03-14-2018, 02:41 PM
Ilma is amazed at the goddess' invention. She stands alone, suddenly, or at least that is what her probably limited awareness tells her. She hears the explanation that Nike gives her, or all of them. They are allowed to move the map, but only further back into history. This seems only fair to Ilma; the future is uncertain or at least it should be, and knowing it might honestly just lead someone on a wrong path, trying to avoid something bad. But bad things are part of life, and after deciding that knowing the future is never a good thing, she instead thinks to move it backwards.
It is slowly at first, for her own history is brief and she looks at it intensely. Her meeting with Kagerus on one of her first days here, two small dots flying backwards from Hyaline to the Meadow and Kagerus indeed losing her wings while she dreams; the miniature self-image of Ilma walks backwards to what seems to be the Beach although she doesn't really remember where she comes from - then she poofs. She blinks at this, but shakes her head. She had a task here, and it's not to find out how the Beqannian magic brought her here.
She pushes her mind backwards further - slow, fast, slow, fast, until she finally sees no more horses with special traits. She looks at them, but as she slowly goes even further back in time, she realizes that the herds grow smaller and smaller, and she is even able to go back to where there are no horses at all.
Good. Now forward, slowly.
She watches Black Magic and Swish, but they do not seem to be mythical. And of course, are two horses, not three. She progresses in time; herds are kingdoms, competing for power, neutrality arrives when some horses don't feel attracted to either side. But Ilma focuses on the mountain where she is now - there, one after another, three horses in total come to fulfill a quest for the fairies. They are granted the first magical traits, and she now knows the answer. "They are Lone Star, Banet er Rih, and Prelude." she answers the golden mare. She feels like perhaps Black Hole had chosen more wisely than the other three, but this time, Ilma is not asked for her opinion.
She blinks; the map is gone. She realizes she must have answered correctly.
It is slowly at first, for her own history is brief and she looks at it intensely. Her meeting with Kagerus on one of her first days here, two small dots flying backwards from Hyaline to the Meadow and Kagerus indeed losing her wings while she dreams; the miniature self-image of Ilma walks backwards to what seems to be the Beach although she doesn't really remember where she comes from - then she poofs. She blinks at this, but shakes her head. She had a task here, and it's not to find out how the Beqannian magic brought her here.
She pushes her mind backwards further - slow, fast, slow, fast, until she finally sees no more horses with special traits. She looks at them, but as she slowly goes even further back in time, she realizes that the herds grow smaller and smaller, and she is even able to go back to where there are no horses at all.
Good. Now forward, slowly.
She watches Black Magic and Swish, but they do not seem to be mythical. And of course, are two horses, not three. She progresses in time; herds are kingdoms, competing for power, neutrality arrives when some horses don't feel attracted to either side. But Ilma focuses on the mountain where she is now - there, one after another, three horses in total come to fulfill a quest for the fairies. They are granted the first magical traits, and she now knows the answer. "They are Lone Star, Banet er Rih, and Prelude." she answers the golden mare. She feels like perhaps Black Hole had chosen more wisely than the other three, but this time, Ilma is not asked for her opinion.
She blinks; the map is gone. She realizes she must have answered correctly.
Any fool knows men and women think differently at times, but the biggest difference is this: men forget, but never forgive; women forgive, but never forget.
Robert Jordan, Wheel of Time