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!
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Court of the Fallen was created in October of 2018 by Odd, Honey, and Crooked.
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At Roana’s comment that she’d send Phoebe after him if the healer complained, Loren shrugged. ”Go for it. Considering I talked her down from her anger the first time I met her I could probably do it a second time.” It helped knowing that Phoebe—despite being blighted—was all bark and no bite. Of course, he didn’t know about how bad the healer would get under the blight and how she would, indeed, start taking chunks out of people with her teeth.
However, Roana’s questions about the future caught the Launceleyn off guard. He paused, giving her a considering look. Truth be told, he hadn’t thought much about the future, wrapped up as he so often was in the past. ”Definitely not going into politics.” That much, at least, he was sure of, and he’d made it very clear that he wasn’t following in Zariah’s path in more ways than one to those who mattered. ”I probably won’t work at the Atheneum, though I’ll still volunteer there occasionally.” Assuming they’d let him. But no, he didn’t much feel like a librarian any longer. ”I joined the militia, actually.” It probably wasn’t a full time job, but it was something.
There were other things he’d thought about, but he lacked the confidence—and Roana was a stranger, basically—to say them out loud.
Roana laughed a bit at his confidence, grinning broadly at it. ”That’s quite the talent. She tends to be pretty stubborn so I applaud you that.” she said, shaking her head a bit. ”I wish I could have been a fly on the wall to see that and get some tips.” she added. Especially as of late, with the blight exacerbating her emotions, to talk Phoebe down from just about anything was nearly impossible.
The former Captain listened quietly as Loren spoke of the future. No politics. Sort of a librarian maybe. But the militia caught her attention. That was an interesting side choice of work. ”So you are a soldier then. I heard there wasn’t a very good turn out for the call to arms.” she said.
Loren just shrugged again at Roana’s next comment. ”Eh. I’m not exactly a pushover, and I’ve dealt with much angrier, much more stubborn, and much more dangerous people in my life. Just stay calm and ask her lots of questions. When she has an intellectual puzzle to work on it usually diffuses whatever was bothering her to begin with.” Phoebe was easy enough to manage. It helped that, unlike his family, she wasn’t likely to start throwing spells at him when she got pissed. Words, he could handle.
Well, actually, he could handle magic too. It was his own emotions that often proved to be his undoing.
Not letting a hint of that thought show on his face, he shook his head at Roana’s assertion that he was a soldier. ”I was trained for combat, but no, I’m not really a soldier. Just trying to keep the peace.” Her statement about their numbers, however, was completely accurate. Given her previous choice of profession, he figured it was worth asking her. ”You want to join? We could definitely use you.” Far more than Loren, whose ribs still stuck out too far and whose only offensive skill was to summon creatures. Compared to what actual soldiers and mages could do, it wasn’t much.
Roana smiled, laughing a bit. "It seems you've an uncanny knack for handling her then. I can usually barely get a two word sentance out of her, much less intellectual inquiry." she admitted. Interesting. Very interesting indeed. She hoped he would continue to reach out to Phoebe and befriend her in some capacity. She was interested to see where this went.
"You have healing magic, don't you? Why weren't you trained as a medic? Roana asked. Field medics were always needed, and if he could heal it seemed a better fit than a soldier anyways. His question had her shaking her head though. "I'm not particularly fond of her highness after she threatened my children, so I won't serve in her army." she said. "If I serve anyone now, it will be someone with a broader gaze than a monarch could have."
Loren tilted his head at Roana, giving her a considering look. ”Well. Have you tried? It sounds like you’ve been waiting for her to come to you, which I imagine wouldn’t give you many opportunities to ask her questions.” It might not have been his place to gently chide Roana for her relationship with Phoebe, but the ex-captain was formidable enough on the battlefield that the summoner would be shocked if she couldn’t deal with a little discomfort in a conversation.
Then again, bravery in battle didn’t necessarily translate to courage in social situations. The Launceleyn knew that better than most.
Honestly, he was surprised Roana remembered much about his magic. ”I do, but it developed fairly recently, and it wasn’t my strongest ability. I was and am primarily a summoner, which is far more suited to combat. But yes, once I manifested healing I started training with the Grand Healer. But then...well...we were transported here.” Still, the little bit he’d learned under Mariella still came in handy.
At the comment that Wessex had threatened Roana’s children Loren came to a complete halt. ”What do you mean?” His voice came out low, hard, and cold, all traces of his easy cheer and humor wiped away, replaced by a completely blank expression and ramrod straight posture. The queen had stood in the Launceleyn Manor and told him to his face that she’d never stoop that low, never fall to Zariah’s level. If Wessex had been lying, well, then the summoner would take matters into his own hands. At Roana’s next comment, Loren just narrowed his eyes. ”And who might that be?”
”Many. Many, many times.” Roana said with a light laugh. ”Waiting for her to come to me is the most recent iteration of my attempt to find some good will with her.” she explained. He could chide if he wished, but it wouldn’t hurt her any. She knew where she stood with Phoebe and though it was still tenuous it was better than it had been.
She nodded a bit as he expounded on his abilities a bit more. The end of his story seemed much the same of many other Outlanders. X, Y, or Z thing was happening but then they got transported here. ”Sounds about right. Lots of things got put on hold when we were all brought here it seems.” she said quietly, pulling to a stop as he did.
”She threatened to kill my children in order to steal my father’s sword from me.” she said, patting the claymore on her hip. ”It was quite the pain to get back, but I won’t follow orders from a thief and someone who threatens children.” she said, shaking her head. Oh no. Wessex was just as bad as Zariah in her books – worse even because people trusted her. ”The gods. Ludo in particular.” she said, to answer his final question. ”They are focused on balance of the world over all. That is something I can support.”
”And how’s that working out for you?” Loren wasn’t trying to be cruel, but it seemed that Phoebe, especially given that she was blighted, could use all the support she could get from everyone in her life, even Roana. Whatever the ex-captain might think or feel about the situation, when the summoner had met with the healer she’d been lonely, and he couldn’t imagine Phoebe would ever turn Roana away if the ex-captain made overtures.
Some things got put on hold after they arrived here as well (like Loren’s life) though he knew better than to say that, and he firmly shoved the dark thoughts from his mind. Of course, they came back with a vengeance when Roana explained what happened with Wessex. ”Why did she try to take your father’s sword?” The Launceleyn had met with the queen, and she didn’t seem the type to act without reason, at least not in the present day. So he’d gather every piece of information that he could before he confronted Wessex.
But he would confront her. Eventually. And she’d better have a damn good explanation.
As Roana explained that she would follow the directives of the gods, Ludo in particular, Loren hesitated. He didn’t know enough about the divine beings to trust in their judgment, but he couldn’t imagine blindly trusting any of the deities was a good idea, no matter what they professed to care about. ”What does that mean, the balance of the world?” Although his experience was limited—though Frey had certainly left quite the impression—he figured what the gods saw as balanced might not line up with what mere mortals felt.
"Well, we can have a less tense conversation than before. When she isn't blighted and attacking my children." she said with a small shrug. It was a little win but still an improvement from how things had been between them. But his question about Wessex's motives made her shrug as well, as she shook her head. "I don't know, it's shiny and she wanted it, I guess. She came up on my from behind and demanded it out of the blue, I'd never met her before." she said. It had really been a glorified mugging with the threat to her children being the icing on the cake.
"Life, death, and everything in between." she told him. "Its all rather philosophical, but I would much rather serve that sort of greater purpose than that of a monarch's whims. I've spent the majority of my life doing just that and for what? A regiment's worth of dead soldiers in a land I will never see again pursuing success in an endless war because we don't like that others have sovereignty?" she said, brows furrowing. "At least in this, I can see the higher purpose. It is not for the benefit of any one nation, but for the benefit of all."
At the mention of Phoebe attacking Roana’s children, Loren winced. ”I’m sorry. Are they okay?” He bit his lip, feeling Frey’s and Vi’s joint command to plant his final Rose as soon as possible. And he would, after he got home, clothed, and a good night’s sleep. He didn’t want to chance fighting off someone with the blight while he wasn’t at his best, or in the middle of the night after having summoned a phoenix that was still circling overhead. ”Have you confronted her about it?” Wessex was queen, now, sure, but Roana was tough, and Loren couldn’t imagine the ex-captain letting such an action go without being answered.
Luckily—or maybe unluckily—for Roana, Loren didn’t mind philosophy. Plus, he’d been doing a lot of thinking about his own future, which also made him pretty good at considering the future of others. ”Well, the enemies we used to face were trying to wipe us from existence. Or at least, that’s what they told us.” Whether or not it was true was another matter entirely. ”But why serve at all? We have a chance here, to forge our own paths, independent of monarchs and gods.” And bowing to the whim of any higher power that he didn’t know he could trust was abhorrent to the Launceleyn, strange as that might be to anyone who knew the oaths of obligation that used to bind his family.
But those were gone, now, and he was a free man. If only he chose to accept that freedom.
"Oh yes, they are fine, though rather confused by it. They're tough lil'guys." she said with a bit of pride. She loved her boys deeply and it showed. "Besides, despite her height, Phoebe weighs practically nothing. Just sort of picked her up and redirected her until she got frustrated and left on her own." she said with a bit of a shrug. But as for Wessex? Roana shook her head. "I'd rather not give her the opportunity to use my children against me again. People willing to stoop to that level cannot be reasoned with." she said darkly, lips pursed with her inner rage. "Last I interacted with her was to get my sword back. And since then I've simply made a point of keeping my boys as far from her as I can."
Roana was indeed tough, but she was a mother too, and the safety of her children came before any semblence of pride.
"If the soldiers I saw on the frontlines were any indication of their intent, they were indeed trying to wipe us out." Roana said calmly with a shrug. Not that it mattered anymore. Northwind was far and away. But why not serve anyone? She smiled a bit and shook her head. "That's an idealistic thought if I ever heard one. If you've power, or use, those around you will find a way to make you serve. Pretty words, blackmail, begging..." she shrugged. "Back home I didn't get the choose whose side I was one. I was born to a side. But here, I've been given the options...in a way. And ultimately we can only do what we think is right and best. That's what I'm going with "
09-28-2019, 11:43 PM (This post was last modified: 09-28-2019, 11:43 PM by Loren.)
LOREN
”I’m glad to hear it.” If anyone so much as thought about harming a child in the Hollowed Grounds, Loren would destroy them using every power at his disposal. He might not have been the strongest person around, but he was creative, and he was ruthless, and stubborn, and would not rest. In this case, though, Phoebe was not to blame, but the blight itself. So if they ever got definitive proof as to the source of the blight, the Launceleyn would act. However, without that, he wasn’t going to do anything based on hypotheses, rumors, and fear.
And unlike Roana, Loren was actually going to talk to Wessex before making any rash decisions. ”When did this happen?” The queen had seemed eminently reasonable to the Launceleyn, and the summoner didn’t have the fondest memories of the ex-captain. While he didn’t doubt Roana per se, he wasn’t going to take her word at face value either. Besides, he of all people knew that people were capable of change. He had to believe that, too.
Just because his words were idealistic didn’t mean they were any less true. ”I don’t see any problem with idealism. Do you? And you say you have power. If that’s true, why not use it to protect your freedom to chose as well as the freedom and safety of others.” As she continued to speak, he gave her a curious look. ”And how do you know that what the gods want is what is right and best? And who is it right and best for?” It seemed to Loren that the higher powers cared very little for individuals, and probably thought the means justified the ends: most of those with power did, he knew that much. Beyond that, he’d gotten in a lot of trouble making assumptions like thinking he knew what was best, and while he knew he’d do it again, most likely, he also tended to question his judgment even at the best of times.
So he was certainly going to question the gods, who had proven inscrutable to him. And he felt very strongly that Roana should do the same.
Roana nodded in agreement. Of all the people to be blighted, it was probably best that it was Phoebe. She really couldn't do any damage unless you didn't keep your wits about you. She was small and weak and pretty much a negligible threat, all things considered. "A year ago at this point. But when you're a mother, you don't have the luxury of allowing time to heal your wounds and make your drop your guard." she said. Roana was all for forgive and forget in most situations, but not when it came to her boys. This was one momma bear you did not want to cross if you wanted to maintain her friendship and trust.
"Because it is my choice." Roana said with a small smile. "No god has demanded anything of me. No god would force me to act against my will. The choice is still mine." she said, thinking back to the words of the Fae. "I cannot say if the path they have laid before me is right or best. I can only say that based on my knowledge, and my experience, tha the path is the best option I can see." she said with a bit of a shrug. "And that is really all we can expect of anyone isn't it? That we choose to do what we feel is right and good? We don't get to decide what side we fall on in the end after all. That's left to history."
Roana’s statement about being a mother didn’t exactly make sense—nor did he necessarily agree with it—but it wasn’t as if Loren was in any position to argue. After all, he wasn’t a mother, let alone a parent, even if he was taking care of two children at home or maybe not depending on timelines because they ran away from home for a while. ”I’m sorry to hear that.” It seemed that the ex-captain didn’t have a whole lot of people in her life she could trust or rely upon, and yet had many she needed to take care of. The summoner knew a little bit about what that felt like.
Once more, the Launceleyn found himself disagreeing with Roana, but he couldn’t argue that there was some truth to her words. ”Maybe it’s because I’m an Abandoned, through no fault of my own, but I can’t say that I trust the gods, any of them, to have mortal’s best interests at heart.” The world, maybe, but if the gods decided that all people posed a threat to the world and decided to wipe them out, that wouldn’t necessarily make it right just because it was a divine decree. ”I guess...I guess I’d just hope that, on this path, you’ll still try to keep your eyes and mind open.” It was really all anyone could hope for in the end.
History might be written by the winners, but they lived in the present. While they needed to worry about the future, the path they took to get there was as important as the final destination. On the subject of roads, Loren could see the now familiar silhouette of the Manor. They were rapidly approaching, and he had his phoenix fly lower now, not wanting to startle anyone who might see it in the sky. ”Thank you for the escort home. I can uh...have your ah cloak washed and returned to you.” He seriously doubted she’d want it back in its current state.
Roana smiled at him a bit and shook her head. "Don't be. I am happy to stay vigilant for my boys. They are my whole world." she said, the love and affection she felt for them clear in her tone. She didn't feel badly or resentful at what being a mother meant she had to do, in her mind. It simply was, and she was honored to do it. "I couldn't have asked for better children. They are worth everything." she said with a little nod.
The former captain nodded her understanding. "From what I understand of your family, I can't fault you that. I wouldn't be quick to align myself with another power either. Especially one that seems to resent me." she said with a small smile. Could she keep her mind open? "I think I can. But just because my mind is open, doesn't mean it will change either." She could hear something out, and if it made sense, she could change direction. But at that moment, she didn't think there was a strong enough argument to change her course.
At the mention of the cloak she laughed and shook her head. "Keep it." she said with a grin. Even washed, she wasn't sure she could get the image of Loren wearing it as a loin cloth out of her mind.
