𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐤𝐚𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟. 𝐈𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧.
Humans reveled in the idea of immortality, but those who possessed it were...
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Summer 1001 - Vinland
The white flowers seemed to shimmer under the hot sun as Elijah watched Tatia chasing after Hale. He had warned her to be careful but she had argued she wouldn't be able to be as active once she was further along and it wasn't fair to Hale that she stop doting on him.
Elijah supported the sentiment but it didn't stop him from nervously hovering over Tatia as she did everything these days. Something that drove her mad.
"Elijah," Tatia was relieved to hear Astra's voice in the meadow. She hadn't seen Elijah's friend since Elijah had gone over to tell him of their growing family, but he had reassured her that Astra had taken it well.
Although the hesitant smile Astra was giving Tatia had her doubting his words.
Thanks to Astra's interruption, Elijah stopped his hovering for a moment to join his friend at the edge of the meadow.
It was Tatia's turn to watch him. She couldn't help but notice the stained dress and disheveled hair Astra was wearing.
She knew Elijah would never tell her what was happening. It was not his story to tell. But it didn't stop Tatia's mind from running wild with what could possibly be going on to cause Astra to be so withdrawn and out of sorts.
A tug on her skirts had her looking down as Hale tried to engage his mother once again in their game. Smiling down at him, she encouraged him to run ahead, promising she would join.
By the time Tatia looked back up, Elijah was walking back towards her and Hale. But Astra remained just beyond the treeline, an unreadable expression on her face.
March 2014 - Manosque, France
The quiet courtyard never ceased to invoke a deep sense of nostalgia in Astra. It hadn't changed a bit since she had spent nearly every evening with Lucy, talking and laughing. For the first time in her many lives, Astra had everything she wanted.
And now she was in the same courtyard, alone.
She could hear the laughter of a young couple nearby and she was filled with an ugly feeling of envy. She didn't begrudge them that happiness. She knew how amazing it felt. It's why so many poems and books centered around it. Love was a powerful emotion. But just like any other power, it has the ability to destroy just as easily as it does to create.
"Here." the cappuccino cup that Elijah set in front of her tore her from her reverie. "I apologize, I didn't mean to startle you."
"I was just lost in thought." She gave him a small smile. It was getting easier to smile. But even that came with its own guilt. Why did she have the right to sit in a French cafe and smile while so many others didn't? "Ariane would have loved it here."
"I think so," Elijah mused as his eyes traced over the old stone fountain in the center of the square. "What's not to love?"
"Is that the plan?" Astra raised an eyebrow at him over the rim of her cup as she took a sip. "We just stay here forever, pretending the world doesn't exist?"
