Omega's Rebirth-Chapter 484: Show Rather Than Tell ()

Xenon got up to the horse behind Neveah, placing his arms securely around Neveah’s waist before Neveah could even ask him to hold tight.

"You will not fall off even if you do not hold on that tightly." Neveah pointed out.

"And how would you know that?" Xenon asked.

Neveah did not have to see him to hear the amusement in his tone and so she settled to ignore him, even when his hold got tighter.

Neveah stirred the horse into a slow trot, riding for the castle gates.

Beyond the castle gates, they descended a small hill and then they rode down the path leading to the city itself.

Neveah was just about to stir the horse to a fast gallop across the path but Xenon reached out and took hold of the reins, stopping Neveah.

"You said you do not know how to ride." Neveah murmured, letting go of the reins which again, Xenon prevented her.

Xenon instead placed his right hand over hers, so they both held onto the reins of the horse while his left hand was still secured around Neveah’s waist.

"I have never done it...but I have watched my brothers ride more times than I can recall in my lifetime, though I have never understood what exactly was so interesting about it."

"And I have seen many others ride...if one takes into the consideration that I can replicate any action I have seen done once to perfection and master anything in a single glance..." Xenon left his words hanging.

"Hence you chose to swindle me into sharing a horse with you rather than riding separately?" Neveah guessed.

"When you say it like that, I do sound like a horrible person." Xenon murmured thoughtfully.

"I assume you are already well aware of that." Neveah replied with a scoff, tugging her right hand but Xenon did not let go.

"I want to be close to you... I cannot help it." Xenon defended with a heavy sigh.

His words were said in such a helpless manner, as though the need to be close to Neveah led him to make such decisions.

"The day will come to an end Xenon, and you will have to leave." Neveah reminded in a matter of fact tone.

"And I will make every second of it count." Xenon asserted.

Neveah had no words to counter that and so she went silent, letting Xenon stir the horse at the pace that suited him.

"So, tell me, when did you decide to take over the city guard of Dune City?" Xenon asked Neveah from behind her.

Neveah thought over it for a moment. Taking up her father’s offer to be a dune enforcer and requesting assignment to non dragon military forces had all been choices she had not thought she would make.

"In the first month here, I was not sure on what I wanted to do... the only thing I was certain of was that I wanted to truly be my father’s heir... pledge my life to the same oath as he has, share his purpose, understand his convictions..." Neveah began,

"But I did not know how. It was...one of the few times in my life when I could actually make my own choice and I realized I did not truly know how to." Neveah admitted, a melancholic chuckle following her words.

With Xenon, it was always easy to talk. Neveah was not certain if she had grown so comfortable talking to Xenon because there had been a time when she was the only one who could actually do the talking and Xenon was incapable of it. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

And so to fill the silence, Neveah had begun to speak more in Xenon’s presence and the more she did, the more she wanted to.

Though even the silence shared between them at the time had been comforting to Neveah.

"With so many options presented to me, and no pressure or burden of expectations and duties... I realized, I did not know what to do."

"Isn’t it silly? The freedom I craved all my life was finally mine for the taking and I simply did not know what to do with it... I did not know how to truly enjoy it." Neveah said with a sigh.

"At first, nothing felt right. I had a talent for healing, extensive knowledge on herbs and remedies, but I soon realized all I knew of healing, I knew only in a bid to protect myself."

"The unending list of herbs and effects I had memorized, most...if not all, were either poisonous herbs and all the accompanying symptoms, their manner of effect, manner of administration..."

"Or poisonous herbs that could contradict other poisons. Or herbs and healing practices that could neutralize poisons...or herbs that could be mixed with other herbs to create poisons..."

"All my knowledge of herbs were in relation to their poisonous trait or their ability to serve as antidotes, I knew nothing else about them... nothing that truly mattered..." Neveah trailed off, shaking her head slightly.

"What kind of healer only knows about poisons? What could I use such knowledge for? A healer saves lives...it did not take me all that long to realize it was not a place for me..." Neveah murmured

Xenon did not interrupt Neveah at all, neither dissuading nor contradicting her conclusion, but his hold around her waist and over her right hand tightened in a gesture of reassurance and comfort.

"Then healing be damned." Xenon finally said when he was certain Neveah was done speaking.

Neveah laughed quietly at the conviction with which Xenon spoke.

Perhaps this was why he was so easy to speak to, in many ways, Xenon was still the only one in the stronghold who truly knew how to ease Neveah...he knew her heart, he simply knew her best.

"And then...?" Xenon asked after a short moment of silence.

"And then, after some time had passed, I realized what I truly wanted." Neveah replied.

"We will be there soon, rather than telling, let me show you." Neveah said to Xenon with a small smile on her lips.