In his chest there dwelt an unquenchable thirst. It was the kind that water could not satisfy, nor the kind that food would sate. It was a wanderlust that itched at his skin; a wish to see more of his world and the lands he ruled.
To the Oasis he had flown, dreams of fruits and palms filling his dreams and desires as he imagined what it might look like. Was it truly a haven? If so, why had the Day Court fortress been built so far from it?
Soaring above like an eagle stalking prey, Maxence searched the ground below with keen eyes for any indication of a water source. There was nothing - no elevation, no hills, no sudden gullies. The relentless Mors would not give up it's secret so easily.
Swooping in closer, the new sovereign aimed to land upon an outcrop of rocks, his eyes scanning the sand-stained landscape ahead. It was then that he heard that familiar, beautiful hiss of a waterfall.
Ears swivelling backward, Maxence soon romped atop the large expanse of rocks in order to find the shaded water beneath, breaths still hot and heavy from flight. One step after the other, rummaging his way through thick pleats of vines, Maxence was soon met with an awe inspiring view of crystaline pools and an endless waterfall. It was perhaps one of the most beautiful places he'd seen in Novus, or ever seen period. These secret nooks did not exist in his homeland of swamps and forests, so as he tread carefully through the sparkling pool he began to wonder if this was even real. The flowers that bloomed could put him in a trance if he stayed admiring thier scent much longer, and the water tasted far sweeter than the dirty kind they wrenched from the ground in the fortress.
Part of him wished to bring his fellow comrades here to cherish and marvell at it like he was, though he knew that one hour in here with the whole day court and the place would be ruined.
For now it was a secret he'd keep to himself.
@Eden <3
Dusted with star matter and borne upon tides of nature, hers is the beauty of wild places.
Ever since the striped lass had encountered Bexley Briar within the arms of the Oasis, Eden had considered the lush paradise a refuge - even more so than the sandworn walls of the Day Court proper. Glancing over her shoulder in the direction of Solis' fortress, the golden walls long since faded from view, the girl had a fleeting thought of Leviathan and a hope that the behemoth had managed to escape the smothering heat that persisted in Solis' deserts even through the Fall.
As she picked up her pace from a leisurely walk to a canter, sand spraying from her bangled hooves, Eden reveled in the pull and strain of of her muscles, of the warmth surging beneath her skin at the rush of activity. A smile rose to the girl's lips unbidden and those amber eyes slipped closed for a moment, letting her hooves guide her where they would. Raising her chin a few degrees to feel the loving warmth of Solis' light caress her cheeks, Eden breathed deeply, the air tasting of a new sort of freedom that she hadn't quite found within the walls of the fortress.
As the earth beneath her hooves shifted, the sand layer becoming thinner and more rocky, the paladin opened her eyes once more and focused upon traversing the incline into the oasis proper. With every step that she took, her muscles unwound, tension slipping from her frame like a robe from skin as she anticipated the cool kiss of the water and the sweet tang of blossoms. Cresting the rise, the warrior maiden did not notice the impressively cut figure that was her sovereign, no, those glimmering eyes were focused solely upon the sparkling waters and that magnificent waterfall.
It wasn't until she was submerged up to her withers, thick ropes of hair sinking into the cool waters, the single bell in her mane - her one victory since arriving within Solis' borders - chiming happily with the soft lapping of the pool, that she noticed that she was not alone. "Oh!" Came her surprised declaration, "Commandant, it is an honor." The girl gave her best salute, though it was less than impressive, seeing as the majority of her body was underwater. "What brings you to the oasis?"
Questioning her commander was not something that she would have done when she first arrived within Solterra. At that time, she would have believed it a breach of protocol and worthy of harsh discipline, but after clearing the rubble alongside the King of Warriors, Eden felt that they had the beginnings of what some may call a companionship. Whether she was correct in that assumption, however, had yet to be seen.
i'm in the black again / not coming back again we can just pretend / we'll make it home again from everything now
☩
As the commander traced his steps along the vine-covered, flowery rocks that concealed the oasis from outside view, he was soon to hear the footfalls of another approach. Immediately he felt an intruder in this place as if it was the home or sanctuary of another and not his own to explore.
Hastening his own footsteps, the King would attempt to shroud himself in nearby vines, only to pause when he realised just how silly the notion was. It was he who was ruler of all he surveyed within Solterra, he who sacrificed his time and livelihood for the country and it's people, he who slayed the Teryr— for this reason he should never feel unwelcome in any single nook or cranny of the continent.
In silence he stood watching the woman approach, one he almost totally recognised by her shadow upon the rock and the jingle of bangles upon coronets. The sight of Eden was a welcome one and as he continued to view the paladin in silence, he allowed a quiet sigh to escape from behind his lips— he was glad that it was her and none other who might pester and bother him, or even worse Avdotya who would surely disturb his heart beat once again. It was that boyish fantasy that he still strove to leave behind him, so every second without Avdotya at his side was a victory to his wounded conscience.
It seemed Eden hadn't noticed him, but when she did her startled expression damn-near brought a laugh to his face of frown lines and a perpetual scowl. She looked so vibrant, so colourful, and it was not the annoying kind he was used to. Her liveliness was not irritating like that of many others, but rather it was quite beautiful and pure. Perhaps because it wasn't vibrance at all; it was pure radiance.
"Eden," The commander began, talking under Eden's frazzled salute. When the words had left her mouth he allowed an aswkward, boyish smile to pass onto his marred lips before he continued "One thousand apologies for startling you."
Her question had caught him completely off guard and as he considered is answer he found himself stumbling over excuses and reasons other than the legitimate one. Instead he settled upon the truth— there should be at least be one person in this gods-forsaken country that he didn't talk in ivory lies to. "Curiosity." There, he'd given his answer "What are you doing here?"
Dusted with star matter and borne upon tides of nature, hers is the beauty of wild places.
Maxence's presence was an ongoing enigma for the striped girl; he made her nervous, excited, comfortable, and calm all at once. He was the heat in her cheeks and the clumsiness in her tongue, the muddle of her thoughts and the stumble of her walk. Every moment that she was in his presence was a storm of confusion and surety - but she guessed that was to be expected when one stood before power absolute and authority in it's most divine form. Yet, the way he made music out of her name when he said it and the smile that echoed of coltish nerves brought out a sense of confidence in the mare. His apologies - one thousand of them - settled about her shoulders like a lush mantle, the knowledge that she was important enough in his kingly gaze to warrant such words bringing a warmth to her belly.
Taking a step forward with a careful grin, water rippling out from her form to lap gently at the sandy shore, Eden shook her head slightly to do away with his apology - it wasn't necessary here, not in this land that was his by rights.
Not to this girl, who was his by command... And maybe, someday, by something more.
With a swallow, the girl banished such thoughts and focused once more on the warm tenor of her Commandant's voice; Curiosity. What are you doing here?
Awarding herself a few more steps closer to the shore - to him - Eden's smile grew to one that was less cautious and more welcoming, "As good of reason as any, I suppose," came her warm reply, amber eyes glimmering as she surveyed the strong lines and hard planes of her King's frame. A mighty warrior, a just sovereign, everything that she could ask for in a... her thoughts trailed off. Everything that she could ask for in a what? In a friend? No, she had friends, and she had never felt this way around Levi or Bexley Briar.
Pursing her lips for a moment, the paladin ignored the fluttering in her chest and forged on with words, "I come here to find a sense of peace," A small roll of her shoulders resembled a shrug, "I feel closer to Solis here.. I've found every friend I have yet to make here. It's a haven." Cocking her head to the side, Eden peered up at her commander, a wry twist to her lips and a mirthful glint to her gaze, "Are you in need of a haven, Commandant? Don't you fear, I'll protect you."
Despite the lightness in her words, Eden couldn't help but feel a slight flutter in her chest as she spoke of protecting Maxence - because she would. She would she would she would, with every breath until her dying day and with every step until she fell.
i'm in the black again / not coming back again we can just pretend / we'll make it home again from everything now
☩
She approached and so did he.
Perhaps it was the fact that she dwelled upon the pools of their haven that he felt an overwhelming desire to feel the coolness of its aqua upon each of his legs, or was it that he wished to close the gap completely? Maxence perished the through immediately, almost physically shaking his cranium in order to distort the daydream, but still it was not enough to draw him away from the aproaching shieldmaiden.
He stepped forth with one foot to slink into the oasis pool, easing his body into their sanctuary and taking his place parallel to her own.
"I come here to find a sense of peace— I feel closer to Solis here.. I've found every friend I have yet to make here."
It was that statement that caused a rare, true smile to appear upon the Commander's face as a question quickly arose within the walls of his own mind, one he asked without hesitation. "Am I your friend?" he quizzed, eyes as blue as the water they waded in watching her own with a hidden intensity. Perhaps it was that he was fearful of allowing them to wander; he knew that if they drifted from her eyes they would likely trace over areas of her honeyed bones that he ought not to linger on.
She chipped away at him again, this time with a glint within her eye and a humming breath of promise. "And I you" He spoke in return, not daring to protest her offer of protection jest or not.
Dusted with star matter and borne upon tides of nature, hers is the beauty of wild places.
There was something akin to heat stirring between the pair, an unseen conflagration roaring in the space between heartbeats. Another grin had sprung to the stallion's lips, tugging on something in the mare's belly and bringing one of her bangled hooves forward. A step closer to whatever fate intended. Eden's ears swiveled, straining to hear what unsaid words would be whispered in the valleys of silence that stretched between their voices. She knew there was something there, but the maiden didn't know what to call it.
Am I your friend?
A slow blink and a breathless reply fell from her control before she could think on it,
"If you'll have me."
Eden noted the way his gaze remained glued to her own, turquoise and amber melding and linking - maybe they'd collide, make something new. Yet, the sovereign was not through with the wonderful battering that Maxence was determined to put it through. With that boyish grin and that melodic rumble, he spoke again,
And I you.
A breath caught and for a moment, she felt herself almost like a puppet on a string - distant and jangled, yanked hither and thither - but she recovered quickly, slamming back into her small reality with a small gasp and a rush of heat to her cheeks. The reasonable train of thought that burst through her skull insisted that it was only normal, only functional, that a King would seek to protect his subjects. Yet, she couldn't shake the absolute certainty that he had meant it in a different way, somehow more than relation between a commander and a soldier.
She took in a shaky breath, suddenly feeling light, small, fragile, feminine.
Tilting her chin up to fix Maxence in her stare, a sudden fire bursting to life behind those amber eyes, Eden spoke with a voice as soft as the down upon her king's wings.
"I know you'll do right by me... You always have."
i'm in the black again / not coming back again we can just pretend / we'll make it home again from everything now
☩
The nanoseconds stirred into long moments of intimacy, the kind that Maxence had never learned to tolerate. As he watched, listened, and basked in a different kind of affection to the one he had earned from his battlefront brethren, a reluctance also began to brew.
This was forbidden to him.
Like the garden of her namesake there lay a fruit he dare not pick for fear of unshackling the foundation of his beliefs, his sanctity, his sovereignty. To give into temptation and to be lead astray by primal want and sins of flesh was never the way of Commander Maxence who thrust himself above bodily pleasures and selfish indulge.
He would not give in so easily, not even to the flower crowned paladin who stood so close and breathed upon the water beside him. "I know you'll do right by me... You always have."
"Of course—" the King responded, straightening his head and turning upon his haunches to make for the waters edge "Sister".
Like thunder he had spoken the title, one designed to restrain his wants and wishes and push doubt upon her own mind. It was spoken with a heavy heart, but a confident one; confidant that he had made the right choice, and quite simply, not fucked things up.
"Take care, Eden"
And with a flicker of his wings the commander was in another place, clenching his eyes shut as he willed his wishes to hell.
