"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
with tremulous cadence slow, and bring the eternal note of sadness in
Oceane leaves Castile at the border of Loess.
It makes her heart ache to abandon the former king in the Forest, to cross the threshold into the foothills kingdom without him, but he has given her the details of the past year as best he could, has told her why he would not be returning with her, and so it's on her own that the opalescent woman gallops precariously down the well-worn path from the Forest to Loess. She inhales deep as her wings unfurl and she is suddenly airborne once more; her muscles still ache from the trek out of Pangea but to exercise them more as she peers down onto her beloved home is worth it. Everything looks the same, beautiful beneath the light of the summer sun, and yet it all feels so different.
The violet woman catches sight of Lepis' familiar frame not long after nearing the heart of Loess. Oceane redirects her flight with a simple tilt of her flight feathers in the direction of her dear friend ─ Loess' Regent, appointed by Castile, she had thought until now ─ and with evidence that she has been out of flight practice since arriving in Pangea, the opalescent woman alights upon the hard earth of Loess without grace.
"Lepis," she greets with a smile after she has recovered from her stumble. Regardless of what Castile had told her in the Forest before dropping her off like a kind chaperone, there is still more joy in Oceane than anything else. Joy to be home, to be with her friend, to be able to see her son.
"What do you say we go find my son, some prickly pear, and a quiet place to chat?"
She grins, pivoting her frame towards the north of Loess, facing the canyon that Lepis had brought her the first time they met.
The sky over Loess has been empty of leathery wings the last few days, and the smell of ash and smoke grows stale in the red kingdom.
The change is subtle – most of the residents will remain oblivious – but to Lepis it is as noticeable as if the hot springs had frozen overnight. This is not the first time that the place has been without Castile, but the pied dragon has become a fixture of the place in the dun’s recent memory. Even these last few months, more monster than man, at least he had been visible in the sky as a distant black speck, ever-circling.
Castile is not the only thing missing from Loess. The list of the missing is far too long, and though Lepis has dedicated herself to filling some of the emptiness that their absence causes. A dozen trips to the common lands, a few recruits, and some diplomatic forays are not enough, of course, but keeping busy is better than waiting being reactionary.
She’s coming back from one such trip, her trailing mane and tail still tangled with a bit of long grass and flower-heads from the Pampas. She’s stopped to drink from one of the colder springs, and though the water tastes faintly of sulphur it is still refreshing on this late summer’s day. She looks up, and a dark shape in the sky causes her to pause. Her blue-grey eyes narrow until she identifies the pegasus, and then they widen in delight.
Lepis had meant every word she had said to Castile regarding his foolish plans, but that in no way diminishes the joy she feels in seeing Oceane returned. The two emotions are not at odds for Lepis; relief and disappointment are not an unfamiliar combination for the dun mare. She waits for Oceane to land, but it is not with excessive patience. Her hooves tamp rapidly on the hard earth, little clouds of dust rising as Oceane recovers from her rough landing.
“I’m so glad you are home,” she tells the purple mare through a mouth widened by a grin. Even as she nods at the other’s suggestion she is reaching out, brushing her nose gently against the other’s shoulder as though to reassure herself that Oceane is real. And she is doing that, truth be told, as well as breathing in the scent of Pangea, of Oceane’s captors, and the dragon-creature that had pulled her from their grasp. (Scent cannot be faked, she reminds herself, at least not by the man she is most suspicious of. This is Oceane, not just something that looks like her).
with tremulous cadence slow, and bring the eternal note of sadness in
"Oh, and I am so glad to be here," she responds with a similar smile as she leans into Lepis' touch and revels in this feeling of being home. It's an unfamiliar emotion, to feel so relieved at her own homecoming, but it reminds the pegasi woman just how much she has come to love Loess and, in its own way, the entirety of Beqanna. It's been since Alcinder's birth that she has even thought of Nau-Aib, the homeland she would never have felt relieved to return to ─ it's how she knows that this is where she is meant to be, after all of that running and uncertainty.
Oceane's amber eyes turn away from her friend and towards the open expanse of Loess as they meander towards the north. Though she has yet to be reunited with Alcinder, there is no urgency in her gait ─ she knows he is here, that they are finally within the boundaries of the same kingdom again, and that is enough for now. There are kingdom politics to discuss, the future of Loess at hand.
"I can't imagine that Castile's retrieval of myself will do well to help our relations with Pangea," she finally says, and it pains her to think that way ─ because she is nothing but appreciative of the opportunity to return home early, "My concern is that they will target Alcinder once more, but I know there are more pressing matters at hand." Oceane sighs, bites the inside of her lip as they walk comfortably side by side. She knows diplomacy and politics well ─ separating herself from her personal feelings to have this conversation with the Regent is difficult, but necessary. And though she understands (as much as one can, truly, without failing to the whims of the fairies herself) what it was that had caused Castile's spiral into violent, draconic predation, there are still whetted, razor-sharp pieces of glass to pick up because of it.
"I hear that Leilan has taken the helm of the Isle," she is fond of the stallion, and had grown even fonder after he had helped Alcinder find his way home, but is quite aware of the touchy relationship he'd had with Castile even before Loess' former King had burnt what minimal resources Icicle Isle had possessed. "If you think it wise, I could travel to speak with him. Perhaps offering the resources of our kingdom will help to remedy our current relations." She falls silent then, allowing for Lepis' thoughts on the matter; Oceane, herself, does not possess contacts in Nerine that could assist with the discussion of its sub-kingdom ─ those she hopes that Lepis might.
The summer sun gleams across her opalescent back warmly, and though she had lost an unhealthy amount of weight during her extended stay in Pangea, it brings life back to Oceane to feel the Loess sun and breathe the familiar scents.
She intentionally bumps her barrel into Lepis and offers a kind smile to her friend as they continue to walk. So natural it feels, already, to be at the woman's side.
"Castile mentioned his plans of succession," she says after a time, though there is nothing accusatory in her tone, "But I believe you are the right person to be leading this kingdom during this... uncertainty. The people here, and in the Pampas and Sylva, know you and trust you." She pauses to collect her thoughts and listens for a short time to their steady breaths and footfalls. "However, I would be remiss if I didn't make my hopes known ─ and it's my hope that you will consider allowing me to lead by your side, when you feel the time is right."
04-22-2020, 07:25 AM (This post was last modified: 04-26-2020, 09:51 AM by Lepis.)
i feel a bad moon rising
The chill of autumn nights grows strong as the pair of them move north. They are more exposed to the elements here in the highlands, though the rock formations that erupt from the earth shield them from much of the wind. The progressively taller stones block the sun as well, coloring the path ahead of them patchwork of unobscured orange-reds and cool purple-blue shadows. Lepis passes a patch of late-blooming bluebells, pulling her gaze from them when Oceane begins to speak.
The dun mare smiles again. This smile not so joyful as the one she wore to greet Oceane. Rather, it is almost wry, and it fades to nothing at the mention of Alcinder. More pressing matters, Oceane mentions, but Lepis stops, her long tail tangling with the bluebells. “Aquaria stayed with him much of your absence," Lepis tells her. "She only recently left, and I’m sure Alcinder is missing her two boys." Lepis had never gotten to know the two of them, though she knows their names from hearing their play. At first, she’d thought the older one was one of Castile’s grandchildren. There was something of her uncle in the boy, and the stripes were reminiscent of the now-absent Sochi. She knows now the boy is Aquaria’s, and even that had merited some scrutiny. She’s spoken to Aquaria of Pteron once before, but Lepis is certain Halcyon had been conceived prior to that talk. Lepis doubts Aquaria is that skilled of a liar, and while she is hesitant to make assumptions, she decides it is more likely the boy’s father is some unknown Ischian. "He’s missed you in your absence, but never worry that he’s been alone."
Oceane has resumed walking, and Lepis takes longer steps to match those of her companion. She’d had to already, for the opalescent mare is taller and long-legged. As they walk, she adds: "I did tell Castile not to risk angering them." She’d commanded him, actually. And he’d ignored it. "They still have another Loessian. Rebelle." A younger pink mare, Lepis had only ever seen her from a distance. There are too many things that can go poorly for a young mare in captivity, and Lepis swallows the bile that raises in her throat. There is nothing she can do about that at this moment. She swallows it down.
Leilan’s name catches her attention as they resume their walk, Lepis nodding in agreement. She, too, has heard this news, and she, too, believes there might be a way to remediate relations with the northern island. "Nerine, well, at least one of the residents, seemed surprised we’d offer to help when I went to see for myself about the safety of the island residents." The dun mare says idly. It’s like the bone mare had equated the desire to geographically expand with being heartless. Lepis envies the rest of the world the comfort of their small minds on occasion. They surely must be easier to keep neat. "Dracarys wishes to go as well. She saw the burning, and others did as well. I will not be surprised if Loess is considered responsible, or at the very least, complicit."
Lepis is his family, after all, and Castile is still flying about unpunished, free of any consequences for his actions in burning down an entire territory. He’s likely to remain so, as long as he remains within the confines of Loess. Lepis’ quickly growing ability appears to have a geographic limit. The peace is limited to lands she rules, which Lepis is quite sure is Straia’s way of giving her blessing. There will be peace everywhere where she rules. She needs to rule everywhere. It’s only logical.
Yet that logical conclusion has had barriers, one of which is carrying the heavy weight of a kingdom alone on her shoulders.
There is not a day goes by she is not in the Field. She’s not seen Elio in weeks, not since she sent him off to find Brennen. She’s not seen some of her children in years. Well, Pteron has come by now and then to visit, though getting him to stop long enough to talk was sometimes a challenge in itself. He is so determined to find that Aegean fellow. Lepis reminds herself to look into him. She has not heard anything of Wolfbane since she’d faced him wearing their dead son’s body. Celina has recently started coming around again, leaving Lepis cautiously optimistic for a mend to the rent in their relationship. She has been to the Pampas, Nerine, and has plans to leave early the next morning for Tephra with Lomasi.
There is quite a bit to bear, and she is nodding agreeably long before Oceane finishes speaking. It is as though no time at all has passed since they last talked, walking shoulder to shoulder through Loess.
"You deserve to lead. You will make an excellent ruler." She tells the other mare, and though she smiles there is enough sobriety for the compliment she means. "But death is the only thing that will wrest Loess from me this time." She had let power go the first time for adolescent foolishness. The second time had been for the thrill of love, and the third for the safety of her family. She’d forsaken it in Taiga in a moment of weakness, and has been blessed by the Fae – perhaps by Straia herself – in taking Loess yet again. She had said as much to Oceane as well, the truncated story of her life spilling out as they wind farther into the smooth-sided canyons. Lepis has touched on a few of the smaller, lighter things, but never like this. There is no emotion in this tale – simply a recounting of facts as they occurred.
"Now a cursed creature is roaming Beqanna in any of a thousand shapes. I mean to kill it, and to use Loess as a means of doing so." Killing it will pass the curse to her, Lepis knows, and she has shared that with Oceane as well. "Once I’ve done so, Loess will need a new queen. You should be the one lead us into those better times."
with tremulous cadence slow, and bring the eternal note of sadness in
Oceane's smile widens at the mention of Aquaria. She had missed the finned woman dearly during her time in Pangea, and had worried for quite some time that she would be able to make it back to Ischia safely with her two boys. To hear that they had remained in Loess long after her own disappearance in order to offer familial support to Alcinder brings her heart nearly to bursting.
Never worry that he's been alone.
With a tight throat, the opalescent woman turns her head and nudges Lepis' neck gently. Words fail her, refusing to exit as she fights with the burning in her lungs and in her amber eyes. She hopes that her physical affection will be enough for the friend at her side to understand just how grateful Oceane is. There is much that she is sorry she has missed, but the time she had spent away from her son that they could have been bonding makes every other reason seem nonexistent.
The pegasi is almost thankful when Lepis allows the conversation to shift away from her son. It will do her no good to dwell on lost time now ─ she can do that later, in the company of her son or after he has nestled beside her to sleep for the evening. She allows her attention to be pulled entirely away from the boy, to the politics of it all ─ Castile. Rebelle. Dracarys.
Nerine. Loess.
The names turn over in her head, and all the while Oceane nibbles pensively at her inner cheek. She makes the decision that she will seek out Leilan ─ and though she considers seeking out Dracarys, the opaline woman can't help but think that it may be best for her to approach the ice-dragon as a friend first and a Loessian diplomat second. He had been there for her, and for Alcinder, in a most trying time; he had not marched into Loess beneath the cloak of politics or the trumpets of formality, and neither would she.
The northern foothills and their whistling winds go largely unnoticed as she shares her hopes with Lepis. An uncertain glance, one from the corner of her amber eye to catch the tail-end of the Regent's somber smile, passes from her to Lepis ─
But death is the only thing that will wrest Loess from me this time.
She opens her mouth to offer explanation, that she does not mean to take from Lepis but to give more to Loess ─ she is too quick, though, to jump to conclusions, and allows herself to settle as the blue-and-gold pegasi spins her a long and fantastical story. She listens eagerly, finding comfort in the admissions that Lepis offers her and solace in the fact that her own hopes have not been misinterpreted.
"And yet," Oceane says with a sad smile as they finally come to stop at their destination, "The throne of Loess will feel like a consolation prize if it means I will not have my dearest friend." Her amber eyes search Lepis' before she reaches out with a soft muzzle and presses it to her golden cheek. The Regent's plan, while sound, seems to mean certain death ─ and that is simply not acceptable through Oceane's eyes. "I know that a good politician never makes promises, but I need you to promise me that you will be okay."
Not until she returns the other’s easy affection does Lepis realize how long it’s been since she’s done so. Not only with Oceane, but with anyone. Elio had gone north nearly a week ago. Celina, though visiting now and again, has not been back in half a month. Alcinder is often off with his father anymore, and Castile and Lepis have not spoken since he stormed off to rescue Oceane. It has been some time since Lepis has had a confidante, and longer still someone she trusted implicitly. She will likely never allow herself the second again, but she does consider the blue mare as dear to her as any. She has grown up without siblings, but Lepis thinks that perhaps what she and Oceane share is something like that of sisters.
“My mother told me once that leadership requires sacrifice.” That was one of the better lessons that Heda had given Lepis. Many of the others were…less than helpful. “I’ve not given up all hope. Elio’s off looking for a magician in Nerine as we speak.” She hopes, anyway. There are a dozen terrible scenarios that she’s imagined and forced herself to forget. Even if they’re true there is naught she can do about them.
“I don’t suppose you learned anything about shifting and curses in Pangea, did you?” The question is asked lightly; likelihood of that happening was all but impossible.
That she doesn't expect an answer becomes even more obvious as her pace suddenly picks up. Ahead of them, barely visible in the dusk’s fading light, are several undisturbed prickly pears. “We’re lucky Al didn’t get to these first,” Lepis remarks before she plucks one of the fruit. “He and those Ischian boys are like bottomless pits.”
with tremulous cadence slow, and bring the eternal note of sadness in
Lepis evades Oceane's requested promise ─ a fact that she does not miss, though it does not surprise her. Were she in the Regents hooves, she likely would have come to the same conclusion, and offered the same explanation. What does surprise her is the mention of Lepis' mother. She'd never discussed the woman before, though Oceane had never asked of her, either. She wonders if it had been Loess that her dam had worn the crown of.
Worry eats uncomfortably at the lining of her stomach, but there is naught she can do to change Lepis' course. Instead, she nods in understanding, taking note of their diplomat in Nerine, and then offers a bemused snort at the inquiry regarding things she had learned in Pangea ─ rhetorical or not, to think that she had been privy to any important information while residing in the wasteland was positively laughable.
She had lingered on the outskirts, gathering with the others only when requested, and kept her ears open for word of Castile and the Isle only. Otherwise, the opaline woman had done a fairly commendable job at pretending to be a wallflower. Exploring the contours of Pangea's caverns had been the only useful thing she'd done throughout her stay, and though she loathes to think about the place, she knows it now even when her amber eyes are closed.
The woman speeds up to match Lepis' gait and laughs ─ genuinely, this time ─ at the mention of her boy and Aquaria's. "I may need to send Al to Ischia if we have the hope of ever experiencing a full belly again," she grins before ripping her own pear from the vine. A gust of wind passes by them and with it comes the scent of her son.
"Speaking of the boy... I think he's nearby, and it's about time I see his face again." She presses another gentle touch to Lepis' neck, depositing a small patch of pear juice in her dun fur, before turning in the direction from which the wind had come. "Tomorrow," she calls over her winged shoulder, "I will head for the Isle, and then I will come find you upon my return!"
