good gone girl, she's got nothing left to lose; covet

[Darking]

good gone girl, she’s got nothing left to lose There is one thing that she still hasn’t done yet. Part of her reason for bringing Rowyn here, beyond wanting her to see the land of her ancestors, was for the girl to meet her father. Darking knows what it’s like to grow up without a father figure during her childhood, and she knows that many of her children have done the same. And while she’s fine with the life that she’s lived, she would like to avoid giving her daughter a childhood spent wondering after a father she’s never met. So today she’s brought her yearling daughter to the field, to search out the old bastard (a term of some endearment in this case) that she had slept with almost two years ago. She doesn’t expect much from him. This is Covet we’re talking about after all - he’s not given to displays of great affection, if given to having any affection at all. But she wants him to meet her, this beautiful little girl that they both created. She settles in to a quiet spot on the southern side of the meadow, where the lake meets the fields of green. Rowyn for her part settles in beside her, bouncing excitedly, wings furling and unfurling. She’s heard a little of her father before and is nervous to meet him. She wants to know the stallion she inherited her orange eye from. Darking leans over to the girl and nuzzles the filly’s shoulder reassuringly. She sees no sign of Covet yet, but if she knows the old fart at all, he will find them soon enough. DARKING

@[Covet]

[Covet]

Covet is not so omniscient as he was when he ruled the Dale. Those days - blissful, distant days - were of a much different Covet. Thankfully, really. Covet of the old was a rude, distant bastard that spent most of his time sulking and ordering others to die. Those were his glory days - the days of ruling kingdoms, striking fear. Now? Now his immortality has worn off and exposed the rust under the once shiny facade. His scars now look like sickly pock marks instead of the proud badges of an accomplished warrior. He walks with a strange gait, like the wounds of his past never truly healed. Maybe they didn't. Maybe his immortality had been more of a bandaid over a bullet hole, and now the holes were much too big to cover. Still, Covet prefers the meadow these days, so he's there. He's wandering, taking a slow crawl that doesn't exacerbate his strange gait too much. His orange eyes are clouding, his forelock more tangled than usual - but he is still the same Covet. He recognizes Darking immediately and notes (with a hint of hilarity - another one?!) the filly at her side. His. It didn't take an advanced degree or a particularly sharp gaze to pick out one of Covet's children. He was, after all, a strange looking creature. "Darking," he greets. Her name brings memories of a young girl so many decades ago, ears flattened against her skull, spitting sin at him for killing Coca-Cola. Leading a rebellion. Failing. It's funny to him now to find himself in this position, staring at her without a hint of malice, the years written on both of their faces.

Covet got a long list of ex lovers they’ll tell you i’m insane

[Darking]

good gone girl, she’s got nothing left to lose And low and behold, there he is. A strange ghost from the past, he appears before them. He’s older now - time has changed his gait, his coat, clouded his eyes … He’s not the same horse he was back then. But then, neither is she. She’d been young and fiery when they first met, full of passion and ideals, and a strange loyalty to a kingdom she had only just joined. She’d been naive then. So naive. But over a 100 years of life has taken care of that. “Covet.” A ghost of a smile flashes across her face. She holds no grudges against him, not any more. Her life has been too long to hold on to such things. In fact she holds a hint of affection for the old bastard. To her he represents a different time in her life, a different age. She notices his eyes passing over the filly at her side and Darking leans down to nudge the girl’s shoulder. She whispers quietly the child’s ear. “Go on.” Rowyn steps forward, head cocked to the side, her curiosity written all over her young face. “Rowyn, this is your father. Covet.” The black yearling steps even closer, trying to peer into the taller stallion’s eyes. “Well that’s where the orange is from.” The girl takes a step back, but her eyes remain fastened on her father. “Mom said you were a king once. A long time ago. She also said the two of you didn’t get along very well.” Behind her, Darking lets out a quiet chuckle. Of course that’s what Rowyn would be interested in. She had tried her best to explain her past and Covet’s past to their daughter, but perhaps it would be good for her to hear her father’s side as well. DARKING

[Covet]

When Covet was younger he really tried to see something in his children. It was the hubris that came with being king, with feeling important. Somewhere deep down he felt like his genetics meant something. All he had to do was think back to his mother abandoning him in the Adoption Den for him to realize that was absolute horseshit. Meeting her all those years later just solidified that fact. But as his children continued to fall short, and his adopted children the only things worth his time, he eventually stopped caring. They came and went, they lived and they died. Except Aranea, but you can't claim she was like anyone else in the world. Now, though, he's pulled a 180. Where the vague displeasure once existed comes a new softness, a realization of his own mortality. His children are little bits and pieces of both himself and their mothers...but in a pleasant way. Val and Aranea did not take his stubborn disgust. Rowyn, all two seconds he'd known her, did not appear to have his general distrust either. She was youthful, wide eyed - innocent. Something Covet never had been. "Strong genes," he says, almost like a joke. The girl stands before him, her own orange eyes peering into his clouded ones, speaking about being a king. He had this conversation not too long ago with the twins. "Yes, a king twice over. Your mother tried to overthrow me." He allows the hint of a smile at the corner of his lips at this revelation.

Covet got a long list of ex lovers they’ll tell you i’m insane

[Darking]

good gone girl, she’s got nothing left to lose As Covet has already jokingly noted (though not out loud), Darking has had her fair share of children. Over the years she has given birth to, and raised a total of 21 children (including Rowyn). While that may seem like a lot to some mares, at over 120 years of age, she personally doesn’t think that number is too bad. She has done her best to raise the majority of them, though, as tends to happen, she has been a far better mother to some than she has been to others. But, in her own way, she has loved each and every one of them. All of them are special to her, even the ones that have hurt her most. Rowyn though … Rowyn had not been planned. Darking had thought herself done with children after giving birth to triplets and then twins, one set almost right after another. But then she had run into Covet that one day in the meadow, and one thing had led to another. She hasn’t regretted it of course. She’s never regretted any of her children. And Rowyn has been a wonderful little ray of sunshine (as stereotypical as that sounds) in her long life. But she wants to make she does it right with her. Which is part of the reason she has hunted Covet down. She watches as the pair of them stand there, staring into each other’s eyes - Covet’s orange ones matching Rowyn’s mismatched ones. Funny how she’d inherited a little bit of both of them in that way. He speaks about his past, and while Rowyn doesn’t move, Darking can feel the intense interest emanating from her. “She didn’t say you’d been king twice.” The girl’s head cocks to the side. “She did mention the rebellion though. She said you did bad things and she was stupid.” Darking grimaces. Well that was rather blunt. DARKING

My bad, Rowyn has one orange eye and one green eye! I should have clarified that.

[Covet]

A lesser man (read: Covet of the past) would have been horrified by the turn of events with his children. The last few seasons were nothing but girls. They came crawling from the nooks and crannies, staring at him with orange eyes and green eyes and brown eyes and his resolve or his stout stature. They each bore a tiny piece of him, a reminder for future generations. Would they look at his children and think, "Ah, a child of Covet!" No, he would fade into obscurity like all the others. His statue on the beach would rot and melt. In only a matter of year he'd become a whisper. Then? Then nothing. There is great comfort to him in this, though. The idea that the ancients can die out and their mark is never too big to just forget. Maybe his children won't remember the disasters that befall Beqanna. Maybe, with each generation, Beqanna will slide into a sort of peace. A lull. He knows nothing. Covet shrugs to his daughter, a movement that brings a wince at an impinged nerve. That's new. He cuts it off with a cough that's too real, too deep. Also new. He adapts, he moves on, he offers a hint of a smile to the girl before him. "You'll do many stupid things in your youth. You'll do many smart things others will find stupid." Here a labored shrug, careful to prevent a repeat of the pain that shot up his body. "It's more important to do what you believe is best, and ban those who disagree." Here the flippant smile is tossed to Darking.

Covet got a long list of ex lovers they’ll tell you i’m insane

[Darking]

good gone girl, she’s got nothing left to lose She has never held the sort of notoriety that Covet has. All of her youth she worked in the ranks of Dale - in the army, the airforce and the diplomats. She worked hard, and gained recognition, but she never rose higher than a colonel. There had always been someone better, someone more hardworking. She hadn’t minded though. She hadn’t wanted glory. She’d wanted a home. She hopes the same for her children. She does not need glory for them. She wants them to be safe and happy. She wants them to have a home with close friends and family to call their own. And if, a few generations down the line she is forgotten, then oh well. Rowyn though, Rowyn won’t forget. And Darking wants to do the best that she can while she is still a part of her daughter’s life (for she knows it won’t be forever - after all, nothing lasts). And she’s glad that, at least for this meeting, Covet can be a part of it too. She watches as they speak to each other, orange eyes meeting orange and green, and smiles. Even if Covet wants nothing more to do with them after this, Rowyn will have at least had this. The girl shrugs when he says she’ll do many stupid things. She doesn’t particularly disagree, but she isn’t particularly concerned. “What other stupid things have you done?” Covet’s second comment however catches her attention. Her mismatched eyes widen and turn to her mother in interest. “Did he ban you? You never mentioned that!” Darking laughs aloud. “No, no. He never banned me. Our little rebellion never got off the ground enough to warrant that.” Looking slightly disappointed, Rowyn turns back to Covet. “Did you ever have to ban anyone?” DARKING