"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
The ruler of Loess had shifted, at this point everything about Loess was growing suspicious. The answer of why Bane and Lepis left so abruptly lingers. Vulgaris had so many plans, and now he too left the throne?
It seemed like just yesterday she was walking beside her King to visit Vulgaris, and here they are today, to meet the newest ruler. This is getting old she chuckles as her gaze flicks to Sinner. Another pointless meeting, hopefully they will find this ruler more tasteful.
The trip was quick, and when they reach the border she wastes no time. She steps close raising her head to allow a whinny to escape. Hopefully the quiet kingdom would not keep them waiting too long.
Her eyes shift to her familiar friend as they wait, she extends her maw to gently brush his shoulder before her gaze turns back to Loess, awaiting someone.
The fall and rise of leaders within Loess put a sour taste into his mouth. It makes the southern kingdom appear weak and fall beneath the entire reputation it has had these past years. Personally, the hellhound grows irritated with making these unnecessary visits to rulers that meaning nothing to him.
Sinner does not find himself the need to show alliance to these past two rulers. He owed them nothing and neither did Sylva. Perhaps it was unnecessary for them to even visit Loess again, but Mary has always insisted in her diplomatic ways. As much as he did not want to go, it would be worthwhile. Mary was always the one to find the information, but representing Sylva to their new king of the south was stronger for them both to be there. Information would be given, and even more for him to get a new reading on who this new king of Loess was.
“This will be the last time,” he says with a mischief smile to Mary. In time, he would get what he wanted. But these new obstacles in his way of achieving what he wanted were becoming a hassle. Sinner doesn’t give up easily. He will helpful push and pull to get what he wants. And if it comes to bloodshed and death, he will kill for it.
Once they settle on the border of Loess, he remains quiet. He does move except for returning a similar gesture to Mary. His partner, his comrade. The hound is not sure how he would be where he is today without making her his partner. Much of where Sylva today was thanks to Mary. A friend he truly would never want to be put up against, for Mary was intelligent and a fighter. Many would want her as her own queen truly if they knew how capable she was within the position.
and underneath the layers, I find myself asking what's left a hollowed out form, the skeleton of a ghost, the pitiful echo of what once was
It was only a matter of time, he knew, until rumors rode on the winds and tides to announce the change in Loess. Yet another King, they think, yet another to come and go with the season. As acute as his hearing is – and how precariously near the border he is – Castile can just faintly hear the disdain laced into their words. A coy grin plays across his lips as he idly stands in the reaching shadow of a rocky outcropping. They arrive as a couple, exchanging terse words whilst maintaining a formality to address a new monarch. It’s almost tempting to respond to them, to assure them that he isn’t leaving, but instead he tucks their comments away into his memory. They may have their doubt and opinions; it’s only a matter of time until they change.
Their scent – riddled with autumn, forests, and undergrowth – is something he could never forget. The memory is still vivid. He fled Hyaline at a labored sprint to inform Djinni that the kingdom was burning. She, at the time, was Queen of Sylva, but that was many years ago. As he steps out of the shade and closes the distance between himself and the envoys, he cannot help to wonder how many rulers there have been since her resignation – since even mother’s reign in Nerine.
”Hello, Sylvans,” he remarks coolly with the final steps of his languid walk, his mismatched eyes darting between their faces as the wind lifts his bronze forelock to the side to frame his sharply-edged face. ”The name is Castile,” because he knows that’s what they are most curious about. Their land is a territory of Loess, a place of nobility handed to them by Wolfbane. ”And what may I call you both?” He is charming enough, for now, but his eyes flash warily when he nearly tastes his daughter’s scent mingling with the male’s. He doesn’t mention it. It would be leverage – or weakness – but he stores the information away, clutching it tightly to his chest as he tries to fathom his child in the arms of another man.
The trip to Loess is nearly memory work now, having ventured this way far to many times. She notes her annoyance with the multiple trips to her partner, and his reply does not fail to humor her. This will be the last time , he states, and she grins in response to him. His statement was true, they have put up with this nonsense for far too long, and stayed quiet for far too long.
Of course they couldn't blame this poor new fellow for being the third to take the throne in just one year. But then again.....what was the reason for such the fast swapping of thrones? It simply did not make sense, and she was curious of how he gained his spot so fast. Her maw gently brushes Sinner, and he returns it, a gesture of there friendship. There trips together were rare, but when they made it happen, they were a force to be reckoned with. Together the pair was unstoppable, there desires were the same, to have the strongest kingdom.
She spits out a greeting to those within earshot, and they are not kept waiting too long. A black and white stallion appears, the wings upon his back are massive. Her eyes scan over him, he was well built and his muscles defined. She has never seen him before, not even in the Loess she was born into, and now she can only truly wonder how he found his spot with a crown.
As he reaches them, he greets them as Sylvans, he wanted them to know they he knew who they were. She is not impressed, anyone who took up diplomatic skills would be familiar with the other kingdoms scents. He looks between Mary and Sinner before finally giving up his name, Castile , he says. She engraves his name to memory, this is one she would not want to forget. And what may I call you both? He inquires, his gaze intensified on Sinner. Her own gaze shifts to her partner, had he shifted to the hound? What was so interesting? But alas the bay stallion stood there, and her gaze turns back to Castile, My name is Mary, and this is my partner Sinner. Since you were so easily able to detect our home, I am sure you are aware we are the rulers of Sylva. She pauses matching his gaze, her eyes unflinching.
We have come to see the rumors in flesh and blood, she pauses, her eyes scanning him up and down. And here you are she says with a gentle laugh, her body that was tensed was now relaxed and her gaze flicks to Sinner. She would allow him to delve into the specific reason for there visit.
Keeping them waiting would not have been suitable. They have played this game of what is asked, but it is not demanded for them that they should show their allegiance so willingly. It was something that needed to be earn, and Sinner was beginning to think of himself separately from the whole of Loess. But it has always been that way since Arthas came to Sylva, making their autumn land part of Loess.
However, they are not kept long. A white and black stallion approaches them. The bay stallion eyes the other stallion carefully, but not obviously. He speaks with warm and friendly words, but Sinner is not always so swayed by words. Words were not as strong as action. His attention is focused elsewhere at this moment after Castile finishes speaking (not sure if the look he was given by the white and black stallion already gave him the wrong impression—not that he cared) while Mary takes the lead with her talent of diplomatic words.
The dark beast cannot help but keep his thought at the forefront of his mind. There was something off about the white and black stallion. He isn’t quite sure yet. The familiarity is there, but he will not mention it. It was a mystery that needed to be unraveled. And quickly.
Sinner smiles pleasantly when Mary introduces him as her partner. He does not glance away from the new dragon-king, but keeps his hooded gaze clearly on Castile. Mary is quick with her words, and the way she speaks is filled with a crafty flow. The hellhound has always appreciated the art she put in with her words. Perhaps even her craft had made him make her a queen without truly knowing it was her own doing.
“So do tell us the story.” He says when Mary gives him the opening for him to speak. Sinner does not care for formality much as Mary might, but at the rate and progress the southern lands were going made it even more necessary to cute through the bullshit. They no longer be left into the dark. “What happened to Vulgaris? And how are you the king now?” He asks with a warm tone, but his eyes flicker with mischief, not hiding his amusement at this moment.
and underneath the layers, I find myself asking what's left a hollowed out form, the skeleton of a ghost, the pitiful echo of what once was
Partner, he thinks, how cute.
As sunlight bathes him, his eyes are aflame and bright, curious even as he drinks lungfuls of their scent. Sylva, he reminisces, had a history with his mother’s home – his birthplace – but it has since severed those ties. Now, ironically enough, it stands with Loess where he resides as King. They’ve flocked to his border, facing the rumors of yet another King. Understandably, their patience is thin but Castile faces them confidently, unfazed by the scrutiny as he does the same. Likely, he muses, they have their doubts. As their words rise and fall with anticipation and disappointment, Castile addresses them flatly. ”I assumed as much,” they reeked of smug royalty. Their eagerness trademarked by an active set of rulers. Applauding them with a tilt of his head, he remarks, ”It’s good to see that Loess has active and proactive allies.” He almost steps forward in acquiescence that, indeed, here he is. He is the tangible truth of the floating rumors.
It's made clear how Sinner and Mary complement each other. She takes initiative and addresses the diplomatic conversation while the male hangs back, muted but attentive. Still, Castile’s gaze flickers back and forth. He wants to address it, to taste his daughter’s name as thickly as he can smell it. It could be a binding tie among their lands, a security between allies. It’s what mother had done once, but not with one of her own prized children.
Like a thorn in his side, it pokes and cuts his open… but still he holds it back for another moment longer so that he may recount his brief, and easy, ascension to the throne.
”I’m afraid it isn’t an interesting story,” he confesses as a shrug ripples through his muscular shoulders, ”Vulgaris was to make me General, but decided to instead step away and crown me.” He doesn’t admit to his brief time in the Resort. The control he had was turbulent and unsteady. They refused him, but still he reigned for months until ousted from their spit of land. It still burns in his memory, unforgotten and unspoken for. Their time will come. Not yet, not yet. ”There is no great war or tale, but the fact remains that Loess is now mine, and Vulgaris is gone.” A great part of him hopes it won’t be permanent, that the reptilian king will return and resume a role as soldier among their most treasured.
The thorn stabs into him again with another breath drawn in. He clings onto how strongly his daughter’s scent mingles with the stallion’s. Territorial, Castile desperately holds down his edged tongue. With a lopsided, smug grin he adds as though an afterthought. ”How is my daughter settling in Sylva?” He assumes she is there and not wandering across the meadow before pressing herself against Sinner. Lifting a brow, he murmurs her name. ”Valdis.”
02-13-2019, 09:55 PM (This post was last modified: 02-13-2019, 09:58 PM by Mary.)
Mary
Her hazel gaze settles on Sinner when he speaks, he was quick to ask what happened to Vulgaris, and how Castile found himself in the position of Ruler. A subtle smirk tugged at her lips, together the pair complimented each other. Sinner was rough around the edges, bold enough to ask the necessary, while Mary adjusted her comments.
Again her gaze shifts, settling back on Castile who admits the story on how he gained the crown isn't exciting. She does not speak, but could already see the truth behind his story.
Though she doesn't care for full details, she remains silent while he explains. Simply that Vulgaris intended to make him general, one day left, and now Castile rules. Her eyes narrow in on him, how long had he lived in Loess to be crowned general? He surely was never there when her father ruled, and Bane never mentioned him.
She thinks over the consequences of calling bullshit in his story, and for now she remains silent until another time. I see, is the only response she manages to mutter.
As she was about to speak she is interrupted by Castile, this time he asks how his daughter is. She cocks an eye at him as he drags it out, finally spitting out the name, Valdis.
Just as fast as she hears the name does a smile come to her face. Ahhh, Valdis, she lets the girls name dance on her tongue. She could say plenty of things about his daughter, like, how she lives in Sylva, or perhaps how she is flirting with Sinner. Her gaze flicks to her king, a smug grin before shifting back to Castile. She would allow him to bring up his intentions with her.
Instead Mary only briefly touches the subject, Valdis is doing well, her mother did a fine job raising her. Her comment was sharp as it exited her mouth, a test of his discipline. I only assume that is, since she has only spoken of her mother to me. She slips in the comment, an attempt to smooth it over.
Though I am sure you have plenty of questions on Valdis, she is not the reason of our visit. If you want to see her you can come to our borders and call for her. She makes it clear that the border is as far as he is welcome. She pauses for a moment allowing her comment to simmer before speaking again. As for our visit, what is your intentions for the southern sector, and what are you expecting of Sylva. Her attention is given fully to Castile, awaiting the role he expects. An overbearing king that will get push back, or a ruler much like Bane that can be lived with?
Allies was a likely understatement when it came to Sinner. He did not consider himself fully an ally with others unless it aligned with his own desires and benefited his own advances. Allies were easily swayed with their own, but holding them close, perhaps like an enemy, was even more imperative. The crowned autumn king has learned much on the way of kingdoms and ruling through his own father, but playing the actual game itself was entirely different.
He listens carefully to the story that unfolds of how Castile had ascended to the southern throne. It was an uneventful story. Filled with no twists and turns. Sadly, it was too easy for the throne to be handed down. A blow to the strength that the south had built Sinner can only detest. But he does not show his uneasiness for the story and of Castile—a danger perhaps or a friend, he is not certain what to make of the dragon-king yet. But never does he trust another so easily and fully.
Mary is first to speak up, but Castile quickly cuts her off with something even more intriguing. The plot twists and thickens even more now. Sinner does not miss the way a smug grin finds itself on the new king’s lips. It only makes his own grin previously grow wider with amusement and satisfaction. Well, well, he thinks to himself with silent laughter.
Things were getting more interesting now.
Mary speaks up again, not missing a beat when the name of Valdis came up. She is quick with her words again, the master of diplomacy. Sinner knows their relationship is rocky and hangs by a thread likely, but he does not care to meddle into such things. Valdis was his own business, and his relationship did not need to concern the like of Mary truly. Well, unless it came to something more, but the threat of Sylva was not within question quite yet. Sinner in the meantime would enjoy his moments with his newest desire and plaything.
Clearly, Mary does not wish to speak anymore on Valdis. She had not been the reason why they had come here, but knowing that Castile was the father of Valdis had left an opening up of many possibilities. Sinner would leave here feeling more confident than ever.
“Don’t worry, she has settled fine into Sylva,” he adds before Castile can answer Mary, “I’ll make sure she is well looked after.” And well satisfied, he thinks with an obvious grin while eyes gleam at Castile with mischief.
Sinner is curious about the new king’s intentions though. While Valdis was his newest fascination, it was also the new ruler’s intention of Sylva that he needed to know. The switching of rulers left a sour taste within his mouth. Would Castile be his newest enemy or someone he could see eye to eye with? Well, it never ended that way, but the hound does not mind adding another game piece to his collection.
02-24-2019, 09:33 PM (This post was last modified: 02-24-2019, 09:34 PM by Castile.)
and underneath the layers, I find myself asking what's left a hollowed out form, the skeleton of a ghost, the pitiful echo of what once was
Mary’s suspicions are laced heavily in her two words, I see. Castile regards her coolly, his eyebrow lifting in nonchalance. ”It isn’t my first time living in Loess,” he comments as an afterthought before the conversation shifts, at his will, to his daughter. Although having missed the first two years of her life, he has since tried making up for it. He has visited and has tried to keep a distant eye on her. She deserves a life, and not one that is overshadowed by her parents. Last he held her was in Hyaline not long after the plague initially swept across Beqanna; nonetheless, it has been a couple years, and it pulls at him to find her again.
With the confirmation that Valdis has found herself among Mary and Sinner, he makes careful note to pay a visit to the familiar forest. It has been since his childhood.
Mary’s statement is a sharp knife that twists in Castile’s gut, but he doesn’t at all flinch to reveal his distaste. He smiles, nodding his head slowly. ”Yes, Solace is a wonderful mother – a feat that not all women achieve.” There’s a responding edge to his voice, but his expression remains forcibly diplomatic given the circumstances. With Sinner’s concluding reassurance, Castile merely snips back with a solid, ”Good. I hope she isn’t too much of a threat to anyone, and that she behaves.” He doesn’t entirely trust them, not yet, but still a humored chuckle rumbles through him at the idea. Valdis is fiery, that much he knows.
But alas, Mary is sure to bring them all back to speed, demanding to know the plans for Loess and this region. A King, Castile reminds himself, but he is not the dictator that his mother once was. He doesn’t need to stretch his strength across multiple lands and hold them unwillingly beneath his thumb. As long as Loess is strong. As long as Loess thrives.
Sinner’s curiosity reaches new heights with the question laid out on the table. They are searching the newest King for answers, needing them in order to decide their own course of action.
”I’d prefer our lands to remain close as they have been, especially with my daughter among your ranks, but I will not tell you how to run your own land,” he begins neutrally, ”Loess continues to hold healers captive, if you need them. I am to bring structure back.” Thoughtfully, Castile looks away with narrowed eyes, imagining the heights of their doubts and their ulterior motives before returning his attention to them as a couple. ”And I plan on holding this throne while helping Loess thrive. I suggest remaining a part of the greatness you agreed to – we can be successful.”
Her hazel eyes scan to Sinner as he speaks, he talks of Valdis and the way he does it makes her want to roll her eyes. Though that would create space for questions so instead she fights the urge and forces a casual smile to rest on her maw as she looks back to Castile.
He firstly responds to her comment about her mother raising her and agrees with Mary. A grin tugged at her lips, an interesting response that she can't say she expected. Something as firey as this dragon, ruler of Loess, she expected a kickback. Instead he calmly responds in agreement.
His next comment peaks her interest, hoping Valdis wasn't a threat. She cocks her eye, she wonders in what way she would be a threat, but she simply does not respond. She did not have time to squabble over such a topic, and Mary already had her eyes on the child of two rulers. A fire that she would put out before it had the chance to engulf Sylva.
Finally, the dark stallion answers the very question they came for, what he expects of Sylva. As he speaks it seems all too good to be true, how is it possible that he wants to live a life almost identical to Wolfbanes? They went from a ruler like Bane to Vulgaris and now to Castile who views similar to Bane?
She had her suspicions but she remains quiet allowing him to finish. Her interest peaks when he admits to holding healers captive and instead of spitting back a snarky response she remains silent. Interesting information that she decides to tuck away for another day. Alas he finishes by saying he suggests them to stay a part of greatness.
A quiet sneer parts her lips, Sylva is the greatness in the southern sector. Her and Sinner's kingdom had the most members, the strongest, the most feared in beqanna....but again she holds her tongue, allowing Castile to think as he pleases. Sounds too good to be true Her gaze shifts to Sinner she ponders him for a moment before shifting back to Castile. Although, if you are a man of your word than I think our lands can mesh together well. For now at least, she thinks to herself her gaze does not falter from Castile.
