he can feel the stifling feeling of choking climb up her throat as she stands at the edges of the meeting. The meeting where they have announced yet another ruler to fill the silent throne. Meira peers down through a window into the fields that are turning blue with the approach of dusk. The tint is foreign. It doesn't taste like home. Delumine has never tasted like home. The urge to run and flee this place grows overwhelming as her emotions begin to swell. The bodies that fill the streets of Delumine are like a bad itch on her skin. It is not the first time she has thought of leaving because of the suffocating feeling of being trapped. There are times where she believes that no place in Novus is safe. That it will never love her as much as she loves Solterra. There is no stability in Dawn. It makes no promises like the day.
Her mother would say that there would be no day without the dawn. Meira doesn't care if that is true, because she is not a poet. She is not a scholar. She is a fraud in a court full of them. They all carry the stench of dust and paper. Meira belongs to the sea. That is her one true home. Delumine does not love the sea like Solterra. It does not replenish itself in the same way as the desert. It is quiet here. "I need to get out." She begins to speak, but it is a whisper. The bodies do not shift to make room for her. They don't move until her voice becomes more of a roar and she begins to shove her way through the crowd towards the gates of Dawn. Meira doesn't realize she is still running from him. That the change that she feels so threatened by just reminds her of him.
Open
>__> Meira is contemplating/maybe trying to leave Delumine a;dlfj (if u have a soldier, please feel free to have them recognize/know her) or any dawn citizen really alfd;j
share with me the blankets that you're wrapped in
because it's cold outside, cold outside, it's cold outside
Callynite
share with me the secrets that you kept in
because it's cold inside, cold inside, it's cold inside
There was a difference to the air, at least to Callynite, as she walked the streets. More stared at her, not just the occasional glances she got before as a deer, but this time, because she wasn't just another citizen in the kingdom. Others moved out of her way, uncertain as if waiting to see what kind of leader she would be. If she would push the poor out of the way in her journey to a top. Had things really gotten so silent, so dead, that a mere change in power could cause this quiet confusion. Bated breath held for positive or negative interaction. She didn't think of it, instead walking up to a vendor, ordering a bit of dinner with a kind smile, paying with coin, tipping for the quick service, ignoring the look of starstruck honor from the vendor who hadn't expected their new Queen to partake in 'street food.' Cally merely smiled, taking a bite of the sandwich and declaring it perfect, before continuing on.
More curious whispers started up, following as she walked through the darkening kingdom, occasionally helping mothers herd up their young foals, a queen who didn't want to be seen as a step up, willing to instead walk among her subjects, partake in their own quiet lives. She wanted this place to feel like home, not just a land she had domain over. She continues to move, before feeling a twinge in the magic, in the very web of ley lines she uses to keep tabs on her country, her people, to ensure everyone is healthy, alive. She doesn't know what the twinge is, but something has disturbed the magic of the ley lines, a subtle cry for attention. It doesn't take long for her to realize it's plants trying to give report, and she listened to the report of something near the gates of dawn.
A commotion. A trouble. Cally races forward, easily sliding through the crowds, manipulating her body through the ley lines when she needs to before spotting the soldier, so outspoken, from the meeting. Instantly Cally was sliding through the crowd, forcing them back, away from the disturbed mare, "Back up, give her space! It's getting late, all of you can go home. There is nothing her to concern you." Her voice rang out strong, steady, before she approached Meira cautiously, standing between her and the gates, "Meira, right? Let's talk. Once we're done, if you still wish to leave Delumine, I will personally prepare you a pack of food and other necessities to give you the best start on your own. But . . . I think I'd like to hear what has disturbed you so much." Her voice was soft, for Meira's ears alone, and she offered a kind smile, reassuring, "I promise, I'm not the sort to force someone to be held back. If you feel your path is beyond our gates? I will wish you the best, and just remind you, you are always welcome back.
"But, I'd like to avoid mistakes of those who came before me . . . Will you spare a deer a moment of your thoughts?" She didn't want to lose anyone of Delumine, there weren't many of them left anyway . . . But she also couldn't force Meira to stay if she wanted out so badly. Cally knew what it felt like, trapped under the thumb of another who made all the decisions for you. Trapped behind the facade of 'mother knows best' and kept locked away from the world. Cally couldn't bear the idea of forcing another to be trapped into a life, a kingdom they couldn't find happiness in. If Meira really wanted to leave, Cally would let her go with everything she might need out there. She just hoped it wouldn't come to that.
and your slowly shaking finger tips
show that you're scared like me so
he crowd that gathers in the streets provides no relief for her as she hovers at the gates. It is not until a familiar voice calls out for the crowd to dissipate that she realizes just how many bodies were nearby. It is not the creature she wants to see. Meira doesn't want to talk to her Sovereign right now, she doesn't want anyone. She doesn't need anyone. Yet, the deer swiftly organizes the onlookers and ushers them to depart. It is a kindness that the soldier doesn't believe she deserves as she stares after the flanks of the vanishing crowd. Then it is only her and Callynite. Meira pries her stare from the bodice of the deer as she begins to speak, addressing her by name. There is no desperation in her voice as she speaks, she is not determined to force Mira to stay.
The striped child of the sea continues to stare out at the meadow that separates Delumine from the rest of Novus. From the wilds in which all of those she thought she would care about vanished into. Meira listens to Callynite as she speaks, encouraging her to share what has disturbed her so. There is a biter laugh that spills forth from her lips and her head swivels in an almost predatory fashion as she peers at Callynite once again. It is an abrupt, and violent movement. It is not directed at Callynite, not yet. She will not commit such a heinous act and get herself thrown out of this court yet. There is no reason for the hate she feels that seeps out of her. Meira does not acknowledge the kindness that Callynite continues to impress upon her, but she does not trust it. She cannot.
Everything is too close and too covered in thorns for her to find comfort. "It is not you, or what you represent that has me so disturbed. Delumine has changed hands more times than I'd care to admit. One after another, my expectations were to remain loyal and protect our Sovereign even if they are different from one week to the next. I thought that the family before Andras would be different. I thought I cared about them, and that it was mutual. I was wrong about them. Imagine promising your fealty and protection to an idea rather than an individual. It's unstable, and I do not need anything more that is unstable in my life, as selfish as that is to say." Meira begins, and the bitter tones do not pull back their roots. Instead, they burrow deeper into her heart.
"Even more so, imagine that you have uprooted your entire life in the hopes you might be accepted into a new home to find that you have almost nothing in common with the majority of the community. Delumine loves scholars, but it does not love the soldiers in the same way. The ones built for war are forgotten in favor of those who can read ancient tomes. They're all nice, but Oriens will never love me the same way. I am and always will be an outsider here. I have not done much in the way of building my life because I spend far too much time running from an outside threat." Meira explains she is unable to stop herself from unleashing all these pent-up feelings on the first creature to ask what has bothered her.
"Would you stay if your court did not love you so? If you found you could not relate to anyone? Where would you go if you felt that no place in all Novus could feel like home anymore? Do you stay and fight to make a place for yourself, or do you leave?" Her words almost sounded like a challenge, but beneath that challenge was someone who desperately wanted a friend. Meira would never admit such things out loud. She never was the type to rely on others, and even less after Sebastien pulled the figurative noose taut against her throat.
share with me the blankets that you're wrapped in
because it's cold outside, cold outside, it's cold outside
Callynite
share with me the secrets that you kept in
because it's cold inside, cold inside, it's cold inside
The doe could tell she wasn't the one this mare wanted to see, tell it from the way her eyes are almost boring into her, but not meeting her gaze. Cally doesn't let it bother her. She doesn't see an angry mare ready to tear apart the world. She sees a hoping citizen of her kingdom, someone who needs help. Whether it be a friendly face to help pack a bag of wares and make sure she makes it safely out of Delumine, then fine. Or someone to just listen . . . well, Cally wouldn't know until she dug further into the issue here.
Meira's gaze moves to the meadow, the one between Delumine and the rest of the Island. Cally still waits, speaking so cautiously to try to get the other to spoke, so she doesn't flinch at the bitter laugh, and when that gaze spins on her, she doesn't hesitate to meet the gaze. It might be predatory, but showing fear in front of a predator was always bad too, was it not. And Cally knew that this land, Delumine, the forest it protected would also protect her. Because she was bonded so deeply with the very magic of this land. The forest whispered to her, its secrets, recognizing the Druid for what she once was, what she now remembered herself to be.
She tilts her head, large ears turning towards Meira when she spoke. She wasn't expecting the word that followed. If it wasn't she, or what she represented, then what was it. She didn't interrupt though, waiting for Meira to say all she had to say, a good plan when the tirade began to flow. So she worries about the instability? Had stability promised to an idea that crumbled in the face of reality. But some of this, Cally didn't have to imagine. Uproot her entire life? Done. Hope to be accepted to a new home with nothing in common to the majority - check. Feel like an outsider. Double check. She might not have spent time running from an outside threat, but she'd wasted a lot of time angry for a turn of events.
Still, Callynite was silent while the other asked what she'd do if the court didn't love her. If she found no one to relate to. That no place in Novus could feel like home. Stay and fight, or leave? Cally was quiet, contemplative. "I'm not a native of Novus." The words were said softly, and for a moment a look of bitter defeat crossed her face, bitter over all she had lost, all she could no longer regain. She loved Delumine now, she was so interconnected with Viridae. But . . . . it wasn't home, still wasn't fully. "I'm not even of this realm. Where I come from, we have magic that beats with in our very hearts. We are so deeply connected to the world we live in, that it felt like the world rewarped itself for us. The land there, it bent to my will, would whisper to me in the morning, lead me to safety in darkness.
"I was a goddess there, a reincarnated one, perhaps, but the land knew, the land felt it. The Druid Goddess. The protector. The Guardian. The beloved one. But I was foolish, I craved adventure, to learn, to see, to experience. And I found a portal deep in a cave system. I usually travelled with an entire party, but they had plans come up with an attack the previous week, and so I ventured by myself. I foolishly went through that portal. And when I did, two warring realms fought over my body. Novus tried to make me equine, pull me here. My home world tried to keep hold of their precious goddess, to keep me a deer.
"When I landed on Novus, I was an odd mix between the two. Neither deer nor horse. A hybrid. I believe the common reaction to me was a disgusted 'What the hell are you supposed to be.' But the part that hurt so much back then. My connection to the earth that I had always held so sacred was gone. The druid could no longer feel the earth, communicate with the plants. I was bitter, I was so bitter. I hated this land, this land that robbed me of who I was, what I was, what I was meant to be. But . . . I didn't give up fighting to remember it. I slowly made friends who could look past my odd looks, because I worked hard to make myself someone who could be accepted, with out sacrificing who I was at the core. I'm not a scholar myself, I'm an adventurer. I don't find dusty tomes exciting, I look to the horizon for the next place to see and explore.
"I found a mare, who kept a dragon as her companion, and she crafted me a bow, and it was like a piece of me returned. She was with me the day my magic returned, in a blinding flash of light that had the entire realm of Novus seem to sigh. But I was angry again, my magic was different, weak, altered, and I was angry all over again. This place had given me my druid identity back and then laughed in my face with something that wasn't what it was before.
"So I fought harder to get to where I am at. I explored, I determined to learn, to do my best. I dared to cross a portal, and I was a deer again, and yet, I'm still different from everyone around us. I'm a deer among horses. Tell me how many more have you seen beyond myself and my mate? The only two deers in Delumine. So, you want to know what I did when my court didn't love me. When a previous leader hated me for having the connection to Viridae that he lost? I worked harder to prove myself a value to Delumine. What did I do when I found no one to relate to? I searched harder for that first shred of connection and built friendships from there. When no place in Novus felt like home - I made it home. I built a claim for myself here, because I stayed, and I fought. I fought with everything I had, and now . . . now my court supports my taking the mantle. I'm not only welcomed by Delumine, I now can help guide it. So others don't have to feel the way I did. So that when someone falls from their home realm and feel trapped by the unfamiliar, I can tell them all that I've told you now.
"So I can look them in the eye, and say it is possible, but only if you decide it's worth the effort. Tell me, Meira. Are you worth fighting for? Because when it comes down to it, that's what it is. Is your happiness, is your ability to find and make yourself a home, worth fighting for. Where will you go if you leave Delumine? Where will you try to find a home for yourself next? What will happen if you fall into this same funk?" Cally's gaze softened, and she reached towards the taller mare, "I realized, I was tired of running, so I fought for myself. Won't you do the same?"
and your slowly shaking finger tips
show that you're scared like me so
allynite does not flinch beneath Meira's volatile gaze. It is a feat that the soldier does not ignore because she knows that deer are so often prey. The Sovereign is only lucky that Meira no longer belongs to the sea in the same way that she used to. Cervidae never suited her anyway. That was a long time ago, it seemed like another lifetime now. Callynite was respectful and allowed Meira to finish sharing her anger, and then she began a story of her own. She explains that she is not a native to Novus, and this confession hardly surprises Meira. Callynite and that stag who roams the streets of Delumine are the only two that she has ever seen in Novus. At least beyond the ones that flee into the wilds and do not share the same forms of communication. Yet, the more that the Sovereign shares, the more Meira finds disdain for her. Like the previous Sovereigns, she is a mage too. The rotting words of the fire bender ring in her ears then. Get used to it, magic is everywhere.
Callynite explains she is a druid and was once a goddess far beyond the reach of Novus. None of that means much to Meira, who has been devout to Solis since the moment she could breathe. It was a funny thing to her, how something from the sea could love the sun so violently. She listens, with patience she did not know she had. The Sovereign tries to relate to her by sharing her own anger and frustrations about being dropped into an entirely new world. It is not the same, and she is unsure if she can appreciate the effort of Callynite sharing her story with the soldier. She has never been fond of stories, she was always more fond of trading blows. Meira cannot relate to the doe, although she knows that Callynite wishes that were the case. Why else would she share so much with a bitter soldier who saw no home in Novus? Then as her story winds to a close, she asks Meira if she is worth fighting for.
The question feels like ice water seeping into her veins. As if the arctic currents have torn her veins open and poured themselves inside. The answer is a stone sinking to the seafloor. She knows the answer all too well, and although she knows the doe has good intentions, it still hurts far more than she is willing to admit. Meira jerks herself backward, away from the soft gesture that the doe has offered to her. She does not want comfort from a stranger, and even less from someone who forced her to confront uncomfortable truths while she is highly vulnerable. "No. You will be wasting your time. I am not worth the effort." Meira speaks, and there is a chill in her voice now. As if that question alone was enough to empty Meira of everything that made her real. She feels dead, and that is because she has been dead for a long time now. Not in the literal sense, but something rose beyond the physical realm. Callynite asks why Meira won't fight for herself. Then the rage begins to surge, and it forces all that ice water out of her veins. Her bodice swells and she stands at her full height, peering daggers down at Callynite.
"You ask as though I have not spent every second fighting of every day fighting for myself. Fighting for a peace I may never have. I have survived far more than you can imagine, and most would never guess by looking at me. When do you stop just surviving though? I don't know where I will go if I leave Delumine, because the only place that has ever been home to me is the sea. I have only been loved by the violent tempest, or an angry and violent god, and now I have not even that. This is not a funk, Callynite, because I am still fighting for my life. I am hunted everywhere I go in Novus, including in your very own Delumine. I very much doubt that you have the ability to keep me safe, because Delumine has not kept me safe so far." Meira's words are violent and hot. She peers down at Callynite, and there is indignation burning in her heart.
"Your magic will not stop him. He would sooner eat your heart and leave you for dead. All magic sows rot, one way or another. Imagine the inability to be safe even surrounded by talented soldiers. You have fought, and I can understand and respect that.. But you have not fought for the love of our gods because you were one. Maybe Novus was punishing you for daring to have so much power... They have never been fond of sharing. I can understand that you are trying to relate to me, and your struggles are valid Callynite, but we too are vastly different." Meira speaks again, as if her words are a warning of danger. In a way they are... But it is not certain if she is the threat just yet.
"Can you promise me safety here? If not, then I am better off on my own. At least then I know I can count on myself."
share with me the blankets that you're wrapped in
because it's cold outside, cold outside, it's cold outside
Callynite
share with me the secrets that you kept in
because it's cold inside, cold inside, it's cold inside
The doe only wanted to help, wanted to do what she could to make Meira stay, if only so she wouldn't feel like she failed one of her people so soon after taking over. If only to ensure herself that she wasn't so unfit. If only to see Meira happy, to help her see that Cally isn't about to turn her back on any of Dawn. They were a unit, in Cally's eyes. And the one thing Cally had learned back home, early on - no matter how big the party, you never leave a party member behind. Cally intended to use this same philosophy now, with her Court.
She wouldn't abandon Meira, even if it meant escorting Meira away and ensuring she had everything she needed for a fresh start elsewhere. But she does want to prove, to explain she can understand some of where Meira comes from, that she knows what it is to be different, feeling unwelcomed, that for the longest time, Dawn Court didn't feel like home. She fought for it, for everything she had now. Because she refused to give up, refused to give in. But she can see in those eyes, her words do little to sway, it seems. But still, Meira seems patient, letting her talk, letting her try to form some sort of story, trying to help her, trying show a relation, an understanding.
The mare suddenly jerks back, and it takes all of Cally's control to not react herself. To keep herself still, watching waiting. The other doesn't want comfort, so Cally doesn't offer it again. When she speaks this time, Cally sighs, but doesn't interrupt, trying to ignore the chill for the words. Not worth the effort. Why does everyone always seem to think that? No one is not worth the effort. No one is not worth the time. Everyone is worth saving.
Cally begins wondering if the real saving Meira needs is from herself, however. Not from those that chase her. And then the mare seems straighten. She stands taller, and the short doe meets the daggered gaze with calm collection, refusing to back down, to show weakness to this soldier. She might be tinier, but the faint glint off her horns, the steely determination in her own eyes, she's not some meek sovereign about to let others fight her battles. Its why she was here, now, fighting a losing battle against a mare who didn't want to be saved.
The other spoke again, of fighting every day for themselves, fighting for a peace denied. surviving far more than most would ever guess. She demanded to know when you stop just surviving. Then she says the words that Cally was waiting to hear, of it not being a funk, that she's fighting for her life, hunted everywhere, even in Delumine. Cally doesn't react to the challenge to her own abilities to protect another, but she feels a twinge, a twitch of her magic at the thought that someone would consider it not enough. Perhaps, at this moment, in this time; it wasn't. Not yet. But soon, soon she'd make it. She'd do her all. She'd hone her skills, she'd make Delumine proud. She'd show them all what she was capable. Ruling as the people's sovereign, protecting her people fearlessly from the front lines when needed. But this also is telling her so much knowledge.
Whoever chases after Meira, however, is the one this coldness growing in her heart is dedicated towards. Cally sighs as the mare calls out her challenge, her questioning if Cally could keep her safe, "I won't lie, I don't know if I can. Hell, every day I wonder if I'm doing anything in this place right. I'm not born or bred for leading, and hell knows I'm a deer trying to lead a tribe of horses - which is it's own joke at times. But, even if I cannot promise safety with out fighting, I can promise to always be in your corner. If anyone comes after you, you won't be fighting alone, and I'd use everything in my arsenal."
Cally's words go softer, "I don't believe in making shallow promises, and knowing so little about what is going on, I won't promise you a safety I cannot guarantee, especially so new to taking this throne, learning how to do this is a learning curve I'm tackling. But, that doesn't mean you cannot count on me. I'll always be ready and willing to fight at your side, even if it's us, back to back, against what ever searches for you. If that's enough for you, then I'll do everything in my power, my ability, to ensure that promise is kept.
"But, if it's not . . . I understand. I'd hate for you to leave, but you don't deserve to live somewhere that only makes you more afraid, looking over your shoulders. Can you rely on your fellow soldiers to have your back? For me to stay by your side, even if the going gets tough?" Callynite tilts her head, observing the other, knowing this was fully her decision, she couldn't make it for Meira, "If not, allow me the time to make sure you've a proper packed set of bags, to at least make the start of your journey elsewhere easier. If it is enough, then tell me what more I need to do to make Delumine feel safer for you."
and your slowly shaking finger tips
show that you're scared like me so
t does not surprise Meira that Callynite cannot promise her safety here. What does surprise her is the honesty with which the new Sovereign thrust upon her. The doe acknowledges the strangeness of a Cervidae leading a tribe of horses as she calls it. Delumine has never felt like a tribe to Meira. That concept alone makes her wonder if she will ever belong anywhere but the Sea. Each day that passes has her doubt growing more and more. The striped mare listens quietly, although her rage is burning inside her. Meira is not known for her patience, but for the time being Callynite is her Sovereign, and so she bites her tongue. The doe does not beg her to stay but instead assures the mahogany seaborn that she will always be in her corner. The thought of a Cervidae in the corner of a predator makes Meira laugh. The sound is not sarcastic, nor does it sound like it is directed at Callynite. It isn't directed at her, but rather at the absurdity of the situation at hand. The situation that only she is aware of.
Meira feels a momentary pang of realization that surges through her as she listens to the doe. It is true that she has not shared her plight with others. So few know the truth about Sebastien. Meira's features contort into one of horror as she realizes that he still has a hold on her. One that she will never break unless others know the truth about him. About what he's done, and continues to do. Callynite ends her speech by asking Meira what she can do to make Delumine safer for her. A bitter laugh spills from her lips when the question is posed to her. "If I tell you what you need to do to keep Delumine safe, I don't think that you'll enjoy it. Even if it is the truth." Meira answers the doe, and this time her voice is low. Softer, as if the fires of rage have finally been reduced to a smolder. It is obvious, or at least she hopes it is obvious that Callynite's words have had some sort of effect on her. She is cautious, but it seems that some trust has been forged between them. It is because of the Sovereign's honesty and compassion. "I'll stay, and tell you of the one who hunts me. The one who will prey on any vulnerable equine or Cervidae."
Meira begins slowly at first. Her heart pound in response to the danger she is about to unleash. How much of this is her fault? How many consequences will rain down on her because she has told a Sovereign about him? "His name is Sebastien, and as far as I know he lives in the Night Court now. I don't know if he ever left, but I do know he keeps trying to drag me back there. He is dangerous, very very dangerous. Sebastien has magic that ensnares the vulnerable in what he calls his gravity. He'll make anyone believe they are the most special creature to ever have existed and once you're hooked he'll drag you to some isolated location and torture you for as long as he can. Until you are nothing but a husk of your former self. Until you believe you'll have to run from him for the rest of his life. He doesn't let anyone go. The longer you're away from him the weaker the effect his magic has on you... but it's never enough. I don't think he'll stop until he kills me. "
Meira finally answers Callynite. It is the first time she has ever been honest about him, and what she's gone through. Her heart is racing, and her eyes appear panicked. She knows that Sebastien will hear about this, and then he'll step up his game of hunting her. "That's the thing about him... it's his magic that can turn anyone against someone. He kept me for years trapped in Denocte. When I escaped and came to Delumine, I was a shell of who I once was. The only solace I found was in the sea instead of the soldiers I joined up with. He writhed his way into my home and now even Delumine feels tainted. So to answer your question, Callynite... You'll have to kill him to keep Delumine safe. "
Meira finishes her explanation, although her decision to stay is still teetering. Perhaps this can be how she starts over. By exposing Sebastien, even if it is only within her home. "Please, banish him from Delumine. That is the only way that I can remain in your court and have some semblance of peace. If you cannot do this, and I understand that it is just my word against a stranger... well then I'll be packing my things and going. I don't know what I would do if he found a new victim here in Delumine though. I just might kill him myself."
share with me the blankets that you're wrapped in
because it's cold outside, cold outside, it's cold outside
Callynite
share with me the secrets that you kept in
because it's cold inside, cold inside, it's cold inside
This was the first hard task that Cally was setting out to handle, after taking up her role of sovereign. And she wasn't sure how successful she would be in it. What it might mean for the future of her rule. Here was a member of her court asking for help, ready to walk away. What would it say about Cally if this Deluminian left, more importantly, what would it make Cally feel about her position and capabilities. And most importantly above all; at least in Cally's eyes; what would it mean for Meira's future. Favor for and against her time of reign would likely sway with the seasons, so was nature. And her own confidence in herself would always hit peaks and valleys - as was natural. But Meira's fears seemed to permeate from beyond Delumine soils. It was something that had this mare ready to leave the court, ready to cast herself away. And who knows what might mean for Meira.
So Cally treats this situation the way she would want to be if the roles were reversed. This was no time for false pretenses. This was a moment that called for honest, and calls for support, no matter the situation. Whether Meira left the courts, Cally saw her as a Deluminian first, not a deserter. Which meant, if the time came, and she needed to come to her aid, she would. And while she may be a deer, with little else to her name than antlers, she also hummed with the very magical currents that swept this entire continent. Her eyes closed, she was now able to follow those currents, to locate individuals. Those whose currents she knew, she could pick out instantly. Coy was back at the palace, and judging by the repetitive movements of his currents, pacing about, waiting for her return. She could feel Sol Bestiam, with his mammoth energy that felt like the sun resting beside the smaller sparkle of his daughter. And now, knowing Meira, she could feel the chaotic energy, like waves crashing within the limits of a contained force; just meters in front of her. It was the manipulation of that energy that she would use to defend Meira as one of her own.
But she doesn't know what is going on. She wants to give her support, but what support is she promising. What is she to stand up against. Would Meira even give her the chance to know? The bitter laugh that falls from Meira is one that causes her to pause, and she tilts her head as the other speaks, of how she might not enjoy what she'd need to do. Her words are softer though, and it is a moment before Cally responds, "Some of the right decisions, are the hardest to make. Not because we want to make them, but because they're the ones we need to make but will feel no joy out of." It's words spoken from an older part of her soul, but they're spoken with soft, earnest, matching the lowness Meira presented her words in, "I may not always make the best decisions, no one is perfect, but I try to make the right decisions as often as possible."
Then an offer is given, and an offer that Cally feels would change the sway of this conversation. The promise of the story, of the knowledge of what Meira was afraid, of who. An individual who preyed on the vulnerable. Already those two sentences set Cally ill at ease. Not for concern of what she was promising to take down if the time came; but rather concern for her people against what a being whose is described with those words is capable of. Those aren't soft words to describe a soured relationship. Those are the words of a prey describing its predator. Predation was a natural part of the world, as one who tapped so fully into the natural order of things, Cally was aware of that. But this . . . this sounded different as well. And it was only through hearing the story that she'd be able to make her decisions - she prayed, for Delumine, for Meira; she'd make the right one as well.
A name was a perfect start, and the Court he resided in. But to be called dangerous, to hear of magic that ensures others. She listens quietly, cataloging and prioritizing every bit of information - making sure to pay careful attention to how he handles those he ensnares. She doesn't like what she hears, and the more she hears, her eyes grow hard, feeling the very glittering green aura strengthening in shine around her, as her very magic subconsciously acted upon her disgust about such a creature. Yes, if need be, she'd stand in Meira's corner. She'd wall up the distance between themselves and this being. "You're right, that's not something I want to hear. Not because I don't want to make the decisions involved, but because no one likes to hear how evil another being can be." The idea of his magic turning someone against another as the doe hoping even she would be able to stand against, especially if it ensnared the senses, tapped into the mind. Hers was so fully swept into the currents of this world, the very magical ley lines, that she was never fully herself anymore. Would that protect her?
She didn't need to hear what was asked of her, she had already come to that decision, that conclusion herself. Cally looks up, her green eyes sparkling with the firm grasp on the magic she was keeping, but her voice isn't as controlled, it displays her emotions. The certainty she held in her decision, the determined righteousness to do what was required, and the unbridled disdain for this being that had been described to her. "I may be a small doe, easily overlooked because of my species. But I took this role to do my best for Delumine. For the others who called themselves Deluminians. I promised myself I'd treat everyone fairly, hear all sides of the argument . . . do what needs to be done to see Delumine, to see the Dawn Court prosper.
"This Sebastien is not of our home, he is not of my concern, does not deserve my fairness, does not deserve my sympathies, my kind actions. Should he step foot on Deluminian soil, the very earth will respond with my will. If I must kill him, to keep Delumine safe, to keep you safe, I will not hesitate to enact my vengeance. I may be a fair, a just leader when I can, and I am not without mercy where it is owed. But anyone who would dare strike up against one of my Court will not see that side of me." She doesn't go into detail on the side they will see, mainly because she felt the need wasn't there. She put forth her best face for Deluminians to see, they didn't know beneath the countenance of the young doe was the inferno of a former goddess, a mother nature cast off and separated from the realm and nature she held domain over. They didn't know she'd transferred that loyalty to her home, her world into Delumine, and everything under the Court's banner. They didn't know her story, of where she came from, what she'd left behind, and what she hadn't been able to protect her people from there, even if she'd given her original godly life to contain an enemy. She'd seen her people hunted down once before, been unable to do more than aid at the time, but this time it was different. This time she had the power to help, to defend, and protect. She had claimed Delumine as her home, her land, her court. The people her subjects, her beloved family. Unfortunately for Sebastien, if there is ever one thing true about gods, former gods, and every other variant - you do not threaten what they consider theirs. Delumine, and her citizens, they were Cally's everything.
This statement rings truer for a goddess over nature, where their domain stretches so far, and where their rage is fueled by their desire to protect and defend. Her voice rings out, clear, a decree that is answered by the very soil beneath them, humming energy that is already aligning with her intentions, "Let it be known, from this moment forth. Should the being known as Sebastien step foot on Deluminian soil, it will be treated as an act of war. He, and any who align behind him; shall be seen as enemies of the Court, and will be treated with extreme prejudice." Her voice is hard, unwavering, and she can feel the very energies coursing through Delumine strengthening, tying her deeper into the land, to make sure should he step up, if he should step in - she would know, and she would answer. "Should he foolish step onto our lands, he will not leave them alive." Not because she wanted to say whatever it took to keep Meira from leaving, but because this was the right decision, the hard decision, the only decision Cally could make.
Because any being who could do those things to another was the enemy of everyone he came across. And Cally refused to let her people be hunted when she could stop it this time.
and your slowly shaking finger tips
show that you're scared like me so
allynite closes her eyes for a moment as Meira speaks. The soldier doesn't pay any mind to it, mostly because it doesn't take very long for the Sovereign to reopen her eyes. There is a rough, seriousness about the doe that wasn't apparent prior. Despite all her nerves, Meira manages to tell Cally about him. About the man who sinks his teeth beneath the flesh of the vulnerable and gnaws until there's nothing left of them. Sebastien is even worse than all the stories of ancient vampires and howling wraiths. He is a beast unknown to the masses. Cally's words surprise her at first, mostly because part of her wants to do anything but agree with this near-stranger. The striped mare listens to the statement that the doe, that she tries her best to make the right choices as often as possible because perfection was an impossibility. Meira offers a simple nod of agreement, but she says no more about the right choices despite the fact that she agrees with the fresh Sovereign.
Callynite is a far more attentive listener than the soldier anticipated. The silence and seriousness edged into the gentle sloping features of the Sovereign. The green aura surges around the Sovereign as Meira speaks and shares all of the wounds Sebastien has inflicted upon her over the years. Then as her story grows quiet, Callynite's voice does not break the silence at first. Instead, a long pause weaves between them that leaves Meira feeling a little out of breath. Her bodice shifts uncomfortably as she fights the urge to run far from the disdainful glance the leader of Delumine now has on her face. At first, the words Cally begins to speak cause her stomach to drop. Her veins feel like ice and her heart feels like a roaring fire. It's her turn to listen as patiently as possible for the answer. The softness that comes from the doe is foreign to her. Meira cannot remember a time when anyone was ever on her side. Even in Denocte she was overlooked as an outsider.
Sebastien's words were too convincing. There is a righteous fury that emanates from the Sovereign and Meira notices. The fires that burn inside of her are nothing compared to this display from her leader. For a moment she feels very small next to Callynite. Not because she is physically small, but because her emotions and sense of justice are nothing like the brown doe who seems so gentle. As she speaks, Meira can tell how protective the new Sovereign is of Delumine and her citizens. Protective, not possessive in the way that he was. Sebastien only knows ownership and lacks all sense of compassion. She speaks of her fair leadership, and her mercy, but she also speaks of banishment. It isn't until her last set of words that Meira feels any sense of relief. It is the first time she has ever been believed about the struggles she faced with him. The assurance that he would not leave Delumine alive had her feeling oddly giddy.
Elation toward the potential death of another was not something she ever thought she'd relish. Meira usually wouldn't, but with Sebastien it was different. He had robbed her of her home and loved ones faster than she could take her first breaths of freedom.
"Then I stay. Delumine will be my home and I will set fire to the souls of anyone who stands against it. It is the least I can do for someone who has been kind enough to support me although I am a stranger. It has been too long since I have had a home, or friends... or safety. "
Meira answers her, now feeling weary from the exchange. Thinking of him is always tiring.
"But maybe it's more accurate to say that I have found a home in you rather than the court. It's easier to find a home in others than in places... but even they can be taken away. I should be getting back to my post soon, but if you have questions about him... and how is magic works... I should be able to help you. I'm no good at protecting others from it, or defending them. His magic is the equivalent of muzzling a starving wolf. If he can stop even that... your mages are better suited for that set of thoughts."
Meira finished all she had left to say. There is a weariness that hangs over her that is different than the panic and rage that had consumed her. There are no more crashing waves of violent anger surging through her, only the exhaustion that comes after the storm.
share with me the blankets that you're wrapped in
because it's cold outside, cold outside, it's cold outside
Callynite
share with me the secrets that you kept in
because it's cold inside, cold inside, it's cold inside
There is something about the distress in another that can make Cally stand taller. To hear a story; and feel the need flowing through her body to fix it. To right the wrong. To offer a safe haven; a need to protect and defend. She knows a lot of it comes to who she was, and where she originated from. When your past life paints you as a goddess who gave her very life for those who worshiped her; that tends to stick with you: lifetime, and lifetime again. Especially a mother nature who feels the need to nurture. So hearing the story Meira tells her, that need bubbles up until she wants to protect the other mare, to destroy this very monster where he may stand.
The need to banish the demons comes full force, and for a moment, the doe feels like the goddess again, standing against the Disirax as the threaten the health, happiness and magic of her people. Eyes blazing with fury as war is promised on the horizon. And then she's back on Novus land, a doe, a Sovereign - not a Goddess. And this threat is a stallion; not a despicable monstrosity. But the anger, the fury at the mere thought this being would try to control one of her subjects still tells her he is an enemy. A threat. And threats were to be squashed. To hear that Meira had decided to stay, Cally felt some of that heat start to simmer down - the knowledge she had changed the mind - her own reactions had been the reassurance.
A slow smile touched the doe's face, and she grins easily, "We will set the fires together." She corrects, before grinning a little brighter, "My father once told me, Strangers are merely friends you haven't made yet . . . and I'd be honor to make friends with you Meira. I have a feeling, your own fire is exactly what Delumine will need to continue to grow." It was a fire, a passion for this land she hoped to ignite in all of her people. She blinks then, startling at the idea of someone finding home in her. And for a moment, she's almost brought back to that feeling of being a goddess once more, loved by her people, supported by her creations. And then she's banishing the thought once more. It's not who she was anymore, she was one of them now, a mortal, a member of Novus, a Sovereign of Delumine . . . and that was better than being a goddess.
She smiles gently, "I can understand that. A Court might give you stability, walls to protect you - but with out the strength of the people to build up those walls, they can crumble. When the ground shakes; as it will; it's the people who shoulder you, and help you find your balance." She steps back, to allow Meira to pass, to return to where she comes from, "I think you're wrong. You may not be good at defending others, protecting them directly - but giving us the knowledge of what it does is a protection of itself. It prepares us, so we will be less likely caught off guard by it. I believe, you to be more capable of defense than you may realize. But go now, and do consider getting some rest as well . . . This has not been a conversation light of heart. But I thank you for trusting me with the knowledge you have given me . . . I must make my own escape as well . . . I have a letter to write to the Sovereigns of Denocte, and a new law to write regarding an enemy to the Court." Not to mention some plans to lay with the very Court itself, so she would be alerted should he ever foolishly cross her lands.
and your slowly shaking finger tips
show that you're scared like me so
