“We won’t make you go back,” James assured him, feeling a pang in his heart that he quickly pushed down and buried back up. “You can stay as long as you need.”
He took a deep breath. "O-Okay," he said, popping his head back up. He looked at James, almost like he was holding him to his promise with the stare alone. "I was in Vuphia. And Odris wanted me to study again and got all upset when I didn't want to so I used this disguise and ran away and I don't want to go back because then I'll have to keep studying again!"
He sniffled. "I don't-I don't want to keep studying. I just want to be like the kids in the square. I want to play. And if I can't do that, I want to go through the stargate to go on adventures, just like I've seen all the adults do. I don't want to go through it to sit through meetings and stuff. That's boring."
James's expression softened, and crossed the room over to where Hali and Aen were, and sat down across from them.
"That's completely understandable, Aen. Most every child desires the freedom to play and to just be a kid like everyone else. And it can be hard when you feel like you don't have that freedom. To have fun. To explore. And just play. Study of course, is important too. But so is play."
He sniffled again. "But I'm not a normal kid," he protested, still looking James in the eyes. "I'll never be one. I'm not-I'm not like the Alterans. My name's not even Aen..." He ducked his head down again. "I'm playing pretend but no one even realizes I'm pretending in the first place."
Ugh, why did he have to have such a soft spot for kids? As the boy spoke he felt his heart go out to him; he hadn't been all that different when he was young. He'd lived his whole life pretending to be things he wasn't, whether that was human, or good, or evil, or rich, or poor, or whatever was needed for the job or for his survival. He wasn't even sure what he was at a point.
"Listen, junge. . ." he paused, figuring out how to word what he was trying to say, and the best way to say it in English. He hated that language; why couldn't it be French or Russian if it had to be something other than his native tongue? "So long as you know who you are, it doesn't matter what they see." He paused again. "It's hard to not have someone that understands what or who you are, or what you go through, but. . .you'll find that there is that someone and it's just a matter of finding them. Being different. . .It's not a bad thing. It's what will make you successful and stand out against the rest. I've gone by more names, more faces, more masks than I can count. I've been the villain, the hero, the martyr, the slave, the master, and frankly it doesn't really matter so long as you have a recognition of what you are, and having to wear that mask to fit only means you're the wolf. I know I'm kind of going in circles here - this isn't my best language - but does that make sense, kiddo?"
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."
"Embrace what you are, kid, it'll help you more than you could imagine," he says.
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."
“The best thing you can do is just... be the best you you can be,” James said with a nod and a small smile. “Pretending to be something you’re not is exhausting.”
He stared down at the ground. It was good advice, right? So why did he feel like actually following through with what they said wouldn't be easy? Odris already thought he was mature and could handle everything thrown his way, but he wasn't. Even though he had ran away, he didn't want to disappoint Odris.
"Um . . ." Hali gave the boy a sheepish smile as he stepped back. "I sort of understood that. Just be you. Although I'm probably the worst person to be telling you that right now, since I'm kind of stuck in a false form."
"And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7
Maahes looked up and stared at Hali. "You're in a different form?" he asked, eyes wide as he looked up at the man. The realization made him immediately scoot over to where Hali was. They were alike, then!
"Ah." Hali studied the kid--or was he even a child? "Not that I'd want to turn back here. I'm afraid I would break the house, or something in it." Sea dragons were quite large compared to humans, as in many times larger. "What's your real name, by the way?"
"And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7
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