"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
I've heard there was a secret chord that David played and it pleased the Lord but you don't really care for music do you?
The uprising of men in the Gates had breathed new life into lungs. He was barely 6 (thanks to the kingdoms immortality) but immediately after the raid, he had felt 100. It had felt like his youth had been robbed, just like the life of his kingdom. But to see all of the willing and able faces and bodies, that had been the tonic he had needed. They weren’t stagnant, nor weak. They would not be the whipping boy of the lands. They were powerful in their own right and a force to be reckoned with. Despite their good nature, they would not lay themselves down to be doormats for whomever wanted to step on them. They could, and would rise from the ashes and be reborn like the phoenix.
His journey to the Deserts is quick- he does not dawdle to take in the sights and the sounds of the lands. His walk has a purpose to it, the kind of walk a man on a mission has. When the land is flat he canters or trots, his Arabian heritage giving him the necessary stamina to do this. The gray king speaks to no one, though most who see his hardened jaw simply step out of his way. He is purely horse for the journey- it would not do to be distracted by the sudden impulses of his inner whitetail. Finally, he feels the heat that touches his face and knows he is getting close. The grass becomes more and more sparse, golden sands taking its place. The king stops, pushing his nose into the hot air and letting forth a soft call. First there were thanks to give out, followed by important discussions.
The chess pieces are moving and Yael watches the players with a poker face, still unwilling to claim the game against the victor. She is fully aware of Camrynn’s rage at her interference, and she quite simply doesn’t care. The younger magician gave up her right to throw her weight around when she disappeared for over a year without informing her second-in-command that she was going to be gone. Especially when they both knew that Pevensie wasn’t going to be returning. So now Yael is effectively head of the Kingdom, though unless someone comes charging in to steal the crowns, she doesn’t want to lay claim to the ‘Queen’ in foreseeable future.
It would take a disaster for her to pick up that responsibility again.
It’s her, and Shahrizai, and some mare she’s seen but hasn’t yet met; Else occasionally pops up, and Pevensie’s long lost adopted daughter was here awhile ago. Perhaps she shouldn’t have send Gaza away… but he needed to learn to be a man, and he would never be able to do that with her around. Speaking of family - Yael’s been so busy checking in on her grandchildren (both near and far) that she almost didn’t notice a foreigner on the borders. Oops. A quick look tells her that yes, he’s been there for awhile, so she takes the quickest route possible and simply appears before him.
Yael is slightly disheveled with all her rushing around, and it’s an uncommon sight if Mast’s never seen her before. She doesn’t present herself as a perfectly controlled stately beauty like Cam does, but there is a sort of wild etherealness about her. Golden skin and silver hair, all windblown and her petite frames with a slight sheen of perspiration. Cinnamon-brown eyes flick over the hard-jawed grey King, and she offers him a gentle smile. Yael is nothing, if not a fantastic hostess. “Xello Mast. Velcome to ze Desert.”
I've heard there was a secret chord that David played and it pleased the Lord but you don't really care for music do you?
There was certainly unrest in Beqanna. It hung over them all like a thunder cloud- occasionally rumbling and flashing but holding back the worst of the wind and the rain. The air had taken on a static quality, and the shifter king found himself on guard more than usual. Rumors swirled like a wildfire in sage brush, and it was hard to tell what was fact and what was fiction. It didn’t take long for a rumor to take hold, though bits and pieces would certainly be left out each time the story was retold. What did seem to be truth, though, was that change was on the horizon. What form that change would take was yet to be seen, but it was there, lurking just out of sight. Mast wouldn’t let them get caught unawares again.
He smiled as the golden former queen approached. She wore a harried expression, and Mast knew that his own appearance mirrored hers more often than not. He himself had been more busy than usual, what with running a kingdom and helping Camelia raise their daughter. Their daughter had shown herself to be as wild as a fawn, in a constant state of motion. She was quickly becoming a handful, and Mast knew they couldn’t keep their fist closed around her much longer. Eventually, the butterfly needed to fly. Yael spoke, and Mast closed his eyes with a smile at her exotic accent. It was warm and perfectly embodied the Deserts. “Thank you, Yael.” he said, dipping his head. “First and foremost, I want to thank you for the offer you extended to the Gates while we were under attack. It means the world to us, and we must consider ourselves in your debt. Secondly, your son, Gaza. He is a great young man and one the Gates is proud to have.” Her offer had proven invaluable, and he couldn’t bare to think what would have happened to the children had they not been able to seek sanctuary amongst the sands. “Lastly, I come seeking an alliance. The Chamber is quiet for now, but I must admit, I think its simply a ruse to lull us all into a false sense of security. Our kingdoms of course have traditional ties to one another, and the Gates is growing by the day. I find myself wondering if we mustn’t stand together, lest we fall beneath the war machine that the Chamber seems to be eager to create.” he finished, his voice solemn. Perhaps he should have waited for Camrynn, but he knew without a doubt that the magical queen was listening in. Now there was nothing left but to wait for her to show up and either agree, or disagree.
In hindsight, Yael should have assumed Jason’s form when she came to aid the Gates; but there was little time to think so far ahead, and with fire, time is of the essence. There aren’t many magicians who would a - stick their nose in someone else’s business, and b - work for good instead of chaos. She is the lone Glinda. So while it probably wasn’t hard to figure out who put out the fire in the Gates, the fact that Mast doesn’t even ask, he just assumes, irritates her. Just a little. For no real reason.
This meeting, however, is not about that. Though Mast thanks her and she dips her head, murmuring a gracious reply in return, he soon moves on to the true reason behind his visit to the quiet kingdom. For despite how few they are in number, Yael is a commodity. The simple threat of her retaliation in an attack against her Kingdom was enough to keep most enemies at bay. Magician plus Desert equals some very dead invaders. If he had come any earlier, the golden woman may have had to turn him away - but not now. He has impeccable timing.
It stirs up old memories; ones of when she was bay and ruled with a dragon… in the days before Vanquish. Her heart twinges for Nocturnal and everyone who is no longer with them. Anyone who says history does not repeat itself is lying. She throws up an illusion around the two of them for good measure - wouldn’t want some pesky little sand raven eavesdropping on a private conversation, now would they? It would look as if they are having an argument. “I’m afraid eet eesn’t up to me… Luckeely for you,. I do xaf some pull vit ze new Keeng.” Yael chuckles and tilts her head to one side, her eyes growing distant. She stays this way for a couple of minutes, having a mind-to-mind discussion with Vanquish, before she turns back to Mast with a soft sign. “Vankeesh says ve vill support ze Gates. I’ll keep an eye on t’em for you. Call for me vhen you need us - and t’ough eet might just be ze two of us, ve vill come.”
Yael steps back and closes her mouth, but her mind-voice keeps talking. Valk avay vit a mad or defeated look on your face. Perxaps t’ey vill t’ink ve said no. Tell no vone unless eet ees necessary… and even t’en, een vhispers, yes? And with that, she abruptly pivots away, heading back into the depths of the Desert.
figured might as well put a time jump in cause *reasons*
