Has that always been there? In Inigo's eye, a symbol of unknown origin. He doesn't recognize it, but it's almost tattooed into his irises, a teardrop meeting the dip of a crescent. He wonders what it means, how he has only now seen it as is thumbs cease their caressing under the subtle creases under his eyes, and Roland's mouth parts ever so slightly. There's still so much more of Inigo's life that is a mystery to him, so much more he has yet to discover. Yet here they are, meeting sorrows at the depths. Here he is, three lifetimes in, tasked with watching over another boy with stories to tell and adventures to write. Another boy who has learned to care for him, even as he exists in a vacuum of his own creation.
Why do you cry? Why does your heart bleed? What makes you laugh? Will you regale to me tales of your home, the halidom of Ylisse? What do you love? What do you hate? His conviction. His principles. Everything that makes Inigo who he is - will Roland be able to see it all in time? Will he be able to ask him; to earn the right to know it? He's failed one son before.
But as Inigo speaks to him, Roland suddenly feels a gentle breeze, and the smell of flowers breaks the spell. It carries him back to the light, where the fields are golden and the sea is crystalline by the shore. The red haze and toppled skyscrapers of his nightmares crawl back, for now. Out of the cracks emerges a sky so blue and vast it marries into the horizon. Inigo's hand keeps him in place, and when he is called - father, of all things - he remembers what he is. Who he is. Why he fights; the cosmos of his hope. Nothing will stop him, right? Not missiles, not a void train, not the past that shackles him back to useless doubt.
A boy in pajamas waves at him, all the way to the very end of the lane. He looks healthy, strong. Reborn. 'Just promise you'll do your best to keep helping everybody, daddy! I'll be waiting for you!'
"Inigo..." Though he answers thickly, Roland softens around the edges and a smile forms across his lips, small yet certain. Fond and true. "I won't shut you out. I won't." He shakes his head, and finally his grasp loosens until he can ruffle Inigo's hair, absentmindedly, as if convincing himself. "I need you to know that I've disappointed people before. Lots of people. People I cared about. I get in over my head because it was my job to see the bigger picture. To look out for my people." He missed so much time, he couldn't see past his own face, couldn't see where he was actually needed until it was too late. Even now...
He swallows before resuming, his hands dropping down to Inigo's shoulders like they belong. Roland doesn't dare look away. "But I'll keep trying. Okay? I'll keep trying because..."
'Daddy, I'm scared.'
He doesn't hesitate. He pulls Inigo back into his arms, despite the angle, Inigo sat and Roland on his feet. But it gives him just the right position to stroke the back of Inigo's head, wrap one arm around his shoulders tight, to never let go. "Because I'll protect you. This is the only way you can help me. I'll take care of you." Unshed tears glisten, but do not fall.
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Why do you cry? Why does your heart bleed? What makes you laugh? Will you regale to me tales of your home, the halidom of Ylisse? What do you love? What do you hate? His conviction. His principles. Everything that makes Inigo who he is - will Roland be able to see it all in time? Will he be able to ask him; to earn the right to know it? He's failed one son before.
But as Inigo speaks to him, Roland suddenly feels a gentle breeze, and the smell of flowers breaks the spell. It carries him back to the light, where the fields are golden and the sea is crystalline by the shore. The red haze and toppled skyscrapers of his nightmares crawl back, for now. Out of the cracks emerges a sky so blue and vast it marries into the horizon. Inigo's hand keeps him in place, and when he is called - father, of all things - he remembers what he is. Who he is. Why he fights; the cosmos of his hope. Nothing will stop him, right? Not missiles, not a void train, not the past that shackles him back to useless doubt.
A boy in pajamas waves at him, all the way to the very end of the lane. He looks healthy, strong. Reborn.
'Just promise you'll do your best to keep helping everybody, daddy! I'll be waiting for you!'
"Inigo..." Though he answers thickly, Roland softens around the edges and a smile forms across his lips, small yet certain. Fond and true. "I won't shut you out. I won't." He shakes his head, and finally his grasp loosens until he can ruffle Inigo's hair, absentmindedly, as if convincing himself. "I need you to know that I've disappointed people before. Lots of people. People I cared about. I get in over my head because it was my job to see the bigger picture. To look out for my people." He missed so much time, he couldn't see past his own face, couldn't see where he was actually needed until it was too late. Even now...
He swallows before resuming, his hands dropping down to Inigo's shoulders like they belong. Roland doesn't dare look away. "But I'll keep trying. Okay? I'll keep trying because..."
'Daddy, I'm scared.'
He doesn't hesitate. He pulls Inigo back into his arms, despite the angle, Inigo sat and Roland on his feet. But it gives him just the right position to stroke the back of Inigo's head, wrap one arm around his shoulders tight, to never let go. "Because I'll protect you. This is the only way you can help me. I'll take care of you." Unshed tears glisten, but do not fall.
"This I swear, to you and to Olivia."