Voltaire was tired. They all were. Battle worn and weary, he had taken to his role as a healer – the only healer in Solterra. He’d depleted his stock of yucca, wrapping wounds tightly to stem the bleeding. He’d used aloe vera to stem swelling and scarring, and had ground the remains of his bee balm into a healing salve for smaller wounds. Making a note to begin the expedition that Maxence had requested of him, to learn more about the plants of Solterra and gather enough healing herbs to replenish their stores, he found his way to the funeral pyre.
The stallion is quiet, somber and respectful as mourners gather to say goodbye to the late king. Though he had to wonder if the painted stallion were truly dead or just transported to another place, Voltaire was a practical sort of beast. He knew that death was inevitable, and a part of life that he had to deal with. Through the ‘death’ of their leader, those in Solterra would grow stronger together. They had to. In a land such as this, there was little room for mourning and living in the past. If they did not march forward as one, the nation would simply fall into nothingness. They owed their fallen sovereign resiliency, if nothing else.
He takes his place beside the others, bowing to the funeral pyre, his eyes cast upon the sandy earth as he prays to Solis for Maxence’s soul. It was the least he could do, for the land which so believed in the god that kept them. Today, their god had betrayed them, and still, they paid their deference. He has no words to speak to the group, but allows the others to speak for him, showing instead his solidarity with his presence. The quiet cries of those around him are enough of a reminder of the fragility of life, and the healer can do little more than agree with his deference.
What would come to pass had yet to reveal itself… but Voltaire knew they would have to roll with whatever Solis cast upon them. There was no other choice than to move forward, and he would continue to be a good soldier for Solterra, following whatever the fates would cast for them.
@
