Frosty

To Ye O' Little Faith,I remember the tremor upon your lips and the fearful questions spilling like the Emerald Sky weeps. I remember your shaking eyes seeking solace beneath our Sister's steady gaze. "What becomes of the Faith if you don't succeed?" You asked with trembling words, "who would be left to embody Miseri Corsia's virtues if you're gone? Please don't go."I watched as our Sister assuaged your worries. That I should succeed. I will succeed. Her hand was a comforting anchor upon your shoulder, regrets washing like the autumn tides of the Sapphire Sea. She wiped clean a mud stain from the soiled vestments you donned. She saw herself within you, a scared—scarred—but brave disciple, bounding you her hope as she, too, once needed. A newly anointed Pilgrim. That you too, who would cast aside your own name and dedicate to the Faith. You too, who would convey the Grace of spirits to heal the sick and exemplify the dam shielding the vulnerable from the flood of tragedy.I turned my back with purpose, seeing you straighten your back and taking a deep breath amid the crisp, cool breeze sweeping across your pained face. A trepidation mirrored in mine. Miseri Corsia protected your kin when the scorched earth crept upon your people's lands. She cleansed the burning ailment of your mother and gave Her life to afford you the opportunity to survive in sanctuary. With family.You wished to pay forward Her kindness. So that our realm could cast aside the sorrows of martyrdom.Brother, I'm not calling you a liar.
I did not succeed. And yet your Sibling harbors the very same tyrant that burned your kin. They who ask you the unconscionable, to lend clemency to the very same monsters that set flame to your community. Who grinned and roared when your walls crumbled to cinders.Brother, I'm not calling you a thief.
I could not revive Her. And yet your Sibling bears the ire of he who raked across Her body and severed Her Grace unto himself. Who am I, then, were it not for the Brothers, Sisters, and Siblings who let me barter their lives for borrowed time? You, who I ask to lend tentative mercy and break bread with the very same scaled creatures who revere your Sibling as the vessel of their fallen master. Who stole the life of your father.Brother, I'm not calling you a ghost.
Yet the specter of your doubt haunts me still, as does the memory of Her who bore the mantle of Faith so fully. Without you to continue Her Will, the Faith falters. Without you, the memory of our fallen are desecrated by the Dragon King's conquest. Without you, the ill will find no cure, the lost no sanctuary, the hungry no food. Without you, Brother, there would be one less Pilgrim to channel the spirits of protection and health to embody Her virtue. One less Pilgrim to question your Sibling and reflect upon the Faith. To walk this path and walk this realm and do what needs doing.Brother, there's a ghost in my lungs.
Who wraps himself around my tongue. Who commands a horde with but a simple word. He walks with my legs. He strikes with my staff. He burns with my magic—Her Grace.
I live a lie. I don a bloodied crown like those same vestments of the newly anointed. Not as a Pilgrim, but as a Commander to an army who see me for something I'm not.Brother, I will not lie to you. I will not steal from you. I will not haunt you. All these things fester inside like poison. But without our Fractured Faith, I am nothing. Without Miseri Corsia who lives on through the Scarlet Scourge's soul, I am but a nameless vessel. A mouthpiece for cruelty and trickery upon this realm.When you name something, you gift it power. A beautiful newborn. An idyllic landmark. A faction to rally behind. When we shed our names and our lives to devote as Pilgrims to the Faith, we yield the power gifted unto us to personify the conduit for Her Grace and the spirits of the realm. The instrument of health and virtue.I have to fight for what's in my heart. For who's in my heart. For the Sister that soothed your doubt before we left. For the bleeding land torn in embers. For the hurt who need the Faith. And if I must swear fealty to a greater power, adopt a Grim name, immure an ancient malice within my body, and ask you to do the impossible, then I will take the fall.And fall I must.Your Sibling,
One Of Little Faith

“Simon. Sigmund. If I could have, I would have filled Nebo to the brim with people to attend our wedding. You know that, love.”
“You defeated the undead Vizier in the gods damn Realm of Torment. You had died in Cantha and then returned to life to kick Shiro Tagachi and his plague in the ass. You rescued me from Varesh’s demons, helped me recover my memories, find my missing family, and even entered into the Realm of Torment again to destroy a god!”
“Do I need to mention the Mursaat? Or the Great Destroyer?”
“Hish—”
“My husband—the man I love—sometimes I feel like I could blink and lose you to the pages of a storybook.”
“You rallied thousands of people to gather their courage and make a stand. Your heart reached to hundreds more. Your allies—our allies placed our unwavering trust and loyalty to you. And you led them to achieve the peace we needed in Tyria.”
“So… yes. Our allies—our friends care about us. They care about you. They want to see you happy. When I told Mhenlo my idea about proposing to you, he was so delighted!”
“Y-You told Brother Mhenlo?”
“He praised Dwayna over a dozen times for answering his prayers.”“…I know how important having our friends and family there was for you.”
“It was nice."“But...”
“No buts, Hish."
“I would have preferred a secluded place. Perhaps getting married alone. In front of the same Statue of Dwayna, maybe. Yet… being with you is all that I could have asked for.”
“Gwen suggested that, didn’t she?”
“The getting married alone part? Hah, yes, she did. She knows how much people can scare me.”“Thank you.”
“Eh?"
“For one, not breaking down into tears immediately when we exchanged our wedding bands.”
“I’m sor—”
“Shh, Simon.”
“Second, for braving the ceremony. For letting me plan the entire occasion. For trusting in me to do that.”
“I know you need your moments to cool down… Just… just tell me next time you’re going to vanish from a crowd, okay? I could go without the heart attack of a missing husband.”
“I’ll try.”“Have you been writing here, love? What is this?”
“Hish, w-wait…!”Dear Sergio,
Dwayna has guided me through a multitude of trials and tribulations. She has led me on a path to reignite the light for many, and for that, I am ever grateful to continue to be a conduit of her will.
I feel the breeze of change coming from Cantha, and such vibrant growth calls for new heroes willing to make that important step in their journey. If I were younger… and not married, I would perhaps heed that call, for Dwayna would likely fear for her children’s health and hope for their safety.
But over five months ago I acted as Queen Salma’s herald in escorting Kryta’s people to shelter and aided in the defense of Lion’s Arch against the White Mantle. And on that fated day, Dwayna blessed me with my thirty-third birthday. I still vividly remember the Searing of my home eight years ago and my fate intertwined into healing the lives of many.
So today I must write to you that I intend on shifting perspective. I want to enrich my husband’s life and establish a new home so that we can settle down. Permanently.
Firstwatch, I have not asked much, but I pray that this letter finds you in good health and in good conscious to lend us a few strong Lionguard to aid us in the construction of a new home in Bergen Hot Springs. Its waters are beyond rejuvenating, and I wish to refresh its lands as a safe stop for pilgrims of all kinds along with my husband Hisham.
Yours sincerely,
Sigmund Frostenwelde“I-It’s… it’s not the final draft…!”
“Is this true Simon?”
“I…”
“Sigmund...”
“Should... should I…? I wanted to r-revise it before delivering it. I could discard it.”
“Bergen Hot Springs?”
“You… you proposed to me there. It’s really meaningful for me.”
“No. Don’t discard it.”
“Huh? Hish, are you crying?”
“N-No, of course not! Hahaha, oh my Simon! It’s perfect! I’d love to spend the rest of my days there with you!”
“Every day that I wake up to see your beautiful blue eyes is a day I know I can tackle with all my might!”
“Hehe, oh, you.”