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  • Beqanna

    COTY

    Assailant -- Year 226

    QOTY

    "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


    [private]  Out with the golden we sew // Solace/Ilma/Svedka
    #1


    kagerus
    as dreams are to the sleeper, so am I to you
    Enough fooling around.
    (Fooling around being the key words; Solace did taste good on your lips with her thighs around your ears, hmm? And Svedka - lord, if those little pricks of guilt hadn't gotten in the way of you two fucking... But. Loyalty to the Queen, am-I-right?)
    Actually shut the fuck up okay? I'm trying to get my shit together and you don't get to diss me for that.
    (Oh, but you get to go on acting like you didn't try to commit suicide? Or, y'know, have a kid? Riiight. That makes total sense.)
    I'll fucking kill you.
    (You tried already. But I'm down for round two.)
    Grrr...

    Night has just fallen, and the full moon slowly climbs to the center of the sky. I've been roaming across Hyaline today, finding specific ears to murmur words into before departing to find the others. In all, I've invited three to meet with me tonight, to hear what I have to say; the three that are the foundation that Hyaline depends upon. Solace, the caretaker; Svedka, the heart; and Ilma, the untitled but greatly deserving. The last I have not spoken to in months, since when I'd been pregnant and told her of my doomsday... But I do not let on anything in the minute I spend inviting her, a little shamefaced at the brusqueness I must show her.

    I am at the foot of the northernmost mountain, tucked away in a glade of weeping willow trees that I've come to affectionately term The Fronds. The wind gently pushes the lanky leaves around me like water, and as I wait for them to come, I allow myself to lose myself to the other-worldly sensation. Night air, arms of the willow, a moon above; if it weren't for the roiling changes overtaking Beqanna, I could almost say that tonight was peaceful.

    They trickle to me nearly at the same time, and for this I am glad. With everything I've done this past month - ahem, who I've done - things may get a little sticky here. My nutmeg eyes flash gratefully to Ilma, the mare who will hopefully keep this meeting from getting into a weird three-way type situation - or worse yet, one where everyone just yells at each other over my own stupidity and whoreishness.

    I glance from Solace to Svedka, not knowing whether to say something to break the ice or to just let it be; but I frown, and remind myself that this is about politics. Mostly, anyway.

    "Thanks for coming," I murmur, figuring that to start right away will be easiest on all of us. "I know that I've been... Eccentric lately, to say the least. And that, to your knowledge, I ought to be dead now. And you would be correct in that assumption; I should be dead now. But just before spring came last year, Ilma gave me an idea... And I used her idea to bypass giving birth to my child. I dreamt it differently... And now I am still here." My eyes go heavily to the alabaster mare, and then to Solace, who'd been the one to hold me the night I told her I would die. "I gave life to a son, Abysm, but I am not his mother. This reality has left me... Well, you've witnessed how it's left me." My tones now come clipped and hard, ears pressing back as I balk at the thought of talking about my suicide attempt. No. Fuck that.

    I take a deep breath before continuing. "But there's more than just that. Earlier this year, Nerine's Queen, Hestia, came to me and begged me to help her find her children. We knew each other from the field, as well as from the Games; and I had just given bir - Abysm had come into this world, and I was slightly mad, and more exhausted than I ever remember being before. I hadn't the will power to turn her away. So, I brought her to where she might find some answers, but... What we found was not her children."

    "A demon fought its way into my dream, and impregnated Hestia with itself. I couldn't fight it. By the time we awoke, it was too late; Hestia was in labour. She promised me a favour for what I did, and I haven't a clue what to demand - but she forced me to do something disgusting, to witness and birth it, and for that I certainly will demand a favour when the time comes. Whether it be for Hyaline or for myself personally is yet to be seen; but this is a secret that only I and whoever has met the demon know of. I fear that I may be endangering myself by telling you this..."
    My eyes flash between the three of them darkly. "But I owe my fealty to this kingdom, and that is my foremost care now."

    I clear my throat, feeling as though I have spoken enough for a fortnite's worth of meetings; but I have yet more to cover, and I know that they can tell by the silence that comes when my eyes go to theirs again. "And lastly. I've been considering my position as ambassador, and the idea that came to me is this: I believe that Ilma should be ambassador. She is in a far more emotionally stable place than I, and has proven herself to be a priceless asset to Hyaline." I dip my head to her, and turn to the only stallion present. "Svedka is of course still the Heart; an advisor, if you will."

    I turn now to Solace, ignoring the awkwardness of having to address them both despite having, well, slept with them both - or nearly, anyway. "So Solace, if you'll have me, I'd like to take up the role of General. I have experience now with the Alliance, and frankly, the dirtier, darker work of role appeals to me far more than diplomacy. I will still continue to recruit and to do your political biddings; but I feel called to form and shape Hyaline's army. For changes are coming in Beqanna, and we must be ready."

    At long last, I have said what I needed to. Lips falling into a hard line, I settle into the willow fronds, expectant for their answers.
    [Image: kag]
    dreamweaver
    #2

    Solace


    Solace finds her where she said she would be - the dark and light of her painted form spiraling together in the starlight, still and collected. Kagerus had always been a creature of high contrasts. 

    Her approach is silent. 

    As the days dragged on and the drunken haze faded she grew ashamed of the things she said when the fever was on her, uncomfortable when she remembers the words she has panted into the ear of her lover - the things they had done together.

    Still, she wishes that Kagerus would take her back - tell her that it wasn't a mistake.
    That she wasn't different now.

    But Solace says none of this. The others will be here soon, she can already hear the rustling of their bodies drawing closer, and the things she has to say to Kagerus will have to keep.

    Soon, they are a council of four. Solace gives Ilma a dip of her head in greeting and presses her side to that of her twin's. She hopes that he remains there for whatever Kagerus has to tell them. He had always been her anchor, even if it didn't make sense for anyone to be steadied by a whirlwind.

    demons and dream worlds, suicide and birth

    Solace had come here to get answers, but with word that Kagerus speaks leaves her with more questions. Solace watches the other mare carefully, never allowing her gaze to dip away from the expressive eyes which had held her not too many nights ago. She watches as Kagerus dips and danced between confessions and suggestions, her own heart flipping with conflicting emotions with every change of topic. 

    "And what about us?" she wants to ask, (but she does not) as Kagers tells them that she had brought a demon into the world; as if the terrifying truth spilling out of her is just a footnote to the real conversation which should be taking place here. But Solace has been suppressing her feelings for the sake of Hyaline her entire adult life, and she wasn't planning on changing the pattern now.

    This was the real world after all.

    There is so much the young queen does not know about her closest friend, a fact that is made even more obvious with every word which leaves her lips. So much had happened that she had never known, in her own kingdom, and it unsettles the young queen.

    'Solace, if you'll have me..."

    The dark mare speaks her name all her efforts at Queenly Detachment fail her. There is a flash of heat in her belly as her blue eyes find the burning amber intensity of  her lovers, (they are the same eyes, the same hungry, searching pools of golden light as in that other world - the dreamscape where they had been so close that nothing could have separated them) and the deeper confusion she feels creeps across her face. If she were in her human form her cheeks would be blushing, but here the dappled moonlight and thin bone-white hairs of her equine form obscure her flush.  Hopefully, Ilma will just assume the look is caused by the mass of unsettling information flying around, she doesn't hope to think that Svedka will be fooled.

    "I would like to take up the role of general." 

    Kagerus continued to lay out her idea and Solace gives a short nod, regaining her composer in stride. Under ideal circumstances, she would have days to process the amount of information Kagerus has laid out for them, but there is no time for that - she has more to add. Her gaze never leaves that of her ambassador-turned-general as she draws a breath to speak. "There is more." Her voice is level and low, despite the storm of emotions in her chest, and her gaze now drifts to meet the eyes of those gathered.  "A man name Arthas came to me proclaiming he was the King of Loess. He wanted to make a new alliance - but something did not sit right with me when he spoke." Questions of Castile had filled her thoughts after that meeting, would he have abandoned Loess? Did Arthas have such great power that he could dethrone the dragon without a scratch? 

    Her roaming gaze halts on Svedka (who she had previously revealed the details of her relationship with the dragon-shifter to) before she continues. "I have not been able to find Castile, the former regent of Loess, and I don't think Castile would have given up Lepis' throne without telling me." There is a pause as she draws a breath "For now, I simply agreed that there would be no challenges or steals between our kingdoms for the next year, even though he pushed for a military alliance. "

    "And then there was what Lavendel said..." She realizes that this is something that Kagerus may not have heard about yet and she explains, "a mare has come to us seeking refuge from Sabra's Kingdom, Sylva. She said that a dark force has moved into that land and there is a new king."

    "As for Ilma taking on the role of ambassador, I believe that would be for the best. You have truly proven yourself, Ilma," and her voice seems to soften for the first time that night. " I would be honored if you would accept this position to represent Hyaline and her interest to the other kingdoms." But there is a shadow crossing her usually clear eyes, because the other things Kagerus has told them are still spinning wildly in her mind. Only days ago she had asked the white mare to allower her daughter to travel to Nerine as Hyaline's half of a Blood Alliance. But if what Kagerus says is true - if a monster of the old world is loose in that country - how could she carry through with her agreement to Hiesta? 

    "If that is your decision Kagerus then you may assume the role of Protector. It seems that there is plenty of dirty work to be done. We need to know more about the changes that are happening on our doorstep. We need to know if these troubling events require our action... and we need to be able to act if action is required. You have your work cut out for you Kagerus."

    "As for this demon." There's a sentence she never thought she would say. "Is it under Heista's control? Does it do her bidding or is it an entity of its own?"

    caretaker of hyaline



    i also tried and failed to be concise
    Solghostdoll2

    #3

    A little breeze goes a long way

    Ilma is surprised and possibly, had she time to think of it, a little offended by the way Kagerus greeted her shortly that afternoon - she'd been explaining to Tähti some things about how a wing worked, which had trailed off into a layout of the lands and a description of what climate was where. The short interruption by the bay-and-white had left her distracted, so she had finally sent her daughter on her way and watched her play, so that she had time to think on things. A meeting at nighttime wasn't very usual to her, but perhaps she wanted it to stay stealthy, where children and visitor's ears would not follow.

    The white mare is silent as she usually is, the grass rustling under her feet where she walks. She finds Solace easily enough, and Svedka is around too. This seems to be the intimate group of residents that Kagerus does want to explain to, then. At least she can count herself lucky to be in this group tonight.

    Kagerus does not stall for long - perhaps she wants it over with. What she has to tell them, makes sense by about half to Ilma. Not that she doesn't agree that yes, as far as she knew, Kagerus might have died in favour of bringing a child into the world, but she remembered that she had asked about the dreams before the day came, and she figured apparently it had worked. Well enough at least for Kagerus to return - she hadn't seen any foal, and her assumptions had led her to conclude that perhaps the foal had died instead, and she had not dared to ask.

    Now, it seemed it was different from that. She'd found a way to bypass the birthing process, and the child was unharmed. There, Ilma snorted at the pause, a defiant look in her eyes. Not his mother? Who else would be, the mountain? A goat? What nonsense. One did not always have to birth a child to be their mother; Kagerus was perhaps even more Abysm's mother than anyone who adopted a foal from the fairies' den, and she still considered those mares the mothers of their adopted foal. No, what irritates Ilma in all this, is that Kagerus had after birth neglected to bring the child with her, where he should have been, in Hyaline with her, to play around and learn about the kingdom that he naturally belonged to.

    But these thoughts pass unsaid, although Ilma is not yet finished with Kag on this. She believes the horned dreamer quite an idiot in this case, but she can forgive her, if she would return to be her friend and take up a little responsibility with her kid. There's more to be said and more to be listened to, so the white mare shuts her mouth, and listens first. The time for questions would be later.
    A demon. A demon baby that had come into the world by using Hestia as a vessel. Ilma frowns, wondering how much power it would have had in the dream to even do that, let alone also denounce all Kag's influence. And what was left of that power? But it does no-one any good to speculate. They will have to ask Hestia herself about this, for she is the only real source of information at this point. The winged mare estimates that over the months, Kagerus would not know how strong it is now.

    Solace then continues, taking over and offering even more intel. A man named Arthas has been crowned King of Loess, their immediate neighbouring kingdom to the south. Ilma can tell that Solace is upset by this - she is upset too, because Loess was ruled only recently by a young filly, only a year older than Tähti, and while Solace worries about the regent Castile whom she has spoken to in the past to secure an alliance, Ilma's thoughts are simpler - ."..what happened to the girl?"
    She shakes her head at the thought of a military alliance, as well. This would need investigation before they went south again to speak about alliances.

    Finally, Kagerus comes to the conclusion that Ilma is much more emotionally stable than Kagerus. She feels like the opposite is true, having listened to all this, but she also sees that it is temporary, unlike how Kag might feel. With all those responsibilities she's had and perhaps not doing the best job at it, Ilma would understand that she feels deflated. Before she can react to this, thinking that Kagerus should not give up her position as an asset of Hyaline and advisor to Solace - she proposes she take on the role of general. So the white Andalusian holds back what she was wondering about, and nods. Perhaps Kagerus would do even better as a militant. Solace also agrees, and Ilma flushes a little; but she knows this feels right and nods. "I would gladly take up that role, if I'm not intervening. Like I told you two before, I don't need a title to know my worth per say. But perhaps for outsiders, it is good to have one." she muses.

    Solace does not have to remind Ilma about Sylva, either. She was supposed to visit, but now she will not do so in peace for a long time. She still wonders how Sabra is doing, but there are sadly more pressing matters at hand. "There are a lot of changes going on in the kingdoms surrounding us. If Hestia is in control of this demon, then we can only hope it stays that way with the current silent threats from the south. If all else, I would like for Hyaline to stay neutral in any matters at hand, so that we can uphold our impression as a sanctuary. How good are our alliances with Tephra an Ischia, if any?" Ilma wonders. "Perhaps we need to rethink who we are allied with and if we still agree with the terms." she muses further.























    Any fool knows men and women think differently at times, but the biggest difference is this: men forget, but never forgive; women forgive, but never forget.
    Robert Jordan, Wheel of Time
    #4
    the secret of our world is written in the stars
    He is called and he comes willingly - not because there is a sense of duty, but that the stallion is eager to know why they are meeting on the night’s wind, as well as to see Kagerus’ face once again. She had given away nothing to him that late afternoon beneath his willow - she is still twisted up and a foreign thing to him, which feeds his curiosity all the more. She is quick with her invitation, and upon seeing her, he wonders where their night stroll may end up. But he quickly realizes that there are others here, others invited, and his eyebrows quirk expressively as Solace joins them beneath the summer’s moon, as well as the pale and beautiful angel Ilma. He smiles at Ilma, broad and handsome, simply exhilarated to see her again.

    He is not sure where he stands when it comes to Kagerus, but the fact that she invited him amidst the others - obviously there is a sense of admiration towards him, otherwise she would have keenly forgotten to bring him along. Afterall, he is just the Heart; he has no say on political matters, and thus isn’t truly needed this night. He wonders if she’s brought him along for any other sort of reason.

    A buffer, maybe?

    He snorts softly as she begins to speak, feeling the familiar press of Solace at his side. He normally would reach for her in a silent greeting - a soft and innocent kiss to her neck, or a tug at her mane, or even a flip of his tail against her flank - but Kagerus’ tone distracts him, and instead he shifts his weight and settles in beside her, his blue eyes unwavering on Kagerus despite her wandering gaze between the trio.

    Eccentric? Svedka cannot help the twinge of a smile on his pale lips - it is all he has known, that night beneath the willow. Is there something else that she is besides the woman who has left a sore on his withers? The thought causes him to shift his gaze to Solace, wondering if she has already seen the mark beneath his ivory and blue mane. He glances at hers from Castile, for a moment his eyes heavy, before turning back to Kagerus. He has done so sharply, with a thrust of his head upwards and a surprised snort. He knows nothing of her supposing to be dead, but the other two seem rather familiar with the idea so he simply tosses his head and listens to her as she continues. As she speaks, their night beneath the willow begins to unravel before him, making much more sense to him now than it had when he was running off adrenaline and desire.

    She speaks of demons and dreams, of death and of birth, and Svedka’s mind swims with his own thoughts. The cheeriness he once harbored for a late night meeting now seems to flicker and fade, replaced with a seriousness that is seldom seen on his handsome face. Though kingdom politics are no place for his wild-spirit, the world of dreams and devils and nightmares and angels are familiar and serious.

    His sister speaks, and an ear trains on her while his gaze continues to rest on Kagerus. He bores into her with a steady stare, his cerulean gaze slowly blinking. The only thing that tears his focus from hers is when Solace mentions a man - who now rules Loess - coming to her with plans of an alliance. Svedka’s ears pin against his neck, his distaste obvious as he quickly passes judgment on the one called Arthas. The stallion did not enjoy Solace being alone with any strange men as of late, but the overprotection would only anger her and only shows it by the twitching of his lips. Is he an usurper, perhaps? Taking advantage of a quiet land with a child as their leader?

    This, coupled with Kagerus’ information as well as what Lamb has told them, brings a tightening in Svedka’s chest. The tides are changing (he glances up at the moon at the thought, then back down to them), and though diplomacy and battle are not things he grew up dreaming about - he worries for his sister (and Kagerus, and Ilma, and Lavendel), realizing that he might have to do more than Solace originally intended for his position; not that she would ever ask it of him.

    Ilma, thankfully, has no more to add to the pot that is already brewing. Instead, she focuses in on Hyaline and what they should do, and though Svedka has had nothing to interject with so far, the white beauty mentioning Tephra causes him to lift his head. He had not thought about his homeland in a long while. He suddenly thinks of Tangerine, his mother the seer, but keeps that thought to himself. “Tephra will continue to be loyal through the storm,” he murmurs, knowing his father and the steps that the Overseer would take to ensure that Hyaline would be a priority over all - with both of his firstborn children residing there. “Ischia, however...I will go with Ilma, if needed. No one should go anywhere alone.”

    (be my escape)
    Svedka


    i....i couldn't stop.
    enjoy your novel, friends.
    #5


    kagerus
    as dreams are to the sleeper, so am I to you
    Solace comes first, and I can see in her eyes the shame she feels for what happened between us. She stands too far from me, and my brow furrows to see it. "Solace..." It's a whisper, knowing that the others are close. I step closer to her, no, I close the distance between us completely, hurrying to press my nose to her her cheek and to breathe in her scent. "I'm still yours," I breathe, desperately trying to angle my head so as to catch her beautiful blue gaze. "We'll talk after, okay?"

    I jump at the sound of the next to come, and hastily remove myself from Solace's personal space. It's Ilma, in all her angellic whites, nearly glowing in the moonlight. Despite the awkwardness of how she'd come upon Solace and I, I reach to press my muzzle to her shoulder. "I'm sorry for interrupting you and your daughter today," I murmur. "Please forgive me."

    Last to come is Svedka, he who'd sent me away with words to think on. Although his cerulean eyes fall heavily upon me, I do not miss the bright, exuberant smile he exchanges with Ilma. Well, good; he is not mine, and a man as handsome and easy going as him is certainly not one for monogamy. If he and Ilma are looking to create something happy and meaningful together, then it will have been more than I have managed to do in my many years; I wish them the luck of it.

    Inhaling, I deliver my spiel.

    --

    I do not miss the way Solace's eyes flash with that same hungry need I'd memorized as she writhed beneath me that night not so long ago; and upon seeing it, my gut clenches in the same way, and my lips tug into an expression that only she would be able to read. An expression of confused wanting, of uncertainty except when it comes to her. But she moves on seamlessly, and I am forced to do the same, barely registering that I'm asking to be General before it's too late.

    I'll die for you, my Queen. I will defend you until my last breath.

    But as the other two remain silent at the end of my speech, Solace raises her voice - though not in the throes of passion as I would have it. Still, I quirk my ears to what she has to say. King of Loess! A snort trumpets from my nostrils at the announcement, and similar reactions of distaste come from my companions. Below us, my right forehoof scrapes the ground repeatedly, frustration clear in my body language; men! Thinking they can do as they please, that they can eat where they piss.

    My ear flicks to Ilma's concern, and I frown again more deeply. "She's right." Slowly, an epiphany comes to me, and I can't help but to speak it aloud. "Solace, the dark is returning to Beqanna, but it is yet young." I glance to the others gathered to my side tonight, and plunge ahead into the root of my idea. "We may be small, but that's not necessarily a disadvantage... Solace, if we are the Lights, then we ought to make that clear. Publicly, yes; but we could take things into our own hands, too. The darkness must not be left unopposed."

    Funny, that the darkest among us gathered here would be the one to say so.

    But the conversation flows past to the subject of Sylva and Loess to our rankings, and Solace approves of Ilma's promotion. I smile towards the white mare, genuinely believing that she deserves the title; she is a priceless asset to Hyaline. The recognition is well earned.

    I look to Solace as she addresses me concerning my position as Protector. My expression becomes grim as she speaks, the breeze blowing my dark forelock to cover the light of my golden eyes; an omen. We need to be able to act if action is required. How right she is. "Yes, my Queen," I murmur, my dark expression never wavering from her flawless face. "I will ready an army as best I can; and we will be ready."

    "As for the demon. It seems to be it's own entity, but tied to Hestia; I don't think it can leave her side. Or, it didn't; they're... Connected, somehow." My expression sours, and I look away. "It's beyond my understanding."

    Ilma goes on to discuss our alliances with the neighboring kingdoms, and I nod at what she has to say. Yes; we must be careful with who we align ourselves with in these trying times. I look again to Solace. "The question is whether we are lights or neutrals, I suppose. But either way, we must tread carefully in our political ties. If it were up to me, I would take Tephra as our foremost ally." Here I look to Svedka, who has reaffirmed this opinion; his only statement in this whole affair, though I wouldn't ask him to be elsewhere if my life depended on it.

    "Sylva and Loess I would put at a distance, perhaps even an enemy stance, for we oppose the darkness, or at least we do not tolerate. Ischia and Nerine are close now, with the formation of the brotherhood to accompany Nerine's sisterhood; if they would take us under their wing it would offer us protection from the darks. But if we do not trust them... I still have Hestia's favour. But that will only do us well for one encounter; where an alliance may do us well for many."

    I fall silent, but my gaze goes heatedly to Solace. I want to speak to her; I wonder if she will stay behind once the others depart.


    @[Solace] -- so like, idk if you guys WANT to reply again????????????????????? dfghghfjahq I wrote another novel rip. Let me know in the cbox haha
    [Image: kag]
    dreamweaver




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