(no subject)

[inthetapestry]

It was quiet, in the Temple, but not like this. That was a quiet of reverence, of hushed tones and quiet steps, the quiet of a large building full of people making an effort to be quiet. This is a quiet of stillness, of soft breeze and water and birds.

It's good, she thinks, to be out of the city today. Away from the hundreds of questions, of decisions, of details, of things. She needs the stillness. The time to adjust to the new way of thinking. Or at least to begin to adjust. Everything is changing. Some things are trivial, like the fact that it's still surprising to look down to her hands and see that the her sleeves are blue or green. Others are very serious, as it's even more surprising to wake up in the middle of the night and realize that Paul is there, is sleeping beside her, is staying.

The city is not a good place for reflection. This cottage is.

Jaelle stands in the doorway, her head against the frame, and watches the sunlight on the water, eyes half-closed against the brightness.

Comments

[first_of_dana]

"I think," she says slowly, keeping hold of his hands, "that it has to be safe here, for either -- for both of us to give up control sometimes. I don't think it will be easy, for either of us, even now. Difficult or not, it has to be safe to."

[pwyll_twiceborn]

Paul looks down at her for another long moment, and then raises one of her hands up to his lips and kisses it, in a gesture devoid of irony.

"You are very wise, my lady," he says, quietly. "Yes. You're right. And it's a thing we will both have to learn to do."

[first_of_dana]

"Fortunately, love, we're neither of us too old to learn new things."

[pwyll_twiceborn]

"Very fortunate," Paul agrees, with the beginning of a laugh in his voice.

"As I have a feeling it will be many, many years before either of us stops having to."

[first_of_dana]

"And possibly," she says, starting to laugh as well, as she reaches up to kiss him, "even longer than that."