There was a strange bite lingering on the breeze as the jet black mare made her way southward. The abrasive scent of salt was foreign to the young desert dweller. Barely out of her foal-hood and already she wandered a strange land, far from those she had once known. The wandering wasn't new to her, she had been born to a nomadic people who never did stay in one place too long. It was tiresome however to never had a solid home. Some might say home is wherever those closest to you resided, but that was a bunch of hogwash in her opinion. She had longed for someplace she could sit still and wake up each morning looking at the same sunrise. That's probably what had brought her here despite not even knowing where "here" was. To say rumors of a strange magical land and the promise of a new home had lead her there would have been a lie. Truth was Regina had simply ended up there by complete and utter happenstance. Some would call it fate, others dumb luck, she was too busy being distracted by the strange yet oddly pleasant sensation that lead her forward.
Forward she moved, eventually her delicate ears beginning to pick up a sound to go with the smell. It was a far off, faint crashing at first but as she continued to move forward soon it could only be described as a mighty roar. Emerald eyes grew wide with a mixture of awe and fear when she finally came to stop at the edge of the rocky cliffs. "What is this strange, strange oasis? It looks like it goes on forever!" She'd never seen an ocean before, never even stopped to consider there'd be a massive body of water somewhere so full of salt that one couldn't even drink it. Head held high as she squinted in an attempt to see the other side she stood there in utterly stunned silence. It was both breathtaking and terrifying all in the same instant.
((Sorry, this is one of my first rp posts in a long, long time. They'll get better I promise! I just wanted to introduce her before I need to go make dinner. Anyone/everyone welcome!))
the salt is on the briar rose, the fog is in the fir trees.
Sometimes Caspian took the beauty of his home for granted. True, the sea was his business but also his joy; few days passed where he didn’t find himself stopping for at least a moment to observe the roll and crash of the waves against the cliffside, or watch the clouds pile like mountains on the horizon. Sunsets (and sunrises, though he rarely was up early enough to enjoy them) were always spectacular, and there was little better than watching a summer storm come sweeping on over the water and whip its surface to whitecaps.
But it has been the background to his entire life, and often Caspian has dreamt of what is beyond it (or, sometimes, below). He wants more than the life of scouring the shoreline for pretty shells and helping smugglers hide their goods. He wants fame, and adventure, and those things so often turn his thoughts beyond home.
Today he’s in one of those moods - at least until his meandering path leads him to a slender black mare, staring out at the water like she’d never seen it before. There is something in the awe of her expression that makes him look, too, before he glances back at her with a grin. “Not a bad view, eh?”
So mesmorized by the chaotic crashing of surf as it groaned against the rocky cliffside she was caught completely unawares of the approach of the other horse. As his trigectory carried him ever closer to her she remained entirely oblivious, mind dancing along with the frothing seas below. It wasn't until his voice called for her attention did she break her eye contact and return to the current moment.
With a blink she turned her delicate head to face the young man who had approached, racing mind both musing over his words and breathing in the sight of company all in the same heartbeat. He looked young, clearly older than herself but he couldn't be that much older. A refreshing sight if she was honest. Children had been somewhat of a rarity back home. The desert was as harsh as she was beautiful, and she didn't care much for those who couldn't care for themselves.
Not a bad view the thought played in her head for a moment before she nodded. "Not a bad view at all. I've never seen so much water, such angry water." Anger, that was a good description of what she was seeing below her. She could practically feel the rage coming from it, "It reminds me of the deserts of my childhood, so beautiful, but so deadly looking. What is it? Does it ever end?" In the back of her mind she knew that these questions were absurd. Of course it ended - somewhere. Everything the has a beginning has an end, and everything that has an end has a new beginning. Her gaze turned from Caspian back out to the ocean below them. She longed to go touch it, to feel the bitter smelling water against her body. She'd have to find a way down eventually.
the salt is on the briar rose, the fog is in the fir trees.
The touch of emerald against the black of her face is arresting; he’d only planned to look her over briefly, a butterfly’s-touch of a glance, but he ends up staring at her the way she’d been watching the sea. Caspian has seen plenty of horses adorned in jewels, but none with any set into their skin. It raises as many questions for him as the waves do for her.
But he is not so uncouth as to ask them of a stranger, so he turns his grin and gaze back out to the water. Angry water, she calls it, and it’s a fitting description; the waves thrash themselves against the cliffside, dashing to white froth; overhead the gulls circle and cry, sharp accents to the percussive boom and slap of the water. It catches his attention the way it always does, almost hypnotic, but her questions draw his attention back.
What is it? she asks, and Caspian shoots her a glance to make sure she isn’t messing with him. She certainly sounds earnest, looks earnest; not even he could pretend such wonder, or fake such awe in his expression. And it does not seem far fetched at all to believe she’s from the desert (though of course he imagines the Mors, as foreign to him as the ocean is to her, instead of any foreign place).
“It’s the Terminus Sea,” he says, still watching her watch the water. Benvolio would tell him to stop staring, or at least quit being so obvious about it, but his companion isn’t here. His smile has turned softer, though there is still a fishhook-curl at one corner. “I suppose it must end eventually, though I’ve never heard of what’s on the other side of it. You should see it when there’s a storm on.” His tone is boyishly confident, and he could easily go on - the paint has a wealth of knowledge about this particular stretch of shoreline, after all - but he resists the impulse. “You said you’re from the desert? I’ve never been. I’m Caspian, by the by.”
Had it not been for her own rudeness, her mind being so engrossed in the scene playing out before her that she was barely sparing the stallion a few fleeting glances, she may have noticed the awkwardness of how uncomfortably long his gaze lingered on her. Too wrapped up in her own head however her eyes moved to him once, maybe twice as he spoke to her. That should not be mistaken for a moment that she wasn't listening. Indeed she was hanging on his every word as he answered her question. Repeating and replaying each sylable in her head. Terminus Sea, the name inspired her imagination, the thought of a storm covering it was both beautiful and terrifying, while the thought of it ending was- disappointing, but it made sense. All things must end for others to begin. It was the way of the world.
It wasn't until he mentioned the desert and introduced himself that Regina pryed her eyes away from the hypnotic abyss below her. The sound of crashing waves still soothing her soul as she attempted to focus. He wasn't raised to be rude, and she was vaguely beginning to realize that she was in fact forgetting her manners. "Hello Caspian. I'm Regina. Its a pleasure to meet you." She gave a dip of her head as emerald eyes soaked in her companion. His light colors such a stark contrast to her jet black hues. She met his gaze as she continued speaking. "Yes, I'm from a long line of desert folk from the north." She paused for a moment. She had come from the north right? Was that still an accurate description for just how far she'd traveled. "Very, very far north. I've only just arrived here." She returned his fishhook smile with one of her own, soft and genuine.
Though she'd attempt to leave her gaze meeting his it would take but a moment for her to fail and for her eyes to again drift out to the sea. Such a wide expanse, she'd always said she planned on walking until she couldn't walk anymore before she settled down. Now it appeared that moment had come. Her smile widened a mere hair more as the realization hit her. Could she possibly have reached her destination? Could she possibly, finally, be home? The thought made her almost giddy with excitement.
the salt is on the briar rose, the fog is in the fir trees.
Eventually Caspian gives up on watching her from beneath his pale lashes and follows her gaze back out to sea. While she focuses on the immensity of it, the young stallion picks out the places he knows; the little cove to the south where low tide reveals a wealth of pools brimming with starfish and shells, the pock-marked coastline north of them that disguises the mouth of a network of caves stretching back several hundred yards into the cliffside’s ancient stone, the place where the sea-floor drops abruptly. Not for the first time, he wishes he could explore more throughly, with wings or fins - it’s frustrating to have such hard limits on his learning.
He’s glad to have an excuse to return his attention to the lithe stranger with her cat’s-green eyes. He still has a difficult time picturing anything but Solterra when she speaks of the desert; it is to the north, after all, and while it may not be very, very far, it’s still more than a week’s walking, and farther than he’s ever been. Caspian can’t say he’s heard an accent quite like hers before, but he’s heard there are many bands of horses than roam the desert, and he hasn’t met many from the court of the sun, anyway.
“Well, let me be one of the first to welcome you the Dusk Court, then,” he says, with a toss of his head to shake his forelock from his eyes. The salt-tasting breeze does its best to comb it back into his eyes again. “If you fancy a guide, I was born and bred here. I know a fair few of its secrets.” There is only a little bit of bragging to the words, and surely he can’t be blamed for it when it’s the truth. When she looks back to the water his gaze lingers on her for a moment, tilted boyishly, mouth curved in a smile. “Do you plan on staying, Regina?”
If he would have suggested she'd come from another of the local courts out loud she would have probably laughed. The truth was she's traveled for more than two seasons to get there, or was it three? Probably closer to three, but her memories did sometimes like to exaggerate to her. At the offer of a guide her eyes widened, a glint of excitement all too evident as she couldn't help but give an excited prance of her hooves, bouncing up and down with small but exaggerated movements. "A guide would be lovely! Thank you Caspian! I want to see all the secrets this place holds!" Or at least as many as he was willing to show her. She did know some secrets were best kept hidden, but she'd take all that she could get and accept them greedily.
The Dusk Court, the title played across her tongue as she took in the name he'd offered. So that's what those in this area called it. "The Dusk Court, that's a rather funny name. I may have just gotten here, but I'm sure its not dusk now." Which, in her mind, made it obvious to her that this wasn't a place of eternal dusk such as the name would have you assume. There must have been another meaning behind the name, but perhaps her new friend- and Regina did make her friends quickly and already considered this relative stranger as such- would be willing to explain that on the tour he was offering.
Do you plan on staying, Regina? She looked away form him for a moment and back out to the sea again as she pondered his question for a mere fraction of a moment before turning back, the corners of her mouth twisting up happily. "Why yes! I think this place is going to make a fine new home! Especially if everyone is as welcoming as you've been!" Such a tremendous mix of emotions were flooding through her. Dare she say more emotion than the crashing anger and mournful beauty of the very sea below them. There was excitement, relief, joy- so much joy- and even buried under all the rest was just a tinge of sadness. She'd always just been wandering before. There had always been that chance that whatever road she took would lead her back home, back to family. Who was to say that in a way had hadn't though? Albeit it was a new home, and a new family she'd find here, but it had the potential for being home and family none the less.
With another excited prance she reared up just slightly, feet only lifting a mere few inches from the ground before the young mare twirled around excitedly and let out a laugh as she went. Saying it out loud felt liberating. It was time for the rest of her life to begin. "So Caspian, where too first?" She could hardly contain her excitement and was ready for their tour to begin!
the salt is on the briar rose, the fog is in the fir trees.
Eventually Caspian hadn’t anticipated such a level of excitement; the way she prances, the light in her eyes, makes him laugh. “Then I am at your service,” he says, and sketches a little bow. Though he’s sure Benvolio would be rolling his eyes, he does wish the bat was here to see this - just how charming he could be, to someone who didn’t know any better. (And there are plenty of secrets to share, even excluding the ones he would decidedly not be showing her.)
His expression has subsided back into a smile when the young mare comments on the name of the court. Doubtless every traveler has the same question, and most of the natives, too. Certainly Caspian has wondered, though never enough to look for answers. Names seemed fairly arbitrary to him, anyway. “I’m not sure how the Solar courts got started - naturally the story goes the gods were behind it - but there’s Dawn, Day and Night, too,” he informs her, his blue eyes still lingering on her face. “Dusk’s proper name is Terrastella, and it is very pretty in the evening.”
Most of the horses he associates with were a close-lipped bunch, unless alcohol was involved - such was the nature of smugglers and roustabouts - and it had been a long time since he’d had such an exuberant conversation partner, much less one that’s also a pretty girl. Caspian still wears his half grin, flicking his tail idly as he watches her. “We’re a friendly bunch.” Maybe he should ask her more - where she came from what she was looking for - but she seems so happy just to be here, he doesn’t want to do anything that might alter her mood.
And anyway, her joy is infectious - watching her rear, exuberant, makes him toss his own head. He feels the same urge, now, to kick up his heels and make the day his own.
“This way,” he says, and tilts his chin to the south. “This path leads to the city, but we can stop by the beach on the way if you want - get a closer look at that angry water.” The paint flashes her another grin, then is away with a little leap, loping along the cliffside with the wind in his hair and his new companion close behind.
Regina was a curious creature, and when they curiosity was fed it wasn't uncommon for excitement to come bubbling out of her. Between the cool, bracing feeling of the strange tasting breeze brushing against her face and the promise of the adventure that dangling before her it was as if she had just turned the chapter in a good book. What interesting plot twists would this new character in the story of her life introduce. She couldn't help but let out the smallest of giggles as he bowed to her. If this really had been a book perhaps this would have been the chapter where the protagonist had just met the dashing knight- or pirate scoundrel pretending to be the dashing knight, who could really tell at this point?
As he began explaining a tidbit of the solar courts and how they were organized she inhaled mentally, forcing herself to focus and calm down so that she could give her new friend her full attention. "Terrastalla" She repeated the name clumsily as it stumbled off her tongue. Brows knitted close together as her eyes moved to stare straight at the space in front of her face as if she could see the words leaving her mouth. "Tarrestella...Terrastella!" Finally feeling like she'd pronouced it correctly her eyes brightened, returning her attention to Caspian. "You'll have to tell me this story about how the gods created this place. I've never lived anywhere any sort of god created themselves." Her herd had been spiritual, but they'd worshiped no gods in particular nor did they assume that any sort of deity had the time to spend on anything so insignificant as a wondering herd of nomads. "And I can't wait to see Terrastella here at dusk!" The excitement coursing through her body threatened to come bubbling up to the surface again as she fought an internal struggle to contain herself.
She nodded as he mentioned they were a friendly bunch, agreeing wholeheartedly if he was a representative from those that made their homes here. She would have commented further but he was already moving to show her the mysteries of the dusk court's kingdom. Ears flickered at the word city- there was an entire city within these borders? She'd just begun to follow behind him when she faltered, eyes growing wide as she looked from her new friend down towards the ocean below them. An excited whinny escaped her as her front hooves left the ground once more, this time her entire body being propelled forward as she ran in an excited circle. "Yes! Thank you Caspian!" She wanted to get a closer look at this angry water, to touch and feel it, to confirm it truly was real by feeling it beneath her hooves. As he headed off along the cliff side she wasn't far behind.
