Breath, and there is life; search, and there is purpose; but Love, and there IS pain, but also such promise, and bliss, and comfort, and such glory, and awareness of and in every moment of your life, every breath shared becomes a moment of celebration of that life, that love. Time loses it's meaning - all that exists is love, and unlike time, it can be held in your palm, as well as in your heart... just like a ring.

She was ready. It had worked... the rings were joined: in his presence, the one she wore, the lead one, now joined to his soul through their lovemaking, glowed as bluish silver as his eyes; his, fashioned of Rosewood, glowed as gold, and morphed into animal shapes. There was no need to hide it, to hold back this moment; the moment of their engagement into willful union with one another's souls, that one day would bear such fruit as to make the heavens burn with jealousy.

Breath... she held hers a moment as she neared him, and spoke her words plainly, and set the wheel of fortune in motion that would never stop spinning through the centuries this moment would impact... "I have something for you."

He turned, his eyes gazing into hers for the briefest of moments, stilling her tongue, "What do you mean?"

"I mean that I have a gift for you!," she kept her tone steady, even as her heart raced, "Tis is a ring... now before you get any foolish notions, let me explain. Flemeth once gave me the ring because it allowed her to find me no matter where I went in case I was ever captured by hunters. I disabled its power as soon as we left the wilds...," (give or take a week), "Recently, however, I thought to change it. Now, I will be able to find whoever wears it instead." A cunning liar, and a simple tale to mislead him into believing it ment a thousandth as much as it did. Such moments are rife with creative distractions to lessen the meaning, to deliver the intended outcome without loosing oneself to them in their all-consuming gravity.

"Thank you for so sweet a gift," he said, seeming to buy into her game, too well.

"Tis not given out of sentimentality." She ached to say it, 'it is given out of love, foolish man', but she kept to her ruse of stoic indifference to her own heart, and his repeated ministrations to it, simply by being; and made the greatest understatement in her young life, "I believe you are too important to risk. If you were captured, this ring would allow the rest of us to find you quickly."

"So you're giving it to me purely out of practicality?"

She again, could not help herself, her true feelings peeked out from under her, stammering her speech as she tried to cover them once more,"I have no desire to see us part company so soon. Not unless we wish too, that is." (I challenge death to try)" Do not read more into it than is there. you have supplied me with equipment," (and cause, purpose, comfort... life, love,) "certainly this is not so very different, is it?"

Still he made her dwell in this terrible anticipation... cruelty thy name is desire; thy handmaiden - a woman's heart. "Does it do anything else?"

(Yes... it weighs down my heart with want to give it to you)"Flemeth used to say it was a link between us. I never tested it, but I doubt she would have lied over such a thing. So it would mean I am linked to you as much as you to I." True, breath alone did that; but it did not mean he felt it... then...

"So I could find you, if need be?"

Dont you dare... he'll kill you! - I think, "I... do not know. As I said, I never tested it. perhaps."

And he was, once more, her Aeden, kind, gentle, beautiful, "Thank you for the gift."

"You are welcome... perhaps it will be useful," (spirits hear my plea), "...someday."

And as is the way of such things, the smallest of things shift, through their movement upon the world, the greatest of mountains into the sea... so long as the bearer has faith in them - and in love.