1901, London England
The china clinked as it was placed back down upon the table, Lila lifted her head to face the aging face of her friend seated opposite her still smiling just as brightly at her. It was almost unnerving if she hadn't known what that blank look in her friend's eyes combined with a loopy relaxed sort of grin that feel upon her lips at the same time meant. Her dear old friend was in the middle of a vision, seeing a future that might occur if things fell into place at the right time. It was never a complete certainty that the contents of her future sight would come to pass, there was always a chance that events would change.
The future wasn't set in stone, the very nature of the complex matrix that was the human mind. It was forever changing its path with the various decisions that it made, each a ripple on the surface of the river that was to be the path of existence switching the current, changing the direction of the individual life. Her friend got the glimpse into the mirrored surface, see the many different potential paths that lay before.
Lila sighed, waiting most patiently as she could bare knowing that the visions could last anything from mere moments to lengthy hours. It solely depended what her friend was seeing and importance of the events, both good and bad. Anything was an equal possibility of occurring within her foresight.
Forcing herself to sit up straight, Lila stretched her back which had started to ache. Her posture had never been particularly good. Her mother, god rest her soul would of had a fit if she could see her only child now slouching. A sad smile passed across her coral lips as thoughts of her dear old mother entered her mind. She hadn't thought of her in quite some time. She sighed softly to herself, after this social call came to a close then she pay her mother a visit. It made sense to make that journey now, it had been far too long since her last visit.
"Such a somber child you have become my friend" The playful tone shone through, her words shook as her age came through whenever she spoke. It brought Lila back, out of her thoughts and into the here and now bring a chuckle out of her lips.
"You know me too well it seems" Lila replied, shaking her head. Her long dark, liquid black locks dancing around as her head move from side to side, brushing across the base of neck every now and then. Her words were jolly, expressing her happiness of her long and lasting friendship that spanned across many years.
"I know you worry, I know you hate what has been bestowed upon you but please do not let such darkness fester within your heart. It will embitter you in what's to come " The worry, sorrow and concern bleed through, twisting around each word like a vine holding the emotion firmly in place as she spoke, taking a few breaths before continuing on.
"I have aged beside you, people have come to believe that my granddaughter visits me most often when you come calling but time has halted for you my friend of this I have come to see with my own two eyes. We are different and you will carry on without me soon enough" Held within her words was a finality that was not going to shift, she had long since past accepted her own mortality, that her death was upon the horizon. She would see the sun set but never see the majesty of it rising once again as dawn broke through.
"Let's not dwell upon such sorrowful thoughts, it is not why I asked for you to come here today Lila" There was a mysterious within those words as they fell off the tip of her tongue, Lila's head tilted to one side as she thought upon what her friend had just said. She had wondered why, it had been insisted upon that she visited today at this time. Not a minute earlier, not an hour later but at six in the evening on this particularly balmy of July nights.
"I have much to tell you, I have rarely seen you within my glimpses into the future but of late.." She paused for a moment to gather her words together, to form the explanation that felt most right. Lila could almost see the gears of thought turn, slip then reconnect as words passed through, were rejected and others took their place.
"All I see is a Knight of Iron and a Soldier of hope in bit and pieces, with your face flashing in between. I know not what it means" Confusion fell upon her brow, which soon was mirrored upon Lila's face. Whatever did this mean? Her words made little no sense but then again the visions themselves were not an easy thing to interpret. The message was never crystal clear and involved more often than not a little bit of guess work.
"I don't understand what could ever mean" Lila was baffled, never before had she been part of her friend's vision not even in passing. She reached her hand forward, taking back the now cooling cup of tea that had been made before she had arrived at the townhouse.
"Neither do I my friend but the fates will reveal their hand when there are metal birds flying through the blue sky" A soft chuckle echoed through as she laughed at her own words, they seemed an impossibility for such feats to happen. For there had only been a few motor car dashing through the busy street of London, Lila had been unsure of the sight of those strange modes of transport than did not require a horse at all.
She placed the cup to her mouth, taking a sip of the cold and slightly bitter golden liquid once more. She couldn't let it go to waste and see how time unfolded. How unlikely it would be to find an iron clad knight and a hopeful soldier in the heart of fair London town it would be.
Time would roll on but it would be many years before Lila found herself face to face with the consequences of her friend's vision, not in England but miles away across a vast sea in the depths of a cold, hard new world.