"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
it must be about as hard as forgetting your best friend
She leaves the group as peacefully as she had come, her mind focused on only one thing: the Cove. It is almost a relief to leave the valleys of Pangea behind – she had never felt truly at home there; it was Lie’s place, and she was nothing but the quiet queen who wished for peace and prosperity and silently longed for the black sands she had once ruled. She has always thought of Hyaline and the crystal lake as her one true home, and so the strength in which she longs for the Cove surprises her. Perhaps she was always meant to be there instead.
It doesn’t take her long to cross from one land to the next, and soon enough she can smell the ocean on the breeze. In less than an hour she has crossed to the western shores, following the paths she had discovered so many years ago, and as her hooves sink into the black sands she feels a wave of peace wash over her, cloaking her in warmth and comfort. She paces towards the ocean and finds herself smiling as the warm waves crash over her hooves. Now this... this is home.
She has so much history here, she realizes, and not just on these shores. The beach – not far from this spot – is where she first confessed her love for Rhaegor and begged him to stay, only for him to turn and flee from her. This same beach is where she had had her first true conversation with Litotes, and she is sure that at least one of their pairings had occurred in that little cavern that opens up to the sea, not three hundred yards from where she stands now. It is here that both sets of twins were born, first Lie’s girls and then Clayton’s mismatched pair. Kensa and Dawn had frolicked across the hillsides on more than one occasion, and nestled in those same hills is the place where Clayton had declared his hatred for her.
Now, her heart is scattered in a million different places, and half of her children she hasn’t spoken to in much too long. She used to be so protective of all of them, and perhaps her leaving had forced them to grow, but she wonders if any of them will be happy to see their mother again.
She stands along the shoreline for far too long, the gentle sea breeze playing with her mane, until the sun begins to set and the light begins to fade.
Ignorance is bliss.
Isilme is far enough from Pangea that she can’t hear the magician’s call—it isn’t meant for her, anyway—so she stays happily in the Cove, lying lazily on the black sand beaches, drifting in and out of a nap. She’s spent her whole life on these quiet beaches, hidden away by the cliffs, hunting snails and crabs and playing tag with Austra and Spot. There’s a comfort she could only feel here.
The sun begins to set, and she settles into the sand even further.
Her ears perk at the sudden sound of hoofbeats in the distance, soft and slow. She can tell Spot is still next to her, so she groans, assuming it is yet another diplomatic visit at an unusual time. She opens her eyes, blinking until the blurriness fades and Isilme sees a golden figure—her mother, she recognizes immediately, though it’d been almost two years since she’d seen her last.
She hoists herself to her feet, shaking off the remnants of sand before settling off to join her mother’s side, Spot following behind loyally. When the golden girl reaches the other, she knows instantly that something is off.
“Mom?” she asks, feeling younger than she had in a year. “Are you okay?”
it must be about as hard as forgetting your best friend
She knew that she would not be alone for long, and in the meantime she wonders how she will break the news to her eldest daughter. She had requested nothing from Pangea’s new queen aside from peace for the Cove, and she cannot help but wonder if she should have fought harder, but the truth is she is just so tired. She does not regret leaving Pangea behind; she craves the familiarity of the Cove and it will be a treasure to be able to raise her next child here. There have been so many over the years – two not even born to her as well as the five from her own womb – and mayhaps this is the best place to take care of her family.
Hooves crunch on the sand behind her, and she turns her head to see Isilme approaching. A warm smile breaks over the mare’s face and she presses herself close to her golden daughter, letting out a small sigh as the younger woman asks if she is okay. “Truthfully, no,” she discloses.
Knowing that her answer will not settle well with Isilme, she continues on, trying not to ramble as she explains the events of the past day. “Your father... he left Pangea this morning. He didn’t tell me where he was going, but... he left. It only took several hours for another to come in and claim the crown from me,” she tells her, eyes fixed on the sea. She doesn’t look to Isilme for fear that she may break. “I gave it up willingly, my dear. I am so tired, and my soul has been calling me back home since the day I left. But I do not believe this new queen has the same peaceful mentality we’ve been trying to instill upon the East.”
She breaks off with a tremble, trying not to show her how weak her dam has become in the recent months. Dawn is not weak, she doesn’t break – not anymore. She has to keep going. With a rueful smile, she glances towards Isilme and her companion. “I hope you don’t think me weak, Isilme,” she murmurs, the sound of the waves threatening to tear her voice away from them. “I have fought all of my life, and I need to learn to accept what I cannot change.”
