Songs from Childhood
A/N: From the LJ 1sentence challenge; theme set Gamma. Vaguely Roald/Kalasin, depending on how you read it.
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1. Ring
He gives her a ring; a plain iron band with a tiny carving of a whale. She wears it every day of her childhood; when she finally grows out of it she carefully puts it away with the rest of her treasures, to be remembered later.
2. Hero
In her eyes, he is gentle, kind, beautiful; everything she could ever need. Roald is her hero. It's as simple as that.
3. Memory
Roald can't remember a time without Kalasin, but then, he can't say that he's ever really tried, or even that he really wants to.
4. Box
She collects things; rocks and shells and drawings and bits and pieces from their childhood. For our old age, she tells him as she carefully places the newest addition into her precious box. Roald just hopes they'll have an old age.
5. Run
Roald watches Kalasin as she runs through the fields, bold and free as the horses she loves so much. Her K'mir blood, he supposed. It didn't seem to run in him.
6. Hurricane
The autumn leaves whirl in the wind, a maelstrom of colour. She takes one to show to him; dull, lifeless, but beautiful nevertheless.
7. Wings
Roald gave her a bird for her birthday, once - a dove. She holds it gently, gently, scared she'll damage its precious wings. She knows the value of freedom.
8. Cold
Her hand is cold in his and he wants to tell her, you've been out here long enough, let's go back inside, where it's warm, but the look on her face as she gently reaches out for snowflakes is more than enough to stop him.
9. Red
In summer, they sit on the dock and watch as the sun sets, a blazing glory of red on the waves.
10. Drink
Roald doesn't drink. He doesn't need to - her laughter and joy swirls around him like bubbles in champagne glass, drowning all of his sorrows for him.
11. Midnight
She creeps into his room about midnight. She stands shivering in her thin nightgown. Sorry, she says, I couldn't sleep. Roald says nothing, but he moves over as she clambers in next to him.
12. Temptation
She finally falls asleep next to him, shadows softening her features. Her skin is ivory in the moonlight. He longs to touch her, but he doesn't. She wouldn't understand.
13. View
The view from the Needle is spectacular. They can see outside the palace: the deep forest, the rolling hills, the rivers, stretching to the sea. There, they sit and talk of things that might have been.
14. Music
Roald plays the violin; lively tunes and haunting melodies and all their life has ever been.
15. Silk
The finest Yamani silk runs through her fingers like water; like her hair through his hands.
16. Cover
They take shelter from the downpour in an alcove in the palace gardens. Roald stares out into the pouring rain. When it finally ceases, Kalasin takes his hand, and shows him a rainbow.
17. Promise
Roald would promise her the world if he could.
18. Dream
He is the Prince. He should dream of glorious victories and heroic conquests and sweeping romances – in reality, all he ever wanted was to live in a quiet house by the sea with Kalasin by his side.
19. Candle
Roald leans over to blow out the candle; it flickers out. In its dying light he sees her face, peaceful in sleep, and smiles softly.
20. Talent
Kalasin has a talent for drawing. She draws birds, flowers, courtiers, but she doesn't draw him, because she knows that she wouldn't do him justice.
21. Silence
His Gift surges, and in his hand, the wilted flower blooms again. He presses it into her hand wordlessly, his hope for her future.
22. Journey
She tells him that she wants to travel the world, one day. She wants to walk in Yamani gardens, ride a K'mir horse, dance at Gallan festivals, drink Maren wine. It's not her fault – Roald can't bring himself to tell her it's impossible, so she doesn't know any better.
23. Fire
His Gift blazes bright in her vision, streaming out of him in ribbons of flame as the Dominion Jewel recognises him as the true heir. She knows how uneasy he's been about this, and she's never been prouder of her brother.
24. Strength
They find their strength in each other.
25. Mask
They've learnt to play the courtiers' game; polite nods, mild comments, empty smiles. With each other, however, the mask means nothing – it cracks and crumbles into nothing.
26. Ice
She's left the window open again. He shuts it for her, the warmth of his hands melting the frost on the window.
27. Fall
She skates unsteadily towards him, slipping across the ice. She reaches out for him, misses, falls – Roald pulls her back to her feet, and tells her to try again.
28. Forgotten
It's so easy to forget, and Roald wants to remember everything. She's fourteen, now – he knows they don't have long left.
29. Dance
In the palace gardens, where no one can see them, they dance. One, two three, one, two, three – he leads and she follows with a whisper of silk.
30. Body
He watches as she dives through the waves, raven hair streaming behind her. Slender limbs pull her gracefully through the water; he wonders that the mermaids don't claim her as one of their own.
31. Sacred
They pay their Midwinter respects together. His prayer to the Gods is the same as always: please, keep her safe.
32. Farewells
Roald won't ever say goodbye to his sister, not because he thinks he won't ever need to, but because he doesn't know how he would begin.
33. World
Kalasin has something about her; something bright and beautiful, something that makes people instinctively like her. Roald is different. He is too quiet, too reserved; the world opens itself to her and closes in on him.
34. Formal
She listens to Roald talk to his friends – so formal, so polite, it's almost painful. She wishes he could be as open with his friends as he is with her. Then she thinks; no, she doesn't, because then he wouldn't need her anymore.
35. Fever
That night, he burns up with fever, tossing and turning and sweating. The healers are keeping a careful watch on him and there's nothing she can do for him, but she stays by his side anyway, just so he knows.
36. Laugh
She makes up stories for him, stories about everything: about snowmen, about rocks, about cows. It makes him laugh, you see. She'd do anything to make him laugh.
37. Lies
Roald doesn't lie to his sister; at least, not unless he thinks he needs to.
38. Forever
Kalasin believes in forever and it makes Roald wish he could, too.
39. Overwhelmed
The courtiers are whispering; is that the princess, look at her dress, why doesn't she speak? Kalasin is trembling next to him and she wants to run – run away from them all, but he holds her hand tight and won't let her.
40. Whisper
Roald hears the chirping of the birds, the buzz of cicadas, the whispering of trees, the sound of her voice, and his heart is at peace.
41. Wait
It's raining, he's soaked and she's late, but he doesn't mind waiting for her because he knows that she would do the same for him.
42. Talk
Kalasin talks to Roald about anything, but Roald won't talk to Kalasin about everything.
43. Search
On lazy summer afternoons, they relax, lying on their backs in the long grass, searching for shapes in the clouds that drift by.
44. Hope
Hope burns bright within her. Roald is reluctant because he hates being disappointed, but slowly, inevitably, the fire spreads to him.
45. Eclipse
She hates this time, this strange anomaly, when the sun disappears and the world turns to black. Roald holds her close and tells her everything will be fine.
(He's not really sure himself, but it makes her feel better, and that's all that matters, isn't it?)
46. Gravity
The wild swans fly, black silhouettes across endless blue sky. They are like wild swans, he thinks – they could fly forever, but gravity brings them back to earth.
47. Highway
The road they travel is long, stretching away into the distance; it looks like it never ends, but it does, all too soon.
48. Unknown
The world is full of unknown mysteries, she tells him. She is determined to unravel them, one by one.
49. Lock
She locks the door before she allows herself to collapse – she doesn't like him to see her cry.
50. Breathe
Their world is full of hardships and expectations and duties. To Roald, it feels like swimming in the sea, without sight of the shore.
Yet somehow, in each other, they've found a space to breathe.
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