"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
Archam trotted into the entrance of the falls with the champagne mare at his side. He thrashed his head around in a playful mannor before breaking off into a gallop. He ran around the field, his legs stretching, pounding into the moist ground with every step. He grew closer to the mare and slow to a walk. "Welcome to the Falls" he gave a whinny calling those from the kingdom to gather, hoping the mares from his herd would also gather. "I hope you enjoy the Falls, and I hope youll join my herd" he smiled at the mare before turning his gaze over the waterfall that endlessly roared.
Anahi couldn't stop herself from gasping as she took in the sight before her. It was absolutely magnificent! A river, stretching out from the waterfall she could spot in the distance, weaved though the meadows like a snake. The water shimmered a gorgeous crystalline blue, helping the forests to shine a beautiful emerald green color. Patches of trees here and there - small forests, Anahi determined - peppered the landscape, adding to the land's natural beauty.
And to just think, out there were horses, hopefully ones that would be just as nice as the clique Anahi had been socializing with back in the Field.
Anahi smiled at Archam, "It's beautiful here. Thank you for bringing me." She had caught what he'd stated about joining his herd. His neigh, more than likely, had been a call to others, probably to ask them to come here to see the newcomer.
The champagne mare suddenly felt bashful. Her arrival was not a big deal; she was hoping for a nice quiet introduction to whoever was here, not asking the majority, if not all, of them to come here and greet her. But, well, Archam had already let out a call, and she could do nothing about it.
So, instead, Anahi turned her gaze to the bay roan stallion, "Where does your herd reside here?"
The golden hued vixen happened to be walking the border of the kingdom. The spring grass trying to take back the worn trail. The lively air and sweet sprouts had her feeling exceptionally content and a little energetic. She had stopped for a bite when the duo entered. Perhaps she was downwind as they didn’t seem to notice her right away. A laugh escaped her lips at the roans display. He must be feeling the season too. He was a busy body, growing his little clan, a hint of jealousy or concern crossed her mind. Her own efforts weren’t quite that fruitful, but perhaps convincing someone to a life of ease as a resident was easier than finding those who wanted to work. Her amber eyes rolled in her skull at his call. From what little interaction she’d had with this brute he sure was cocky. She much preferred the nature of her kind and quiet friends.
If her laugh hadn’t given her away, she made her way closer to the two giving a curt nod to the brute before turning her attention to the maiden with similar colouring as herself. “Hello Miss. And yes, welcome to the Falls. I hope this young man is treating you well? Has he invited you to join the kingdom or will you just be a resident?” Her tone and expression warm, despite the slight… annoyance… behind them. She was learning and trying to not be emotional, to be the diplomat she wanted to be, to be like Ygritte.
If you're ever gonna find a silver lining It's gotta be a cloudy day
The gentle voice of a mare captured Anahi's attention, and the champagne mare turned her head, seeing a palomino approach. If Anahi's coat had been just a few shades paler, the duo could be confused for one another. Only reason she thought that was because there had been some palomino mares in her former herds and comments were often made about similar coat colors.
Once the mare had finished speaking, Anahi tackled each statement one at a time. In regards to the first one about Archam's treatment of her, she nodded.
"He's been treating me fairly; he was chivalrous enough to invite me here instead of forcing me to come," she commented, giving the bay roan stallion a pointed look.
When it came to the second part of the palomino's questioning, Anahi stared at her inquisitively, her ears swiveling back and forth as she tried to comprehend, "I'm afraid I do not understand. Is there a difference between joining the kingdom and just being a resident?"
I hear the sound of racing hooves, and look up from my grazing to see the roan stallion – Archam – racing about the Field. He looks pleased, and as a curious creature, I leave my late morning meal and move toward him. As I’m approaching, I hear him call for the kingdom, and wonder what he’s beckoning us for. Clsoer, I can see that there is a stranger at his side.
Perhaps she is a new member of the kingdom? That would make sense; Archam wants the rest of the kingdom to meet her. I suspect that she might simply be a member of herd though; he does seem to have a rather lot of those. Either way, I am intrigued. The champagne mare is quite lovely, her color nearly matching Ashara’s who I see has heard Archam’s summons as well.
I offer the palomino mare a warm smile, knowing that she is closer to Ygritte than she is to me, but grateful for her service to the kingdom regardless. She has done well in her time here.
Ashara asks the new mare the same questions that I had been pondering; I arrive at the group just in time to hear them. I’ve stopped a comfortable distance away; close enough to converse, but hopefully not enough to seem as though I am intruding. My size lends itself to the intrusion interpretation more often than not, though I hold my head lower than usual, and greet both Archam and the champagne mare with a friendly smile.
“Hello,” I saw with a smile, “I’m Kreios.”
The mare’s reply about Archam’s chivalry has me turning to eye the bay stallion with amusement. It is humorous only because he had been chivalrous; had he been less than polite he’d be finding himself a new home. Archam might rule his herd while it dwells in the Falls, but neither I nor Ygritte will stand for behavior that is aligned with that of the evil kingdoms.
I, too, am curious about her answer to Ashara’s question, but it seems that she’s not entirely sure what is being asked of her. That, at least, is something that I can clear up.
“Since Archam invited you here, he’s probably wanting you to join his herd. ” I tell her, glancing to Archam curiously to ascertain if this is true. “You could also join the kingdom, and serve it as a warrior or a diplomat – or both. If you’d like to join the kingdom, but not to serve, you’re welcome to live here as a resident. Archam’s mares live here as residents of the kingdom and as members of his herd. It’s entirely up to you what you wish to do.” I know that it is a lot of information to handle at once, but I (and I’m sure the others) are willing to answer any questions she might have.
Instead of the palomino mare, who's name she still had yet to learn, Anahi heard a different voice answer her question. It was obvious from the pitch that it was a stallion with a white base coat, spotted with chestnut on his croup and hind legs from what she could tell. Since the stallion was facing her directly, Anahi did not yet know if that was his only coloring.
Taking note of his name so she could properly say hello, Anahi remained silent as this stallion patiently explained how the system here worked. So, she had the option to either join as a resident, either living alone or within Archam's herd, or serve the kingdom as a warrior or diplomat. To be honest, none of the options sounded perfect, given Anahi's former lifestyle simply involved living with a herd, moving when the stallion said so, and listening to the boss mare.
Here, a kingdom existed. There was much tighter inner workings than Anahi had been expecting. However, it didn't seem like a bad lifestyle, just something that she would have to get used to.
She didn't know why she was asking this, but at the same time, she did. Archie, even if he wasn't as chivalrous as she was giving him credit for, had offered her kindness and a place to live. Even if she hadn't been with a herd for a while, and din't like the thought of being 'property' to another, it was the way things worked. She could only hope that Archam wasn't a tyrant of any sort.
Anahi bowed her head a little to the stallion as a show of respect, "Hello Kreios. My name is Anahi; thank you for welcome me here, and explaining how things worked. I may still not be used to this, but, I do think I would like to live as a resident within Archam's herd, and serve the kingdom as a diplomat as well. See which one suits me better perhaps, should I choose one or the other in the end. If it would please the ruler of this kingdom, I would be proud to serve it."
As Archam took a breath in ready to answer the mares question, his ears flicked to the sounds of another approaching. Sure enough the golden mare, who was generally there when he returned to the kingdom approached. He listened quietly as the gold vixen introduced herself and talked about the kingdom as she normally does; watching as Anahi responds back, she wasn't nervous to be around horses which was always a fresh of breath air.
As soon as the champagne mare stopped speaking to Ashara, Kreios the king approached them. He gave a slight nod of his head respecting the kings position in this kingdom. The king was quick to ask the mare her intentions of the kingdom and if she would join a Caste. He grew slightly annoyed of the group bombarding the two, it was nice for them to interact but Archam couldn't even get a word in. He continued to watch as the three interacted, Anahi was quick to choose the diplomat caste, which Archam thought she would do excellent in. She was easy to talk to, and a beautiful mare at that. A smile grew on his face as the mare declared she would join Archams herd. He moved closer to her, filled with joy. "I am glad you decided to join the herd Anahi, I think you will make a fabulous diplomat" he spoke with confidence. All of the mare he has claimed played a vital role in the kingdom which he was proud that they did more than just dwell on the lands.
04-07-2016, 08:25 PM (This post was last modified: 04-07-2016, 08:33 PM by Ashara.)
ASHARA
If you're ever gonna find a silver lining It's gotta be a cloudy day
Being almost half his size, she raised had to raise her visage to greet the king. Kreios’s warm smile was reflected back to him on Ashara’s lips. He beat her to the answer but the golden mare didn’t mind. He did have the most experience and seniority here, and explained things quite well. Something that comes with growing up in Beqanna, and many years of perfecting the act. In all honesty, she was curious why Archam hadn’t claimed one of the kingdoms herd lands to keep them separate but perhaps she didn’t know the workings as well as she should.
Her eyes brighten with the newcomer’s words, delighted she’d taken an important role. “Glad to hear.” we need more dedicated workers. “Diplomats are responsible for participating in meetings on behalf of the kingdom, recruiting and steals, friendly or otherwise.” She gave a glance to the spotted behemoth looking for approval before returning to the other mare. “Ashara, by the way.” she added. As diplomats they’d probably be seeing a fair amount of each other.
Anahi smiled and nodded at the palomino mare, showing that she understood what was being asked of her as a diplomat. Though it might take her a while to get into the swing of things, to truly understand how her position worked, Anahi had no doubt that with patience and a lot of work, she'd grasp it quickly and be able to help the kingdom.
With that in mind, the mare dipped her head to the palomino mare as she (the palomino) introduced herself, "Nice to meet you Ashara. My name's Anahi."
