"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
now don’t you understand…that I’m never changing who I am?
The ground was white where they were. This place, delicately placed in snow, was a beautiful paradise and so very different than her own Ireland. The trees were mystical, and they almost sang to each other with the leaping of the squirrels from one branch to another—and the plunging of newly fallen winter snow down onto the freshly fallen layers below. Reagan found that she was at peace for the first time in her recollection. She had her blood back—praise Mary—and she had her beautiful Jinju. And Ruan, wherever he was. Caelestra—her daughter by blood—would be around somewhere, and yet it was that the child of two magicians had done what she was familiar with, even without her magical blood about her. She had chosen to take herself off with all of the independence that could be won about her. For once, Reagan was learning how to balance it all, and it felt good to explore those other sides of herself that had for so long been allowed to be denied, and swept under the rug.
But she was, first and foremost, a diplomat. And for the woman who had helped to orchestrate the facilitation of this new home, she found that her self-imposed duties were that she would walk the edges of her new home, and explore the boarders. Reporting to Romek, and his mate Maribel—nee, husband and wife, which is much more intimate than just mates… as it implies a meeting of hearts as well as minds and bodies—she would make herself as useful to them as possible, until it was not of her interest to be there any longer. She was as loyal as the land was forgiving, but Reagan had seen enough danger and mutiny in her life to know that if such a thing were to occur, Reagan would be the first to take herself elsewhere.
But for the time being, she found her mind at ease, and allowed herself to settle into the role of family as well as politics. Perhaps it would be easy to balance and have it all. So, she searches out Maribel, her new leader, as she was sure to have her twins with her. Such beautiful little girls were deserving of their magic show.
Their home, their land, plead for by the followers of Romek. This was all of their land. Not just to the dark stallion or his fair wife. No, this was a place for all in search of finding their center, of solitude. Taiga was home to all who desired her peace.
Maribel walks with the girls exploring around her, dipping under her belly, around her slides and so forth. On the occasion, she calls to them to stop venturing so far or to stop being so rough on one another. But as her golden hoof crushes some of the white slush from winter, a crack of a twig catches her attention. Neck snaps immediately in the direction of the sound but thankfully (and with a sigh of relief) it is the pretty mare, Reagan, from before. A soft smile slides across her lips as she moves her body so she may better face the granite woman.
Delicate skull dips in greeting, the children naturally crowd against their mother with curious eyes that are practically -ooh and ahh- at a new horse. The world was still very big for such tiny fillies. "Hello again." The tones flutter on the cool air as the girls shiver slightly against their mother in excitement as well as the chill. They remain huddled close and Mari allows them to take their own steps if they should want to. Blue eyes look from beneath the gold of her brow, one eye peeking at times for when the low breeze falters and drops the silken gold across her view.
"It is good to see your face again. I hope your walk wasn't too difficult." Vocals are sincere and genuine as she offers them to the other. It would be lovely to have a friend in the kingdom and Mari hoped to start now with Reagan.
And when she laughs you'll always take notice.
'Cause her heart's charm will shine right through it all.
now don’t you understand…that I’m never changing who I am?
Maribel is like the angel on earth—the quiet soul—that Reagan has been looking for all her life. Such a tumultuous woman who had lived her days by herself and for the good of nothing but the politics and games of others; Reagan was forever reminded of this each time she remembered her conversation with Demian…what else do I have to lose?. That is indeed what she had said, because in truth, she had lost everything.
She had lost family, and faith, and land, and loyalty, and magic. She had, even at one point, lost her life—something that the white and gold woman standing in front of her was, it seemed, perfectly acquainted with. And so, the quiet place she found herself here, at home in the forest, approached by the quiet ever changing soul, she was able to dig inside herself for the first time in a while, and be able to see that this woman was special. She was one step from becoming the angel she already was on the outside, but her abilities to change her color had not been as yet unlocked. There were so many things and overwhelming thoughts that surrounded her as she looked around her with new magic eyes.
Being able to hear the trees as they spoke together, and the language of the birds and the animals as they moved together in small packs huddled together for warmth, she had forgotten how to channel her brain to be able to handle all the heightened sensations at once. So, she closed her eyes, and spun around slowly, creating a warming bubble to melt the eyes and grow the flowers that she loved so well, and a thick blanket of clover about her—much as she had done for Ruan in the meadow before the coming of the storm. When she hears Maribel approach, she stops, and looks to see the two girls with her, blinking, sending little fairies and butterflies about the grasses, dancing and laughing and singing through the clover, begging the children to join them. “Hello again, Maribel. It is good to be back to being as I was. I felt—drained, almost, with the changing of the tide and the lengthening of the winter season. I am, you can see, very much a fan of green places.”
The gray woman, ancient eyes and an even older soul, Maribel can feel it when she is close to the other. The magician, the priestess, Maribel knows when to pay her respects. The vivid lush of clover at the other's hooves brightens Mari's features as the mare was a lover of nature, of serenity and peace. Her focus returns to Reagan as butterflies and fairies surround her girls playfully and distracting the pair to give chase. If she were anywhere else, Maribel would have called them back, but their home was a safe one thanks to all those who contributed for it.
Blue eyes trail after the pair of fillies as they giggled and chased the magic creatures. There is a sense of peace to settle on her features as the alabaster woman watches her children enjoying the innocence of their youth without fear or worry. Blessed little creatures of a new world, a new Beqanna.
Maribel looks to Reagan after some pause as she realizes how rude she must seem. "Oh, Reagan, yes...hello. Forgive me, those tiny foals seem to have me under a spell." A smile blooms across her lips as she seems dreamy for a moment. "I am glad to see you as well, my friend." Hopefully the wise woman would not take offense to the boldness of Maribel's title for her as she felt most were her friends or at least on the cusp of it. "I see the fairy of the mountain has restored you whole once again. You certainly deserve it after laboring alongside Romek and Demian ceaselessly. I am so grateful for you." Mari settles quietly into the same gentle smile before agreeing with a nod. "I, too, am a fan of green and clovers and wildflowers as well." She laughs softly even though there was a quiet pang of desire for the spring season. Soon enough the snow will melt and be replaced by a sea of grass and flowers.
Taiga was a perfect utopia of rich wildlife and vegetation. In the spring and summer, there would be rolling mist at the base of tall trees and tinkle songs of birds. At night the hoot of owls and whip-o-whirls would lull the babes to sleep, Autumn would would burst into flames with fiery colors lighting up the treetops in all the vivid splatter of colors. A content sigh is the next sound to be heard from the cream and honey mare as she thinks of her home and all it offered to the horses who lived there.
"How are you settling in, Reagan? Well I hope." Lobes are forward as she awaits the magician's response with clear attentiveness.
And when she laughs you'll always take notice.
'Cause her heart's charm will shine right through it all.
now don’t you understand…that I’m never changing who I am?
Reagan breathed, a sense of relief that in places like this, the odious potato could not grow. It was too cold, and the rootbed too thick to allow such a root vegetable. The area was plentiful with other, more palatable forms of vegetation, and as Reagan viewed Maribel, and then swung her vision back to the two girls playing with the butterflies, she smiled, a quiet voice accompanying the precious moments that would prove to be too far infrequent for a mother’s liking. “Children, of late, have that effect on me too, it seems. I seem to have picked up a straggler in the Meadow who was without her mother, both biological and adoptive. She’s an adorable ragamuffin with a penchant for fire. She does not know it, but she is the daughter of a very powerful pyrokinetic. The trees tell me he is the leader of the new volcano land that has been established to the east of here.”
Reagan’s ears flicked, looking for any sense of recognition in Mari’s eyes to see her reaction to mentioning her adopted father offhandedly. The pewter lady had not met the man, but there was no secret that this was a splinter group from the very heart of he who owned the volcano and its fire—and Reagan intended to find out the cause of this. Jinju’s safety was of paramount importance and she would not allow her small family—Reagan, Ruan and Jinju—to come to harm should there present problems. However, her love for Maribel and her daughters kept her quiet, and her face open, ready and willing to accept her friendship, and a dear sense of protection within the tiger’s woods.
“As for how we have settled thus far, it has been far easier to establish a new home than I ever thought it would be. Simply having something more than nothing, makes one grateful for their circumstances.”
