</style>
Word Count: 760
For Hadley. Dated 23 February; Ethereal Eclipse.
★ ★ ★
Freedom, as a concept, is somewhat flimsy. What makes someone free? Is the no rules, no restrictions, no commitments? Is it the right to choose which rules and restrictions to follow, which commitments you will make and keep? Or is it the right to decide that you will let someone else make those judgement calls for you, come hell or high water, because you don't want to make them yourself, or perhaps you simply have grown not to care any longer? Who ought to decide what freedoms one can have or take? If you choose to live, choose to make a livelihood, to be successful by the standards others set for you, is that as much freedom as is choosing to die, or choosing to lie, cheat, steal, maim, or kill? Should anyone truly have freedom, with acknowledgement of the fact that true freedom includes being free to take away the freedom of others at one's leisure? It seems that freedom cannot be had or kept, not the whole of it. But perhaps freedom of self could be found, if one consented to control only what was given them to control, whether self, offspring...
Perhaps, even servant?
Grace was free, as free as anyone could be. She lived in AniWaya, but it was her own will to follow their rules and codes. It was her own will not to lie, not to cheat, not to steal. It was certainly her own will not to maim or kill others - hell, she didn't even care much for hunting, except for food. And even that, she did out of necessity, rather than pleasure. She didn't feel wrong to kill in order to eat; someday, she would die, and feed the earth, and the animals she preyed on (not the exact same, but their kind) would eat her, as well. Fair was fair, in the circle of life. Where had she heard that before? Nonetheless, the point remained: the girl was not a violent one, not in the very least. She was gentle and kind, open-minded and sweet-tempered. She meant no harm to anyone, and she did her best to care for those who needed it. That mainly encompassed creatures - Taj, the black crow perched on her head as she sat with her thoughts, was one such animal who had needed help and found it with her - but had included others of her own species and similar, as well. She simply wanted peace and happiness. Was that too much to ask?
She thought vaguely of the slave kept by the girl who had sold her Faris and the mares. Leaning back against an old oak tree that boasted itself as a very comfortable chair, she cringed slightly at the memory. He had clearly not wanted to be in that situation. But she could not pass judgement, not truly - had he done something to deserve such treatment? The girl was a wretch, no doubt, wicked to the last - but perhaps, not without reason? Many could not help what they became, and nor should they be expected to. Not everyone had the positive outlook that she did, and many were not afforded the courtesies of her comfortable upbringing, or fairly peaceful life. The worst that she had encountered had been her brother's jealousy and rivalry, but he had not been malevolent or cruel. It wasn't his fault that their father expected such different things from him than he did from her, nor that their mother had encouraged him to be malignant due to her own insecurities. Grace had dismantled her mother's ideals, simply by not wanting to do "female work" and nothing more. There was so much to gain from life. Why should she chain herself down? Why should she limit herself to what she had already seen done, when there was so much more to experience, if only she could reach out and grab it?
And so, she had come full circle. Freedom. It meant that she had been able to leave home, with Briar as her traveling partner. It meant that she struck out on her own, made a life for herself. And now, even without Briar, even with little more than one more wooden bead to show for all that they had built together, she had a million memories, and all the love in the world. And without freedom, she would have none of that. Yes, being free was certainly the best thing that anyone could hope for... terrifying, perhaps, but still, the only way to truly live.