Lightning cracked the sky and thunder shook the earth and Raven felt it all deep in her bones as the world was washed clean under the torrent of water. The rain here felt different than in Arkadia. In Arkadia, storms made it difficult to do anything, turning the ground slick and thick with mud that caked her boots. In the summer the rain turned the air hot and sticky and uncomfortable.
Here in the Azgeda capital, with the promises it offered, with the remainder of its paved streets, and the rain sucking the heat out of the air, the rain feels more like freedom. A beginning.
All of Azgeda feels more like freedom to Raven now; freedom from who she was, freedom from who she’s lost, freedom from so much emotional and physical pain. Here in the Haihefa’s compound, in her new room, she feels like she’s getting the same fresh start the rain is giving the earth.
Heartache had her fleeing Arkadia, Abby, and the delinquents. She never really mourned Finn’s death, nor did she deal with scars, the pain and anger of her disability or what followed. She fled Arkadia with the guilt of helping to almost destroy the remnants of the world. And now, with every cleansing raindrop, she is forgiving herself, she is healing what can be healed and forming a life she cherishes.
The warmth of a promise comes up behind her and wraps his sturdy arms around her while they watch the rain. He accepts her, wounds and all, allows her to heal at her pace and loves her unconditionally, and still he makes her stronger.
Roan, Haihefa of Azgeda is her rainstorm. He was inevitable from the moment she walked through the capital gates. He is her fresh start; a promise of good things to come. Loving him is her cleansing breath and the hope of a new beginning, the rainbow after the storm.
