08-31-2021, 04:40 PM
The warnings about Hyaline never sit easily with Cheri. Nash’s would be the third mention of the mountainous Kingdom, his being the first to settle with any sort of weight over the green-winged pegasus’ shoulders. Be careful, he told her. She thought she had been. Giving the territory a wide berth in her flights, choosing to stay as uninvolved as possible while addressing the concerns of Hyaline’s actions in ways Cheri could tackle, balancing the atrocities with her duty as future Queen of Loess and not just as Cheri, Nashua’s niece.
But she’d have to tread on even lighter hooves if she wanted to put her Uncle at ease.
She could never admit to him that a very select part of her plans involved drawing Gale and Mazikeen to her doorstep. He would certainly never agree or come to an accord if he knew. They are playing the long game, Reave had told her. As much as it might pain her father’s brother, Cheri knew they would have to match that energy if the north and south hoped to ever keep astride the infamous duo to the east. They, too, must play the long game. Cheri where it concerned her missing parents, Nashua where it concerned his youngest son.
She assumed it was the best option, but Cheri wasn’t foolish enough to think it was the only one.
That’s where her peers came into the picture.
“Blessings to you.” Cheri thanked him, pressing the flat angle of her lovely cheek into the side of his neck. She closed her eyes and let the moment linger, then drew back with a heavy sigh. “If it helps ease your mind, I’m aware of the history and bloodlines connecting Loess to the North. I’ll treat Gale with the caution he’s earned himself, I promise.”
His mother and father were, after all, a legendary duo themselves. Their history was as rich with success as it was rife with destruction, and the spiraling tale of their losses and gains had been strung together with help from Tarian and her Lady, Queen Oceane. Her interest in the subject began long ago when she’d first pledged her allegiance to the south, and had only grown to become a niche subject for the studious pupil in her progessive years afterward. She had her father’s abhorrent distaste of the matter to thank for that. Of course Cheri would latch onto the one topic her father hated talking about most.
Back in the present, she was content to remain here on Icicle Isle overnight. Nashua seemed like he needed the company and Cheri had missed his and Noel’s presence in her life. At one point, the pale mare had lived in Taiga and Cheri remembered those days with a warm fondness. Those were languid hours spent with her cousins, brief moments of safety in a world where none existed.
“It seems like only yesterday that we were all here, watching Yanhua get embarrassed in front of a crowd while Leilan flower crowned him.” The young immortal laughed, high and clear as a chiming bell. “I wonder what the old Dragon King is up to these days...” She sobered herself, grateful to keep her composure while talking about a fresh wound.
She’d rather they talk about anything at all, save for the hard things. Those would come to light at the accord - when it was necessary to address them. Perhaps it was also a bit childish of her to want to drag Nashua down an opposite path when he’d so clearly been dealing with his own thoughts before she arrived, but selfishly Cheri also knew he wouldn’t deny her inquiry. Nash had lost his son, Cheri had lost her mother and father. It felt like they needed one another.
“Want to take a flight with me, fill me in?” The slender appaloosa proposed to the Winter King.
But she’d have to tread on even lighter hooves if she wanted to put her Uncle at ease.
She could never admit to him that a very select part of her plans involved drawing Gale and Mazikeen to her doorstep. He would certainly never agree or come to an accord if he knew. They are playing the long game, Reave had told her. As much as it might pain her father’s brother, Cheri knew they would have to match that energy if the north and south hoped to ever keep astride the infamous duo to the east. They, too, must play the long game. Cheri where it concerned her missing parents, Nashua where it concerned his youngest son.
She assumed it was the best option, but Cheri wasn’t foolish enough to think it was the only one.
That’s where her peers came into the picture.
“Blessings to you.” Cheri thanked him, pressing the flat angle of her lovely cheek into the side of his neck. She closed her eyes and let the moment linger, then drew back with a heavy sigh. “If it helps ease your mind, I’m aware of the history and bloodlines connecting Loess to the North. I’ll treat Gale with the caution he’s earned himself, I promise.”
His mother and father were, after all, a legendary duo themselves. Their history was as rich with success as it was rife with destruction, and the spiraling tale of their losses and gains had been strung together with help from Tarian and her Lady, Queen Oceane. Her interest in the subject began long ago when she’d first pledged her allegiance to the south, and had only grown to become a niche subject for the studious pupil in her progessive years afterward. She had her father’s abhorrent distaste of the matter to thank for that. Of course Cheri would latch onto the one topic her father hated talking about most.
Back in the present, she was content to remain here on Icicle Isle overnight. Nashua seemed like he needed the company and Cheri had missed his and Noel’s presence in her life. At one point, the pale mare had lived in Taiga and Cheri remembered those days with a warm fondness. Those were languid hours spent with her cousins, brief moments of safety in a world where none existed.
“It seems like only yesterday that we were all here, watching Yanhua get embarrassed in front of a crowd while Leilan flower crowned him.” The young immortal laughed, high and clear as a chiming bell. “I wonder what the old Dragon King is up to these days...” She sobered herself, grateful to keep her composure while talking about a fresh wound.
She’d rather they talk about anything at all, save for the hard things. Those would come to light at the accord - when it was necessary to address them. Perhaps it was also a bit childish of her to want to drag Nashua down an opposite path when he’d so clearly been dealing with his own thoughts before she arrived, but selfishly Cheri also knew he wouldn’t deny her inquiry. Nash had lost his son, Cheri had lost her mother and father. It felt like they needed one another.
“Want to take a flight with me, fill me in?” The slender appaloosa proposed to the Winter King.
@Nashua