"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
if there's a light at the end, it's just the sun in your eyes
Her warm voice is full of excitement, proclaiming her readiness even before she nips at his cheek and then bolts towards Hyaline. Amet laughs, his head thrown skyward with an ecstatic whinny as his hooves dig into the sand. He throws his lithe body in a circle, sand spraying as he finally finds purchase and takes off after the sprinting girl. He throws his hind legs into the air in a playful buck as he catches up with her, blunt teeth nipping at Solace's neck as laughter resounds all around them.
The trek is a long one and eventually their pace slows, but Amet's cheeriness does not. Solace has always been great company, from her youthful innocence at birth to the newly-adventurous girl she is now. Amet only hopes to see how she blossoms into adulthood and into herself - he suspects that she will find her path to greatness, despite her self-proclaimed hatred for change.
When finally, hours later, they find the border to Hyaline, Amet's heart is thumping vigorously. "I hope you enjoy it here," he admits softly to the young girl as he thinks on his first meeting with Tangerine, here in this very territory. They move from the peaks and into the inner sanctum, meandering beneath tree boughs and the flowers that call them home. His amber eyes rove the contours of his home lovingly - he has never grown sick of the scenery, despite the years he has now spent within its borders.
When the crystalline lake finally comes into view, the gilded stallion comes to heel and gazes across its calm surface for a moment before turning to look at Solace. The pride he feels in his home is evident as he smiles excitedly at her. He motions to the newly-restored wisteria tree at the eastern edge of the lake, his wisteria tree, and his heart swells.
"I met your mom there, by that tree. It's my favorite place to spend time in all of Hyaline."
Soon, so much sooner than Solace had anticipated, they are climbing in elevation and the trees are changing from dense and ancient oaks to brilliantly colored maples and cherry trees. The scent of pure water seems to permeate the entire territory, and the cool air feels clean.
Ahead of her Amet halts, and her heart skips a beat in anticipation. The young mare comes to stand beside him as he looks out across his kingdom and her lips part as the breath catches in her chest. Below them, the turquoise lake glitters in a bowl of mountains swathed in dense and colorful foliage. She is at a loss for words as she looks out across the lake and the jagged mountains, but Amet gestures to a striking wisteria tree and speaks of her mother.
She smiles at the image he brings to mind of her mother there with him, Solace can nearly hear Tang's easy laugh rippling over the surface of the water - and for a moment she almost understands why she was always drawn back to this place every spring. But the blue-eyed girl doesn't allow herself to continue thinking of her mother, for those thoughts always brought with them unsorted and turbulent feelings along with the happy ones.
"It's even more beautiful than all the stories." She finally draws her gaze away from the landscape and back to her host, and the pride so plainly displayed on his features brings a smile to her own. "It truly is, you have a right to be proud."
if there's a light at the end, it's just the sun in your eyes
Solace's reaction to Hyaline is all that he could have hoped for and more. It's the same expression that had painted his face when he'd run across the border with Iset, and the same expression Solace's mother had had when she had moseyed her way down to the crystal clear lake. This place (this sanctuary, this home) is the only place he has ever truly loved. The Dunes had never been home. The Field, upon arrival in Beqanna, had never been home.
Hyaline, though... He and Iset had named it. He had molded it. He had met his first friend here. He had protected it as best he could. He had met Ciri here. He had found himself and became a man here.
Tears find Amet's amber eyes as Solace finally speaks, breaking the silence between them. He is holding something back from her, something that he has admitted to no one yet, though the decision had been made.
His gaze meets hers and Amet smiles kindly to Solace, to the brightness of her future.
"In time, Solace, it will become the source of your pride, as well. If you will let it."
10-28-2017, 08:40 PM (This post was last modified: 10-28-2017, 08:42 PM by Solace.)
Solace
Once again, he surprises her.
The tears in his eyes and the raw emotion in his voice would have overwhelmed the version of herself she left back on Tephra's beach, but so much had happened since the morning, she is almost beyond the ability to feel anything other than a curiosity with each new twist the day provides.
In this new world, she feels ready for any challenge.
But the exact meaning of his veiled words evades her. "If I will let it?" The tone of his voice, his presence, she knows they have transcended their usual banter and her brilliant eyes search his face for any hints to his deeper meaning. "Amet, I would be honored to join your ranks." With these words, the buckskin girl takes on the the formality she had so often seen her father wear like armor.
The young mare had decided, while they traveled, that she was coming to Hyaline for more than just a visit, and the landscape below her had only cemented the idea. She was ready to make her own way. "If you would have me, I will be your most loyal subject."
if there's a light at the end, it's just the sun in your eyes
There is no embarrassment behind Amet's welling tears and he does nothing to hide them from Solace. Instead, his gaze meets her quizzical one and he finds a smile despite the reddening of his amber eyes. Her formality reminds him of Warrick and even now, when he is about to lay the weight of a world on her shoulders, he chuckles warmly and reaches out to nudge the filly. "And I would be more than honored to have you, Solace," he returns with a tight throat before falling into momentary silence.
After a few moments, the gilded King clears his throat and sighs gently, his eyes sweeping again over the crystalline basin before them. "I escaped from my homeland when I was just over a year old," he offers her a small morsel of his history, "and I'm not sure how much your parents have told you, but it was my dream to mold Hyaline into a safehaven for children. I wanted ─ still want ─ this land to nurture the young, to help them grow without fear... I want Hyaline to be everything that my homeland was not."
A whimsical smile has remained on his maw as he dwells on his past, both in Hyaline and before it. In time, his eyes return to the blue-tinted filly. "And there will come a time that I will step down to allow someone else to lead Hyaline. Someone who can guide it even further, to cement its virtue in Beqanna's history."
He pauses, his ears fluttering forward and his heart pounding mercilessly against the inside of his ribs. "I'd like for that someone to be you, Solace. If there is anyone that I can place my faith in to keep the youthfulness in Hyaline, it's you."
As he speaks his accptance, her heart glows with a sense of purose. He nudges her shoulder and wholsome pride make her stand a little taller.
But it seems like this is not the end of their conversation. His gaze sweeps across Hyaline, but Solace no longer has eyes for the picturesque scene before them, it is nearly forgotten. Her full attention and electric blue eyes rest on him. She had always loved Amet's open, readable face. He does not lose any of the esteem he had gained with her over the last two years as he freely expresses his emotions to her.
His words seem to flow faster than she can absorb them. He speaks of his history, of his future, and of her future - and with every word her heart beats faster.
By the time her own words finally tumble out her feeling have been whipped into a high pitch, and her voice trembles mercilessly. "But, Amet! Me? How can you say that?" She thinks of Offspring, the picture of leadership - stoic, powerful, male. She was none of those things. "How do you know? I'm not brave like Svedka or wise like Father, I'm not a leader like you."
If she had of been prepared she would have faced the proposals with more composure, but as it was her thought flew from her mouth nearly as quick as she could think them. She was honored that he even wanted her in his ranks, the thought of him having hand-selected her to be groomed as a ruler was incomprehensible to her young mind.
if there's a light at the end, it's just the sun in your eyes
Amet smiles with understanding at Solace's terrified disbelief. He had been there before, wrought with anxiety, when Iset had convinced him that he could do it. That he could be a good and kind ruler. That he would not be anything like Him and Shalla.
"Of course you, Solace," he says gently, his lips curled into a warm grin. He lets her voice her uncertainties, not wanting her to feel as if he is dismissing her fears, but then gives her another reassuring nudge with his muzzle.
"You because you are kind, Solace. You are pure and honest. These horses and the horses who will eventually come to Hyaline do not need a ruler ─ they need guidance. They need someone they can trust. And I believe you will be just what they need, Solace."
He pauses for only a moment before he goes on, his voice calm, but confident in his decision. "Your father was not born as wise as he is now, nor was I born a leader. I claimed Hyaline when I was only two, and I was terrified. But this land has taught me to be brave. It has taught me righteousness. And it has taught me how to make wise decisions. Nothing will ever be perfect and you will make mistakes, but the mark of a good leader is someone who can admit to and learn from those mistakes."
"It's okay to ask questions and to search for help from those more experienced than you. Why do you think I still visit Offspring whenever I can?" He chuckles quietly and tilts his head to the side as he regards her. "All I ask is that you keep an open mind and that you face each day with the bravery that I know is hidden inside of you."
A breathy "thank you" escapes her pale lips as he speaks, confiding in her, affirming her. Still, her thoughts spiral in disorderly chaos around her mind. But Amet keeps talking, allowing her time to process, and giving each of her questions a level-headed answer.
She feeds off of his calm energy, looking at the King with admiration in her cerulean eyes.
A true modern ruler was nothing like the characters in her mother's whimsical stories of all-powerful Queens. She would have resources - Warrick, Smoak, Amet. She would make mistakes - it terrifies her to imagine what they may be - but it is liberating to know that Amet has already accepted that as fact. She would find braver souls to protect the land and the residents, she would search out wise minds to guide the kingdom - she would follow her heart and her gut and bring them together.
She would never make a mistake she didn't learn from.
"I will, I am, Amet..." Her heart is hammering in her ears, but her shock has passed and when she speaks voice stays low and steady and she makes her heavy vow. "As long as you promise not to leave before you truly think I'm ready."
you are my sunshine
@[Amet] I know this is outdated, but I wanted her to give him an answer for the record
