08-31-2019, 06:40 PM
As he'd done with Wolfbane, Aten settled in to listen to Lepis' own history, cocking one leg but keeping his eyes on her to show his attention was still on her alone. Perhaps his relaxed stance would do some good in helping the mare feel comfortable, so she in turn would give him more of the information he sought.
The mare's eyes went skyward as she began her tale, speaking of her birth in Loess and how she was handled the mantle of Princess-to-be-Queen from the day she'd been foaled. Aten could see why she did not wish for the same burden for her own foals, even if he could not understand her plight. She had been raised by her dam and uncle, who had also helped temper her during her rule. She spoke of a stallion she'd loved and how he gave her a kingdom to express such emotions before...
Aten shuddered at the mention of what Modicum had done to the mare in front of him. His blood began to boil at the mere thought of taking a mare by force, without a shred of her permission to indicate she was okay with the matter. Even though Aten and Lewis were not close friends yet, he swore that, if he ever did come across Modicum one day, he would...
No, he could not allow his thoughts to become consumed by revenge. He would deal with that matter later, perhaps if he ever did run into Modicum. But for now, he would hold his tongue. It was not his business anyway; if Lepis wanted to confront him in the future, that was a fight she had to handle herself.
Aten would just have a few choice words for Modicum himself.
Next came the portion of her history where she met Wolfbane and how he saved her. Aten could sympathize with that; he'd been saved, even though it hadn't been a loved one. Taiga had saved him too, knowing that his home had been restored helped stitch together one of the scars in Aten's bleeding heart.
Aten did indeed know of Lepis' loss of her youngest colt; it no doubt had been hard on them. Aten imagined his dam had felt the same way when she and Aten got separated, even though he had tried to find her among Beqanna's chaos after the Reckoning. Aten did have to wonder why she had chosen Taiga as her place instead of another more fortified land, but perhaps that was the point?
To build a kingdom from the ground up as he'd been trying to do, to show that she could rise from nothing and defeat the demons that had tried to beat her down?
The stallion wrapped his mind around everything she had told him so far; it seemed to satisfy his questions, but he didn't think that was everything. There had to be something else clouding her heart, twisting the knife into the bleeding wounds. But what exactly was it?
Did it have something to do with her son? Surely the pain of just losing him, of wanting to prevent others from suffering the same, couldn't be all of it. That seemed like a justified reason, but he didn't know one individual who did anything sheerly out of pain...
There had to be more...
"Forgive me for overstepping a boundary if I do with this," he began. "I won't lie and say I understand what you have been through... perhaps my own dam could, but not I. I have felt pain and loss, but not that of a foal of my own blood...
"I commend Wolfbane for saving you from the shadows, and the strength you have in each other after Gale's death... but I can't help but feel..."
There was no turning back after this... should he do it?
"I do not know an individual, any horse, who has done something purely out of the pain that grew in their hearts," his eyes softened ever so slightly, his eyes still on hers, "Pain is a powerful motivator, and it can lead to revenge, but I do not see you as the type to make that your only goal. Is there something else that has birthed in your heart to why you decided to go through all of this in honor of your colt? Of why you want to prevent the pain of others, to save those like Gail so they don't experience the loss of a foal?"
OOC: Essentially, Aten is trying to figure out if her motivation is through guilt; Lepis experienced a lot of pain, he realizes, but he figures that the pain she feels isn't all that pushes her.
The mare's eyes went skyward as she began her tale, speaking of her birth in Loess and how she was handled the mantle of Princess-to-be-Queen from the day she'd been foaled. Aten could see why she did not wish for the same burden for her own foals, even if he could not understand her plight. She had been raised by her dam and uncle, who had also helped temper her during her rule. She spoke of a stallion she'd loved and how he gave her a kingdom to express such emotions before...
Aten shuddered at the mention of what Modicum had done to the mare in front of him. His blood began to boil at the mere thought of taking a mare by force, without a shred of her permission to indicate she was okay with the matter. Even though Aten and Lewis were not close friends yet, he swore that, if he ever did come across Modicum one day, he would...
No, he could not allow his thoughts to become consumed by revenge. He would deal with that matter later, perhaps if he ever did run into Modicum. But for now, he would hold his tongue. It was not his business anyway; if Lepis wanted to confront him in the future, that was a fight she had to handle herself.
Aten would just have a few choice words for Modicum himself.
Next came the portion of her history where she met Wolfbane and how he saved her. Aten could sympathize with that; he'd been saved, even though it hadn't been a loved one. Taiga had saved him too, knowing that his home had been restored helped stitch together one of the scars in Aten's bleeding heart.
Aten did indeed know of Lepis' loss of her youngest colt; it no doubt had been hard on them. Aten imagined his dam had felt the same way when she and Aten got separated, even though he had tried to find her among Beqanna's chaos after the Reckoning. Aten did have to wonder why she had chosen Taiga as her place instead of another more fortified land, but perhaps that was the point?
To build a kingdom from the ground up as he'd been trying to do, to show that she could rise from nothing and defeat the demons that had tried to beat her down?
The stallion wrapped his mind around everything she had told him so far; it seemed to satisfy his questions, but he didn't think that was everything. There had to be something else clouding her heart, twisting the knife into the bleeding wounds. But what exactly was it?
Did it have something to do with her son? Surely the pain of just losing him, of wanting to prevent others from suffering the same, couldn't be all of it. That seemed like a justified reason, but he didn't know one individual who did anything sheerly out of pain...
There had to be more...
"Forgive me for overstepping a boundary if I do with this," he began. "I won't lie and say I understand what you have been through... perhaps my own dam could, but not I. I have felt pain and loss, but not that of a foal of my own blood...
"I commend Wolfbane for saving you from the shadows, and the strength you have in each other after Gale's death... but I can't help but feel..."
There was no turning back after this... should he do it?
"I do not know an individual, any horse, who has done something purely out of the pain that grew in their hearts," his eyes softened ever so slightly, his eyes still on hers, "Pain is a powerful motivator, and it can lead to revenge, but I do not see you as the type to make that your only goal. Is there something else that has birthed in your heart to why you decided to go through all of this in honor of your colt? Of why you want to prevent the pain of others, to save those like Gail so they don't experience the loss of a foal?"
OOC: Essentially, Aten is trying to figure out if her motivation is through guilt; Lepis experienced a lot of pain, he realizes, but he figures that the pain she feels isn't all that pushes her.