Letters

[makesthings]

At one point while Sam's at the counter, he gets out the knife in its velvet pouch and places it on the counter. Then he sits and writes a letter, this is one that he's not going to do many drafts of, he doesn't know if she's here or will even see it. What matters is he writes down all the things he's been feeling and leaves the gift. Once its written, he seals it with a Charter Mark that will only open to her and leaves it with Bar.

Dear Kait,

I'm sorry. You were right about everything I was doing, it was stupid and foolish and I was lucky to not die. Things in the Old Kingdom did somehow turn out right in the end. I helped Lirael save the Old Kingdom before Nick and I were pulled to Milliways to do the same thing again. I don't know if you were here for any of that, I hope you weren't. No, that's not right. I shouldn't say that. You know how to fight, it was just an end and then a beginning and strange. I hope you've been safe and well and happy.

The good change that's come from all of this is I'm now Wallmaker, which means I'm rebuilding and building the Old Kingdom and I'm the first one in hundreds of years. I'm doing it and I think doing it well. So I have ended up an engineer though not the sort that builds bridges instead I repair Charter Stones, walk the Wall and figure out what else to do and search for books about what other Wallmakers have done.

The other reason I'm writing is when I was last in Milliways before everything seemed to happen at once, I made you a knife to apologize. As I haven't seen you and don't know if you want to see me, I'm leaving it with this letter. If you press the button, the knife comes out and its bespelled to not rust and to keep sharp.

Yours Sameth

Comments

[redefinevictory]

The reply arrives two days later, the writing perfectly neat. Too neat, really; as if it were the result of many previous letters being torn up.

Sameth,

I, too, need to apologise, but first can I say that I am beyond relived that your world is safe, and that you have found your place in it. It certainly sounds like you will be busy! But it sounds like a job that was made for you, so I wish you all the best luck your world can spare.

I regretfully must say that I was around for Milliways having its problems, although given I was in the lake in aquatic form, I was beyond useless. I must also say that I have neither been well, nor happy. I have been locked out of Milliways for four years, and a lot of things changed. I, too, had to play a part in saving my world, although in my case the fact that I had to save it is only right because I helped to endanger it in the first place. That is a long, sad story, but suffice to say that my family is dead, and I am in exile. I fell into the lake before Milliways ended, and when it came back, my link to my world had been severed (I can do magic now, or rather, I could on my world, so I know what has been cut.)

Your apology is accepted, as is the knife (I have no weapons of my own except for myself, as all of mine are on Matrin). I must offer my own apologies for losing my temper so badly at you, but also because I am not sure that I can see you right now. Although it pains me to admit, I am not in the best state of mind, both due to exile and due to events that proceeded it. I cared for you deeply four years ago, but that was four years ago. A lot has happened, none of it your fault and nothing I blame you for.

I wish you the very best, Sameth. I mean this with my whole heart. I would tell you not to worry about finding your place or how well you do at fixing things, but I know that you will do so anyway. I wish you a long, successful, happy life.

Take care,
Kait

[makesthings]

Almost two weeks pass before Sam's able to drop off his letter as there haven't been many doors and he's been having trouble finding the right words. The smell of Charter magic is thick on it, there's grime and even a spot of blood from when he didn't bandage his hand properly, along with more crossed out words.

Kait,

I'm glad you're safe and that you find the knife useful. I'm sorry that the price of your world was so high. I can't imagine wish I could help hope you can find a way to heal. Someone recently told me that large wounds take time to heal, I'll be here you know yourself better than anyone and what you need to get better.

Time does seem to have gotten strange but then its done that before. Between when we last spoke and the battle at Milliways, it was about two months on my side of the door and now its been almost half a year since then for me. I'm glad that you were out of the worst of the fighting in the lake, I know you would have done great things but it was awful. The Destroyer

Four years is a long time and I missed so much has changed for you. I'll do my best to not be in your way as you figure out what your future holds. Just know that if I can ever be of assistance, you need only ask. I mi ca

Yours Sincerely
Sameth