It had taken two days before Soleira had summoned the courage. Today, in the light of Oraeliara, she stood before an utterly unremarkable hut. For some reason she expected it to be darker. Instead the hut was made of the same colorful woods all other huts were made. She knocked and a moment later Leihoha opened the door. “Leihoha.” She greeted him with a genuine smile but with a small heart. Maybe he had forgotten the clash in the woods?

“Oh, Soleira.” He said with a disappointed tone. Soleira guessed he expected the girl, Keilai.

“Do you think we can talk?” She asked.

In response he opened the door for her and let her in. He then motioned towards a bench she could sit on while he walked over the kitchen side of his small hut. “I only have some mead and fresh water from the well. Oh and some radishes I gathered this morning.” He said.

“Water would be fine, thank you.” Soleira replied. The hut was a little too small for her. Especially with her wings. The back of the bench made it impossible for her to sit down as well. So she just settled for a nearby stool. The tips of her wings, even folded in as much as she could, just about touched the wall of the hut. On a small table stood a vase filled with beautiful, colorful flowers. They were hanging low though. “These are beautiful.” Soleira said.

Leihoha looked back at  her. “Yeah.” He didn’t sound nearly as happy with them as Soleira thought he ought. Then it became clear why: “They were for Keilai.” He offered her a wooden cup filled with water as she sat down. He also put a bowl with wild radishes on a nearby table. “I just want to say, I’m sorry of how I appeared back then.” He began, his head hung low in cold shame. “Gods I behaved like an idiot. That’s not who I am. Or at least that’s what I thought. Still, I hope you can forgive me.” He slumped in his own chair.

For a second Soleira was stunned. His apology sounded stunningly sincere and filled with regret. Which made it all the stranger. Had he realized he did something wrong? “I forgive you.” She said. Because who would she be if she couldn’t forgive someone? “I just wanted to talk about you and Keilai, to make sure what happened in the woods never happens again.”

Leihoha formed a slight, broken smile on his lips. “I don’t want it to happen again either. Keilai deserves someone better than me.”

“Do you think you an talk about it?” Soleira asked. “About any or all of it? I’d like to understand. So maybe I can help?”

After a minute Leihoha looked up. “Alright.” He said, after which he took a deep breath. Choking back his own growing sadness. “Keilai and I… we were friends. For a very long time. She had always been at my side and I at hers. We told each other everything. Even when we fought we got close again. Eventually. Then… I don’t know. One day she wasn’t a little girl anymore. I saw her in the forest, with the light falling between the trees and I just… I think I lost it. I wanted her to be something more than my friend. Apparently I wasn’t the only one though.” He whipped away a tear that was growing in his eye. “When she said she loved another I just…broke. I confessed my love and then – well you know what happened in the forest. I acted like an idiot and now I probably killed our friendship as well.”

Soleira had leaned in during the story. “What do you mean you broke?”

Leihoha looked up at Soleira. Something clicked in his mind. “You’ve never been in love with someone yet, have you?” He asked.

“I- No. No not yet.” Soleira answered.

“Love itself feels wonderful. You feel light and happy and good about yourself. A strange, sharp energy goes through you. But when your heart breaks, that all changes. You feel heavy. Slothful. Your chest hurts. Like you broke your bones there. Everything feels terrible.” He let out a deep sigh. “I was weak though. Some can fight that feeling. Work through it on the spot. I couldn’t. I’m still working through it.”

Soleira never knew such an awful thing could come from love. How quickly it could turn from pure happiness into a pit of despair. It was terrible and it shouldn’t be. “Pain shouldn’t be a part of love.” He mumbled as she was sunken in her own thoughts.

“No. It should.” Leihoha said. Soleira perked up. “I’ll get over this heartbreak. Everyone keeps telling me that. ‘Just give it time’. And I believe them. Because there are still happy people walking around. The only way I can feel this bad is because I felt something so good before. It makes me feel alive. I’ll be alright. Someday. The only thing I now hope for is that Keilai still want me as a friend.”

Soleira offered him a small smile. “You can always pray to Lahoha. If you care about Kailai, if you really want her to be happy, I think you guys will make up.”

She left Leihoha’s hut with a smile and a wave. Yet she did so absent mindedly. For her mind was wandering away, pondering over the explanation. She flew up and sat in a tree overlooking the entire village. “Love isn’t all good, is it?” She asked herself. Slowly but surely she began to realize she had missed an entire depth to love. How intense it could. Leihoha had loved and it broke him.
[hider=Summary]Soleira decides to confront Leihoha hoping what happened in the forest would never happen again. To her own surprise she finds a sorrowful Leihoha who is well aware of his own failings. He asks for forgiveness and Soleira gives it to him. But also asks what exactly happened. Leihoha explained his backstory with the girl, Keilai. He also offers a lesson on the depth of love to Soleira. They part on amicable terms.[/hider]

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[b]Post Length:[/b] 5.1K Characters
+3 Prestige >> Soleira
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