"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
11-30-2017, 05:24 PM (This post was last modified: 12-01-2017, 02:07 PM by Solace.)
Solace
Solace stands before the endless ocean, a girl, a caretaker, a Queen.
Icy fingers of wind tear greedily at the dark tendrils of her mane and her pale coat is covered with a thin lace-like layer of salt. The pale gold along her topline seems to nearly glow in the hazy pre-dawn light. Spring has blossomed in the sheltered inner basin of the kingdom, but along the exposed western coast a northern gale whips up a froth atop the grey waves.
The North Wind brings change - she can nearly hear her mother's reverent voice between the hiss of the waves, and for once, Tangerine would have been right.
The young mare had spent her first night as Caretaker on the secluded western side of her home, alone. But now, the indigo sky is lightening to pale grey and she is ready to begin her first full day as Hyaline’s new leader.
Solace turns south to walk along the beach towards the river delta, where she plans to follow it east into the heart of the kingdom. But before she gets very far movement catches her attention, causing her to halt. Her pale brow furrows and she looks inquisitively at the spot, unsure if she should investigate or leave the waking creature be.
11-30-2017, 07:27 PM (This post was last modified: 12-03-2017, 02:57 PM by Diable Rouge.)
Diable Rouge
>
All that is left of his previous life is memories. His mother's russet skin, her dazzling hazel eyes. Kaiode's dark pelt and swiveling ears, the way he frolicked about without a care in the world. The way he and the twins played.
The twins.
Solace.
Seasons changed and the Beqanna he had first traveled to was a much different one. Change was part of life, he knew that, but it didn't settle the twisting feeling in his stomach or the unease of his mind. With his world being turned upside-down around him, he figured this was as good a time as any to do something he had put off for way too long.
So he leaves Phoebus in the loving, protective care of his mother, and journeys across dark forests, vast planes, and treacherous waters until he reaches it.
Hyaline.
Word traveled fast to Tephra (where an alliance was made with the mountain herd) that Amet had taken his leave as its Caretaker. In his place, Solace was to become leader; although she was not his own, he felt a deep sense of pride in his chest. Making things right was much less of a want, but rather, a need. Especially now, with Gryffen's army ever-growing and Ellyse still searching for an Overseer of Tephra...he had to let her know he wasn't angry at her.
He never had been.
The mountain comes alive with spring - the colorful trees soak up the warmth of the sun's rays, enjoying every second of it. The lake glistens, crystal clear and beautiful. He knows the little light should be around here somewhere...anywhere. He is hidden in the trees without actually trying to be, and as his good eye scans the surrounding area, it takes him but a moment to spot her.
Grown. He had missed so much of her childhood wallowing in his own pity, and now here she is, a young mare, no longer the filly he knew. But, he knew it was her; how could he forget her skin of gold and her sapphire streaked mane? She is staring where he had been a moment before, and with a deep breath, he reveals himself.
"The little light..." He mutters, voice trailing. "She isn't so little anymore." He does not approach any closer, he simply faces her. He swallows the lump in his throat, the only thing keeping the tears at bay. He wondered if she would even remember him...
"Solace...can we talk?"
in the eye of a hurricane, there is quiet.
@[Solace] Hope it's okay he came to visit. It's long overdue!
12-01-2017, 02:06 PM (This post was last modified: 12-01-2017, 03:20 PM by Solace.)
Solace
Ash, hibiscus, loam - the scent of Tepra reaches her before she sees him. Under the heavy spices of her former home, the hidden figure's personal scent is obscured and she can only guess which man of the volcanic island has come to see her.
The mustang who reveals himself is not Smoak, as her heart had briefly hoped it would be - it is her third parent, the stallion who had been a fixture in her life and then simply disappeared. Not that she had blamed him, she understood his pain in a way that few could. He knew the secret which only her family knew about her, not even Smoak knew the full truth of what had happened that day.
He had found her, come just in time to tell her truth to Aemt and the Hyalinean residents - to tell them what they deserve to know. But first, he came to her (he always had been a kind soul) to warn her so she may flee her kingdom - or at least face the charges and their judgment with a solemnly bowed head instead of wide-eyes and hot tears.
The little light
Her pet nickname falling from his lips causes tears to sting her eyes, emotions she had long ago buried threaten to close her throat. Solace had planned on never speaking of that aweful day again.
Her light had been what killed Kaiode.
"I'm so sorry," she chokes -it's all she can manage. Rou had deserved to hear those words from her long before now.
Let him tell Amet the truth, she had no right to stop him. Once Amet knew how she had killed her adopted brother he would take back the crown that shouldn't even be hers to begin with.
Taking a life should require penance, and she had been made to pay none.
12-03-2017, 02:58 PM (This post was last modified: 12-03-2017, 02:59 PM by Diable Rouge.)
Diable Rouge
>
Panicked eyes stare back at him, for just a moment. Although he cannot hear the thoughts racing through her head, her sapphire eyes give away the emotions. And then they shift suddenly, brimming with tears.
A strong mare with a broken heart, is what she had become. And maybe had he said something earlier, this could've been avoided.
But what do should-haves do? Warrick's words linger in his mind. Her father, finally back after a brief absence. He wondered if she even knew.
But that isn't what he's here for. And whatever she thinks he's here for isn't true either. Guilt clouds both their minds...and it didn't need to be this way.
Not anymore.
He shakes his head at her apology. "No, Solace. Do not apologize," he murmurs. He does not approach closer, although he'd like to. He remember the point in time when she was always close to him, and it makes his heart ache. "Solace. It wasn't your fault..." He chokes up. He tries to cough away the tears that will inevitably fall at the subject of Kaiode. "It was no ones fault." He presses his head to his chest, trying to hide those goddamn tears once more.
As Rou speaks Solace forgets that she is the Caretaker, she forgets everything except for the worst day of her life. A shuddering breath sakes the girls chest as she holds back the tears which threatened to overflow. Only he had the power grant absolution, he was the one she hurt most.
Her mother had tried, and Svedka had almost been successful, but she had only tucked those dark feelings down and away, not resolved them. She had never forgiven herself, she had only refused to think or speak of what she had done. Maybe it hadn't been intentional, but it had been stupid, careless, preventable.
Oh, if she had only been more careful!
And then he says words she had heard before, but they had been worthless in the mouth of any other than good, kind, Rou.
Now, they mean something.
"Don't apologize, Solace. It wasn't your fault..."
Hesitantly at first, and then with determination she closes the distance between them. Solace comes to stand alongside her once-guardian and leans her head against his neck in a familiar gesture. When she was younger her head had only reached his shoulder, but she takes comfort from the expression all the same.
It was still Rou - she still trusted him.
Like a child, she can find no words in her grief - grief that had been expertly suppressed. But as the tears begin to flow into his golden coat, she knows it will be the last time she cries for the brother she could never have saved. From now on she will only remember the beautiful six months they shared together, and with Rou's help, Solace absolves herself.
To his own surprise, Solace does not say another word. She does not disagree with him, she does not try to justify the feelings hidden so deep within her chest. No, instead, she comes close to him, bridging the gap between them (both emotional and physical). He delicate golden head rests on his neck, and she leans into him. He stands steady as he had when she was a child, letting her know that he is still there, and would be for as long as his life spanned.
Her tears are welcome; long too suppressed, the feelings inside them begin to come out. The rusty stallion allows himself to cry along with Solace, their tears a steady stream. He cries for Kaiode, the child he had lost too soon, but mostly he cries for lost time with Solace. Time he could've spent helping her heal, time wasted hiding himself away.
He stays like this for awhile, until there are no more tears left to be shed, and he is standing bleary-eyed with Solace. He has so much he wants to tell her.
"I've never stopped thinking of you, little light," He murmurs to her softly, spilling his feelings out to her. "Everyday you crossed my mind."
