Brianna

Brianna couldn't help Mor. She knew that, but trying to explain that to the proud, desperate faerie as she bore her heart to her was impossible. Brie just couldn't do it. Not only because she saw the flames within Mor's eyes as she vowed to protect her people but also due to the fact that Brie knew Mor would do absolutely anything to keep that vow, even by forcing Brie to help. She couldn't say why, but she knew that Mor forcing Brianna to help when she didn't want to would break the kind hearted faerie. Not to mention, Brie thought, she was considerably weaker than her opponent. Physically speaking, she added.

Brie had agreed to help Mor but she hadn't survived this long by blindly rushing into danger, fighting for other people's causes. She needed to get to know the faerie, try and delay their arrival to that awful place somehow.

"We should get moving" Brie motioned with her head towards the bright sunshine.

"Of course. I can have us in a ship to Hybern by tonight if we head back to…"

"No," Brie shouted, dropping her sack on the ground with a thud, the leaves shifted around it under the weight and Mor tilted her head just so, letting her shiny hair fall in waves around her shoulders. "I don't think it's wise to go on an unknown ship. Hybern no longer has leadership, direction or hope" she said, casting her eyes towards the trees. "I can't imagine the state those people are in and right before I left it was awful enough…" the sight of a much younger, terrified and heartbroken Brianna flashed into her mind.

The sounds of the waves against the unsteady ship and the sight of her beautiful homeland as it became nothing but a dot in the distance tugged at her heart. Brianna could barely recognise that girl as herself, or that life as her own, it felt so far away and yet, she knew the memories remained, clawing at the locked corners in her mind. She felt a warm hand settle on her shoulder and she jumped at the sudden touch. Brie's eyes involuntarily met Mor's and that quiet voice seemed to shiver in excitement. Mor blinked and shook her head, breaking the eye contact.

"What did you have in mind?" Mor asked, bending effortlessly to pick the sack up and throw it gently over her strong broad shoulder.

"We need to get there as nameless, faceless humans on a ship that Hybern recognises and trusts" Brie began to pace in front of Mor and then abruptly turned, directly facing Mor, who stood wide eyed at the sudden movement.

"You know a ship?" Mor asked.

"I do" Brie grinned and then grimaced "but…" she overextended the 'u' and couldn't help the grimace on her face "it's a few villages down from here and it's rather close to the wall or…where the wall used to be".

"I don't know if that's wise Brianna?"

"Look, we need to get to Hybern quietly, on a ship they recognise and I don't think the town we need to get to was hit terribly by the wars or by the breakdown of the wall…" Brie said, more to herself "at least not that I've heard" Brie gave Mor an uncertain smile and marched forward, back straight and head tipped upward.

She turned abruptly to find Mor smiling softly at her back and the soft expression had Brianna's stomach doing sickening flips "are you coming or not?".

Morrigan

It took them a few hours to reach the next village to find a way into the town they needed to catch the ship and Brianna had sighed once they'd arrived, sweat dripping down her back as the sun beamed gloriously on her the whole way.

They had decided – mostly Brianna had strongly suggested – that they take the next carriage out of the village, who was going through or at least, close to the town. Luckily one was scheduled for just after midday and it would only take a few days to reach the town, Morrigan had gaped at the idea of taking days to reach somewhere when she could simply winnow to the location in mere moments.

They sat, shortly after collecting some supplies, cramped in a carriage pulled by two beautiful mares, one a dark cocoa and the other jet black. Morrigan sat opposite going backwards whilst her companion had opted for the window seat, going forwards; a woman and small child had sat next to the redhead and the young girl had began fussing and squirming in her seat as the carriage ride grew more turbulent.

Brianna had started chatting to the girl, asking her questions about her favourite foods, animals, locations and the likes, and when they'd ran out of interesting topics, she'd began to play a small game where the young girl would guess what Brianna was looking at within or outside of the carriage. The girls' mother had smiled gratefully at Brianna and closed her tired watery eyes.

Morrigan soon realised the child was transfixed with the older girl with the green eyes and red hair, she didn't entirely blame her, the way Brianna was so animated and enthusiastic wasn't lost even on Morrigan. It was entirely endearing and sweet.

With little else to do, Morrigan couldn't help but study the unlikely pair, completely lost in their own animated conversation and games. It had made her heart ache with both dread and hope. Hope that her own people, the children of Prythian, fae or otherwise, would soon see the joy and beauty of the lands and to hold hope and wonder in their small faces once more. It would be a gift Morrigan had clung to for the duration of the journey. The child and her parent had soon left on their second day of travel, with the former hugging Brianna tightly before her departure into the brisk early morning.

"You were quiet" Brianna remarked as the carriage hit a particular large bump, making Brianna's breath hitch.

"I was enjoying the view" Morrigan said, which wasn't entirely a lie, she had enjoyed occasionally looking out of the small window at the passing landscapes of greenery.

"You don't like children?" Brianna asked, curiosity in her green eyes.

"It's not that I dislike them…I simply didn't wish to interrupt your conversation that's all" Morrigan paused "I liked watching you both but I doubt her mother would take as kindly towards a faerie interacting with her daughter". Brianna scowled, small lines etched her forehead and Morrigan could make out with a focused look over her tight hood, the tiny freckles, which had started to form over the bridge of Brianna's nose and forehead.

"I had forgotten," Brie sighed softly "about all of that" she glanced quickly into her eyes and hastily lowered her head.

"I know," Morrigan agreed and smiled "it was actually rather sweet, seeing an interaction where people forgot about all of…" she grimaced as she gestured to her hooded face and what Morrigan represented. The wall that had separated the humans and fae for so long, broken so the fae could roam the human lands freely; the recent wars that had devastated both races and the uncertainty of what the aftermath meant.

"I really hope" Morrigan whispered "that one day, maybe not soon but one day, a child would simply be a child and a woman would simply be a woman no matter where she called home, or what her ears looked like," Brianna leant forward, interest in her eyes.

"…We could talk like you had about nonsensical matters, like the weather and why a horse was much more a practical favourite animal than a small bunny with floppy brown ears".

Brianna nodded slowly, Morrigan was surprised to note the sadness and longing in her own voice and even more so, when she felt a warm hand gently squeeze her own in quiet agreement. When their eyes met, golden brown and sparkling green, she'd felt the burden of their shared hope take hold of her heart.