"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 had been some time since he’d last visited Tephra. The volcanic land rose and fell, protruding out of the ocean to create a steamy bed compiled of rock and river. Flying above he swerved through torrents of warm condensation, enjoying the unexpected touches of heat. As a foal he had spent countless hours upon the shore of Ischia, staring out towards the volcano as it’s hues of red shifted in a marvelous display. Now, nearly above him, Belgaer sensed its power and his body shook with intimidation. To live in the shadow of such an unpredictably entity took true courage and strength and he marveled and Tephra and her people.
Swooping low he found a clearing. Tucking his wings, he allowed gravity to pull him back towards the earth and, with one practiced motion, his hooves met the earth with a gentle thump. Not long ago the Tephran king had bridged the gap between his people and Ischia. Since his father’s ascension, many past residents had sought refuge behind the volcano’s border and the island had felt the loss. Brennen, however, had wisely allowed them to depart viewing the act as a simple act of loyalty rather than slight. Belgaer, however, still missed the familiar faces he’d grown accustomed to seeing throughout his life. It felt odd to refer to the island has having a king over its previously crowned queen. Krone herself had sought refuge in Tephra before she’d been kidnapped by the new king, Modicum Mortem. Her death still haunted the quiet places of Ischia.
Gazing up towards the smoking peak of the fiery mountain Belgaer exhaled. Whispers of the two children she’d left behind filled almost every empty space. Little Krom and Karat were safe, he knew, with the later of the two currently visiting Ischia. It was her two newest little ones that filled him with regret. Perhaps he could have convinced Brennen to allow her to stay. She would have been safe there, under their protection and her children would still have a mother.
The moment was past, however, and there was nothing that he could do to change the events that had transpired. He was loyal to Brennen now. His father. The king of Ischia.
The Prodigal Son
@[Amorette] Now, it's time for, deep thoughts with Bel. lol
The lockdown had been lifted, something Amorette is grateful for, but the ebony woman hasn’t left Tephra since. She can hardly say she is doing better, and although that no longer holds her back from fulfilling her duties, she not yet feels comfortable enough to leave. And honestly, there is still so much for her to do within Tephra’s border, so why should she seek to do things beyond? There are many new faces to get to know, and also there are quite a few faces missing. Ones for who they should work hard to retrieve.
Kwartz had been stolen by Sylva, and Ischia had taken Karat away from her family. And, as if they hadn’t had enough drama on their plates yet, Krone has gone missing too. Though Karat has been technically stolen, there is no fear for her safety. Ischia would treat her right, as Ischia and Tephra are now allies. But Amorette fears for Kwartz’ and Krone’s wellbeing, how could she not, whit this many uncertainties? Her motherly heart screams to barge in, and claim what is theirs, to reunite the boy with his family, but her mind knows better than to act restless. Which does not mean she does like it to be forced to wait, until Tephra has come up with a strategy.
Her pondering is disturbed as something flies over, its shade cast down upon her before moving on. Her dark eyes squint, trying to look against the warm spring sun, to see who is descending. It could easily be Warrick – though Amore is sure that he would’ve greeted her with a nicker – or any of Tephra’s other winged habitants. However, the stallion her eyes see, is not one known to her.
She approaches him, not hurrying herself as he descends from the sky, to meet him in the field where he lands. Where Amorette had thought to greet and get to know one of Tephra’s new members, she soon realises that that is not the case. The scent that clings to this stranger’s coat is like the sea, and not the burnt, ashy one of Tephra. “Hello,” she calls out, both her ears forward as she crosses the last distance between them. “Welcome to Tephra. To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?”
Standing alone, with his eyes fixed on the space ahead of him, he is oblivious to the movement behind him. It had been some time since he’d managed to sneak away from his responsibilities and it was refreshing to have a moment to himself. As a son to Brennen, he felt the weight of his new role almost constantly. Even in sleep, he heard the throaty rumblings of the next days task as they are recited to him by the waves. Often time, in his dreams, he saw her. Dark and beautiful her carefree spirit would lift his heart – even if only for a little while. She would not have liked the person he’d become in light of the island’s recent shift. She was too bright – too playful to be bogged down with the weight that he would have asked her to carry. Maybe it was for the best that she had fled the island with the others, without so much as a goodbye.
So many had fled to the safety of Tephra, seeking refuge within the burnt land. Had she?
A soft greeting startled all thoughts of Josie from his head and he spun around, planting his amber eyes upon the smoky figure as it approached. The scent of her is carried away from him by the breeze, but it isn’t difficult to surmise that her loyalty belonged to Tephra. Shaking the bleak thoughts from his head he forced a thin smile upon his face, his eyes softening towards her.
There was something oddly familiar about her and, as she drew nearer, he recognized the golden streaks in her mane and tail. His own contained the bronze of his sister’s victory (while she donned the silver of his).
He stepped towards her, meeting her in the space between. “I’m sorry, I should have sent ahead.” He smiled warmly. “I’ve watched the volcano from the shores if Ischia my whole life and I finally plucked up the courage to see it for myself.”
It had not been her intention to startle him, but what could she say? He is the one getting lost in thoughts deep within the borders of a land that has recently suffered losses. Not that the ebony woman holds it against him, she fully understands that Tephra offers a most amazing view. From the waves rolling onto the black beach, to the looming and forever active volcano that is the heart of the land. And beyond that Tephra offers much more. “A penny for your thoughts?” she asks amused, studying the chestnut male as he turns to face her.
Like it is not hard to miss that she is Tephran – her scent is laced with it, and living in the volcanic land has covered her dark coat with ashes – neither is it hard to tell he is Ischian. She faintly remembers Krone’s scent, and it does slightly resembles his. Plus, the smell of the sea is all over him. “Perhaps you should have” she agrees, but does so with a smile and a drop of her head. “But Tephra is always open for friends.” As he is Ischian, that is exactly what he is.
Her dark gaze moves to the volcano, and Amorette is not able to hide her smile. It is the volcano that made her feel at home, and ever since she had reached Tephra many years ago, she had never thought of permanently leaving. She serves Tephra. She serves Warrick. And she serves the volcano’s goddess; Pele. “She is beautiful, isn’t she?” she asks, dark eyes twinkling and enjoying that there is someone who seems just as interested in the volcano as she is. Oh, don’t get it wrong, Warrick is just as smitten as Amore is, but that does not mean she isn’t thrilled to meet someone knew that shares her interests. “I could give you a tour, if you like?”
She is, undoubtedly, Tephran. The glisten of her eyes as they rested upon the scenery that surrounded them filled him with envy. Gentle eyes find his winged figure staring and he blushes as he pulls his gaze away. Her thoughtful smile is not lost on him, however, and he finds himself mirroring her expression. Admittedly, the sooty mare was not what he’d imagined when he’d dreamt upon those who dwelt in the shadow of the volcano. He was almost ashamed to admit to himself the wanderings of his boyish mind, even more so to realize that he still held onto those long-ago daydreams. Watching him through his peripherals, however, he could not help but be drawn to the soft lines of her face. Like him, he guessed she was geared more towards diplomacy than brutality – her eyes were too kind and welcoming to belong to a warrior. A far cry from the warrior people he’d once imagined to reside within the borders of Tephra.
The feathers upon his back blew absently as the heat laden wind brushed along the length of him. The ground beneath his hooves almost seemed to rumble as the force of the mountain moved just beneath the earth’s crust. Constantly shifting, ever changing he imagined the fearlessness required to trust that the lava would not steal away the land completely. Absently, Belgaer stepped closer to his new companion, intent on hearing her words as she spoke.
“I always though that the people here were the strongest in all of Beqanna,” he admitted as a means to answer her question. Vague though it is, it’s the only response that felt appropriate.
He listens raptly, enjoying the soft lilting of her voice as she spoke. Gentleness refined by fire. The glow of the lava basks her dark coat in it’s beautiful glow and, for a moment, he imagined how she might look bathed in blue. Something buried deep within him stirred and, for a moment, he feels a warmth that had been absent from his life for a great while. Startled he forces his feelings away and makes a study of her words as they fall past the soft velvet of her lips. It was almost too easy to forget the face he had originally hoped to find hidden amongst the half- burn land. Josie.
“I should have,” he agrees distractedly, his smile remains despite the seriousness of his thoughts. “It truly is the most beautiful sight I have ever beheld.”
It is easy to agree with her. Her easy manner begged him to accept her offer of a tour, even though he had numerous duties to attend to. Distractedly he catches himself glancing back towards his island home. The time to return home would soon be upon him and a familiar heaviness returned upon his back. He exhaled.
“I’m sorry,” he said as he adverted his gaze. “I would love to, but I’m afraid my return home is overdue.”
Approval was heavy on his tongue as his desire to stay caught him off guard. The depths of her eyes pulled him in and it startled him to realize how easy it would be to submit to their power – to stay there, far away from the loyalty he had for his father. And, yet, he hardly knew her. Perhaps that was the appeal. His name was nothing but a name, detached from weight that it carried. He was not a prince in her presence and it was freeing to feel like himself, even if for a moment.
“My name is Belgaer,” he offered to her graciously. “It truly was a pleasure to have met you here…” His voice trailed off as he realized that he did not know her name, but he desired to.
When he shares his thoughts with her, it is impossible for Amorette to not laugh softly. It’s a warm, melodic sound, and not at all meant to laugh at him, or make fun of him, but purely to let her amusement show. “Strong?” she questions, both her dark ears forward as the sun makes the golden ends of her mane and tail stand out. “You used a past tense, you no longer think of us as strong?” Like she had not been able too not laugh, Amore is also not able to not tease the chestnut stranger playfully.
She does not consider herself strong – neither physically or mentally – but she does like to imagine Tephra as such. Not to boast, and neither to harm, but to form an united front. So the strong can counter for the ‘weak’, balancing the scale to neutral area between them.
“It truly is. And I can assure you that the view from high up the volcano is just as magnificent.” She remembers her trips up the volcano fondly. First together with Lucrezia, later accompanied by Warrick. Amorette truly expects the chestnut Ischian to take her on her offer, and finds herself surprised when he excuses himself. Dark eyes find his’ again, studying his expression. “You only just got here?” she asks, more like states, genuinely confused. It didn’t look like he was passing through on his way home, and thus he must’ve come with a reason. And secretly she is somewhat disappointed too. Amore would’ve loved it to give him a tour in and around the volcano.
First a slight dip of her head, then, when their gazes meet again, the ebony woman extends her neck to offer him her nose. It’s a habit, one she is not about to break now. Only after they have exchanged scents, she introduces herself. “I’m Amorette,” she tells him with a smile. “The pleasure is all mine, Belgaer.” As a silence falls – one that does not make her uncomfortable – she studies him, golden strands gently swaying in the light breeze.
“And welcome to Tephra. May I ask what has brought you to Tephra today? Maybe I can help, if you are in a hurry?” After all, he had only just arrived, and thus she cannot imagine he has already accomplished whatever had brought him to Tephra in the first place. That he had turn down her offer for a tour, does not mean that Amorette is not willing to help him out.
There was a humor in the warmth of her eyes as she listens to his poor excuse of an explanation. It was an unfamiliar feeling for him, to be without the right words to say. Language had always come easy for him, that was what made him a good diplomat. But here, standing before her, he was finding it inexplicably hard to make his meanings plain. Despite his frustration with himself, he felt his cheeks redden under the force of her playful correction. Her laugh was friendly and full of good humor and he smiled as it bubbled up to fill the space surrounding them. The lightheartedness of it offered him reprieve from the thoughts that seemed to trouble him continuously. However, it was hard to ignore the doubt that began to rise up from behind the sparkle of her eyes.
Truthfully, he did not know much about Tephra or those who called the land their home. Throughout the course of his life he had been content to view it from the shores of Ischia, content to dream up millions of potential realities. Perhaps it was his desire to keep the magic that had kept him away for so long. Although, he did not find himself disappointed by the Tephrans he had met. The mare appeared to know the land well and as she spoke she painted a picture in his mind. The weight of her adoration pressing in upon him and he felt the magic he’d once felt as a young colt once more. The familiar tug of temptation pulled at him as he reconsidered her offer of a tour.
She seems particularly surprised by his hasty admittance of his need to depart. His, unfortunately, had to remain a quick visit, even though it defied logic.
The soft of her nose extended towards him as she offered her name. A soft smile forms upon the curve of his lips as he reaches forward to oblige the friendly gesture. Paused in that moment he breathes in the scent of her, the scent of spring grass heavy upon her coat. Silence once again wraps around them, the peace of it thick and dangerously comfortable. It’s almost frightening for him to realize that he could lose himself to it. Her voice breaks the silence once more as she asks why he had carried himself to their shore.
“It’s hard to say, Amorette,” he said, liking the way her name felt upon his tongue. “Perhaps it would be simpler to say that I was meant to come to meet you? I’m not even sure I knew the reason why when I’d left.”
The pull had been stronger than anything he’d ever felt that morning when he’d resolved to finally satisfy his boyish desire to cross the waters that separated their kingdoms. His wings had almost had a mind of their own as he submitted himself to their intentions. And though it sounded odd to his ears, it almost felt as if he’d been meant to meet her there. Although, why, he did not know.
If anything, his silence makes her only more curious. Dark eyes are locked upon his face, and her dark ears are pointing forward as she attentively awaits his answer. Yes, she had been joking, but nevertheless she is genuinely curious to hear his answer. There must be a cause that had formed the idea in his head about Tephrans. Even if it was just a feeling. But, as Belgaer still owes her the answer to her question, the ebony woman is soon able to forget about it a little. His smile makes it impossible for her to not mirror it, appreciating the sight, and Amorette can only think she would like to see him smile more often.
Amore is not the one to travel often beyond the borders of her home. She does so, occasionally, but only to serve her home. She is rather fond of the volcanic land, having felt at home ever since she first set hoof onto Tephra’s grounds as a two year old. Back then it had been her own father who had ruled the land as her king. Amorette hadn’t needed any more reasoning to decide she wanted to stay. Over time, her love for Tephra grew, and by the time Magnus stepped down, she had grown so fond of the land that she had decided to stay. Tephra is her home. Not just the land, but the equine too. Warrick, Wound, Byrne, Kolera, even Levi, and everybody else. Together they had built their lives at the base of the ever active volcano. Amore does not fear it, trusting the Goddess Pele to watch over them, always.
But that does not mean she is not interested in the strangers that come to find Tephra. Belgaer no exception to that. She likes meeting new equine, she prefers it to not be alone, and thus she is disappointed that he has to leave again. Especially after his almost casual spoken words. Amorette cannot help it but to grin, reaching out to bump her muzzle against his shoulder as to silently tell him to not tease her. “You’re trying to say that fate made us meet? Then, if so, why don’t you stay a little longer?” Her dark eyes are still locked on his, and a soft smile lies on her lips.
“The offer of the tour still stands…” And she does really want to show him around, would love to even, and not because she feels it is her duty. Amore just wants to share the love she has for her home with everybody, and now Belgaer in particular. Do you really have to go?
Time was running out. The rising of the sun higher in the sky acted as a cruel reminder that he could not stay there. Ischia was waiting and there was much for him to do. Glancing upward once more he exhaled longingly. Oh, how he yearned to forget himself there and get lost in exploration at her side. The youthful verve for life he’d once had, had been traded for a seriousness of life and a determination to see his duty through to the end. He hated to part with his free-spirited nature, even if for a moment. Dark times were upon them and with every passing moment he spent there it grew.
As he spoke her eyes were remained firmly upon him, miles away. One thousand thoughts swirled within her dark pools and he found himself wishing to know every single one of them. He’d seen much of Beqanna, his duties carried him from one corner to the other. He missed his home and he could see that she was much like him in that way. Even if she hadn’t been to many places before, her love for Tephra shone bright in the way that she gazed around her – like she was seeing the mountain for the first time. The way he felt about Ischia was very much the same. It was hard for him to understand those who abandoned their family almost too easily.
Too many of his siblings had gone their own way in search of one thing or another. Perhaps that was why he found it impossible to part ways with the place of his birth. Whenever he visited his mother it was impossible to ignore the pain that her children inflicted upon them each time they went away. Even his short treks off the island were a cause of worry for her. He simple could not bear being the one who placed sorrow within her gaze. Even so, too many of his siblings had gone their own ways. Just recently his younger sister, Mosrael, had disappeared without so much as a goodbye or an explanation.
Loyalty was not something that he’d ever struggled with. He loved his family and, one day, he hoped to extend that to someone else…
Amorette’s words drew him away from his thoughts and he doesn’t fight the chuckle that rises up from the depths of him. Her argument was compelling.
Still.
“Perhaps fate wanted to give me a reason to return?” he suggested with a coy smile upon his lips. He walked slightly past her, pausing to glance back at her. “When I return, I will be expecting that tour, Amorette.”
With one final look into her eyes he pushed his wings downward and propelled himself into the sky, pointed towards home.
When his eyes move to the volcano, her eyes are locked upon his face. It is not hard to miss the yearning look, nor the heaviness that he carries on his shoulders. She knows the burden, and Amorette also knows that she would put Tephra before her own selfish desires. Like that, she can relate to Belgaer, but that does not mean she likes that he already has to leave. “She won’t disappear over time” she thus offers, smiling softly at him. Neither will I. But that, of course, is probably not the thing on his mind.
She chuckles softly, noticing how her words pull him from his thoughts. He had very much been staring like he had when she had first approached him. His words make her smile, this time more shyly. For a short moment she thought he meant that she was a reason for him to return, then Amorette realise that he must have meant the volcano. Her eyes don’t leave his figure, not even when he turns his back to her and gets ready to launch himself into the air. “Hm, give me a good reason why I should?” she teases him right back, a twinkle in her dark eyes. “But I will allow you time to think of your reply, you can give it to me when you return.” She hopes he will.
Her eyes stay locked on his red winged silhouette, watching him turn into a dot that gets smaller and smaller the further he flies away from her. Then, when her eyes can no longer see him, her gaze moves to Ischia, or at least in the direction of the island, wondering when, and how, she would next see him again.
