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James listened, taking in every word, keeping them within him to understand what he was being told. The story was painful for Sephira, he could tell. There was so much emotion in her voice, he feared she would break down before his eyes. But she was stronger than that, and she didn't, only kept speaking of her past. As the tale progressed, his own heart changed. The way she described her family and the forest was vivid and heartwarming, but when she talked about finding it all gone his mouth dried. His eyes drifted off, trying to picture the souls of all her Stari brethren, free to soar to the heavens. When she began speaking of Strattus again, he could see in her eyes the cold pain she still felt. His own hands, smooth with the paste, clenched as he heard of what he had done. He thought this must be the most painful part of the story, but it didn't stop there. By the time she spoke of what happened when she died, they were now both on the bed, sitting across from each other. He'd found a pair of glasses and had poured in them some of the wine, for them to hold while she talked. At least he now understood where she'd gone after dying in the desert, what seemed so long ago.
The way she described the Sheikah made him smile just a little, for it was hard for him to imagine a younger Sephira that asked 'stupid questions.' He kept listening to the tale, feeling now that the worse was yet to come. However, when she began describing Vincent something changed in her tone. Everything she described seemed to belong in a more cheerful story, where the ending had them going off to live together, have some children, and grow old. He didn't even find her admitting to having mated with the man uncomfortable, as he might have in different circumstances. But every word she spoke, her eyes retained the coldness that had been there when she talked of Strattus. But the words weren't cold. There was something else in them, something closer to grief and pain. And when it happened, when she spoke of the betrayal, of how everything had come tumbling down, he could feel a pit form in his stomach. He felt anger and despair all at once, wanting to rip open Vincent's chest himself. But she kept going. And he knew this was the part that had troubled her. The way she had taken their lives, the way her tribe had been avenged. But he knew that Vincent had hurt her in a way that no vengeance could put back together. It took him a few seconds of silence to realize she had finished the story.
Calmly, he sipped what was left of wine from his glass and set it down on the bed beside him. Then, he removed the chain around his neck, clutching the pendant in his hand. He looked at it, a grey medallion with a phoenix on it. It took him a moment, but he was able to find the way to open it. The eyes looking back at him he recognized, hers looking younger and with a lighter air to them, his the red of the man she had so vividly described. But he closed his eyes, thinking of it in silence, and finally closed the pendant again.
"Sephira, I..." He was unsure of how to begin. Even those words sounded vague after the silence that had followed her tale. "You are the strongest person I have ever laid eyes on. And...I know telling me all of this may have been harder for you than I can even begin to conceive, but I couldn't be more glad that you did tell me." He looked up at her again, his eyes meeting hers, and he smiled, trying to provide warmth. "When your fire burns, I can feel the heat of many years pushing it. All the time I've known you, I've been trying to understand why. Trying to understand why it is that every look you give me, every time you turn away, every time your skin gets scorching hot, I only want to get closer to you, to hold you. I've wanted all this time to be able to share whatever burden lay on your shoulders, for no one should carry such heavy weight on their own. And most certainly not you, who still has so much potential to live for." He wondered if he should then, worrying that he might not be making any sense at all. Perhaps she had told him this to explain why she would never love him. But it didn't matter. And for some reason, something within him pushed him to retell memories he had long since buried. Some divine force compelling him to show her more of his true nature. Or maybe it was just the wine.
"I grew up in Kakariko Village. Spent there my whole life, before setting out to adventure. My father...well, he wasn't the type of man I'd want you to meet, so to speak. Seamus Accardo, he was called, and for many years I lived believing that he had been a great knight, a member of the King's Royal Guard." He sighed, with a helpless smile on his lips, staring off at the emptiness in the wall. "He wasn't though. I learned that soon enough. Nothing more than a lowlife that had taken my mother for granted and left her alone, caring for me. He went off, and got killed by other people who carried the same...lifestyle that he did. All this before I even learned to walk. But it mattered not to me. There were worse things he could've done... worse things I did, or stood by and let happen."
"In all that time, I only ever grew close to one friend. He lived close by. Fernando was, lets say, very excitable. He was the type of fella that would spend all afternoon running around the village, simply trying to catch a butterfly he'd seen. There was even a time when he got lost. His family got the entire village riled up, spending all day and most of the night trying to find him. When he turned up, covered in dirt and grime, his hair sticking to his forehead through inconceivable amounts of sweat and mud, he was holding a puppy." A chuckle escaped James mouth, though it was quiet. "A puppy. Some boys that lived near our houses had taken the puppy and thrown it into a hole they'd spent hours digging. Who does that, you know? Anyways, they were older than us, quite a bit bigger as well. But Fer had seen them do it. He knew he couldn't take them on, but he was definitely going to save that poor creature. He was never the brightest either, though. He jumped in that hole with no one knowing what he was doing. Turned out, the hole was much bigger than he'd anticipated, and now he couldn't get out. He might have had an easy time climbing the dirt walls, except he just couldn't give up on the puppy. So he spent hours, using only one hand, getting out of there. But he did. And he kept the puppy for many years."
James kept quiet for a few seconds, another sip at re-poured wine, before continuing. "When I began going off alone in the depth of night out to Hyrule Field, I liked to think of myself as a Lone Wolf. You know, seeking out criminals, fighting crime. I taught myself how to use a bow, and when a mentor, a good friend, found me, he instructed me in the art of swords and knives. He gave me those two knives I have, had them made with special care. But, my little adventures were bound to get me into trouble eventually. Except, they didn't hurt only me. On a raid one night, I was trying to spy on some men whom I heard were planning on raiding the village. They were some nasty people, I could tell. Only, I never realized I was being followed. When I heard them bringing out someone from behind a rock, I couldn't do a thing as I realized it was Fer. They brought him to his knees before their leader, and when he couldn't answer their questions they... I..." He closed his eyes momentarily. "I froze. I couldn't muster the strength in my legs to stop what was happening. When his body went limp, I rushed away at full speed and threw up into the river and couldn't stop crying. When his body was found outside the village the next day, I couldn't even bring myself to tell his mother the truth. Not until many years later did I finally do that. Later, after I'd hunted down each and every one of the members of that group and avenged everyone I loved who they had hurt. I can't say it made me glad. It still left a hole in my stomach, a weight on my heart, that I carried thereafter."
He passed his hand through his messy hair, the memories now fresh in the back of his eyes. "I will never forget them, I see their faces when I sleep. But you... There was something about you, back when I saved you in Hyrule Field the first time we met. Something about the way you talked, acted, the way you looked at me. For the first time in forever, I felt like I could be of use again. Not as the Lone Wolf, but as someone who took care of others, watched out for his friends. Someone who could try to keep love alive in the hearts of others." He looked into her eyes again, the smile back on his lips, his eyes shining. "You helped me that day, more than anyone else could have. And I promised myself that I would help you, if I ever saw you again. And I mean to do that, Sephira Phoenix."
He took a deep breath. "If you let me, there is nothing I mean to do more. Because you're worth it. Because everyone is worth it."
The way she described the Sheikah made him smile just a little, for it was hard for him to imagine a younger Sephira that asked 'stupid questions.' He kept listening to the tale, feeling now that the worse was yet to come. However, when she began describing Vincent something changed in her tone. Everything she described seemed to belong in a more cheerful story, where the ending had them going off to live together, have some children, and grow old. He didn't even find her admitting to having mated with the man uncomfortable, as he might have in different circumstances. But every word she spoke, her eyes retained the coldness that had been there when she talked of Strattus. But the words weren't cold. There was something else in them, something closer to grief and pain. And when it happened, when she spoke of the betrayal, of how everything had come tumbling down, he could feel a pit form in his stomach. He felt anger and despair all at once, wanting to rip open Vincent's chest himself. But she kept going. And he knew this was the part that had troubled her. The way she had taken their lives, the way her tribe had been avenged. But he knew that Vincent had hurt her in a way that no vengeance could put back together. It took him a few seconds of silence to realize she had finished the story.
Calmly, he sipped what was left of wine from his glass and set it down on the bed beside him. Then, he removed the chain around his neck, clutching the pendant in his hand. He looked at it, a grey medallion with a phoenix on it. It took him a moment, but he was able to find the way to open it. The eyes looking back at him he recognized, hers looking younger and with a lighter air to them, his the red of the man she had so vividly described. But he closed his eyes, thinking of it in silence, and finally closed the pendant again.
"Sephira, I..." He was unsure of how to begin. Even those words sounded vague after the silence that had followed her tale. "You are the strongest person I have ever laid eyes on. And...I know telling me all of this may have been harder for you than I can even begin to conceive, but I couldn't be more glad that you did tell me." He looked up at her again, his eyes meeting hers, and he smiled, trying to provide warmth. "When your fire burns, I can feel the heat of many years pushing it. All the time I've known you, I've been trying to understand why. Trying to understand why it is that every look you give me, every time you turn away, every time your skin gets scorching hot, I only want to get closer to you, to hold you. I've wanted all this time to be able to share whatever burden lay on your shoulders, for no one should carry such heavy weight on their own. And most certainly not you, who still has so much potential to live for." He wondered if he should then, worrying that he might not be making any sense at all. Perhaps she had told him this to explain why she would never love him. But it didn't matter. And for some reason, something within him pushed him to retell memories he had long since buried. Some divine force compelling him to show her more of his true nature. Or maybe it was just the wine.
"I grew up in Kakariko Village. Spent there my whole life, before setting out to adventure. My father...well, he wasn't the type of man I'd want you to meet, so to speak. Seamus Accardo, he was called, and for many years I lived believing that he had been a great knight, a member of the King's Royal Guard." He sighed, with a helpless smile on his lips, staring off at the emptiness in the wall. "He wasn't though. I learned that soon enough. Nothing more than a lowlife that had taken my mother for granted and left her alone, caring for me. He went off, and got killed by other people who carried the same...lifestyle that he did. All this before I even learned to walk. But it mattered not to me. There were worse things he could've done... worse things I did, or stood by and let happen."
"In all that time, I only ever grew close to one friend. He lived close by. Fernando was, lets say, very excitable. He was the type of fella that would spend all afternoon running around the village, simply trying to catch a butterfly he'd seen. There was even a time when he got lost. His family got the entire village riled up, spending all day and most of the night trying to find him. When he turned up, covered in dirt and grime, his hair sticking to his forehead through inconceivable amounts of sweat and mud, he was holding a puppy." A chuckle escaped James mouth, though it was quiet. "A puppy. Some boys that lived near our houses had taken the puppy and thrown it into a hole they'd spent hours digging. Who does that, you know? Anyways, they were older than us, quite a bit bigger as well. But Fer had seen them do it. He knew he couldn't take them on, but he was definitely going to save that poor creature. He was never the brightest either, though. He jumped in that hole with no one knowing what he was doing. Turned out, the hole was much bigger than he'd anticipated, and now he couldn't get out. He might have had an easy time climbing the dirt walls, except he just couldn't give up on the puppy. So he spent hours, using only one hand, getting out of there. But he did. And he kept the puppy for many years."
James kept quiet for a few seconds, another sip at re-poured wine, before continuing. "When I began going off alone in the depth of night out to Hyrule Field, I liked to think of myself as a Lone Wolf. You know, seeking out criminals, fighting crime. I taught myself how to use a bow, and when a mentor, a good friend, found me, he instructed me in the art of swords and knives. He gave me those two knives I have, had them made with special care. But, my little adventures were bound to get me into trouble eventually. Except, they didn't hurt only me. On a raid one night, I was trying to spy on some men whom I heard were planning on raiding the village. They were some nasty people, I could tell. Only, I never realized I was being followed. When I heard them bringing out someone from behind a rock, I couldn't do a thing as I realized it was Fer. They brought him to his knees before their leader, and when he couldn't answer their questions they... I..." He closed his eyes momentarily. "I froze. I couldn't muster the strength in my legs to stop what was happening. When his body went limp, I rushed away at full speed and threw up into the river and couldn't stop crying. When his body was found outside the village the next day, I couldn't even bring myself to tell his mother the truth. Not until many years later did I finally do that. Later, after I'd hunted down each and every one of the members of that group and avenged everyone I loved who they had hurt. I can't say it made me glad. It still left a hole in my stomach, a weight on my heart, that I carried thereafter."
He passed his hand through his messy hair, the memories now fresh in the back of his eyes. "I will never forget them, I see their faces when I sleep. But you... There was something about you, back when I saved you in Hyrule Field the first time we met. Something about the way you talked, acted, the way you looked at me. For the first time in forever, I felt like I could be of use again. Not as the Lone Wolf, but as someone who took care of others, watched out for his friends. Someone who could try to keep love alive in the hearts of others." He looked into her eyes again, the smile back on his lips, his eyes shining. "You helped me that day, more than anyone else could have. And I promised myself that I would help you, if I ever saw you again. And I mean to do that, Sephira Phoenix."
He took a deep breath. "If you let me, there is nothing I mean to do more. Because you're worth it. Because everyone is worth it."
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