Summer had come quickly, the warmth and decadence of the season lightening Reichenbach's mood considerably. Not that he was ever in a bad mood when heading toward the peak - it was a pleasant change of pace, wandering Denocte as he collected flowers and honey for his tribute. It was that time of month: the time he visited Calligo and left her a star-spun tribute, murmuring his troubles and trials, his loves and losses. She always listened, was always patient despite her wildfire heart. He and Calligo shared many similarities so she understood when his emotions peaked, when they grew too much for him to handle, when he broke and lost control. It had been a while since the last time - he'd been metering out that internal turbulence through sparring, though he'd been close to losing control the last time he had been here.
Reichenbach swallowed, remembering the brush of feathers against his skin with a barely contained shiver. Atop the mountain it felt as if the whole world did not exist, only the memories of that world, the far away problems that meant nothing here. Sighing, the Sovereign of The Night Court lay his collection at Calligo's shadowy shrine, admiring the woven collection of plants, flowers and sweet honey as it was caressed by darkness. After a moment of consideration, he sank to his knees and then lay silently down beside the shrine, speaking in a low murmur to his Goddess, his Queen.
"Give me the strength not to chase her," he began gently, "The strength to watch over my people, to make the right choices for them and them alone. Let Araxes find joy in her new position, and Raglan the common sense to listen to Camdis. Bless your new countrymen and embrace them with your shadows and stars, for they are just as wild and lost as we."
The soft depth of his voice faltered as he concluded in a whisper;
"May you find happiness and comfort in your realm, sweet Calligo, and may we meet again."
ooc; worship thread but anyone is welcome to join!
Once more, the winged fae found herself wandering; ever drifting. Before she knew it, Calligo's sweet darkness had spilled over the never-ending sky, like a bottle of ebony ink emptied onto a painted canvas. She had been absent from Court for several days now, her legs taking her to new destinations unlike she had ever known in this world. The gypsy in her was restless; snapping at the bit to be unbound. So she wandered, taking a short leave of absence to center herself again.
Since dawn first broke that day she had walked, her wing still clipped and healing — ever slowly, tediously — from her spar with Rostislav. She ached to swim in the great obsidian Night that was her true Mother, her Calligo. The stars glimmered, beckoning for her to join them, as she climbed higher still to the Peak. If she could not worship Her from the midnight skies themselves, she would at least roam to the highest earthbound point she could reach.
And oh, how the air vibrated the closer she climbed. A stairway to heaven, to the twinkling sea of stars so so close to her that she could almost touch them. Her hoofbeats clicked softly on the stones, her mind racing with memories of her times here before; when she visited with Luna, and once before with a mysterious button-eyed girl.
Her heart constricted as thoughts of her late mother flooded her as she leveled out, deaf and unseeing to anyone who might have been in the aclove. She sniffled softly, breath escaping her as sapphire orbs widened to marvel on the statues and.. her king.
Reichenbach. His very presence had her racing, every thought and molecule burning in answer to an unspoken question. Ears flicking, the dark mare only watched silently as her sovereign, the embodiment of Night-in-the-flesh, shadows and stars, laid there and prayed. Her heart twisted, the ache of warmth from his skin a ghost where her wing had brushed his shoulder on the stormy cliffs. She caught his ending words, her body angling to leave; intrusive, and entering something that was very, very private.
Something had her hesitating; a chord stringing tightly in her chest. Angling her crown, she brushed her starlit mane from her eyes as she dipped her head. "May Calligo bless you as well, my King," she said so so softly, as not to startle her sovereign, as gentle smile — albeit embarrassed — smile pulling at the corners of her lips. "may she be the stars in your eyes and the night-blessed breeze in your mane, always."
@reichenbach hello darling <3
Not my best post, I'm sorry :c "Aislinn speech."
He looked upward swiftly, the jingle of coins deafening in the cavernous temple as he beheld her like some trick of the light. Was Calligo toying with him? Sending Aislinn to confuse the beating of his strong heart, it's desires? He shook the tension from his features, dismissing the idea as soon as he peered into Aislinn's gentle eyes. She was no trick - she was genuine and kind, fierce and talented in battle, a gypsy like he. His heart pattered, leaving The Night King somewhat breathless and more than a little flustered.
"Aislinn -"
It was a hesitant stumble of words at first and then warmth descended upon him and he smiled, something like relief and welcome glimmering behind his long lashed eyes. A familiar grin began to form and Reichenbach heaved his muscular body to a standing position, rolling his shoulders a little before settling comfortably with one cocked hind hoof.
"and in yours, stormsong"
There was a slight pause in which Reichenbach remembers the press of her warm body upon the clifftop, how electrified and on edge he had been. He was dangerously close to something similar here, although perhaps not in the best of ways - this was where he had said goodbye to Flora. It felt intimately wrong to want someone else at a place of worship and yet Reichenbach wasn't entirely convinced sending Aislinn here wasn't a part of the Night Goddesses plan. Aislinn was, after all, a match for him in every way. She was full blooded Denoctian, and lived the gypsy life as he had, she was a fierce warrior and loyal defender of their people. Stars above she was even one of the most stunning women he'd had the chance to see in his life. All this ran through his mind swiftly before he broke the silence, baritone voice questioning:
The name resonated in her so deeply, intimately, that she was at a loss for words. Ice-blue orbs blinked in surprise, taking in the view of him as he stood gracefully, the tinkling of golden trinkets echoing in the mountain aclove. Her king was here, standing before her and as real as any dream she had before. By the stars, the Goddess herself was toying with them both it seemed; a dance of encounters since the stormsinger had first met him at his own coronation. Smoke and mirrors and burning desire. Here and now he stood before her, and they were completely, blissfully alone.
Her selfish wanting was also accompanied with the roil of wariness, however, as she felt intrusive for stepping into something that was private.. oh so very private, and sacred. She knew the importance of prayer; knew in her heart how much it meant to sit in solace with no one else but with Calligo. As if a cord of red ribbon tied them, Aislinn was drawn to him; over and over they met, as if the night-blessed Goddess was pulling the strings of fate herself. A soft musical chuckle rumbled in her throat at the thought as it crossed her mind. Maybe the Goddess was right -- of course she was -- for them to find each other again and again. Reichenbach was the king of shadows and stars, wild and spirited as she was untamed summer storms. He was her match; a wanderer, a protector, and as much a son of the Night's darkness as she was a daughter to the stars. She couldn't deny any longer what she felt in her blood and bones, her heart fluttering against her rib cage. Her king was Night made man; handsome and shrouded in shadows that enticed her. Thinking this, Aislinn took a slow, nervous inhale, gingerly stepping deeper into the cave.
Damn her, but she refused to deny what she felt any longer. So she fell against the ribbon that seemed to tie them, allowing herself to step a little further into the citadel. Stars above them, he broke the silence with his voice of baritones that had a shiver running across her skin. She silently winced at his question, cursing to herself that she allowed herself to show even the slightest hint of weakness. Folding her wing, she fluffed her feathers, her gaze momentarily averted to peer at the scabbed wound on her right side, and down to the missing plumes. Clearing her throat, she sucked in a breath. "I, um," she started, a grin playing at her lips at the memory, "a spoil of a spar, Your Grace."
She shook her wild mane of starlight and inky night threads, rolling her shoulders to shake off her embarrassment. The last thing she wanted was for him to worry about her; she was a soldier after all, trained and loyal and longing for the battlefield. It was in her blood, just as much a gypsy as she was a warrior-hearted woman. With a few slow blinks, Aislinn looked up at his warm, handsome face -- her breath catching -- as she bit her lip. "It's surely nothing -- it seems to be healing quickly."
@reichenbach
eeep our confused little cinnamon rolls c:
I am so sorry for this Ash is just feeling all of the emotions holy moly "Aislinn speech."
He was intimately aware of her proximity, the closeness of that satin skin, the whisper of her silver hair. The air felt thicker, heavier, time moving sluggishly underneath Calligo's shadows. The temple air was unmoving, still, no sign or sound of the wild winds roaring around the Peak, no reason to believe the world outside of this moment existed. It felt as if something were about to happen - and at any other moment, The King of Shadows would have accepted Calligo's impatient prompting and kissed Aislinn, hard and fast and desperately. But he could not.
Instead he cast his silver gaze to her wing, shifting closer in a brush of shadows and smoke to brush his lips over the wound ever so lightly. It was a promise. To Calligo, to Aislinn. Her feathers were the softest he'd ever felt - and even with the inner turmoil twisting his stomach, he could still picture resting his great head upon them as slept under the stars with her. Aislinn would always calm him, soothe him when the world seemed to be one vast trap - she was loyal, and kind, and good.
As he withdrew, eyes flicking upward to meet hers, Reichenbach felt the air go brittle and taught. All he could smell was her summer salt scent, like an ocean-kissed night, vanilla and campfires and song. Stars above, she was beautiful.
"Aislinn..."
He began, uncertain in a way he had never been before. Calligo help him, was this the right time to be confessing things? He'd never questioned emotions before, never had a reason to deny anything his heart wanted - he was utterly and completely out of sorts. He'd never known himself to be a coward before.
"Aislinn I'd like for you to be our Champion of Battle"
Fool, fool and coward for not telling her. Truthfully, he had intended to ask her to be Denocte's champion, just not... now, like this.
Her heart fluttered, drumming heavily against the bones of her rib cage. The turbulence of it's madness had her gulping as she was all too aware of his nearness; the heat from his mahogany skin radiating in waves. He was so so close, and the desire to lean into his warmth was a battle she was losing miserably. The shadows seemed to slither and move in anticipation, the stars glimmering and hushing as the Night goddess pushed them ever closer together; the build-up heavy and tangible as her heartbeat grew louder. Her desire to brush her velvet lips on his, imaging the feeling of them there, slow and desperate until her yearning deepened into something that opened up and changed into a beast she did not want to tame.
Thump. Thump. Drum.
With eyes of ice-blue flames, she watched him; every breath of movement, every centimeter as her king looked at her. Aislinn melted under his gaze of molten-silver, her knees weak and wobbly. The oxygen in her lungs burned as she held her breath as he moved, his eyes glancing over her face and down to that ugly rip of scabs and missing feathers on her wing. She was still, a statue of ebony marble and starlight, as he leaned and pressed a soft kiss on her wound. Blissful heat radiated from where his lips touched her, a sigh loosing from her as she watched him. He was everything to her; and in so many ways that she could not even begin to breathe words to. Reichenbach was not only her king, but the epitome of goodness and desires. He was the answered dreams that are made on falling stars, honest and strong-willed and a match for every dark part of her. They were one and the same it seemed, as Calligo pushed them ever closer -- only for them to break apart.
Thump. Thump.
The building fever in the air around them was drained, a violent descent as he pulled away, looking up at her through a thicket of dark lashes as he withdrew. She longed to pull him back, everything she had wanted to say stuck in her throat like glue. Almost instantaneously, the air around her had dropped several degrees, a shiver rippling over her skin. Aislinn closed her eyes, wishing; the musk of wood smoke and night jasmine lingering around her like a cloud. A ghost of where he was and wasn't anymore.
Thump. Thump.
She shuddered as he breathed her name, her heart wrestling as she waited. As if on the edge of that cliff again, toeing the thrill of the fall, storms and thunder and stardust rioting all around them. She was on a roller coaster that only went up up up, as she anticipated what he was going to say. He was shadows and stars and whispered sweet nothings, warmth and mystery that had her blood boiling. Her eyes trailed over him and his wild curls, and the tangle of coins that pulled at the strings of her heart. Bless Calligo, she had outdone any of her creations — he was handsome — as he wore shadows and smoke like jewels. A true King of Night.
"Reich, I.." she started, the taste of his name sweet and wonderful on her lips as she finally started to say all the things that needed to be said.
Thump.
Reality crashed down on her as her stomach rolled, the drop of the thrill sinking into her stomach at his words. Suddenly, she was hyper aware of where they were, of every little detail as if she saw it in sharp focus. She blinked, turning over his words. Stepping back, she was no longer the gyspy girl who was falling head first for her king.. instead, she was the storm-born warrior, ever dutiful to him. No longer the would-be lovers she craved to be, but instead a Sovereign and his chosen knight. And for the first time, she despised it; but there was nothing that she could say or do for now.
Stepping back, hating every inch of distance between them, she averted her gaze as she dipped her crown respectfully and in answer. "I'd be honored, Your Grace." More distance; a gaping hole where he once was moments before. Her breath came in uneven shudders, her emotions bubbling and screaming as she fought to understand everything she was feeling. If he could see it, she did not know.. but more than anything, she hoped — wished — that her king saw what she was so plainly trying to convey. And if anything, the stars above her stilled winked and shimmered, tucking away her thousand wishes for safe keeping as Calligo watched over them from afar.
Reich.. I think I —
Tonight was not the night, however, as her roller coaster crashed and burned, her stomach flipping. The winged fae's vision blurred, tucking her plumes in close to her body for warmth as the phantom of him had faded away. With a slow, delicate exhale, her orbs of icy-blue looked up at him, the sudden movement jingling the coins and feathers around her throat. "What would you have me do, my King?"
@reichenbach
*screams internally* my cinnamon rolls D: *hugs them*
Holy long post... had a lot of Ash muse today c:
This post was inspired by this song! "Aislinn speech."
The change in her demeanour struck him like a blow to the chest, to see Aislinn, wild, free Aislinn, turn into the perfect soldier... he hated it. For this was not the warrior Aislinn, it was a mask. The real Aislinn was dutiful, yes, but she also danced carefree in the streets, her silver hair catching the starlight. She laughed like music and flew like a storm, she was alive and vibrant, a cool breath of stars and shadows. Reichenbach felt almost as if he had taken her from the sky and planted her in the earth, bound. He shook the feeling from his skin, trying but failing not to show the hurt in his wild eyes.
"I'm in love with Florentine"
He blurted, unable to contain the guilt of it any longer. He wanted her - stars above did he want her, and Calligo knew she would have made him happy, that she did make him happy. It was hard not to look at her without warmth flooding him, without seeing how majestic and untameable she was, how beautiful. But he was not an unfaithful man. He could not lay next to Aislinn while thoughts of Florentine remained, could not say that he loved here without giving her his whole heart.
"We aren't... together. We can't be together. I just... wanted you to know why."
It was obvious he wasn't talking about her new position any more, every emotion darkening his eyes, there for her to read. How much he wanted her and how easy it would be for her to take advantage of that - at Calligo's hand or not.
ooc; @Aislinn dramaaaaa how cool would it be if Calligo stepped in and put a lil lust in the air ;) @sid @kay @kaons @inkbone ... just sayin'
She was on the edge, her emotions laid bare and clear as day on her face as she looked at him. Her king, and so much more, if she could only breathe life to what her feelings screamed. Once more, she was transported back onto the cliff against the wild sea, a new summer storm raging around all of them. Just inches from the edge, from the fall; tumbling headfirst into something she was not — could not — ever imagine or be prepared for. His words cleaved her heart into two, her eyes blurred and blinking rapidly. Oxygen failed her as she listened; Reichenbach's words etching into her skin whether he meant them to or not.
I'm in love with Florentine.
No longer was she the warrior that had been honed and trained to yearn for the blood, sweat, and tears of the battlefield. No longer was she the dreamer who wished upon falling stars. No longer was she the gypsy who danced without cares or worries under a full moon and eyes that reflected starlight and blue flames. No — she was just a girl who had fallen for her king; someone she could not have, and she did not have the slightest shred of knowledge on how to handle it.
We aren't... together. We can't be together. I just... wanted you to know why.
With a delicate hoof, Aislinn took a step back, hating the distance between them with every fiber of her soul. Her mind took mental pictures of his handsome face; ignoring the hurt in his eyes of liquid silver, glazing over the emotions that flooded his features like a flipped open book for her to read. The regret that surged over her like a summer tsunami was corrosive and toxic, eating at her as she averted her gaze. She couldn't look up at him, not anymore.. not without the cage her emotions were stuffed into breaking open. Aislinn had never known love, not like this; nor heartbreak. With shuddering inhales, she continued to step back; closer and closer to the entrance and exit to the mountain citadel. So so close; they had been so close, and now there was an ocean of emotions and words between them.
She would do anything to go back to before; before she decided to intrude on his prayers, before she was a girl in love with a gypsy boy. But she could not.. time did not work in such a way.
But she could forget. With distance and distraction.. she could forget.
"If you need me, you know where to find me, Your Grace," she whispered plainly. A lie, a riddle; choking back everything she felt. And then she was turning, swiftly launching herself into the sky full of stars, damaged wing and all.
@reichenbach
Pooey exit but alas... Ash does not know how to handle herself "Aislinn speech."
@reichenbach / @spaced has redeemed signos for completing this worship thread.
@Aislinn / @roo has redeemed signos for completing this worship thread and 1st time with Spaced.
09-02-2017, 06:33 PM - This post was last modified: 09-06-2017, 12:06 AM by inkbone
