For my mother, it was a matter of months. She would take care to visit me on the Rock often enough that it would be familiar, but not often enough to be smothering. Towards the end, before her rebellion, it was slightly more frequent, but not more than had been at previous periods. She would show interest, and try to push me towards greater understanding, and I would eventually grow sullen and silent. I was always more disappointed in myself than she was in me. I can see that now.
For me, it has been nearly four hundred years, many of which my mother was present for physically, but not mentally. I have aided in another rebellion, stood at the edge of Shadow itself, rebuilt the House my grandmother led to ruin, mastered the Pattern, and come face to face with Nothing itself. In all this time, I had dreamed of simply my mother smiling again, of her being happy, angry, sad, proud, disappointed, anything at all. And now, she is returned to me, and Terridus has kept his word. Perhaps I should have trusted him earlier, but that lies in waters behind me. I cannot dwell on my past. I must sail towards the future, always.
Four hundred years, and when I finally sat down to simply have dinner with my mother as a family, I was at a loss for words. It took a bit, but we were able to talk, to laugh, and to simply be again. There was no wound between us, despite her rebellion and my opposition. She knew I would stand against her, and though it slew a hundred thousand men whose names I will never forget, I forgave her the moment she spoke. I wonder if I could have done so anywhere else in my journey, but it is a moot query. I am here, now.
The next few days will be critical, and this is only a calm before the storm. Sail the sea long enough, and you can feel the red sky in the morning hours before the sun rises. That is what I feel right now, with my hair on end, and the tickle of ice in my spine. There are no quarters for me in this new castle, and it does not feel like the home I once had here. My quarters on the Kestrel provide me the comfort of a familiar surroundings. I would return to my home on the Rock, but my family may need me soon. I cannot afford even the hours it would take to travel, and I must conserve my resources. The fight comes to us soon.
