Ayinda's Letter to Nicanor
Each MC must pen a letter to a loved one before entering their challenge. Below is Ayinda's letter to Nicanor.
Nicanor,
Sitting in the Elderton camp is surreal. It is just as you described many years ago. Much like you, I vehemently wish I had more experience with our world and everyone who shares it with us. Although I have a bit more knowledge than you did when arriving here, I still feel completely out of place. There are so many things the Lyew are ignorant about that we, as members of this society, should not only know but be experts on. Even with everything you have shared with me about your time as a Champion, I find myself lost in the minute happenings surrounding me.
I will be entering the Lyew Elderton house in a few hours, and I am momentarily terrified. I can admit that to you, although I would never give Rijael the satisfaction of knowing. Just writing the words of my hidden truth feels wrong. Fear is for the weak, I know this, but the weight of the unknown is exceptionally heavy tonight. Do not worry though, I remember everything you taught me about calming myself and focusing on the facts.
There are a few things I want you to know, especially now, in case I do not survive the trials. First and foremost, I Love You! I love you more today than yesterday. I know we were betrothed to one another, and not all arranged marriages have love, but I could not have been matched to a better melyew if Elocin herself had chosen my mate. You have been the air that feeds my fire since the day they announced our pending marriage over 200 years ago. I love you because from day one I felt you loved me, and that love is what I will fight my hardest to return to.
Next, I pray your forgiveness if I should fail, either by death or trial errors. I become ill thinking of your lonely existence if I die, and you remain close to home like we did. I know staying close to Tarac made us feel like we were somehow still apart of the city, but we were together. You should not stay there alone in exile if I do not return from the trials. Promise me you WILL do what we discussed many times during our banishment. Explore Eldritch! Go out and learn about the richness of our world! Meet new people and make a home somewhere with the good ones you find on your journey. Please promise me you will not live the remainder of your life alone as the thought of it pains me deeply!
If I survive, but fail the trials, please know that it will be MY failure; NOT YOURS! You have been the best mentor a Champion could ask for, and I know I am well prepared because of you. Much more than you were when you competed. Thank you for the detailed descriptions of your trials experiences and the errors that lead to your ultimate failure! You have taught me well, and there is nothing more you could do to equip me better. It is now in my hands to see it through to success. For you, and all Lyews, I will do my best!
Finally, tell Decheshe I love her. She has been our sole unsevered tie to our people for over a hundred years and what she did has always been a lifeline for me. As a seer she may already know what her actions meant to me, but I still want her to hear it from me. Also, ask her to please tell my family the same. I love them, and although I know they may not want to hear that, it is true all the same. I suppose that’s it.
With all my Love,
Ayinda
Read Ayinda's Story
