was no desert. Not that Cholganna even had deserts.

Her gaze drifted down over the valley, with the serpentine river snaking its way through the pass. Then she turned full circle, taking in the sights and the sounds and the smells all at once. A smile worked its way onto her lips. She felt oddly free, invigorated, alive. Stood there she felt on top of the world, and not just because of the sheer drop that stood a few feet away.

She knew that she had work to do. While her ship would suffice as shelter, that was not the purpose of her travels. She was not here to camp out... Well she was, but not within durasteel at least. She dropped the Valkyri Lumber axe she had been holding across her shoulder and let out a small sigh. The river was as good a place as any to break ground. It would provide her with clean water, safety from the natural predators who lurked within the forests, and with time potentially even a source of hydropower.

First, though, she had to monitor the water levels. That would be a tedious process, one which would take a rather looonngg time and even then nature was fickle. Start small, and then expand. She knew what she was hoping for in the end, she realized that while she could happily work on the initial structure - her personal structure - the greater product would require outside help. Architects and engineers. That or it would float away down the river.

Down at her feet, Felix didn't really know what to make of the change in temperature. Mysa grinned, and gave him a gentle pet on the head. "I know, my furry little cub, it is a world away from Midvinter... But, perhaps you will find that you enjoy it all the same hm? Let's give it a try..."

 

[Lief]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0aAA0KnlGo​

"The building of a house is a strange blend of dreams and mundane work, and of heaven and earth"​

- Paul Goldberger​

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In my youth I did not know of the complexities of life. I was not aware of the trials and labours individuals put themselves through in order to be fulfilled, in order to survive, in order to grow. All I knew was my stark white room, square and empty save for a bed. My mind did not know its own torment at the lack of stimuli, for it knew no better. My heart did not crave companionship, for it had never known what it was to be sociable. I knew but one face. I saw but one room. I heard but one voice that was not my own. The days blurred, time was nothing for I had never seen signs of its passing.​

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Here, though, on this duplicitous world of light and dark, of different temperatures and temperamental wildlife, I am coming to understand my true nature. That of our kind. The plights of man. I have been here for just a couple of days and already I feel the cool serenity wash over me, a distinct lack of kinship and conversation. I do not mind it, in many ways it is entirely different to the upbringing I previously hearkened back to as I am not isolated. Anything but. I am amidst the great strands of life, of time. Nature has become my companion. ​

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My daily plights stem from a base need to survive. I hunt and gather so that I may eat. I take resources from the land and labour them into my creations so that I might remain warm, sheltered, safe... Arduous though it may be, tiring, painful at times... I know that this is just one trial. I know that there will be far many I must face in my future. So I must press on. For if I stumble at the first hurdle, then what hope do I have for the remaining?​