[FTB] Singing to me 'Glory'

[Israfel]

A set of eyes had pinned him
Became his version of a kingdom
She's everything the devil can't be
When she's singing to me, "Glory"

Solaris knew where she was going. She had been there before, and this was no different. Overhead the Viride did the Phoenix fly, her magnificent body alight in flames and embers like a beacon cresting through the evening light. The cusp of twilight had begun to touch the evening skies of Novus as stars flickered to life in the expanse of the heavens, the encroaching darkness breathing life and light into her flames, but she was focused. Solaris had been given a task, and she would not stop until it was completed.

A simple order, a plea. ”Find him. Bring him to me.” Emotional and troubled in a way that Israfel was not meant to be. Leaving the Warden of Terrastella within the confines of the Amare Creek had been difficult, but Israfel had not wanted to travel. Solaris understood that only her bond-mate’s hope that Ulric would come to a friend in need would suffice.

If not? Then they would weather this storm together, but Solaris was confident that Ulric would not leave Israfel wanting.

Upon finding the blue roan stallion, the Phoenix swirled overhead, letting out a piercing shriek to gather his attention. She soared down, gliding with wings lit and churning with flames, and made to land just in front of the Warden of Delumine. Fierce pools of lavender stared hard at Ulric, letting him remember her and realize what she wanted, before tossing a scrunched up note of paper at his hooves. If he picked it up and read it, it would read something like,

’Hey, good lookin’. Be a dear and pay me a visit, would you? I’m at the Creek.’

The note itself wasn’t signed, but it didn’t need to be. Ulric was smart and he would understand. What he might not realize, however, was that the ink was smeared from drops of water, causing some of the words to be distorted. It had not been water, however, but tears. Yet he did not need to know that.

Only when he had read the letter did Solaris sweep back up into the evening skies in a flurry of feathers and fire. ‘Follow’, her flames seemed to say, guiding him in the darkness like a beacon, ‘follow’.

When Ulric arrives within the Amare Creek, nestled within the heart of the land and beneath the trees of vibrant oranges and yellows from the palpable kiss of autumn and winter, Israfel would be easy enough to spot. The Warden of Terrastella stood at the shore of the creek itself, an ivory and golden stain against the thick darkness creeping through the trees, gilded wings lax and loose at her sides. The woman’s gaze remained rooted into the passing body of water, watching the water as it twisted and curled through the riverbank. It was only at the sound of his approach, Solaris strangely vacant, that Israfel tore her gaze away to focus on the approaching stallion.

Despite the confidence in which she carried herself and the attempt at a rueful grin, the Sun Daughter’s lip quivered as tears, terrible, damnable tears, swam within glittering pools of troubled vermillion.

“Hey, good lookin’.”

"Speaking."

credits

@Ulric >_____>

[Ulric]

ULRIC

You would have to be blind to miss the fiery avian dancing through the dying light of evening, and deaf not to hear her demanding cry.

The Warden of Delumine was just outside the citadel, standing near a roaring bonfire cast in an impressive brazier when Solaris descended upon him. Confusion lit his face dimly lit his features, but there was no possible way he could ever forget the phoenix, even more so the sunkissed woman she always accompanied. But… she was nowhere to be seen, though the crumpled letter at his feet soon gave reason as to why. Vexing as the simple, somewhat messy note was, Ulric was powerless but to follow its directions, and Solaris herself seemed eager to lead him to his destination.

Through the plains and trees they blazed their path, Solaris leaving a trail of embers for Ulric to follow as he raced across the land on foot. The Amare Creek wasn’t but a short jaunt south from the capitol, and as he emerged from the trees that outlined the twisting body of water, there she was in all her glory – crimson on alabaster, a beacon of light against the creeping darkness as Calligo embraced the land as her own. Slowing to a brisk walk, a smirk began to formulate on his lips and a gaggle of snide remarks clashed for supremacy on his tongue. But when Israfel lifted those tragic vermillion eyes to him, eyes of which he had glimpsed numerous times in a dream, they all died away and he hesitated.

Against the black of night, her eyes shone brilliantly against the moon hanging low in the sky. They glittered and shined in a way he had never seen before, and it took a moment before he realized that… she was crying.

“… Isra?” Her name fell from his lips, his own eyes full of bewilderment. Throwing caution to the wind, the roan began to close the distance between them. “What are you doing out here?” Slowly, ever so carefully did he reach toward her, wishing to brush his muzzle against her neck in a simple effort to connect. Thus far, their relationship had been built on nothing but vile jokes and crude looks, and he didn’t want to push boundaries he wasn’t meant to pass. But to see her in such agony? He was willing to go boldly past them in order to see her well again.

“What’s happened?”

he who drinks from the deep water
may he know the depths of the well

Artist credit

@Israfel <____<

[Israfel]

A set of eyes had pinned him
Became his version of a kingdom
She's everything the devil can't be
When she's singing to me, "Glory"

What was she doing out there? Wasn’t that the best question?

Israfel gave a shrug of a slender shoulder, blinking hard against the tears. “I’m living, Ulric.” And oh, but her words meant so much more than just that. Living meant so much more than just breathing air into her lungs, so much more than just having a heart beat within her chest. How could she explain to him the truths that would not come to her lips? How could she make him understand? Could he?

They hardly knew one another, and yet it was he that she had summoned in her time of need. It made her realize just how terribly lonely she was in this world of Novus. Surrounded by so many people, and yet she truly knew none of them. How terribly sad.

Maybe it was the emotion that Ulric could see swimming in her eyes and staining her expression, because it had been all too easy to his own shift. There had been a glitter in his eyes, a knowing, crooked grin on his lips as though he had come prepared to sling friendly insults like cannonballs… And yet, like a crumbling fort tower, it fell. Concern replaced eagerness, worry stole guile, and he was left a man concerned for a, a - a friend? Dare she think it? Dare she hope?

Ulric moved across the remaining distance between them, reaching out to her as though to comfort. The action was so strange, so foreign… But Israfel did not even attempt to pull away. She reached out, forcing a cocksure grin that did not meet her eyes, and proceeded to melt into his touch and press her rose-kissed muzzle against his own before sliding closer and letting herself melt into his hold. Just for a moment. She was not someone to show weakness so easily, but right now, it seemed like the only one she could turn to was Ulric. The sarcastic, narcissistic side of her brain wondered if he knew how honored he should be, but for now, she’d keep that close to her chest.

’What’s happened?’

“Nothing,” she grit out, pulling away and straightening her shoulders in an attempt to collect herself, blinking hard. There was no reason for this, despite how badly her heart ached. “I-I just… I wanted to see you. I needed a friend.” Surely that’s what they were, right? With how often they called each other terrible names and poked and prodded one another? “I learned something… Something from my homeland, and it isn’t settling very well, you know?” Her grin grew, the corners of her rosey lips lifting to show white teeth in a sardonic, forced sort of smile. It did not meet her eyes. Pools of vermilion continued to swim, lost and troubled and clouded. Just after, she laughed, a single chortle that lacked all forms of humor. “I’ve never been good dealing with loss, and I just… I feel like it’s all that fucking follows me, Ulric.”

She inhaled sharply, chest expanding, freezing as she proceeded to hold it. Then, in an exhale that seemed to steal the wind from her sails, her shoulders slumped. “I just needed a friend.”

And here they were.

"Speaking."

credits

@Ulric - boop <3

[Ulric]

ULRIC

Together they stood, blue and grey melding with alabaster and rose beneath the gentle glow of the moon hanging high in the sky, the only witness to the conclave of wolf and phoenix. His brows furrowed as Israfel gave her answer; what did she mean, living? If living meant standing alone out in the middle of nowhere, with tears clouding her vision and heartache so blatant across every fiber of her being, then Ulric was determined to show her any other way to live.

As his following question slipped from his lips, Israfel was pulling away, and the Warden lifted his head to let her go. Even as she insisted all was well, that nothing was wrong, Ulric knew better. Whether they had only known each other for a collective few days or a few years, Israfel’s pride had always been palpable, radiating from her very being just like the fire from Solaris’ back. She was not weak in any manner, not even as she stood here before him in tears and suffering. His own expression was hardened and pinched with concern, but his molten gaze was soft and patient as he regarded her. He gave her the time she needed to answer before attempting to speak himself.

“Surviving loss is difficult, Israfel.” Ulric paused for a moment, never breaking her gaze – he had never been great with words, especially when it came to something like this, and the last thing he wanted was to fuck this up simply because of the fact. She was on the edge of a proverbial cliff, and he was the rope trying to reel her back in to safety. “But… no matter how heavy a weight it is, it isn’t one you have to carry alone. Not now, and not ever.” And if she had been carrying it alone, let him be the first to take it from her shoulders.

Boldly, he shifts closer to her once more, but doesn’t yet reach for her again. Not yet. “What would you have follow in its stead, given the choice? Just one thing. It could be anything.”

he who drinks from the deep water
may he know the depths of the well

Artist credit

@Israfel flumptff

[Israfel]

A set of eyes had pinned him
Became his version of a kingdom
She's everything the devil can't be
When she's singing to me, "Glory"

Despite all the shit that she gave him, Ulric could be intense. Maybe it was just his militaristic background or all of the days spent patrolling Delumine. Whatever it was, as Israfel held his golden stare with a watery ferocity, she found herself struggling to find the words to reply to his wisdom. Who knew someone who was so good at pummeling things could be so wise?

Too bad Israfel had never been one for wisdom. He was right, of course. Surviving loss was difficult no matter who you were, but the Sun Daughter had never been particularly good at handling it. She had always been a whirlwind of emotions, an ember flicked far too close to uncovered kerosene. A little wild, a little unstable, far too passionate and bullheaded for her own damn good… And far too angry, slighted and bitter from a life she never got to live. But she wasn’t the only one

Letting out a rough, harsh breath, the mare’s alabaster head looked away, tearing their gazes apart. She grit her teeth and bit her lip, blinking hard. It was impossible to explain how she was feeling. Emotions were better left sorted on the battlefield, where she could let her body and rage speak for itself. Words were never her strong suit. Despite that ineptitude, however, Ulric was clearly trying to help her, blatantly alarmed by her distress. The least she could do was try and articulate some kind of response for him.

“A chance,” she muttered at last, the timbre of her voice strained with grief and hope, “A single chance to make something better, to leave something better than the way that I found it.” Was that too much to ask? Did it even make sense? Did that make her greedy or selfish? Did she even care if the answer was ‘yes’?

Turning her head to once more meet Ulric’s gaze, rose-kissed lips tugged down in a prominent frown, the Warden of Terrastella hesitated once more. Her ears tipped back, brows furrowing, and she was troubled. Oh, so troubled. Blinking hard against the tears still swimming in her eyes, she went on. “Like Solaris. I would love to have something good rise from the ruin that loss brings. It just never seems to happen.” Life was too damn stubborn, too damn determined to keep screwing over the mortals that struggled to live there.

She wondered for a brief moment if the Gods did it on purpose, but that thought sent home a reminder as to why she was in such a piss-poor mood anyway, and she immediately let that go. Later. For now? For now… She didn’t know what she needed.

“What would you have happen, in the wake of disaster?”

"Speaking."

credits

@Ulric - husband <3

[Ulric]

ULRIC

In the first few moments following his question, the Warden wondered if Israfel might turn and leave. She looked exasperated, like she’d rather be just about anywhere else than here, but the look was only fleeting. His ribs contracted with the heave of a breath.

‘Noble’ may not be the first word that came to mind when some thought of Israfel, but her answer was just that. To leave something in a better condition than one had found it… well, what more could somebody want for? What better legacy was there than that?

“Maybe,” the roan relented after a moment of thought, desperately trying to ignore the gleam of tears in Israfel’s eyes. Oh, how he wished to abolish them for eternity, for the very least a night. “Or… maybe it has happened, and you’ve just refused to see it. We’ll always judge ourselves more harshly than anyone else ever could. I can say with absolute certainty you’ve impacted somebody’s life in a positive manner at some point.” Even if it was only one, it was important, it mattered, it was valid. Just like Israfel.

Inevitably, the question was relinquished to him. Ulric was not and had never been a very secretive man, and even as he delved into the depths of his uncertain heart to retrieve his answer, there wasn’t a note of hesitation carried on his voice. A moment of thought and nothing more as the answer escaped from between his lips. “Hope,” he replied resolutely, “That’s what I would wish for, if everything precious to me were suddenly ripped from my grasp. It’s the only thing stronger than fear. Or so, that’s what my life has taught me so far. Once upon a time… I didn’t have it.” There had been a time where Ulric was certain he’d die, a fact he’d grown comfortable with at too young an age, one he’d yearned for so long ago. “But then, somebody came and showed it to me – a friend. And they saved me.”

he who drinks from the deep water
may he know the depths of the well

Artist credit

@Israfel

[Israfel]

A set of eyes had pinned him
Became his version of a kingdom
She's everything the devil can't be
When she's singing to me, "Glory"

Israfel thought back to everything that she had once had and ultimately lost. Everyone from her previous life; Mesec, Hototo, Roskuld. Her mother, her father, her friends, her home... They were all gone. There wasn’t a single trace of them left, other than her.

She was their legacy. Through her, they would not die. Not really. So long as she lived so would their memory, and Israfel finally understood how very precious such a gift was. It was daunting as fuck, sure, but precious nonetheless.

Around them the silence hung heavy, marred only by the steady trickle of the creek flowing lazily at their side. Occasionally a breeze would filter through and cause the branches to sway, but other than that, it was quiet. Only the sound of their breathing and their soft voices could be heard, and despite how very quiet it was, the Sun Daughter felt as though it was still too loud.

An ear flicked forward at Ulric’s statement. Hope. That was what he searched for after disaster, something to grasp and know without question that there would be better days. Hope. How very saccharine, but so very him. Vermilion eyes lifted and focused, piercing through the veil of evening darkness that lingered between them. Noble. That was Ulric; noble, ambitious, determined, and loyal. So bloody loyal. One did not have to know him for very long to learn that. On top of that, though? He was good. So damn good in a way that Israfel dreamt to be, but knew she would never accomplish. He was far more lawful, and she? Well… A little chaotic.

“Hope.” It was the only thing stronger than fear, he said. The troubled look slid from the Sun Daughter’s face and she let out a long, measured breath, her sides quivering in the cool air. Oh, but she knew well the feeling of fear, of terror. Intimately, almost. If ‘hope’ could be stronger than fear, nothing would ever stop her. When she smiled next, her lips twisted upwards and her gaze still glittering, the expression was a genuine one.

There was little that separated them but cold air, and did not stand a chance against the heat personified that she was. With fire at her fingertips and a body that ran hotter than any other, chill held no dominion here. Israfel’s eyes glittered in a dangerous sort of way as she took the single step between them, one golden hoof drawing them together, allowing herself to press up against him should he not shy away. Judging by how terribly bold he had been only moments before, she didn’t anticipate it. Ivory pressed intimately up against blue, chest to chest, the feathers of her wings beginning to spread and fan. Fluttering pale, long lashes in his direction, her stare hooded yet daring, the gilded woman stretched her muzzle up so that she could whisper in his ear, the velvet of rose-kissed lips brushing against his skin.

“... Show me how to hope.”

If there was anything that she could learn from Ulric, it was this. Let him be the one to teach her.

"Speaking."

credits

@Ulric

Israfel’s FTB exit.

[Ulric]

ULRIC

She could laugh at his response and he wouldn’t falter. Let that sparkle return to her being and light up her face in the way Ulric had secretly adored, even if it was at his own expense – at least that way he could say he’d succeeded in his goal, to some degree.

What Ulric couldn’t have anticipated, however, was the way she looked at him. Dangerous, but not menacing. Her eyes were alive beneath the glinting moonlight, gazing at him as though he were the only star in her darkest night, and in return he surely looked a blind man seeing the sun for the first time. The feelings that had always been lingering in the back of his mind, creeping up on him when he least expected it, suddenly came rushing full force over him when she closed the small space between them. Her touch was welcome and far warmer than he could have imagined, the chill around them suddenly forgotten, and Ulric found himself leaning into it, yearning for more.

One glance into her depthless vermillion pools and any questions bubbling in the back of his mind died before they could reach his tongue. Chest to chest, standing flush against one another, he reached tenderly toward his fellow Warden, whiskered muzzle tracing along the delicate curvature of her neck.

Despite the wreckage of Novus and the uncertainty of their futures, this night was theirs alone, and from their deepest sorrows may the chance to hope for a better future bloom.

he who drinks from the deep water
may he know the depths of the well

Artist credit

@Israfel CHARLIEEE