anyone

[Kreios]

Though the wounds from his battle with Killdare have long since scarred over, Kreios still festers with the loss of his family. Perhaps that is what had driven him (at least momentarily) from Ygritte. He had needed to be alone for a few days, but those days turned into weeks, and by the time he had been willing to return she has grown cold herself. He will wait for her, of course; he will always wait for Ygritte.

As the stallion stands beside the non-magical falls, the sweat drips from his neck and into the lather on his chest and legs. He has been pushing himself for months now, building up his stamina, his endurance – and it shows. Always a tall and impressive figure, the draft horse is in better physical condition than he has ever been before.

He is ready, but there is nothing to be ready for.

Beqanna has accepted the loss of the Desert, and the kingdoms that he had once considered allies – or at least not enemies – seem filled with traitors and danger. Their untrained diplomats had been only part of that; the majority of the blame lies with himself. He refuses to pin it on Ygritte as well, because for all her cleverness and dedication, she is still a mare, and the stallion is ultimately responsible for all of the wrongs that might occur within a kingdom.

Sighing, he paws a furrow in to the dirt, and contemplates the future.

[Lucrezia]

Misfortune was a familiar companion that has always befallen onto dear Lucrezia. As a child she had been molded into an instrument that hopefully one-day her father would have been able to use her for his scheming plans of power and in times of needs for the Chamber. She had been sent away from the Chamber and forced to live in the Deserts for political reasons her father at the time believed to be beneficial. Lucrezia at the time had grown cold towards her family and her newfound home; however, she never knew back then she would have called it her home.

The Deserts had become everything to Lucrezia. It was there she had been born again, discovering who she was and living out of the reaches of her father. She had found courage and strength in the very grains of the sand dunes. The light kingdom had given her a blessing of a new family and friends – others that truly cared about her. Most of all, the Deserts had given her a son (the best gift of all).

But it was taken away from her.

The magic of Beqanna flooded the light kingdom; sealing away her home for who knows how long. Lucrezia holds desperately onto the memories she recalls from the sandy dunes. However, it is not the only thing that she has left from the Deserts. A golden sphinx is permanently marked onto her right hip. It is a reminder of the magic within the deserts, the very gods of the sands are with her in a way. Lucrezia recalls the teachings of the gods very well now – she remembers their warning, their expectations for the Deserts and its ruler. And now it was too late.

Lucrezia does not give up hope that the kingdom is lost forever. She is determined to not let the waters of the flood wash away the memories and those she knows that belong in the Deserts. The first step forward is the easiest decision she will make in this journey to revive back her home. It won’t be easy, she already has concluded that, but she knows in the very end it will be worth it all (even though she has no idea where she will end up going).

The sound of the rushing waterfall is the first thing she hears as she enters into the neutral kingdom known as the Falls. Lucrezia has little memory of this land – she is not entirely sure if she ever crossed into the territory of this kingdom as a child – but the stories of the kingdom’s history and her adopted sister once ruling this land is quickly recalled. Her purpose here in the Falls is not to relive the history of this kingdom but to find her childhood friend, the “father” of her son – Kreios.

She recognizes the tall and impressive figure right away. However, the mare realizes there is something more to Kreios than the last time she spoke to him. He is a king now, she reminds herself. Then a sense of guilt overwhelms her – she had left without a word, along with his “son” years ago – but she does not let this show on her features as her nutmeg eyes stare at him intently. Lucrezia shakes her head slightly and moves closer to the draft horse. There are more pressing matters than her own personal dealings, she must not let that get in the way.

“Kreios,” she says softly as she comes to a complete stop. Lucrezia stands a couple feet away from him. Her appearance has not changed much except for the loss of her peacock autumn colored wings that was taken away by the magic of Beqanna. A soft smile is easily forced onto her delicate thinned lips as she gazes at her friend with warm-nutmeg eyes. “It’s good to see you again.”