Liam Kenway
It was odd, Liam realized a beat too late, but the mare was attentive, quiet and an active listener.
It was incredibly nice.
Since arriving here all those months, years even, ago, Liam hadn't really interacted with the citizens of Terrastella, let alone the citizens of Novus. Normally, he'd be up in the activity, really leaping into the fray and doing what he could where he could. However, being separated from Bucky and from their lives together in Aklos seemed to really break the great captain's heart in a way that he hadn't realized, hadn't expected. But now, he was interacting more and building bonds, forging a life in Novus that he hadn't truly expected to have. Humming in an affirmative manner as Bel speaks, Liam huffs a soft chuckle gently as he watches the waves from where he stands. "You can say that again. The winter, though I loathe it, brings forth some of the prettiest things I've ever seen. Fresh snowfall, ice crystals holding tight to the tree branches, the way snow clings to the boughs and pine needles of trees," he reminisces, flicking an ear lightly as a fly buzzes near his head. Turning his gaze to Bel, he hums softly and nods in understanding. "It's always interesting to see how different cultures, how different ways of life learn and grow and are taught about the same aspects of life. How you and I were taught, for example, when we were young."
Huffing a gentle laugh, Liam shakes his head at what Bel said about the ocean. "Maybe it was what I was going through, or maybe it was something else entirely, but I don't think the ocean cares much for me," he responds, grinning to himself. "Let's just say that the score is ocean 1, Liam 0," he jokes, though there was a haunted look that crossed his face. It was a dark, tragic event that day that caused him to walk off the cliff into the waters below and stop fighting, but there had been something that brought him back, telling him that he wasn't allowed to give up that day. "When dealing with something as destructive and powerful as water, you absolutely need to give her all the respect she deserves," Liam points out, agreeing resolutely with the mare at his side.
Even now, it was weird and terrifying to be this near the water.
Legs trembled discreetly, and his heart raced in his chest, but the great captain refused to move from the spot on the cliff. The worst thoughts ran through his head, including where the cliff face would crumble beneath his hooves, plunging him to his death, but he pushed it aside as fast as it began to plague him, resolutely refusing to allow those fears to cause him to be afraid of the cliffs. After all, he was Liam Kenway, fearless leader of Agnosia's greatest army, the greatest captain in the history of the Agnosian kingdom. He'd taken down terrorist groups time after time, rescued Bucky not only once, but twice, and had also rescued the teammates he'd made in recent years, before Caeleste, before Aklos, before Novus.
Was being a leader, a captain, a ruler all he would know? All he was good for?
Days as Emperor in Caeleste were thrown to the forefront of his mind, and he thought he had been doing everything properly. He had been, and the situations surrounding his leaving weren't truly his fault. Things in Aklos were changing, and he needed to go back, help soothe things out. Of course, Bucky understood, and he thought everyone else he'd been close to in the days of Caeleste had understood, but— Kazi seemed to loathe him, hate him in all the worst possible ways.
It hurt. Deeply.
The ocean spray was nice, sure, but Liam still had an aversion to it, especially after what had happened in Caeleste that day. The day his ex-boyfriend had— Stopping those thoughts once more, Liam turned his large, refined head toward Bel again, an ear flicking backward. "You would think that, wouldn't you? Maybe he asked for his condition to be kept on the downlow, to not have anything said to his citizens. You know how rumors spread, how panic ensues when people think the worst," he responds carefully, turning his gaze back out to the ocean, watching the waves with a silent curiosity. Power, raw and wild — untameable, even — crashed into the cliffside, only to recede back away, a cycle of repeating that had happened for millions of years.
He spoke before he realized what he was saying.
But when he saw the delighted expression on Bel's face, Liam found that he couldn't take his offer back. Not that he wanted to, anyway. Grinning, the stallion nodded, and he huffed good-naturedly. "I'd love to. After all, I was a captain of an army back in my homeworld, and I'm captain of the military again here. I don't know everything, as I'm still learning, but I feel like I know enough to be able to teach you," he offers, chuckling softly at Bel's explanation before he nods in understanding. "Believe me, I understand. Before I became the horse you see today, I was sort of like you in the fact I couldn't hold my own. It— took a long time before I could hold my own ground," he explained, frowning to himself slightly at how he avoided talking about his genetic experimentation. He wasn't sure how others would take it or even if they would understand it, so he avoided talking about it. Chuckling once more, he eyed Bel and grinned. "Bucky would say the same thing about me. When I was younger, I stood up against bullies twice the size of me and routinely got my ass kicked."
How many times had he ended up with a bruised ego, bruised and broken body, bloodied nose? More times than he could count.
There had been a specific time in an alleyway when he'd tried to stand up against a bully who was talking badly about the stallions going off to war for Agnosia. Liam had, of course, been just barely half the size of the horse who was beating him up, but Bucky had come around just in time and had defended him like always. It had taken him a long time to realize his feelings, but he had, and he almost lost the other stallion to enemy hands. At one point, Liam thought he did lose Bucky, but they found each other in Caeleste again, of all places. It was slow going, their relationship, but Liam was just enjoying the ride, cherishing the small moments, loving the quiet time they spent together.
The loss of Bucky while they'd been serving in the military nearly ended Liam's military career, and had nearly ended his life. But the other stallions serving under him encouraged him to continue on, and had even encouraged him to fight in Bucky's honor. It'd taken a lot of conjoling, but it'd worked. Fighting with a fervor and a rapidly expanding anger that he had never felt before or since, Liam had done what he needed to do, and during some nights, he could still hear the screams of agony from the enemy fighters, tearing him out of the nightmares and back in his bed, drenched in sweat and panting from the fear he'd just been fighting in his nightmares.
"I think I'm the lucky one. He keeps me sane, keeps me safe, and kept me alive when I was young and sick," Liam admits quietly, looking at the ground between his hooves. Had he ever thanked Bucky for giving up so much for him? Had he taken it all for granted? The pain of knowing he possibly never told Bucky how thankful he was for the other stallion weighed heavily on Liam's mind. The guilt gnawed at him, ate him alive. The fear Bucky had been showing on the train that fateful day when their lives had been torn apart, the scream wrenched from the dark stallion's throat as he fell in the ravine, away from Liam, away from safety. It reverberated in Liam's head over and over and over again, and the great captain had never once stopped to thank Bucky for all he'd done — not that he could remember, anyway.
Liam desperately needed to.
The conversation with Bel allowed him to really think about things, about how he could change things for the better, and make his affections for Bucky known. A part of him wanted to keep the memories, the nightmares, the feelings, and the emotions all hidden behind some steel door and throw away the key, but he knew that that wasn't the right way to handle things. This conversation was nice, and he couldn't remember the last time he'd had a conversation like this. "Living that way isn't necessarily a bad thing. After I left Agnosia — my homeworld — and the army there, I was nomadic for a long time. Did whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, and while I appreciate that time because it shaped me into the horse I am today, I missed my friends and I missed the people of Agnosia. I wouldn't take those days back, but I wish I had taken up the offer from my friends to have them travel with me," he admits, shrugging his shoulders. If he didn't have everyone, he wished he could have taken Hawkeye and Natasha with him at the very least. But he hadn't, only answering their questions with I have to do this, I can't take anyone with me. "I think Bucky is tired of moving. I also think he wants to kick my head in whenever I find myself antsy and wanting to move around," he jokes, a fond expression on his face.
There was silence stretching between them, and Liam carefully lowered himself to the ground to lay beside her, his muzzle gently touching her shoulder. It was the least he could do, but it mainly served the purpose to let her know that he was there for her. Quietly, he listened, his gaze focused solely on her. Gone was the rest of the world, even the sounds of the waves crashing against the cliffside. He listened to how her mom passed away, how her sister had been left behind to fend for herself, how the stallion courting Bel at the time made the pod abandon Bel's sister on the ice. Fury bubbled in his gut, hot and vicious, at her pod, at the stallion, but he didn't let his expression change, and he didn't let Bel know what thoughts were going through his mind. "I'm so sorry that that happened, Bel. I know how hard it is to lose one's mother. My own mother passed away when I was a yearling, but she had been sick from the day I turned six months old. I watched her take her last breath, and had to watch her slowly deteriorate to the point where we couldn't walk very far before she became too tired and weak to move. As for your sister, I hope nothing befell her, and she was able to recover and find her way back to you. It's not easy, losing a sibling. That I wouldn't know; I'm an only child, and my father passed away before I was born," he murmured, his gaze soft as he regarded Bel. He saw the way her expression was vulnerable, and carefully, he attempted to drag her into his chest, the movement reassuring, a hug, a way to try and let her know that he was here for her. "Silence often brings with it the horrors of the world that I lived with before Novus. I need some kind of activity, some kind of noise to keep it all at bay."
There was a slight laugh at his question, and he ducked his head a little before blushing slightly. "Uh, forgive me, but what are Kelpies? You have to understand; in Agnosia, we didn't have horses living underwater, but we had a couple who could fly. Those were the rarities, only a few select lines had those mutations and adaptations. So, it's a bit of a startling realization that there are horses that, you know, live under the water and the like," he explained, almost embarrassed.
"Liam Speaks."
Notes;; I AM SO SORRY FOR THE WAIT (and the long reply sob)
Tag;; @Below Zero
Voice claim;; Chris Evans
Words;; 2069
It was incredibly nice.
Since arriving here all those months, years even, ago, Liam hadn't really interacted with the citizens of Terrastella, let alone the citizens of Novus. Normally, he'd be up in the activity, really leaping into the fray and doing what he could where he could. However, being separated from Bucky and from their lives together in Aklos seemed to really break the great captain's heart in a way that he hadn't realized, hadn't expected. But now, he was interacting more and building bonds, forging a life in Novus that he hadn't truly expected to have. Humming in an affirmative manner as Bel speaks, Liam huffs a soft chuckle gently as he watches the waves from where he stands. "You can say that again. The winter, though I loathe it, brings forth some of the prettiest things I've ever seen. Fresh snowfall, ice crystals holding tight to the tree branches, the way snow clings to the boughs and pine needles of trees," he reminisces, flicking an ear lightly as a fly buzzes near his head. Turning his gaze to Bel, he hums softly and nods in understanding. "It's always interesting to see how different cultures, how different ways of life learn and grow and are taught about the same aspects of life. How you and I were taught, for example, when we were young."
Huffing a gentle laugh, Liam shakes his head at what Bel said about the ocean. "Maybe it was what I was going through, or maybe it was something else entirely, but I don't think the ocean cares much for me," he responds, grinning to himself. "Let's just say that the score is ocean 1, Liam 0," he jokes, though there was a haunted look that crossed his face. It was a dark, tragic event that day that caused him to walk off the cliff into the waters below and stop fighting, but there had been something that brought him back, telling him that he wasn't allowed to give up that day. "When dealing with something as destructive and powerful as water, you absolutely need to give her all the respect she deserves," Liam points out, agreeing resolutely with the mare at his side.
Even now, it was weird and terrifying to be this near the water.
Legs trembled discreetly, and his heart raced in his chest, but the great captain refused to move from the spot on the cliff. The worst thoughts ran through his head, including where the cliff face would crumble beneath his hooves, plunging him to his death, but he pushed it aside as fast as it began to plague him, resolutely refusing to allow those fears to cause him to be afraid of the cliffs. After all, he was Liam Kenway, fearless leader of Agnosia's greatest army, the greatest captain in the history of the Agnosian kingdom. He'd taken down terrorist groups time after time, rescued Bucky not only once, but twice, and had also rescued the teammates he'd made in recent years, before Caeleste, before Aklos, before Novus.
Was being a leader, a captain, a ruler all he would know? All he was good for?
Days as Emperor in Caeleste were thrown to the forefront of his mind, and he thought he had been doing everything properly. He had been, and the situations surrounding his leaving weren't truly his fault. Things in Aklos were changing, and he needed to go back, help soothe things out. Of course, Bucky understood, and he thought everyone else he'd been close to in the days of Caeleste had understood, but— Kazi seemed to loathe him, hate him in all the worst possible ways.
It hurt. Deeply.
The ocean spray was nice, sure, but Liam still had an aversion to it, especially after what had happened in Caeleste that day. The day his ex-boyfriend had— Stopping those thoughts once more, Liam turned his large, refined head toward Bel again, an ear flicking backward. "You would think that, wouldn't you? Maybe he asked for his condition to be kept on the downlow, to not have anything said to his citizens. You know how rumors spread, how panic ensues when people think the worst," he responds carefully, turning his gaze back out to the ocean, watching the waves with a silent curiosity. Power, raw and wild — untameable, even — crashed into the cliffside, only to recede back away, a cycle of repeating that had happened for millions of years.
He spoke before he realized what he was saying.
But when he saw the delighted expression on Bel's face, Liam found that he couldn't take his offer back. Not that he wanted to, anyway. Grinning, the stallion nodded, and he huffed good-naturedly. "I'd love to. After all, I was a captain of an army back in my homeworld, and I'm captain of the military again here. I don't know everything, as I'm still learning, but I feel like I know enough to be able to teach you," he offers, chuckling softly at Bel's explanation before he nods in understanding. "Believe me, I understand. Before I became the horse you see today, I was sort of like you in the fact I couldn't hold my own. It— took a long time before I could hold my own ground," he explained, frowning to himself slightly at how he avoided talking about his genetic experimentation. He wasn't sure how others would take it or even if they would understand it, so he avoided talking about it. Chuckling once more, he eyed Bel and grinned. "Bucky would say the same thing about me. When I was younger, I stood up against bullies twice the size of me and routinely got my ass kicked."
How many times had he ended up with a bruised ego, bruised and broken body, bloodied nose? More times than he could count.
There had been a specific time in an alleyway when he'd tried to stand up against a bully who was talking badly about the stallions going off to war for Agnosia. Liam had, of course, been just barely half the size of the horse who was beating him up, but Bucky had come around just in time and had defended him like always. It had taken him a long time to realize his feelings, but he had, and he almost lost the other stallion to enemy hands. At one point, Liam thought he did lose Bucky, but they found each other in Caeleste again, of all places. It was slow going, their relationship, but Liam was just enjoying the ride, cherishing the small moments, loving the quiet time they spent together.
The loss of Bucky while they'd been serving in the military nearly ended Liam's military career, and had nearly ended his life. But the other stallions serving under him encouraged him to continue on, and had even encouraged him to fight in Bucky's honor. It'd taken a lot of conjoling, but it'd worked. Fighting with a fervor and a rapidly expanding anger that he had never felt before or since, Liam had done what he needed to do, and during some nights, he could still hear the screams of agony from the enemy fighters, tearing him out of the nightmares and back in his bed, drenched in sweat and panting from the fear he'd just been fighting in his nightmares.
"I think I'm the lucky one. He keeps me sane, keeps me safe, and kept me alive when I was young and sick," Liam admits quietly, looking at the ground between his hooves. Had he ever thanked Bucky for giving up so much for him? Had he taken it all for granted? The pain of knowing he possibly never told Bucky how thankful he was for the other stallion weighed heavily on Liam's mind. The guilt gnawed at him, ate him alive. The fear Bucky had been showing on the train that fateful day when their lives had been torn apart, the scream wrenched from the dark stallion's throat as he fell in the ravine, away from Liam, away from safety. It reverberated in Liam's head over and over and over again, and the great captain had never once stopped to thank Bucky for all he'd done — not that he could remember, anyway.
Liam desperately needed to.
The conversation with Bel allowed him to really think about things, about how he could change things for the better, and make his affections for Bucky known. A part of him wanted to keep the memories, the nightmares, the feelings, and the emotions all hidden behind some steel door and throw away the key, but he knew that that wasn't the right way to handle things. This conversation was nice, and he couldn't remember the last time he'd had a conversation like this. "Living that way isn't necessarily a bad thing. After I left Agnosia — my homeworld — and the army there, I was nomadic for a long time. Did whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, and while I appreciate that time because it shaped me into the horse I am today, I missed my friends and I missed the people of Agnosia. I wouldn't take those days back, but I wish I had taken up the offer from my friends to have them travel with me," he admits, shrugging his shoulders. If he didn't have everyone, he wished he could have taken Hawkeye and Natasha with him at the very least. But he hadn't, only answering their questions with I have to do this, I can't take anyone with me. "I think Bucky is tired of moving. I also think he wants to kick my head in whenever I find myself antsy and wanting to move around," he jokes, a fond expression on his face.
There was silence stretching between them, and Liam carefully lowered himself to the ground to lay beside her, his muzzle gently touching her shoulder. It was the least he could do, but it mainly served the purpose to let her know that he was there for her. Quietly, he listened, his gaze focused solely on her. Gone was the rest of the world, even the sounds of the waves crashing against the cliffside. He listened to how her mom passed away, how her sister had been left behind to fend for herself, how the stallion courting Bel at the time made the pod abandon Bel's sister on the ice. Fury bubbled in his gut, hot and vicious, at her pod, at the stallion, but he didn't let his expression change, and he didn't let Bel know what thoughts were going through his mind. "I'm so sorry that that happened, Bel. I know how hard it is to lose one's mother. My own mother passed away when I was a yearling, but she had been sick from the day I turned six months old. I watched her take her last breath, and had to watch her slowly deteriorate to the point where we couldn't walk very far before she became too tired and weak to move. As for your sister, I hope nothing befell her, and she was able to recover and find her way back to you. It's not easy, losing a sibling. That I wouldn't know; I'm an only child, and my father passed away before I was born," he murmured, his gaze soft as he regarded Bel. He saw the way her expression was vulnerable, and carefully, he attempted to drag her into his chest, the movement reassuring, a hug, a way to try and let her know that he was here for her. "Silence often brings with it the horrors of the world that I lived with before Novus. I need some kind of activity, some kind of noise to keep it all at bay."
There was a slight laugh at his question, and he ducked his head a little before blushing slightly. "Uh, forgive me, but what are Kelpies? You have to understand; in Agnosia, we didn't have horses living underwater, but we had a couple who could fly. Those were the rarities, only a few select lines had those mutations and adaptations. So, it's a bit of a startling realization that there are horses that, you know, live under the water and the like," he explained, almost embarrassed.
"Liam Speaks."
Notes;; I AM SO SORRY FOR THE WAIT (and the long reply sob)
Tag;; @Below Zero
Voice claim;; Chris Evans
Words;; 2069
I'm with you till the end of the line
