Found:
Peace of mind.
I put the quill into its box and laid it away inside the desk drawer. I don't want it getting broken or frayed. I wrapped and hid away the silver figurine just in case. Although this neighborhood is a quiet one, Tamisra is a career thief. It would do her no good to steal from someone like me, which I've no doubt she knows. But it also does me no good to put too much faith in someone of that ilk. Trust is hard-won in such circles. It is not given freely, and for good reason!
Departing at dawn, I left a note pinned to the door in case Rowan returns in my absence. I'd rather he didn't worry. It's not a perfect solution, but at least he will know where I have gone and when I am likely to be back. It's better than nothing, and more than I've done for anyone else.
I really am getting soft.
We arrived before noon, Steel and I. I even let him carry me up to the summit! I felt like such a child riding my horse up here instead of scaling the side or damn well walking it with my own two feet but... Needs must, I suppose. I could have done it. The walking, not the climbing. I could have, but I suspect I'd have paid far too much for it come the morning. So, instead, I rode and then set up my camp.
I've been here for but a few hours and already I feel better. Calmer somehow. I see the hazy hills in the distance and I smile. A part of me wishes he was here to enjoy it too...
No. Focus. Focus upon what I need right now. Focus upon the present. The bitter, cold air. The distance. The peace. The lack of walls. The lack of expectations. The lack of unknowable rules. The lack of confusion.
Think. Consider all those things that have been bothering me, plaguing me. Ponder the matters that sit closest to my heart. Muse, but do not plan. Not yet. Instead, take the time to figure things out, to breathe, to be.
I probably should have written a list.
