shining brighter ||Ryatah

[Ryatah]

“What have I become, my sweetest friend?
Everyone I know goes away in the end."

She is nearly soundless as she steps across the frozen ground, a silent wisp of white flickering between the dark trunks of the grove of trees that border the field. She cannot recall the last time she had been here. It has been over a century since she was last queen of anything; a land that didn’t exist anymore, much like everything else in her life, simply reduced to rubble and hazy memories.

She had nothing to gain by being in Tephra; nothing left to prove to anyone, but it gave her a sense of purpose— or at least, she allowed herself to believe it did— to carry out the fairly mundane tasks of being in a kingdom again. If anyone else had been king, besides Magnus — another face from her past — it was unlikely she would be here. She was fond of him, however. A link to a previous lifetime, and it was enough for her to stir from the depths a spark that drove her forward, to offer Tephra some of the same effort she had once so freely given.

Despite having not been here for quite some time, the field was easy enough to navigate, even without her sight. The grasslands are flat, and soft, especially in comparison to the lava-fields of her new volcanic home. There was something almost refreshing about being here; no ulterior motives for her, no ghosts from her past lurking and tempting her. Just recruitment. Simple as that.

He smells of burning stars, and the faint tendrils of smoke from the grass that smolders beneath his steps is what causes her to stop, to tilt her head as she so often does. Listening. She pushes aside the bird song, the sound of the grasses rustling in the wind, and the quiet hum of conversation, and singles him out – he breathes, and he shifts his weight, and her shapely head turns to him, the tangled strands of her pale forelock nearly hiding the hollowed and scarred sockets. ”Hello,” it is said with a quirk of her lips, an upward tilt that turns into a smile. She steps towards him, but is cautious to not invade his space. ”My name is Ryatah, of Tephra.” She is used to this dance, and although she is not trying to rush through the niceties, she cannot help but to get straight to the point. ”I assume you are in search of a home, since you are here. I can tell you about Tephra, if you’re interested.” Her voice is kind, still soft despite all the things that should have made her sharp and hard, and she falls silent.

RYATAH

you could have it all, my empire of dirt

@[Ariies]