-18 - Q -desire- -

She had desired things once. A child, though her womb stayed barren. A voyage to the southern isles, though her husband’s anchor chain tethered her to Llowen. A single night of silence without the creak of someone else’s need. All of those desires had shriveled into small, dry things—seeds that never broke soil.

The question hung in the salt air, simple and devastating. -18 - Q -Desire-

The girl stepped closer, holding out the paper. “It’s from my brother. He’s sick again. He asked me to write down his question for you.” She had desired things once

She sat on a flat stone and waited. For what, she didn’t know. Perhaps for the tide to rise high enough to kiss her boots. Perhaps for the answer she’d never found in books. A single night of silence without the creak

That, she realized, was desire enough.

Elara almost laughed. “Yes. But it’s the only true one I have.”