"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
It hadn’t taken her long to realize that she was pregnant. Within months of being attacked by Gryffen, her belly had begun to swell, showing proof of the child within. His child.
It horrified her, to think about it. A little thing with half of Gryffen’s genes growing away inside her, living off her. To be forced to carry it after what he did to her, what he did to the Gates … it’s torture. And she’s sure he’s loving ever minute of it.
The contractions start in the early hours of the morning, and dread instantly sets in. There’s nothing she can do - the child is coming.
She slips off into the trees to find a quiet spot to give birth. And as her body’s natural instincts take over, she can’t help but wonder … what’s the child going to be like? Will it be normal? Will it take after her? Or … will it take after its father?
The birth is easy, far easier than it’d been when she’d had the twins, and in under an hour a small sticky bundle is lying in the dirt. She stands up quickly and hesitantly approaches the figure. Through the mess of birth she can see a pale gold sabino coat - a mix of hers and Gryffen’s. Tentatively she begins to clean, licking away the mess. She soon discovers that it’s a boy and her heart sinks. Gryffen will be happy she is sure.
Then the boy turns his head to look at her and she gasps, stumbling backwards. His eyes … those eyes …
There are a chilling shade of red. Just like Gryffen’s.
The tears begin to fall then, and she crumbles to her knees. “No … no …” She hopes to God he isn’t anything like his father.
Time has passed since the pale stallion had come to collect him. Even though he now lives among others, the damage had already been done. It was something Brynmor himself of course didn’t realise, happily chatting away with the voice in his head as if it belonged to a real horse. He secludes himself from the other Chamberlings. Yes, the Chamber, that was how Gryffen had called the place when he had asked if Bryn was ready to serve him and the kingdom. He still lingers around in the shadows, never moving around too much or travelling to far distances. The lack of sight limits his ability to freely move around, yet other senses had developed themselves better over time.
’Do you smell that?’ his buddy speaks up and makes Bryn lift his nose into the air to smell it. ”Yes, now you mention it” he replies softly. ’Come one, let’s check it out!’ is the reply. With his curiosity sparked he moves forward, his step are still slow, but he doesn’t let himself get of the trail. Like the burning tree, that he found in the general area of the Chamber, the fresh smell of blood and childbirth is something he can’t identify. His own birth and the murder of his mother is something the greying male doesn’t remember.
He enters the scene at the same time the mare crumbles down. Hesitantly he steps forward, but soon forces himself to stop, as he has learned himself to not step into potential harmful places. ”I smell blood..” he mumbles to his buddy as his ears point forward. ’Yes, yes, blood. She doesn’t look too good too’. Brynmor has yet to become more bulky, but his height wasn’t that special. Together with the milky white of his eyes he doesn’t look too threatening. Curiousity mingles with concern as he dips his head a little. It was hard to get a picture of the situation and thus he neighs softly. ”Are you okay?” is what he asks, keeping himself quiet to pick up the softest sound she makes.
"Through your secret."
OOC: Italic is what the voice in his head says and coloured is what Brynmor says out loud.
She always had a pretty face, I wondered why she hung around this place
We can drive home
with one headlight
I’ve been watching mother’s stomach grow. I’ve seen the tired lines on her face spread and the anxiety in her face. She told me that she was with child and it looks like I’ll soon have a new sibling. Surely most would be excited at the news but Momma seems frightened by the idea so it makes me nervous too. I’m a yearling now and it’s weird to be growing up in the Chamber. Life is rather boring here with nobody to play with or talk to. Mostly I just stick close to my Mother and make sure she’s ok. I’m getting use to the weird vibration in the dirt beneath my hooves. I’m getting use to the loud caws of the ravens which are everywhere. But I’m not getting use to the feeling of time ticking by, of being bored day after day. Of wondering when we get to go home. I’m upset nobody has come to save us. It’s like nobody cares that we are here. We are forgotten and alone.
When Mother starts to go into a labour and slips off into the trees, I follow. There’s nowhere else to go and I don’t want her to be alone. I’ve never seen anyone give birth before and it’s both exciting and disgusting to watch. I can’t help but make a face as my sibling slips from Mother’s womb. Gross. Momma starts to clean the foal and I hesitantly make my way towards them. Suddenly my mother gasps and stumbles away from the baby. Curious, I step closer to see what’s wrong. The baby has red eyes just like the pale winged man that brought us here. I instantly remember when the winged man had hurt my mother and jumped on her back. So this is his child. The way conception works now makes sense to me and I frown slightly. As far as I’m concerned, I don’t ever want to do that. Not that I couldn’t be easily overpowered. I still don’t quite grasp just how smaller I am compared to everyone else.
I look at the baby again, a boy now that I take a closer look. Even though Momma is frightened of him, I’m not. It’s just a baby after all with unfortunate eye coloring. ”Hello little brother.” I say quietly and smile at him. I wonder what my sister Sidra will make of our new sibling. Instantly a pang of homesickness washes over me and I sigh softly. How badly I want to go home. ”One day we will go home little brother. One day.” I miserably say to him. A voice from behind me suddenly makes me whirl around and stand rather protectively before my sibling and my Mother. My violet eyes take in the stranger with the milky white orbs and I tilt my head curiously. ”I think we are ok…” I glance at Momma, not quite sure if she is or not. ”Why are your eyes that color?” I ask curiously, not realizing what a rude question that is. Momma is missing an eye but her good one has color. I’ve never seen a blind man before.
She had meant to check in on Fiasko earlier, but the business of ruling a kingdom has a nasty habit of eating all her free time. And Fiasko, really, is low on the priority list. But she is not the bottom, either. Straia may lack a large portion of her heart, but there’s a little bit there. She has no intention of letting anyone hurt or bother their captives, and the ravens have been instructed to keep a close eye on the pair. Not so much because she thinks they will run, but because they are in the Chamber, after all. And Gryffen had already done enough damage.
When Straia does finally have time, it is clearly the worst timing ever. This, of course, doesn’t stop her. She’s long enough after the birth that she doesn’t feel like she’s intruding (one of Gryffen’s many pet’s is already here). No, the timing is simply rather horrible to ask, “how is your stay here” when the child has red eyes and all.
The girl, to her credit, doesn’t seem afraid of the boy. For such a pathetic little thing most of the time, there might actually be some spunk in there. Fiasko, however, has lost whatever spark and flame she might have had. And really, Straia doesn’t think the Chamber has all that much to do with it. Some, certainly, but she’s pretty sure the Chamber gave Fiasko a solid reason to finally give up.
“Not that it makes it remotely better, but I apologize for Gryffen. He gets carried away,” she says, coming to stop in the small group. “He is beautiful though.” Despite the eyes, but she doesn’t add that part in. She’s not the most sensitive horse in the first place, and really, she only cares so much. But she tries at least a little bit.
She studies the boy, wondering if he’ll take after mother or father. Wondering more if Fiasko wants the child. She looks at the mare rather pointedly, though doesn’t say anything. In truth, Straia would be happy to take the child and raise it as the Chamber’s own, but even she knows that outright offering that might be less than delicate. So she doesn’t. Instead, she says, “I thought you would like to know that parts of the Gates still live. I imagine, with time, it will regrow. At least mostly. Your kingdom members are safe as well.” There are still burned trees in the Chamber. Some would never be the same, really.
All the kingdoms had suffered for one reason or another. But Straia was true to her word, and she had called the Chamber off when Fiasko had decided to stay. Why did she want Fiasko? Honestly, to prove a point, and the Gates had been the most obvious choice after trying to steal one of the Chamber members. But Straia didn’t need to destroy a quiet kingdom either. She wasn’t that heartless. She’d rather destroy someone powerful.
I head into the chamber, looking for Fiasko. Then I see her. Her belly is large, and she's "Pregnant?! I say, in utter shock. There's her daughter, too.So that's where she's been! I think. She ducks into the woods. She's giving birth. Having never seen a birth before, I wander in. Then I see the other horses there. Chamberlins. I quickly move to the shadows. As a see the boy slip out, I see he is beautiful. I step forward. "He's a Darling!" I say. Then I see those red eyes. Griffyn. Then I realize I am in the open, vulnerable and with them. I whisper in Fiasko and Caitlyn's ears "I am here to save you. I wish I appeared better, bit this is what they did to me."
10-13-2015, 01:01 AM (This post was last modified: 10-13-2015, 01:02 AM by Fiasko.)
fiasko
She can hear the boy stir, but she can’t bring herself to go to him, not yet. Not with those eyes. And she hates herself for it. She knows all too well what it’s like to be rejected and abandoned by a parent, and she had promised herself long ago that she would never do that to her own children. But those eyes …
Caitlin, bless her heart, goes straight to the boy. Fiasko’s tears flow all the faster as she hears the girl comfort him - such a sweet, innocent thing. She cannot see it, but the boy responds, cocking his head to the side and studying his sister with cold curiosity.
A distinctly foreign and male scent reaches her, just as a voice rings out. She chokes on her tears, trying to force herself back under control. This is not the place for her to break down - the Chamber will eat her alive if she lets it. “I … I’m okay. I’m fine.”
Blinking away her tears, the greying male comes into focus. He genuinely seems concerned, much to her surprise. It’s rare to find compassion here. Caitlin asks after his eyes, and Fiasko’s own eye immediately swings up to see what she’s talking about. “Oh … oh I’m sorry. Caitlin sweetheart, it’s not terribly polite to ask about someone’s eyes like that.” She just hopes he doesn’t take offence.
And then another voice calls out, and her body goes cold. Straia. Not exactly someone she wants to see when she’s feeling so utterly broken and vulnerable.
But to her surprise, the raven queen apologizes and does not ridicule her, does not even make mention of the boy’s eyes. In fact, the look the queen gives her suggests without words that she would take the boy if Fiasko could not stand to raise him. It’s a small gesture and Fiasko is grateful for it. But she’d made a promise to herself.
She finally struggles to her feet and goes to the boy, whispering a subdued “thank you” to Straia before setting to work cleaning off the mess of birth. She will not abandon the boy, no matter who his father is, no matter how much it pains her. She pauses in her work and nods in thanks when Straia relays her news of the Gates. It’s some small comfort to know that her sacrifice had done at least something. That her kingdom will limp on. She just hopes her own weakness has not done too much damage.
The boy draws his legs under himself and Fiasko stumbles back, startled, as he lifts himself and stands with little struggle. Then with surprisingly steady steps, he heads right to her udder to drink. She feels a little unsettled - she’s never seen a foal collect themselves so quickly and so easily.
But she’s distracted from her discomfort when yet another voice calls out. One that she knows. She swings around, shocked to see Nadyah approaching them. She doesn’t know the mare well, having only just recently welcomed her to the kingdom, and it shocks her to see the roan here, of all places. Especially for the purpose that she claims. “Oh Nadyah … I … I appreciate that you came for me. But I made a deal, a deal for the Gates. If I stay here they will leave the Gates alone.” And they need the respite after all that’s happened. They cannot afford to be attacked again.
Fiasko glances from Straia to Nadyah, then back to Straia. A small proposal forms in her mind. It would benefit both her and Straia potentially. “Your majesty, I … I … might I have your leave to visit the Gates and let them know of our deal? It might prevent … visitors.” Unwanted visitors. Unwanted by Straia, Fiasko is sure, for the fuss they could cause, and unwanted by Fiasko for the gut-wrenching reminder of her own failures. They could both benefit. “I give you my word that I would return immediately. Caitlin and … the boy … can stay here as … insurance.” She hates bringing the poor girl into this (and knows that her daughter will not like it one bit), but she knows that Straia will need some sort of assurance of her return. And there’s no way that she would abandon her children here. Not even the boy.
There’s another Gates member that comes running into the kingdom. The ravens descend immediately, flocking the area around them. They do nothing for the moment, though they stand in wait. All manner of them, ice and fire, shadow and light. Straia has never taken kindly to strangers. Not that this one worries her very much. She has no defense and really, has just wandered into the mouth of the beast.
But still, Straia simply likes to make a point sometimes.
Though she doesn’t say anything. She lets Fiasko handle it, kind and a bit rattled, but true to her word. Straia liked that much, the true to her word. After all, Straia held up her own end of bargains. What was she worth, if her word could not be trusted? The Chamber as a whole could not be trusted, certainly. But that was not the same as her word.
The boy is already on his feet, she notices (oh how very like Gryffen). Though she keeps her mouth shut on any of those particular observations, rather letting the whole thing unfold around her. Trying, in her way, to provide at least some peace to her captives. In truth, Fiasko served as an ember to light a fire. She was really an innocent bystander, and Straia was only so heartless. There was something left inside of there, though she could probably rip it out herself and keep on living, should she ever had the need.
Though sometimes, having some remnant of a heart was useful.
“You may. And let them know you are safe here, as long as the Gates members stop crashing into my kingdom uninvited.” She gives this Nadyah a rather pointed warning look, a few of the ravens inching closer. She was wearing out her welcome quickly.
A raven settles on Fiasko’s shoulder. A small, feathered thing. Nothing special. “If something happens and you need help, it will let me know.” And then another settles on Caitlin and she nods her head to the girl, indicating that the same applied here.
Didn’t need the monsters creeping out at night, now did we?
“Maybe think of a name for the boy while you’re traveling,” she says, not unkindly. But he couldn’t very well be “boy” forever, and Gryffen would probably swoop in soon enough and try to take over. Might as well get Fiasko’s say in the matter before he came knocking.
His gaze vaguely directed in the direction the guesses they are. First he had thought it was only two of them – from which one smelled kind of bloody – but now he can faintly make out another presence. One of his still dark ears points forward as the other keeps moving, ready to pick up any sound they make. The young girl is the one that replies first, all though she sounds a little hesitant. Soon the older mare tells him she’s fine, but she too doesn’t convince him. The blunt question next makes him inwardly huff and the voice in his head snarls something about an insolent child, but unlike Shaytan she asks it out of pure curiosity and thus he lets it go. But before Brynmor can answer the older mare speaks up again, calling the child by name. The graying male smiles softly, dipping his head lightly. ”It’s okay” he simply replies. ’No it’s NOT okay, how dare they ask you about eyes like that? Once again Bryn ignores him, finding the three in front of him much more important and interesting than his life long buddy.
Someone else joins them and even though he doesn’t recognize her scent as the one of the Queen he feels it in the air. Her scent lingered around in the Chamber and therefor it wasn’t unknown, but he had never met her and he probably he would never official meet her. Instead he dips his head and backs away as his ears turn backwards. ’Looks like we aren’t needed here. The voice rings in his head. ”Yes, I agree. Let’s go” Brynmor replies softly, mumbling to himself as he tries to move himself around again. He was no longer needed here, what good would he be when it came to kingdom matters? He didn’t even know what the Chamber exactly was – no one ever cared to fill him in on anything – except that it was how everybody called this place. And thus he prepares to leave as he sways his head into the direction of the females and newborn before he retreats between the pine trees of the Chamber.
"Through your secret."
OOC: Feel free to send someone after him, or not, I will keep reading the thread ^^
