"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
She always looked at the world as a beautiful thing, as she was just appreciative to be living. She wondered how anyone could think any different. Though she knew not everyone felt the same way.
As her black legs carried her across a dirt path, she took in her surroundings with her ice blue eyes. The grass was tall and green, sometimes tickling the underneath of her body. The air was fresh and clean. Solmira took a deep breath, filling her lungs expand with the air from the field. It felt good to her to be in a place this pure. In the distance, a lake was sparkling in the sun. There was a cliff with a stream spilling over the side, contributing to the shimmering lake. The view was breathe taking. Her legs shifted her off the small, dirt path and into the grass. Moving in the direction of the lake, Solmira let her eyes wander around to the other horses in the field.
It's not that she didn't want to speak to the other horses, she was just more reserved when it came to others. Trust issues? Maybe or it could be something else. She remembered several encounters with other equines. Despite her sweet personality, there was just something about the first minutes of a meeting that left others thinking she was a cold mare. Maybe she was just a little shy at first. She couldn't place why so she couldn't expect others to know either.
Just be nice and welcoming, she thought to herself. Don't be reserved. She knew though, no matter how hard she told herself to be welcoming to any equine that decided to come up to her, she would still be cold or shy at first.
She shook her dial, getting these worrisome thoughts out of her mind. She was so engulfed in her own thoughts she hadn't notice that she was coming up to the edge of the lake. Solmira scanned the lake with her eerie eyes, just taking it all in. Her black legs carried her further into the water, until she was knee deep in the coolness. It wasn't a particularly hot day, but it was spring and it was definitely warm. She welcomed the nice weather after a seemingly endless winter of cold and ice.
After a minute or two in the water, she stepped out and shook her body. Tiny water droplets flew into the air like crystals in the sky. She watched them launch into the air and then into the grass. She stared for a second and then started to think about all of the possibilities this land could hold for her.
Then something caught her attention. A black figure moved in the grass, the body thick and muscular. Solmira knew who it was, her brother. What is he doing here? She nickered at him, beckoning him to her, but with no luck. Why isn't he moving? Unlike her, his eyes were dark. He almost had a blank look on his face, showing no emotion. Blue eyes stared into dark eyes for what seemed like enternity. Finally Solmira had to look away. His stare made her uncomfortable so her gaze shifted towards the lake. By now the sun was overheard, letting its light shine down on the lake. The shimmering was so intense she had to look away from that too. Her orbs looked back at her brother but he was no longer there. She shifted her head to look all around her. He was nowhere to be found. She wondered if he was ever even there. What's going on? Solmira shook her head in confusion and let her mind race.
OOC: sorry no codes yet! Hopefully getting some soon
we all carry these things that no one else can see they hold us down like anchors; they drown us out at sea
The sun was warm today—and he found that he welcomed it. Ever since he had returned, he never seemed to be warm enough, his bones seemingly always chilled. Lifting his handsome, scarred head to the sun, he closed his eyes for a moment, letting the threads of spring wash over him. It wasn’t until he heard the concern lacing through the mare’s cry that he opened his eyes and saw her standing in the water. Confused, and admittedly curious, Magnus moved forward until he was on the edges of the lake.
“Hello?” his voice was quiet and composed of smoke, the rust having fallen away from its decades of rest. He was, for all purposes, the vision of a quiet, sturdy stallion—if not a solitary one. He had thrown himself into the rigors of kingdom life and was intent on seeing Heaven rise once more from the ashes. She may have been attacked, but she was never one to stay down for long. He wouldn’t let her.
Taking another step so the water began to lap at his legs, he called again, “Is everything alright?” He noticed the concern etched on her features or the confusion. It mirrored so closely what he had felt for so long after life was breathed back into his lungs that he couldn’t help himself from waiting to make sure she was alright. He may not be the white knight, but he never could stop himself from trying to save those around him.
Blue orbs flickered around wildly, she thought a hundred things at once, but the only thought that stuck out to her was why was he coming around now? After all this time? It had been years since the black horses played together as foals. They were the best of friends, always by each other's sides. Inseparable, some would say. The time came though, when the herd was split up. She couldn't remember the reason anymore, but she remembered feeling so alone when her brother was not found. Sure there were other foals to be with, and she still had her parents. What would she do without her brother? Solmira decided on that fateful day that she would keep a positive attitude about the whole thing, and hope that one day he would return. She wouldn't let all of the awful things she was feeling keep her down. In her mind, a positive outlook would help everything. So she never stopped looking out at the horizon, waiting for a familiar black equine to be out there coming toward her.
Now he was here, or was he? He disappeared so fast, Solmira could not tell. Am I going crazy? She had never had anything like this happen to her before. She often daydreamed about the time he would come back, but never actually saw him in the flesh, or whatever she just saw. She shifted her weight nervously, and looked about her. She had been so engulfed in her own head, that she had not noticed the stallion coming towards her. She was not prepared for an encounter, especially after what had just happened. He asked if things were alright, and she honestly had no idea. She tried to get the nervousness out of her body, and answer him in a nice light tone, but all she managed was, "Oh, um, yes." Her voice sounded flat, not at all what she was going for. How could she tell a complete stranger what had just happened? How could she explain?
She had to think of something else to say to him, to not seem rude and to keep the conversation alive. She tried to regroup in her head. Just don't think about your brother. You can go through what happened later, when you are alone. It seemed to work a little, but just a tiny amount. She looked at the stallion standing before her. "I'm Solmira." Her voice sounded lighter this time, not so cold to him. After all he seemed genuinely concerned about her. She kept the nervousness at bay, but just barely. It kept creeping into the back of her mind, and whether it was the first time meeting this new stallion or seeing her brother, she did not know.
you and I both know that the house is haunted and you and I both know that the ghost is me
There is nervousness in her and confusion—and he recognizes it. Pity does not cross his features, but empathy does, and he takes a subconscious step backward to give her even more space. The last thing that he would want to do is contribute to whatever she was going through. He does not press her to speak any quicker than she is ready and instead just watches her with his quiet gaze, waiting for her to either respond or dismiss him. She seemed like she may want to be alone, and he could hardly fault her for that.
He often wanted to be alone too.
But she doesn’t ask him to leave, and some part of him is relieved. “Hello, Solmira,” he responded before glancing around them, trying to see whatever it was that was making her so nervous. Nothing seemed out of sorts, but he knew better than most that one’s own personal ghosts did not always seem obvious. Things as simple as the smell of saltwater was enough to drag him back to the memory of death.
“I’m glad to know that you’re alright,” he says, although he does not necessarily believe that is true. She was too nervous, too skittish for everything to truly be good—but he wasn’t about to force her to talk about whatever was bothering her before she was ready. “My name is Magnus.” He offers his name and lets silence fall for a few seconds before following it up with, “Are you looking for a home?” Most souls who found their way to the field were, but with her, he couldn’t be sure what she wanted or, perhaps, didn't want.
Solmira relaxed a little bit. She could feel the tension being relieved in her muscles. The stallion standing before her seemed to be nice and genuinely concerned about her. She knew first impressions weren't everything, and one shouldn't be fooled by them. Of course she wasn't very trusting, and maybe she was questioning whether he was real or not. The thought raced acrossed her mind, and then died out. Of course he is real, she thought to herself. She seemed pretty confident in that thought, despite not knowing whether her brother was standing before her or not only minutes ago.
Magnus was his name. It suited him. He seemed like a strong stallion, and he seemed patient with her. Instead of turning the other direction when she was freaked out, he stayed and made sure she was alright. That meant something to Solmira. Good souls were hard to find.
Then he mentioned a home. She hadn't known a place to be home in awhile. She had been wandering alone, and that was dangerous. Strength in numbers. And a place to call home would be nice. The thought of other horses around her made her happy and also a little scared. How would this herd react to her? She decided to push all of her thoughts to the back of her mind and go for it. "Yes I am. A home sounds nice."
you and I both know that the house is haunted and you and I both know that the ghost is me
If Magnus could read her thoughts, he would empathize. He knew the soul-breaking confusion that came from not knowing—anything really. When reality and dreams melted together, it became difficult to untangle what was real from what your mind conjured; it was terrifying to face a world that you didn’t trust. Of course, the gold stallion had no way of knowing her fears, and instead just felt the nerves roll off her, his body tense in anticipation of helping her should something go wrong. He wasn’t sure what was causing her to feel so on edge, but it triggered every warrior bone in his body to be prepared for it.
When she answers, he feels something light in his stomach—something relieved at finding a soul who would potentially call Heaven home. He forgot what a rush it was to walk through the field; not only because it helped fill the kingdom with those who might love it, but because it was the chance to help lost souls find a loving, peaceful home. “I might be able to help you with that,” he says in his shadows and ash voice, one corner of his lacerated lips lifting into a lopsided smile. “I live in a wonderful place.”
He pauses for a second as memories of the kingdom wash over him, and his gut wrenches with its current reality. “I live in Heaven’s Gates, one of the kingdoms of this land. It’s quite beautiful,” he tilts his head to consider her. “Recently, we suffered an attack from the Chamber, but we are recovering and rebuilding. We could use all of the good hands we could get.” Another pause, his face growing serious. “But only if you are interested. It’s a stunning home, but I would never wish to force anything on you.”
She started to calm down a bit. What if it was just your imagination? He couldn't really be here. It worried her that he could have actually been here because there was no reason for him to be in strange, dangerous lands. Even if she wanted him to be here with her, she also feared for his safety. How did he even find her? Why hasn't he talked to her? It worried her even more that she was just imagining him. What if he wasn't there? What if she was crazy? All of these questions flashed in and out of her mind, making her nervously stamp her foot. She needed to focus on the stallion in front of her, not the stallion in her head. Any calmness that she felt before slipped away from her. She couldn't hang onto it but she knew she would try anyways.
Solmira focused on his soothing voice. He seemed to understand her nervousness. She didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Magnus talked with such enthusiasm about his home. It made her smile slightly. He was so passionate and she longed for something to feel that way about. His home seemed lovely and she found herself imagining it as her home too.
When he finished talking about the home, she found that she was still smiling a little. "Your home sounds lovely." Her voice was still low, but not as nervous this time around. Instead of thinking about her brother, she was thinking about a new home for herself. She could envision herself comfortable, maybe with a foal or friends. It just seemed like the right place. But she couldn't jump at it just yet. Something he said bothered her. "Why did these lands get attacked?" She couldn't hide her curiosity and a small dose of fear. Would she really live in lands that just got attacked?
you and I both know that the house is haunted and you and I both know that the ghost is me
He had known that she would be nervous about the idea of Heaven being attacked, and he had debated whether or not he should bring it up (it wasn’t exactly a stellar recruiting plan), but Magnus had always done his best to be honest—and he wouldn't have felt good about leading her blind into the situation. So his face remains serious, his gold-flecked eyes burning and the familiar sear of rage scorching along the underside of his belly at the thought of what the Chamber had done to Heaven. The injustice of it.
“There are always cruel people in the world,” he finally says softly, “and those who choose to target those who wish for peace simply because they can. Because they think it makes them stronger.” He rolls a scarred shoulder, looking away to the border for a second, his mouth tightening in thought. It took everything within him to not march to the Chamber and raise holy hell for what they had done to heaven.
He had to assume his father was involved and the thought made his stomach churn.
“They burned what was good because they thought it would tamper it. They took our Queen as a display of power.” He shook his handsome head, hating himself for not being there to fight back. “But we are rebuilding, and we won’t be caught unaware again.” He hesitates and then nudges her neck gently, looking at her in the eyes. “Should you choose Heaven as your home, I promise that I will do everything that I can to keep you safe. I will protect you.” A foolish promise, but one he made again and again. It seemed as if he was never capable of keeping those around him safe, their lives running like sand through his fingers, but that wouldn’t keep him from trying. It wouldn’t keep him from picking up the sword each and every day.
Solmira's image of his homeland changed in an instant. The first picture was of a beautiful land, full of horses. She could see foals frolicking with their mothers grazing close by. It was a peaceful scene and she want that to be her home. The second image was of a war stricken land. She could see a scattered herd with sad members. Magnus said that they took their queen. Solmira wandered who would lead in the queen's absence. She knew that there were horrible horses out there and she wandered if the queen was ok. Her heart went out to Magnus because he seemed upset by it. It was a different kind of passion in him now. A mad passion. Of course he wanted revenge. She would want it too. "Magnus, I'm sorry about your queen and lands." She tried to make her voice sweet and low, hopefully comforting him. She didn't know the stallion at all but her heart was kind and she just wanted to help.
Her nervousness earlier was replaced with some sort of fire in her. She couldn't quite place the feeling. Had she ever felt something like this before? She wanted to help this herd. Solmira knew she couldn't fight but she could learn. She knew she was shy and sometimes quiet but she could try to put that aside. It would not be not something that would be easy. It would actually be quite hard but she was up to the task. Then he said that he would protect her. He promised. She knew that promises were hard to keep but she believed him when he said it. It would feel good to have the protection of him and whatever was left of the herd that he presided in. She hesitated a moment but once the words started they fell out. "I'll come with you. I want to help your herd." She smiled a little at him. Hopefully she would be able to help in some way.
you and I both know that the house is haunted and you and I both know that the ghost is me
There are parts of him, small parts, that regret soiling her image of Heaven—but more so, there are parts that rage at the Chamber for daring to touch it. How dare they leave their fingerprint on her beauty, how dare they try to twist their poison through Heaven’s veins. Magnus could feel himself growing heated, the familiar anger boiling in his veins and blurring his vision—and the overwhelming need to do something (fight back, steal Fiasko in the middle of the night) was becoming more and more difficult to ignore.
He did ignore it though, for her sake, and he compartmentalized the anger so that his rugged features were passive and the only sign of his anger was the flinty look in his eyes. He gave her a shadow of a smile, small and barely noticeable as it ghosted around his lacerated lips. “I appreciate the apology,” he said quietly, and he did. It was nice to know that there were still kind hearts out there in the world.
But then, she agrees to go home with him, and the smile grows slightly, becoming more pronounced, the edges cutting deeper in his handsome face. “I am glad to hear that.” While warriors and magicians were needed, they weren’t the only thing. They needed people to inhabit the land, people who were willing to love it and call it home. There was magic in numbers and magic in love; he had seen it first hand. Even just swelling the ranks, filling the borders with good souls may be enough to prevent a future attack.
“Ready to see your new home?” he asked, taking a step back and gesturing to the border.
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