"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
She’s feeling more than a little irritated at the moment.
She had done exactly what the Queen Illuminate had asked, biding her time in the background of the Valley, and cozying up to the king of the Falls (it’s not her fault he died before she could get too close). She had held up her end of the bargain … the damn magician simply hadn’t held up hers. In spite all of Rhynn’s hard work, the bloody ‘Queen’ had disappeared, taking her gift to Rhynn with it.
And Rhynn is less than impressed.
It’s why she’s here now, staring grumpily across the border of the Desert kingdom. It’s her first possibility for the magician’s home base. And Rhynn wants to track down the bitch and get her gift back.
She feels naked without it, vulnerable. Her main trade is in shadows and secrets, and the magician’s gift had given her the ability to do so without any fear of being found out. And when you live in a kingdom that has a mind-reader for a queen, that privacy is a valuable thing. And now it’s gone.
She settles in to a spot right at the border’s edge, digging her hooves into the hot sand. She lets her rather grumpy thoughts broadcast far and wide. While she might not be a telepath herself, if there are any in the vicinity, they will likely pick up on her irritation. She will wait for a while, and if no one approaches, cross the border, kingdom decorum be damned. She’s going to demand her gift back … or find another magician that will be more accommodating.
They always have their panties in a twist, don’t they? Wanting more and more and more until they have nothing left to take and still, their hunger is insatiable. Ambition is a terribly two-faced coin; without it one is lackadaisical and lazy, and with too much of it, one wants to conquer the world. While Rhynn doesn’t want to conquer the world (that much, Yael can tell), her quest for power is like a flashing, neon red sign above her head.
Camrynn is gone, and she isn’t coming back anytime soon (not if the Gods were displeased with her), so as far as Yael knows, and that’s a lot, it is safe to intercept this seeker before someone else does. The only question is whether or not to mess with her head first. All the information is there, ripe for the picking, and Yael could easily assume Cam’s shape and voice. The only reason to do so would be to show that she can, that she has as much power as Camrynn did. Yael can give Rhynn what she wants. For a price. There is always a price, even when the witch is a good witch.
After a good deal of internal debate, Yael throws up her proverbial hands in favor of ‘why not?’ and shifts into Camrynn; the jewels on her cheek are there, as are the golden crook and flail. She is as black as sin and every bit as impeccably clean and beautiful as the ex-Queen was. The only clue to who she might be is in her eyes - Cam’s could and did change at will. Hers remain a steady gold color. With a very satisfied chuckle, she blinks out of sight, and then back in again, right in front of Rhynn. With the Queen Illuminate’s voice, Yael quips, “You’re rather upset for such a beautiful day. Tell your Queen what’s got you all in a tizzy.”
That’s what Camrynn would say, right? Of course not. But Yael likes the way it sounds.
She’s actually a bit surprised when the Queen Illuminate herself shows up. Of course, she doesn’t recognize her as the queen at first - the magician had always played games with her appearance and voice when speaking to Rhynn - but with those flashy gems, ‘magical’ appearance out of thin air, and that self-indulgent tone (though the words are a bit odd for the Queen) … who else would it be?
Rhynn stays silent for a moment, glowering. After the little stunt the magician had pulled, she’d really expected her to not show up at all. What’s the point in playing a stupid little game like this? Giving out gifts in exchange for servitude, and then just reneging on the deal? Rhynn knows that many magicians enjoy screwing with ‘lesser mortals,’ but this is just ridiculous. What does the magician even gain from pulling crap like this?
She breathes deeply, tempering herself, then finally responds (though the magician surely already knows what she’s going to say, considering she took away the gift). “If that is indeed you, Queen Illuminate, you already know very well why I’m angry.” She feels so very vulnerable now, with her mind exposed for all magicians and telepaths to see. It rankles her to think that the ‘Queen’ is at this moment, likely taking advantage of the absence of the gift she had promised.
“I kept my end of the bargain.” There’s no point in keeping the anger out of her voice - the ‘Queen’ already knows it’s there. “Now I want you to keep yours.”
Yael watches the black mare with an amused little twinkle in her eye. Such fire - such indignation - such paranoia. As a monarch who’d stepped down, and yet remained in the Kingdom, Yael had done her best to avoid looking too closely into Cam and Pevensie’s ruling philosophy - or what Cam was doing outside of her ruling duties. It wasn’t her business unless it threatened the Desert. This may not threaten the sandy peace, but with Camrynn sucked into the world of the Gods, it is an opportunity that is ripe for the picking.
Yael has changed.
She has decided that she will play the game.
She chuckles at Rhynn’s demands. How bold! How eager. How easy to pluck the low hanging fruit. This one’s allegiance isn’t to a particular individual, it’s to power. And there are few who can wield Camrynn’s particular type of power. Part of her wonders why the woman didn’t just go to her own kingdom-affiliiated magician. Eight and Cam were friendly (more than friendly), she’s sure he would be happy to continue on the magician’s particular ‘brand’ of work. Favors, is it? Favors for traits? And oh, to what extent would Rhynn go to get exactly what she wants?
Yael shifts back into her typical form. losing Camrynn’s cadence and form as easily as a snake sheds its skin. “Vhat you vant comes vit a price,” she states matter of factly. “Camrynn ees no longer xere…ze Gods took xer. But I xaf just as much mageec as she deed.” She pauses, waiting for some sort of reaction, and then continues on. “So eef you steel vant eet, tell me vhat you are villing to geev up.” How far down the rabbit hole is enough for redemption?
02-12-2016, 03:09 AM (This post was last modified: 02-12-2016, 03:10 AM by Rhynn.)
she slept with wolves without fear
She can’t shake the feeling that the ‘Queen’ is simply toying with her. It rankles, but she knows there’s nothing she can do. Magicians - they have all the power in the world, and no incentive to ‘play nicely’ with non-magical beings.
Her irritation only increases as the mare chuckles at her, laughing at her demands. But she remains silent - there’s no point in saying more than she’s already said.
Then the mare shifts.
The shift itself does not surprise her - the form of a golden, winged mare does not seem beyond the ‘Queen Illuminate’s’ vanity - but the words do. Camrynn, Camrynn … she vaguely recognizes the name. A Desert queen, she thinks? One that has recently been replaced? The wheels turn quickly in her head. Clearly this mare is not the ‘Queen,’ but her words indicate that she had known the ‘Queen,’ and that, surprisingly, the magician had been a real Queen after all. And more importantly, this mare is offering her a deal in the ‘Queen’s’ stead.
Trading one magician for another. As long as she still gets what she wants, she really doesn’t care.
And as for what she’s willing to give up? Well, Rhynn’s moral compass has always been somewhat … grey. She does have a few attachments though, she’s not entirely heartless. “It depends on what you plan on asking of me. I am keeping my freedom and my friends though.” Not that Rhonan and Anastasia are exactly friends, but they are creatures of the same ilk. She would never intentionally do any harm to them.
Yael laughs again. Oh, Rhynn must find that irritating. Silly rabbit.
“Eef I vanted a slave, I could brainvash you and you vouldn’t even known eet.” No, that isn’t Yael’s style. Neither is what she’s about to ask for, but in a way, it still is, if you really know her. She’s beginning to change. In both subtle and not so subtle ways. The truth is that the world will walk all over her if she doesn’t learn to play a little dirty, even if pains her admit it. They need members - loyal members - and this could be an interesting way to get one. She briefly wonders if Vanquish would be angry at her for this - it would be a bit of a double standard she thinks - and this way is like finding a loophole.
Yael, the great mother. She’d take in all the children if she could.
It is decided. She plows forward with a clipped, brusque manner. “Geev me a child next season, one sired by me, and agree to ze bind t’at you vill not ever go against ze Desert, lest your power be revoked, and you shall haf eet.” The rest of her life is hers to do with as she pleases. One child. An unspoken cease fire against the Desert, so that her own gift would not be turned into a weapon against its issuer. Everyone is happy. So she waits to see what Rhynn thinks. If she doesn’t take it, it’s no skin off Yael’s back.
The magician laughs at her and Rhynn bristles, but she keeps her mouth shut. As she’s already noted, the magician is no doubt well aware of her feelings.
The golden mare does have a good point though - if she did want to magically manipulate Rhynn she would have done it already. And Rhynn would have no way of knowing, so there’s no use in worrying about it. The tiny mare relaxes. Only a little.
Because now they’re getting to the meat of the discussion.
Rhynn’s eyes widen in undisguised surprise when the magician reveals what her payment will be. A child? What on earth does the magician want with a child? Rhynn herself has never been particularly fond of children, but she supposes she can see the appeal in carrying on your bloodline. She hasn’t felt that particular inclination herself though. Smelly, needy little things that they are.
But, if this is what the magician wants … this is what the magician will get. This deal is better than what she’d had with the ‘Queen Illuminate’ (or Camrynn, as she now knows her to be). So long as she never goes against the Deserts, this gift will never be taken away. And since the magician wants the child herself, Rhynn won’t have to deal with it past pregnancy. Not that she plants on cutting all ties with it entirely. She would never be that foolish.
She nods her little head at the golden mare, mouth set in a determined line. “Agreed.”
She will get her ability back, the magician will get her child, and Rhynn will leave the Deserts alone. Of course, she can’t bet the kingdom she is a part of won’t go against the Deserts, but that is not what the mare is asking of her.
