She blinked a few times, ridding her eyes of the tears, but also sending them falling. “I-thank you.” She repeated, feeling like no matter how many times she said it, it wouldn’t be enough. With something like this, could it ever be enough? “You really think we can find them. I’m starting to think we might be able to.” Another thank you felt repetitive, so instead, she shifted to press a kiss to his cheek, as she tucked the arm that wasn’t attached to a hand holding his against herself.
He let go of her to cup the back of her head with his other hand, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead as the hand on her cheek brushed away her falling tears without a fuss. He didn't say anything, just let her sort through everything on her own and in silence. Nevarra had stopped without needing to be told, pulling off onto the side so others on the road could pass them on their own. She simply bent her head and munched on some grass to keep herself busy while Lily and Rhydar had their moment.
He had said the perfect thing, really, before staying silent. "I'm always here for you." The words themselves were normal and unassuming enough, but to someone who had lost everything, and then some, they were important and perfect. Like a promise. And even if he couldn't keep that promise forever, he sounded like he meant it enough to keep it for as long as he could. One day at a time. She took in a shaky breath, tucking her other arm against herself as well. "I'm sorry for-crying. It hits so suddenly, the missing and the hopelessness."
He brushed her hair with his fingers, attempting to keep her hair from getting undone, and fixed his gaze on his actions. "Don't be sorry—for any of it. I know it's hard for you, and I can understand the feeling, trust me," he murmured. "But maybe now it won't be so hard since it's not just you trying to find them. The missing can become excitement and the hopelessness can become hope. Can. I can't promise to change how you feel," he said with a slight quirk to his lip, trying to cheer her up a bit.
She let out a puff of air reminiscent of an attempt at a laugh, closing her eyes briefly. "Hope and excitement. Those are a much better alternative." She said quietly, reaching into her pocket to pull out the photo. She didn't open it. Just let it sit, folded, in her hand and lap. And for the first time, it didn't make her feel worthless, like she wasn't doing enough. It made her hopeful. "You're right. It won't be as hard. Thank you, Rhydar."
"Anytime," he said with a small smile, leaning in to press a light and lingering kiss to the bridge of her nose. "If you need to talk, I'm always happy to lend an ear. I can't say I'll always be able to lend encouraging words, but an ear I can do. Sometimes that's all you need." He tapped her cheek gently with a thumb, ducking his head to look her directly in the eyes. "Better?" he asked. He didn't care that they'd be late to the farm—he was much more worried about making sure Lily was alright.
"An ear is more than anyone's lended before." She said, tilting her head just slightly to lean into his touch, meeting his eyes. "I am. We really need to stop accidentally stalling." She joked, the corners of her mouth lifting into a small smile. She turned her head, pressing her lips to the base of his thumb gently, before looking back at him. "Or we're never going to make it."
He chuckled, his eyes brightening as he smiled softly. "Ah, but I do enjoy our little accidental stalling—for the most part." He leaned forward and wrapped a loose arm around her shoulders, burying his head in the crook of her neck for a brief second as he whispered, "I'm just glad you're okay," before pulling back. He swept his eyes up and down her figure to check one last time that she was fine, then turned around once again to pick up the reigns and resume their trip to the farm.
Lily blinked, wrapping an arm around his waist out of habit as Nevarra started off again. Her eyes stayed on Rhydar though, unbeknownst to her, filled with something that could very easily be described as loving. "I'm just glad you're okay." The words filled her with an overwhelming warmth, the knowledge that he cared about her being okay not startling, but still just as amazing to hear.
Rhydar took them down the road, making some turns here and there, but the ride went relatively undisturbed. The sun was starting to call it quits and lowered itself beneath his blanket as the moon poked her head out of the clouds every now and again, calling her children to start winking at the pair from their spots in the darkening sky. The moon shone brilliantly, lighting their path in a soft haze.
Lily turned her gaze up to the sky as the sun set, noting the constellation she knew from reading about with a smile. Daisy had taught her a few when they were younger, always pointing out the Little Dipper first. "If you find the North Star, you can find anything else, easy." The stars, no matter where she was or what was happening to her, had always stayed relatively the same, a constant in a life she could barely control. She had wished on plenty of them before, nothing ever coming of it, but as her eyes caught the familiar fleeting movement of a falling star, she felt the urge to try one more time. Why not, right? What did she have to lose?
Rhydar caught the flash of movement in the sky and smiled when he saw it was a falling star. He glanced behind him and easily brushed off the habit of making a wish. I have everything I could ever wish for right here… he thought, then looked around at the darkening sky. "We should stop somewhere. It's getting late, and Nevarra might want a break. Plus, I hear strawberry picking is best done during the daylight."
Lily looked down as Rhydar spoke, drawing her out of her thoughts. He was right, strawberry picking was better in the day, when you could see the strawberries. “We definitely should give her a break.” She agreed, nodding. “Is there an inn anywhere around here?” Hopefully, one that wasn’t too expensive, that way she could actually afford to stay.
"Uhh, I think?" He clicked his tongue and turned back onto a main road. After a few moments of quiet searching, he stood up on the stirrups to get a better look at the building in the distance. "I think that might be one," he said, sitting back down. He hadn't moved too much to make Lily let go of him, but he placed a hand on hers out of instinct when he sat down.
She hadn't, in fact, moved her hand. When he sat back down though, she adjusted it to grip his, squeezing gently before returning it to it's original spot and position. "Hopefully they have rooms available." She said, tilting her head to look past him. "It would be unfortunate if we got there only to find they were full."
"Yeah," he agreed. Then a small smirk appeared on his lips as he looked over at Lily. "Maybe I could just announce the presence of the crown prince and clear everyone out. I'm sure that will make some openings real quick." He wouldn't ever do that, but it would be funny to see everyone's reaction to him showing up and making a big deal out of not having a room.
"Absolutely not." She said, swatting him lightly on the back of the shoulder. The attention that would come with that might've been funny to him, but it would be too much for her. "We'll just ask, and see what they can do. We don't need to cause a scene, Rhydar." She shook her head, huffing at him.
He chuckled, feigning being bothered by the swat with a failed pout, and shook his head with a tiny huff of laughter. "Fine fine, but only because the fair lady requests it." He leaned back so he could maneuver his head to place a loving peck to her cheek. "There won't be a scene, I promise."
Her nose scrunched despite herself, and she was obviously fighting a losing battle to keep from smiling. "Thank you. Though 'fair lady' might be a bit off base." She said, shaking her head just slightly as she raised an eyebrow at him, pressing her lips together now in an attempt to keep from smiling.
He reached up and poked her cheek, grinned brightly, and got back into his original position to keep an eye on the road and the inn, which was steadily getting closer and closer. He didn't see a whole bunch of horses or carriages, but travelers can walk, too, so they might not have a whole lot of luck getting two rooms.
She made a face at him that he couldn't see, hiving up on hiding her smile anyway. Turning her gaze back to their surroundings, she took note of just the general area, her eyes finding the inn after a minute. Then a thought hit her. "You're not going to get in trouble or be reprimanded for not making it back tonight, are you? Is that something that could happen?"
"Nah. I disappear every now and again, so it's nothing new. As long as I don't miss out on anything important, I'm good." They made it to the inn, and Rhydar steered Nevarra to one of the hitching stations to tie her up for the night. Thankfully, the troughs were filled so he didn't have to pay extra for that. He only carried so much money on him.
"If you're sure. I don't want to be the reason you get a tongue lashing again." She said, rubbing at the back of her neck. Once Rhydar had dismounted, she swung one leg over the saddle and paused looking down at the ground and then at Rhydar. "Why is it so much easier to climb up than it is to get down?" She asked, sighing softly. "Is there a chance you would be willing to help me down, dear?"
He chuckled and came up to Nevarra's side after tying her reigns to the hitching post. "Because it looks much farther than it actually is?" he offered as he reached up for Lily and lightly grabbed her waist, pulling her off of the mare and setting her down in front of him. He quickly let go of her and took a step back from her to give her space, not making the same mistake as he did last time.
Lily had set her hands on his shoulders to brace herself as he lifted her down, and kept them there once on the ground. Grounding, as she took a deep breath to dispel the discomfort with having somebody touch her waist. "Thank you." She said, smiling up at him after another deep breath, giving his shoulders a squeeze before letting her hands drop.
