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While the days in the Circle of Sun's were long and seemed at times impossibly hot, the opposite could be said for the nights. The cold air would cover the landscape, no sun's remaining to warm anything, only the cold eyes that were the three sisters. Some of this cold air would always manage to drift into the shelter of the now separated forms of GraGoh. Though that wasn't exactly their only reason to be as they were, sleeping comfortably under the soft blankets, their tails intertwined as most nights. No one would be sure whether that was conscious or not.
After many hours, skekGra's rest was interrupted. It was a very unfamiliar sound at first, and hard to see much of anything in the all consuming darkness of where they slept, but soon he made out the sound of whimpering. Once identified, it was the only explanation, and he knew the only source. He remained too tired to act as quickly as usual, but as the crying from his other half developed into sobbing, and he seemed to remain unaware of any of skekGra's calls of his name, he reached out. His hold on urGoh was much gentler than many would have expected a skeksis, especially the former conqueror himself, to even be capable of, but spending so much time with his other half may have brought a memory or two back, or perhaps taught him what he'd never known.
He could only hope he was helping by wrapping his arms around urGoh like this. Thankfully, it seemed it was when he seemed to pause his cries for a moment before immediately facing skekGra and burying his face into his chest. Typically, the urru slept with his body spread out more, but now he was curled tightly.
Now feeling mostly certain he was awake, yet still essentially inconsolable, skekGra began to purr in a comforting manner and curl around him in his own way. It was technically controlled, and intentional to do that, but it came very natural to him. He couldn't quite remember the last time he'd purred toward another to comfort them like this.
That and the gentle strokes of his arms around his mystic seemed to be working very well as the whimpers became quieter and less frequent. Eventually skekGra asked, speaking quieter than any other time before,
"What brought so much pain? What happened?"
Usually, he'd ask more urgently, and part of him desperately wanted to. Earlier on, he may have dismissed his almost physically painful concern for his other half as simply that, a result of them ebung two halves of the same whole and being so physically close. Perhaps part of that was true, and perhaps he simply wanted to know what hurt the one he loved this much.
The slowness of urGoh's reply was reassuring. If it were extremely alarming, and he were still alarmed, he may have spoken much quicker than usual,
"Memories..."
SkekGra could have been content to leave it at that. After all. urGoh still sounded so distraught from it, and he wasn't the first one to have had such dreams. If anything, this was more compensation on skekGra's part for all the respect and support urGoh gave him when his returned. But thankfully, just as he was about to ask more, urGoh said more anyways,
"..from... before... the wandering... I.."
Though he understood he may not have wanted to, at this point he knew his other half would just nod for yes or no to whatever he'd said, and recently his predictions were becoming more automatic and accurate.
"Would like to tell them?"
This time, urGoh nodded that he would. As he spoke, the two moved away from each other slightly, with both now sitting up slightly, urGoh leaning against skekGra and skekGra holding him as close as he could.
"When... I.. spoke of.. my.. vision.. proposed.. unity... they.. began.. to look.. away... Refused.. to talk... for a day... nor.. the next... Scared... but not.. too much..."
Already, this worried skekGra. He couldn't be very sure of what he could say he knew or didn't know about the ways things worked among the urrus of the valley, but what he'd heard about them and their earlier times that urGoh told him, they didn't just stop talking to someone entirely like that. The way things worked didn't quite let one of them do things alone. The longer pause worried him, as well.
"...Tried to eat... they shoved.. me away... Begged.. for water... again.. and again.. each day... so much.. they.. they stopped.. looking at me... most.. ignored... some... stepped on... shoved.."
Despite how he was still quietly purring in comfort, and had one arm wrapped around his mystics upper body and the other gently holding one of his hands, it took everything he had not to dig his talons in somewhere. The mere thoughts of urGoh being treated like that from the ones he knew he could trust, he had to trust, to rely on, all for merely proposing an idea, was almost unbearable.
"...Told them I was... sorry.. Asked why... All stayed.. far away.. as far... as possible.. Begged for help..."
He didn't really need to say what their response was. At the very least. though his voice was still more strained and weak than usual, he was no longer crying.
"Considered... leaving... then.. then came... the pains... Cuts... Arms straining..."
Cold rushed through skekGra at the memories or exactly what his other half was describing. Everything that was done to him was done to urGoh all the same, even when he didn't understand it. Logically, he knew that must have been true this whole time, he'd could even see the head injury now. But he never truly knew how painful it must have been. Not when they were already doing that to him. At the very least, he knew about it when it came to his own kind. He'd seen firsthand the height of the cruelty of the skeksis, and though he was never truly prepared fully, he knew at the time that most had lied behind his back about a great many things. But not the urrus. They weren't supposed to do that. He could tell from the time of urGoh's voice, the strain that seemed almost like he was struggling to face how real it all was. He never betrayed them, they betrayed him.
"Kept asking... calling urIm... needing help.. They could see.. I bled before them... Screamed.. as the suns... set... and the sisters.. passed... They left.. closed themselves... off.. to hide from my... crying... No one... None retire at that time... but they did then..."
He didn't have to say it. Maybe he didn't even think it himself. But skekGra felt he knew. Maybe the healer wanted to help, but someone was behind it. He'd made sure of it sometimes during his conquering days, to hide those more perceptible to the cries and pleas of the damned away. He made sure they wouldn't help. That's exactly what happened. They treated him like all he was was an enemy, and they weren't even an empire.
As urGoh began to cry once again, quieter, he leaned further into the embrace of his other half, and skekGra held him as tight as he could.
"Please stay... don't leave..."
That was all he heard as words from urGoh, sounding more desperate and scared than he'd heard before. He tried to tighten his hold even more, if possible, without hurting him. At this point, all four of urGoh's arms were wrapped around him or reaching out for him in some way. He made sure he was close enough and not too quiet when he spoke to him again
"Never leave you.. Will remain with you no matter what. Always felt by you, and you by me."
He began to gently stroke the parts of urGoh's hair that fell across his back, so light they stood out against most else in the dark, now that skekGra's eyes adjusted to seeing it all better.
"You never deserved that.. We didn't. So, will always be here. Can't betray each other, and never would.. Better to protect than any sacred laws or ideas.."
This did seem to be working. Soon enough, urGoh's crying stopped, and he looked up, his face pointing toward skekGra's. Gently, as though he'd break part of him if he were at all harsh or fast, skekGra reached toward him and moved some of the hair away from his face. He looked down into the eyes filled with love, both from himself and toward him. They were always somewhat darker than his own and more full, but now the remnants of tears made them much more visible in the hardly lit room. The look was one of fading fear, and increasing comfort and love.
"You're always safe here. I'll always make sure. I love you so much.."
Part of his beak was almost touching part of urGoh's face. He seemed to be just as helped by the few but very important words skekGra spoke to him as was hoped for. After he replied. "Love.. you.. too...", a similar, but much deeper purr could be heard, accompanying the residual one skekGra had. His eyes became much less wide, finally feeling safer and more comforted by the warming pair of arms that held him and refused to let go.
They fell asleep like that again, and their tails were still tangled together.