"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
His wandering heart had finally settled enough that once Kildare put his mind going to Loess, he knew there was one stop he needed to make first. Once he had ensured his aunt's safety, once he had fulfilled the promise he made to his father, he could go to Loess with a clear mind and ready for... for what? Turning his mind to Loess had been as far as he had gotten, Kildare had only really thought to see Mary again.
The wanderlust that surged in his veins had kept him most of the summer and well into the autumn. Kildare did exactly what he always done: what he wanted.
But, eventually, as the days began to grow shorter and the wind carried a frigid warning, Kildare found himself heading east, away from the wide-open oceans that he had come to admire. He followed the common trails through Beqanna. Tephra and its volcano loomed behind him, the autumn woods of Sylva as it waited with the rest of the world for winter. It had only been that when the young black stallion came closer to the Loessian border that he turned north, determined to make good on his word.
Once he did that, he could turn his mind towards other matters.
He had come upon the Taiga with a guarded expression, not entirely certain of those trees that seemed to smother instead of encouraging company. His bright-eyed, laughing aunt lived.. there? But by the time that he had come, there was no sign of Lilliana. Her scent had grown cold and Kildare didn't intend to rouse suspicion by patrolling the border looking for her.
He would be back, he tells himself.
And perhaps somewhat relieved, Kildare leaves his past behind him again. He slips to the South where his stride takes on new energy and the young stallion turns his mind towards the kingdom in the South - the kingdom that Mary had said was the strongest in all Beqanna. While he doesn't doubt the might of Loess, the black stallion finds himself interested in seeing it for himself.
When he slips through the southeastern border, when the mountains of Hyaline all start to fall away, it's a familiar scent that causes his mouth to tug in an easy grin. "Goddess?" he calls out to a few empty rocky hills, "Hope I haven't missed all the fun."
She travels through her home, the autumn kingdom that was closest to her Sylva. She had lived a lonely life here, aside from Belle most of the Loessians despised her. She didn't care too much though, who needed friends? Just another emotional tie that could veer her off her path.
A familiar voice forces her to a halt, she tilts her head a small grin tugs at her lips. Was that....the black stag she had met in the nomad lands? A laugh nearly escaped her maw, the young boy had finallu decided to see the strongest kingdom in all of beqanna for himself.
He speaks again, and this time she draws herself closer to him. That depends on what fun you are looking for, the words pass her lips as he comes into view. She brushes her body against his in a familiar manner, before finding a spot before him.
I was starting to think you weren't going to show up. Her eyes naturally glance across him, he was older than the last time they met, and with it his body had matured along with his age.
10-28-2019, 07:09 PM (This post was last modified: 10-28-2019, 07:19 PM by kildare.)
He isn't sure of Loess yet.
But then, really, there is no place in Beqanna that he is sure of. He has roamed from North to South, East to West - skirting the kingdoms, listening to the tales, learning what he can of this land that his ancestors once called home. Kildare appreciates some of the histories and even he has to admire the way that the island has rebuilt herself.
When Mary had boasted Loess as the strongest, as the best of all Beqanna's kingdoms, well that had struck a chord with him. Perhaps it is because he is still so young (and though Kildare would never admit it, impressionable), he allowed the silver mare to temporarily rein in his roaming heart with the prestige of the Loessian kingdom and the more.. immediate allure of herself.
(The way his green eyes darken at the sight of her say which one is the first to cross his mind.)
He isn't sure of Loess yet but he is sure about this pull towards her and for now, this is all he needs.
When he rounds the corner and sees her with that daring grin on her mouth, a part of him becomes angry within himself. How had he taken so long? Why hadn't he come sooner? There is a tremor in his own bold gaze, the grin vanishes for just an instant. She draws herself to him, brushes up against him and pushes him in all the right places. How? he wants to know. For a moment, the world blurs around the edges of his vision and it is only the keen sense of Mary that remains.
Oh, Goddess.
The rush of his blood, the way she brings it to life in his veins (wild and reckless, just as he sees her), draws a tempting grin on his dark mouth. "Why do I feel like you have all the fun here," he murmurs. He goes to reach for her but rather frustratingly, she pulls away (draws all that delicious, wonderful heat with her) and comes to stand before him.
"I gave you my word," he says gravely, not enjoying the sudden distance between them. "So here I am."
She knows that Kildare is a free spirit, she sensed that when they had first met. The ebony stag was young still, though with some guidance he could grow to a loyal subject, and his companionship was a bonus.
He grins, and she watches him as he speaks, inquiring if it was she who had all the fun. She cocks an eye at him, his question nearly forced a laugh from her but she maintains her composure. Ahh but I do, she says the words with a grin, she grows closer her maw lingering by his ear I do. She gently tugs at his forelock before finding her spot before him once again.
The dapple mare was great at teasing, she knew how to use her body to get what she wanted. Some may not agree with her methods, but Mary did whatever it took to get whatever she wanted.
She tilts her head as he notes he was here because he gave her his word. Oh, a man who who keeps his word? How refreshing. She smirks, her gaze leaving him to glance around her home. Shall I show you around than? She asks as her gaze finds it's way back to him.
She casts an inquisitive gaze at him and he thinks he sees laughter dancing there, inviting him in. Close but not close enough for the impatient young stallion. She practically purrs in his ear that yes, she does have all the fun and a knowing smirk crosses his dark muzzle. She is so close, so tantalizingly close and then she pulls away again to stand in front of him. (How was that any better?) She tugs on his forelock in a way that reminds him of his granddam and his features cloud over, stormy on an otherwise bright day.
He doesn't misinterpret what this is.
Kildare enjoys her company and he assumes that Loess has a quota to meet, a certain amount of young horses to fill its ranks to keep its place of power. He doesn't mind that. He has to settle down eventually and why not Loess? There is nothing here to make him adverse to the decision, if anything it is the opposite. With Mary standing so beguilingly before him, he can think of many reasons to stay.
She tilts her head up at him and she teases him again. "What is a stallion besides his word?" His words are a dark rumble between them. It was a lesson, a moral he had heard often enough as a young colt and beyond. Something his father had said over and over and over again. And here it is, ingrained enough in him that it has resulted in his presence in Loess because he had told Mary he would come.
Even if she doesn't come to learn much about him, he hopes that she understands that he does mean what he says. That if there were to come a time that she should need anything, he would come. And it draws along the nagging question about his other promises - things he does intend to keep - but they seem far more complicated than whatever exists between himself and Mary now.
She looks around before returning to him. His green eyes meet hers and the stallion summons a confident smile as he dips his Spanish head with a promise in his rolling in his voice, "Lead the way, milady."
