A soft breeze whisked through the pine boughs, a sound that seemed like a thousand hushed whispers to the dark queen's ears as she strode along the well worn trail toward the clearing. She needed time to stretch her legs in peace, without Nadja, her hellish imp of a daughter, pestering the absolute hell out of her brother. She was thankful Havelock was willing to keep the pair entertained while she took some time alone to survey the territory's borders and make sure all was well. A crashing sound above her head and the deep caws that followed alerted her to the presence of her clumsy raven companion. The bedragled creature thrashed against the pine branches with loud caws of protest before it freed itself, losing a few more feathers in the process. The dark queen rolled her eyes and kept walking, not bothering to spare it a glance as she mused, You are the most clumsy beast I have ever known. I assume you have found nothing out of the ordinary from above?"

The raven flapped clumsily up to perch on its usual place on the curved tip of her horn before letting out a low "gwoh" sound as if to say, "nope". Shadowmere huffed, whilst the peace was nice she was a chaotic creature at heart. She yearned for a but of danger, a chance to taste the metallic tang of her enemies blood as she sang her shrill cry of victory. It had been too long since she had found herself locked in battle, and even then it was with herself....and was also how she obtained the dark spiraling horns upon her brow. 

She was lost in thought when she finally broke from the dark of the forest and into the open clearing of the Chamber's heart, wondering if maybe this lull was only the prelude to something big. Like a slumbering volcano that was only waiting for the right moment to boil over. She doubted another cataclysm would ravage the land again, but this must be some sort of calm before a storm...she had lived long enough to know that Beqanna was no land of fluff and happiness. No place of certainty and guaranteed safety. It was wild, untamed, and the fairies were mighty. She knew it was only a matter of time before something would happen to shatter this era of calm peace, and she would be ready for it. 

~ s h a d o w m e r e

Her pregnancy had been rough and much too late. She had slipped away into the deepest part of the Chamber's misty forest to tough it out alone. She returns to the heart of the kingdom, two healthy foals at her side. The prince and princess of the Chamber, almost identical silver black coats and little horn nubs sprouting from their brows. She arched her maneless neck to nuzzle each of them with pride as she strides towards the sacred tree. Looking out across the clearing she searched for the dark general, the sire of her children, her crow-like whinny echoing across the land in question. Would he come to meet his children? 

Nadja was already a terror, trying to nip at her brother and hiding behind Shadowmere to avoid repercussions for her actions. Of course, Shadowmere only watched, knowing that if the filly kept bothering her brother and he decided to retaliate, any resulting hurt would be deserved. The youngling would need to learn that her actions had consequences, and the dark queen was far too exhausted from dealing with two children to bother with correcting her right now. Dark eyes flicked to the tree, and she bowed her head deeply. Mumbling a prayer for patience and thanks for her health into its warm roots. 
 

~ s h a d o w m e r e

A shrill whinny carries across the territory. Calling to whomever may be lingering, the new and old blood of the Chamber alike, to gather in the clearing as she stood cloaked in glimmering night in front of the burning tree at the heart of the territory. She had waited days, yet no one answered her challenge. The dark mare finally had her crown, and the raven who bestowed it upon her was perched atop one of her spiraled horns. She felt herself clawing out of the black hole she had let herself spiral into within her own mind. It held her prisoner for years and turned her mind to a black pit of tangled memories. Until now. The return of Havelock and her unchallenged claim to the throne was enough to bring her back to life from her once withered state of mind. This was her purpose.

”Chamberlings, our kingdom has dwindled in numbers…The Chamber I knew from almost a century’s past was once a powerful kingdom, full of ambition and struck fear into our enemies. As your new queen, I vow that I will lead us to rekindle the old flame from these dying embers!”

The dark queen's voice was strong with a resolve that had long been slumbering beneath half a century of self doubt and misery, the aura of night around her pulsing with her intensity. She never thought the day would come that she would wear a crown. Especially not the Chamber's. She felt such deep devotion for the dark kingdom, and watched it through the eras of glory and its downfall. She was sure she could revive it again. She raised her horned head, her inky gaze sweeping over those who gathered and spoke once more.”I seek  dedicated souls, ones with a keen sense for battle, quick on their hooves, who will defend our borders. As well as those who can become one with the very shadows, the eyes and ears of the kingdom. Should you join me, you will be dubbed the Chamber's Shadowsingers and Shadowsworn. ”

The dark queen's words coiled into the air in thick wefts of steam, awaiting the response of those gathered. Hoping to begin their work to bring the kingdom back to its roots, and to see it flourish once again.

~ s h a d o w m e r e

Another day passes with no sign of equine life, aside from the shapeshifter that wandered the clearing. Her only loyal offspring. She looked to him, framed against the morning sky overlooking the cliffside toward the sea, her pride blooming in her chest. What a fine stallion he grew to be…unlike my other bastard children…, she thought to herself bitterly. Of course she thought the worst of all of them, claiming their betrayal of her rather than realizing they escaped her abuse. She snorted and shook her scarred head, freeing the thoughts of her prior kin from her mind and focused on another task that needed her full attention, growing the kingdom.

She knew it couldn't be just she and Havelock. They needed more bodies…more souls to stoke the fires of the Chamber's dying embers, and set the world ablaze with their power as a kingdom as they once had in centuries past. She took one last look toward the far side of the moorlands to Havelock's distant silhouette and set off toward the tree line. The dark queen shivered as a cold wind swished through the pine boughs and cut straight through her fine coat to her skin. ”Curse this damn coat of mine…”, she spat like a perturbed feline. She could not wait to make it to the meadows' warmth and possibly find some willing victims to lure back to the Chamber.

She took her time, each step with her front leg stinging delightfully, still healing from her sacrificial slice at her fetlock. Pain was nothing more than a thrill for the dark mare, and she reveled in the aura of night that now glimmered and pulsed around her. It felt like she had a cape of night stars, all she needed was a crown. Suddenly a rustle sounded above her, one of which she had heard every day since coming to the pine laden land. She stopped in her tracks, snow creaking under hoof as her weight settled into snowy path, and looked up to scan the treetops. Nothing…she shook her head and continued on for a few more steps before the rustle happened again. This time, before she could raise her horned head to look above her, something black crashed down upon her face, croaking and flailing with a mad fury as black iridescent feathers flapped over her eyes and sharp claws scraped the curved bridge of her nose. Shadowmere reared back, a loud squeal piercing the frigid air in a coil of steam, and shook her head violently. As quickly as it came, it righted itself and flapped up in front of her face, glassy black eyes surveying her with curiosity as it settled itself on a nearby branch. ”HELLS! Damned stupid bird…you're lucky you managed to right yourself, or else I'd have pitched you to the ground and crushed your puny skull…”, she snorted with annoyance and turned away from the large bedraggled looking bird but it only let out a gruff caw and followed her, soaring from branch to branch and showering her with pine needles. ”DAMN IT BIRD! WHAT DO YOU WANT OF ME!?”, she squealed and struck her hoof to the ground with irritation. How was she supposed to think with this damned creature following and disturbing her so. He must have been the same raven she heard cawing every morning, though she was unsure of why he insisted on following her around since she came back to the Chamber.

The raven only stared at her a moment before letting out a deep and grumbley “gwow” sound and flew off into the trees before returning with something clutched in it's talons. ”Hm? What in the hells are you doing, bird!?”, she said as it landed upon one of her horns and placed something sharp on her brow. The pain caused a delightful tingle across her forehead and she whirled on her haunches to plow through the snow drifts towards the river. Peering down, the raven flapping haphazardly off of her horn as it lost its balance, she took in her reflection on the glassy surface of the river. A crown of thorns? She huffed a gnarled laugh, as she looked up to the raven that was now perched on a branch close to her. ”You must be a mind reader…I guess this will do..”, she was about to keep speaking when the raven croaked its strange “gwow” again and flapped off toward the direction it went for the crown of thorns. She waited, curious now, for it to return. And it did. This time with four gleaming rib bones, two clutched in each clawed foot. It settled upon her horn again and she felt it plucking around atop her head before it flapped away again with a loud “CAW!”. She looked down to see the four bones curving up to frame the front of her horns and she smiled, this wasn't looking too bad…again she could hear the raven returning, as it flapped through the pines clumsily before landing on her horn once again. She felt it fiddling, the sound of bone clinking in her ears a delightful song. The bird let out a satisfied “gwow”, and flapped to the branch ahead of her once more, dipping its head low. She took another look in the river's surface to see the crown complete, a raven skull placed in the center of the curved rib bones, bordered by the tangled bramble branches that pierced into her brow. Her lips curved into a wicked smile as she admired her new crown, and drew her head up to regard the bird once more. ”So, bird. I guess your presence isn't too bothersome. How would you like to keep me company?”, she said, a slight ping of….whimsy? That stung her heart as the bird shook its patchy feathers and seemed to nod at her before it hopped to the end of the branch and took off to perch upon her horn again. Guess I have a loyal companion now, seeing as he crowned me himself…, she thought to herself as she turned to head back to the main path, continuing her trek to the meadow with her new companion in tow. 

~ s h a d o w m e r e

The air was still on the pine lined moorland territory, the morning quiet aside for the distant caw of ravens in the forest. The dark mare slinks out of her pine needle blanketed space that was tucked inside a thick cluster of pines to find water. She was exhausted, weary, but her heart felt a little lighter than it had in years. She followed the frozen river through the misty forest and into the snowy clearing, her mind blank. She snorted with annoyance as she trudged through the snow, her dark gaze eyeing the thickly iced over surface of the water. She couldn’t remember a winter as harsh as this one, she would have thought she was back in that damned ice box Tundra. She never liked her imprisonment there, and was beyond relieved to get the hell out of there once she was released from the bachelor’s hold. She knew it had been a bad idea to go to the Valley, she had only been there a few days before the bachelor kingdom stole her away. She should have just stayed in the Chamber…but that was over a half a century ago, and the Tundra was no more. Her thin coated body shook uncontrollably, luckily it was not windy nor pelting down frozen rain today, but she was going to start shivering more once she found a thin spot in the ice on the edge of the river. She struck her hoof to the glassy surface and shattered a hole in the ice just large enough for her muzzle to fit through. Lowering her head she drew in a large mouthful of water and savored the icy sensation that seared down her throat. Raising her elegant scarred face, she took in her surroundings, not remembering Havelock was here. She had grown used to the days of solitude in the now silent Chamber that the large horned wolf that stood with his head cocked to one side taking in the sight of the charred tree had her on alert. Noticing the pelt of the large canine was that of brown hues and powder blue, the memories of the past day flooded her. No longer furious with him, she was more so interested in his presence.

Other than Havelock, it seemed as if she and the shifter were truly the only souls wandering the pine laden territory. Days on end went by and still she had not come across another. It both angered and saddened her that the once glorious and powerful dark kingdom she had known was now so quiet and seemingly void of life. This place used to be bustling with bodies, dark souls that breathed life into the forest and filled her youthful self with ambition and anticipation. Were they truly the only souls here? She wondered if this place would ever see that kind of life again, and wished to breathe that life back into it again, with Havelock beside her for support. Was this finally her time to taste power and feel the weight of a crown upon her brown? She may be a twisted creature, misguided and malicious, but her ambitions were always a driving force in her soul and maybe that was just the kind of leader the Chamber needed. She wanted power, always…so much so she abused her children and manipulated them to try to grasp at some semblance of power. She knew rebuilding the Chamber to its former glory could prove difficult and she wasn’t sure where she would even start, but her mind reeled with possibilities and Havelock’s return seemed to jumpstart that old spark. She needed a purpose, she was not meant to disappear into the shadows to wither away in her own mind for eternity. She was ready for this, she wanted to be remembered and to be worth something for once in her life. Shadowmere strode toward the charred tree, dipping her head to Havelock as she came up beside him. She could feel that thrum of dark, ancient magic that radiated from within, and it set her dark soul alight. She dipped her head between her knees and slit the skin at her fetlock open with a sharp twisted horn. Blood streamed down her hoof and into the bare soil at the base of the tree and her voice dripped from her maw with absolute devotion.

”Hear me….see me…know me…I pledged my loyalty to this land over a century ago, and I come back to you now to pledge myself once again. This land is my home, it is a part of me…and I now sacrifice my very own blood for this land. Grant me your blessing…and I will vow to serve this land for eternity.”


She swore she could feel a pulse of energy before a black shimmering mist began to seem from the roots of the tree, swirling and coiling all around her until she was engulfed in it. The coiling mist settled around her like a cloak of night and her lips pulled back in a gnarled, satisfied grin. She turned her back to the tree and called out, a shrill whinny that cut through the still air for anyone to answer, to dispute her claim to a crown. She would bring glory back to the Chamber, even if it meant spilling blood to earn her crown. Her call hung in the air, awaiting a response for challenge, or a vow of support.

~ s h a d o w m e r e

The morning was dreary, dark clouds shrouded the sun and cast even deeper shadows through the dark pine forest. Shadowmere shivered as freezing rain pelted her thin black coat, though the Chamberling was glad to be home, she did not miss these harsh winters. She had tried to take shelter in the dense pines, but the wind just shook more cold water over her and she swore she could feel the sting of the cold seeping to her skin.”Damn this rain…, she hissed with another shiver, she at least wished she had a mane to give some warmth and cover to her neck, but alas her long slender neck was bare to the elements. Her body was designed for desert heat, not harsh moorland winters. Despite that, her mood was…nostalgic. She did not care that she was not physically built for this climate, her mind and soul was eternally tethered to the Chamber. The place where her life truly began, even if this resurrected Chamber was not the same Chamber of her past, it still held her memories in a misty embrace.

She shook the rain from her sodden coat and departed from the cover of the pines, carefully making her way along the frozen ground to the charred tree once more to bask in its aura that seemed to pulse with life. The wind rattling through its bare branches sounded like the clatter and cracking of dry bones, and it was like music to her ears. Soothing her corrupted soul like a macabre lullaby. It seemed to wash away her years of frustration, the trauma of her childhood, the betrayal of her children, the burning hate she felt for Naga. A burning that seemed to be quelled by the icy rain that was now blowing over her in rhythmic waves, a beautiful cacophony of sound. She no longer feared the aspect of death now that her once thin string of mortality was turned to gold, everlasting. A gift she never thought she would receive after her many years of treachery, and to be given such a blessing? It was like the fates were encouraging her…

A flash lit up the icy clearing and a loud crack of thunder shook the ground. The air now seeming to crackle with energy that had her feeling exhilarated. “Sooo much time….”, she thought to herself, a wicked grin curling the corners of her scarred lips as her mind reeled. She had all the time in the world now, and she never felt more alive than she did in this moment. She could feel it, this was finally her time. She had been gifted all the time she could ever want, and she could truly do what she wanted with it without fear of death. Sweet, sweet, eternity.

~ s h a d o w m e r e

Morning reared its head in the dark forest. The sun's rays cutting through the inky darkness like warm spears of golden light piercing through the heavy mist. The forest is still quiet, a silence only broken by the occasional owl call and the sound of hooves crunching through the snow. The dark figure slips through the snowy path with purpose. Though this land was reborn anew, she could feel the familiarity…she knew the scent of the pines and the feel of the morning mist against her thin, dappled black coat. Though the path was unfamiliar, and the landscape different from its prior life, the thrum of the Chamber's still beating heart and remnants of its ancient dark magic remained. A thrum that seemed to whisper to her soul to return home.

It had been over half a century since the dark mare had set foot in the pines, especially after the cataclysm that swallowed the dark forest whole…thought never to be seen again. The cold misty air caressed her like a longing lover that sent a shiver through her bones. This was where she was meant to be. Her lithe body slipped through the trees like a shadow, save for her silvery tail that dragged behind her like a thin veil of spider's silk that hissed along the snowy forest floor. Her scarred face was held high atop her sleek serpentine neck, lowering only to occasionally dip her spiraled horns below the snow laden pine boughs. Shadowmere’s confidence was high as she finally stepped into the clearing, her old Chamberling soul alight as she entered the land that was both old and new and her inky gaze fell upon The Tree. With its bare charred branches that looked as if they were reaching their gnarled fingers to grasp at life as it burned, frozen in time, an eternal beacon of ancient dark magic.

She did not see anyone, and if there were anyone around she wouldn’t have noticed. Her gaze fixed on that charred tree, and she seemed to glide through the snow towards it as if she were being pulled to it like a magnet. Dark and looming over her, she took a knee, her muzzle dipping low as she whispered in her deep, ragged voice. “I am home…”

~ s h a d o w m e r e