[Quest] how the years change us

[Random Events]

red flowers and monarchs and sadness 

A light breeze blows over the meadow, tossing the grasses to and fro. There is a hint of the ocean in the air as one is not too far from the shores in this part of Delumine. Among the grass are red flowers scattered across the stretch of land, bringing a brilliant color to the sea of greens. A bright orange butterfly flutters by as it looks for the perfect flower to land on. It is a spectacular sight indeed and one might enjoy the simplicity of it when they travel here.

Unfortunately for one, today is not a day of enjoyment but mourning. There is an old mare croached further in the meadow. Her age shows more clearly when one gets close as they can see the speckling of whites and grays among her black coat. She is next to the body of her lover who is laying on his side with his eyes closed. Her sobs become louder and louder as she weeps of his passing. 

The pair were together for over ten years and it felt like a piece of her heart had been ripped from her chest. The two had a bond unlike any other and now that connection had faded. Old age had finally caught up with the man overnight and the woman could not bear to leave his side just yet. The poor soul had been battling an illness for some time, but had been too stubborn to get himself looked at. Perhaps there was nothing that could be done at this point anyway, but she still wanted to try. He collapsed here and she has been here ever since. His voice still echoed in her mind, "It'll be alright. I'll always be with you."

The woman almost didn't notice the presence of another coming forward. She sniffles and stops her crying for a moment to turn her head. "Help," she begs, reaching out for Maerys to come over to her side. "I don't know what to do without him. I feel so lost."

She doesn't know what this stranger could possibly do to help her, but she hates the feeling of being alone. All she ever knew was her partner's warmth and comfort and that was gone forever.

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@Maerys might feel a pull towards the meadow. At first she might think it's nothing more than the promise of a perfect summer day that calls her to explore the red flowers and the tall grasses. However the deeper she walks into the meadow the louder she might heart sobs. When she follows the sound she will find a mare crying by the side of her husband who is starting to grow cold and stiff. And maybe, maybe she'll feel some ache in her heart, her blood or her soul that pushes her to step closer and help in any way she can. 


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This quest was written by the lovely @layla.

Enjoy!

[Maerys]

there are nights when the wolves are silent
and only the horses howl

Illuster Meadow in the spring was astonishingly beautiful.

Dotting the scenery before Maerys was the brightest red flower, a beacon of color and springtime health. The flower was such casual beauty, enough to bring the girl into the vibrancy of the moment, all of her thoughts on blessed pause. And there was the birdsong that followed - the laughter of winged comrades.

And then it all changed; the blissful serenity was shattered.

There are sobs in the air that cut through any tranquility like a carefully sharpened knife, even threatening to slice through Maerys who's heart beats quicker and legs move faster towards the sound. As the source of such wailing comes into view, Maerys can feel herself cracking and caving.

The girl did not deal well with death.

She assumed that when this man passed, the old woman cried with more violence than any gale. Not to have him right there was a torture to her soul. It was doubtful that she broke quietly. No, no - it was like every atom of her being screamed in unison, traumatized that she should exist without her lover.

How long had she sat there, next to a body with no life in a field that pushed to be celebrating when she was not?

When the wracking sobs passed she cried in such a desolate way that no-one could bear to listen for long. She had gone from felicitous to hanging by a thread, a transformation no-one knew how to reverse and when her watery eyes landed on Maerys, she pleaded softly and with few words for help.

"Mourn not the passing of a life well-lived, yet celebrate -" the dun mare began softly as something ethereal and unnatural and all too magical swelled within her heart.  "Count the times your souls smiled together, reached out so invisibly yet tangibly and touched." And this magic that grew like a babe in her belly tells her to reach for the mare, touch, touch it whispers. "Death is only the end of a chapter, my friend." The girl stepped towards the mare, reaching her whiskered snout out. "And so as this body makes ready to return to the soil, his spirit will watch over you and live in your heart." The mare blinks away another tear as she reaches for Maerys back, thinking it will only be a simple physical connection for comfort. "It will bring sadness as you transform into this new way of connecting, yet this is part of living." Yet the simple touch becomes so much more.

The magic that now lives within Maerys snakes its way to the old woman's heart and claims her despondency for its own, leaving in its wake only the love that was felt for this man and the beautiful moments they shared together.

The magic, powerful and concentrated, retreated back within Maerys and instilled her with the mare's troubles. The old woman's emotion was too much for the girl to handle. The anguish, the sorrow, the feeling of hopelessness - make it stop, make it stop. The horrible sadness wasn't the girl's to deal with. And she didn't know how to.

She slipped away from the scene quickly then as the old woman looked upon her partner with a closure she may never have reached if it wasn't for Maerys.

But the child was more melancholy than she had been in a very, very long time.

And the tears. Oh, the tears.

They slipped from her eyes and didn't stop for a long, long time.


600 wordsMaerys stumbles across the old woman grieving her dead partner and initially doesn't know what to do as she is troubled by her own fear of death. When the woman asks for help, Maerys' new magic is discovered and it pressures her to take the old woman's pain for her own (which she does). In the end, the woman is able to get closure and reminisce on the good times with the old man and Maerys slinks away, feeling devastatingly sad. 

thank you Layla for this beautiful quest <3

@Random Events

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force and magic always permitted