Greetings, all! I've decided I'm going to wrap this up for now, if only because I can't really think of anymore childhood scenes for Alaya. But I promise there will be another story, and that one will probably be a lot longer. :) So stick around, and keep checkin' back!
Disclaimer: I don't own Halo.
Interlude
Arisaya deactivated the holograms and closed the journal, setting it down reverently on the ancient desk. There was still so much more to read, but for now she was finished. I wonder what would have happened if Fara had lived. It was unusual, though, to see such a glimpse into the ancients' lives, and Arisaya could almost imagine the scenes in her mind: an infant Alaya, a child following in her mothers' footsteps. But she still felt pity for her ancestor, knowing that she had lost her mother so young. And her mother knew, somehow. How brave Lady Fara must have been, it is no wonder her children became what they were.
She thought back to the last letter Fara had written, a final gift to her daughter from a mother she would never remember. Of Marin, the infant boy that his mother never got to know, or watch him grow. Of General Petrarch, who lost his spirit, his elana, to something far beyond anything they could control. For all our vast technology and knowledge, there are some things even we cannot cure. But perhaps it was for the best; had she lived, who knows what might have happened?
"Arisaya?" Arnyris asked softly. The look on his lover's face troubled him; he had never seen her so distant.
"It is strange, katier, reading this journal. I can almost see what her mother saw, the Lady as a child. And I wonder what might have been, had she lived."
"Had she lived, things would have taken a far different turn. Alaya might have followed in her father's path, rather than her mother's. And she might never have met Corin, or never made the rings. All of us would have been lost." Arnyris shook his head, indicating the journal. "There is no use dwelling on what might have been, or what could be. The ancestors will guide us as they always have."
Arisaya laughed quietly. "A warrior with such faith. But perhaps you are right." She stood and touched the journal gently. "There is so much more to learn yet, I think."
"Those memories have waited for thousands of years, Arisaya," Arnyris chuckled. Reaching out to brush an errant strand of hair, he continued, "I am sure the Lady would not begrudge you a few moments' rest."
"No, I do not think she would. And I think I need some time to think on what I have learned." Arisaya took his hand as they walked out of the room.
