From being an Abandoned who had rarely left the Hollowed Grounds, to embracing the call of adventure, to dying and being reborn first as an Ascended and then as an Ancient, Maea has gone through quite the amount of changes in her life. One thing remains common, though, in her attempts to find out just where she belongs; she’s always had a craving for knowledge which has brought her to so many places and to meet so many people here in Caido. We can’t wait to see what else is in store for her!
Congratulations, Maea!
Credits
Court of the Fallen was created in October of 2018 by Odd, Honey, and Crooked.
Skinning and hosting by the epically talented Kaons, and functionality fanciness by the coding magic of Neowulf. If you ever see either of them around, make sure to show them some love!
Elated, Marcus swung in his father’s embrace and soaked up all the warmth of the encouragement and praise. ”I did it!” He said, laughing. Stepping back he broke from his father’s arms and turned back to the target. He grabbed another arrow from the ground quiver and loaded it. Nocked and ready, the bow aimed and drew, then released. The arrow, like the first, whizzed quickly across the training field and thunk into the target. Less than an inch from the first one, but closer to the center.
His own pride swelled in his chest as he looked at it. He grabbed another one and tried again. The third arrow followed the same path as the first two. He couldn’t wipe the smile from his face even as he wiped copper bangs from his eyes.
It's too much to bear my darlin', the weight of the world
And I would carry it for you
Noah patted his son’s back and his laughter echoed through the halls of the barracks. He felt a little surge over the attuned bond from soldiers training on the opposite side of the field, and he pressed back against them with thankful measures. Marcus broke their embrace and Noah watched as his son went back to work. Pride swam across his eyes even still as the celestial waves settled down and eventually dissipated, Noah reining in the wild emotions.
”Good job, Marcus.” Noah kept encouraging, even as Marcus went on and shot a few more arrows. He offered his son a little correction on his form. Closing the distance between them he lifted his son’s elbow with the tips of his fingers. The demigod could feel the small muscles beneath his jacket trembling with effort. ”A few more and then we will finish up for today.” Noah said, amidst a groan from his son.
Marcus was receptive to his father’s corrections. There wasn’t much that could bring him down from this high. Feeling this accomplished wasn’t something he had felt very many times in his short life. He felt his father’s finger son his elbow as the Forsaken helped rise and stabilize his arm. The youngling nodded, but he could feel the fatigue touching at the ends of his limbs.
”Okay, Dad.” Marcus agreed, brushing his hair out of his face again. He reached down and grabbed another arrow. He nocked it, aimed, drew, and shot. It barely hit the target as it whizzed across the yard. He hmmphed and repeated the action. Grab, load, aim, draw. Another arrow — the last arrow — just barely missed the target and stuck in the frost-touched sand behind it.
It's too much to bear my darlin', the weight of the world
And I would carry it for you
Watching his son find success was more fulfilling than most of the accolades Noah held in his own life. Better and higher than his own efforts. Watching the light brim and feel his arms wrap about his waist. He felt closer now to his own father than he ever had when he was alive, looking out at his son as he worked through his bow skills. Sighing greatly, Noah called on, ”That’s ok. There’s more time to practice tomorrow.” Noah said.
Clapping his son on the back, Noah offered him a broad grin before he helped him collect his arrows. ”Has your mother talked to you about meeting at the Academy?” Noah asked conversationally. ”We were thinking of having you and Margot assessed to see if we can pinpoint your abilities.”
Marcus’ shoulders drooped some. He didn’t like missing the last arrow, and he was ready to sulk again when his father ended the session. Marcus turned to him briefly as he clapped his back. Sighing, and rolling his shoulders up and back, the youngling set down the bow. ”Okay.” He said, before stepping onto the field to help his father collect his arrows.
He went over to the target, bracing against it with one hand and using the other to grab the arrows as close to the head as he could. Then, he twisted and pulled, taking care not to pull the shaft off of the head and leave it stuck inside the target. His father, gathering the arrow on the other side of the target, asked him a question and Marcus shook his head. ”Uh, no, she hasn’t.” He said, repeating his actions to pull out another arrow. ”Who will do the assessment?” He asked.
It's too much to bear my darlin', the weight of the world
And I would carry it for you
Noah picked up the wayward arrow and held it between two fingers. Then he crossed back towards the target his son worked on. Helping him by holding the target steady, Noah lifted his brows some. ”Hmm. Probably Evie, since she is running most of the lessons with the last headmistress moving away to King’s End. Hotaru, remember?” He said, both mages flashing vividly in his mind.
Once all of the arrows were out of the target, Noah walked with his son back to the ground quiver. Taking it up, he held it out for the youngling to fill. ”Does it make you nervous to think about an assessment?” He asked, grabbing up the small bow his son had used in his drills.
”A little.” Marcus admitted, squirming with the discomfort of the idea. ”I just don’t want to do anything wrong.” He said, another admittance of vulnerability. He knew his magic wasn’t something that his mother would be able to teach him and that he would have to rely on the teachers and other students in the Academy. That part did not bother him — his parents were both keen to teach him and his twin that they needed to accept and seek help from others in their lives. Doing the opposite of that was prideful, and it wasn’t the Olson way. Pride killed.
But Marcus wanted to make his parents — his father — proud, just like he had done today. Learning well and doing what was most pleasing to them.
It's too much to bear my darlin', the weight of the world
And I would carry it for you
”Evie is fair and honorable.” Noah said, hoping to comfort some of the anxiety that Marcus was feeling. But when his son went on with why he was feeling nervous, Noah wrapped an arm around his shoulder. He ushered him out of the main training yard and down a long hallway towards the entrance. ”Son, there is no right or wrong. It will be a discovery. At the end of it there will be much rejoicing and excitement, and everyone will know how to help you the best.” He reassured, hoping to instill the same confidence in his son that he himself held in his breast at the work of the Academy.
Walking with his father was enough to keep Marcus focused, and he let go of a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding when the demigod laid his arm across his shoulders. ”I don’t understand why my powers won’t just show up naturally.” He said, kicking a stone with the toe of his leather boot. ”Mom said that happened to you — that the stronger you got, the more abilities just showed up.”
It wasn’t fair that Marcus had to go through a test. It wasn’t fair that he couldn’t just let it happen — wait and see. He scrunched up his face. It also wasn’t fair that his parents were putting him and his sister through training and hunting drills. But Marcus understood that, so maybe this was the same thing…
It's too much to bear my darlin', the weight of the world
And I would carry it for you
”I promise that its easier this way.” Noah said with a sigh. ”My abilities come on as I get stronger, yes, but I have far less People to help me work through them. Learning your abilities and having teachers at the academy will help you go further and gain more skills than anything else. You can ask Uncle Sah — being at the Academy has really helped him, even though he’s had his abilities all of his time in Caido.” Noah led Marcus through the hall and out the front door, angling them towards home. ”Evie will give you more knowledge than you can gain on your own. And don’t you think doing it the easier way is the wisest, in this case? Otherwise it would be like your archery lesson. We could have gone on with you using the wrong eye and hand, but once we figured out the correct path, it was easier.”
Marcus sighed, knowing his father was right. But he was still nervous. He was afraid of doing the wrong thing, of being wrong. He wanted to make his parents proud, that was true, but he wasn't sure he was ready for tests and expectations.
But his parents did, and he would obey.
"Okay." Marcus yielded, another sigh escaping his lips as his mind tried to wrap around the reality of the examination happening even if he wasn't keen on it. "You said Evie is nice." He declared, as if trying to get his father to argue against it. Instead, Noah nodded and agreed with a low rumble in his throat. "I hope so."
