Dark eyes followed Théadan’s movements while he studied the flag from his country. Her opinion of Mes’Mo’Tan was something he had drastically changed for her, so she was glad to hear he was happy with the thought to hang the flag in their home whenever they finally found one. A year ago, she would have looked upon that flag with derision, with only thoughts of what that country had taken from hers. With Théadan holding it after so much had happened, Navia could see the beauty of Mes’Mo’Tan when she studied it. She could see the strength, the dignity. Having it somewhere in their home to look back on and remember their time in Mes’Mo’Tan would be important for them, so she was happy to hear Théadan shared the same sentiments.<br/><br/>Théadan repeated what she said, leaving Navia to nod and smile, but she was soon blinking in surprise when he held the journal out to her. With writing being more his pastime and the fact it had been his suggestion, she had expected him to take the lead with the journal. But if he wanted her to begin the one they would share, then she would be happy to do so. She glanced up at him before taking hold of both it and the quill like he wanted. Wanting an easy position for writing, Navia glanced around the room with pursed lips. There was no desk, not even a chair, but they had an entire bed they could use. “Hold this, please,” Navia gently pushed the journal back toward Théadan instead of taking it. She turned and crawled onto the bed more before moving to lie on her stomach, her feet up near the pillows at the head of the bed. “Okay, now I’ll take it,” she said while pushing her hair over one shoulder so it would be out of the way. After removing the cap, Navia held the ink in one hand so her other hand could set the book on the bed. She glanced up at Théadan, then dipped the quill into the ink to begin to write:<br/><br/><i>We met in Khlurios, but we fell in love in Mes’Mo’Tan.<br/>
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			It was a day neither of us likely expected to ever be as colossally important as it has become. It was the spark to a connection that would and continues to defy all odds; the beginning of a new life. Never would I have guessed that the masked Mes’Mo’Tanian warrior atop the black horse, camped out to thwart my escape when my castle was sieged, would come to mean the world to me. Who would even consider their captor as someone they could end caring so much for? I should have known from the moment I woke up snuggled against him after falling asleep that first night Théadan was going to be different. I don’t think I could have ever known he would come to take up so much of my heart, though. He has become a friend, a protector, a lover. After leaving Khlurios, we spent nearly every moment together, from sleeping on opposite ends of a tent and silently yearning for each other to giving in to this insurmountable tension and desire that wells up between us and takes over. And oh, how we’ve given in to it. It wasn’t until we reached Nygaard that our budding dedication to each other was tested. We rose above all the odds against us, refused to give up on each other, and somehow survived every dangerous obstacle in our path.</i><br/><br/><i>			And now that we’ve returned to Khlurios, we carry both in our hearts.</i><br/><br/><i>			It was far from easy. In fact, the past few months of my life have probably been the hardest I’ve ever had, but now I’m back in my home country where I belong, with the man I love at my side. Théadan has made good on the promise he would return me home and once we reach my family, we can begin our new life together. He has nearly given his life and nearly everything else to do it. What I must do is make sure there is a reason every day for all the suffering to be worth it. I hope he never feels the sacrifices he has made for me were in vain. Of course we still have some ways to go; we’d like to visit the Ghatni spa in Lamph before heading south to Mandira, and I know we will likely have to slow down once we reach the jungles, but to simply be back on Khluri soil has given me the greatest joy. I hope we can use this journal to write down all the exciting experiences we have together in Khlurios, but also recount the ones we had in Mes’Mo’Tan. It is my hope we fill these pages with adventure, with humor, with memories, but most of all, with the love we share.</i><br/><br/>Navia came to a stop there, a small smile tugging at her dark lips. She blew across the page to make sure the looping scrawl of her handwriting dried before she nudged the book over in Théadan’s direction. “Good? I thought an introduction that briefly described our past and gave our intentions for it would be good for whenever those people find it in the next century,” Navia shrugged before grinning at him.