The north wind meets the sea - Izora Lethia

[Leilan]

It’s honestly somewhat weird, if one thinks about it, that he’s not met Izora Lethia before in person. He means to remedy this with his little trip; his mind still wondering what Lilliana wants of him though. Asking for a meeting like that… it must be important, but apparently it can wait till after her sentence. For now, that’s good enough - or, perhaps, he’ll grow impatient and go to Pangea instead. He wonders if she’s counting on that? Ah, no. That’d be overthinking it. Probably.

Who knows with that woman.

Perhaps her partner-in-crime knows.

He flies - it’s so much easier to just fly, after all. The scaled roan retracts his wings completely this time, and for once, finally, calls for the leader of this forest. His eyes dance around the forest to catch a glimpse of her, the colour turning some aqua-green as he remembers how many times he has passed through this land without bothering to meet it’s leader. Once, he’d met with Aten - when he still ruled the Isle. Leilan had been easily satisfied with the man’s ideals about Taiga being free but granting passage to the other people in the northern lands, and hadn’t pressed him further. Now it seems he came with a similar ideal, some six-ish years after the fact, to talk with the man’s wife.

The irony isn’t lost on him as he continues through the forest in his natural horse-shape, finding a slightly clearer spot on a path, to wait for the Matriarch to appear.

nothing burns like the cold

Leilan

@[Izora Lethia] A crappy starter for you but lets have them finally meet lol

[Izora Lethia]

She inhales a deep breath of cool, spring air. The snow had started to melt. Where ice once glazed the top of the white flakes, it now suck easily as she moved fluidly through her forest - her home.

The days were passing quickly towards Lilli's return and the thought brought a smile to her face. She had already gone through so much with out her friend by her side, she had never expected leading to be this taxing. The quiet of the red woods as of late brought an even broader smile to her face, though she knew it wouldn't last long.

Nothing lasts forever.

Her mind wandered as her feet moved forwards to Aten and her son, Kalil. She found herself praying every night that they were okay. She would take simple abandonment over something tragic any day, then at least she knew they would be okay.

The shadow above her in the clear, sunny sky did not evade her, however, and with ears cocked and eyes alert she found herself moving parallel to the obscured sight.

The call came before the view of a man perched in a small clearing before her. The way his mane and tail shimmered streaks in the sun light drew a curious twinkle to her amethyst eyes. She approached the bay roan stranger gracefully, her body moving fluidly over a tangle of roots. She stopped on the edge of the clearing, the sun filtering over her golden, chocolate dipped body. Her mane hang softly against her neck and her forelock framed her face gracefully. After years of prospering in the redwoods she had aged beautifully.

Welcome to Taiga. I'm Izora Lethia, matriarch, but you can call my Lethy. She's a beauty isn't she? her voice fell from her lips like soft bells. Where Aten had been large, and rugged, she was soft, and untouched (all but the ragged pink scar across her muzzle that she had acquired as a child). Her and Aten, however, obtained one similar trait. They were a peaceful pair, the sight of a new stranger pulled a small quirky smile to her face as her alluring purple eyes darted around the giant red wood trees back to the man infront of her. 

forget me not; but never remember

Lethy

@[Leilan]

[Leilan]

The silver roan wouldn't have guessed the seemingly gruff male - though his intentions had all been peaceful and quiet - to have attracted the attention of this soft mare, but here she was, her name and title confirmed in the first words she outed. He dips her head to her, then adds his own. "I'm Leilan, Freyr of Icicle Isle - figured we should get to know one another. And I'm not disappointed - the sight here is beautiful." His mouth quirks into a charming half-smile, the kind he hadn't used for a long time - insinuating that it wasn't Taiga he just called beautiful at all. He drops it, regarding the Isle's subject, adding with a frown, "Though the Isle doesn't deserve her name these days, perhaps it will be restored to what it once was, in due time. Thankfully the sky can't burn."

He regards the buckskin mare, noting her unusual eye colour, then steps a little closer for easier talking, if she'll allow him in her space. His attention is to the forest surrounding him at the moment, before he returns to her when his mind remembers some form of politics needing to be discussed. "Lilli managed to send a message from Pangea, but unfortunately it was just to meet with her when she got out. Any chance her vibrant messenger came to you as well?" he wonders aloud - he wasn't quite sure if such a message to Izora - his mind refused to use her given nickname, not with such a pretty first name that went largely unused - would be necessary, as it contained practically nothing, but she might already know what it was about. If she didn't though, he'd have to wait.

Though honestly, waiting isn't his strong suit.

nothing burns like the cold

Leilan

@[Izora Lethia]

[Izora Lethia]

Her smile widened as Leilan agreed to Taiga's beauty, her modesty making her miss the flirty insinuation. In all honesty she wouldn't even be able to remember the last time a man flirted with her or her to a man. After he introduced himself and his title she stepped closer closing the gap between them, "It is good to finally meet you, Leilan. Though, I am sorry to hear of the destruction to part of your home. I have no doubt you and your people will be able to restore it to all it should. As for the skies.." her mind wanders to Lilli. The nights they had spent staring at the sky with her rambles of secrets and stories. How when she had first met her she talked to Owin about the stars, all the best things are kept amongst the stars. " I agree, thankfully they can't burn. All the best things are kept there, no matter what happens the stars are a beacon and a hope for consistency." a twinkle caught her eye as the wistful tone melded away from her voice, along with all the thoughts of inconsistency in her life, to address his question about a messenger. 

Lethy cocked her head for a moment taking in the roans rugged features. They had talked in hushed whispers and frustrated groans about the future of the North. They, Lilli and her, had thrown ideas about asking permission to move the kingdom seat to the Isle. Letting Leilan and his merry band of raiders grow and defend all that the North held dear, while giving Nerine space to breath. Hoping that taking the attention off of Nerine would stop the pestering of the South during their most fragile times, amongst other things...

But none of this had been decided on before she had been taken. Nothing concrete as of right now, at least as far as Lethy knew. What had Lilli been up to in Pangea? Her eyes crinkled in the corners as her mouth scrunched just the smallest of measure. "I am sorry, no vibrant messenger has met with me as of yet, but if I know Lilli at all your meeting should be interesting." Lethy shifted her weight, the curves of her body shimmering beneath the sun. "If you have the time to spare though, I am curious to get to know you more, as well as the Isle and your curious band of raiders." her smile was bright, reaching her eyes to completion -it had been ages since her calm, kind eyes really smiled. If Lilli and her were set on making their ideals a reality, uniting the North, she needed to start getting to know them. And a man like @[Leilan] , wasn't a hard place to start or hard on the eyes either.

forget me not; but never remember

Lethy

[Leilan]

Leilan had honestly not passed through Taiga a lot - at least, not formally. In fact he had for a long while after his return, actively made sure he didn’t cross their borders - or it’s leader. With Ruan and Lilitha, he once had decided not to get involved, having enough trouble on his own; when he next visited, Aten led a near-empty Taiga, and it was after the arrival of this woman, Lethia, that Taiga had truly started to grow - well, and Lilliana probably, too. But during their troubled times he had no longer led the Isle, and felt no need to get himself involved with Lepis and Wolfbane - a latter a younger man he once knew, but feels more and more he does not, not anymore. Lepis might perhaps think the same, he wonders; but none of that should cloud his conversation with the pleasant mare before him.

He nods to her when she mentions the Isle’s recent destruction. ”Unfortunately we just hadn’t enough time to react, what with Jesper gone at the moment. I sometimes get the idea he still eats himself up about it.” he admits, but shakes his head. What’s done is done, and bringing up the past means there’ll be no breakthroughs towards a better future. He shrugs. ”I’ve done what I could for the Isle for now, but I feel it’s not enough. It’s still not as bustling with activity as it should be,” he muses, tail moving idly when he thinks of his recent discussion with Oceane. ”Loess offered to send Noah over for a day, but a day wouldn’t be enough for her to heal our meadows. Now I have Alcinder in my care, instead. Perhaps he’ll help mend things long-term, by getting to know us northerners.” he tilts his head at Lethy curiously, but holds himself back before blurting out thathe mainly asked for teenagers because they need mares and children out there. They wouldn’t want to go, at least not the majority, and he doesn’t want to softly-force a Taigan kid like he did the Loessian son.

Shaking himself, he settles to listen to the buckskin mare, and outs a short laugh when she tells him it will be interesting. Whether or not that means what all that is about, the roan knows he won’t get any more information out of Izora today, and takes his defeat while instantaneously focusing on what is more readily at hand. ”Of course, let’s take a walk then. Is there any spot in Taiga you like better than others, as a destination? Or perhaps Lilli’s favourite, if you know which that is.” he wonders aloud. After all, he just arrived, and honestly, spending time with a maturely beautiful woman would be just the thing for him, on this afternoon. He hasn’t in a long time thought about women that way - not since... was it Yuki who’s the youngest? That had been back in Hyaline. So perhaps he is finally getting over... a certain someone. Hmm, or perhaps not then.

His ears perk forward when Izora mentions the raiders, and his baritone voice chuckles a bit. ”Ah, we’re a rough people, but good enough at heart, or so I like to believe. You could hardly blame us for taking food elsewhere, if the only green on the Isle is in the night sky.” He rolls his shoulders a little, then slides up next to the mare, waiting for her lead. He’s quite certain he hasn’t seen everything yet, especially not at the heart of the land.

nothing burns like the cold

Leilan

@[Izora Lethia]

[Izora Lethia]

She watches the way his mouth moves with his responses, the way his eyes crinkle and how he would get lost in his thought but only for a moment. Her own face mimicking his movements. When he accepts her offer and suggests a walk to her or Lilliana's favorite place her amethyst eyes light up pulling the corners of her soft mouth with them.

Her first thought was the magnificent waterfall tucked away in the middle of Taiga where Aten had made theirs.

Her blanket of peace pulled tightly against her sides.

Maybe the most western edge of Tiaga. The colorless beaches, soaked in fog that Lilliana traveled to so often?

No, today she would not hold back. She would not keep her most personal feelings from showing Leilan the most beautiful sanctuary in Taiga.

"I know the perfect place, the spot that made me fall in love with Taiga.. and it's inhabitants." her voice quivered in hesitation only so that the most observant could see past the comfort of her peace. A millisecond later she gave Lielan a soft bump with her shoulder as she started towards the center of Taiga. Towards the rather large stream that, in all its wonders, ran uphill towards their destination. Someday, she will have to follow it in the opposite direction to see where it originated from.

Her pace was quick but comfortable enough for conversation. While she talked and let her gaze linger on Lielan, her footing was sure. She moved over obstacles and around others with out hesitation or trouble. She told Leilan about how Aten had found her drowning in the river and had brought her here many, many years ago. How the redwoods and her children had become her constant in her life, leaving out any mention of Aten.. he did leave after all didn't he? "You and you're people are more than welcome to find solace in our woods as well. When ever you need to. We have plenty to share, even in the cold months if you go far enough south west towards Tephra you can find sustenance.I have hope and trust in the hearts of the North." her dark, long lashes clouded her eyes beneath the shadows of the large redwoods.

They had found the upwards stream and had started their way to the top now. A cool breeze had found it's way on the back of the water, a nice relief from the summer heat as it wrapped itself into her chocolate mane, pulling with it the deep woody scent of Taiga that had settled in her being.

"Now, tell me of the Isle. What is it that drew you there and keeps you there?"

forget me not; but never remember

Lethy

@[Leilan]

[Leilan]

The soft glowing woman seems lost in thought for a moment, but she comes up with an answer before he has decided if he should react or comment on it in any way, which helps him decide not to. Why bother a lovely looking mare if she’s not? And yet, when she speaks of love for Taiga and its inhabitants, there’s something that his dragon eyes don’t miss; hesitation maybe? In an attempt to reassure, he shakes his crest and comments rather monotonous. ”Love’s a dangerous thing, Izora.” It should be a warning, or a rebellious statement perhaps, but he feels deflated by the subject - or rather what it means to him personally, and the train of thoughts he’d rather derail.

Instead, he listens to the woman as she speaks. For once, he’s quiet, absorbing the information about her not wanting to exist any more, but being saved - for him, it was a fairy that rather harshly put him back on track during his own attempt, which made him one of the few horses to actually know he’s immortal - and his love for Chryseis that had kept him going after that. For her it seemed much the same, though the difference was that she had adopted so many, instead of sharing nights with so many he’d almost forgotten and never knew for sure how many nights had been fruitful. All that, because of love - love for a woman who in the end had so many communication issues, he shouldn’t have been surprised that she of all mares had been the one he wanted. Still wanted, in a way, but he wanted the memory of her, the thing she used to be - not the woman she was now, who had gone with the other male without question at the time. He’d better forget. He’d rather erase, but no, that would mean erasing Oisin, who they’d named after her, and Eurwen, the twin who actually had taken after her mother; the boys too. No, he couldn’t erase her nor forget her, and that was his burden to bear. She had her own burdens, he could tell - she was avoiding a certain someone in her story, too.

He decided he wouldn’t ask.

She offered the food of Taiga, and he nodded - it’d still be a swim, but the residents would be pleased to know that there were places they could officially go to in times of need. He didn’t want to raid Loessian territory while Alcinder was in the north, or bother Brennen’s protégé again - if it became too many, the magician would probably put an end to it in a way Leilan wouldn’t like.

But when they reach the top, freeing him from the humid heat below, his world starts to tumble again.

”I.... it’s a long story.” for a moment he closes up, the way he clammed when he’d slipped in front of Lilli. But back then he had not been the leader of the Isle, and she not been a leader of Taiga. Now, their roles meant that he should share, even if it was painful for him because of the spotted woman whom he’d hoped to have erased from his mind by now - and found that while he’d locked her away, she slipped back into his mind with full force - strong enough to make breathing difficult, to make his treacherous eyes swirl colours of red, blue, and the inbetween purple. There was nothing as bad as this - not even throwing himself off the mountain and hitting nearly every rock present. ”I mean... there was a Plague. Breckin was pregnant. Carnage had revived Pangea, so the fairies gave us islands - safe spots. I went to claim it, for her, for Nerine, for the baby.” he shakes his head. ”Others came, willing to throw Heartfire out, as she was sick - which is ridiculous, safe is safe.” he frowns, replaying the images of that day when everything turned into one chaotic mess of horses, shouting left and right, Heartfire sick and seeing things, the stranger with his fear aura, the magician peeking into his mind, the demon sending flies - the literal explosion of Heartfire’s emotions, the whole in the granite she’d blown which had also accidentally cracked his skull. For a moment, he is silent, remembering he always had a reason to come back to the land of the living, to not be taken in by the ghosts in the Afterlife had been such a blessing - now, he had nothing else to cling to, and he’d given his heart to that same piece of land.

He takes a staggering breath, realizing he had been silent for too long. ”Long story short, we won, and for a time we had peace.” - and four children - ”When I became tired of ruling, I gave up leadership to Jesper, my Brother under Brennen - but that’s another story.” he muses a bit, thinking where to start again. Ah, the Isle itself - she wasn’t interested in his broken life, surely. ”Icicle Isle has always been frozen up north, with a heart-shaped lake that never freezes between the never-melting snow and ice. The south made it habitable to the grass-eaters, with the pine forest in the west and the meadows of tough grass on rock, and for most of Nerine it was a safe haven until the Plague got Cured. After that, peaceful but silent, not bothering anyone, and a place to live for those with abilities like mine, horses with a tendency to love the cold. It was like that when I came back, and spent a year in the northern half of the Isle while Jesper still ruled it. That’s what gave me the ability to choose my shape,” he smiles a bit, not sure if she knows what he’s talking about here, but honestly it’d break the story to do so, questions could come later. ”I claimed it back when Jesper had gotten stolen and Castile sacked the place. I was... a bit fed up with no-one stepping up. So the new policy is to not stay silent, to not wait for things to come to us, for things to happen - but to act out before they do. I believe Beqanna owes us that much.” he shrugs a little, forgetting about the hardest part of the story as quickly as he can muster; that is, if she doesn’t ask yet another question that might unknowingly drill directly to his core.

nothing burns like the cold

Leilan

@[Izora Lethia]

[Izora Lethia]

They had come to a halt, almost to their destination, but not quite. Her amethyst eyes swirled with empathy, understanding and realization as she listened to Lielan talk, as she watched his face and composure faultur.
From his story she gathered that Breckin was a large part of his past, one that held a tremendous part but that he talked little of. She gathered that the plague had brought him to his home, a place to lay down his heart and loyalties - much like her. That his life had been riddled with tribulations, and happiness alike. It was a story that pulled at her heart for reasons she didn't completely understand but that she could relate to.

For the briefest if moments she had considered reaching out to him, offering a small gift of peace to settle his mind, but she could feel her own emotions squirm beneath her blanket and before she had the time to decide for certain the roan stallion had found his composure once again.

When he finishes her own swirling, purple eyes study him for a moment - adding her own silence to the story. She knew she would not push him any further, her question had touched a delicate place, but that did not keep her from gently reaching out to place velvety, empathetic lips softly to his shoulder.

"The Isle sounds like a godsend. I hope I can come visit someday. I will also do what ever is in my power to send aid and healers your way to heal the land. A safe haven like that should not suffer." with a soft sigh Lethy glanced up the path where the trees ran out and the river disappeared. The soft garble of falling water could almost be heard, and so she continued their walk giving Leilan a story of her own, if not to distract him from his home than to show him she could empathize with him.

"I was not born of Beqanna. I came on the waves of the sea, after losing everything I had before here. I found myself lost and indecisive, my anxiety keeping me from a second chance. I remember the mountain cracking and opening up merely days after my arrival, spilling the plague amongst the lands.. discrimination be damned." a story for a story, one she had not shared with anyone, even Aten - though he knew the just of it. She took in a slow, purposeful breath before continuing. "Shortly after I found myself alone..with child. I had gotten sick from the plague, it had taken everything out of me... everything from me." her voice had remained focused, purposeful.. until now. It was so obviously broken, even to her, that she held even tighter to her peace, the soft purple glow that eminated from her, broadening and deepening in hue as she did. "I lost my first child, moments before she was born.. I wasn't strong enough. Aten had found me and saved me in my most desperate moment. He brought me to Taiga, and showed me this.." she trailed off as they reached their destination.

They stood in an open space, the trees standing guard from a distance. The land they had traveled on broke off looking down a ragged cliff marked with a tremendous, crystal clear, waterfall. The waterfall toppled down into a pool of blue and purple water, the sun reflecting the giant red woods off its surface. A field of multicolored flowers wrapped itself around the pool, disappearing under where the redwoods resumed. Past the pool was a large expanse of some of the most ancient redwoods, their canopies alive with birds and animals untouched, until it spilled into the Northern sea, and not so coincidentally the Isle could be seen in the distance. If she were to guess she assumed the cliff they stood on eventually faded into the cliffs that littered Nerine. "Love might be dangerous, @[Leilan] . But it can also give you something worth fighting for, even when you lose everything." for her it had pushed her to fight for her life, her confidence,  her self worth. She was quiet now, a single tear slipping from the corner of her eye as she stared out at the vibrant colors of Taiga, untouched, tucked away from the hand of the living. A small smile crooked her velvety lips.

forget me not; but never remember

Lethy

[Leilan]

There is little that he thinks anyone can do - in fact, it is his belief that emotionally, if someone were to help him, he’d fall once more and get hurt eventually, just in another way. Since he’s not ready for that, he doesn’t let them in. At least, well, the kids are a relatively safe bet, as long as he doesn’t mingle with their lives when they leave; so long as he steels himself for their departure and knows they never come back.

So he steels himself, and doesn’t let her touch, however comforting, reach to his heart. It’s endearing of her to try, really - but he only told her because she needed to know, not because he really wanted to. That’s the sad truth, or so he tells himself. It had been in a way a relief, to have someone know how he felt about it, but the past is in the past. His wife... his ex-wife had no place in the future.

He nevertheless smiles a bit at her words. ”Fairy-sent, quite literally. But it’s no safe haven any more - no more than other lands at any rate. None of the lands are now what they once were, or had been - but for Taiga that’s a good thing. It rose stronger after it had been destroyed, and perhaps that’s what the Isle needed too.” he mesmerises. Once, the fairies had burned and flooded it (as if one was not enough), and it had stayed “that burnt forest” for... he’d estimate a decade, but he can’t be entirely sure. It had been done before his return to Beqanna, and only been healed when the fairies brought the Isle and other safe havens to life.

But Izora tells a different story. One of a mare lost and alone, faced with terrible sickness and wars when she should have been given a chance to start over. A child lost... and a mare in the river. He could see it now - could only be thankful for the fate that brought Aten to her or vice versa. She said she wasn’t strong enough? He shakes his head. ”I don’t think strength had anything to do with it,” he interjects - in his opinion all women are strong enough, and didn’t she allow Aten to rescue her? Sometimes it just needs a mirror t be revived is all. With a bit of a smile he remembers Wrena, but then Izora tells him that love can give the strength to fight. He mulls that over, then shrugs. ”Maybe it’s a different kind of love I need.” These days, he does everything to keep Icicle Isle alive, and takes in the boys because... well, perhaps young lost teenagers are easier to love and let go, and he doesn’t want to fall as deeply and badly as he once had. Could anyone blame him for sticking to the family-kind of love and rejecting the others? He doesn’t think so, but he would acknowledge that he isn’t the most objective jury.

It’s not so simple, however, to just let it all go when you've built walls like he has; it takes lots of time and double that effort to bring them down, and without an outside force he doesn’t even start. He looks down on the waterfall, remembering the one in Ischia, where he met his second end. ”Have you ever considered jumping?” he finds himself asking - a similar question he once asked a mad Sabra, though she’d interpret differently and asked him to act up on it. He doesn’t think Izora would, and honestly doesn’t know her to be immortal so he wouldn’t ask it of her. Besides, it would be inconvenient if he died now, so he doesn’t. ”Perhaps we’d better get down the safe way to swim though. Do you know if there’s a cave?” Beqanna’s wonders often had ones - he couldn’t explain why, but there was always a secret spot somewhere. It’d take a lifetime to find them all - but time is on his side, he knows.

nothing burns like the cold

Leilan

@[Izora Lethia]

[Izora Lethia]

Her cheeks flush softly when he interjects his opinion of her strength. Even Aten had questioned her strength when he had brought her here, though he had all the faith in the world that she would get to where she needed to be.. he still kept her close like a child, made sure she didn't slip, gave her his strength even when she didn't need it. She had been appreciative of it, she would swear he was the only things that had gotten her through that time until she had found her "strength" again. The idea that her strength should never of been a question had never entered her mind.

Their had been so many different loves that she had held on to, as a partner, as a mother, as a friend, but for her the love that scared her most was loving herself. They were curtains she would need to strip away before she could come face to face with herself. She wouldn't even allow herself to mourn the lose of Aten and her son.

A different kind of love.

When the broad stallion looks over the edge infront of them and asks if she had ever considered jumping, her purple eyes swirled as she followed his gaze.. lost in thoughts that would never quite make it to her heart. She cocked her head softly, her voice monotonous as she answered, Not yet..

If she were to jump, would she fall soundlessly against the hard glassy mirror below, would she sprout wings and fly, would she simply cease to exist?

Only the tail end if his next comment breaks through the bleak thoughts, A cave? I guess I wouldn't know, I've never gone down. a smile brightens her darkened face, her eyes gleaming with mischief at the thought. Aren't there easier ways for you to get down there? she poked at him. She had heard of the great ice dragon but even though the silver bay roan infront of her shimmered metallic beneath the summer sun, she couldn't quite picture him as a fierce beast. @[Leilan] fryer of Icicle Isle, mighty Ice Dragon. she says his name in a tease, goading him into playing back, her purple eyes sparking with a foals spirit.

forget me not; but never remember

Lethy