She could feel the pulse of the Chamber as soon as her hooves touched its rich soil. Both the Chamber's physical pulse - one gifted to it by the panther - as well as the pulse of all those who had pledged themselves to this place. She was pleased that she found there was life stirring beneath her feet - there were not stagnant bodies or empty minds wandering her beloved kingdom. There was life her - there was promise here.
It livened her further.
Puzzle pieces that had been left abandoned for so long were beginning to fall into place. The world was finally coming to order. What that order would look like was entirely in the hands of them - the heartbeats she felt beneath her hooves. She has no plans to conquer or to rule - only to watch her home grow into something Beqanna would remember. Her legacy would be forever linked with this place - this place would forever be a part of her. And she would ensure it would thrive.
The palomino slides from the shadows first - her name filling the shadow mare's mind before the woman is near enough to hear. A promising new face to the Chamber, it seems. They are not alone, the cold woman knows this, but she does not turn her attention from the golden woman. "I have never been a stranger here," the shadow mare breathes in that calm, cool voice - unchanged by the centuries. "Unforseen circumstances parted me from the only home I've ever known. But, as always, circumstances can change," something resembling a grin flashes upon her lips and dies again just as quickly. "My trips back to this place have been few and far between due to powers that I could not control." She thinks of her most recent return - extinguishing the fires sent by the Valley's dragons. Her distrust for the southern kingdom has always burned hot but it was the cold within that had saved the Chamber. "But it is time to come home now that the barriers have been stripped away."
"It is nice to meet you, Engelsfors." Her gaze smoothly slides over to the painted queen crowned in feathers. "And you, Straia. It is nice to find the Chamber in such capable hands." It has been too long since there had been someone at the helm of the Chamber with the capacity to maximize potential - to take risks - to dare where others stuck were content to stick to what kept them safe. Anaxarete saw nothing but potential.
"Killdare," she says, pulling his name from the air before turning to him, "Join us. I assure you that I will not bite." And she would not - she had left the creatures who had earned her such a gruesome reputation somewhere where they, and everyone else, would be safe. She would call upon them if and when they were needed. Not before then. And then the warrior-prince joins them - one who has recently evolved into something…more. He who had been broken had been reborn. She could relate to that, in her own way. "Erebor," she offers, with a nod. Diplomacy - though no longer her forte by any means - was not lost on her entirely.
"I suppose I should let you all know why I've interrupted you all this evening," she begins, though she isn't particularly concerned with the interruption.
"As you know Beqanna itself has breathed new life into this kingdom - the magic of the Chamber has returned to these lands. And with this rebirth, of sorts, those of us who were formerly gifted by the Chamber herself are now free to come home. That's why I've returned - I'm finally free to serve the Chamber once more, in whatever capacity she requires." Her icy gaze flicks between the four who have come - the diplomat, the warrior, the prince, and the queen.
Again the shadow mare pledges herself to this place. She will become whatever it needs - a servant, a protector, an advisor to the next generation - anything to have a purpose once more.
A N A X A R E T E |
