"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
OOC: Replying to this thread with your character will serve as an activity check. All who do not respond will be take off the ranking board :(
Enough is enough. The time has come for the Falls to awaken from her slumber, and Tiberios fears that perhaps this time around, the sleep has been too deep. The absence of not only his Queen but his child rouse a new fire within him. This place - the Falls - had given him refuge when he could not even stomach himself. The land had healed him, restored his pride, and driven within him this intense connection to her. It was maddening that they should be overlooked, stepped upon, tore apart from the inside without so much as a blinking eye from the missing members. The Falls was in need of restoration, a cleansing. And Tiberios was hell bent on seeing it happen.
He calls them together at an unusual spot - some feet away from the focus of their kingdom to the outlying woods that ring her borders. The purpose for this will be revealed, but in due time. He looks to them briefly, the few they are, and he feels the urgency for change in their sparse numbers. “I know I’ve not spent much time here in the Falls.” He begins, cutting straight to the chase. “But don’t mistake my fresh appearance for inexperience.” This is partially a joke, because he doubts that anyone could look at the horrible scars along his left side and think “fresh”, but he doesn’t smile. There’s no time for games. “The Falls is a kingdom clinging to the old ways in a new era. I intend to change that. However, I need your help to see it succeed. Without you few this Kingdom would cease to exist, and it needs you now more than ever.”
Here, he pauses, knowing that what comes next will be hard for some to fathom. But he is King now, and he cannot support this crown if he chooses to please every individual. “For now, we will do away with the healer position. Since all members can control the waters power, I feel the position serves us no purpose. I’m replacing the advisor position with a council of three, made up of members who are in a strong alliance with us.” He stops, turning then to face Malka with a warm smile. “Malka, your sacrifice to leave the Amazons and make a new home here has not gone unnoticed. You remain an invaluable member to this Kingdom, and I’m instilling you as the first seat on the Council, to represent the Amazons.”
He inhales, ears falling forward as the adrenaline courses through him. His head turns then, focusing in on Texas. “Texas. You have been the tireless defender of the Falls and for that I thank you. I’m promoting you to general, with the choice of kingdom-granted horns if it pleases you.” He nods, settling back into his old rhythm so that he can continue. “If anyone else is willing to remain and help this Kingdom through her transition, then I applaud you. However, I will not be so content to let you sit back and do nothing. Prove that you can help - go out into Beqanna and seek new members. Join a caste yourself and find purpose.” His eyes dance to each one, hoping that some will come forward or go out and make new tracks.
He lowers his head then, eager to finish the meeting and begin on other matters. “I brought you all to this spot because this is the last place I can scent my son, Khalis. He’s been missing for quite some time now, and if these worn tracks are any indication of where he’s gone, then I fear for our entire Kingdom.” His eyes turn from them and to the forest while his mind continues on a path to the Chamber. “I won’t put this burden on anyone else, so I have plans to travel to the Chamber myself and find the source.” His voice fades and his focus sharpens, head turning back to the empty crowd.
“Any suggestions or input on this meeting can be freely spoken now.”
We can't always see what's to come but we can trust that faith will light the path
She sleeps and she dreams. She dreams she is a mermaid that lives in the pool of the waterfall, spending her days sunbathing on the rocks as the water crashes down behind her. She dreams of wars and peace, dreams of death and birth. But always the waterfall is there, always the whisper of a song in the air. The roar of it’s strength never far away. She sleeps and dreams and sometimes stirs but never wakes. Till now. In the cave behind the waterfall, the painted mare twitches. The song is no longer a whisper, it grows louder and louder. A call. Is it another dream or is this reality? Once before the song had brought her back and she fights against it, her slumber being so deep. But eventually… Eventually she awakens.
A wide yawn as she slowly rises off the cavern floor, shaking her multi colored mane as she gives her body a deep stretch. One eye of blue and the other of brown examine her surroundings, needing a moment to refocus. Everything is hazy and fuzzy due to being in such a deep state in the dream world for so long. Who is she again? Oh Yes. She is Piety and her kingdom was calling, it needed her.
Slowly she emerges from the cave, the water drenching her from head to toe. It wakens her quickly and she shakes herself off, a grin on her lips. Her two-toned eyes glance around quickly, everything exactly as she remembered it. Wading through the pool, she makes her way towards the small gathering on the bank. The song is as clear to her as it had been the day she was born, a song only she could hear. Melodies made from the healing waters that sung to her, a gift and a curse. Something is happening or else she wouldn’t be here. She wouldn’t be awake. New faces meet her clear gaze, all new except one. She would be paying attention to the words spoken but that old face makes her halt. It stops her in her tracks, disbelief turning into pure happiness. ”Dad?!”
The trail along the border is free of snow and full of Texas’ hoofprints. He patrols for something to do rather than any innate sense of watchfulness, and had intended to spend the entirety of the day walking circles around the kingdom. Those plans are waylaid by an unexpected summons from an unfamiliar voice, and Texas leaves his monotonous task with something akin to hope.
Perhaps today will not be terribly boring after all.
The summons – though royal – are not from Shatter Me, and Texas more closely inspects the scarred stallion as he makes his way to their kingdom gathering (currently a party of two). He knows that this is the father of Shatter Me’s children, and it seems that their queen has finally made the (very wise) choice to put the running of the kingdom into a man’s hands. Since Texas hasn’t ever followed orders that weren’t in his own best interest given by Shatter Me, he’s not at all inclined to argue with the appointment of another ruler that will give orders that he may or may not decide to follow.
He gives them a rather lovely speech about preserving the kingdom. Everyone has always been so concerned about that, as if the geographical place itself will shrivel up and disappear if they stop recruiting and politicking. They won’t; they never have, but perhaps the worry gives their lives meaning. It only gives Texas a headache, and so he has learned not to care.
“Does this new council have any actual power?” He asks, tone bored but eyes bright. The answer needs to be a resounding No, of course, because if they have any real say in the running of the kingdom the Falls might as well volunteer to be a subkingdom to their council members. In addition, if they give an Amazon power in the Falls, Texas will have to dispose of her, and he will admit to liking the little green bird that flits around the Falls. He doesn’t like it enough not to kill it if he has to, but he’d prefer not to if it could be avoided.
Tiberios then promotes him to General, which Texas thinks he should have been several years ago, so he only nods in acceptance. He’ll have to think about the horns. Interesting, but they might make him look odd, and he’d rather avoid that. That is followed by the usual talk of things they must do. Boring things, things that even the Queen doesn’t do anymore. Will Tiberios be content to let her continue to sit back and do nothing? Perhaps not – she does seem to be rather good at child-rearing, and that’s an invaluable quality in a child. Perhaps now she’ll take the backseat and let someone more qualified make the decisions.
He mentions his son being missing, and since Texas doesn’t much care about children, especially those that aren’t his own, he just nods in response. The nod looks identical to a sympathetic gesture, a “good luck”, but Texas is actually already considering the best way back to the woods – one that will involve the least amount of walking through the snow. He’s already turning to go when he hears the question “Dad?”. He assumes it’s going to be Khalis, pupping up from wherever he’s been hiding, but he turns his head just enough to see a bay and white mare at the edge of the water.
It takes him a while, as it always does, memories going back several decades. The emotions he associates with Piety come to him before her name does (Prague had named the twins, Texas would have named them The Paint One and The Not Paint One), and he’s stepping toward her with a truly genuine smile on his grizzled face before he’s even fully processed her arrival. “Piety!” He says finally, the exclamation quiet and full of emotions he’s not bothered to feel in the last several years. “Where have you been?” The cave, obviously, but why? Had she been hiding? Had Prague been hiding her?
No matter how often she flitted around the kingdom, the 'Falls always seemed so empty compared to the Amazons. Here there were mostly small animals, some birds and a handful of birds. The jungle though was a plethora of creatures, big and small. She was starting to miss the morning wake up call of the big cats and the playful banter of the parrots, but she knew it was not yet time for her to return. There was still so much she could learn about her host home.
As she sat in her waterfall nook, she call reached her ears above the rush of water the flowed by. She quickly flew out from the water and came to the ground where she shifted and moved towards the source of the call. She arrived shortly after Texas to see Tiberios standing on the border of the kingdom. She was quiet as he spoke about revival (a constant battle in any kingdom) and as he spoke about restructuring the ranks, Malka quickly realized he was much more than just a kingdom member doing his duty to great incoming horses. She listened intently as he spoke of a council, but was quite shocked when she was named it's first member. Her ears flick back a moment in slight puzzlement (for the barely know anything about her), but she was quiet. Texas, though, was not and Malka took some relief in his words - for they were a concern that she too had.
In some sense though, if she did have any say, it reminded her of how her own mother had ended up in the 'Falls. Though from Malka's limited understanding, her mother had been placed as queen and the 'Falls had been a subkingdom. Jadis had even recruited her father to the 'Falls where he rose in the ranks and was appointed king when her mother stepped down to return to her Jungle home. Her mother had been disliked by many of the 'Falls horses and her father even more so as a newcomer rising quickly to the throne.
Tiberios continues though to speak of his son and his absence and then speaks of the Chamber. Malka gives an involuntary shiver as her thoughts go back to her past among the Chamber -- one of many reasons she had taken on the offer to become a healer. One had saved her life and she had been beaten, raped and starved. After her escape, her and her new daughter had collapsed in the Jungle. A healer was brought in and while he had healed their bodies, he had not been able to heal their minds from the horrors they had suffered at the hands of the Chamber, its slave pens and its members.
"Be careful. The chamber is not a kingdom to be trusted," she says heavily, her tail whipping against her hocks with added emphasis. "If you need some assistance, I would gladly accompany you, as it is not a place I think anyone should ever travel alone," she adds. She stands quietly in their little trio, but they are soon interrupted by another paint mare. Malka watches as she runs up to Texas and the hardened man has a moment of softness. Malka does not say anything for she knows not how he would react to being teased, but instead takes a step aside to allow the child better speaking room with her father.
Malka
immortal, quetzal-shifting Erinak of the 'Zons
(OOC: Rodrik murdered Malka's father in the 'Zons and I thought it would be amusing if they by chance met up and she realized he too was from the Chamber)
She can’t help but laugh at the look at his face, one that reflects her own emotions. Her laughter seems to blend in with the crashing of water hitting the rocks behind her but her smile is wide and joyful. Splashing up to the bank she comes to Texas and eagerly presses her head under the old man’s jaw, pulling away only to answer his question. ”I’ve been sleeping of course. But the kingdom woke me up.” As if she could be doing anything else. Perhaps her statement was startling to him but it made loads of sense to her. ”I thought you had gone away forever. Is Mom around too?” No matter what conflict Texas and Prague had with each other, she still loved them both equally. Hate wasn’t an emotion she felt very often if at all.
She looks around at the other two for a moment, remembering that this was not a private reunion. ”Hello, I’m Piety. Peace caste please.” The words flippant and nonchalant, she was an old hand at this coming back thing and there was always a new ruler around who would ask the same questions so it was easier to just get straight to the point. Nobody had called the Falls home longer than her. Except for Texas of course.
Interestingly enough his meeting calls more than just members. A mare emerges from the falls as if she were born of water herself, and she joins the meeting with little interest in kingdom matters - more so just to be rejoined with her father. Texas isn’t what Tiberios would describe as ‘affectionate’, but then again he knows better than to judge on first appearances. He watches the two of them curiously, only drawing away from the peculiar scene to address Malka. “Thank you, Malka, but I’d feel better handling this matter alone. Better to arrive without anyone in tow, lest they think we come with ill intentions.” He offers her a warm smile. Despite what they seemed to think of him, Tiberios was well equipped to deal with the Chamber misfits.
Texas then poses a question that causes his head to snap rather quickly around. His eyes narrow, but he holds his composure. “They have the power to use the Falls without question, to represent their kingdom in this alliance, and to build a relationship between members.” He finds that despite himself, the stallion rather irritates him. If he was so bored with everything that was going on around him - why stay? Texas knew his way in and out, if he disliked anything about what Tiberios was proposing, he could either say so aloud or choose another path. He wonders if he’s ever come across a horse who had so little disregard for a fellow kingdom member. The burnt man wasn’t asking him pledge his undying devotion, but he wouldn’t stand to be stepped on by any creature, general or no.
His daughter, it seems, inherited the same sense of false importance. Her lack of interest even in her surroundings causes Tiberios’s head to rise slowly. “Glad to see you’re interested in doing your part, Piety. You can start by heading to the Gates to see how they’re faring. I expect to hear about it when I return from the Chamber.” He exhales, considering himself close to the proverbial edge. Perhaps, what irks him most at this point is the fact that Texas and Piety are connected once more while his own son remains at large.
Either way, the stallion sees that majority of those gathered here could care less about the well-being of the Falls.
Texas had glanced over at Malka when he asked about the powers of their new council, and he thinks that perhaps he sees something like confusion in her expression, and then perhaps relief on her face. He’d only asked out of genuine curiosity (if he’d actually cared about the fact that he’d been suddenly and thanklessly stripped of his advisor position and immediately replaced by a council of strangers he’d have voiced such concerns, but he has not). Tiberios though, seems to take offense to the question.
That is rather interesting in itself, not to mention the answer was not at all what Texas had expected to hear. He’s gone from “tireless defender of the Falls” to someone that should leave the kingdom with a single question. If Tiberios had ignored the question entirely (or even given slightly less of an indication that Texas was bothersome) the bay stallion might have left well enough alone and continued with what he has been doing for the past nine years he has served the Falls. There are sharp words (not angry, mostly barbed for his own amusement) at the tip of his tongue when Piety appears, and he is distracted enough by her arrival to temporarily forget how much he loves being bothersome.
The bay stallion has no idea what she means by the “sleeping” but since he’d fallen dead into the Falls and woken twenty years later he is beyond being curious about what the magic of the kingdom can do. “No,” he replies to her question about her mother, “but I’m sure she’s somewhere. ” They are both – Texas and Prague – always somewhere, but the difficulty in pinpointing their exact locations varies by year. Piety seems to be interested in staying if her joining of a caste is anything to judge by, but Tiberios’ command in response to her statement reminds the bay horse of his previous emotions.
He trusts Piety of course (as much as he trusts anyone beside himself), but she’s literally just come out of a cave and is being sent on a mission. She might be the queen of the Valley for all Tiberios knows, but she’s being sent off to represent the Falls to another kingdom.
“Why exactly did Shatter Me make you the King?” He asks, turning back to the sabino stallion with something akin to disbelief in his voice (if disbelief did not clash so poorly with how much he so does not care). He’d assumed that any King could do a better job leading than a Queen, but he finds himself rather missing the grey mare. She was sweet (and perhaps a bit too soft and kind) but Texas doubts she’d be so willing to let other kingdoms dictate the actions of the Falls so easily, and trust any new face to serve as their proxy.
He both genuinely wonders and wants to provoke the black stallion, if only for his own amusement. That much is obvious from the glint in his dark eyes; he wonders if the black horse will rise to the bait or prove himself to be a better ruler than Texas thinks him to be. For the Falls’ sake Texas should want the former, but so long as he lives unencumbered where and how he wants to, the Falls could become the Chamber Jr., and he’d watch mildly so long as Texas and those he loves tolerates, are left to continue their lives as they always have. Personally he wants the latter, for Tiberios to contradict his earlier praise of the bay stallion in front of the entire kingdom, but he’d settle for anything slightly entertaining.
texas
ooc: so Texas is obviously an asshole who thinks he needs to make all kingdom meetings more of a hassle for everyone involved :D
"I'll come with you, your majesty. I may be blind in one eye, but my senses are stronger. I can fight. I can defend my liege from those cowards." I say. "Perhaps you should instill a guard for you?"
It was so hard. Hard to sleep, hard to eat, hard to breathe. She had lost her daughter, she had lost her lover, and now she had lost her son. She had failed so many times. Promising to make things better but quickly losing the motivation and ability to do so.
She made the right call in making her lover her king as well. Tiberios was a storm just like there daughter, where Shatter was a light breeze. He was trying to pull the strings of an unraveled kingdom back together while she was wasting away.Her coat was dull and the outline of her ribs was beginning to peak through. Her eyes were unfocused and constantly sad. She had hid away from the world in the hopes that she could get over it, but without Khalis and Tyrna she felt that life wasn't worth trying for anymore.
She hears Tiberios' call easily as it echoes around the kingdom, and it gives her enough strength to climb slowly from her perch near the top of the waterfall and join the crowd.
There aren't many gathered and in truth she doubted there would be, but it is pleasantly surprising to see a new face. She sees Malka and gives her a quick greeting, remorse coursing through her at her failures there. Next is the new mare and Texas. She missed their reunion but is happy that the old man found his kin. She presses a quick greeting against his shoulder and continues towards her partner. She knows she is late to the party and looks awful, but being close to those loyal to the kingdom gives her a renewed sense of strength. Enough at least to send a gentle smile beaming out to those assembled.
She missed a lot of the earlier declarations but she catches Texas' last question as well as hearing of the counsel. Still smiling her tired smile she addresses him.
"I made him king because he is strong and determined," her tongue falters where she wants to say loyal, "he is the love of my life, and the father of my children. He is a bold warrior and a tireless diplomat. Tiberios will bring something to the Falls that I can no longer do on my own. I have complete faith and trust in what he intends to do." Her smile never wavers but inside she struggles.
She puts up the united front because that is what's better for the kingdom, but the thought of placing any sort of power in the hands of a counsel sits poorly with her. She has no issue with allowing certain individuals from their allies have access to the healing abilities of the water, but to give them power over the well being of her kingdom? That was something to be discussed with the king in private.
She looks to Tiberios with love in her eyes, but a weight and pain in her heart.
Oh dear. Now she understands why she has been awakened. Her two toned eyes take in the small circle of horses that makes up the Falls Kingdom. She hears the harshness in the new King’s voice as he addresses her and can see the strain of the new crown on his head take effect. Shatter Me appears and moves to the King’s side (she’s able to make out most of whose who and what’s what thanks to Texas’s curt question and what the new worn out mare says) and the pieces are falling together. A small frown tugs at the corner of her lips as she assesses the situation. It was more than just an emptiness of the kingdom, there were other underlying issues here. Decisions being made out of personal beliefs and feelings instead of what was good for the kingdom. She doesn’t doubt Tiberios’s commitment to the Kingdom but his deliverance was something to be desired. She sighs softly as the kingdom song rises and falls in her eyes. Yes, she understands.
Directing her attention to the King she speaks softly while bumping her muzzle against Texas’s for her own reassurance. She was never one for confrontation unless truly needed. ”I will happily speak to the Gates but perhaps you should update me on what our current situation is with them and if there is anything that should be treated with any sort of delicacy. As I’ve only just returned, I have no information on the state of the Falls’s current alliances or even what you wish out of them.” Her soft gaze doesn’t waver from the burnt man as she speaks. She may be a kind and gentle creature but if she even thought for one second that anyone ever doubted her good intentions for the kingdom, the kingdom she had loved for and lost for, been revived over and over again for, then perhaps for once she would know what it felt like to have rage course through her veins. As in regards to the council, she had seen that idea played out before in the kingdom. Had even been a part of it’s creation during one of the Falls more tumultuous times, back when the kingdoms had all fallen and recreated themselves and the neutral kingdoms became one. She knew how that had ended, not great. Still she says nothing. Some mistakes had to be figured out by their makers in their own time. There was only so much she could do.
She smiles gently to Shatter Me, taking in her disheveled and rather sick appearance. Perhaps later she would try to talk to the Queen and get to know her better. After she had gone to the Gates and of course stopped in the Field for much needed new blood. For now she simply waits and stands by Texas’s side to see what else will play out in this meeting.
Tiberios
