deep breath, deep breath

prompts from goodbyenorthernlights on tumblr

Secret of Kells © Cartoon Saloon

temperature

The truth was simple.

It had been cold before the attack with the breath of winter, chilled to its core. Then the Vikings' burning arrows had flown in and struck the scaffolding, letting the flames lick up the wall and fluxing the temperature quickly. The heat disrupted the mortar and shifted the set stone, leaving the mighty stone wall filled with cracks anywhere from halfway down to completely to the ground.

But the people of Kells wouldn't know that; and if they had, it would be no source of comfort.

Wind whistled through the spaces, eerie and bringing a powerful chill with it. Or perhaps the chill was only in their minds, through its reminder that they were not safe, that everything outside could get inside, and there was absolutely nothing they could do about it.

resistance

No matter how angered his uncle had been, he always kept is voice low, always left marks with well-chosen words instead of with hands or switches, like Brendan had seen other adults do with their children when they misbehaved. And Brendan had caused enough trouble in the past to earn many beatings, if some of the village children's mumbling was to be believed.

Maybe that's why his uncle's painful grip to drag him back to the tower was so shocking.

It actually hurt. Not a lot, not even enough to make his eyes sting like scraping his feet against bark did sometimes, but it was enough to leave him quiet and unresisting to his movement and order to get down the ladder until he found himself inside his room.

Perhaps his uncle hadn't realized in his anger. Or maybe that it would put him back into how he had been before the book, before Aidan.

He felt something flare within his chest. No. He wouldn't just give up—too much was riding on it. If Brendan had to fight his uncle the entire way…he knew that he would.

when

Aisling spoke for a long time.

"Remember when we met? Remember when I saved you? Remember when you saved me? Remember when we played in the oak tree and you asked to draw me?"

Mist crawled through the window, blanketing them both.

She stayed for a long time too, long after her words faded out into thoughts.

Remember when your hair was red? Remember when your eyes didn't look clouded by cobwebs?

Remember when they still opened?