Caelum
Because a vision softly creeping, left its seeds while I was sleeping
Denocte looked the same.
Exactly how she remembered it, though it was fall, and she left in spring. But the smells were different, a likely change to leadership that had her wondering who was in charge now. Her hooves touched down lightly on the soil as she looked around, drawing in a soft breath, picking out the scents she recognized - Lu was still around (a good thing, considering the items she'd brought back for her fellow healer). The tangy ocean scent from young Pol who avoided the ocean like the plague. And so many others she hadn't seen in a year while she'd been away.
It was nice being back.
It was simpler here. Sure, there was chaos, calamity and confusion of it's own sort in Novus. Between the Gods, and the land itself (she remembered the island well - though there was an odd ripple where it once was now). But it wasn't the horrors she'd experienced in the past. There had been no pain here. Nothing to further shatter her heart that had been broken so many times, the pieces no longer fit together. There was nothing else to shove in her box and bury under barbwire so she wouldn't have to feel it.
Slowly, Novus was healing her.
It would be a long process, Caelum knew that, but the fae princess had hope that it would happen one day - that the light at the end of the tunnel would be with in her grasp and not a fleeting glimpse between moments of darkness and pain. But Cae knew how hard it was to heal wounds of the heart. They weren't like anything physical, applying a balm to a burn, or a poultice to a cut. You couldn't wrap it in gauze and cobwebs to hold it together. You had pick up each piece and push them into a mass and hope it held while time did it's own work.
Some wounds time couldn't heal.
Convallis would forever haunt her memories. A mother doesn't get over burying her child before herself, and it's harder still when it's your fault. She and Calico had antagonized too far. They hadn't protected their child when they should have, in the end, they hadn't protected anyone properly. Only a few they were helping were able to escape, Caelum lost her entire kingdom (the few survivors hiding with the Autumn Court) and her own parent's bodies had been left in a state. Then trying to escape with Calico, Convallis and a few abled-bodied others . . . the ambush wasn't expected. Calico hadn't been able to get there fast enough. Caelum hadn't been able protect Convallis well enough. The others hadn't been strong enough. Their escape had been foiled. Caelum and only seven others out of the group of 50 had escaped. Convallis wasn't one of them. Her little baby boy, not even old enough to taste grass for the first time, struck down before he could even see the world.
You don't get over that.
But Caelum was still healing. She met each day with the best smile she could. She faced each day head on. She had some days when she'd hide in her home, unwilling to face the day, and she had other days where she could laugh at ease. Novus was helping, slowly . . . but returning home to the Florumian Court hadn't been easy. either. She saw the destruction up close again, even if nature had finally began to reclaim the land. Even if the wounds on the earth were disappearing. Her kingdom was in ruins, the large number of graves had been heartbreaking to see, her home was shattered. But one day, she'd be strong enough to win it back, to rebuild, to fetch her brother, and the rest of the Seelie Court from the Unseelie Realm. One day her kingdom would see light again, even if it was her heir who brought it to light, or their heir after them.
But for now, Novus was home.
And it was good to be home.
"Speech"
Thoughts
@Gareth
Notes: And let the medics make friends!
Exactly how she remembered it, though it was fall, and she left in spring. But the smells were different, a likely change to leadership that had her wondering who was in charge now. Her hooves touched down lightly on the soil as she looked around, drawing in a soft breath, picking out the scents she recognized - Lu was still around (a good thing, considering the items she'd brought back for her fellow healer). The tangy ocean scent from young Pol who avoided the ocean like the plague. And so many others she hadn't seen in a year while she'd been away.
It was nice being back.
It was simpler here. Sure, there was chaos, calamity and confusion of it's own sort in Novus. Between the Gods, and the land itself (she remembered the island well - though there was an odd ripple where it once was now). But it wasn't the horrors she'd experienced in the past. There had been no pain here. Nothing to further shatter her heart that had been broken so many times, the pieces no longer fit together. There was nothing else to shove in her box and bury under barbwire so she wouldn't have to feel it.
Slowly, Novus was healing her.
It would be a long process, Caelum knew that, but the fae princess had hope that it would happen one day - that the light at the end of the tunnel would be with in her grasp and not a fleeting glimpse between moments of darkness and pain. But Cae knew how hard it was to heal wounds of the heart. They weren't like anything physical, applying a balm to a burn, or a poultice to a cut. You couldn't wrap it in gauze and cobwebs to hold it together. You had pick up each piece and push them into a mass and hope it held while time did it's own work.
Some wounds time couldn't heal.
Convallis would forever haunt her memories. A mother doesn't get over burying her child before herself, and it's harder still when it's your fault. She and Calico had antagonized too far. They hadn't protected their child when they should have, in the end, they hadn't protected anyone properly. Only a few they were helping were able to escape, Caelum lost her entire kingdom (the few survivors hiding with the Autumn Court) and her own parent's bodies had been left in a state. Then trying to escape with Calico, Convallis and a few abled-bodied others . . . the ambush wasn't expected. Calico hadn't been able to get there fast enough. Caelum hadn't been able protect Convallis well enough. The others hadn't been strong enough. Their escape had been foiled. Caelum and only seven others out of the group of 50 had escaped. Convallis wasn't one of them. Her little baby boy, not even old enough to taste grass for the first time, struck down before he could even see the world.
You don't get over that.
But Caelum was still healing. She met each day with the best smile she could. She faced each day head on. She had some days when she'd hide in her home, unwilling to face the day, and she had other days where she could laugh at ease. Novus was helping, slowly . . . but returning home to the Florumian Court hadn't been easy. either. She saw the destruction up close again, even if nature had finally began to reclaim the land. Even if the wounds on the earth were disappearing. Her kingdom was in ruins, the large number of graves had been heartbreaking to see, her home was shattered. But one day, she'd be strong enough to win it back, to rebuild, to fetch her brother, and the rest of the Seelie Court from the Unseelie Realm. One day her kingdom would see light again, even if it was her heir who brought it to light, or their heir after them.
But for now, Novus was home.
And it was good to be home.
"Speech"
Thoughts
@Gareth
Notes: And let the medics make friends!
still remains within the sound of silence
