"He did not return that winter," Sister Yun explained. "But he did return eventually. It took him five long years to find his way back to our village."
Lin Wan's small smile began to fade as she noticed the sad look on the older woman's face. "And were you happy when he came back?"
"By the time he returned, I had already stopped waiting for him," Sister Yun added quietly. "I had moved on with my life."
Sister Yun turned her gaze toward the bright moon shining through the window. "Sometimes, child, the hardest part of loving someone is deciding how long you should keep waiting for them."
Lin Wan quietly held the warm ceramic bowl in her hands, the heat seeping into her cold fingers. "I do not know if I am still waiting... or if I am simply too tired to do anything else."
Far above the bustling palace, Cassian stood completely alone on the balcony of the highest tower. The freezing mountain wind pulled fiercely at his long black robes, but he did not seem to feel the cold at all.
