anyone;

[magnus]

— find what you love and let it kill you —

Names are a funny thing, fluctuating with weight throughout the years.

Once upon a time, Magnus’ name had been heavy, known. First, as the son of Atrox and Twinge, their wild-eyed Jungle Prince. Then, later as a self-forged Lord of the Chamber and then, in a surprising turn of events, the unlikely King of the Gates. His name had been associated with disappointment when he had flung the heavy crown from his head and fled to serve in the Dales and then with lovers in the star-crossed story of his and Joelle. It had even been associated with tragedy when he and Joelle met their end.

In the new world, with so many secluded and separated, he was not sure what his name meant any more. Certainly, he stood at the helm of Tephra, but it was not a kingdom rich with history. The name Tephra did not bring forth stories of warriors or magic. It, like his own, was fresh, born again after the Reckoning.

At her mention of the sisterhood, the interest carved in his face was plain as day, his ink-dipped ears flicking forward. “And how do the sisters fare? I have been doing my best to hunt down information on your whereabouts, but such information has been scarce.” Anytime he had felt like he may have a lead, it dissolved between his fingertips, leaving him worse off than when he had started. At her own question, he glanced around them to the volcanic land that unfolded around them. “It is…different from what I am used to and yet the same,” a confusing blend of the familiar and the alien. “It has grown on me.”

When Lucrezia joined the group, he smiled. She was becoming a familiar face in the kingdom, and he was now, as he was often, grateful for her steadfast presence. She often was the first to greet newcomers, the first to stand by his side during visits. He was thankful to have her, and others like her such as Longear and Aranea and Rael Fire, to help forge their way in this new Beqanna. He listened at her line of questioning and his heart warmed at her praise of Tephra, her description in line with his vision of the land. “We are lucky to have found a place to call home,” he concluded, watching Nayl carefully.

magnus