Everclear
Kingdoms…He remembers them surprisingly clearly for such an ancient creature. He remembers fighting, bleeding, dying, breathing for nothing more than his homes. He had lived in nearly all of them, before The Reckoning, before he had been killed, before he had withdrawn. But that is the life of an immortal, especially one who had once been touched by the magic of magicians. Prague had pitied him once, his love for her having been too strong for even an Amazonian to deny, and so he had survived even the worst of his trials.
Madness, war, murder - all of them had visited him more than once throughout his life and even he wonders how he stands here now in the host of roasted and of noble company. But they treat him kindly, as if he were any other strange new face in this land and, to them, his is a new face indeed. Even in this failing weather, as the trees turn copper and shed their coats, he finds it refreshing.
Scorch replies that his name becomes him and, internally, he smiles. So many times he had joked about his name and so many times he had hated it; he remembered the day his mother gave it to him and the way the Jungle heat had pressed against his throat. He breathes a gentle but knowing breath as she speaks, appreciating her understanding but nearly disagreeing with her. Still, she was correct - he must be fairly transparent if these two horses with such intent had come to speak with him beneath the fattening moon.
Her words intrigue him, but the word ‘Amazons’ would have grounded him if he were not steadier on his feet. He swallows a breathy gasp and nearly frowns, a brief flicker of his brows and a pause in his breathing. He had been born there, after all, and his mother had been Lady to the Queen Asylum and to Prague.
Prague…
He shakes the name from his mind with a shake of his mane. How long she had strung him along, how long he had worshipped her… how long he had wanted to be accepted.
He tries to compose himself again. He had been a king too, after all. He had fought and bled for his home when they needed him, for the Gates when the grasses had been lush but the inhabitants had been doubtful. He had been proud to fight off the invading Chamber, but his subjects had not. He had won their freedom. Regardless, he is surprised to hear the words from Scorch’s mouth and he listens closely.
“I did, in fact…” he responds to her question. “I was born there. Long ago.” His eyes fall away at last as he takes a small breath and twitches his tail. “My mother Alex served as Lady to…” He dares not to speak her name now, for it would bear such weight. “Lady to the Queen, in her time.”
His mother had taught him, though, that it would be very rude to ignore Arthas in their conversation, so Everclear steels himself against the unexpected revelation and lifts his head a little again. Turning back to the other dappled stallion as he offers his own input, Everclear expresses his own interest: “Loyalty is a very admirable trait. It has saved many lives and lands in the past, I know that from experience.” He debates the next question asked of him carefully, and the answer that comes to his ever-indecisive heart seems the safest for now.
“I cannot make a decision yet,” he replies first to Arthas and then to Scorch. “However, the appeal of a herd that is similar to my birthplace calls to me. Arthas,” he returns to the other stallion, “I hope that we may remain friendly. May I visit Loess at a later date?” He dips his nose a little and fixes the other stallion with his eyes. “Please do not take this as a refusal.”
He looks between them both again: “I need to find my bearings again. And...if Nerine is similar to my birthplace, I believe that is where I should begin.”
E V E R C L E A R
@[Arthas] @[Scorch]
ooc - if we wanna call this the end of the thread, that works kinda well I think. I'll post for Scorch in Nerine. and I'll have EC seek out Arthas pretty soon too, once I figure out where I want him to live :3 if you guys wanna do anything else plot-wise just PM me, I'm super flexible and happy to plot or do anything you may want! <3 EC has always kinda been a kinda kingdom-bouncing bum depending on what/who appeals to him (he's a bit fickle but devoted) and I at least want him to remain friends with Arthas because they seem pretty similar in their beliefs :}