"But the dream, the echo, slips from him as quickly as he had found it and as consciousness comes to him (a slap and not the gentle waves of oceanic tides), it dissolves entirely. His muscles relax as the cold claims him again, as the numbness sets in, and when his grey eyes open, there’s nothing but the faint after burn of a dream often trod and never remembered." --Brigade, written by Laura
Okay, I think I've waited long enough that everyone who knew me is probably dead. Except Texas, but I doubt he remembers a graceless filly with oversized white wings visiting his kingdom.
I skirt the kingdoms that hold no interest for me, doing lazy flyovers and making mental calculations. The Chamber is out of the question; those guys are fucked up. I like fun, but there's a limit, right? And the Valley is, well, they have always been the Chamber with wings so that's a no, too. The Gates, from what I've gathered, has recently been ransacked and the Deserts is ruled by a mare who is so pretty the sun wants to explode with envy. Sooo, that's a no, too. Beautiful women intimidate me. I mean, they also turn me on, but more so they intimidate me.
Which leaves the Dale and the Falls.
(The Field is not my style. That place is a fucking meat market. I'll go there for entertainment, like it's a pub one visits after a concert, but that's it.)
I decide to visit the Falls first because, well, I don't have a good reason and I've been flying for hours and it's probably about time I proved I know how to interact with others.
To be honest, I can't remember the last time I spoke out loud to someone other than myself. And although I am fairly certain that isn't something one forgets, for all I know the first sounds out of my throat will be a croak instead of a greeting.
I land just within the borders, trying to appear non-threatening. Luckily, stereotypes are always in full force and a pretty, long legged mare is still seen as more of a princess than a conqueror these days. Plus the Falls doesn't strike me as a kingdom that would tear someone's head out with at least telling them why.
I know next to nothing about the state of the Falls these days. I once called it home, ages and ages ago, although some days it feels like yesterday. Immortality can suck, but it does have its perks. One of which is my body is frozen in the peak of health, so I look eternally young. I mean, you can't beat that for wooing ladies, right? I am a garish splash of white and black, with golden eyes and large white wings extending from my shoulders in an impressive wingspan. If you can pin down a breed, you'd win a prize, because I can't tell. Whatever else my mother and father were, they were both leggy and tall and I've inherited every bit of that.
I bury my nose in the snow, my wings tucked up against my sides, enjoying the feeling of being alive again. Perhaps this time around I can have some fun, rather than being constrained by the notions of royalty. After all, no one remembers a mouthy mare named Tisiphone.
Long legs or no, Tiberios has just about had it with the blatant disregard for borders in his kingdom. He’s not surprised the Falls is half-dead, what with everyone coming as they please. When he eyes the winged mare soaring low over the edge of the kingdom, he picks himself clear of an outcropping of woodland and stretches his white splashed legs into a lengthy trot to intercept her. She drifts right into his home, making herself comfortable and no doubt coming with the idea that the Falls will welcome her intrusion with a smile. She was wrong.
“I’m assuming you’ve come to pledge yourself to my kingdom, because only someone who wanted to become a member would have the actual gall to disregard these borders.” He says to her, eyes hardening as he draws himself up. His ears fall, nostrils flaring wide while his tail lashes against his sides. The time of neutral peace has passed, and she’ll not be the first to feel the sting of the new order. The Falls was no longer Beqanna’s welcome mat, and if it took one to make an example of this, Tiberios would be sure it was an example no one would forget.
“Make your intentions very clear and very quick, or get out.” He says, his voice dipping into a dangerously low tone.
My mother would have arranged for his untimely death. My father would have been staunchly diplomatic.
Me? I laugh, despite my best efforts to remain serious.
I mean, c'mon, who pissed in his cheerios?
"You do realize the border is literally right there, mate?" I point a dark colored nose over my shoulder. "As in, one more step and I'd be over it. If you want to fight me for a few feet I overshot when I landed you're totally welcome to. It wouldn't be the stupidest fight I've ever been in."
Nope. That was over an apple.
It's not that I'm eager to fight, but I'm not afraid of tussling. And I know he's being very intimidating which I suppose is all well and good if you're defending your home, but I'd kind of like him to catalogue all the reasons he thinks I'm going to attack this place. Maybe he sees something here worth being idiotic over because I sure as hell don't. The place is dead.
I am mildly surprised considering the Falls is usually a cheery place. Has Beqanna changed that much? I can't say I mind. Being boringly kind to every person to cross your borders had to get old after awhile.
I stifle my laughter, although it still shows as merriment in my gold eyes. This one may make my decision of Dale or Falls easier than I thought. I'd hate to leave here when I've already made such a good friend.
"By your kingdom I assume you must be the king. As for my intentions, and gods, who uses language like that anymore? Hell. My intentions are a place to crash, not literally, and maybe to be of some use. Although that's debatable."
I feel like asking him if he's always so pissed off. I don't, because there seems to be a shred of consideration left in my body. Instead I wait, unconcerned, my wings tucked tight against the cold.
Youth is somewhat taxing. On the one hand, you have the energy and bravado to face anything that comes your way with the false idea that you can somehow overcome or defeat it. On the other hand, you have an almost unlimited supply of stupidity that goes along with thinking you’re invincible. He can see this mix clearly in the painted mare, and her blasé reply only elicits the tilt of his head while his eyes narrow with an unspoken really?. He exhales, focusing then on the empty air between them where instantaneously he conjures a single blue flame. Though it’s rather unimpressive, the heat it generates is still incredible.
“See this flame?” He says, speaking to her like a reprimanding father. “Right now, it’s in the safe area between us, just hovering there, not annoying anything or anyone. But,” He quips, and then the flame is gone, re-appearing inches from her supple nose. “If I move it to the border of your face and open space, it’s gathering attention - without hurting you.” He explains, putting emphasis on the word ‘without’. The flame snuffs out then, leaving no smoke trail or indication that it was ever there, besides perhaps a rather warm area on her nostrils. “If I move it only one or two more inches though …” He says, trailing off while his shoulders roll in a bored shrug.
“Then somebody gets hurt.” He ends, eyes piercing her own. “Get it?” He asks, “Good.” He turns away from her then, finding her presence already a bit too irritating for him to handle in large doses. He doesn’t ask her to follow or come along, because he assumes she’ll do whatever she wants anyways. And in his book, everyone gets one free pass as being a complete idiot. So this was her’s. She’s speaking again though, and he peers back to look at her with mild boredom. “Well then you’re useless to me if you’ve got nothing to offer. And in the same case you’re useless to any other kingdom. I’m not looking for a free-loader.”
His mouth twitches, and the usually reserved king mumbles under his breath something about how he already has plenty of those to go around. “However,” He begins, gathering his composure for a few more seconds, “If you actually want to do something with your life instead of being a nobody, then we can talk.” His face, turned away from her but not hidden, twitches with the hint of a smirk
Tiberios
