01-06-2017, 07:46 AM
Eight looked to the horizon - slashed with tall trees and flecked with falling snow - and there you were. Your voice rang out to him as you approached, and the magician was almost surprised by how easily you welcomed him; a man you had not seen in years. But the easiness did not last long - the threat of worry slung onto your face and your voice seemed to catch with the wind. You had always seemed empathetic to the once king, so perhaps it was just initial worry - or perhaps, the black stallion thought, you knew something worrisome of Kilter that he did not.
“Ruan. There’s no need for that anymore.” And there wasn’t. It was no surprise that Eight had not always been the best of kings. He usually seemed to be a placeholder; a protector. While he had ruled countless times, he had mostly served as a threat to other kingdoms - for who would tackle a magician.
A magician - could he call himself that now? If he was still a magician, he could have the power to dig through the land of Beqanna and find Kilter. He could pluck the young boy’s thoughts from thin air and beckon him home. But the magic lay dormant in his veins. He had been startled by this at first, as all the equines of Beqanna had been when they were stripped of their powers. But now? Now he almost liked the normalcy of his life - the lack of power, the lack of requests and bargaining and seeking him out. He almost enjoyed it, except in times like these.
“ I followed what I could of your scent and it brought me here.” He shrugged towards the woods around them, unaware that these very woods were ruled by you standing here before him. How strange, that it was now you who was king. “I’ve come to see if you had word from Kilter. I have not seen him - before or after my absence. I know you had always had eyes on him. I’m wondering now if that still holds true.” Eight tried well to keep the strain from his eyes, his voice, the lines of his face - for how could he explain how much he cared now about a boy he had rarely cared for?
“Ruan. There’s no need for that anymore.” And there wasn’t. It was no surprise that Eight had not always been the best of kings. He usually seemed to be a placeholder; a protector. While he had ruled countless times, he had mostly served as a threat to other kingdoms - for who would tackle a magician.
A magician - could he call himself that now? If he was still a magician, he could have the power to dig through the land of Beqanna and find Kilter. He could pluck the young boy’s thoughts from thin air and beckon him home. But the magic lay dormant in his veins. He had been startled by this at first, as all the equines of Beqanna had been when they were stripped of their powers. But now? Now he almost liked the normalcy of his life - the lack of power, the lack of requests and bargaining and seeking him out. He almost enjoyed it, except in times like these.
“ I followed what I could of your scent and it brought me here.” He shrugged towards the woods around them, unaware that these very woods were ruled by you standing here before him. How strange, that it was now you who was king. “I’ve come to see if you had word from Kilter. I have not seen him - before or after my absence. I know you had always had eyes on him. I’m wondering now if that still holds true.” Eight tried well to keep the strain from his eyes, his voice, the lines of his face - for how could he explain how much he cared now about a boy he had rarely cared for?