Israfel
To put it bluntly, Israfel was scared. With the transition of autumn into winter, the Court life within Terrastella had slowed to a stagnant lull, and she found herself fretting. Oh, she was no fool. Despite the years spent dead, she knew what fate awaited a stagnant land; uprising, overthrowing, danger. Florentine had been a dutiful Sovereign, tending to their needs, going above and beyond the call of duty that had been thrust onto her shoulders like a weighted mantle. She had taken to her position with dignity and grace, and while her presence was reassuring, it was the monotony of it all that began to fill her heart with trepidation.
Where were the other soldiers, sworn into service to defend their lands? Where was Diarmuid? The rose-grey knight had been missing for some time, since the ending of their friendly brawl, really, and she worried for his welfare. Since her return from Solterra, a mission assigned by Florentine herself, things had simply been slow. It worried her.
While Solterra had been a welcome reprieve from winter’s harsh chill, Terrastella was her home. It was here, these lands, this Court, whom she had sworn her fealty. The daughter of a God, she had bowed before her Queen, submitting herself to their golden Sovereign’s whim, ready to defend with her body, her life. Pride filled her veins. Her cause was noble, defending those who could not defend themselves, but what, truly, was she defending? A stagnant Court? Was there purpose here, for her? Was this her destiny? Patrolling the lands alone, without a shield-sibling at her side?
Not for the first time, she wondered. She wondered her path, her course. She wondered if things would be different, had she found herself in a Court other than this one…
No. No.
The Sun Daughter gave a mighty, harsh shake of her head, fierce vermilion eyes staring forward into nothing. She stood upon the balustrade of the Terrastellan Citadel, keeping watch upon their border, staring out amidst the churning waves as snow slowly drifted down from the heavens. It was cold, the land wrapped in winter’s frigid embrace, but the sun was shining, holding the worst of the biting temperatures at bay. It was just after noon, the sun having passed the zenith in the sky, and it was to the bright sphere in the sky to which she turned her vision. The night she had spent atop Veneror was not lost on her; the Gods had not answered her pleas, and she felt no more soothed as to her purpose than she did before making the treacherous trip. Maybe it had been pointless, maybe it wasn’t. Time, she supposed, would only tell.
Still. It would do her well to end the thoughts of uncertainty, of self-doubt and ridicule. They would get her nowhere, and she still had a home to defend. Sucking in a deep breath, Israfel watched, transfixed, as her exhale turned to mist and danced into the sky, only to disappear. If only she could find the answers that she so desperately sought. Maybe then she wouldn’t feel so lost, so forsaken.
Where were the other soldiers, sworn into service to defend their lands? Where was Diarmuid? The rose-grey knight had been missing for some time, since the ending of their friendly brawl, really, and she worried for his welfare. Since her return from Solterra, a mission assigned by Florentine herself, things had simply been slow. It worried her.
While Solterra had been a welcome reprieve from winter’s harsh chill, Terrastella was her home. It was here, these lands, this Court, whom she had sworn her fealty. The daughter of a God, she had bowed before her Queen, submitting herself to their golden Sovereign’s whim, ready to defend with her body, her life. Pride filled her veins. Her cause was noble, defending those who could not defend themselves, but what, truly, was she defending? A stagnant Court? Was there purpose here, for her? Was this her destiny? Patrolling the lands alone, without a shield-sibling at her side?
Not for the first time, she wondered. She wondered her path, her course. She wondered if things would be different, had she found herself in a Court other than this one…
No. No.
The Sun Daughter gave a mighty, harsh shake of her head, fierce vermilion eyes staring forward into nothing. She stood upon the balustrade of the Terrastellan Citadel, keeping watch upon their border, staring out amidst the churning waves as snow slowly drifted down from the heavens. It was cold, the land wrapped in winter’s frigid embrace, but the sun was shining, holding the worst of the biting temperatures at bay. It was just after noon, the sun having passed the zenith in the sky, and it was to the bright sphere in the sky to which she turned her vision. The night she had spent atop Veneror was not lost on her; the Gods had not answered her pleas, and she felt no more soothed as to her purpose than she did before making the treacherous trip. Maybe it had been pointless, maybe it wasn’t. Time, she supposed, would only tell.
Still. It would do her well to end the thoughts of uncertainty, of self-doubt and ridicule. They would get her nowhere, and she still had a home to defend. Sucking in a deep breath, Israfel watched, transfixed, as her exhale turned to mist and danced into the sky, only to disappear. If only she could find the answers that she so desperately sought. Maybe then she wouldn’t feel so lost, so forsaken.
