"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
01-27-2019, 09:53 PM (This post was last modified: 01-28-2019, 09:02 PM by Amet.)
don't get cut on my edges ─ I'm the king of everything and oh my tongue is a weapon
Amet had forgotten what, exactly, the fairies of Beqanna were capable of doing. When Solace had mentioned that territories of old had been pulled straight out of the sea, shuffling the geography of the island he had come to know and love, he could not say that he had been surprised ─ but maybe, just slightly, happily amused. Sometimes, it felt as if the island was its own sentient being, shifting and molding itself to the community that thrived upon it.
The dragonhide stallion ventures away from Hyaline, through the northern part of Pangea, and finally into Silver Cove just as dawn breaks over the horizon, painting the sky in purple pastel. Amet's amber eyes rest only briefly on the sky, instead concentrating on the unfamiliar pathway that has unfurled before him. While springtime in this territory is no Hyaline, there's still a refreshing beauty to the budding trees and the slight frost that still clings to the sea-salted grass.
Solace's scent is strong here, familiar and comforting. Amet smiles to himself at the thought of the blue-accented girl who'd grown and learned so much since he had left her at the helm of Hyaline six years ago. Pride swells in his chest as he continues forward, his dark hooves beating dully against the frozen morning turf.
After some time ─ and a blatant disregard for the border, though not unkindly or with bad intentions ─ the akhal-teke comes to heel as he reaches the cove for which the territory is named. Picking his way over smooth stone and then cool, wet sand, the dragonhide stallion finally rests at the water's edge, just outside of the tide's reach, and simply waits.
and in my dreams, i kissed your lips a thousand times
The pastel purple hue of the sky feels anticlimactic, a poor finale for a number of things. The blizzard and the thunder storm deserve an ending far greater than a mute violet; but more than that, my wife deserves every colour under the sun as she considers her legacy and its continuation. Perhaps it is selfish of me to pin the blame of her distanced consciousness on something as trivial and uncontrollable as the colour of the sunrise, but I do.
Although things will be okay no matter what, bitterness still finds its way to the most vulnerable part of my heart these days. I love my wife; I would be a fool to blatantly and wholeheartedly accept the proposal she had made not so very long ago. But I want what is best for her - always.
(A strange scent.)
It pulls my attention away, though I fight its gravity with a clench of my jaw and a last lingering glower for the pathetic sky. On any other day, I might have found it beautiful; but time alone will be responsible for when I again begin to find beauty in anything around me, save perhaps my children. Even the thought of them causes a squeezing of the muscles surrounding my heart, as I consider that the next ones may be some time in coming.
(You will be alone - we have all seen how that goes.)
Solace will still be with me - and even when she isn't, she has taught me how to cope better than I knew how to before. (Sure, you say that now, but we both know where you'll end up by the end of this; the bottom of the lake has always been calling your name, even when you can't here it.)
Please, leave me alone...
Shaking my head abruptly to clear it of the malicious voice who comes around when times get hard, I step from the glade of trees I'd been sheltering beneath to approach the scent of the stallion. The trail of it leads me directly to the cove, though it appears more brown and blue and gray than silver this morning. Standing next to this dull scenery, however, is someone far more captivating. The gold-and-bronze shimmer of the male's scaled hide makes me think inadvertently of Vulgaris, a stallion whose name leaves the taste of blood and ash upon my tongue. This would be so even if he had just tried to kill me that one time - but now, to add insult to injury, he has stolen one of my Primarchs.
Still, I can tell by the countenance of the man before me that no such threats are to be distributed; and what's more, I recognize him immediately, thanks to Solace's description.
I walk calmly with my antlered head lowered some as I navigate the rocky field which leads to the black sand beach of the cove, a fragmented smile gracing my lips as my obsidian hooves sink into just that substance. Without much wait, I stand beside the founder of my nation, the leopard markings upon my hide a complimentary sight to his dragon's scales.
"Amet," I say at last, though not unkindly. My nutmeg eyes shift from where they had been studying the bay to meet his, that slight smile growing some, then hastily vanishing in exchange for a sharp expression. "How nice to finally meet you. I am Kagerus, though I assume that Solace has told you as much."
Cutting off my speech here with a slow blink of my eyes and a tilt of my head as the wind blows my forelock around, I await the stallion's response. A part of me wants to get the niceties over with and to cut to the chase; but the coy, bitter, scared part of me wants to know this man before I trust him with much, much more than practically any stranger deserves.
don't get cut on my edges ─ I'm the king of everything and oh my tongue is a weapon
In part, the salted sea air of the cove that clings to Amet's dragonhide reminds the stallion of Eventide. It was the first, and only, place he had seen Makhai before the deities had risen walls of ice from the earth and separated father and son. It was the last place he had seen Eione, her face alight with sweat from the recent birthing. Her eyes had been full of fatigue and love. And then he had never seen her again.
Four years have passed since that moment.
And when he thinks on it too hard, he can still smell the sea salt and exertion.
Melancholy draws a loose sheet over his body as his warm amber eyes continue to gaze out over the horizon and into the lavender sky, and Amet attempts to bring his thoughts back to the present, and to the easy happiness that the island of Beqanna brings.
An unfamiliar scent grows stronger and the quiet thud of hooves on damp sand finally do the trick, drawing the gold-and-bronze stallion back into himself just in time to flick his molten eyes towards the antlered mare who comes to rest beside him. Kagerus. He offers her an instantly genial smile, absolutely certain that anyone capable of winning the heart of Tangerine's daughter is good and kind. "Kagerus," he responds with a polite nod, an ear swiveling in the direction of the painted woman as her speech comes to a close, "I feel lucky to finally have the chance to meet you. I've heard nothing but good things from Solace." It's the truth ─ the young light-bringer had spoken of her General with hearts in her eyes and honey on her tongue.
His gaze moves away from the leopard-spotted woman and back to the rippling wake of the cove as a small sigh of what feels like relief slips from an ajar maw. "This place is beautiful. Solace says it is now the head of the Sanctuary?" he asks simply, unaware of the true magnitude of the woman's intentions for their conversation.
and in my dreams, i kissed your lips a thousand times
The stallion's countenance reflects something akin to geniality as I alight next to him, the friendly expression one which I ought to be used to considering my position as the head of a sanctuary, but which still mildly unsettles me. I know when I think logically that this subtle distrust comes from a place of bitterness and sadness, but for a moment, I give into my emotional side and allow myself to wallow in vindication. Amet doesn't deserve what I may soon bestow upon him, he has not been around for the last seven years to actually do the work of making his empire flourish; Solace shouldn't have to leave, shouldn't shouldn't shouldn't shouldn't shouldn't shouldn't shou-
Enough.
Inhaling deeply, I recollect the fragments of my oft shattered mental faculties, and piece them back together. Instantly my vision seems to clear, ears perking more alertly and smile growing more genuine as the stallion before me greets my by name. Feeling some of the weight lifting from my shoulders as the stallion goes on to flatter my ego, I allow of burbling chuckle to dance in the air between us, head shaking softly from side to side. When I look up, my forelock falls neatly on both sides of my skull, framing my face and lending my typically dangerous aesthetic a softer edge.
"Solace speaks too highly of me, I am sure," I offer in response, nodding as though to affirm my own dictation. "But, I do appreciate the chance to be meeting you as well. Great things shall come of it, I am sure."
I do not go on as Amet's gaze floats back to the cove, feeling the weight of the secret like static electricity upon my tongue. I want so greatly to ask, but I know that it is still not time; and besides, teasing the stallion with little hints as to what I might mean is more fun than out right saying it. After all, I do still have to get to know him; and, to make matters easier for me, he asks a new question which diverts the topic - somewhat, anyway.
"Indeed it is," I answer with a reserved kind of enthusiasm, my eyes glinting as they turn once more to meet the other's. "When the contagion was released, Solace and I acted quickly, claiming the East's safe land as our own and asking all of our sanctuarians to migrate with us. It was disruptive at first, but things have settled as close to well as I suppose they ever will, now." My expression grows darker with this last statement, mind wandering to recent unfortunate events. "There are some issues with the leadership in both our subkingdoms, but frankly, I can't be made to care when these issues are self-induced."
Preferring not to dwell on the minor idiocy of some of my councilmembers, I myself now turn my gaze away to the cove, thankful for the contemplative mood its calmly churning waves inspire. "But please, tell me - is this what you envisioned for the Sanctuary? Or have Solace and I tainted what you originally dreamt for this nation?"
don't get cut on my edges ─ I'm the king of everything and oh my tongue is a weapon
If there was any indication of Kagerus' distrust for him lingering on her painted face, it goes unnoticed by Amet. He's still caught in his own mind for a brief moment, particularly on Solace's short recount of the last several years and her thoughts on the woman who now stands beside him. No, he probably wouldn't have noticed even if he hadn't been stuck halfway between the present and the surreal feeling that his return to Beqanna spins in his mind; he places unfaltering trust in Solace's judgement, taking her word the way he had taken Tangerine's. No, distrust is not one of the things that he looks for as his speech comes to an end and his amber eyes travel leisurely back to the antlered Kagerus.
A quick bout of laughter falls from his lips at the mare's response and he shoots her a look of faux disbelief. "I don't believe Solace's opinion of you would be unfounded," he says with a hint of amusement to mask the fact that it is, partly, an attempt at drawing himself into the Queen's good graces. Truth be told, she holds his future in her capable embrace, and he's quite certain that Kagerus has already deduced his reason for being here: Hyaline.
Amet's desire to ask about his old home dances on his tongue, nearly jumping from his mouth with no coaxing of his own. Solace had told him more than he had expected her to in the short time they had spoken upon his return, but it still arises unbidden at the forefront of his thoughts. The brief silence in his conversation with Kagerus gives the dragonhide stallion the chance to rein in his curiosity and, instead, he directs his inquiry towards Silver Cove and the Sanctuary in general.
His amber gaze turns back to meet Kagerus' nutmeg one, his head bobbing in acknowledgment of her words as she explains the herd's relocation from Hyaline to the Cove during the outbreak of the plague. He can only imagine the turmoil that had ensued during such a dark and uncertain time ─ surely others had had their eyes on the uninfected lands, this fact reaffirming the gold-and-bronze stallion's original thought that Solace and Kagerus were a stable and powerful pair.
A sad twinge arrives suddenly, turning the corners of his mouth down just slightly, as the leopard-spotted mare mentions discord in the leadership of their subkingdoms. New questions arise within him but they are better reserved for later as suddenly Kagerus' gaze has shifted away from him, offering a perfect foil to the very pointed inquiry she has now bestowed upon him. "Tainted it?" he asks, unable to hide the incredulous tone that clings to his voice, "Absolutely not. You and Solace have expanded it to reaches that I had never imagined." He pauses for a moment, a gaze flung back over his shoulder in the direction of Hyaline before returning it to the painted woman, regardless of whether or not her eyes still linger on the lavender horizon.
"I was young," he tells her, trying to find the words to explain, "And I was just trying to make it from one day to the next... And in truth, it all started with a bit of selfishness ─" a chuckle, "─ I needed a home, a safe haven, for myself and my siblings. I was so consumed with the idea that I needed to prove I wasn't just the young colt who had fled from my homeland," he admits, though the words are neither sheepish or ashamed, "And then the idea just grew. It was so fitting, you know? It was easy for all of us to spend time by the lake and feel safe. We had each other. We had our safe haven." He pauses now, a quiet and contented sigh slipping from his lips. "My eyes never turned outward from Hyaline. I never considered that the Sanctuary could be expanded beyond its borders. So no, Kagerus, you have not tainted it ─ you have breathed new life into it. And for that, I am forever in yours and Solace's debt." As his soliloquy fades into its end, Amet is left feeling calm, as if it had provided the catharsis that he had been so badly needing.
"Sorry," he adds with a quiet chuckle, "it certainly isn't my business, but I'm curious about the issues you mentioned earlier ─ with Hyaline's leadership," he pauses briefly, and then ─ "But please don't feel obligated to appease my meddling."
and in my dreams, i kissed your lips a thousand times
He is quite certain that I have already deduced his reason for being here; and yet, I am too caught up in my own reason for being here to wonder at his motivations; and, perhaps ironically, we come to the same conclusion: Hyaline. It's a dance of words to get to the subject itself, but I don't mind and Amet doesn't seem to, either; after all, if we finally come down to the marrow of this skeletal matter, we shall have to trust one another on a level that really can't come of a single encounter.
Luckily, Solace and he have an excellent repertoire; and this is enough to breach whatever gap remains between us on account of our effectively non existent relationship.
In the moments of silence between us when our eyes meet, I notice the amber hue of Amet's gaze; its colour mimics that of my own father, Kavi. I smile secretively at this thought, knowing all too well that the dragonesque stallion before me is ten years my junior, and that my father, who lived in the times of the Blood Alliance for gods' sake, is probably quadruple this stallion's age. It makes me feel a little funny, knowing that I owe someone so young so much for having founded the nation which represents every mote of importance to me... But I let go of the queasiness inspired herein, knowing that overthinking the semantics of our ages will ultimately just be a big waste of time.
When I mention the misfortunes of our subkingdom's rulerships, Amet's expression visibly changes; I wonder if he is always so easy to read, or if he is simply being transparent with me as a gesture of good faith. When he speaks, and it is not in regard to this topic, I almost want to interrupt him to get his obviously eager input on the situation; but I digress from myself, perking my ears to instead pay attention to the new subject at hand.
He begins by stressing the fact that Solace and I have gone far beyond what he could have dreamt, a statement which leaves my mouth a little dry, but in a good way; in the kind of way that happens because I forget to breathe, because it is such a high compliment. A blast of warm air leaves my grinning lips as he looks away, and I hope that he does not catch me as I relish his words so unashamedly; I can't help myself, I have only ever wanted to better the Sanctuary, and now its founder is telling me that I have.
Momentarily, I am reminded of my childhood self, of the girl who ran rampant in the Chamber of Evil and in the Amazon Jungle. For a girl raised by sinners and the most powerful women in the realm, it seems unfitting that I should head the great pacifist nation of the east; but then again, I had a loving, doting, peace-driven father who lived the same life, whose mother was of the same nature, who lead the Jungle itself. I think of Kagerou fondly, as Amet's pause in speech continues; closing my eyes, I briefly send a prayer of thanks up to her, before being called back to the present.
I was young, he starts again. He explains that his original inspiration came from a selfish place, but I cannot begrudge him that when the supposed selfishness actually extended to help others beyond himself. And the part about needing to prove himself, I nod to as well; though I had never been ambitious as a child, I remember well the feeling of need to provide for myself and my step mother Insignificance when she had stumbled upon my many years ago, when I awoke from the Beyond next to the newly born river.
Uncanny, how time passes, and how the present shortly becomes a part of history.
And for that, I am forever in yours and Solace's debt.
I nearly speak up now, feeling all at once as though my distrust of Amet has vanished in the wake of his vulnerability to me in the telling of his story. But I wait, knowing that in the end, his debt shall be repaid in full when he accepts my offer.
Of course, I am rewarded by his next statement being in regard to Hyaline; it is as though he reads my mind.
"Please, do not apologize, Amet." I reach out for him, stepping closer and pressing the grievously scarred tip of my muzzle to the scaled hide of his neck. The heartbeat I feel there reaffirms my decision to say what I am about to, and I withdraw, satisfied. "You have every right to ask about your nation, which has been kept as close to your original image as Solace and I could manage, given the unstable status of this god forsaken realm." I smile a little at that, but my words are clearly said in all seriousness. Beqanna can be a cruel mistress, when her children pinch too hard at her volutuous, life-giving teats.
"Truth be told, Primarch Litotes of Hyaline has gotten himself stolen to Loess - and in a time when we direly need him to take the helm of our second subkingdom, Pangea. Kensa, his mate, is distraught in his absence... I did not say this to her face, but she needs someone more seasoned to help her maintain stability in Hyaline. It may not be a terribly active land anymore, but that is beside the point." I look away, mouth turning down at the corners as my next words come, fault admitted blatantly within them. "It may not have been wise of Solace and I to place two greenhands on a throne; but, in another world, they did flourish."
Leaving the hypotheticals at that, I turn my gaze abruptly back to Amet's, their depths piercing and hard. "So, that leaves me with one question, friend..."
No preamble, no hesitation, no graciously spoken soliloquy ─ there is only acceptance and disbelief and gratitude. So. Much. Gratitude.
"Yes," he says again, quieter this time, as his molten amber eyes settle, unfaltering, on the gaze of the woman before him who has no obligation to trust him or his ability to lead a subkingdom beneath her jurisdiction, has no obligation to hand him the reins to a third of the land she protects and yet... here they are. Time seems to slow as he continues to stare into her piercing nutmeg eyes until finally his dry mouth and swollen tongue are able to produce more words, this time pregnant with the gratitude that still washes over him in waves. "Kagerus, I..." he breathes out slowly, flared nostrils fluttering, "Thank you for this opportunity. From the bottom of my heart."
He grins at the leopard-marked woman, unfettered happiness breaking through the woven blanket of disbelief that had previously shrouded him. He shifts his weight in the warm sand and presses his muzzle to the curve of her cheek gently, hoping that he has properly conveyed the gratefulness that swells within him, before pulling away and gazing at Kagerus with a renewed motivation in his heart.
"I'd like to return to Hyaline and introduce myself to Kensa before I begin assessing how best I can help Hyaline, and the Cove. How do you think she will receive the news?" He awaits her response patiently, if not with a twinge of anxiety. Amet wouldn't be surprised, nor would he blame Kensa, should she be resistant to his presence ─ the loss of a partner to another kingdom is not an easy thing to handle, and he'd rather be aware of any potential friction than assume his homecoming and subsequent crowning would be a welcomed one.
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