Chapter Text
It was making the two places one place, like a tree connecting the earth and the sky. Roots stretching toward the air, branches turning into the dirt.
– Maggie Stiefvater, Greywaren
Trees in your eyes… stars in your heart.
– Maggie Stiefvater, The Raven King
The whisper of the aspens is not drowned,
And over lightless pane and footless road,
Empty as sky, with every other sound
Not ceasing, calls their ghosts from their abode.
– Edward Thomas, Aspens
1
Richard Campbell Gansey III had been told countless times that he was destined for greatness. The words were passed casually over dinner by his parents’ friends, declared proudly by his high school teachers at Aglionby Academy, and echoed by his professors at Georgetown. They were whispered in his ear during his most lonely nights, when he was thousands of miles away from his family, but not away from home because what was home to Richard Gansey III, really?
Gansey had discovered his home in the small, quiet town of Henrietta and in the small, loud person of Blue Sargent, but he was still working on his destiny of greatness. He had unearthed a buried mirror of a Welsh king and then found the body of said king. He had sacrificed himself to save his home and his brother from being unmade and was reborn into something different, something more than human. To many people, this would constitute greatness, but to Gansey, he was just doing what was expected of him. Then he was brought back for a second time, and he really did not know why he should be given so many chances at life.
After spending the year after high school chained to trees, hiking up mountains, and descending into caves in the ground, Gansey continued to do what was expected of him and enrolled into the sociology program at Georgetown University. Of course, his parents had expected Princeton or Harvard or at least Yale, but they begrudgingly accepted his decision to attend Georgetown with his eccentric girlfriend. As soon as Gansey stepped onto campus, he once again became the prince among men, the elite golden child, the explorer with an astute knack for finding things. This innate ability to discover valuable, unique, amazing, hidden things served Gansey well in college. It instantly made him one of his professors’ favorite students, created interesting academic projects and papers that earned awards and accolades at conferences, and led to him and Blue planning a trip to Utah for spring break.
“Jane, do you happen to know the whereabouts of my aquamarine polo?” Gansey asked, placing his folded clothes into his luggage.
“I told you already that I haven’t seen that monstrosity for a few days now,” Blue called back from their bedroom. “Are you sure it didn’t get caught in the dryer?”
Placing a mint leaf from his pocket into his mouth, Gansey searched the corners of the room, sweeping his eyes across the piles of books and crafting materials strewn over the couch, side table, and bookshelves that made up their living room. As he picked up Blue’s most recent crocheted venture which was either a very big hat, a many layered shirt, or an impractical pair of long johns, his phone began to ring.
“Hey,” Gansey placed the phone between his ear and shoulder as he placed Blue’s art project down to move a big pile of books. “Ronan said you would be busy until this evening. Are you already finished with classes?”
Adam’s slightly accented voice could be heard distantly replying over the phone. “Yeah, I’m driving to the Barns now. Are you and Blue still staying the night?”
“That’s the plan, if it’s still alright with Ronan. Do you know if his - if the -,” Gansey faltered. “How am I supposed to refer to the dreamt copy of one’s father and the original inspiration for their dream mother?”
“I normally just stick with their names,” Adam said, wryly. “But no, I don’t think they’re there right now. Do you need me to get anything from the store for your night here? You know Ronan knows shit about nutritional needs.”
“Much to Jane’s chagrin, I was going to pick up pizza from Nino’s,” Gansey replied, rifling through the dryer with one hand to search for his shirt. “We have a Nino’s here, but it’s not the same as Henrietta’s.”
“I forgot that you and Ronan both know shit about nutritional needs,” Adam said. “Good luck managing Blue’s rage when she realizes what the dinner plans are.”
“I feel I’m fairly practiced in managing her rage, but I’ll let you know if you should send in reinforcements once we get there.” Gansey grabbed his phone from where it was resting between his shoulder and cheek. “We’ll see you shortly. Drive safely.”
Ducking his head back into the dryer, Gansey caught sight of his shirt and was about to grab it when he heard a disgruntled voice behind him, causing him to startle and hit his head.
“What the hell do you mean by ‘manage her rage’? And don’t you even think about forcing me into Nino’s today. You’re going in by yourself,” Blue said, over his left shoulder.
Rubbing the crown of his head, Gansey called after Blue as she made her way to the kitchen. “I figured you would want to see your old coworkers again!”
“Well, think again, Dick Gansey. Hurry up and grab that shirt so we can leave.”