"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
Ivar had left for Nerine and Isobell, and what she assumed their child. But he had not only left Heda and her daughter, he had left an entire kingdom and it's residents without a ruler, or so they thought. But Heda's tyoung daughter was to be queen, but for now she was too youn to rule, she needed to learn diplomacy and war. Her daughter needed guidance. Heda and Castile would man the crown, and it was only right for the people of Loess to know of their king's leave, and for them to meet their young queen.
Accompanied by her young daughter tucked beneath her right wing, the two stand upon a high bluff overlooking the gorgeous kingdom. Then she calls them, all that remained of Ivar's pathetic herd, and the few that still resided in the crimson hilled kingdom. "People of Nerine, your beloved king, Ivar is gone." She states with a rather distasteful tone, as his name is released from her lips. "He left for Nerine to be with his newfound wife. But not to worry you have a new queen." Her wing lifts presenting her gorgeous daughter, Lepis, her chest filling with immense pride. "Meet Lepis, your new young queen. But for now, I, and Castile will lead as Regents until Lepis is of age to rule." Her gaze is unwavered, as she meets every face before her.
She knows she has a mother who loves her, and that they live in a wonderful land. She has spent these first few weeks of her life exploring a kingdom filled with stunning vistas and breathtaking flora. Under the watchful eye of her mother, the dun filly has poked her navy blue nose into the hot springs (and come out snorting!), and has teased the slow moving sloths from the safety of the ground.
Her life is idyllic, and when Mother tells her that it is time to go somewhere, Lepis follows without question. She does pull herself away from the shelter of Heda's wind rather quickly; she is eager to see who might be coming. She has not met anyone else in her short life, and the concept of strangers is a thrilling one.
Mother addresses the people of Nerine and then then tells them that Ivar (whoever that is) has left for Nerine. Lepis' pale face crinkles in confusion; she does not know much, but that doesn't quite make sense. Wouldn't he be here, then? Is this Nerine? She thought Mother had called it Loess?
That doesn't matter, she decides, it's time for Mother to introduce her! Lepis steps forward, her tiny little head held high like Mother's. She looks for @[Castile], who Heda calls a regent, and then looks out to the rest of the assembled horses, noting that they are all very tall like Mother.
Why am I so small?, Lepis wonders as her mother conducts kingdom business.
@[Err body that lives in Loess]
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He never expected this, never wanted this. Mother and Isobell were the ones that had a way with command; Castile mirrors his father in preferring the dark corners where he can simply breathe in the beauty of the world.
It was too uncomfortable to turn down his friend, to impede on a life that Ivar wanted with Isobell. With a heavy, somewhat reluctant sigh, Castile accepted but cringed at the idea of responsibility immediately settling across his shoulders.
His nomadic days have concluded.
Castile stands atop a knoll, a sentinel guarding his post, as the autumnal breeze whips through his unruly locks. His somber gaze sweeps back and forth, his ears swiveling to hear what he cannot see. Since Ivar’s phasing out, Loess has quieted – he was the lifeline of this kingdom – and the unnerving fear of failure wracks through Castile’s bones. His breaths maintain their steadiness despite the reeling of his thoughts and hammering of his heart. A child is their Queen, but her demands are disregarded by the outside world – scoffed at by those older – but Castile and Heda are to stand in her place until the appropriate time (or so he assumes). He’s yet to meet them, but the iron tang of blood in the air hints that the time is fast approaching.
Unwilling to witness the delivery, Castile bides his time before scaling more rocky posts until he has arrived at the sides of mother and child. His mismatched eyes drink in the sight of them, noting their similar features until he finally introduces himself before the herd arrives. ”Hello,” he begins, uncertain as to how it should be breached, assuming they already know of him. ”I’m Castile. I guess Ivar told you the plan with me?” His wings shuffle at his sides, willing away his rising embarrassment.
The air was charged with emotion at the meeting that all of the residence of Leoss had been called to. The appaloosa mare took a moment to note who had shown up, and who had chosen to slink away into hiding. She did not see her friend Ickor at the meeting and a mild note of disappointment rose and then fell. A winged mare stood above the throng of horses and looked down. Kindred could not help the feeling of being slightly judged that peaked in her. She had grown accustomed to meeting others eye to eye and not having to look up to them. She shrugged off these concerns letting them fall and die in the meadow of her mind.
The winged mare started to speak and somewhere in the crowd the name Heda was uttered. Kindred listened as Heda spoke to them of Ivar’s absence and apparent leaving of the kingdom. So, was this the reason that the air felt so heavy with emotion and tension? Was Heda jealous of Ivar’s new wife? Or, was she more worried for the kingdom he had left behind? The mother lifted her wing then as she spoke about a new queen to reveal the filly at her side. Kindred shifted her weight and rolled her hip a bit as she thought, ‘ Ah so that's how the line of succession works. And, that child is blessed to have caring regents to guide her.’
She found herself allowing her eyes to travel to the child at Heda’s side and then to the stallion that had joined the two on the knoll. The stallion must have been the Castile that Heda had mentioned. The appaloosa mare swung her tail slowly from one side to the other as there seemed to be introductions happening up on that lofty over look. The wall eyed mare looked again to those gathered at the low open field. She wondered if she should be saying something or offering something to these ‘Regents’ but, instead she stayed silent and was at a loss of what to do with herself now.
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