04-04-2020, 03:25 PM
See? some persistent part of her asks, See?
The world doesn’t descend into chaos. Nothing comes crashing down on her head. The trees don’t groan their judgment in the frigid arctic breeze and there are no shadows to deflect her attention from her sabino companion. It is simply another brisk, chilly day in the Forest.
Beqanna turns another season and lulls its inhabitants into the upcoming hibernation. When the snow covers the ground, most horses will keep to their kingdoms and their territories. Why brave the elements when they have the protection of a home? Her pregnancy will be far enough along by then that the chestnut knows she will be one of them - one of the many horses that tuck themselves away until Spring.
And even then, part of her had thought she wouldn’t be able to bear to leave Taiga. Juice, however, manages to convince a small part of her that perhaps she can. Perhaps once her twins are born, her life might resemble some sense of normalcy that she can resume recruiting and her diplomatic duties in the North. Perhaps. It’s a small strand of hope but the traveler has placed the first thread of it back into her life. Lilliana will take that to weave a deal with the dragon prince of Nerine for the return of Brine and Brinly. And then-
Her thoughts of the Loessian captive is disturbed by the profound flutter of one of Wolbanes’ colts.
Another horse approaches and Lilliana glances quickly through the scrub to see a black stallion. She doesn’t know him by sight alone. It had only been a name that they had been given. Brennen had adorned a thundercloud facade of rage when his Magic hadn’t been able to keep Jesper from being stolen. Nerine had tried (and failed) at trying to seek a plan of action in rescuing him. There had been two missing mares from the old Amazon kingdom. The Pangean heir (thanks to Lilliana) had been in their custody. While the Northern kingdom had grown in numbers over the past year, their ranks had been spread thin and even more so when a good number of the population found themselves expecting (the Nerinian Champion included).
Lilliana has thought of Jesper often - how he fared in Loess, how they would retrieve him. (If there is any silver lining to this situation, she thinks he is fortunate to have missed the burning of his frozen home.)
So when he manifests from a small band of trees and introduces himself, her blue eyes widen and she can feel the shock of his introduction electrify her features. "@[Jesper]?” the copper mare asks, somewhere between confusion and disbelief. It lingers before dissipating into an expression of genuine relief and joy to see him so hale, so healthy despite his captivity. "They let you go?” she asks, wondering the obvious question she doesn’t say aloud. Why? What had been the point of stealing him? She catches herself before going too far down this trail - there is only trouble for wandering down the path of things that don't make sense.
The Taigan mare beams up at him while giving a polite nod, "I’m Lilliana, a diplomat from the North.” Brennen will be so glad to see you, she thinks with a glowing smile as she glances back to the bay stallion. "And this is Juice - the Forest dweller.”
The world doesn’t descend into chaos. Nothing comes crashing down on her head. The trees don’t groan their judgment in the frigid arctic breeze and there are no shadows to deflect her attention from her sabino companion. It is simply another brisk, chilly day in the Forest.
Beqanna turns another season and lulls its inhabitants into the upcoming hibernation. When the snow covers the ground, most horses will keep to their kingdoms and their territories. Why brave the elements when they have the protection of a home? Her pregnancy will be far enough along by then that the chestnut knows she will be one of them - one of the many horses that tuck themselves away until Spring.
And even then, part of her had thought she wouldn’t be able to bear to leave Taiga. Juice, however, manages to convince a small part of her that perhaps she can. Perhaps once her twins are born, her life might resemble some sense of normalcy that she can resume recruiting and her diplomatic duties in the North. Perhaps. It’s a small strand of hope but the traveler has placed the first thread of it back into her life. Lilliana will take that to weave a deal with the dragon prince of Nerine for the return of Brine and Brinly. And then-
Her thoughts of the Loessian captive is disturbed by the profound flutter of one of Wolbanes’ colts.
Another horse approaches and Lilliana glances quickly through the scrub to see a black stallion. She doesn’t know him by sight alone. It had only been a name that they had been given. Brennen had adorned a thundercloud facade of rage when his Magic hadn’t been able to keep Jesper from being stolen. Nerine had tried (and failed) at trying to seek a plan of action in rescuing him. There had been two missing mares from the old Amazon kingdom. The Pangean heir (thanks to Lilliana) had been in their custody. While the Northern kingdom had grown in numbers over the past year, their ranks had been spread thin and even more so when a good number of the population found themselves expecting (the Nerinian Champion included).
Lilliana has thought of Jesper often - how he fared in Loess, how they would retrieve him. (If there is any silver lining to this situation, she thinks he is fortunate to have missed the burning of his frozen home.)
So when he manifests from a small band of trees and introduces himself, her blue eyes widen and she can feel the shock of his introduction electrify her features. "@[Jesper]?” the copper mare asks, somewhere between confusion and disbelief. It lingers before dissipating into an expression of genuine relief and joy to see him so hale, so healthy despite his captivity. "They let you go?” she asks, wondering the obvious question she doesn’t say aloud. Why? What had been the point of stealing him? She catches herself before going too far down this trail - there is only trouble for wandering down the path of things that don't make sense.
The Taigan mare beams up at him while giving a polite nod, "I’m Lilliana, a diplomat from the North.” Brennen will be so glad to see you, she thinks with a glowing smile as she glances back to the bay stallion. "And this is Juice - the Forest dweller.”
LILLIANA
all that i'm after is a life full of laughter
(as long as i'm laughing with you)
but it's all in the past, love
it's all gone with the wind