[private] hold me in this wild, wild world; Breckin

[Brennen]

hold me in this wild, wild world
'cause in your warmth I forget how cold it can be

He had the dream, the same as the others, but he had no urges to go and kill at the god-mage’s bidding; he knew better and he has enough experience not to trust the man. Still, he is a fledging magic user himself and has no desire to draw Carnage’s attention or ire, and he knows when he is outmatched. So, he watches from afar, not going to Pangea himself; his heart goes out to the boy and his daughter but he does not interfere. Still, it gives him a vaguely pleased feeling to see Nihlus sweep the terrified filly out of harm’s way, and bring her to Ischia.


Things develop, and they only get worse. Brennen knows that things will change now, and maybe not for the better; his first thought should be for his Brothers, but to his chagrin, it is not; it is for Scorch and Blue in Nerine. That’s when he knows their current situation is untenable; neither Kingdom is the political and military powerhouse that they need to be to address this situation; but…together…


All in all, the bay pegasus considers for only a few hours of the darkest part of the night, and then he simply disappears from the shores of Ischia and re-appears in Nerine, close enough to immediately nicker at Breckin but not so close as to scare her; he quickly moves forward to close the distance between them, pitching his familiar voice to reach her easily but not be easily overheard. “Breckin, my friend,”


The magician halts, gives Breckin a strained smile. “I’m sure you’ve heard,” he pauses for her confirmation, and then goes on. “I have a proposal for you. I’ve been thinking about it –“ he glances at the sky and realizes it is dawning “-all night.” He shifts on his feet, refolds his wings. “I fear neither of our Kingdoms are strong enough to guarantee survival alone, and now that neither of us subscribes to a single-gender philosophy, why should we keep ourselves apart? I propose that we combine Nerine and Ischia, combine the Sisterhood and Brotherhood. I will step down, leaving you the Queen of the Combined Kingdoms.”


He doesn’t even hesitate, doesn’t stop to think if this, this combination, might be partially a selfish thing, bringing Scorch and Blue home to him. It is also the logical thing. “I think we should move everyone to Ischia. It is more easily defended. I believe that I will be able to offer some protection to everyone with my magic, if not fully, and several of my children have healing abilities.” Is he also tired of being King? It’s possible, but not a thing he wants to examine too closely. “We will be stronger together – plague or no plague.”

hold me in this wild, wild world
and in your heat I feel how cold it can get

BRENNEN

@[Breckin] <3

[Breckin]

She knew of a few that had already made the journey across the sea to the frigid water-locked land.  From where she stood atop a cliff slickened by the ocean's spray, she watched as a veil of snow caught and drifted across the newly raised island in the distance.  At some point, she knew she would have to make the journey herself.  She wonders who else might have joined Heartfire there, what was happening between her and the pale green mare thus far if Leilan had made it safely too.  In the abrupt chaos after the announcement, she'd attempted to gather as many as possible, but some familiar faces had been absent, and she wonders what became of them also--if they were still safe.

There's no time to tread down a backward path towards the past, however, and she forces her thoughts back towards the present problems--trying to protect those unable to make it to the Isle and return the status of creating a place of safety for those wishing to return to Nerine again.  The singularly greatest question was how?

Beqanna was a land of various magics, perhaps the next step would be to approach a magician, find the scope of their capabilities and any insight they may have regarding this shift in world events.  It was possible that Djinni was still around, but that would beg the question if the rose gilded mare even wanted to be found, or would be willing to offer her magic graces to the land and residents  The genie might have intentionally remained elusive, a sentiment that Breckin would normally respect, but these inflicted changes to the kingdom warranted action, and she could not in good conscious go without least trying to find her now.

As she begins to turn, a soft sound from the opposite side makes her stop, and her gaze sweeps back to recognize Brennen's voice and silhouette approach through the rising dawn.  The strained smile he welcomes her with is mirrored in her own expression, appreciative of the way he swiftly moves into an explanation of his sudden appearance and giving a small nod of affirmation.  Silence holds her then, tipping her dotted head thoughtfully to the side as the Ischian king charts his proposal openly on the metaphorical table.  The tide of thoughts his idea evokes renders her motionless, even when he has clearly finished speaking, she struggles to find her own voice, somewhat awestruck by the unfamiliar taste of good fortunes giving her a solution to the problem she faced.

"I agree," she manages at last, "there is strength in unity and joining our kingdoms seems like an obvious solution."   Her dark gaze moves from the bay magician back to Icicle Isle.  "But I think we should remain in Nerine and have the members of Ischia assimilate here.  Some members of my kingdom have already traveled to Icicle Isle to seek immediate safety and I'd rather not distance myself from them.  And I know that there are some that would rather not leave Nerine at all either.  I stayed behind for that reason, to try to figure out a way to keep Nerine as safe as possible, because frankly from what I've gathered, Icicle Isle looks closer to uninhabitable than suitable living conditions."   The leopard mare's thoughts become a fraction more selfish, thinking about the unexpected child within that seemed to be driving some of her decisions.  "Especially for the several who are expecting this season or are already raising foals."  

"And if you are to leave me as Queen, where does that leave you?"   What she really wanted to question was his reasoning behind thinking it a good idea to leave her in charge.  As much as she enjoyed ruling, it was a tiresome battle to constantly question yourself on how well you are actually performing in your duties.  But she refrains from asking such a thing, following up her own question with another question before he might be able to answer her.  "Will you become Champion?"

@[Brennen] okay, not as good of a reply as I had hoped but at least we can keep things moving <3

[Brennen]

hold me in this wild, wild world
'cause in your warmth I forget how cold it can be

The bay stallion is glad that he and Breckin are, for the most part, on the same wavelength about this. It will make the transition easier, and for the most part inspire confidence in those that look to them for guidance. He does quirk a little smirk at her when she speaks of Icicle Isle, his light eyes finding a clear moment of mirth even in these troubled times. “The Brotherhood’s original home was snow and ice most of three seasons out of the year. Every environment is livable, you just have to adapt. That, I can certainly help with.”


When she makes an overture clearly meaning she’d rather they all set up permanently in Nerine, he does hesitate. It’s barely visible, a flicker in his gaze and an intake of breath that isn’t quite even, but damn it, Ischia was the first place he has allowed himself to love in the New Beqanna, and it took him more than a decade to do so. Or, he supposes, the old New Beqanna, since things have changed once more. Still, he will miss the evergreen humidity of his island, the friendly avian residents, the phosphorescent algae washing in on the tides; he’ll miss the easily defensible position, the secret coves and grottoes, the shadows created by the towering trees. But in the end, it is just a place. Once, he had seen the beauty in Nerine, too. Once, he had sworn himself to a Queen on these shores. He can do so again. So, he nods his agreement and murmurs, “Nerine it shall be, then.”


They diverge to what might have been a very important issue, were it anyone else. In fact, he suspects some in this new situation will come to blows as they try to determine which land in each sector will stand the highest in rank. But Brennen has rarely cared about the title itself; only about the people his title protects. “I will assume the role of champion, or of general, or of whatever our people need me to be.” Brennen’s eyes take on a fleeting, faraway look. “I was many other things, before I was ever a King, and for a much longer time. A prince, a warrior, a general, an advisor. I am more suited to these roles anyway. Your people love and respect you as a leader, Breckin, and so will the Brothers who unite under your banner now.”


He reaches out, one hundred percent back to the here-and-now, and bumps his nose against her shoulder in a friendly gesture, a supportive gesture. “If you cannot think of any more logistical concerns, I should return and speak to the others. We will join you shortly, I should think, here or on the Isle.”

hold me in this wild, wild world
and in your heat I feel how cold it can get

BRENNEN

@[Breckin]