This afternoon I took the bindings from the raven's wing. I smiled as he stretched it out and found myself filled with a mixture of satisfaction and sadness as I watched Quoth Nevermore fly away. I am alone again and I shall miss the companionship, even if he is just a bird. Still, I am glad that he is well and can return to doing that which birds do.
He looked so beautiful in flight; sleek and elegant. His black feathers glistened blue beneath the sunlight and I saw in his movements a freedom that I shall never have. He cawed once - a farewell if ever I have heard one - and then he was gone. A part of me goes with him on the heady updraughts; my hopes for his long and happy survival.
To my surprise, Davick found me here later in the day. He mentioned a letter I had given to him, said that it was "touching, as expected." I vaguely recall doing so shortly before my departure, but I do not recall the contents. Nevertheless, his sarcasm was not lost on me.
He pronounced me healed and much like I used to be and shortly after left. Our relationship seems strained somehow, which I find to be rather disheartening. Of all those I left behind in my quest for clarity, he is the one I have missed the most. He is also the one I feared most to face again for no other knew me as he did and no other has meant as much.
I told him that the course of our friendship was his to dictate. He seems so uncomfortable around me - perhaps expecting me to fall apart again or worse - that it would be cruel of me to insist everything should be as it once was. I hope that, over time, we may grow close again but for now I stand at a distance of his choosing, patiently awaiting a chance to prove that I am stronger now than ever before.
I am. I am certain of that. This experience may have left me confused and uncertain but I have been that way before and I have come out of it with more understanding each time. I may have yet to reach enlightenment this time around, but I know that I will get there if I utilise my time in this place to ponder in peace.
