"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
Aditi had heard of the cliffside territory during her time in Pangea. How could she not? Nayl's powerful presence in Beqanna had grown swiftly, and the painted Queen was frequently the talk of the town. She had once entertained the idea of adding to Nerine's ranks, but Rodrik had scooped her up and turned her into one of those will-do-anything-for-validation ladies, and since then, she has decided that that just won't do. Fast forward a year or so, following the birth of her stillborn and her solitude on the Mountain, Aditi returned to civilization and met one of those soldiers of Nerine.
It was fitting, really, to know that the cliffside territory that had originally piqued her interest had been safe from the Fairy, while Pangea had not.
She meanders slowly into Nerine, the briny ocean water overpowering any other scent that could have lingered in her nostrils. The summer sun is warm but the breeze from the ocean offers a reprieve from the heat and the speckled mare inhales appreciatively. She lets out a call for Heartfire, the mare who'd aided Aditi in her "search" in the Field, and proceeds to wait patiently for whatever welcome awaits her.
sorry for how grossly short this is x_x
@[Heartfire]
Before Nerine, she had never considered herself given to any particularly strong alliances. She had been a free agent at heart, a citizen of the world, as it were. The cliff side kingdom had really quite grown on her though. It has settled into her skin in a way she had never expected, drawing and holding her like nothing before ever had. Oh, her feet still know little of constraint, wandering quite where she pleases, but she has a place now to truly call home. A place she can always come back to.
As it turns out, her tendencies have proved quite a boon to the kingdom as well. If things go as planned, she would be far more than a simple soldier very soon.
Hooves digging into the sand, she makes her way along the wandering shores of her home. An occasional surge of salty water laps at her dark hooves, causing the normally dull black to glisten in the late sun. Her path, though it may seem aimless, is far from it. It is a path that will allow her to intersect with the spotted mare she had so recently met in the meadow.
Having parted ways so amicably, with her invitation hanging in the air, she has followed Aditi since then. Not in body, but in sight, curious as to what she might choose to do. Of course, she never approaches those in the field without due cause and a fair certainty that her offer can appeal to them, so it really comes as no surprise. In any case, she is pleased that the buckskin had made the choice she had.
So when the mare calls for her, she is actually quite close by and makes her appearance readily enough. As she ambles towards her recent acquaintance, she offers an amicable nod before drawing alongside Aditi and assuming a leisurely stance. “Welcome, Aditi.”
Shifting her blue gaze, she considers the other mare for a moment before inquiring, “By your presence, I take it to mean you have come to a decision?”
i filled up my senses with thoughts from the ghosts
Nayl is just as observant, just as keen. Her fiery eyes constantly drink in the scenery, measuring the changes of wind, scents, and company. With the world so humbled by the faeries, she can’t help but wonder when there will be another outcry, another rebellion.
A fleeting memory crosses her mind.
Pangeans, trickling together, lost and dazed. They were deciding on a leader to follow as he paraded the idea of taking over. Nayl crushed that meeting, laughed at their miniscule attempt. That man – the self-proclaimed ring leader – acknowledged who she was and how powerful she has become. He wondered why Nayl wished them luck on their endeavors, and she merely assured that it’s because they would have to face her should they pursue their feeble dreams.
It won’t be long until there are more like him, more dreamers that want to take what she already has.
This is why she is so vigilant. Her gaze dances from the stranger to Heartfire then back. Nayl almost calls to her son, but remembers how she abandoned him at the Lake so that he may learn and strengthen himself. The pit in her heart for his absence weighs her down, but doesn’t stop her from joining the pair on the shoreline.
”It would be a wise decision,” she adds shortly after Heartfire, a smug grin crossing her lips, ”considering Nerine already controls two other kingdoms.” They are strengthening, day by day, month by month. Soon, she hopes, they will have control over more than just Sylva and Hyaline. One day. ”I’m Nayl,” she continues, ”the Queen.” As though no one knows her by now.
The expansive view that Nerine offers is beautiful and nearly breathtaking. There is a power hidden in the dark, roiling ocean that the speckled mare had never taken a second to appreciate before. She had enjoyed her brief stint in the vast wasteland that had been Pangea, but nothing in her former home could hold a candle to the way the ocean makes her feel. It's foreboding and dark and it makes her feel small because she knows that it cannot be controlled. The ocean will always do its own bidding.
Aditi doesn't turn to face Heartfire when she approaches, instead choosing to remain by the roan's side, much like she had in the Field. "Thank you, Heartfire," she offers in response to the greeting, a dark chocolate eye moving to her could-be-friend from the coastline. The mare seems at home here, next to the sea. Aditi wonders if the sabino finds the great ocean daunting, and if she is still able to appreciate it, or if she has become desensitized to its wildness.
She gives a terse nod at Heartfire's inquiry before her attention is drawn away and to an encroaching painted mare. Aditi's nostrils flutter, testing their scents as they mingle with the salty air. The smokey black mare commands attention upon her arrival, her smug grin not lost on the Nez Perce. Aditi offers another nod of her chiseled head, ears twitching to acknowledge the greeting.
"Your reputation precedes you, Nayl," she says knowingly, "My name is Aditi."
Perhaps a moment late, Nayl's words flip a switch in Aditi's head. "Did you say that Nerine controls two other kingdoms? I knew only of Sylva. But," she pauses, "I am not surprised that your grasp has reached farther than that."
In many respects, she and the queen of Nerine are quite similar. Of course, Heartfire’s reach is perhaps subtler, but no less extensive. She enjoys the power, but has never needed the acknowledgement. Not that she would turn her nose up at it of course, but it had never been required. It is fortunate, perhaps, that she and Nayl are on the same team, so to speak. She would hate to see them enemies. She has already been making plenty of those, though truth to tell, most of them would never dare to come forward.
But these are thoughts she keeps well and truly to herself, tucked safely inside her breast. She has never been one to reveal her plans lightly. She has always made certain to keep any conceit in check. It has so often been the downfall of many a great king or queen.
Both a prophecy and warning if ever there was one.
As Nayl approaches them, Heartfire offers her faint nod of greeting before turning her gaze back to the sea. Her attention though, remains upon the spotted mare so recently come to their land. She felt the woman could be a good addition to their home, given the right incentive. And knowing Nayl as she does, she had just offered it.
The conversation had turned between the two, giving her the opportunity to study their interaction. Though her input is largely unnecessary, she adds briefly, quietly, “Such things are a marathon, not a race. A mindset so rarely appreciated.” before subsiding and allowing them to take the reins of the conversation.
She could learn far more silently watching, listening, than she ever would constantly talking.
i filled up my senses with thoughts from the ghosts
