Miranja's impassioned prayer to Mara
I traverse the wilds of my country, places where none but the wild beasts, black-hearted bandits, and necromancers hide. I act as savior of my countrymen and destroyer of the evil lurking in the dark corners. My traveling companions vary, but we defend each other to the death; they know my mission and support me wholeheartedly. With each victory, our blood and spirits high, we love each other primally and celebrate the gift of the breath of life we still draw in through our flaring nostrils. Their strength and courage draw me irresistibly, and I know it is the same for them. Our senses are intimately familiar with the sight, sound, scent, taste, and touch of each other. Our hearts and bodies are inextricably bound by the survival we afford each other. We are warriors, and our hearts beat strong, proud, and free.
Yet there is one who draws my soul to him like no other… not a warrior but a gentle, loving scholar. He is content to be settled in one place, a quiet, welcoming merchant, bringing light to his corner of the world. He is soft-spoken, honorable, and skilled in wordcraft. His gentle voice, adoring eyes, and tender, velvet touch elicit feelings in me that no one else has ever given me. Wherever I am, whoever I am with, my thoughts return to him, and I anguish over this love. I feel that he wants to have my heart exclusively, and it is true that I burn for him, but my wild and loving heart can never belong to one person alone, and I cannot make the same commitment to him that he wants to make to me.
Why does society seem to seek to restrain hearts like mine that burn hot and need to be constantly tempered and its warmth and light shared with the world? A fire does not diminish when it is shared. Why do jealousy and possessiveness exist? My many loves all know their worth and know the intensity and depth of my love for them, and I value this tender man above all the others. Yet, if he truly knows my heart and soul, then he knows he cannot lay claim to any part of me, close his fingers around me, else I will suffocate and die. How can I convince him to simply hold out the palm of his hand and know that I will always fly back to him, that his soul is the home for my soul?
Lady Mara, please work your loving magic in his heart and show him the true depth of my love for him. Let him know that his is the star in the heavens that guides my path, and that path will ever lead to him as long as we both draw breath. Let him know that my life would have an unfillable void without him. Let it be enough for him.