"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
with tremulous cadence slow, and bring the eternal note of sadness in
It would have been a folly on Oceane's part had she left for Icicle Isle without the inkling in the back of her mind that Alcinder may remain there after her departure. And yet, that does not make the reality of it any easier. She looks frequently to her side for the blue-and-white colt only to turn her amber eyes forward again ─ but with markedly more moisture.
He is safe in Leilan's care, she knows ─
That, too, offers no reprieve. But he is a growing boy, soon to be a man, and there is no need to him to remain stuck to her side as much as she yearns for his childhood day after day. Altum, however, helps to fill that ache in her heart; he does not replace his older brother, but his own innocence ─ that fleeting moment she had not been able to spend with Alcinder, those stolen months ─ offers enough of a distraction to keep her sane.
She exhales slowly and with exasperation when she finally alights upon the familiar loam of the foothills. She sighs into the warm embrace of Loess as her lavender hooves carry her between sagebrush and aloe until finally her bright eyes fall on Lepis' frame in the distance. Oceane works to diminish the space between them, her eyes softening for her friend as she nears.
In the distance, she can hear Soran playing with Altum ─ the young boy's laughter resounds through the thin air, and her heart suddenly feels full. "Lepis," she says warmly, the greeting webbed with fatigue from her long flight, "I've return from the Isle. Alcinder remained with Leilan," The winged woman fills Lepis in on their conversation, though does her best to brush over the way Leilan had worded his request.
She ends with saying that it may still be best for Noah to visit the Isle, despite the tentative agreement she had made to the ice-dragon, and then lets a slow sigh fall from her maw. She brushes a warm muzzle against Lepis' shoulder before shaking her head to rid the forelock from her eyes.
"I hate to be all business when I know we both have other things to worry about..." her voice fades for a moment as she chews at the inside of her mouth, "But I do think it may be a beneficial offer to consider. Beqanna knows we might need more defense now that our Dragon has left us."
The midsummer sun has not yet reached its peak, but already the red land around her grows warm with its heat. Lepis stands in the shade of several tall palms, which grow from the damp earth at the southern end of the shallow spring she rests beside. At her feet is curled a sleeping Kestrell, his sides rising and falling steadily. Play this morning had worn him out. Now and then, she touches the glittering mane of her youngest, an action that soothes her more than it does the child.
When she sees the familiar pastel figure moving toward her, Lepis moves toward her. She keeps Kestrell in her sight and stops in the shade of a juniper, its branches heavily intertwined with kudzu and ivy, a handful of geraniums sprouting crooks in the branches. There is a relieved smile on her face as Oceane draws near; she had feared for the safety of the purple mare when she went North despite knowing that Wolfbane was rumored to have abandoned his stronghold there.
The other mare speaks, and when she does Lepis can hear the weariness in her voice. The striped pegasus tells of her conversation with the roan dragon, his demands for children in exchange for peace. That Oceane softens some of the other leader’s demands is something that Lepis suspects but does not address, for much the same reason that Oceane doesn’t speak of them. The purple mare is a model diplomat, Lepis thinks proudly, and is reassured once more that she has made the right choice in entrusting her with Loess when the time comes.
“Can we expect the same, I wonder?” Lepis muses, “Younglings from the Isle to come to Loess?” From Castile’s description, the place had been nearly empty, something that does not seem to have changed since Lepis had made her own visit there years past. Perhaps Leilan means to change that, though Lepis will believe it when she sees it. “If not, it feels rather like paying him in children to not bother us.” Though her tone remains pleasant, there is a thin line to her lips that shows her distaste for that particular type of bargain.
“But if we can, I suppose that is agreeable enough.” It is far from the agreement that she hopes to make with Tephra, but it is something. The more stability they have in the realm of politics, the more focus she can give the other things that Oceane mentions. Things like the location of their lost dragon, among others, and why it is that he has been gone so long. Lepis had been certain he would return by summer, well-accustomed to his mood swings and draconic displays of temper, yet he has not.
She glances toward the sleeping child, with his smoky piebald coat and drafty build, and then away again. Though she has told Oceane of the assault carried out by her disguised former spouse, she had not included the details about the shape he had taken during it. Who had had been seems rather clear now, with the boy’s strong resemblance to the Dragon King of Loess. Well, that or Lepis had also chosen to dally with Castile, a possibility that is so far from plausible that she has never even felt the need to address it.
“I’ve named him Kestrell,” she tells the other mare. “And if I am not here to make the decision for him, I’d rather he not go to Icicle Isle. I’d like him to stay here, with you, if you would accept that burden.” It is a large thing to ask, she knows, the responsibility of a child, and there are few she would trust it to. Oceane is one, and Noah, and even still Castile if the man would ever swallow his pride and return. But Oceane most of all.
with tremulous cadence slow, and bring the eternal note of sadness in
It's times like these, nestled into the midst of diplomatic conversation with weary eyes and an even wearier heart that Oceane most appreciates her friendship with Lepis. Her duties as Lady of Loess come before all ─ she has been tasked with a heavy responsibility, one that she does not fail to find the importance in, but the ease of her relationship with the Loessian Queen allows Oceane her moment of exhaustion and worry. Regardless of this, of the way her worry sits tight between her shoulders, she knows that Lepis will take it for what it is and nothing more.
The responsibilities bestowed to her are not too heavy for her to carry, but nonetheless, they are weighty. "No, I don't expect we will see children from the Isle," she says quietly, a short sigh following, "But Leilan has indicated that he does plan on returning them, after their work with him is done." She chews briefly at the inside of her mouth ─ and knows, fully well, that some may decide to venture to other territories inside of returning to the foothills. Or even, she suspects in Alcinder's case, remain in the Isle. A child's first taste of true independence does not often make for a quiet return to the safety of a mother's bosom.
When Lepis agrees to Leilan's terms, Oceane is awash with both relief and sadness. It's one step towards fulfilling their duty regarding reparations, and yet she cannot help but feel a twinge of sadness at Castile's absence and the burden that now comes with it. As a mother, too, her heart already aches for the parents who will soon be asked to part with their yearlings in the name of diplomacy.
The dun woman turns her gaze to a furry crescent tucked beneath the boughs of a nearby tree, its midsection rising and falling in slow and rhythmic breaths. Oceane's gilded eyes follow and linger on the child, feeling the tightness in her chest at the markings painted across him. The opaline woman does her best to swallow the bile that threatens to rise in her chest at the memory of Lepis' narrative regarding Wolfbane, and at the now-obvious proof of the form he had taken.
It's in this moment that Oceane truly understands everything Lepis' former spouse has taken from her ─ and is surprised by her own desire to end the man's life. He would be deserving of whatever ending befalls him, and silently she hopes it is torturous.
Despite the boy's father, Oceane softens as she peers at him, her ears fluttering as her friend continues to speak at her side. It takes the woman one beat, and then two, after Lepis has fallen into silence to comprehend what has been asked of her. Her gaze turns quickly from the resting boy, colliding with blue eyes of the woman beside her, surprise apparent across the whole of her lavender face.
"Lepis, I... I'm honored that you would trust me with him. I would be happy to," she agrees weakly, knowing that it means she is accepting something that is slowly shaping out to be inevitable. "He would be no burden."
“I suppose I already do intend to trust you with Loess,” the blue-eyed mare says with a soft shift of a smile. “What is one more child in it?” Though her voice is light, it is abundantly clear from the fondness in her face as she looks back at Kestrell that he is anything but just ‘one more child.’
He is her last, her legacy.
He belongs here in Loess, raised by those loyal to the land.
The situation is not a perfect mirror of her own, but it strikes a chord of memory, the rush of emotion swelling in her chest. Leaving her child in the care of another, appointing a friend to watch over them – is that so far from what her own parents had done? Heda had been present – but barely more than that – but her father had vanished long before she had a chance to know him. (Lepis hears, now and again, that he lurks in the western sea, but she had no interest in finding him). I will make sure Kestrell knows me, Lepis thinks, I will ensure he has only positive memories when he thinks of me.
That task, at least, will not be a difficult one.
Not compared to her other one, anyway. To take her mind from it, she returns to the earlier topic of conversation.
“Was he receptive to the idea of Noah’s assistance?” Lepis has not yet the aid of her small red friend, but she is certain that the leader of the Pampas will be agreeable. Noah enjoys flowers, and while this task is of a more industrial nature, Lepis thinks Noah quite capable. She has plans for additional aid as well, ones that she is not as certain of. The prospect of them coming to fruition brings a nearly imperceptible widening of her smile. How fitting would it be, she wonders, if she were to remind the whole of Beqanna exactly how capable she is even as she plans to forsake them.
with tremulous cadence slow, and bring the eternal note of sadness in
When Lepis gives her a gentle smile and whispered words in a soft voice, Oceane is still lost in the painful way her acceptance of Lepis' request exists hand-in-hand with the forced acceptance of her friend's inevitable demise. And she knows ─ is painfully aware, even ─ that to ask such a thing of another woman is not an easy task. She can feel the ache in her own heart as her amber eyes move from her closest confidante and to the woman's newest child.
"I will make sure he knows all of the stories of his mother and her strength," she whispers to the dun-and-gold woman, her voice cracking at the weight of the promise. The opaline woman tries to clear her throat of the emotion that catches, hot and tight, at the back of her throat. She is thankful when the conversation shifts back to politics. There are too many things for them to discuss to remain on one topic for far too long, and in a way she needs the reprieve of that shift.
"He was... well, you know Leilan. He recognizes that it would not be an easy or quick task. And he did mention that he and his horde had visited the Pampas after Castile's razing and that no mention had been made of Noah's abilities." She grins slightly and tosses her lavender forelock dismissively from her eyes, "I don't believe he would turn away the help, though, and if anything it would be perceived favorably by the whole of Beqanna for Noah to even just make her presence known there." She falls silent then and shifts her gaze away from the Loessian Queen and back to the boy ─ Kestrell ─ who sleeps so peacefully.
Her thoughts venture to Altum, who she can still hear playing with Soran in the distance. He will be a good companion for Kestrell, and knowing that Lepis' child can utilize her own son as a brother eases the new pain of Alcinder's absence.
You know Leilan, Oceane tells her, and Lepis does nothing more than raise a brow. Yet there is enough emotion in that single look to convey agreement. The older mare knows her experience with the man – now the creature – has swayed her a certain way, but she has made no effort to make that known. The bronze dragon takes pleasure in irritating others, and that is never a thing that Lepis has tolerated well. That he had taken the Islers to the Brilliant Pampas is met with a slow blinks. She will speak of that with Noah, as she will what she now says to Oceane.
“Now that you are returned, there will be some changes in the structure of our kingdom” , she begins, her blue-grey eyes as heavy as the thunderheads that rumble in the west. “I will remain as leader of Loess, but you will rule the south. The kingdom seat will be moved, and whether it is to Sylva or to the Brilliant Pampas is your decision to make.”
Never looking away from Oceane, she still keeps her ears pointed toward her youngest’s resting shape. His father has been occupied elsewhere in Beqanna for the time being, and she tells Oceane briefly of her apolitical encounter with the Nerenian queen and her speculation on the timeline of her eventual demise. There is no need for an immediate answer to the choice she had posed earlier, the dun mare makes clear, as perhaps Oceane would want to visit one place or the other, or propose some other alternative entirely. Lepis is rather pleased to have found a way to hold onto Loess without the burden of an entire kingdom.
This way someone else can deal with the hassles of an empire, while Loess remains entirely her own.
If she cannot have the entire world in her grasp when she dies, at least she will have Loess.
“We wait for news of whether or not the Tephrans wish an alliance, in addition to the open borders and access to their healing waterfall that they have already granted. Once we have that, and the matter of power change settled, I think it time we address the kingdom. I can gather them when you are ready.”
with tremulous cadence slow, and bring the eternal note of sadness in
"Lepis," the opaline woman exclaims with incredulity, "Do you intend to give me a heart attack today?" She had not stumbled away from Nau-Aib in the inky blackness with thoughts of a crown in her future ─ her only hopes had been to escape the King and his arithmancers, to free herself and her future children of the shackles that had tied her there. But over time it had become apparent that Oceane was not fated to have a simple life. She does not shy from it, and would never lest her past and its horrors happened to follow her, and so with a trembling smile and a heart that beats staccato against her innards, the Lady of Loess finally nods.
She knows, almost immediately, which she would choice. Geographically, there is only one option. And though her heart lies in the foothills of Loess, this is a task she will accept as it is presented by Lepis. If the Loessian Queen wishes for her to don the crown of the South ─ if she feels that the gleaming pegasi will lead the kingdom properly ─ then she will gladly take the weight on her capable shoulders and allow the blue-and-dun woman to keep her seat on the counsel.
Lepis fills her in on the recent trip to Nerine and as much as her brain tries to tug her back to the new future that lies before her, Oceane knows that it's now extra important to listen to the politics of the kingdoms. An alliance with Nerine wouldn't fix all of the problems that have begun to bloom since Castile's razing of the Isle, but it would certainly launch them forward leaps and bounds faster than she would have hoped to anticipate.
She takes special note of the healing waterfall and offers a kind, thankful smile to Lepis. "The Pampas would be my choice, both geographically and politically," she says by way of acceptance, "Especially if we are to have Noah make the journey to the Isle. We will need leadership there, and all the better that it is flanked by Loess and Sylva for protection."
Oceane is only surprised because she had not been privy to the information that Lepis now shares; the dun mare is sure that the other pegasus would have come up with a similar plan had she known everything earlier. This is the only logical way to proceed, after all, the way that gives Lepis everything she wants and everyone else everything they need.
And the south needs Oceane.
That the queen-to-be chooses the better option even without guidance only further solidifies the concrete confidence that Lepis has in her.
“The Brilliant Pampas it is,” she replies with a smile. “I will speak to Noah, but I don’t think it is too early to begin calling you Queen of the South” There is a mischievous spark in her blue-grey eyes as she says it. This is not the first time she has passed on responsibility (and nor will it be the last), but there is a sense of rightness in knowing that this is the best choice and that she has not been pressured into making it too quickly.
Her success at keeping Wolfbane away has emboldened her, and not for the first time she wonders how much more she might have achieved with her life had she not allowed men to intervene. But there is no changing the past, and she dismisses that internal thought with a flick of her blue and white tail.
