Somnus
in all the world there is no love for you like mine
Somnus did not consider himself a ‘traveled’ man, not really. Oh, but he had certainly visited Denocte, Terrastella, and Solterra, but those visits had been short and merely for business, and seemingly lifetimes ago. Old kings and queens had ruled the lands back then and they were hardly anything he truly remembered… Yet the Dusk Court felt familiar to him as he arrived, as though the residual energy of his beloved Florentine remained even long after her disappearance. Stepping into the borders of Terrastella felt like coming home, like being enveloped in a warm, loving hug by someone near and dear to the heart.
The dunalino knew he surely made a sight and felt minimal relief that he could no longer see his own reflection. Wretched and dirty, his coat dull with grime and dried sweat, the length of his ivory mane and tail knotted and matted and torn away at places, the former Dawn King was a shadow of his former self. His stride was slow and cautious as though every step would leave him falling down a cliff to his death, but Alba remained perched upon his croup, calling out warnings or directions when the need arose.
Terrastella’s hospital was the best in Novus. If there was anyone who could help restore the lost vision to his damaged eyes, it would be the doctors and nurses who worked there. Florentine and Asterion both had regarded the hospital highly, and their skills were matched by no others of Novus…
Yet Somnus was not a fool. His heart was heavy with knowing, and he had already accepted that there would be little, if anything, they could do for him. The wounds received by his attacker were aging and had healed on their own, seasons of self-healing doing little to encourage proper repair to the damage dealt. But it never hurt to try, or get a professional’s opinion.
So the stallion had traveled, still not trusting himself to fly when he could no longer see. It added quite a bit of time to his journey but without any real obligations to home or family anymore, he failed to see why it would matter. Dirty and wretched did the dunalino travel into the swamps, guided only by Alba’s perceptive eyes and the sweet smell of lillies on the stagnant breeze. He stumbled, tripped, and fell a number of times, but determination ran hot in his veins, fueling his desire to achieve even this.
One step at a time. One day at a time. A litanty on repetition that played in his brain, looping on repeat over and over again. Without it, he did not know what he might do, but knew that he couldn’t dwell on such dark, dangerous thoughts or else he might be consumed.
“... Hello?” Somnus called out, fatigue and exhaustion coating the lilt of his clipped accent. “Is anyone there?” Even with Alba’s help, the dunalino fretted that he wouldn’t be able to find the lucrative, hidden hospital without aid, and he was in no position to deny assistance. “In the name of Oriens and Vespera, I fear that I am a little lost and… Might be in need of assistance.”
Open to anyone who would like to help Somnus find the hospital.
