Chapter 299: The Weight of Other People’s Voices
"There are mixed reactions," Brynhild said, voice low and careful. "So people are delighted. So people are...not so pleased."
Sophia sat back on the chair, the bandages over her arms and the dull ache of the wounds reminding her of how fragile she still felt in the world.
Raina’s small hands moved to hold Brynhild’s breast as she suckled, at peace.
"So people feel that you and Orion are a perfect match. That the both of you fit each other and you belong with each other," Brynhild told Sophia.
"That’s lovely to hear," Sophia murmured.
Brynhild nodded. "True, but there are still others who believe firmly that you are wrong for Orion. That the both of you do not belong with each other. These ones are very vocal about it. So of them will call you nas, Sophia, and I don’t an nice nicknas like shorty."
"That nickna is not nice. It’s a tease," Sophia said with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
"But you don’t hate it. It’s sothing between you and Orion."
"True," Sophia said with a sigh.
"You know one of the reasons why these people are very vocal about your relationship with Orion?" Brynhild asked her.
"Because of my mories?" Sophia asked her.
"Yes."
Sophia swallowed. Her face fell into a line of weary acceptance. "Truthfully, I would be more in shock if everyone in the pack just accepted being with Orion. You know so people still call an outsider even if I’ve been in the pack for a while now."
Brynhild observed her quietly.
Sophia’s shoulders rose in a small, tired shrug. "I understand why so people would think that Orion and I don’t belong together though, and I can’t bla them. I don’t know who I am. I don’t have pages of my life to show them. I don’t have a family they can et, or a history to prove I’m like them. I am a gap in the middle of a story and they don’t like gaps."
"But it’s not enough reason for them to hurt you," Brynhild told her. "You know, when Lysander and I first got together, people talked too. They said he was settling with soone who had a defect just because I couldn’t see. I don’t know if you know, but I wasn’t always a good fighter. My sister was the better one. And people talked about how Raina was better than ."
Sophia stared at her in shock. "They said that to your face?" she asked.
Brynhild chuckled. "Not all of them. So decided it was better to talk behind my back, but it wasn’t any better because I always heard. Many advised Lysander to let go, that I shouldn’t be with him even if we were mates."
Sophia could hardly believe it. Lysander and Brynhild did not look like people who had gone through sothing like this. And the whole pack seed to accept them together.
"I fell into a deep depression and even pushed Lysander away at so point, telling him the moon goddess was wrong. Stupid man didn’t listen to though." Brynhild said with a smile, while Lysander just shrugged his shoulders.
"He stayed, and I got help. I had friends who made forget what the others were saying. I had supporters. Orion at one point told people to just shut up and let and Lysander live our lives. Tobias, Ronan, Caspian, and so others in the pack made sure to let know that I wasn’t at fault for being with Lysander. That we weren’t wrong for being together," Brynhild told her.
"And the funny thing is, after a while, the noise died down, and I’m not trying to boast, but Lysander and I are one of the most loved people in the pack. It’s like I now walk in gold when once upon a ti, everyone...almost everyone turned their back on and Lysander." She told Sophia.
Raina released a sigh. Brynhild glanced down and noticed that she had finished eating and her eyes were getting close. She passed Raina to Lysander who took her with care.
"You were lucky," Sophia said, voice small. "You had people who stood by you."
Brynhild tipped her head. She closed the distance between her and Sophia and took Sophia’s bandaged hands in hers.
"You have them too." Her fingers closed over Sophia’s bandaged hand and squeezed. "Orion accepts you. Lysander does. Ronan does. Tobias does. I accept you. Those of us who matter, your friends who are now family...we accept you for who you are, lost mories be damned."
Sophia chuckled at Brynhild’s words, her chest light. She had not expected that the conversation would turn into sothing deep.
"It doesn’t matter what the others say. It doesn’t matter what they think. The moon goddess didn’t make a mistake making you and Orion mates. She knew what she was doing and it doesn’t matter what the others say." Brynhild told her.
Sophia nodded, absorbing her words.
"I’ll tell you the sa thing I told Orion the last ti we saw each other," Brynhild told her.
Sophia gave her a small smile. "He may have told what you told him."
"Well, it doesn’t matter because I’m still going to tell you again," Brynhild told her. "People will talk. They will always talk. They will try to voice their opinions, try to even force their opinions on you, but at the end of the day, they don’t matter. Only what the both of you feel matters. And even if Orion pretends like things don’t get to him, the words will affect him. You are going to have to be strong for the both of you. You are our leader too."
Sophia nodded.
"And regarding your mories, it doesn’t matter what the untold holds. Orion was both scared of what people will say about you guys being mated and also scared of what your untold mories hold and if they’ll bring danger to the pack. But the truth is, we’ve always been in danger. The enclave is still out there, our enemies are still out there, Nirvana isn’t even a safe place. So if your mories co with danger, then let them co. We will fight like we’ve always fought." Brynhild said, then looked at Sophia even if she couldn’t see her.
Her eyes shook, just staring vaguely. "The question is," she told Sophia. "Are you willing to fight?"
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