THE BRINGER OF WORLDS
It was maybe not the most conventional place to hold a meeting, but Florentine does not seem to care. She stands, as regal as any queen might be knee-deep in a swamp’s still waters. Her tail fans out behind her, stirring algae and leaves that settle upon the surface of the pool. Her petals scatter to join them, and idly they all find a steady flow that weaves them down towards an adjacent pool, connected only by a small overflow of trickling water.
It is warm here, where Florentine waits for her court to gather. It is so warm, her skin begins to gleam with beading sweat and she glitters gold in the green and brown of this land.
The fae-girl and the water she stands in are the most still things here. All around them the swamp lives and thrives in the song of birds and insects. Flowers and lilies always rustle as animals crawl and insects fly in search of pollen. There are secrets hidden within the Swamp, brilliant flowers painted in mysterious colours and eyes, they say, that have begun to watch you from the black.
But, curiously, the queen ignores them all. She ignores the slither of something passing by her ankles, deep in the darkness of the water. She ignores also the creak and groan of vines and tree limbs that sway in an imaginary wind. Instead, Florentine watches the crown of the trees, where their leaves bend over one another and make an umbrella, thick and warm that covers the whole of the swamp. It bathes them in dank dark. A smile begins upon her lips, its meaning known only to her, though the clue is when her eyes descend to the vivid paintings drawn upon the trunks of the trees surrounding her (and her gathering court).
They were Ilati paintings, or so the fable went, and this was once their home, amidst the swamp water. So that is why she has called her court here: to embrace their history and address their future.
It is not long until they come, to the song of lapping, splashing water and rustling leaves. Gilded Florentine turns to address them, as they gather between and within the many pools of Tinea Swamp.
“You are all probably wondering why I brought you here.” The fae-queen begins, smiling, unflustered, and for the first time in a while, happy. “If you believe the fables of our land, then you might also believe that this has always been the source of our healing; a beating heart that allowed the blood of Terrastella to thrive.” Her amethyst eyes dark in the light, but brightened by their amber that catches like flames, glowing and flickering in the dark.
“This is to be a council of the past and the future. Whispers are awakening here, telling tales of things of old. Do any of you know of the Ilati?” And with that her gaze shifts to regard the trees and their fresh paintings. “Do many of you believe that they might return?” Florentine has no answer to this. She seeks no argument here, she merely asks, curious to know who might have also heard the whispers heralding the return of the Ilati…
“But, the Ilati are not the only reason I have gathered us all here. There are many.” And her eyes glitter at that, “I wish to formally inform everyone of the new ranks and also to address the unrest across Novus and discord between certain Courts. I am sure many of you have by now heard of what has transpired between the Night King, Isorath and I.” Her eyes flit to Israfel and her brother, Asterion. They were the only two she had discussed her situation with prior to now. Remorse, sorrow, fury and so many things had stayed her tongue, weighing her feelings heavy, heavy, heavy.
Florentine takes a breath, slow and soft. “I apologise for it taking me so long to hold this council, but I am here now and I will answer any questions you may have pertaining to Dusk and our position with Night and all the other courts. When that is over I wish to discuss the building of a new hospital. One of our own nearly died in an attack by the Night Court’s Crows. It was not a random attack but rather composed by Reichenbach because of what happened between him and I. The fact that Lysander came so close to death made me realize how much stronger and more informed our healing needs to be. I propose a hospital to be built here, amidst the boughs of the trees. If the fables are to be believed true, then this is the source of healing for the whole of Terrastella and I plan to harness that.”
The words trail off to the sounds of the swamp. Flora’s eyes drift over her people, one by one. “So, if any of you have any questions, on the hospital, on the Ilati, on our relationship with Night and any of the other courts, let me hear them now.”
And she waits, at last open, at last fiercely keen for what the future might hold for Terrastella.
((OOC: Okay my loves, so, feel free to have you char ask any questions in relation to the whole Reich/Flora/Isorath saga, Flora feels now is the time to get everything out in the open. Also, this is an opportunity to lay foundations more for the Ilati when they begin to come in (have a read of Dusk’s history and the Ilati lore on the Lore board if you are not sure who the Ilati are). Finally, we will be getting a sub-board which will be the hospital. I have imagined it up in the tops of the trees, like Lothlórien in LOTR. Feel free to pm me with questions or just have your char ask away.
Flora will also introduce the new ranks in this thread too! <3 ))
