"But the dream, the echo, slips from him as quickly as he had found it and as consciousness comes to him (a slap and not the gentle waves of oceanic tides), it dissolves entirely. His muscles relax as the cold claims him again, as the numbness sets in, and when his grey eyes open, there’s nothing but the faint after burn of a dream often trod and never remembered." --Brigade, written by Laura
Nearly a year has passed since the return of his diplomats from the neutral kingdom. Brennen had said that Shatter Me would send someone but there has been no envoy from the Falls in the past year, and Errant has decided that they have waited long enough.
He could have sent Brennen back (without Nihlus in tow this time; Errant had been foolishly hopeful that the boy would learn something from the older Brother), but with the addendum that Shatter Me had made to the usual alliance, perhaps it is best that Errant comes himself.
He does so far more quickly than even Brennen can fly, taking a single step past the border of the Tundra and appearing immediately at the edge of the Falls. The black stallion has not been to this kingdom before, and takes a moment to look over the bright forests and rolling hills before he calls out.
The bright summer sun is almost too warm on his heavy black mantle, but there is enough of a breeze to make it tolerable. While he lacks Brennen’s impressive wings and has not made it rain with his arrival, there is no doubt that he is a stallion of the Tundra, and given his position on the border and his polite call, he’s clearly here on a diplomatic errand.
The summer heat was warm upon my back, half dozing in the shade of the trees, half out in the sun; perhaps it was not the wisest choice to have my backend out in the sun, and head facing the treeline. The borders were not far and Well, you can't exactly see much when your view consists of bark and verdant leaves. As I turn around, I spot the ebony steed, neatly parking himself on the borderline. I wander on over, emerald eyes brushing over his frame. Scarred with tales, graced with a rugged and wintry look. I had heard upon the whispers of Beqanna, also from snippets of conversation that along with the Amazons, an all woman tribe, there were also the Tundra Men. I blew a gentle snort, flickering ears swivelling atop my crown, waiting for a moment to see if any neared, deciding that I should take the initiative for once, I whickered softly, vocals a gentle hum against the soft lull of the summer air.
'Hello, there. I'm Eld. An Ambassador here, is there anything I can do for you, Sir?' I then decide, perhaps a few trivialities, like the weather, like something not so game and set match. 'Lovely weather, isn't it?'
OOC: I'm stealing wi-fi in Mcdonalds, so forgive this awful little thing =[
when my time comes around lay me gently in the cold dark earth
She stands out amid the greenery, and while Errant had noticed her dozing in the shade upon his arrival, he hadn’t assumed that the red mare would be the one to greet him. The black stallion offers her a polite smile (nothing more) and nods his head in a passably friendly greeting.
“Hello Eld.” He replies, “My name is Errant. I’m here to see Shatter Me about our kingdoms’ relations.”
He adds neither his title or his homeland, both because they are unnecessary and he has never been particularly verbose. Eld might be a newcomer to Beqanna, but the horse he has arrived to see is not, and he expects recognition from the Queen of the Dazzling Waterfall at the very least. Errant is unsure who Brennen and Nihlus had met on their venture here. Perhaps this roan mare had been a part of that party, but Errant can’t be sure. Well, he supposes that he could be, but he is just past uncomfortable with the summer heat and does not feel like exerting himself.
The mare mentions the weather, and Errant turns his storm grey gaze back to her with a brief smile. “A little too warm for my tastes,” he responds, “But I doubt you would appreciate the year round snow that I prefer.” There’s a hint of humor in his tenor voice as he raises his head to squint at the sun. Errant briefly debates pulling a cloud over it to shield them, but decides against it as he turns back to see if Eld has anything to say in response to his request to see the Queen.
e r r a n t
no grave can hold my body down i'll crawl home to her
Her steps are leisurely but brisk as the silver queen makes her way to the sound at her border. With the return of Tiberios, Shatter is ashamed to admit that many of her monarchly duties had been set to the side or forgotten. Between the intense love she felt for her flame ridden man and the constant depression that clung to her like a wet winter coat, she had not reached out to the other kingdoms as she had said she would.
Shatter is relieved that at least one of the other kingdoms has returned. Building stronger ties with other kingdoms has been difficult at best for the silver queen. The longer she ruled, the more content she was to stay within her borders and the better she understood what Natilyn had been through. The silver queen felt the loss and sadness she tried to hide slowly creeping back into place.
Shatter is pleasantly surprised to see that Eld was already there to greet the stranger. Eld had been an amazing addition to the Falls and had become a dear friend in the time she had been here. The queen greets her with a gentle touch on the shoulder before focusing her attention on the man she had heard so little about.
"Lord Errant I presume?" She dips her head respectfully, one monarch greeting another. before continuing. "I apologize for the absence of my diplomat. There have been big changes here in the Falls of late. How fairs the Tundra? Though I know you aren't here for a social visit." Shatter smiles warmly at the king in an attempt to at least lay the foundation for a polite conversation.
He is respectful and polite and what I would imagine of a King, a King who has seen much in his life. Yet I know not a thing, he could be a soldier, an underling. But he looks as war-torn as any gentleman may be. I nod slowly, green eyes watchful but not so as observational as normal. He talks of Kingdom Relations and of Shatter Me. A quirk of an invisible brow finds my strawberry face.
'Shatter Me should be with you shortly, she is never far.' I add an agreeable nod, firming my own thoughts. The dappled Queen was either wandering the Falls, beside her Tiberious (I had seen them, yet said nothing. It was a lovely sight really, and I hoped them the best.) Astute eyes find his discomfort, and I roll my vast shoulders, sidestepping a little. 'You could wait in the shade, if that would make it more comfortable?' my tone is soft, lilting, as caring as one could be to a stranger.
The sunlight beams upon my back in torrents of tangerine heat, and I shift equally as uncomfortable. Vast frame shivering, knocking away the flies that pester in the stagnant heat. Errant speaks of cold and winter and the idea almost feels a blessing right now. Crunchy snow beneath over dried hooves. A cold, almost refreshing breeze. 'Snow right now, seems like a blessing.' I chuckle, the sound is soft, a tender song of larks in spring trees. Soft dew upon grass come morning. My gargantuan head turns to see Shatter descend. I dip my nose, low towards my chest, salmon nose twitching as my lips form into a warm, friendly smile.
'Sir Errant is here to see you, My Lady.' I direct a nose from each, confirming the fact. A little awkward sidestep, but I remained still, shifting my emerald gaze between the two. 'Do you mind if I stay? There is much to learn, if of course Sir Errant does not mind, and neither you, My Queen?
when my time comes around lay me gently in the cold dark earth
Tolerating the climate of places that he goes is part and parcel of being a diplomat, and while Errant is more amenable than the average horse, he always misses the Tundra. It’s been warmer there this last year, his gift to Lea, but the snow still falls year round. He is thinking of snow just as Eld is, so when the small flakes begin to drift down from the summer sky, Errant only raises his head to watch them fall. He has never made a secret of his magic, knowing that its existence alone keeps the Tundra off the radar of kingdoms looking for easy pickings. Snow is easy enough – he knows it better than most anything else, and it is only water (of which there is plenty in the Falls).
It is too warm for the flakes to last, but they are pretty as they fall, sparkling in the bright sunlight before they disappear. The cold breeze that Eld had imagined is more permanent, a cool rush that blows back Errant’s mane until he is comfortable. “I think I’ll be alright,” He says with a wry smile, and lets the breeze fade as they are approach by another mare.
There are those monarchs who care little for their titles, who do not stand on consequence and invite their subjects to call them by name. Errant, as the elected leader of the men in the north, is such a monarch; he responds to ‘brother’ as readily as his own name. But Shatter Me is no man of the Tundra, and so when the silver queen speaks, the black stallion offers a brief smile and says: “King Errant.”
She apologizes for her lack of diplomatic actions which Errant acknowledges with a dip of his dark head, the same nod that he gives to Eld to show his ascent to her staying to witness the conversation. He has nothing to say that he would mind the world hearing; treaties and alliances tend to be general knowledge anyway.
“The Tundra is doing well, growing.” Such is not always true for the wintery kingdom, but Errant is pleased that it is, at least for now. “I sent Brennen and Nihlus to arrange an alliance, but they told me of your new stipulations and your request that a member of our kingdom stay in the Falls.” He pauses for a moment, waiting to see if Shatter Me will correct him, but knowing that he remembers what his diplomats had told him with perfect clarity. He remembers more than they had told him too, of course, but he prefers to trust what they had told him and not what he had seen.
“With the recent shift in the distribution of Beqanna’s magic, I imagine that we have at least minor turbulence to expect in the coming years.” The Valley is calling for mutiny and the Chamber plans to steal children and beat women, but Shatter me does not need to hear that, not when knowledge is so closely tied to power. “I wouldn’t ask any member of my kingdom to live in a place that is not their home, especially not during times like these. Is having someone here a necessary term to an alliance with the Falls?” He dooes not ask about a treaty, because Brennen had made it clear that a shared treaty no longer meant access to the waters. The Tundra is not in dire need of the healing waterfall, but he’d rather hear what Shatter Me has to say before he plays his hand.
e r r a n t
no grave can hold my body down i'll crawl home to her
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