The Capitol was its typical bustling self as Solis lifted his blazing sun to the sky, the courtyard having gradually become busier and busier with the everyday activities that came with Court life. Avdotya was among the slow-moving throngs, though she sported a venomous look that advertised her displeasure for the situation. With Seraphina off doing Gods knew what, the Regent suddenly felt a far greater weight upon her shoulders; the questions were endless and all along the same line. She grew tired of repeating herself, of wasting her voice on a people she cared little for when they would be nothing but dirt beneath her hooves in the coming season. Yet there she was, spitting answers for those who asked of their Sovereign and the state of the nation.
As the seconds ticked torturously on, the blackened mare felt her patience wearing thin. She was ready to snap, but something kept her from her breaking point… a tug deep within her chest. Dare she say it nearly felt as though her very heart had been touched, triggering an urge to leave the stronghold in her wake and take to the Mors’ sea of golden sands. Avdotya stopped dead in her tracks at the feeling, quite obviously perplexed, but not prepared to ignore her impulsions. And so the woman shouldered her way through the crowd, meeting the snarls of unhappy citizens with a violent hiss of her own- what stood in her way would not remain there for long.
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The sandstone fortress had shrunken down to a speck along the horizon as the viper slithered further out into her desert home. She knew not where she was going, but for some reason her aimless wandering felt right, like she was heading directly where she needed to be. Perhaps, she thought, Solis is at work. She smiled, then. Had he taken notice of her recent activity? Did the coming rise of his Davke children stir him from his dormancy?
While Avdotya lost herself in her ponderings, the sound of hoof atop cobblestone rang out across the silent air. Her fluid trot came to a quick stop at the sudden change, her fiery gaze sinking to her feet and the path that formed so spontaneously below them. She knew then that it was her God and there was not another soul in the world that could convince the savage mare otherwise.
So, she walked. She followed the path, drenched in her own salted sweat from the heat that so uncharacteristically bore down upon her back. Winter, even at its end, was not known for excessive warmth… and Avdotya reveled in it as she reached the end of the trail. With her eyes blissfully closed shut, the mare threw her head to the skies and released a contented sigh.
This was glory.
When her lids lifted and the light flooded back to her world, she noted the sudden drop-off. She inched closer to its edge, craning her neck to take in what lay at the bottom of the anomalous chasm. Water was her answer; an oasis that whispered sweetly into her ear, inviting the mare to indulge in its refreshing embrace. Logic argued against it in every way. It urged her to ignore the swelling desire the pool had created within her entire being, but there was no denying her lust for the water’s touch.
In one great leap, Avdotya’s body hurtled towards the mirror-like surface. Time itself felt sluggish, like Tempus himself had slowed its passage for this very moment. She watched her reflection get closer and closer until every last detail of her face became clear, granting her a moment of peace before the violent crash of her weight to the water. In a split second, the mare’s world went white and then melted to liquid gold while warmth surrounded her body. It caressed her skin, gradually sinking past the flesh and into her muscles until it finally reached bone. She struggled to surface, but when she did there was no release. Her lips peeled apart in fruitless heaves, seeking desperately to pull air into her empty lungs while her legs thrashed in their search for purchase upon solid ground.
Then finally - finally - after what felt like eternity, she was able to haul her body from the water, falling clumsily into a heap in the sand. Her frantic breathing had slowed to a calming rhythm, bringing her equally frantic mind back to some sort of reality. Only then did she feel it slowly begin to bloom, starting in her heart and reaching out to every curve of her body. Rejuvenation, invigoration… Avdotya felt invincible and with a moment more, she knew it so.
Not even death and her gnarled grasp could keep the desert queen from reclaiming the Davke’s rightful place.
Novus would soon see its reckoning.
As the seconds ticked torturously on, the blackened mare felt her patience wearing thin. She was ready to snap, but something kept her from her breaking point… a tug deep within her chest. Dare she say it nearly felt as though her very heart had been touched, triggering an urge to leave the stronghold in her wake and take to the Mors’ sea of golden sands. Avdotya stopped dead in her tracks at the feeling, quite obviously perplexed, but not prepared to ignore her impulsions. And so the woman shouldered her way through the crowd, meeting the snarls of unhappy citizens with a violent hiss of her own- what stood in her way would not remain there for long.
The sandstone fortress had shrunken down to a speck along the horizon as the viper slithered further out into her desert home. She knew not where she was going, but for some reason her aimless wandering felt right, like she was heading directly where she needed to be. Perhaps, she thought, Solis is at work. She smiled, then. Had he taken notice of her recent activity? Did the coming rise of his Davke children stir him from his dormancy?
While Avdotya lost herself in her ponderings, the sound of hoof atop cobblestone rang out across the silent air. Her fluid trot came to a quick stop at the sudden change, her fiery gaze sinking to her feet and the path that formed so spontaneously below them. She knew then that it was her God and there was not another soul in the world that could convince the savage mare otherwise.
So, she walked. She followed the path, drenched in her own salted sweat from the heat that so uncharacteristically bore down upon her back. Winter, even at its end, was not known for excessive warmth… and Avdotya reveled in it as she reached the end of the trail. With her eyes blissfully closed shut, the mare threw her head to the skies and released a contented sigh.
This was glory.
When her lids lifted and the light flooded back to her world, she noted the sudden drop-off. She inched closer to its edge, craning her neck to take in what lay at the bottom of the anomalous chasm. Water was her answer; an oasis that whispered sweetly into her ear, inviting the mare to indulge in its refreshing embrace. Logic argued against it in every way. It urged her to ignore the swelling desire the pool had created within her entire being, but there was no denying her lust for the water’s touch.
In one great leap, Avdotya’s body hurtled towards the mirror-like surface. Time itself felt sluggish, like Tempus himself had slowed its passage for this very moment. She watched her reflection get closer and closer until every last detail of her face became clear, granting her a moment of peace before the violent crash of her weight to the water. In a split second, the mare’s world went white and then melted to liquid gold while warmth surrounded her body. It caressed her skin, gradually sinking past the flesh and into her muscles until it finally reached bone. She struggled to surface, but when she did there was no release. Her lips peeled apart in fruitless heaves, seeking desperately to pull air into her empty lungs while her legs thrashed in their search for purchase upon solid ground.
Then finally - finally - after what felt like eternity, she was able to haul her body from the water, falling clumsily into a heap in the sand. Her frantic breathing had slowed to a calming rhythm, bringing her equally frantic mind back to some sort of reality. Only then did she feel it slowly begin to bloom, starting in her heart and reaching out to every curve of her body. Rejuvenation, invigoration… Avdotya felt invincible and with a moment more, she knew it so.
Not even death and her gnarled grasp could keep the desert queen from reclaiming the Davke’s rightful place.
Novus would soon see its reckoning.
You’re playing my game now-- @Random Events
