Walk with Shadows

Young Love

Time was a funny thing. It slows to a crawl during hard times and slips through your fingers when you aren't looking. It had been four glorious years and to her, even later in her life, it would never feel like enough time. Four short years since she had met him. She was only fourty, and yet Gweneith found herself completely enamored with him. Sure, Fenrald Valric wasn't exactly like her, nor the type she thought she would go for, but that didn't seem to matter. She pushed her soft, light blond hair into a ponytail, red eyes shining through the messy bangs. They were locked on him, as always. He was handsome to her, but more than that, she adored him. Since he stumbled upon her campsite and commented on the loveliness her skin and face. She had adored the gentle soul cradling her rocky outlook on life. Of course living in Skyrim her entire life never yielded fond thoughts of a Nord. Most ignored her, he was different.

He was shy around her at first too which she found to be so cute. The man had assumed she had a distaste for Nords and while that was true, she was always of the mind that you should let people be their own person. After all, her mother barely patented her before deciding she could fend for herself in the wild. No one race is a monolith. "Wennie." She shook her head, snapping out of the stupor she held herself in. He chuckled a little, walking to her and tugging her into his arms. She squeaked and fell onto his chest, a tiny smile on her lips and her eyes closing. "If you keep staring at me we will never get to work. We ran out of salted meat, so it would be best if you did hunt today. It's almost time to harvest, too."

"I know." She shook her head into his chest. "But I just... Like looking at you. I never thought I would... I mean... Come on. Most people here look right through me. So I'm in awe of you. I'm not noticed and that'd strange since I have golden skin. I suppose I should be thankful. Not saying anything to me is better than what they could say."

"You're amazing. Don't let what people who don't know you think bother you." He smirked a little before pushing her in a gentle nudge. "I will see you tonight."

"Yeah." She smiled softly, looking down to her boots for just a moment. "You will, I just. I'm going to miss you." She looked back to the broad man with a look of reverence. Her cheeks were full of color before she reached over to the weapon rack next to the door of their small shack, pulling it by the string and slinging it onto her back harness. As corny or as close as they were, the pair never shared the word love with one another. She was always of the mind that if you really loved someone, they would just feel it. "Bears have been a little aggressive around here, be careful on the farm today." She watched him nod before moving out of the house to the view of Ivarsted. The small town nestled at the base of the mountain was awake now, but she rarely concerned herself with them. They didn't like when she moved in with him a stones throw away on a small patch of land higher up in the mountain. Fenrald was always the one to deal with them, she was quite content to stay on the farm lost in her work.

She never relished the whispers that swirled around her as she walked through their small village. It always made her hunch down, eyes on the ground. This was not something she would ever be used to, people's eyes on her and their attention picking at her nerves. Whatever they thought about her, she just wished they would keep it to themselves, or at least not make it so obvious. Hard to turn away from the whispers when they cover their mouths to talk all while locked into her as if she were a rabbit. The thought made her shiver and she picked up the pace, hustling to the corner of the town. She was never the type to care what others thought too much, but this was too much. It was not until a kindred spirit called out that she recognized the voice and looked up. "Gweneith!" Her lips were a soft smile, the woman rushed off to her. "Are you going into the woods today?"

"Hunting." Her reply was simple but warm. "You are gathering plants again?" Gweneith watched her nod. "You know you have a chance to be normal, but you talk to me Reyda."