[open] don't get cut on my edges

[Amet]

don't get cut on my edges ─
I'm the king of everything and oh my tongue is a weapon

Attentively, he listens to Solace speak of Tangerine and Warrick. In his youth, it had pained him to see the pair together; he had known all along that Warrick was kind and deserving of Tangerine’s love, but that knowledge had done nothing to heal the aching wound in Amet’s own heart. He half-expects to feel that same twinge of melancholy now, but instead he feels only happiness that they are still together and well ─ and still living in Beqanna, no less. The last time he had seen his first friend, his mahal, she was leaving Beqanna to journey towards her homeland and beyond. He can’t help but to smile at the memory of her unwavering wanderlust, and with happiness that she had returned to the island of Beqanna if only for a short time.

”I remember all too well,” he tells her genially and with a gentle nudge to her painted shoulder, ”Fortunately, you have a family that understands the work involved with running an empire.”

His amber eyes settle comfortably on the crystalline waters of the lake that lay sprawled before them, though his attention is still directed at Solace with pricked ears and the occasional nod of acknowledgment. ”I’ll plan a trip to Silver Cove to meet them, then,” he says with warmth in his eyes at the mention of Kagerus and her children. He thinks of his own, Takhar and Makhai, and hopes silently that their paths will one day cross again. Unfortunately for the dragonhide stallion, keeping track of the two boys would be difficult after the island of Eternal had sequestered itself away from the rest of the world.

Mention of Svedka draws him away from his thoughts and with his renewed attention comes a short chuckle. "If I remember correctly, he was quite fond of your mother's homeland." The boy had inherited Tangerine's wanderlust, though Amet is partially surprised that the crown atop Solace's crest had not coaxed her twin to remain within the confines of the eastern kingdom. He dotes on this for only a moment as the conversation turns briefly to Castile ─ and while the stallion is curious about their children, he makes sure to take special note of the unfamiliar territory name. Icicle Isle. How odd it feels to know that Beqanna's fairies had simply risen land from the tumultuous depths of the ocean and fit it nearly into the geography of the island.

He means to ask about the other new territories (new to him, he supposes), but Solace deftly changes the subject. And while he had known it would eventually become his turn to fill her in on the last few years of his life, the lithe akhal-teke hadn't been quite prepared to share. Nevertheless, Solace has a special place in his heart and so he begins to tell her the tale of his last few years, making sure not to avoid the less-than-pleasant portions that he may skirt around with others that he did not know so well.

"Wise and weary," he says with the tilt of a smile at his lips, "Eione, Jah-Lilah, and I ventured to a place called Eternal. You would have liked it, I think. It was a small collection of islands, but one of them lived under eternal day and another under eternal night." He thinks fondly on his home from the past few years as his amber eyes slip over the comforting sight of Hyaline's lake. "Takhar followed soon after and built a life with his friends and new mate. I'm a grandpa now, you know." ─ an incredulous laugh ─ "Eione and I had a son. Makhai. He was born looking just like a dragon. But..."

He pauses, throat tightening just enough to make continuing difficult but after a moment or two, he continues nonetheless. "I only ever got to see him on the day he was born. After that, an ice age took over the land and swallowed everything in darkness. I was separated from them. And after the world began to sink into the sea, I had to escape with my life. I just hope they made it off, too." He tries to smile hopefully but his lips quiver at the thought. He clears his throat uncomfortably, waiting for the tight heat within it to subside. "Beqanna was the only other place Eione had known. So maybe one day they will show up here. Takhar, thankfully, escaped in the other direction with Harrier, so I know he's off doing well. And probably stirring up some trouble while he's at it."

- Amet -

[@[Solace] ♥]

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