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  • Beqanna

    COTY

    Assailant -- Year 226

    QOTY

    "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


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    Of all that remains; Anyone!
    #1

    winter wonderland

    The dragon's wings quickly fold to his sides as he lands on the Icicle Isle, already transforming back into his humbling equine form.
    It had felt refreshing to fly again, unburdened by the consequences of the land below, free to travel among the clouds and land wherever he chooses, yet even in the air, remorse fills his lungs and grips his chest tightly.

    The snow beneath him shoots a mighty winter frost right up his legs, causing the stallion to shiver and puff volumes of warm steam from his nose as he walks aimlessly.

    He has landed close to the scorched and withered forest that remains on the isle, it seems almost odd to Ruinam that he had been here when it had all happened, he remembers the fire and the noise of dragons battling in the sky. Yet now all that remains is serene, filtered out only by the sweet and melodic chime of ocean air swiftly making its way across the island. Only sometimes does the breeze convey misery, bringing with it the scent of burning wood.
    Now, only guilt remains; creeping up his spine and cradling his head as it hangs quietly in the air, lost in thought.

    After deserting the Resort and abandoning all hope of bringing the three islands together, he allowed himself to ponder the reasoning behind his return, especially to the frozen isle of all places.

    Ruinam
    Excuse me, I haven't written in some time now
    ruinam-500px
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    #2

    stars when you shine, you know how i feel
    oh freedom is mine

    Regrowing the Isle was proving to be a slow process.

    The island had burned before Nashua had been born. By the time he had been old enough to learn the tale and the names of the dragons that had battled over it, there had been more immediate things (like the disappearance of his sire and the theft of his mother, protecting Yan and chasing after Celina) for young Nash to worry about. It had been Leilan who had told him the story as he led the young colt back to Taiga during one of his early 'adventures' and it was through Leilan that Nashua had come to learn about the others dragons that roosted in Beqanna - Castile, the roan Freyr had explained, and Ruinam.

    (Castile had vanished some time ago. And there was little to know of Ruinam from the Northerners. What the chestnut pegasus did know was learned from his half-brother, Gale.)

    Nashua was thinking about the forest and so his thoughts drifted back to Taiga. His twin had recently spoken of a mare there that could bring plants back to life. Her gift had been crucial in restoring some of the flora of his homeland and the chestnut pegasus has started to think that she might be able to help here, too. (He also has more than one reason to visit the northern forest and this simply adds to his growing impatience to be heading towards the mainland.) But the newly appointed Hersir finds a responsibility waiting for him before he takes flight.

    "Greetings!" the striped stallion calls out as he breaks his gait to a trot. The gray has a hanging head and as Nashua comes to a stop before him, he offers a good-natured smile in an attempt to lift it. Visitors were unusual for the Isle and while the presence of an unknown horse could be taken as a threat in other parts of the North (especially Nerine), the newcomer is merely a curiosity to the Hersir for now. If he proves to be anything else, well, Nash has his experience from the Alliance and the newfound ability to disappear to aid him. "What brings you to the Isle?" The pegasus flashes a grin that sparks in his green eyes, "besides our lovely weather this time of year." He wraps his dark wings closer in an attempt to keep the fierce winter cold off his skin.


    NASHUA

    html by castlegraphics; art by MirrorLands


    @[Ruinam]
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    #3

    winter wonderland

    Before long, the stallion's hope to meet someone on the Isle seems to have been met by a rather high-spirited colt. His head rises to meet him, only to dip downward in greeting.
    Ruinam coat shudders gently as he attempts to free himself of the cold, though the warm that warps over his body only last for a few fleeting moments, cold quickly rushing back in again over his pearly-white facade.

    "Well, you are rather excited" Ruinam's tone is quite low and relaxed, portraying only a hint of cold as his lips shiver.
    For a moment he contemplates turning back into his dragon form and warming the area up for himself, though such a transformation probably wouldn't look very friendly, especially to the younger, excitable colt.
    The male's eyes dance over the colt's winged stature, admiring the golden stripes that adorn his hind and legs.

    "That is a good question. I'm not quite sure though" A small smile begins to wrap around his expression as he looks around, his own frame remaining small and enclosed to try and keep in as much heat as possible.
    "Hmm yes, this weather is truly the best around. Especially after having spent so much time at the Resort", He grins gently, uncomfortable with the exaggerated change in temperature, especially since he hadn't even flown that far.

    "I'm Ruinam by the way, I lead the Island Resort for a while before things turned a little sour, I disappeared for a while and now I am back" He shrugs, still a little unsure of why he had chosen the icicle isle as his place of return.
    "And who might you be?" He asks genuinely, his eyes crimson-red eyes once again focusing on the smaller, winged colt. 

    Ruinam

    @[Nashua]
    ruinam-500px
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    #4

    stars when you shine, you know how i feel
    oh freedom is mine

    "Forgive me," Nashua offers to the pale stallion.

    That wildfire grin - warm and welcoming - stays while the pegasus comes to a standstill. He gestures with his slender head over his shoulder, motioning towards the scorched remains of what had once been a forest behind him. Catching beams of sunlight, a few icicles glittered on (what was left of) dark and barren branches. The chestnut exhales softly before looking back to the companion he's found. "We don't get many visitors," the younger stallion explains.

    Why would they? The Isle didn't boast beaches of paradises like Islandres or Ischia. There were no thermal streams like Loess or healing waters as Tephra had. If a horse came North, they had to pass through Taiga, and by the time they reached Nerine, well, that was a journey in itself. The winged stallion doesn't begrudge anyone for not wanting to cross the frigid and temperamental northern seas. The summer squalls that sprung up during the warmer months were unpredictable and wild; the winter ones could easily turn fierce and become fatal for a weary traveler.

    It makes the newcomer all the more interesting to Nash, even if the said newcomer doesn't know why he's here. Nashua tips his head to the charred pines behind them. He hasn't missed the way that the taller stallion had shivered, obviously unaccustomed to the brisk and biting breeze. Nash's pale grin quirks to one side.

    "How do you feel about a walk?" the young pegasus offers. They could break the literal ice while keeping warm by stretching their legs.

    @[Ruinam] catches Nash's attention by mentioning the Resort - now Islandres, he reminds himself - and the pegasus stops turning away from the larger male. This was the predecessor to his half-brother, Gale, and wanting news of his older sibling wins out over protocol. "Do you know Gale?" Nashua asks while spreading his dark wings out slightly and gives them a good shake for emphasis, "he's got a pair of these. Dark iridescent blue. A mane lighter than mine that runs down to his tail."

    The visitor that Nash has found gets more fascinating by the moment as he reveals who he is. Settling his wings back along his sides, the pegasus introduces himself. "Nashua," he says with a polite dip of his head. "Hersir to Leilan, King of the North." He suspects that this will be news to Ruinam, if what he claims is true. "Perhaps we could go looking for him and you can tell me what you remember last of Beqanna?"


    NASHUA

    html by castlegraphics; art by MirrorLands
    [Image: jCdBK6.png]
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    #5

    winter wonderland

    The white stallion smiles toward the younger male's compassionate demeanour. The world was always writhing with the unkind, seeping out from tree roots and falling from the sky like demons. It caused unrest, and lead to warring nations; so a kindhearted horse like the one before him was always a welcome change.
    His gaze follows Nashua toward the scorched remains of the Isle's treeline, he remembers soaring through the air above them, carried by the soft winter breeze, he remembers the fear that had been struck into his heart when he had seen smoke rising from the isle, rumours of war; yet despite the selfish fear for his life, he still took off from his tropical paradise and aided the Icicle Isle as much as he could.

    "I've always liked how peaceful the Isle is, I don't think a low number of visitors is a bad thing. It would perhaps taint the quiet" He shrugs, his focus returning to the flaxen chestnut.
    He shivers again and nods toward the male "Sure, I wouldn't mind that at all" His tone remains warm and rather quiet as he speaks, his legs twitching gently as he sends them into a forward motion.

    The splendid sound of crunching snow under their hooves now accompanies the gentle sound of whirling wind and the occasional call of a large bird several meters high.
    His brows perk at the mention of Gale, observing the expanse of Nashua's wings as he expands them.
    "I do!" He exclaims eagerly "I didn't speak to him a whole lot. The Resort was a rather quiet place and you rarely bumped into other horses. I tried to change that, but I failed. I abandoned them a little after, but I'm sure if anyone were to pick up the slack, It would be Gale. He was always very helpful and very willing, but I haven't been back there yet, this was the first place I thought I should go" His tone simmers down for a moment, though it regains its humour when he shrugs, lifting a short breathy sigh from his lungs before expelling it into the cold air.

    "Well, It is lovely to meet you Nashua. I hope I don't bore you with my troubles, I have a tendency to ramble" He humours "That sounds like a good plan. But, why don't you tell me about yourself first? I would love to hear what has been going on while I slept in a cave" He muses, looking around the frozen Isle as he walks.

    Ruinam
    @[Nashua]
    ruinam-500px
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    #6

    stars when you shine, you know how i feel
    oh freedom is mine

    "It certainly can be peaceful," Nashua admits.

    The young pegasus stares across the rocky island and then turns his head more towards the west, where more of the still-charred forest remained. The Isle had been entitled to peace after the dragons had attacked it, he thought. But now? Now, a generation later they were still rebuilding and Nashua felt that the Isle should have something more than a few visitors each season.

    That something more was still something that needed to be realized. Maybe it would be the long-promised aid from the Loessians. Maybe it would be an alliance with another kingdom. Maybe it would be the workings of the mysterious queen in the East - Straia. Nash considers all these possibilities and finds himself at the same crossroads that he imagines Leilan must come across. And with a nod from Ruinam, Nashua stores those thoughts away for later and focuses on the cream-colored stallion.

    Nashua starts to walk with no particular destination. At this time of day, Leilan could be flying over Taiga or patrolling the borders of Nerine. The pair have time to kill. He brightens at the mention of Gale and his willingness to help anybody. "The changed the name of the Resort," Nash offers to Ruinam, speaking of those changes he had wanted to know about. "It's called Islandres now." His green eyes look ahead as they continue to walk, "last I heard, there were a few families that living quietly there." That had been some months ago, though. It took about that amount of time for word to travel from a place as far as the island his brother ruled to finally reach the Isle.

    His companion is friendly and Nashua grins back at him, extending a wing towards the trail he intends for them to travel. "Please," he says, "ramble away." It was interesting to hear news from another horse and even more so, interesting to hear it from a horse who had been gone for alleged years.

    "Not much to tell," he admits to the older stallion. "My family was from Taiga and when Leilan was seeking volunteers to serve and help rebuild the Isle, I offered. That was," Nash pauses, adding the years in his mind as he draws one dark wing back against his chestnut side, "two years ago now."

    And it's only after - it's only when @[Ruinam] says he'd like to know what has happened in the years that he's been gone - that Nash's easy-going nature leaves him. Stripped of his confidence, it makes the striped look that much younger. He frowns and then decides on a place to start, the history he knows best. "Pangea, a kingdom to the East," says the pegasus darkly, "started taking captives a few years ago." His mother had been one of them. "The violence escalated last year. They burnt part of Taiga, Nerine, and Loess." Nashua elaborates with, "Taiga regrows but a chunk of Nerinian coastline was blasted away by Magic. The Isle was thankfully left alone for this round but the Freyr saw to it that Pangea didn't go unscathed." He wouldn't normally be one for retaliation or revenge but Nashua harbors no love for that kingdom.

    "News from the South has been slow but from what I hear, they're attempting to rebuild as well."

    Nashua's mind drifts towards Noel and the dense forest that houses most of his family. Despite his longing to venture there, he thinks that perhaps a trip to the South was overdue. Though he is young, Nash is ambitious in keeping his kingdom well-informed and well-connected. He glances to the stallion beside him with his green eyes catching in the winter sunshine that clears his stormy expression, "does this sound like the Beqanna you remember?"


    NASHUA

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    [Image: jCdBK6.png]
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