"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
Love is a temporary madness, it erupts like a volcano, then subsides. And when it subsides, you have to make a decision.
She had not realized how tired one could get when one has an eternity to live. And so, she had done the best she could for her beloved home, but the time had come for her to step back. She had slipped quietly into the shadows of the realm, allowing Ramiel to choose a replacement for her more worthy of the title. But she would remain here, forever and always. The Dale is her home, and regardless of her title or lack thereof, she would never leave.
And so she had slumbered quietly, until she had sensed a familiar presence. Though the gift of empathy is no longer hers, she felt she would always know when Tiphon returned home.
Now, months later, she knows the time has come. Her belly is round with child and it wants out. It does not take her long to find a secluded spot deep within the Dale, a peaceful glen which would provide the perfect atmosphere for Elysteria and Tiphon’s second child to enter the world.
Not for a moment does it occur to her that nature might have a surprise in store for her.
The labor is mercifully short, but even so, by the time the child lay on the ground, her red coat is streaked with sweat. Still, she is on her feet in only a few moments and cleaning the small girl of her birth sac. She is a beautiful filly, with a bright red coat tipped by white so reminiscent of Joscelin that it brings a smile to her face and a pang to her heart. She starts when she comes to her feet, blinking wide russet eyes in surprise as she takes in the talons flexing where her hooves should be.
Her scrutiny cannot last however, as it does not take her long to realize that she is not done. Rather than beginning to subside as it should, her contractions once again intensify. In only moments, she is struggling to bring another child into the world amidst intense bewilderment and happiness.
When she sees the child though, her happiness quickly gives way to dread.
”No.”
She whispers the word as she sees him fully, her heart climbing into her throat as grief threatens. Twice before she has seen her children lying dead at her feet, never even having had the opportunity to take breath. Twice before her heart has shattered into a million pieces.
Tears welling, she clears him of the debris of birth, all the while fearing the worst. His little body is skeletal, open wounds festering in dark skin tipped with gold. But then he kicks. His sharp intake of breath is the sweetest sound she has ever heard, and before she knows it, he is struggling to lay upright.
Blinking back the tears, she nuzzles him gently, thinking that perhaps Tiphon could heal him. Before the thought could even finish forming, her eyes widen as she notes the gaping wounds closing on their own, slowly fading into black and gold. He is still dangerously thin and scruffy, but he is whole. And, apparently, he has inherited some of his father’s abilities.
She lets out a soft sigh of relief, nibbling at his mane as she softly whispers his name.
”Jinn.”
Her fear for the boy allayed, she turns to her daughter, brilliant smile lighting her features with joy and warmth. She brushes her dark muzzle softly against the girl’s slender neck, offering her name as she does so.
”Estela.”
With love swelling in her breast, she lifts her head to gaze at her, at their, two perfect, beautiful, miraculous children.
You have to work out whether your roots have so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is.
@[Tiphon]
my apologies for the novel :| apparently this gave me all the muse
"Elysteria," he was just as afraid to find her as he was to find Talulah. He is the poison in their hearts that causes both pain and pleasure. When together, they explore a deeply-set joy that radiates miles around, but then he always vanishes into the clouds where he goes unheard for years. Often he has asked himself why, but he isn't quite sure. Is it that he's afraid of truly being so close, so in love, that it pushes him away just when it peaks? As a child Tiphon vowed to only love his duty and never anything - or anyone - else. He had a job, a purpose, and he couldn't allow himself to be distracted. Love was the farthest thing from his reach (adoration toward a mare or toward children) because he knew he would outlive any partner he had.
But fate had a different idea for the young soldier.
He found a home and he had children. Women eventually piqued his attention and he developed a new sense of responsibility, but it wasn't to a job - it was to them. Fatherhood became a permanent title and soon everything that Tiphon was created for withered away as his interests shifted. While he is still guardian against the darkness, he at least has a more fulfilling life even if it does frighten him at times. Why? Because it still has brought pain and worry. When Set wanted to threaten him he abducted Tiberios. Then his son was murdered. It's a memory that still haunts him and brings his blood to a boil. Seeing his body maimed on the beach offset something inside Tiphon and his sanity was quickly lost.
The last he had seen his Dalean family was freshly after his son's demise when his mental wounds were freshest. In front of them his sorrow bled from wounds he inflicted himself.
Then he ran.
So he was afraid to find Elysteria, but when he did all of his fears melted away with the warmth of her skin pressed against him. Their reunion sparked flames and electricity. Excitement poured through his veins upon feeling his love and adoration for her rise into his throat when he whispered her name. Their passion was unbridled as their worlds came together again after so long. They savored what they could and cared not what the outcome would be. They treasured the idea.
And so it's with anticipation that Tiphon crests a hill to watch her from afar just as he had with Talulah. The world laughed at him by giving him an undead child. It could've been a joke, or karma, or perhaps he has unknowingly been cursed since Tiberios' death. Whichever the case may be Tiphon's heart patters against his chest and his throat tightens in fear.
Elysteria rises to her feet to clean the child and so Tiphon begins his descent from the hill, but he pauses midway as he notices her crumple down again. His stomach twists into knots, but he finds relief when it turns out to be another child instead of an ailment. A glance falls to the ground near them as he wonders and hopes for the best, but he is gripped by concern when he doesn't see Elysteria smile. It is like seeing Talulah's face only a day prior when she gave birth. "Please," he murmurs to himself when he finally resumes his venture toward her with hushed footsteps. "Elysteria?" He loves to say her name, but there is an edge to his voice this time as he comes to her side. With his eyes closed he hesitates to open them, focusing on breathing instead. "Twins," he says while trying to trigger himself to smile. It works until he looks at them, his breath catching in his throat.
Such a cruel game life is. What sickening joke is this to give him two undead children within one spring, or at all? With his attention funneled on the twins Tiphon almost doesn't notice how tightly his jaws are clenched together. When he shifts his attention to Elysteria he sees not repulsion, but joy and pride. His brows furrow in confusion as he finds himself in deja vu. "They both have traits of my father," his cruel, murderous sire, "And yet they look like us." There is no doubt that the children are theirs.
With his heart in his throat Tiphon forces himself to smile, hiding the pain and confusion that is clouding his thoughts.
Love is a temporary madness, it erupts like a volcano, then subsides. And when it subsides, you have to make a decision.
For years – decades – she had steeled herself from love. Had avoided those complicated emotions and inevitable pain it brought. Had distrusted her own instincts when it came to love, for it had led her so easily astray in the past.
But Tiphon had shown her a different sort of love. One that is kind and patient, one she need not fear. He had shown her the true depths of her own emotions, had shown her what her life could truly be, the happiness that could be hers. She would never blame him for leaving. She cannot, for she too is rapidly discovering the pain and wear an immortal life can have on one’s soul. She only cares that he comes back to her, that they will not be parted forever.
One day, she will show him this, help him understand that he needs not feel such guilt.
But today, today is for their children. The young and innocent boy and girl struggling to their feet for the very first time.
She knows the moment he arrives. If possible, her heart swells even further as she turns her warm russet gaze to the white and gold stallion, a soft smile upon her lips. The smile disappears as she takes in the clenched jaw, the faint glimmer of despair in his golden eyes.
”Tiphon?”
His name is spoken softly, questioningly, as she gazes at him with concern in her eyes. He clarifies then, telling her that they take after his father. For a moment, she wonders what his father had done to cause such an awful reaction. But she need only think of her own father to know that there are parents out there very capable of doing unspeakable things to their own blood.
Turning back, she looks at Estela and Jinn, their tiny features so beautifully innocent. The two are very obviously theirs, the unique mixtures of red and white and black and gold telling unquestionably of their parentage. But Estela, with her tiny, curling talons, and Jinn, with his undernourished, decaying appearance – there is so clearly much more to these twins than she knows.
Stepping nearer to Tiphon, she brushes a soft caress across his cheek, hoping to ease some of the tension held there.
”They look like them. Estela and Jinn.”
She is drawn away by Jinn’s struggle to stand, pulled by instinct and love to assist her children. In a few moments, he is swaying on his feet, and in another few, he has stumbled to her side in order to nourish a body that so desperately needs it.
Turning cinnamon eyes back to Tiphon, she looks at him, gaze intensely focused.
”They do not have to be your father, whatever he is, whatever he has done. They can be whomever they choose.”
She does not know his father, does not know what pains he has caused Tiphon. But whatever they may be, she believes wholeheartedly that his sins have not fallen upon her children or their father.
You have to work out whether your roots have so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is.
