"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
I V A R i'll use you as a makeshift gauge of how much to give and how much to take
When Ivar calls out, he does not expect anyone to answer.
The endless hills of Loess are heavily populated by fauna, but little of it is the equine kind. The most frequent tracks are Ivar’s – daily patrols around the central parts of the kingdom, less frequent rounds of the very edges of the border. @[Castile] will come, he thinks, maybe @[Rey], @[Zhenga] if she is still visiting, @[Faer]. A few others inhabit the rocky slopes, infrequently seen but still a part of the kingdom that Ivar had sworn to protect. He’d been the general of a non-existent army, and now he is the king of an empty kingdom.
The sea has never called to him so loudly.
And yet…he lingered.
He is here now, standing on stony outcropping and calling everyone in hearing distance, beckoning them to come, to gather, to hear a ruler speak. Heda was never cut out to rule. She was soft, sweet, and gentle. Kind to a fault, and unwilling to stoop to the cruelty and violence that had been foisted upon her as a monarch. Relieving her had been quick decision on his part, and it is only later that the realization of what he had committed to truly sinks in.
That is why he has called this meeting, after all.
It is the first summoning of the entirety of Loess since Heda had placed her claim nearly three years earlier.
kelpie mimicry | dragon scales | tactile hypnosis
reply ic or ooc if your character is here so i can update the board, please
It had been well over a year since he had seen the kingdom he called home stir with fresh and new activity. Ivar's call is what seems to awaken Loess and with the awakening the gentle giant is drawn into the open and towards it's lingering tune. With bright eyes and eager steps the large and heavily muscled flea bitten gray makes his way quickly towards Ivar's location.
He is eager to see why the black and white male is calling them. Maybe they finally were going to do something interesting! Something that would pick up the activity and help them to enjoy their time more within their home. For so long Heda had been gone and he honestly missed the kind queen - though where she had gone off to Edonis wasn't entirely sure.
Before long he found his way to Ivar, and he quickly takes in the fact that Heda is not with him and for a moment a look of confusion passes over his features. A fleeting moment of sadness passes through him when he realizes what is happening and when he comes to a stop infront of the other he remains temporarily silent. Now was not the time to bring up Heda. He would allow Ivar to do that if he so desired.
It's after a few moments that he speaks up, his voice floating between him and the new king. "Hello, I'm Edonis," he introduces himself softly. "I am here to serve Loess faithfully and loyally as it has been my home for quite some time. I hope you will have me." A soft smile follows his words and he waits for what Ivar may have to say.
EDONIS fleabitten gray cross stallion the gentle giant of loess
Edonis would enjoy being a diplomat since he is the gentle giant type.
Castile doesn’t race to the sound of his friend’s call like most would. It piques his attention, no doubt, but he hesitates as his mismatched gaze roves across the hills of Loess, searching for an answer, a purpose. What lies in wait upon Ivar’s beckoning is a concluding decision as to where he will focus and what he will do. It’s a moment of commitment that, for some odd reason, sends a shiver through him. Not once has he ever had a true obligation or a responsibility that would hold him down. Life thus far has been fairly open and free. Isobell is bound to Nerine, Ivar to Loess, and Amet to Hyaline.
Then, there is Castile the nomad.
A breath gives rise to his barrel before he decides to heed his friend and join the increasing congregation. There is no grand entrance for him, no loud announcement of his arrival. Instead, he placidly slinks in and takes a place farther in the back where wandering eyes will be less likely to find him. With Ivar leading a silence until they’ve arrived, Castile continues it by not uttering a word, but simply meeting his friend’s gaze and nodding his head.
11-03-2017, 06:48 PM (This post was last modified: 11-04-2017, 08:34 AM by Heda.)
Heda
She's there, standing aside from the other residents, hidden. Afraid of what they may think of her now, afraid, cowardice, ignorant, dishonest. If anything she had been all of those things, she hadn't kept her promise for them, that she would bring them protection, if anything she painted a target on their backs during her reign. And now hopefully they would be freed from being sheep amongst wolves, at least she hoped stepping down would wash away that paint.
So she stands, behind them, quietly inching forward trying not to draw any attention to herself as she nears them. Her gaze lifted to Ivar with gratitude, this man was her savior, truly her prince charming. Not even a thousand thank yous could make up to what had done for her by taking over the throne, and saving her people. It was true only in her final moments as queen had she realized that this was not the life she was equipped for, she was a bystander even as a queen, and now here she is being her true self.
So as she finds her way into the meeting, golden body glistening in the sunlight, it was obvious by now that she had been spotted by all, the fallen queen amongst her own people. Her hazel gaze lifts to Ivar, her body tenses growing afraid of what her own people must think of her now. And with a hesitant steps, she makes her way towards him for comfort taking her place beside him. She brushes her muzzle across his shoulder, in a quick sign of affection. And in a low murmur under her breath, she thanks him. "Thank you, my love." And then she's silent, awaiting to hear what he has to say to his new Kingdom.
I V A R i'll use you as a makeshift gauge of how much to give and how much to take
Imperial is the first to arrive, reminding Ivar of the issue in Sylva that still requires their attention. He is reluctant to return to the autumn kingdom so quickly, but such are the burdens that he has so recently accepted. Next to come is a flea-bitten grey stallion that Ivar recognizes from a distance, and he offers the other male a polite bob of his head in greeting. He introduces himself as Edonis and offers to serve the kingdom. Ivar responds with a warmer smile now, encouraged by this new shift in the involvement of Loess’ inhabitants.
“I’d be glad to have you.” He replies, lacking the royal we that might be expected. Rey comes too, and Ivar meets her doll-like gaze for a moment too long. She’s much less of a child than he remembers, but he cannot linger overlong, as Castile arrives next and Ivar must look away. The other piebald is quiet, so Ivar only offers him a nod of greeting.
Heda slips up from the back, and Ivar, surprised to see her, cannot take his eyes from her until she takes a place beside him. It is not so different as time before, when they had faced troubles together. She is a bit behind him now, rather than the other way around.
If anything, his desire for her is all the stronger now with the reversal in power. The kelpie relishes control, but he has always been careful with Heda. She is as important as she is fragile; nowhere else could he find a woman with the ability to fill him with emotions he cannot produce on his own. She is loyal and faithful and kind, and Ivar will not tire of playing his role of devoted lover. The scaled stallion’s dalliances do nothing to weaken his interest in the buckskin mare; he could have one hundred mares and still return to Heda’s side to sleep.
He does look down to her beside him once she has settled, acknowledging her place behind him without open affection. He does not need to show that, he reasons, not when the smooth fall of her navy mane is the only thing hiding his mark of claim on her withers. She is his, his to own, his to protect and keep safe, just like the kingdom now.
“Thank you all for coming,” he says to the assembled crowd. “I’d like to get the diplomatic minutia of a change in leadership out of the way quickly. Are there any volunteers to spread the word to the rest of the kingdoms? Preferences on which kingdom you go to?” The ability to delegate is the most vital skill of a leader; that has been drilled into his head by his mother since birth. The more you delegate, the less responsibility remains on you.
The tactic had worked well for Djinni, who never wanted to do anything at all. Perhaps it will work for Ivar as well, who would rather spend his time on other pursuits.
“I’d also like to appoint a General and an Ambassador fairly soon, so they can take over the roles of protecting this place and keeping us connected to the other lands. Does anyone wish to be considered?”
Zhenga is still here, and happy to be. She's been trained in both diplomatic policies and warfare, but she tends to lean more towards fighting and helping to defend the kingdom with her hooves since she was trained by her dam who was an experienced war horse. She'd prefer that rather than using her words since she's a bit brash and often speaks before she thinks things through.
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