"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
08-24-2016, 10:21 AM (This post was last modified: 08-24-2016, 10:37 AM by Cerva.)
And suddenly, her world flips upside down.
There is an awful darkness that looms over the Gates. Cerva’s gut wrenches; she knows something is awry. There had been an argument just as she arrived here and the tension never dissipated. It clung to the air like poison and it choked her for hours until she adapted and distracted herself. Magnus still harbored ill will and there was still some distress in Sahm’s gentle eyes. Day after day Cerva wondered, but she never asked. It was before she really decided to be here, to live here, so perhaps the information was disclosed.
But now, with eeriness floating on the wind and chilling her bones Cerva cannot subdue her curiosity any longer. She had heard the falcon’s screech in the sky just as she heard venomous words spatted soon after. What was said, she isn’t sure, but the ominous feel in her stomach inclines her to make a move, to leave her solitude behind.
Although hesitant at first Cerva finds whom she believes to be the King. No one has told her his name but he is the only one here. With a solemn sigh she had watched Magnus and Sahm run from the Gates without ever turning back, without even wanting to come back. Her heart was ripping; just when she found solace in company, they leave. They didn’t tell her why (she’s a nobody, so why would they?). With her brows furrowed she stops in front of him and licks her lips thoughtfully before finally asking, ”What happened?” Her head cranes back to look over her shoulder in the direction where the three had run and disappeared. ”Why did they leave?” A sense of foreboding kindles inside her. Is he, this King in front of her, the reason they abandoned the Gates? Is he so wrong, so terrible, that they saved themselves from him?
So where does it leave her?
She swallows past the lump in her throat as she wonders whether she’s in the lion’s den or if there is still a sense of hope for the kingdom.
A darkness looms above him, as he watches silently, as three silhouettes dance on the horizon. A tenderness forms in the back of his throat, as his mind soaks in the truth: Felinae was right. He wasn't prepared..ready for the task of being king. He thought it would be a walking the park but, drama never ceases to come to a halt within a kingdom, and he was the center of it.
His cobalt eyes still fixed on those who had exiled themselves, he can't help but allow a deep exhale to be emitted. He failed miserably. His head lowers in a rather glum state as he runs down what had just happened, what he had done wrong. He had made Heavens a sanctuary specifically for the happiness of his own people, he did overhear Magnus and agreed that it was a marvelous plan. But he sparked tensions when he spoke of it. Future friendships were broken within an instant, as every single one of them sided with Magnus, that he had just spoke of the idea to gain power and approval from all of them. Then late himself he found a thought of disloyalty to be in his midsts, a foolish thought at that. He lost not just one warrior but, his guardian and advisor. Two equine that were important to him, even though Magnus did little counseling.
As his thoughts wander, retracing his mistakes during his reign as if it were an infinite amount of dots to connect, each line ending in a mistake or consequence for his choices. Each and every one of them was led with foolishness that clouded his decisions. As he traces each mistake, Zeik barely notices he's in the company of another. His eyes are drawn to the bay mare. Why had she stayed? Shouldn't she be following the footsteps of her comrades? She asks of what happened so he answers in a truthful tone, "I failed." His ebony tail stirs at his hocks. The women before him questions why they left, he remains silent for a moment. He had a clean slate with this mare and he could take advantage of that but something inside him longed for the truth. Enough of these lies that he had promised his kingdom, now it would only be the truth. "I made a decision, a foolish on at that, to exile Ellyse. Not considering the factor of a sanctuary, that no one can be pushed away from the refuge that is Heavens Gates. They disagreed and left with her." This mare had a reason to leave if she wished, and he wouldn't stop her.
His ashen lobes swivel in her direction, "I'm Zeik." He adds on. He'd rather not be called anything else than his own name, king doesn't suit him nor is even meant for him. He is the king of nothing, and it should remain like that. Everyone within Heavens deserves someone much better than him, they deserve someone like Magnus, Ellyse or Sahm. Someone with history within the kingdom something that all three of the rulers including himself had undermined.
He doesn’t notice her immediately, not until after he has watched the three figure melt into the distant horizon and disappear. Only then does he spare her a glance. Cerva hesitates as she looks longingly in the same direction, willing them all to return, but to no avail. They’ve decided their fates and have taken that bold leap that will take them far from the Gates. For once, Cerva is not following the crowd. She doesn’t tuck her tail and run for the simple fact that they have. They’ve deserted the Gates, but she won’t.
A sharp breath stabs into her lungs when she hears his pained admission. ”Ummm…” she’s suddenly at a loss for words. How else can she soothe the burn in his heart when the facts just fled their home? Her weight shifts thoughtfully from one side to the other as her mind blindly gropes for reassurance. ”Don’t say that. It has just been a rocky start for you,” it was him that caused the stir when she initially arrived. She can still hear the clamor of arguing in the back of her mind, echoing. ”Maybe there’s hope yet,” there’s wishfulness in her honeyed voice as her nutmeg eyes search for his before casting out across the grassy hills. ”You let your emotions get to you so you have a couple enemies now,” Cerva is honest even if the taste of it is bitter on her tongue. She can only hope that the three won’t lash toward the kingdom in some way or cause a stir in their anger.
The wind sighs and tousles her mane and tail. A silence brews between them as she mulls over what happened over and over again. As tempting as it would be to leave like them Cerva finds herself rooted to the kingdom. She wasn’t there to watch the events unravel nor was she close enough to either member to shadow their retreat. Their choice to desert the Gates simply plunged Cerva into darkness where the only company she had was herself. It frightened her and even now, in the company of Zeik, she is still frightened. ”Cerva,” she whispers into the cool breeze, ”I’m Cerva.”
