Moving Forward || Helen & Naerwen
For Naerwen, it was a date like any other. She rose first, made breakfast that she and Aldara enjoyed together, then her friend went off to work. Left alone with the silence like every other day, the young woman tried to keep herself occupied by cleaning the cottage, catching up on her sewing, or reading.
But Naerwen, especially as of late, had been restless. Far too restless to stay home. Today the feeling was overwhelming and unendurable. She needed to get out of the house, before she went mad.
As she tied her snowy white cloak around her shoulders, the girls' lamb, Iris, walked up to her. The lamb hardly let her leave the house without her. Smiling, she stopped to pick Iris up before leaving. Naerwen didn't leave a note for Aldara since she planned on being home long before her friend.
With her pet cradled to her chest, the fair skinned brunette set off into the forest. She had no particular destination in mind, but she knew Aslan would lead her to where she needed to be. Not do very long after, she found herself in the market place outside of Cair.
It was not as crowded today as it normally was, which surprised her. Placing Iris on the ground, Naerwen began to roam about the stalls and vendors with the lamb on her heels. Every so often, she would purchase a ware from a stall.
But it was about twenty minutes after she'd arrived that Naerwen knew why she'd been led to the market. Queen Helen! And she looked so very sad... Biting her lip, the girl debated going over. She had yearned to talk with her ancestor since she remembered who she was. But was the timing right? Would Helen believe her? Would the woman accept her? There was only one way to know, but Naerwen was petrified. She didn't want to lose the only family she had left.
But the funny thing about destiny is that it doesn't care if you are ready or if you're scared. It will happen regardless. And it was for this reason Naerwen found herself walking up to the woman and whispering.
"Queen Helen? I know you probably don't remember me, but I was wondering if I may speak with you."
Helen went on throughout the maze of vendors, stopping here and there as she saw fit, purchasing a few items to add in the castle. A small bouquet of yellow roses to place in her daughter's room, and a handmade blanket in a particular shade of blue were two that caught her eye. There were many people out today, and many of them seemed to be excited to see her. She knew that she had been cooped up for quite some time, but no part of her had expected this reaction.
Slowly, she attempted to start removing herself from the crowd. The Queen was growing tired, and her limbs were sore. She would return to Cair Paravel, place the roses in Rose's room, and retire back to her chambers. Perhaps she should not have come straight to marketplace, perhaps she should have taken this slower.
And yet, as she was slowly making her way out of the crowd, a voice rang through, very clearly addressed at her. Turning at the sound of her name, Helen's soft blue eyes searched the crowd, before landing on a fair skinned girl with dark curls. Helen recognized her face, she knew that she did, and yet, she couldn't place her finger where she had seen it before.
Finally, after a few moments, it dawned on her. It had been what seemed to be an eternity ago, in Cair's library. "Oh my dear," she sighed, nodding slightly. "We met in the library, did we not?" Shifting her parcels to her other arm, Helen offered another nod, before speaking gently. "What is it?"
