My Dearest Raina,
I am jumping for joy as I attempt to write this letter. My heart feels as if it has been locked in a steel chest inside me and you have now given me the key to set it free! How can one live in this world without friends like mine? Oh I don't think I can even express to you how very happy I am!
I so wish you could tell me more about my dear friends but I suppose that can wait until later. And for your information, I am absolutely certain that had Abe not been so surprised he could have beaten you to a pulp. All this nonsense about me being the greatest Warrior is just that, nonsense. Abe is the very greatest swordsman this world has known and I could never beat Terk in hand to hand and you have never seen anyone throw a knife like Kira!
By my lance, I haven't been this happy in a long time! I am so glad that you have chosen to finally fight and I know you will be a great blessing to the Rebellion. I am sorry that you have to bear with a Sage's endless talking but now you will at least have more empathy for me. I don't really want to think about Emlyn or Luc right now though, I am too happy.
I don't have much to write you of my life right now, but I simply had to tell you of my joy at your news. And you and Ranger! By my lance I don't think I've ever heard anything so sweet. I cannot wait to meet him.
I simply must go and share this news!
Later:
My weapons, my heart won't stop it's silly nonsense. What power is held in a kiss? More power than all you possess, I dare say.
I ran out of my tent and straight into the arms of Gi, shouting out at the top of my lungs the wonderful news. We smiled hugely at each other and I scrambled out of his arms to hug everyone else. I even embraced Sol as he was reading and he gave me an elderly glare when he found that I had caused him to lose his page but I didn't care. Benk was nearly as happy as I was and that of course made I'talia happy. We all danced around the camp and sang silly songs with no thought to propriety. I ended up dancing in Gi's arms and he smiled idiotically.
Everyone else calmed down long before I could bring myself to stop singing and they wandered their different ways.
I finally decided that I wanted to finish this letter and in my silliness I let Gi carry me back to my tent. Before setting me down I gave into an impulse and kissed him on the cheek. His eyes went wide and he nearly dropped me but I clung to his neck and let out a small scream. He laughed and held me and then I laughed out of happiness and giddiness and then we both fell to the ground and released the majority of our laughter in a fight consisting of tickles and tackles.
We ended in the same position we had that night so seemingly long ago. But this time I rolled onto him and stared at his insanely beautiful dirt-covered face.
Sol tells me that laughing is a medicine for the brain and the heart and that it does wonders to showing you your future, or something to that effect. He believes one can see their own future without magic, that it is already there in the brain and in the heart.
And for some reason beyond my comprehension, I saw my future. Maybe not like you see the future, but I saw where I was headed and where I want to be and the paths that lead to different places. Well, after this long prelude to what I am certain you have guessed is a kiss, I will continue.
As I stared down at Gi, my heart began to beat out the battle march once again. He brushed my hair back from my face with his dirty hand and I saw the most glorious tear trickle from his eye. I tried to keep my own back as I felt the fear rising in my chest. Fear of rejection, fear of betrayal, and maybe even fear of loving too deep. But as Sol says, Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear. And strangely enough, I have never felt such real fear. But when I leaned in close enough to brush his lips with mine, the fear left me, entirely and completely. And all I felt was what can only be explained as love.
When I finally made it inside my tent alone, I began to write this to you with a deeply engraved smile on my face and a heart truly full of love.
But, I still may need some time. Or at least, I want Gi to think so. I refuse to give in so easily. Even when it is so clearly right. It is simply not in my nature and I don't intend to change that now. But I dare say he is not completely clueless to the truth.
Oh, and as for the book Sol is reading, I believe it is entitled Common Sense or something to that effect. He made some remark about me not being able to understand. Really, sometimes he can be quite rude.
Yours,
I'taira
