"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
He traveled into Loess casually, he was here and there, exploring beqanna and talking to others. He spent time with his children, who were almost yearlings already! Time truly flew with children, but he had barely seen Rey or even Lepis. He swore he would never share his heart with another after Dacia took it but whenever he tried to ignore it Lepis came to his mind. He probably made a mistake as he should be expecting another foal this coming spring, but it was not with Lepis, it was with a mare who was in Loess at the time of his rule.
He set into Loess to find Lepis he missed her pale pelt, the blue that ran down her spine. She always knew what to say, he could not hide his emotions around her. He heard that she was doing big things in Loess, he could not be more proud, she would have made a great queen. She deserved to be a queen, the only reason he regrets stepping down is because she should have been given the thrown. She was so young when she did have it, had she had it now she would have done wonders with the kingdom.
She remained loyal to Loess, regardless the ruler, he only wondered if she remained loyal to him. She was beautiful, it was no secret, did she find another lover in his absence? Was there saving there relationship? Or was Lepis ready to cut it off completely, find a partner that she truly deserved, one who was devoted to her like she always dreamt of.
The crispness of the autumn air is refreshing. My buckskin coat steams in the pale morning light, and I can feel the rapidfire beating of my heart in my chest. I've just scaled a steep cliff face and stand atop a rocky hillock bathed in the pale rose gold of sunrise. My wings hang at my sides, but there is no longer and awkwardness in the way they hang. Indeed, I shake them out at the thought, and both settle neatly onto my sides. The bones, once mangled and broken, are fully healed.
I have not yet practiced flight, but my early morning climb has become something of a habit. With Delta weaned, I find myself with more free time than I'm accustomed to. Adding routine was my natural reaction to that, and as a result the body half-covered by feathered wings is growing visibly muscular. It is an odd sensation, being strong. It is better than fear though, and I am tired of fear.
Just as I begin to struggle with reining in my thoughts, I hear the sound of hooves. Turning away from the sunrise, I find Arthas standing nearby. The smile I greet him with comes without thought; it has been so long since I have seen him and I am genuinely glad to see his face. It's taken introspection (and I've had the time for it, at last), but I'm finally able to name the emotion I feel for the dapple grey stallion.
It's love. Warm and comforting and familiar, the same emotion that colors my memory of my mother and uncle. He feels like family, and I am grateful. I might have dreamed of fiery passionate love as a child, but wildfires are as dangerous as they are beautiful. With Arthas I have a fire enough to warm my heart, and the blue-grey of my eyes as I reach out to greet him.
"Arthas!" I say before I gently brush my nose against his in greeting. "I was just about to get a drink. Do you want to come with?" Taking a few steps forward, I am able to glance back at him over my shoulder. There's a playfulness in my long-lashed eyes despite the innocence of the question I ask. "What have you been up to lately?"
Lepis was no longer the young girl he met years ago, she was mature and seen a lot in her time at Sylva. Arthas is to blame, he wants to make her happy yet he can't settle down with her. He has no reason not....except fear. Fear of the unknown, or history to repeat itself..,But Lepis was not Dacia, Lepis was sweet and forgiving. Dacia only played games with his mind, but Lepis always came back.
Arthas was deep in thought but his head pricked to reality when he heard his name be called. It was none other than Lepis, a smile grew on his maw as she approached. The pale mare brushed her nose against his, he warmly leaned in. Her scent filled his nares, a comforting smell not like anything else. I was about to get a drink, do you want to come with? She asks, inviting him with her. sure he nods his head, agreeing like a young school boy.
He follows her lead, acompanying her, she looks back at him inquiring of what he has been up to. Taria flashes into his mind, a night that was pleasureable at the time, now seemed like a mistake. He kept messing up, his heart ached for Lepis, but he attempted to ignore it with other mares. He thought about telling her....but this just did not seem like the time to do it.
Here and there, spending some time with Delta and Mary he steps closer to the dun mare. His body was brushing against hers as they walked Thinking of you he reached out his neck and gently tugged at her mane. It was not a lie, he often thought about Lepis, mainly there odd relationship. Neither seemed to speak there true emotions, they both knew it was there....but actually admitting it was another thing. Anddd what do you do in youe spare time? an attempt to see the standing of there relationship.
He comes along (of course he had), and I smile at him from over my shoulder. Arthas has been a figure in my life since I was a budding adolescent, and his constancy is something that I have become ever more grateful for. When he brushes against me in greeting, there are no fireworks, no brilliant chemistry. There is warmth though, the soft blanket of familiarity, and I have convinced myself that is enough for me.
There is no use longing for the impossible, after all. I was raised to be content with what I have, though it has occurred to me more often of late that I once had much more.
He mentioned Delta and Mary, and the thought brings another smile to my blue mouth. I am glad that he is the sort of father that interacts with his children. Another sign that I had made the right choice, I think. My own sire had been entirely absent, and so my metric of paternal involvement is moderately skewed. He'd only mentioned the children, I realize.
Arthas says nothing about spending time with Rey or Roseen. Has he not been? Or does he simply not want to tell me about them? The two of us have never discussed the terms of our relationship, but that is because I had never thought there was a reason to. I belonged to him, and so whatever he chooses to do I will tolerate. If he dallies with other mares I will welcome them as my sisters, much as I have with Rey. My mother had taught me from a young age that men are fickle and that only a fool would attempt to keep them monogamous. I'm no fool.
What do I do in my spare time, he asks me. It occurs to me how strange this is, that despite our two years together we know very little of each other. Of course, the me that he had known as a child is far from the creature I am on this autumn day.
"I've been running," I tell him. I step to the side as we walk, tilting one wing to show him the difference. Where I had once been curvaceous and well-rounded, my physique has become sleek and well-muscled. The last of my baby-fat, my mother would have said (i'm not even five, after all). Well, baby-fat and months of hard work.
"And flying. And climbing. Anything really." I could list the exercises that I had almost forgotten, the ones Uncle Castile had taught me. Mother had insisted I learn them, and it has taken nearly a half-decade for me to be grateful. As a girl, sweating was gross but as a woman it is a sheen of proof of my labor.
Ahead of us is the stream, and I lower my head when I am fetlock deep in the cool water. It is icy cold, flowing down from Hyaline, and I drink slowly. When I have had just enough to quench my thirst and wet my lips, I reach out to Arthas. I press my chilled muzzle to his shoulder with a playful smile before I speak.
"I've got another mile to run. I could meet you back here, or you could come with me?"
She always seemed happy with Arthas, or perhaps it was just being content. He never really poked with her emotions, and maybe he never bothered asking because he was scared of the response. Scared that she had real feelings for him....scared to admit his own feelings.
She smiles when he mentions Delta and Mary which forces a smile of his own to appear on his maw, she appeared to be the best mother out of the three he has. Of course Despayr has since passed, but he knew she would never be better than Lepis was already. He had thought that he wanted the herd life, but the more time he spends with Lepis, and in the absence of Rey, he realizes that was not exactly what he was interested in. He always hid his emotions but he is coming to the realization that his heart belongs to one.....but he does not know if he should tell her.
He asks what she has been up to and her response was running. He tilts his head in confusion though as she lifts her wing she shows the muscle that she has built. She was always beautiful, but the new muscle she proudly struts brings a new level of beauty. Beautiful his voice was gentle, he almost regrets letting the words escape.
She continues to say that she also flies and climbs and all he really noted was she was not spending her time with another. It was to his relief that he did not hear that news....perhaps there was till a chance for the two. She notes she has another mile to run and asks if he wants to join, he did not hesitate and nodded his head. He extends his neck to nudge her shoulder and breaks into a canter with a coltish laugh that follows. I am glad to see your wing is better he yells out as the wind passes through his ears.
He seems puzzled by my answer, but that's no surprise. Most of my time has been taken up with Delta; the two of us have had little time to be alone. It strikes me, as I watch him, that we've not been alone together since I conceived nearly over a year ago. There was always someone else nearby - our son, one of the herd mares, a kingdom member. Someone. W'd been busy with our kingdom as well, me as Cleric and him as Champion, and it seems that adult tasks take up more time than I'd thought.
For a moment, I long for the ease of my childhood. I had been queen, but it had been of an empty kingdom. There was so little to do that the moment Arthas appeared out of the autumn woods, I had hyper-focused on the dappled stallion. He was everything that a lonely young queen could want: handsome, confident, authoritative. When I'd given him the throne of Loess, he'd become powerful as well.
That had sealed it for me, kept me iron and resolute despite the torments of Sylva. I was waiting for my king, I had told myself on the darkest days; he would come for me and I would be his queen. My dark muzzle reaches for his side as I ponder if it was the position or the emotion that I coveted, but then he is racing away.
I follow with a laugh, glad to put such thoughts behind me.
My wings are held tight to my sides as I bolt forward, struggling to match the strides of the taller stallion. I eventually reach an equilibrium and our paces match. The hills are a blur as we run, and the rising sun lights a gold path ahead of us.
"Thanks to Nerine, I guess." I answer. "I woke up a few days after delivering the captive to them and I was whole again." Even that seems more recent then it had been. Weeks, I realize, and weeks since I have seen our golden king. As Cleric, my role is fairly independent, but I had been having more and more trouble tracking down Wolfbane of late. I'd convinced myself that was a good thing, that he'd decided to put professional distance between us after our encounter. Perhaps, I think as Arthas and I race through the kingdom, it was not.
The two equines ran across the earths hard core, beside each other and it felt like there was no problems between them. As much as Arthas wanted to pretend that Lepis knew his feelings for her the truth was she probably didn't, she was an attractive and smart mare....others would try there attempts at courting her if they haven't already.
She thanks Nerine for he wing and before he could ask why she notes she delivered the captive to them and it was whole again. He did not fully understand how it was possible, but he did not need to ask any further questions, he was just glad to see her happy. He would always hold the shame of letting Lepis become hurt under Sylva due to his own selfish desires.
Lepis his voice was serious as he slowed his pace, it was hard to hear with the wind whipping through there ears. This conversation was not meant to be taken lightly, in fact it would define there relationship forever. His pace grew to a halt all together and he searched for her gaze We have never said much about our relationship... He was not good at talking about his feelings, he wanted to look away but he refused to do so.
He steps closer to the mare leaving only a pace between them I have feelings for you Lepis, I tried my best to bury my feelings with other mares....but at the end of the day it is you who is always on my mind. He never thought he would find himself in this situation after Dacia, he tried his hardest to avoid 'love' and everything that came with it, but it just seems to be following him. I only want you Lepis....am I to late? He knows he left her plenty of time to find someone else, he can only hope it wasn't to late.
The land races past us, and despite knowing that we have gone farther than the mile I had planned, I still find it difficult to pull up when Arthas slows beside me. The wind had felt glorious, but even as I slow to a walk, I can still feel the adrenaline racing through my veins. With it comes a sense of contentment, and though Arthas begins to address me in a somber manner, I close the space between us without thought.
I fit beside him perfectly, my shoulder tucked behind his and my head beginning to rise to groom his mane. My efforts stop when he begins to speak, and I draw back just far enough to watch him as he speaks. My blue-grey eyes are curious, especially as he begins to speak of the things that I had so recently considered.
He has feelings for me. The confession would have made my teenage heart race, but it only brings a soft smile to my blue lips today. He wants me more than the others. I am torn between disbelief (has he not looked at Rey recently? I can not compare to her) and pride (of course he does, I am Lepis). I settle for the response that I know he wants, the answer that he deserves.
”I am yours. I have been since the day we met.” At this I press a gentle kiss to the edge of his jaw. My own feelings are inconsequential( I am more fond of the grey stallion’s company than any other’s. He is my closest friend, after all, the only one who knows the true extent of what had happened in Sylva.
Still, there is something he had said. Does he mean to put me above the others, tocbe the sole recipient of his affections? The idea is oddly disconcerting. I had rather enjoyed my autumn, free of harassment in quiet Loess. ”You know I don’t mind if there are other woman, right?” Confessing that the late night efforts to conceive our child had been an effort to ensure he - and not Kwartz or Modicum Mortem - was the father rather than a result of my lust is not something I am willing to say aloud.
Not knowing does not hurt him in any way, though I worry now that he might want to try for another child. I love Delta, there is no doubt of that, but the thought of sex is repulsive. It is not Arthas’ fault, I remind myself, and if he wants me when the season is right I will give him what he is owed. Still, the possibility that I might avoid it entirely is too close to let slip away. ”It’s not my place to be jealous. You should have whatever mares you like, and I will consider them my sisters.” I’ve always wanted a big family, after all. Perhaps this is another way to get one.
She always made him feel comfortable, tucked in tightly beside him and groomed his mane gently. She always knew what to do in the moment, he did not want to break the silence but he had to express his feelings. She stares up at him and listens as he speaks, she does not show any emotion just content with the conversation.
I am yours she says, the words sounded perfect and he gasped a sigh of relief. She raises her maw to his own and he gently nibbles at her whiskers. In that single moment everything seemed perfect but what she followed up with left him more confused then before they spoke I don't mind if there are other woman. An odd statement, was he not clear with what he wanted? Or was she not wanting him to have his attention solely on her?
She notes that it is not her place to be jealous and he can have all the mare he likes. He stares at her astonished with the words that come from her maw, some mares are content with herd life but Lepis deserved so much more. He did not know what to do, was there no remedy? Was she settling because Arthas introduced her to this life? Because he did not express his feelings earlier?
He took a few moments before saying anything, even when he speaks he is unsure of what to say to her. He extends his neck to quickly touch her cheek Yes....well if that is what you want. His eyes shift off the mare he only returns his gaze after forcing himself to. Well, I have some things I need to take care of, we will talk again soon then. He dips his head and with it he turns around and bounds away.
Dangerous Business
@[Lepis] awkward Arthas.....we can either end the thread here or she can stop him, whatever works :p
His response is not what I am expecting, but I do not have time to respond before he is turning away. For a moment I watch him, torn, and then I take a step forward to follow him. My way is blocked by a familiar white face, and while Arthas' back is turned I am escorted to Hyaline.
