05-16-2018, 11:26 PM
hold me in this wild, wild world
'cause in your warmth I forget how cold it can be
'cause in your warmth I forget how cold it can be
He doesn’t remember, if Hod had been blind when they’d met before. They’d been a little more focused on surviving the storms ravaging their island home; Hod had been a young man then, and Brennen remembers little except worrying about his companion who was soaked and bleeding when he found the cave where the general had already been sheltering. His focus had been on trying to get the other stallion warm and dry, and anyway it had been quite dark with the clouds obscuring all of Ischia’s beautiful tropical sunshine. Today in the bright day it is hard to miss, but it doesn’t seem to be inhibiting Hod any.
It does, however, mean than his humble nod and flicker of a smile isn’t enough thanks for the congratulations the gray offers: he wouldn’t be able to see either of those things. So Brennen adds a murmur of thanks, though the words feel unfamiliar on his tongue because the unspoken thanks is by far more natural to him. Hod’s next words, though, are not as easy to gloss over. He introduces the mare first, and Brennen gives that personage a friendly nod before turning his attention back to Hod’s other words, requesting that they be allowed to stay, though it does not sound as if either intend to join the Brotherhood.
The mare laughs gently after Hod has spoken, and speaks herself, and he turns his honey-brown eyes to her once more, for after all Hod probably does not care where Brennen is looking. The words themselves cause a surge of irritation to rise in his chest; he is quite tired of being treated as if he, too, is not a long-time resident of Ischia in the words and jibes offered to him. Brennen had arrived here at the same time as Circinae, after all, and even little Kylin who had been born here had barely a year or two of time beyond that, and that as a child. But he is careful not to let any of his annoyance show in his face or eyes - his expression stays politely impassive, as the mare continues speaking.
As usual, his patience pays off, because her continued words redeem her a great amount in his opinion as she speaks of helping to protect the Brothers, presumably should a threat come from the water. A rash man would have spoken sharply about the things she had said that annoyed him, but that man would not have heard all of what she had to say. He must admit that he understands some of the Ischians feeling a little unsure with the way Brennen had turned their world on edge, and he can’t blame them for some lingering irritation or uncertainty of their own. The words that form now feel like deja vu, for it seems he has just finished having this very conversation with the shy Kylin.
“As long as you mean the Brotherhood no harm,” he says solemnly, “I would not ask you to leave the islands where you, too, have made your home.” Brennen-the-King argues that he should do just that; remove all of those unwilling to bind themselves to the order from the islands and force them to find succor elsewhere. But Brennen-the-father remembers a younger Hod, and even the brief few minutes when the near-stranger had been shivering beside him in a storm Brennen feared would swallow the world once more had left an impression, and on top of that he still remembers Circinae with some fondness. “We will not tell you that you cannot stay, as semi-permanent visitors. But the right to be regarded as full citizens of Ischia now is reserved for those men and women willing to swear their oaths as part of the Brotherhood. If either or both of you are interested in that, we would welcome you to our ranks with open arms and open hearts.”
They seem more inclined to simply exist in the water together, which Brennen will respect if they so choose but he cannot understand. The Brotherhood gave a long-ago pegasus child meaning and purpose where he had none; it had sheltered him in the worst of times and celebrated with him in the best. The time from the destruction of his Tundra to the Brotherhood’s reformation a year ago had been some of the darkest hours of his long life, and he cannot imagine a life where he would not choose to pledge himself to his Brothers and receive their loyalty in return, even if he had to move heaven and hell to reforge the order. A little coup had been nothing, compared to what he had been prepared to do to win his people a homeland.
It does, however, mean than his humble nod and flicker of a smile isn’t enough thanks for the congratulations the gray offers: he wouldn’t be able to see either of those things. So Brennen adds a murmur of thanks, though the words feel unfamiliar on his tongue because the unspoken thanks is by far more natural to him. Hod’s next words, though, are not as easy to gloss over. He introduces the mare first, and Brennen gives that personage a friendly nod before turning his attention back to Hod’s other words, requesting that they be allowed to stay, though it does not sound as if either intend to join the Brotherhood.
The mare laughs gently after Hod has spoken, and speaks herself, and he turns his honey-brown eyes to her once more, for after all Hod probably does not care where Brennen is looking. The words themselves cause a surge of irritation to rise in his chest; he is quite tired of being treated as if he, too, is not a long-time resident of Ischia in the words and jibes offered to him. Brennen had arrived here at the same time as Circinae, after all, and even little Kylin who had been born here had barely a year or two of time beyond that, and that as a child. But he is careful not to let any of his annoyance show in his face or eyes - his expression stays politely impassive, as the mare continues speaking.
As usual, his patience pays off, because her continued words redeem her a great amount in his opinion as she speaks of helping to protect the Brothers, presumably should a threat come from the water. A rash man would have spoken sharply about the things she had said that annoyed him, but that man would not have heard all of what she had to say. He must admit that he understands some of the Ischians feeling a little unsure with the way Brennen had turned their world on edge, and he can’t blame them for some lingering irritation or uncertainty of their own. The words that form now feel like deja vu, for it seems he has just finished having this very conversation with the shy Kylin.
“As long as you mean the Brotherhood no harm,” he says solemnly, “I would not ask you to leave the islands where you, too, have made your home.” Brennen-the-King argues that he should do just that; remove all of those unwilling to bind themselves to the order from the islands and force them to find succor elsewhere. But Brennen-the-father remembers a younger Hod, and even the brief few minutes when the near-stranger had been shivering beside him in a storm Brennen feared would swallow the world once more had left an impression, and on top of that he still remembers Circinae with some fondness. “We will not tell you that you cannot stay, as semi-permanent visitors. But the right to be regarded as full citizens of Ischia now is reserved for those men and women willing to swear their oaths as part of the Brotherhood. If either or both of you are interested in that, we would welcome you to our ranks with open arms and open hearts.”
They seem more inclined to simply exist in the water together, which Brennen will respect if they so choose but he cannot understand. The Brotherhood gave a long-ago pegasus child meaning and purpose where he had none; it had sheltered him in the worst of times and celebrated with him in the best. The time from the destruction of his Tundra to the Brotherhood’s reformation a year ago had been some of the darkest hours of his long life, and he cannot imagine a life where he would not choose to pledge himself to his Brothers and receive their loyalty in return, even if he had to move heaven and hell to reforge the order. A little coup had been nothing, compared to what he had been prepared to do to win his people a homeland.
hold me in this wild, wild world
and in your heat I feel how cold it can get
and in your heat I feel how cold it can get
BRENNEN