our hearts know deeper seasons than our memories; ALL

[Eva]

your waves are pulling me under
i'm caught in your riptide

Within her heart, she had hoped with every part of it, more than ever, that everything would go smoothly. She wanted to give the residents of the Island a choice. To give them the fairness they all deserved to have—a chance to decide the future of their own home. In her heart, she knew it was the right choice to make. A choice she knew that could change everything for her and the Island itself. Aquaria stepped forward when the violet mare called for a vote. The fin-nereid nominates Eva as the rightful leader to lead Ischia. She is humble by such a nomination, but she does not express her honorable feelings visibly. Aquaria was only the first speak. However, she should have known better it would not go smoothly. It was not as simple as it had played out in her mind. There had always been a small amount of doubt in her thoughts. Perhaps she should have listened to her mind more than her heart. How could she though? The nereid had always been told to follow her heart, and that is what she did in these moments of uncertainty. A laugh erupts through the crowd by a single, heavily built stallion who steps forward. Her ears flicker forward at the sound of his voice—she already knows that this is Vulgaris, the king of Tephra she has never met. An expression of disappointment crosses her finely chiseled features. Her warm gaze turns hard as she listens to what Vulgaris has to say. She should have known better. She should have expected it. Anger begins to boil deep inside of her as Vulgaris addresses the residents of the Island. It is obvious there is little concern from the serpent king about those she loves and cares about deeply. He expected all of them to bend the knee and be obedient. Eva would not though, and she knew the rest of Ischia would not either. He wanted to be united, but this was not the right way. They would never unite under someone like him. Her long tail flicks with anger. The disappointment from her features turn to irritation, leaving no trace of her charming and peaceful innate being. “You have never given us a voice.” She states flatly as tones of anger ring through her words. “You came into our home without a second thought or care.” She would not be threatened by the serpent king on the very shores of her home. He did not care for the Island and its people like she did—they would not just be subjects. “Would you not do the same if someone came to your home like you have come to ours?” However, the appearance of Adria changed everything for her. Her feelings of irritation fade quickly, and warmth fills her orange-gold eyes instantly. Despite all that has happened to her mother, she still comes to protect and represent the Island. She is surprised by the challenge that Adria puts forward. The nereids were not a force to be reckon with, especially in their own home. However, Eva did not want to go down this path. She did not want there to be division. But if it came down to standing up for what she believed in, then so be it. Larke, so quiet during this time, finally speaks up. Her gaze turns softer as she turns to look at the young grey mare. Her heart aches for what she has done when she mentions their conversation. It had been an honor—but her heart knew it was not the right way to go. “I am truly sorry, Larke,” she says when the grey mare finishes speaking. A regretful expression begins to touch her features, revealing her true feelings on the matter. “But I could not go through with what my heart was telling me afterwards. Ischia is not a steppingstone for you to become queen if you are truly the next heir. The Island is more than that. Those that call Ischia their home has a right to decide who will lead them, not someone who has never asked our opinion on the matter.” She glances to Vulgaris for a moment and then back to Larke. “I cannot unite with someone who expects us to just be silent and obedient with every decision they make. I cannot stand with someone who does not care to listen and hear our voice. And if that is what Tephra has become than I want nothing to do with it, and neither will Ischia.” Her gaze then moves to the unfamiliar black stallion. She places him to be within Tephra by the matching scent Vulgaris and Mal carry. At his words, an appearance of confusion flickers through her facial features. There is overwhelming amount of anger boiling out of the black stallion. Perhaps something that has been there all along but no longer can be held within—it had been a ticking bomb. She is shocked by the remaining bits of what he says, and finally looks towards Vulgaris to see what he says to say about it all. There was trouble adrift in Tephra as well. Another one arrives, though he smells of Ischia and the depths of the sea. Even the rising tension of their conversation has reached the very bottom of the ocean. The purple nereid considers the blue and gold stallion for a moment before turning her attention back to Vulgaris.

Eva

lady of ischia