The Dusk Court citadel loomed imposingly before him much as Delumine's capitol did, every bit as ominous in its unspoken cultural gravity as it was lovely to behold. Entombed within its stones were the spirits, voices, and intrigues of all that had come before. He could almost imagine he heard them, if he but turned his ear just right to the wind.
Martin of all individuals knew that finding the answers you seek sometimes requires a significant investment of time and energy, and is not without its risks. He'd never been frightened away by the cost and, once set on a path, he was particularly difficult to dissuade from it. Thus it was that he had traveled South from the questions raised beneath the Dawn Court's shadow, across Amare Creek, and into a land that felt somehow more alien to his heart. While undoubtedly lush with natural beauty and intrigue, it lacked the draw that had called him to Delumine. This southern territory was not "home"; the more cautious and insular edges of his personality grumbled their protests in his mind.
Not without cause, of course. Martin had no way of knowing that his intrusion would not be met with open hostility - only the desperately optimistic hope that his honest desire for understanding would win out over any preconceptions that he was an enemy.
The golden unicorn approached the Court's ancient parapets, donning his fearless wonder as armor as he went to battle against his own damnable ignorance.
@Rannveig
