Contemplative, he watched the night sky above and let the stars cast their gleam in his eyes. They twinkled welcomingly if shy; like fae creatures unsure of the guest that walked through their lands, sending whispers through a forest of their arrival. Guest as he was, Eidolon could not recognize these stars. In his homeland they were quite different. In shape, in colors, in the intensity of their light, in the way they patterned themselves into stories and figures. In every way he could imagine these were strangers to him. There were more pressing differences than the stars, but he dreaded the thought of everything else. Though, they increasingly began to creep in, despite his unwillingness to consider their deeper meaning. What did it mean to be mortal? Before this night he had not known. Now though, he could feel it like a spider’s web he could not escape from. Eventually, that spider would find him and there was no amount of fighting he could do to stop it. The concept of age was new to him. Time was no longer a passive force, it held his life in a fanged grip and tore away at him ever so slowly. How was it even possible to be so fragile?
As much of a shock as it came to him, Eidolon did not feel what he would describe as an impending sense of meaninglessness or melancholy. He had known that feeling for far too long in his birthplace as the exiled deity. This was more of a thrill: a chance to make the most miniscule of existences something so much grander. Nothing was certain, but he felt this was right for him, even if the loss of his true power was devastating. Not even a drop of his original power was left. Forever would he be separated from the grand darkness that had given him life. At least, the void he was used to. Now he could sense something similar but different. The night was no longer his domain, but surely it was someone’s. He wondered, would his presence in this new place make him an enemy, or was he now just another part of this world? Not knowing made Eidolon uncomfortable but he was used to the unknown.
Beyond his musings, and beyond the mortal worries that would plague his mind, there was the thought of one other being. Jezanna. He had not come to this new world alone. Partially in worry, and partially in an envious need to know she was in fact walking this new earth with him, he sought out the young moon. Her parents had spurned him any chance at happiness, and he wanted to be certain he had taken theirs. Even from the bitterness in his heart though, Eidolon felt a tinge of guilt. One he eviscerated and left in a far away place within his mind. He was not in the wrong… this was justice, and love. All he had done for hope of love, that was what he told himself and soon came to believe in earnest.
Turning his gaze from the sky, he kept a steady pace to. . . anywhere. Where he was exactly he could not say. It was beautiful though, and he knew Jezanna was drawn to beautiful places. The field rolled in hills like an ocean of grass in which the wind pushed them about like waves. So full of life and color; a pastoral wonderland of spring. It was the sort of thing he had never gotten much of a chance to admire before. He could see why Jezanna had loved to visit her world before; he only hoped she could come to love this world just as much. Somewhere under these stars she was there, he knew it; and eventually their intertwined destinies would bring them back together.
How many days had it been since they had woken here? Had it been so many days at all, or was time simply dragging on, moving slowly as if against a current? Jezanna felt listless without the structure of her days and nights, without her duties to keep her busy and her parents to keep her company. She was restless, unable to sleep though she could feel her body longing for it, and she was frustrated. No, she was angry, but the anger was an unwelcome feeling that she did not want poisoning her thoughts. The ink colored female breathed deeply, welcoming the cool air into her lungs as she paused beneath the brilliant sky.
It was a perfect, beautiful night, in essence. The sky was clear of any cloud cover and the stars twinkled and shone, so many little lights that she could not count them all. Jezanna was drawn, of course, to the night. Drawn to the stars and to the moon, and to their peace and grace. Her bright silver eyes swept across the heavens which seemed endless here, only distant shapes on the horizon to suggesting that there was anywhere else. There was a painfulness, a deep longing in her gaze and she was forced to look away when the feeling became too strong to hold in any longer. Rather, she focused on the plains and watched the breeze dance through the tall grasses which bent beneath its touch. This place was not far off from the mirror-like lake she had discovered and yet the rolling hills and the overwhelming openness made it seem like a different world. There was no hint of the water to be seen.
The sound of steps intruded into Jezanna’s thoughts and her ears flicked, catching the sound before she bothered to turn her head and seek it out. A silhouette approached through the night, looming and slow, but she did not fear. The form was familiar, the large wings and crystalline horn. Still, no relief flooded through Jezanna. Though they were familiar, it did not mean they were welcome. She straightened her stance, turning to face him as he grew closer, her metallic gaze piercing, shocking, bright. Lifting her head higher, though she was quite a bit shorter than he, the female squared her shoulders and held her ground. The wind blew a few stray hairs across her face.
“Eidolon,” she spoke shortly, taking a moment to observe him. She could not help but wonder if he too had been stricken mortal by their arrival here, could not help but wonder if he felt the loss as harshly as she did. For him it was only fair punishment. For Jezanna, it was cruelty. “Following me now are you? You don’t have anyone else to stalk, then?” Her words were calm but acute. She was not about to welcome him with open arms as though they were old friends simply because they were not. If he expected anything else then he was merely setting himself up to be let down. Idly, she recognized that she should not push him away too far but she preferred to hold him as far as she could without shutting him out completely. He was, of course, her only sort of protection or security. Fate’s twisted safety net.
Suddenly so interrupted from his thoughts, Eidolon caught sight of the woman he was seeking. She stood there alone in the plains, a pale droplet of moonlight in the grass meant for a world so far above the earth. But now she was here, and the cosmos was out of reach. Only the sight of it was there to reawaken memories. Like him, she must have lost her divinity. Otherwise why would she not have immediately sought escape back home? Eidolon wasn’t fool enough to think she would stay for him. He loved her, but she did not reciprocate those feelings yet. Watching her, unspotted so far, he felt an apprehension in his chest. Like a cord wrapped around his most vital of organs had been plucked at. He wanted to be near her, and his legs took action before his mind knew entirely how to approach her.
It did not take long for her to see him, and her serene, if worried, countenance soon became bitter and standoffish. Eidolon was unwelcomed, and that cord on his heart tightened. Her voice did not hold the same sweetness for him it did for everything else. Could he truly blame her? He had stolen her immortality, her divinity, her former life in its entirety. Everything that was once hers was gone and all that was left was a vast unknown. Almost ironic, that she should face the same struggles now that he had when the void had given him life without connection to anyone else. At least with this new beginning they would have one another to confide in. Like new babes dropped into the world and told to run before they had learned to walk. Though she had faced him with distaste, Eidolon was not capable of the same, “Jezanna my dear, I sought you out only to ensure your safety.” His words dripped like honey, “And no, I have no one else but you. I have only ever had you.”
He stopped walking just in front of her; recognizing the tension that blocked him from going any further, “I understand you are upset.” In a way he felt betrayed: knowing that feeling in him was unwarranted but unable to stifle it. All he wanted in this moment was peace between them. Some small part of him had hoped maybe she would grant him the same soft light she offered to everyone else. Now all he was getting was the sharp burn of the fire her father had controlled, “I did not plan for us to lose so much of ourselves, for that I will forever salt my wounds in failure, but this is where we find ourselves now. . . And we need a home.”
Now they got to the meat of things. What did they do now?
Jezanna stood rigidly, refusing to allow her demeanor to soften or relax. She did not want him near, did not want his embrace nor his comfort. What comfort could he possibly offer her? He was as lost in this new world as she. No, he could not ease her mind no matter how much he might wish it so. His words left her incredulous, her eyes widening a fraction. She would not be drawn in by his sweetly spoken voice, dulcet as the words were. Did he truly believe that there was anything there for him, between them? Though she wanted to laugh she could not, for the truth of their situation strangled her every thought.
“I have never been yours to have,” she spoke, and though she attempted to control her tone it still had a bite to it. Jezanna did not pretend to know his inner monologue, but surely he could not believe the words he spoke. How was it possible when they had never even spoken before, when she had only seen him once on that day her parents had confronted him? Either he was hiding something or, heavens forbid, he was deranged and she needed to get away from him immediately. Wouldn’t that just be the icing on top of this cake, to have been carted away to some strange world by a lunatic. Joy of all joys, she could not wait to uncover that rock.
“Upset,” the young moon laughed and shook her head slowly, the angle of her hair swaying in the dark. She took a step closer to him, her shoulder squaring, “You have ripped me from everything I know and love,” her silver eyes sharpened, narrowing, “You have ripped me from my life. I am not simply upset, I am so many other things. None of which you deserve to know or can pretend to understand.” Jezanna breathed in deeply, quelling the flame within her. Only he had the ability to draw it out and to ignite it, such was her aversion to him, apparently. How was it that she would be stuck here with the only other she knew at all, but the one she did not want to be with.
She turned away from him, not fearing to show him her back. If he had wanted her dead he could have killed her. That, she was at least sure, was not his purpose. What his true purpose was however, she did not know. Her gaze swept across the prairie, tracing the sloping rise and fall of the land as the grasses waved in the gentle wind. Then she looked skyward, for though these were not her stars and this was not her sky, she took some strength from its presence.
“You are right in that, of course,” she conceded at last. “I have done a small bit of walking and it appears there is a sort of citadel to the south of here, though I’ve yet to step foot inside its walls.” A shiver zipped down the length of her spine, her skin tingling. Though spring approached, the night still brought a chill to her bones. Perhaps springtide was just the thing she needed, a chance for a new start. “It may be a place to consider refuge.”
He should have known better than to expect anything but the spite he had felt from all other creatures up until then. But he knew, he knew, she had the right to be angry. Everything she blamed him of he was guilty, but at the same time he did not regret it. If he was to be hated so for simply existing, he may as well give them all a reason. Let Jezanna’s parents twist their guts in worry for the rest of eternity for the cruelty they had dealt him.
Her words carried her anger, of course, though they bit more than Eidolon expected. He had only seen her as a sweet and beautiful young woman, but now he was seeing another side. A side that reminded him much of her father, though he would never say that. Rather than respond at first, he let her dole out what she had to say: keeping a calm composure and a steady gaze her direction. Increasingly, it became clear she did not understand why he had done this. Peace would not be an option for the time being. So be it, let discord reign. Let it blast open the skies like thunder. Hatred cooled eventually, and seeing as how they were the only two from their original home, Jezanna would have no choice but to share this new world with him. Even if not directly, they would never quite escape knowing one another.
She turned away from him and stared up into the sky. Likely to find some bit of calm within the turmoil of her thoughts and ignore anything he might have to say. Eidolon gave her that moment; shifting his wings a bit to make himself more comfortable and attempt to shake away some of his own nerves. She was not the only one upset. As much as he would like to explain it, he doubted she would listen right now. Another time maybe. Such was his own burden.
When Jezanna did finally speak, Eidolon found himself surprised. At least they could agree on something, and this citadel seemed promising. On another note, he did take notice of the shiver that seemed to grasp the mare. Somehow he was absolutely certain she did not want any warmth he had to give. His wing was already half stretched out, but he slowly retracted it, “Then we should head that direction. Find you somewhere warm to stay. South was it?” He turned that way, not failing to notice how beautiful Jezanna was in the starlight as his eyes traced her form. He did not let his gaze linger long however, she would certainly not appreciate it. Genuinely his voice did hold concern for her, but he focused more on the new home plan for her sake. Tonight he would not win this battle and his mood did not have him daring enough to argue.
Though her back was turned to him, the young moon could hear the rustle of his feathers as he shifted and moved. She did not see the outstretch of Eidolon’s wing as he thought to move it around her but changed his mind, pulling it back to his side. It was probably for the best, for she might have taken a few feathers out of it had he touched her. Despite her conceding that they needed shelter, she was still not ready to be his buddy, not ready to let him off the hook for the wrong he had done. It was far too soon for her, the truth too overwhelming.
“Yes, at the southern point on the coast,” the midnight daughter spoke, at last turning her silver gaze toward the violet clad stallion once again. She did not miss the inflection of his voice and her eyes flickered, narrowing slightly, so quickly it was near impossible to see. Jezanna could not even begin to understand how it was possible he could feel any such way of her. It only made her think that there was indeed something that he was hiding, and the girl didn’t know whether she should fear the truth or not. Whatever the case, she did not want to hear it.
“Let us go, then,” Jezanna said, her hair swinging as she turned south and headed away from the prairie. Her thoughts turned to the high stone walls of the keep and wondered what was hidden within, who else she might meet. Feeling lost as a bird with no direction she could not pass up the opportunity to become familiar with others, to perhaps learn even more about this world. It was a pining inside her, a thirst that she longed to sate. Despite the two, Aislinn and Rostislav, that she had met that night on the lake and what had been revealed to her, Jezanna still felt on the outside.
He said nothing more, biting his tongue back and carrying on with the tense atmosphere. Things had not gone at all according to plan. He should have known better. It left a sour taste in his mouth. So quickly she had gone from the sweetest creature he had ever known to being as full of distaste for him as everything else. How much could he blame her for that though? This tiny part of him felt that guilt like a hurricane churning his stomach into knots. It was the worst feeling he had ever known, despite everything. So terrible that he buried it away forcefully with self-pity. He was the victim, this was revenge, this was for love. In this moment he wanted so many things. To comfort her, to know he was justified, to feel whole, to not be so alone, but they were all just out of reach.
Frustrated and dejected, he followed beside Jezanna, leaving her the space he was sure she would prefer. Without a word, they walked towards this fortress bathed in moonlight. The only sound between them being the clop of their hooves in the dirt, and the sway of the grass as they pushed through it. All the extra time to think left him contemplative of what came next. Where did they go from here?
This new home of theirs was a mystery, though it did seem Jezanna had some knowledge of it seeing as how she knew where to go in the first place. It was likely she had met someone before he had managed to find her. Who, he wondered, might it have been? He might have asked if the air wasn't dense and uncomfortable with the lingering bitterness of before. Instead he kept his pattern of silence, ruffling his wings every now and again as the moon above rose and fell. It was some time before the noticeable outline of a stone structure could be seen on the horizon.
