"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
Warlight had been busy. Raising twins was not an easy task, even with the help of a supportive partner, and her first child had done nothing to prepare her for full-time daughter-rearing. It may have been her second time producing young, but her first go at motherhood. What she had with Clegane had been bare-bones survival, and his sad year traipsing through a crumbling world in her hoof-prints had could not be considered a childhood. But she tries her best not to compare the two lifetimes, to push away the bitterness those memories brought.
She wasn't always successful.
But the life they were building, Raul, Will, Locheed and Laia, had kept her distracted from the unrest she had felt after her return. But now that the twins were getting older she was finally starting to have time to think about things other than keeping two feisty daughters alive and half-educated.
So she strikes out on her own, planning to patrol the latticework of intersecting waterways that made up Tephra's south and eastern border. Half the day passes this way, and once her sides are damp with sweat she decides to cool off in the jungle shade for a mid-day break. Her breath steadying she slows to a walk, at the same time spotting someone she had been meaning to talk to.
"Isilya," her tone is warm as the leopard-skinned mare approaches her leader. "I was hoping we would cross paths soon." Will extends her muzzle in greeting, noting that pale mare looks just as well as she had during their midnight encounter several years ago.
"I made a quick visit to Ischia earlier this year and I wanted to tell you that they have had a peaceful change in leadership." She is quick to get to business, but she hopes as the afternoon goes on that maybe they will explore more interesting topics.
It is always a good day when Isilya’s thoughts are interrupted with a voice - and a great day when it is a voice that calls out her name. What a beautiful pleasure of life, to hear her own name spoken by someone else. She’s still not quite used to it - but she hopes that it never stops being something she can get a sliver of delight from.
She is decorated in drooping blooms of soft purples and golds today when she turns to see a familiar figure coming towards her. “Hello Warlight!” Isilya extends her gold-touched muzzle to brush it lightly against Warlight’s extended one - a shining smile already illuminating her hazel eyes. “It’s great to see you again.”
It had been on Isilya’s mind to visit Ischia lately and she is a little surprised to hear that Eva, who had recently become Dame when Isilya was last there, has passed on the title. It’s just as easy for Isilya to lose track of the years in her horse-self as it had been when she was living as a tree for a few decades - though she does not want to admit this out loud to anyone. She thinks things have been going well in Tephra because no one has come to tell her otherwise.
“That’s wonderful news! I’ll miss Eva but I’m glad to hear it was a peaceful exchange of titles. The Resort is also under a new leader. Lots of changes on our sister islands but none for the worse, I think.” Her gaze drifts momentarily off to the west where the islands sit just off of the Tephra coast, but it does not linger there. How could it, when this beautiful antlered mare stands before her now!
“Have you been settling back into Tephra well?” Isilya remembers seeing a pair of foals with Warlight but she decides not to pile on the questions and just stick with one. And this question may be a few years late - but she hopes that fact can be forgiven.
The mention of the resort catches her interest, and her brow arches curiously. When she had been there last the island had been very quiet. But of course, she and her lover had intentionally trekked to the far side of the island - far more interested in making the best of the privacy than meeting leaders or diplomats.
"The new Dame's name is Aquaria, and she had a countryman named Aodhán with her," she adds as Isilya's gaze drifts westward. "Aodhán offered me a tour, and I mean to take him up on it in the future." But her companion is content to move the conversation to less diplomatic matters and Will obliges.
"My two girls are outgrowing me," she responds with an amused shake of her head and a tone that does not show the least bit of remorse. She had made several trips to the commands, but her recruitment efforts had not been very productive so she decides not to mention that. Instead, opting to offer a service she would find more enjoyment in. "But that's leaving me with a little more time. So if you know of anyone who would want to compete in a mock, send them my way."
The name Aquaria is a familiar one, which is always a delight for the flower-decorated mare. She's pleased to hear that the leadership had passed to someone she remembers was Eva's friend and that things seem to be going well on the islands. "Oh that is so good to hear! Ischia is a beautiful place, I definitely recommend going back for that tour when you can."
Isilya's smile warms at the mention of Warlight's two girls - although she has never personally felt the drive to be a mother, she does enjoy being around foals and finds it to be such a remarkable thing.
At the mention of a mock fight, though, Isilya's smile turns into a lighthearted chuckle. "I'm afraid I'm not much help personally, I've never been one for fighting. I will definitely keep an ear open though! We actually had Lepis of Loess bring up the idea of a treaty with that kingdom and setting up some mocks mixing our members." She watches Warlight, curious to see what this information might inspire by way of a reaction. She remembers from early in her stay in Tephra that the kingdom had a rocky relationship with Loess but things had been so smooth lately - perhaps this was the best course of action?
"If there is ever anything non-mock I can help you with, however, you just have to ask!"
07-04-2020, 03:56 PM (This post was last modified: 07-04-2020, 04:21 PM by Warlight.)
Warlight
Although Warlight knows nothing of the way that Tephra burned while she was in the afterlife, the name, Lepis, brings back clouded memories. Recollections of a grotto full of children and the way mothers would speak quietly to each other as the night was winding down. They spoke of boring things, or at least that's how she perceived it at the time. She had been waging war on her brothers, everything else was boring.
It was a name she hadn't heard or thought of in years, but as Islilya says of Loess, Will suddenly has a clear mental picture of the blue and cream mare and all her ruffled feathers. Isilya's watchfulness would be rewarded by catching a fleeting look of recognition, but little more. Warlight's knowledge of the horse in question is limited. She hadn't paid much attention to the politics of Hyaline when she was a filly running wild on the mountainsides with Thati, Clay and Velk, but there are enough foggy memories to place a hint of suspicion in her tone.
"There's some value in keeping your opponents in the dark," she muses, knowing that her leader seems to see the world in a different light. But maybe that was why Will was there, to see the world that way so Isilya didn't have to. "although, I'm sure you would prefer not to think of them that way, as opponents."
She leaves room for Tephra's queen to weigh in here, now taking her turn to watch carefully. She would far rather train up Tephra's own then sharpen the steel of other kingdoms.
"But there's also value in practice... and playing nice... I suppose." Her easy, almost-flirty smile comes back to rest on her speckled lips. The perpetually pleasant mare before her had managed to keep Tephra safe and quiet for the entirety of Will's time there, and that was a feat that commanded respect. "So If you think it is best to connect with Loess in this way, you may offer me as a participant in these mocks."
All of Isilya’s smiles are easy for her to come by, but the one that accompanies the sensation of being known comes easier than all the rest. It’s a small thing, being known well enough for Warlight to make her comment about preferring not to see others as opponents, but it shows that in some small way she has made an impression. And that, certainly, is a wonderful thing for someone who had lived so long on her own.
It’s a little piece of joy that makes Tephra feel even more like home. “You’ve got that right.” Isilya laughs a little, her sweet light laughter like bubbles in sunshine.
She doesn’t argue (as if she would anyway) and listens with evident curiosity and plenty of interest as Warlight continues. Isilya wishes the antlered mare would expand on her thoughts a little. The intricacies of inter-kingdom relationships is something the flower queen is extremely unknowledgeable on. So she falls back on her instincts for how she would treat anyone - which is always with absolute trust and kindness.
Sometimes she will remember that she is not just acting for herself. If she makes a mistake, there are others that will pay the price, and she is quite determined to avoid that.
So when she speaks again, her tone is thoughtful and cautious - and she watches carefully for Warlight’s impression (and for her approval). “Perhaps there is merit in both? We all need darkness and light to survive. Maybe treaties are no different? We can participate in mocks without showing them everything. And get in a little practice both with Loess and among ourselves.”
In the time she has spent with her queen, the majority of it was in the light of that easy smile. But there is something a little different in the curve of the smile she receives now - something a little more intimate - something that sparks the start of true loyalty.
But the pale mare's look grows careful, and Will takes that as a sign that what she has said is being thoughtfully considered. When compared to the majority of Beqanna, Warlight was young. Her ten years were divided between two lifetimes, and she had always felt young. That Isilya would like her to elaborate never crosses her mind. Instead, she is making a point to keep her answers concise. To voice her opinion, but not overstep into a roll she has not been asked to fill.
"You make a convincing argument," she says, truly swayed. There is a thrum of excitement in her belly at the prospect of a fight, like the snap of a readied bow-string. Maybe testing themselves against warriors from another nation would inspire her, and her fellow Tephrans, to train harder than sparing with brothers and friends. Even if they withheld the extent of their powers during the mocks.
"I will see if I can find any others who will join me, and we will be ready to travel or to meet the Loessians here."
![[Image: Warlightpageddoll1.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/NMPHtrtV/Warlightpageddoll1.png)
