helloaschefire:

Daybreak

The morning sun broke through the tepid haze and painted the gnarled fingers of the bare trees in gold. He forced himself to watch the sunrise, though the light hurt his eyes and forced him in time to shade them with the back of his hand. More gold glinted off the ring he wore on his left hand. The ring Nora put on his finger the day they married.

Around him, the Minutemen camp began to stir. Fires were coaxed to life and the scents and sounds of men and women long in the field grew loud, almost boisterous. They were an honor guard, escorting the General from settlement to settlement, as he talked unity to the leaders of each. The General, Johan’s mind was not on the approach to Starlight. It was on the ring he wrestled with, twisting it and turning it until it scraped over his knuckle and into the palm of his hand.

The ring glinted and caught the daybreak as it had for so many days in the past. There was no room for the past now. He was done with it. Had to be finished otherwise, he would go mad and betray his friends, his son. Valentina.

“Goodbye, Nora,” he whispered to the dawn.

He would look forward for all of them, but mostly for Valentina.

Not what I expected but even better! 😍😍😍😍😍😍