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!
Ronin had been meaning to have this conversation with his daughter for a while. But he had put it off, hoping in some way that he could convince himself that he didn't need to say it how it was, that he could downplay how dangerous it would be, even to himself. It wasn't going away, though, and the time had come for him to explain where he would be going towards the end of Deepfrost.
The Rainbow Road was less vibrant at night, but the sky was alive with stars overhead, and as they walked the hunter had his eyes on them, his free hand in Seren's. "You've probably heard talk about it," he said, glancing down at her with a brief, tight smile, "that I'm going away for Longnight. Do you know what that is, Seren?" Safrin might have explained it to her, for all he knew.
I'm ready to start the conquest of spaces Reaching the starlight and silver fields
It was later than she was used to being up. Star-gazing from her window (or secret excursions into the garden or to the lighthouse) was one thing, but to go on sanctioned adventures with her father at night was a very different thing. She was tired and elated both at once, and her head felt very clear as she strolled along next to Ronin. His hand was warm around hers, and if the sound of the erupting geysers had startled her at first, it had been made safe and interesting by his presence.
Looking up at his question, Seren spied only the outlines of his face in the faint light. She shook her head. "A really long night?" she said, venturing a guess. "Where are you going?"
Possibly she should remember, or know, what he was talking about. But even if she did, Seren would let him explain it again; she enjoyed their lessons, even if they came in the middle of the night.
Come with the night the science of fighting The forces of gravity
✰ Starlight (Passive) | Starfilled night billow around her like a veil as she moves. It is more noticeable in daytime and when she make sudden movements.
Smiling down at her, he nodded - it was a bit self-explanatory, to be sure. "That's right. It's a week at the end of Deepfrost, when the sun doesn't rise all across Caido. Here in Torchline - and in most other places - that just means that it's dark, and there isn't much to do. Even the gods and the stars don't come out," he explained, pausing to gaze up at the sky with her.
"But in the Hollowed Ground, it's a very dangerous time for people. Monsters come out in the dark, and lots of things can go wrong. I'm going there so that I can try to keep people safe, as much as I can. Once the sun comes up again, I'll be back. But until then, I need you to stay here, okay? I need you to look after Remi for me. Do you think you can do that?"
I'm ready to start the conquest of spaces Reaching the starlight and silver fields
Seren followed his gaze up towards the stars. Up and up, until she almost toppled over. No stars? She couldn't even imagine what that might look like. A cloudy sky was one thing, where the stars hid behind them, but... for them to not be there at all? And for Mama to be away?
It sent a shiver down her spine, unlike anything she had felt before.
The girl bit her lip. "Can't we come with you?" she tried, and squeezed his hand harder. "Then I can keep you safe too."
A week wasn't long, not really. But she wasn't sure about those monsters.
Come with the night the science of fighting The forces of gravity
✰ Starlight (Passive) | Starfilled night billow around her like a veil as she moves. It is more noticeable in daytime and when she make sudden movements.
"I wish you could - I'm sure you'd be very brave," Ronin said softly, squeezing her hand back and leaning down beside her. "But you two are too important to me. It would feel like a much shorter time away if I knew you were safe here," he explained, glancing back up at the sky. "Do you see that star, there?" He'd recognise it anywhere, from any of the others, nodding right above them where one seemed to twinkle more brightly than the others.
"That's Vanya - that's Aoife's mother. She's stuck in the sky right now, and she can't be with your sister, to take care of her. I can't explain much, but that's one of the reasons I have to go to the Hollowed Ground. I want to get her down, so she can see Aoife again."
I'm ready to start the conquest of spaces Reaching the starlight and silver fields
She sought the star he was pointing out, and thought she found it. Its light was somehow closer than the others, and Seren thought it wasn't acting like regular stars might.
Still chewing on the bottom lip, a small war raged inside. On the one hand, she would love nothing more than for Aoife to have her mother back. But did she really have to lend out her own dad for that to happen? Selfishly, Seren just wanted to demand that he stayed here with her and Remi and let Vanya stay in the sky - was that so bad? - but... Eventually, the girl sighed.
Turning towards Ronin, she wrapped her arms around his neck and burrowed the little face into his shoulder. "Okay," she said, with a tone of defeat. Not exactly generous, but the closest thing to it she could get right now. "Will Sugar go with you?" That might make her feel a bit better. At least the dragon could keep him safe.
Come with the night the science of fighting The forces of gravity
✰ Starlight (Passive) | Starfilled night billow around her like a veil as she moves. It is more noticeable in daytime and when she make sudden movements.
He couldn't see the conflict that raged within the girl, but he could certainly understand it. As she finally turned to him, Ronin let out a sigh of relief, hugging her close and pressing a kiss to her dark hair. "Thank you," he said. "I'll be back before you even know I'm gone, I promise." Pulling away a bit, he smiled to her. "When I do, how about we go back to Sunjata's boxing ring and you can train with me? That way, if I ever have to go away again, you'll be able to protect everyone even better."
Not that he planned to - he had never even wanted to go back to the Grounds for another Longnight. Funny how things turned out. "Yes," he assured her, "Sugar will be coming with me. She can keep an eye on things when I need to sleep." He winked. "It's only a week, remember. Okay?"
I'm ready to start the conquest of spaces Reaching the starlight and silver fields
Relishing the warm comfort in his embrace, Seren was a bit reluctant to let go. The surly pout of her mouth widened into a smile at the offer to train, however, and she nodded eagerly. "Pinky promise?" she clarified, holding out her small hand with the pinky outstretched.
"Okay. Only a week." Hearing that Sugar would go along was indeed a relief. The white dragon brought something else to mind though.
"Daddy, before you leave, can you help me call down a dragon? Mama told me how to find one. I need a blue seashell, and Sugar needs to breathe on it, and then it needs to be put in a geyser, and then maybe a blue dragon will come to look at it!"
She had not quite found a seashell good enough yet, but it shouldn't be long now. That was the easy part, though.
Come with the night the science of fighting The forces of gravity
✰ Starlight (Passive) | Starfilled night billow around her like a veil as she moves. It is more noticeable in daytime and when she make sudden movements.
"Pinky promise," Ronin assured her, winking and curling his pinky around her own to seal the deal. At least she seemed calmer about what would be happening, giving Ronin one less thing to panic about before he had to leave on his way. But that wasn't all, it seemed, and the hunter raised an eyebrow as he heard Seren out. "Call down a dragon...?" It seemed impossible, but if Safrin had arranged it, Ronin had little doubt that there would be a dragon at the end of it all.
"I think I can help with that, sure," he said, his smile growing brighter as he straightened up. "As soon as you find a shell good enough, come and find me. We'll have Sugar ice it up for you, and we'll throw it in one of the geysers around here. See if we can't get a dragon for you before I leave, huh?"
I'm ready to start the conquest of spaces Reaching the starlight and silver fields
No doubt her calm was due to a lack of proper understanding of the real dangers Ronin would be facing. Had the girl known, she would not have been so easily persuaded to stay behind, or to let him go. But Seren didn't understand what a week in the Hollowed Ground could result in, and so she was easily bribed with the notion of fun to be had once he came back. And he had promised to come back.
With his pinky wrapped around her own, the girl laughed and made their hands sway back and forth, and by the time she let go, everything was alright again.
Seren smiled back when he agreed to help with the dragon. Taking his hand again as he rose, she couldn't help but skip a little on the steps, excited about the idea of that dragon coming spiraling down towards her, blue as the sky above.
"Thank you, daddy! I will find a really good shell." The bluest blue she could find. Not the easiest ask, white was far more common among the shells of the beach. Pink too. But who said a quest was supposed to be easy?
Come with the night the science of fighting The forces of gravity
✰ Starlight (Passive) | Starfilled night billow around her like a veil as she moves. It is more noticeable in daytime and when she make sudden movements.
"I am sure you will," Ronin said softly, his hand closing around hers as they began to walk again, and he took just a second to glance over his shoulder at the star sparkling above, as if to remind Vanya that he hadn't forgotten about her. Squeezing Seren's hand, he focused again on the road ahead of them, on the promise of blue dragons and training sessions in the boxing ring. That was preferable, by far, to the creeping unease, to the reminders of the monsters that lurked in his distant future.
