Life was different in Novus these days. Asterion was gone and he still missed the man so much. He had been a true friend when Rhone didn’t really have any. And Erd and Ard? He hadn’t seen those two since Erd had gone missing. He hoped they were okay, living life free of inhibitions. One day, he would find those two again and rekindle a friendship lost.
Rhone was the one who was lost. He had come here with the intent to right his wrongs. He wanted to be a better lover and a better father, and yet…he hadn’t even found anyone he was remotely interested in. The people of Novus were all about politics, war, and hate instead of love. It was a sad reality that Rhone was beginning to understand. And yet, it did not steer him away. It only made him step forward, even more determined before than to make something of himself here. If he was not going to be a lover or a father, then he would be the best damn advisor that Terrastella had.
The sun was just rising and Rhone did as he did each morning. He came to stand on the edge of the Praistigia Cliffs, looking over at the ocean and watching as the sun began to rise. It was an activity that he had once done with Asterion but now did by himself. He sighed as he watched the colors of the morning paint the heavens in oranges, yellows, and reds. It was beautiful.
The wind swayed, whipping through the leaves of the oak try he had planted here when he first arrived. The tree was growing. Each time Rhone came up here, he grew the roots a little deeper, protecting them with soil and surrounding it with fertilizer. Each day the tree grew and now, it was far taller than he was. It was strong and healthy. Asterion would have been proud to see his tree now.
There is a sound behind him and his ears turn towards the sound. It wasn’t often that there were others up here when he was here, but it would not be the first time. After all, that was how he met Atlas. Slowly he turned to look at the other. "Good morning…don’t be afraid to join me, I don’t bite." There is a light chuckle to his words, a happiness that really hasn’t been there in a long time. Happiness. Was this what it felt like to be truly happy?
I'm only honest when it rains.
If I time it right, the thunder breaks
When I open my mouth.
I want to tell you but I don't know how.
Believe it or not, it had been Ard’s idea. Maybe that was why he went along with it, because his brother so rarely had mischievous, fun ideas like this. Really there was no way Erd could deny him, not when that rogue spark so rarely glittered in his brother’s turquoise eyes.
They had been training, you see. Or, at least, what might conclude as training considering they were really just throwing themselves off of the edge of the cliffs, diving down, down, down until they almost collided with the churning, crashing waves of the ocean. Yet just before they could careen into the jagged rocks waiting down below, they would unfurl their wings and coast along the water’s edge, piloted by the twisting, turning gales that came off of the ocean itself. It strengthened their wings, and really, the twins wanted nothing more than to be useful and be the fastest messengers of the Halcyon.
… Not that the Halcyon was doing much lately, but that was beside the point. They wanted to be prepared, and what better way to prepare than come inches from death to make their wings stronger?
… Okay, maybe it wasn’t the best technique for training to be fast and nimble and agile, but it worked for the warlocks and that was all that mattered.
So as dawn arrived across the land, cascading the world in brilliant hues of wondrous colors, Erd encouraged his brother to take a break. Resting away from the ledges of the cliffs, tucked in a cushioned pillow of long grasses and pressed intimately against one another, the twins chatted like they always did. They hardly needed words, close as they were, bound as they were. A mere knowing glance, an upturned grin, a catching stare, and they knew. It’s just how they were.
Regardless, Erd knew something was different when he saw Ard’s sharp teal eyes go distant as he focused on something on the horizon from their little grassy hovel, and twisting his head to follow his twin’s stare, he blinked, spotting the rich chocolate colors of a familiar figure standing a distance away. Oh. “That’s Rhone,” he commented idly, and nothing could prepare him for Ard’s rather surprising suggestion, nor the positively devilish grin that pulled across his brother’s lips.
’... Let’s sneak up on him.’
Never did Ard have such ideas, you understand. Never was he the willing instigator to have a little bit of fun. Never was he brave enough to cause fun trouble, not since Vreis… Yet Ard had changed a good deal since Erd had gone missing, and it was a telltale sign of the amount of adoration and trust his brother must have for Rhone to want to instigate something like this.
Brows furrowing, Erd thought it over before coming to a conclusion. “Yeah, okay. So long as we don’t scare him and make him fall off the cliff.”
So really, it was Ard’s fault, and Erd just didn’t have the heart to deny him.
I'm only honest when it rains,
An open book with a torn out page,
And my ink's run out.
I want to love you but I don't know how.
As one the twins moved through the tall grasses that grew and stretched before giving way to the rocky crags and sharp edges of the cliff face, picking their paths carefully and moving with a surprising amount of grace and stealth.
Honestly, Ard wasn’t completely sure what had come over him. Chatting with Erd and quite content, the sweat from training drying on their skin and causing him to shiver from the cool breeze that came off of the ocean waters, he had finally felt at peace. The last few seasons had been terribly hard for him, and hardly had he allowed Erd out of his sight, terrified that his brother would be swept away once more by cruel, selfish, greedy hands… But things were improving. They were better. He felt closer to his twin than ever before and things were good...
And so when he had scanned the horizon simply to enjoy the scenery and admire the landscape that was Terrastella and his content stare had found the familiar dark shape of Rhone standing on the horizon, his back to their little hideaway, the young warlock had been unable to help himself. The true surprise, however, had been Erd’s eagerness to participate and go through with it, but clearly his twin was just thrilled that Ard was feeling that mischievous, prankish streak once more.
It had been a very, very long time since he had felt so happy.
They crept through the brush, grasses, and stepped cautiously over rocks so as not to alert Rhone of their approach. Unfortunately while they were quick and nimble and efficient messengers, the Luminous twins weren’t really stealthy. They’d hardly had a reason to be, not when their primary use back home had just been flinging spells and causing utter destruction. Even now with the Halcyon, stealth wasn’t in their repertoire, and so neither he nor his brother were terribly surprised when Rhone seemed to pick up on their approach before they had gotten close enough to get the jump on them.
Rhone’s words echoed across the sound of the crashing waves far, far down below, and Ard let out a rough sigh, frowning a little as the older stallion turned his head to regard them with a fond little smile. Without even thinking, Ard smiled back, his ears perking up as he dared to be the first to approach.
“We tried to sneak up on you,” he supplied, finding no trouble in being the first to converse with their earthly colored friend, “Guess we aren’t really that stealthy, huh?” And he smiled, broad and joyful, his eyes glittering in the morning light.
Strange, wasn’t it? That not so long ago he had distrusted this kind hearted, gentle fellow. Ard hadn’t hated him, but he had disliked him… Yet Rhone had helped him find Erd, had proven himself to be stalwart and available and thoughtful and kind, had helped him when no one else would, and Ard would remember such a selfless act he had committed in the younger twin’s time of grievous need.
The two warlocks moved closer so they were standing on either side of Rhone, and if the larger stallion would permit it, Ard boldly shifted to press his side against their dear friend’s legs. He couldn’t use words to express how he felt. With Erd, he never needed to… But he hoped that Rhone would understand his intimate actions, for actions spoke far louder than words.
Rhone had gotten accustomed to listening and being aware of what was around him. From the time he found himself king, he had always had an ear listening out around him, fearful that someone might be after his head. It was a terrible way to live, but it was what he had grown accustomed to. Not everyone was kind and pleasant and many had wished ill on a crown.
And then, he had become a father. He always had to keep track of his children (at least the ones he had watched be born into the world). He had tried to be a good father, listening out to ensure their safety. None of that had ended well. In the end, he was left with children who hated him. He had tried to do the right thing, but he had failed so miserably at it.
He supposed that skill had never truly left him and even now, as he looked over the cliffs, he was aware of what was happening behind him. He was happy that he had heard the twins, it confirmed that he still had the skill set. He greeted the twins with a smile and a welcome, hoping they were as happy to see him as he was them.
The first thing he noticed as the small smile that seemed to broaden as Ard spoke. The quieter of the twins had always been rather recluse, letting his brother do most of the talking while he sat back with a sour look upon his face. Oh how times had changed! It was Ard, now, he struck up the conversation and greeted Rhone with a smile. It was wholly pleasant and it only made Rhone’s smile broaden.
He slowly turned away from the sunrise and the cliffs so he might face the twins more fully. He stepped towards them, closing the distance just a little bit. "Keep practicing, you’ll get it." He chuckled lightly to himself. "I must confess I am hard to sneak up on. My time as king taught me the skill to always be aware of my surroundings." For a moment Rhone paused. Had he ever told the twins that he was once a king? There were so very few people who knew and it wasn’t something Rhone routinely shared. He did not wished to be looked at any differently. He was just Rhone. He was not a father, a lover, or a king. He was just Rhone.
As the twins came to stand on either side of him, Rhone felt the brush of Ard against his shoulder, knowing the stallion was a man of few words. He knew what that gesture meant and Rhone returned a similar brush of his shoulder. It was a silent acknowledgement of the man’s gesture. "How are you two this morning? It’s been awhile since we’ve last spoken." Quite a while, he must admit. The last time he had seen the stallions was when he had helped bring Erd home. Thinking of Erd, he turned to look at Erd. "I hope you are well." While he didn’t know exactly what had happened during his kidnapping, he hoped that whatever physical and mental trauma was healing.
I'm only honest when it rains.
If I time it right, the thunder breaks
When I open my mouth.
I want to tell you but I don't know how.
As they settled, separated by the body of a dear friend, Erd found his gaze being drawn out to admire the churning waves of the ocean and the tapestry of painted colors cast against each white-capped wave from the slowly rising sun. It came as no surprise to him that Rhone had heard them before they could creep up on him; they weren’t exactly stealthy, nimble and quick as they could be.
Regardless, the older twin felt himself relaxing, his shoulders drooping and the flight feathers of his wings loosening each tension and soreness from their morning spent cliff diving at breakneck speeds. The breeze that swept up off of the ocean was cool and smelled of salt and brine as it toyed with the long taupe curls of his mane and tail. It was a good morning. Beautiful, tranquil, and spent in even better company now that they had found Rhone.
A small grey ear flicked in the bay’s direction, a curious look crossing his face. He had once been a king? Mulling it over in silent deliberation for a few moments, Erd decided that it wasn’t that much of a surprise. He could see it, in the way that Rhone held himself, in his actions and mannerisms and demeanor. He had probably been an amazing king, and he briefly wondered what kind of king he would make here, on Novus.
Sensing Ard’s own curiosity at that, the older warlock held his tongue and lifted his chin to catch Rhone’s earthly stare at his inquiry. Grey lips pulled up in a wide, toothy grin and he nodded. “Oh, we’ve been fine. Mostly staying indoors and out of trouble, you know? But Mari’s been pushing for new training tactics and stuff, so we’ve been practicing some new maneuvers that we’ll show her a little later.” Maybe. For some reason he didn’t think that cliff-diving was what Marisol had in mind when she asked them to ‘train for speed and endurance’.
Then, the gently followed, ”I hope you are well,” and Erd knew exactly what Rhone meant. His capture and the recovery afterwards. The young warlocks’s mile faltered only a little before he sighed and shrugged a shoulder. He could ponder and debate his pointless capture for hours, but why sully a gorgeous, wonderful morning?
“I’ve been really well. It’s good to be home with family and friends. Thank you again, for what you did Rhone. I don’t think I can repay you for that.”
For helping, yes, but mostly for looking after Ard when he couldn’t. Erd had no doubts that Rhone had been beyond helpful in keeping his brother safe and sane, and probably unknowingly prevented him from doing something drastic or potentially dangerous to himself. That, more than anything, warranted a debt that Erd was fairly sure he could never repay.
“I hope you are well, too. Are you?” And the warlocks’ easy going expression shifted into something akin to concern, his brows furrowed and turquoise eyes sincere as he kept his stare off of the ocean to instead focus on his friend.
I'm only honest when it rains,
An open book with a torn out page,
And my ink's run out.
I want to love you but I don't know how.
There was a reassurance in Rhone’s touch, a gentle understanding and warm familiarity that Ard had never felt with anyone except for Erd.
Ever since Vreis, Ard abhorred touch or physical interaction from anyone except his brother. Vreis had been cruel. He had been merciless and sadistic and loved the sound of the young warlock’s voice. The madman had stolen everything from him; his confidence, his voice, his peace of mind… There were many days when the episodes were too much, when Ard found himself petrified to leave his and Erd’s little hidden nook away from the rest of the world with the very real fear that Vreis was out there, that he was searching for them, that he would find them and drag them back to Luminous.
There were hours, days, weeks when Ard wouldn’t utter a single word, terrified that even a whisper would cause him to hear Vreis’ sick praise, ’Good, good, sing for me, little dove.’
Ard hated everyone because of Vreis, even himself. Everyone except for his brother… And it was because of Vreis that he had hated Rhone, too, but Rhone was nothing like the rebel leader of Luminous.
They weren’t even close.
So when Rhone returned his gentle affirmation of affection, just a soft brush of a shoulder against his skin, Ard did not jump or shy away. He knew that Rhone would never hurt him, nor would he ever hurt Erd. Rhone was a caliber so much more than Vreis could ever hope to be, and so hearing that he had once been a king caused the younger twin’s heart to beat a little faster. Not in fear, mind you, but interest and intrigue.
“You were a king?” He asked, somewhat hesitant and curious like a perplexed child, turquoise eyes wide and blinking as he also stared up at Rhone, ears forward and so very eager to hear the tales of his experiences. “What was that like?”
The bay was still their friend. Learning that he was a king would never change how they perceived him or what they thought of him, but really, the twins knew so very little about their dearest friend in all of Novus.
Ard glanced away, suddenly shy for prying. Maybe it wasn’t his place. “I mean, you don’t have to tell us. We all have things we don’t want to talk about.”
