Love Letters of the Princess of the Sun

by Echo 27

April 5th - April 7th, the Year MCCCXLVI

April 5nd, the Year MCCCXLVI

Ford has returned to full duty again today. After many days of light duty in order to let his wound fully heal, he again bore his armor before me today.

I wish I could say he is fully restored, but the wound he now bears will weigh upon him forever. Ford has known death most his life, but never had its cold fingers brushed his own spirit so deeply. I hope it does not unsettle him too greatly. He is a quiet soldier, but he has often been cheerful and uplifting to those around him. I would hate to see him become sobered by his experiences.

Ford’s duties found him in my presence today. Though officially I had scheduled the Day Court to be held, little of importance seemed to be filing through my halls this morning. Luna had kept the kingdom running when I was gone, and now that word has been properly spread throughout Equestria, knowledge on what occurred in the Griffon Kingdom has helped to settle much of the tension. There will be those who were hardest hit, such as Manehattenites that witnessed the New Year’s bombings, that will be more difficult to persuade, but much of the kingdom seems satisfied by my proclamation.

With more empty time before me than I am used to, I took on a spur-of-the-moment decision to spend my time more wisely. Rather than be stuck in a quiet throne room, my mind wandered and began to drift out into the city below. There could be work done down there, if I saw to it. With the scare of war the country had just experienced, it would be good to get a feel for how my subjects had fared.

“Come, soldiers,” I said, rising to my feet and turning to Ford and his counterpart. “There is little to be done here. Please, accompany me.”

“Where to, Your Majesty?” Ford asked, his eyes betraying a faint weariness that vanished the moment I thought I had seen it.

“Out,” was my reply, likely giving Ford more reason for consternation than helping to glean understanding. “I believe we are needed elsewhere, rather than here, Corporal. When was the last time you traveled through the city?”

“Not in some time, Your Majesty,” Ford said. “Your medical staff have kept me under watch for some time.”

“Then all the more reason. We need to celebrate your return to good health,” I said. “Please, come with me. I believe there is good to be done in the city today.”

The sun was kept hidden by a thick sheet of cloud, allowing the cool mountain air to reign across Canterlot. A small touch of wind pushed through the streets and gave the day a colder feel than one would have wished, but I was determined to see my people. Perhaps it was my time spent with Ford, but more often than before I found myself somewhat bound away from the rest of the world. Everywhere I went, I could feel the eyes of people upon me as though I were a thing of reverence and worship, not a leader and steward. The deification Ford had once done unto me still dominated many of my own people. It was a discomforting thing, one that I wished to erode away. I had powers beyond the normal folk of the world, yes; my lifespan unlimited, but I was as fallible and abounding with emotion as they. I found myself longing for a connection with them. I wished to know their names.

The morning passed by quickly in a blur of faces, sights, and sounds, each place as wonderful and good as the last. Both poor and rich, great and small graced us with their time. Hazel, a middle-aged widow near the Canterlot marketplace runs her late husband’s coffee shop with the help of her niece and nephew. Sassy Saddles, Rarity’s cohort here in Canterlot, is as busy as I’ve ever seen a woman in my life, yet commands it all in such grace and enthusiasm that I’m sure Rarity must be thrilled. An elderly couple on vacation from the Crystal Empire, Vi and Roark, stopped and asked us to take a picture for them, I eventually being requested to join in. It was their 50th wedding anniversary and they had chosen to tour Equestria and see everything they could. It was all so simple, a lacking of extravagance that I will cherish forever. To simply be among them, to be treated like a normal person and watch that reverence wash away will mean more to me than any gold or jewels could ever hope to match. To just be, for a little while, someone’s friend, is an extraordinary thing.

As the afternoon rolled in, I began talking with the young lady assigned as Ford’s subordinate, a Private Rain that had arrived only a few months back. She was eager and confident, and seemed to see Ford with a bit of a hero complex. For a small-town girl who grew up in the wildlands, the sheer size and grand scale of Canterlot has been somewhat overwhelming for her. However, I trust Ford’s ability to lead, and to help keep her somewhat reckless enthusiasm in check.

As we began to head towards the market to find something to eat, Rain suddenly peered behind us with a look of concern. “Your Majesty,” she said, “Where’s Corporal Ford?”

I looked around and suddenly found he was no longer with us. I highly doubted he would shirk his duties, and the thought of the Man of Black flickered through my mind- had my best soldier been attacked right under my nose?

“Wait- Your Majesty, he’s there, right at the alleyway entrance,” Rain said, pointing towards a shadowed corner where the sun-stained armor of Ford could be seen, his body bent with an expression of pain on his face.

“Are you alright?” I asked him as we came to him, my eyes flickering to the hand that rested on his side.

“I’m fine, Your Majesty,” he gasped, his breathing now a grimy rasp.

“Please do not lie to your princess,” I said firmly as a thought came to my head. “Your breathing is heavy. Please tell me you did not bribe my medical staff to release you early.”

“No, Your Majesty, I- it just started hurting, that’s all. I thought it’d be only a second.”

I gently slipped my hand underneath his, feeling his side. A notch where the blade had slipped in remained, and a powerful heat was emanating from where the burn had scarred him. “Your wound is beyond their skill to fully heal,” I said to him. “If it had only been the blade, I believe you would be fine. Your pain stems from my actions, unfortunately.”

“I do not follow,” he said, taking a deep, slow breath as he tried to regulate his air flow.

“The spell I cast upon you was ancient. A powerful tool for much darker times,” I told him. “The scars it leaves do not fade, and the pain it seals upon you does not go quietly. It is like a burn in your side, is it not?”

“Like fire against my side,” he said, giving another gasp.

“It may be some time before the pain fully leaves your body,” I said, “perhaps another month or so. Is it extremely painful?”

“I can manage, Your Majesty,” he said, straightening himself and looking in my eyes, his gaze firm and piercing. “I swear it.”

“When we return to the palace, I will have a replacement sent for you,” I said. Noting a look of objection, I added, “This is an order, Corporal. Afterwards, report to my study and I will meet you there. I believe there are some things that can be done to help ease the pain, for the time being.”

Ford seemed ready to put up a fight –his bravado did not die easily- but nevertheless he would not dare disobey a direct order from me, and submitted.

We spent the afternoon at a small, quiet café as we chatted with the owner and staff before returning to the palace. I did not give Ford a chance to argue but sent him straight off to get a replacing NCO. As I watched him wander off, I felt a pang of pity for him. He was dejected, his young, fresh body failing him for the first time. Though I knew he would rebound, I worried my beloved’s confidence would start to falter.

April 7th, the Year MCCCXLVI

Sergeant! Hearth Fire wishes to promote Ford to Sergeant, and straight away!

When Hearth Fire brought me the news, I could not help but wonder if his eyes searched me for any sign of reaction, but I kept my professionalism intact and reacted as evenly as I could manage.

“He has only been Corporal for a short time. Do you truly believe him ready?”

“It is not just a matter of readiness, Your Majesty,” Hearth Fire said darkly. “With the… insurrection in Griffonstone, some of my trusted leaders are no longer with us, whether it be by betrayal or casualty. Sergeant Coal was an excellent Non-Commissioned Officer, but he had to medically retire due to the loss of much of his hand. I trust Corporal Ford to take his place. Especially now that he has seen combat.”

He meant the battle of Griffonstone and immediately I was perturbed. “And why does that give weight to his name? Because he is now seasoned in bloodshed?”

Hearth Fire’s expression was solemn as he spoke. “No, Your Majesty. Because now he will know to abhor it.”

The answer was enough to satisfy me, as I too hoped Ford could see the wretchedness that had transpired. “What will need to be done to bring it about, then?” I asked.

“Your approval, Your Majesty. And some rudimentary training,” he answered. “A leadership course that will take him from his duties for a period of time, but he will still remain here in Canterlot. A month-long course, and then I will instate him myself. He is an excellent leader, Your Majesty. I believe he can shoulder the mantle.”

I had arranged a rendezvous with Ford that night, and would be hard-pressed to not reveal the secret to him myself. “As you wish,” I said, again feeling Hearth Fire’s searching gaze studying my reaction. My Commander had become too nosy for my tastes.

April 11th, the Year MCCCXLVI

Ford will begin his training in three days, spending a month upon the eastern face of the mountain in the training grounds known among the Wild Batallion. The worst of the weather that Canterlot faces comes from that direction, and it is a prime spot for the wind to crash into the mountain. It will be a merciless place for him to train, one that will wear him down.

Ford, to his credit, has shown no hesitation in regards to his impending challenges. If anything, he seems to relish the thought, even asking if I had anything to do with Hearth Fire’s selection.

“Of course not. I would not think of wounding your pride in such a manner,” I told him. We had found a place to settle ourselves, I bringing him to the hidden garden Luna and I had created many years ago, a secret spot where the resplendent, precious things of the world could grow. It was a place of rest and shelter, and spare few knew of its existence. It would be a welcome respite from prying eyes.

Ford kept his gaze trained on me, staring at me with an unexpected shrewdness. “Hmm.”

“Do you not believe me?” I asked.

His expression changed from suspicion to acceptance, a smile growing on his face. “I do,” he said. “I merely had to see if it was so. To gain Sergeant so quickly… it’s a rare thing.”

“Are you worried that your wounds may slow you?” I asked. Ford had continued in his duties ever since the day in the market, but from time to time I would see him having to pause for breath, or take a moment to settle his spirit.

“It hurts less and less by the day,” he said, his voice speaking of a confidence I could not fully accept. “I will be fine. I will at least be alive to shoulder through it.”

I smiled. Again and again, that indomitable will he possessed proved itself more and more. He was not the strongest, the swiftest, nor the sharpest of mind. But Ford’s will and determination to push through any obstacle that came before him was unlike anything I had ever seen. I truly began to believe that he would continue to fight even if his own heart had been pierced, battling on until his foe finally fell and no enemy remained before his sight and at last he would allow himself to pass on.

I must have drifted off into thought as I marveled at him, for I heard a laugh and suddenly found himself kneeling before me, our eyes only a breath apart. “You have been morose these past few days. It’s good to see you smiling again.”

I leaned in and kissed him, unwilling to let my admiration be turned to shame. “Come, sit with me. You have been standing most of the evening.” I pulled him down beside me as he took his place on the grass beside me, the natural warmth of this garden surrounding us. The birds of the night warbled as they flitted through the trees, the air serene and peaceful against the coolness of the mountain that still hung in the early days of spring. Here in this garden, summer reigned eternal.

“I never knew of this place, not even in rumor,” Ford said, looking at the glorious surroundings with a look of wonder. “What is it?”

“A place of rest. An idea Luna and I had long, long ago,” I answered. “I began to cultivate it long ago, before Luna returned. It pushed on, but all those years she was gone… it struggled. Clung to life in weakness, but never flourished. Yet the night she returned, it began to grow mighty and strong. Its life is as bound to hers as it is bound to mine.”

“It’s magnificent,” he whispered.

I smiled, taking his hand in mine. “And I am glad you are with me to see it.”

We let our peaceful surroundings envelop us, the tranquility of such a night so great that it seemed to swallow us. How long were we there? A night? A week? A thousand lifetimes? We were alive and at peace, a gift more valuable than anything I would have asked for. It had only been a year since I met Ford for the very first time, yet now I could hardly imagine my life without him. So much had befallen us since that fateful day, yet here I was. I had good friends, a kingdom at peace, and a love whose hand brought me unfathomable warmth. A whole world lay before me now, a fresh perspective I had never before known. It was a wonderful thing to know.

“Tia,” Ford said, his voice hesitant. “I wonder if, perhaps… it may be difficult to ask of you.”

“Go on,” I said. “You can ask anything of me.”

“This garden… it’s a mystery to me. Just like you, in a sense.”

“And what does that mean?”

“I know so little about your life,” Ford asked. “For example, I know you are immortal. But could anyone in this world even kill you?”

“Yes. Someone certainly could,” I said. “I am immortal, not invulnerable. What makes you wonder about such things?”

“I want to know your story. You know mine. But all I know of your past is what I read in storybooks, old fairytales. History says what you have done, but now who you are. I- I want to know you.”

I bittersweet pang coursed through me and I gave him a sad smile. “I can,” I said softly, “but it will not be a pleasant picture.”

“Neither is anyone’s in this world,” he said. “And none of it would change how I feel about you. So, if you’re willing… I’d like to hear it.”

The memories of a limitless life passed before my eyes. Friends long gone, voices forgotten in the mists of time, sights and sounds lost to the wind, all of it and more than I could bear flooded me and I became overwhelmed. I struggled to bring a voice to it all, and perhaps my countenance fell for Ford reached for my hand and seemingly willed his strength into me.

“Very well,” I whispered, a trace of tears in my voice, “I shall try my best. I only ask you do not think less of me because of it.”

And so, in that sheltered garden, I spoke to Ford of my many years upon this earth, and I was thankful for his comfort when I wept.

Author's Note:

Well, that didn't take too long. Not an extremely long chapter, but I think it's enough to settle this second arc in and let it come to a clean end. Only one more to go before... things come about.

This story will be, if I can manage it, brought into a steady pace alongside Till the Dawn, since both have the same amount of chapters remaining until their completion, since I wish for both to end at the same time? Why, you ask?
Well, for specific reasons. But that's a long time from now, so let's not worry about it just yet.

As always, comments and corrections below.
And... thanks for the encouragement on last entry. I always love hearing from readers, and it's a big boost. I appreciate it.

Comments

[Scintor]

This needs a gore tag for all the death and injury. Not complaining, just noting.

[Echo 27]

9549112
Probably have a point.

[satnapillowpants]

9551553
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