All Welcome that Queen is Mean

Curiously, the natural road gave way to a broad meadow, and even from the great distance from which she was to it, another tower stood. Though she had heard tell of other courts in passing since arriving, actually laying eyes upon another construct of the ancients of this distant collective of realms was something remarkable. It drew the endlessly inquisitive girl to a stop, her eyes widening as she beholds the distant towers.

Eager to be a bit closer, or to perhaps find someone to tell her where it is she has found herself, the girl picks back up her wandering at a trot, but this time, rather than aimlessly following some random landscape, she made her way towards a destination. Humming as she makes her way across the fields, it isn’t long before the gentle music generated in her head makes her way into the open air.

Not the best of singers, but certainly not the worst, Maude’s voice was ordinary at best, and, at times, painful to listen to, especially when she struck the high notes. If she stayed casual and remained in a moderate range, however, there was a gentle, story-like quality to her voice that was pleasant, and, if nothing else, her songs were usually about pleasant topics. In time to the beat of her hooves against the ground, the girl gives voice to the tidbits of song she has had great difficulty airing, due to her grief. Something about today made it easier, however, and the more she let her voice out, the easier it became, even though this song, like most, was one that had initially been written at home; Evangeline had even helped her work out the second stanza.

“The Forest Queen in fall
is prettier than them all!
Red leaves worn in her hair,
her silk cloaks, ever so fair.
Gents press her for a dance,
for even just a tiny chance
to see the Queen twirl at all!

And yet the Forest Queen
was just as merciless, and mean… ouch!”

Her cheerfully bellowed tune is cut short as one of her hooves plunges downwards suddenly, throwing the maiden off balance, and wrenching her ankle harshly. Stumbling about before haughtily limping her way back towards the hole, her brows furrow down over her eyes as she angrily glares at the guilty foot-grabber. Whether a rabbit or gofer, she is unsure (Maude was a gardening girl, and knew very little about critters, however cute she thought they were), but the result was the same…

Her ankle was awfully sore. She was certain it wasn’t sprained or broken, just almost so; hopefully, just hanging out for a while would give it time to feel better, and let her carry on with her adventure.

Hopefully, she thinks to herself, with an overly dramatic sigh.

so give me hope in the Darkness
that I will see the Light

Art by neverrmind @ DA
@Somnus

RE: that Queen is Mean - Pan - 10-22-2017

Pan heard the girl’s song, and a grin spread across his face. Whether her voice was that of an angel, or simply noise to fill the usually quiet glade, he was pleased to hear it. Music always put a smile on the boy’s face, and today was no exception. He pondered the words, wondering if she was telling the story of some fairytale maiden. He liked the thought of that – and wondered if it was a story he’d heard before, making a mental note to find out more about the forest queen. But, the words were cut short with a cry of pain, and the youth-turned-apprentice-caretaker spurred into action.

He’d been eager for some time to help someone with his remedial healing, and breaking through the trees, his emerald green eyes scoured for the source of the voice. His vision skipped over a pair of rabbits scurrying in the grass, and a plump badger who was grumbling at the noise while digging a new burrow. But then, he saw the golden girl in the distance, picking up the pace to make his way to her side. Brow furrowed with concern, the boy walked around her to survey the situation, before asking with wide eyes, Are you alright?

The voice which escapes the immortal is a young one, with a boyish charm to the tone. If he had to guess though, he wouldn’t place Maude much older. She was certainly young and seemed as optimistic about life as he was. Leaning down to look closer at her injured ankle, he questions the girl. I can help you… I’m a healer now. Could I wrap that for you? Nevermind that he was just learning and didn’t know if simply wrapping her leg would be enough, but it couldn’t hurt.

I’m Pan, by the way… and I don’t know that I’ve seen you before in the Dawn Court. What’s your name? While he makes idle chit chat, the boy digs in his satchel to pull out a loosely rolled bit of bandage, made from crudely dried plants. Looking up at the girl, he waits for permission before applying the bandage, also fishing out a half an apple from his bag and offering it to her to help take her mind off of things.

Pan

Dawn Court

character © Firefly; html by castlegraphics; image by alexlibby

@Maude

RE: that Queen is Mean - Maude - 10-24-2017

Sniffling and testing her weight upon her ankle, the girl is surprised to hear someone else coming to her rescue quite so quickly. Having spent a good bit of time travelling alone, so far, the maiden is not only surprised, but glad to see another youth approaching. Though her company hadn’t been terrible, with grown ups having a lot of wisdom and kindness to share, there was nothing quite like someone your own age to spend the day with.

“Yes, and no,” she smiles, bobbing her head hello to the pale, scaled stranger, wondering if he might be some sort of fish-man, like the Lady from the festival back in the mountains home had also seemed to be. Holding her wounded ankle up as she mentions it, the girl’s cheerful expression is broken, slightly, by a wince, when she places it back down. “I think I twisted my ankle.”

As she’d hoped, he looks at it more closely, much like her father used to, when she fell and hurt herself. It fills her with a sadness that she does her best to push aside, instead taking in the strange boy’s assertions that he was a healer “now.” Did that mean he wasn’t one yesterday? Maude wonders, suddenly struck by another question, which makes her search his face a bit more thoroughly when he looks up. Did she know him from somewhere?

“Oh, yes please,” she answers of his proper inquiry, knowing from her lessons that she should never heal someone who didn’t want it, “I’ve studied to be a healer too, but…”

Frowning, feeling that same old melancholy threaten to steal over her cheer yet again, she quickly carries on.

“Well, I don’t have any of my things here,” finishes Maude, her heart longing deeply for the beautiful, silk and chiffon cloak her father had given her for her birthday, and its wonderful, magical pockets. Distracted by the sweet smell of the apple, the girl is tempted to grab it, but something distracts her from that, too.

She certainly doesn’t know this boy, Maude assures herself when he introduces himself. He does seem to accuse her of being in someone else’s territory though, which makes her heart suddenly tighten in her chest, and her ears flick back somewhat defensively. What she remembered about Helovia’s herd lands meant that she probably was in trouble now.

“I’m Maude, and, err,” starts the girl, thinking for the smallest of seconds that she might try and lie her way out of this one. She remembers, fortunately, that she is a terrible liar, and decides, instead, to fess up to her minor mistake. “Well, to be perfectly honest, I’m from the Dusk Court… but I didn’t know I was trespassing, I swear! I, well, it sounds crazy, but, I sort of… woke up here? Well, not here, but, in Novus, and so I’ve been exploring…”

Realizing she was rambling, the filly looks down at her hooves.

“I know its quite a lot to ask of you, as you are being so kind already, and we have just met, but... Please don’t tell them I’m here if I’ll get in trouble, Pan,” she implores, her green eyes quite emotional as she looks back up at the white youth. She was far too young to go to jail!

so give me hope in the Darkness
that I will see the Light

Art by neverrmind @ DA
@Pan

RE: that Queen is Mean - Pan - 10-29-2017

If Pan would have known the concerned thoughts running through Maude’s mind, he might have laughed. For the boy was as harmless as they came, and he certainly didn’t intend to send her to jail. Humming a bit, he wrapped her leg as tightly as he could without cutting off her circulation, knowing that the pressure along her ankle would help it to heal, or at least would keep it in place until she could find her way back to wherever it was she came from (or wherever she was going). Stepping back to admire his work, he grinned at the girl. There! That should help… and I think you should try to keep it cold. There’s a river, not far from here… maybe you could walk in it to help from the swelling… but be careful, because King Kasil says the current is dangerous… I can swim though, so it’s not so bad.

He smiled at the girl again, for she was obviously uncomfortable, and if she wasn’t eating the apple, she must have hit her head as well… for it was his favorite treat in the whole wide world. Nudging it toward her again with an encouraging manner, he hoped she would nibble on it. After all, food was always a helpful cure in the boy’s book, and he decided she was definitely hungry (whether that was true or not). It’s okay, the apple is tasty. I picked it myself, from the meadow. We were harvesting some for the festival, to use in the pastries and cider! Once you’re feeling better, you should come by and get some, and you can join in the music too – you have a lovely voice.

She seemed genuinely worried that they would punish her for being there, and her mention of getting in trouble had him laughing (in part, because she wouldn’t get in trouble for being curious in a place such as the Dawn Court, but also because he never thought of such things when he was exploring). I have friends in the Dusk Court… in fact my bestest-best friend Flora is there. And, I’m learning from the healer in the swamp, Yana. But don’t worry… there’s no one who will be mad for you being here. We welcome visitors to the Dawn Court. Come on, I can show you. Are you able to walk now?

Pan
Dawn Court

@Maude