xie lian's expression shifts, just for a moment. there's a brief widening of his eyes, a hint of vulnerable, silent surprise -
but other than that, any reaction comes off of his face. ]
...That prince... I don't think he was a hero. [ xie lian says, quietly, looking at the altar, now. ] I think he thought he could be, and... that perhaps he learned that definition is complicated, like you said. But I don't think that, necessarily, it was wrong, for your princess or the prince to follow their hearts, either. It is as we talked about the first time we spoke here - that good intentions sometimes have bad consequences.
And I think... that ultimately, you learn lessons about what you can, or can't support on your own. No matter who you are, whether that's a young lady who wants to help an entire country, or just a simple scrap collector - even if you briefly lose sight of yourself, and the things and people that are important to you, no matter how they are important to you... those things will not always be gone.
You are right, that people can only do so much on their own. And being alone can be miserable. [ finally, xie lian turns away from the shrine to look at her properly, his hands still gently together, as if in prayer. ] But the people and things that change you are carved into you, no matter what.
[ he doesn't know how to tell hikaru - but he thinks, that she forgot. that she must have forgotten something so, so important to her, and that she can't even tell. that is the worst part about the realm; that he cannot carry the weight of loss to help these young people, that he cannot fix the realm fast enough.
...but he's not fixing it, alone.
xie lian has learned how heavy the world is, when you carry it on your shoulders by yourself. ] Someone once told me, that heroes were complicated. That sometimes, they have good intentions, and sometimes, those good intentions go wrong. But to be a hero does not mean to carry the burden of the world on your shoulders by yourself. It doesn't always mean to accept things as they are.
Sometimes, it means to take a path of your own, when you stand at a crossroads. Sometimes, you must cut your way through the dark and make a third path. And traversing that third path sometimes means that you will be alone - but it does not mean that you will set aside the lessons that you have had carved into your heart, even...even if it takes you some time to remember all the pieces of them.
no subject
xie lian's expression shifts, just for a moment. there's a brief widening of his eyes, a hint of vulnerable, silent surprise -
but other than that, any reaction comes off of his face. ]
...That prince... I don't think he was a hero. [ xie lian says, quietly, looking at the altar, now. ] I think he thought he could be, and... that perhaps he learned that definition is complicated, like you said. But I don't think that, necessarily, it was wrong, for your princess or the prince to follow their hearts, either. It is as we talked about the first time we spoke here - that good intentions sometimes have bad consequences.
And I think... that ultimately, you learn lessons about what you can, or can't support on your own. No matter who you are, whether that's a young lady who wants to help an entire country, or just a simple scrap collector - even if you briefly lose sight of yourself, and the things and people that are important to you, no matter how they are important to you... those things will not always be gone.
You are right, that people can only do so much on their own. And being alone can be miserable. [ finally, xie lian turns away from the shrine to look at her properly, his hands still gently together, as if in prayer. ] But the people and things that change you are carved into you, no matter what.
[ he doesn't know how to tell hikaru - but he thinks, that she forgot. that she must have forgotten something so, so important to her, and that she can't even tell. that is the worst part about the realm; that he cannot carry the weight of loss to help these young people, that he cannot fix the realm fast enough.
...but he's not fixing it, alone.
xie lian has learned how heavy the world is, when you carry it on your shoulders by yourself. ] Someone once told me, that heroes were complicated. That sometimes, they have good intentions, and sometimes, those good intentions go wrong. But to be a hero does not mean to carry the burden of the world on your shoulders by yourself. It doesn't always mean to accept things as they are.
Sometimes, it means to take a path of your own, when you stand at a crossroads. Sometimes, you must cut your way through the dark and make a third path. And traversing that third path sometimes means that you will be alone - but it does not mean that you will set aside the lessons that you have had carved into your heart, even...even if it takes you some time to remember all the pieces of them.