Flickers by Meril

Distinction

Distinction

"Thank you, my lady. Truly they call you wise…" The quiet leavetaking fades to silence as her student vanishes into the twilight. And for long after, she sits before the door and muses.

Aye, they named her aright. Resentment had lent its own brand of insight, while solitude imparted a measure of understanding. Grief revealed the truth, and forgiveness had laid any remaining illusions bare.

Yes, they named her rightly, but they would never truly understand: she was alone in that. Hiding behind their smiling masks, shielded from her terrifying honesty, they bestowed that double-edged distinction…

Nerdanel, called The Wise.