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!
you think i'm happy because i'm smiling,
but it's the easiest thing to do
Juniper had never been to the Hollowed Grounds before. Of course, the bubble had made visiting a nonissue for most of her life, but even when they'd opened, she had never had any interest in visiting, believing it would only further sabotage her already poor reputation. But now -- now she had a job to do. She could no longer let fears of seeming too sympathetic to outsiders restrict her actions, not when her entire purpose now was to be -- or at least seem -- sympathetic to outsiders. If she were to act as a liaison between the Fae and the outside world, as their diplomat, first she needed to understand the outsiders, to expand her almost nonexistent knowledge of them. And while she could have started by contacting their leaders, she also wanted to know what the average outsider was like -- to get the perspective of an everyday person, not just a queen or governor.
So she came to the Settlement, forcing herself to walk instead of flying in the hopes that she wouldn't stand out too much, though she could hardly hide her wings. She knew everyone could tell she didn't belong here, from the way she stared at everything if not from her Fae nature, but she hoped she hadn't placed herself in actual danger. Just awkwardness, considering that she was not, in fact, that good with people.
She wandered through the Settlement, looking for the market, looking for someone to talk to -- and starting to wonder if she ought to ask for directions.
if you looked a little closer,
you'd find my eyes aren't smiling too.
why else love if not to feel the stars exploding in our veins?
Eyes closed. Breathe in. Amalia is meditating.
Or so she tells herself. She's certainly trying to meditate, though it is painfully difficult to calm a mind as rampantly anxious as her own. Once upon a time she would have allowed that anxiety to overcome her, to run rampant and send her careening down darker hallways than she can truly bear.
But now she is more than she was before, and part of that must be strength over her own mind. Or something wise and Vi-like.
Breathe out. Almost of its own accord her eyelid flutters open, distracted by the sound of the busy market. She has been trying to find calm in places like this, where comings and goings are constant and voices permeate the peace her breathing makes. The better to still herself in battle, she figures: it's all well and good if she can meditate in her bed.
She's about to close her eyes again when someone catches her attention. A fae, as uncommon as it is unexpected, causing Amalia's concentration to instantly shatter and shift. Lacking much by way of decorum the Shield watches the woman unguarded, curious and ill at ease, in case this is something of Nephele's doing and she needs to mount a swift repsonse.
you think i'm happy because i'm smiling,
but it's the easiest thing to do
Over her years of pariah-hood, Juniper had developed a finely tuned sense for when someone was watching her.
At the moment, it was completely useless. She was a fae outside the Greatwood; everyone was watching her. While she didn't exactly enjoy the attention -- she could almost feel strangers' gazes boring into her skin -- she supposed she'd better get used to it if she intended to maintain any governmental position, much less one as social as diplomat.
Wandering around was getting her nowhere. At random, Juniper picked one of her watchers to speak to: a blond woman who didn't exactly look happy about ... something, and Juniper was inclined to think that "something" was her own presence.
"Hello," Juniper said. "Could you direct me to a butcher or tanner, perhaps?"
She had brought goods to trade -- parcels of meat and hides from her hunting endeavors -- figuring that here, as in Sidhe Village, she'd be more welcome if her presence benefited someone.
if you looked a little closer,
you'd find my eyes aren't smiling too.
why else love if not to feel the stars exploding in our veins?
So she's been noticed noticing, which is to be expected, Amalia supposes. She's never been particularly skilled at subtlety, and it isn't as though she's trying. Sharp dark eyes track her progress through the busy square, watching as the small winged woman flits ever closer to the bench. Nervousness already beats its wings against her chest; she takes another deep breath in, trying to calm down. In two three four, out two three four...
"Hi," Amalia says in reply, shifting her feet to the ground. "Um, sure... sorry. We don't see a lot of fae in the Grounds." Rising up onto her feet, the girl looks down at the smaller woman with a frank curiosity. "Couldn't you have found a tanner or butcher in the Greatwood?" she asks, no malice in her alto tone, only the amusement of a lifted brow.
you think i'm happy because i'm smiling,
but it's the easiest thing to do
"I know you don't," Juniper said, her voice a bit teasing. "Maybe that will change ..."
Should she say that? It was part of the vision Nephele had promised, the Fae reaching out to outsiders, joining their society. But Juniper wasn't sure if she should tell any outsiders that they planned such a thing. Certainly the Fae themselves were not universally agreed on that point. Among certain members of their society, Juniper had found herself even more of a pariah than before she'd accepted Nephele's job offer. It was convenient, she supposed rather cynically, for those who didn't like outsiders to blame the Fae's increasing tolerance on Juniper's bad influence; it let them continue to respect Nephele and Alina.
But of course this outsider wouldn't know or care about Fae politics. Juniper had to shake her head slightly to bring herself back to the present. "Yes, I could have. But I wanted to see the Hollowed Grounds."
if you looked a little closer,
you'd find my eyes aren't smiling too.
why else love if not to feel the stars exploding in our veins?
The idea of seeing more fae in the Grounds both intrigues Amalia and alarms her somewhat, her conversations with Nephele (and Delah before) still vivid in her mind. "Really?" she wonders, tilting her head inquisitively to the smaller woman. "That's a change, but a welcome one. What brings it about?" Delah's death? Something else? In all her recent misadventures, Amalia has rather lost track of the politics of the Fae.
Having never heard anything but scorn from her homeland coming from the fae, Amalia's surprise only grows at this strange turn of events. "Ah... okay." She isn't sure what more to say, and instead stands in awkward silence for another beat before remembering the initial request. "Oh. Let me... the tanner's booth is this way. I can show you, if you like."
you think i'm happy because i'm smiling,
but it's the easiest thing to do
Juniper hesitated. Had she said too much? She didn't want to fully explain the Fae's thinking to an outsider, not without knowing where her allegiances lay -- for all she knew this woman might be Ascended herself, though the sunny day argued against that idea. Yet Juniper wanted to appear friendly, open. A middle ground might work, a truth that did not go into detail: "Standing alone against our misfortunes has not served my people well. We need to reach out to others."
The other woman's surprise at Juniper's interest was clear, and well-deserved -- Juniper knew few Fae would wish to explore the Hollowed Grounds, and even fewer would risk the stigma of contacting outsiders even if they had any interest. But Juniper already bore that stigma, so why not? "Thank you, I would certainly appreciate that."
if you looked a little closer,
you'd find my eyes aren't smiling too.
why else love if not to feel the stars exploding in our veins?
"We haven't historically been helpful, either," Amalia points out with good-natured chagrin. After the blight and the massacre at the Mathair the Shield can hardly blame the Fae for keeping to themselves. "I hope we'll be able to form better ties in the future. My sis- our queen, Evie Wordsworth the Evergreen, will be glad to hear of this. Who, uh... who's in charge of the Greatwood these days?" She's heard nothing about the succession after Delah's death.
She nods as the woman accepts her offer, setting off toward the other side of the market where the tanner's booth stands. "How has the forest been? And... the tulmhainar? I've been meaning to visit it again, but..." She winces ruefully. I've been busy hardly seems like an excuse, especially following the blight. "I hope there have been more happy memories than unhappy ones."
you think i'm happy because i'm smiling,
but it's the easiest thing to do
"That's true," Juniper replied, but she smiled to soften the words. There had been issues on both sides; the popular opinion among the Fae was that the outsiders had caused great harm and the Fae had only responded appropriately, of course. But even if that were the case, taking this friendly woman to task for the actions of her entire society would only increase tensions, and it was Juniper's job to de-escalate things, not make them worse. "I hope so as well."
So Evie Wordsworth led the Hollowed Grounds now -- that tidbit of information alone was worth the trip. And Juniper was currently speak to her sister? Excellent. Something in Juniper -- a Fae instinct for secrecy in the face of outsiders -- suggested that she shouldn't answer the woman's question, but no, if they were to improve relations it had to start now. "Alina leads us now, with Nephele's aid. And ... with mine. My name is Juniper. I am the Fae's new liaison with the outside world."
So this woman had visited the tulmhainar before ... Interesting. "The forest has suffered with the Mathair, and with our people. The tulmhainar ... It has never spoken to me."
if you looked a little closer,
you'd find my eyes aren't smiling too.
why else love if not to feel the stars exploding in our veins?
Amalia resists the urge to frown at the names Alina and Nephele, her encounters with both women leaving sourness in her mouth. At least they are moving toward acceptance of the outside, the Shield supposes, nodding at Juniper with a small, shallow smile. "Amalia. Baker." And nothing more, at least for now.
"I am sorry about the Mathair. Is there anything to be done?" They have nearly reached the end of the lane dedicated to the sales of animal goods. Amalia stops near the cul-de-sac of stalls and shops, nose wrinkling at the smell. "If it's alright I'll stay out here. I'm not... I don't like butcheries." Her fingers twitch upon her wrist as she tries to push away the thoughts of death that surround such places, memories already threatening to drag her into the dark.
you think i'm happy because i'm smiling,
but it's the easiest thing to do
"It's nice to meet you, Amalia," Juniper said: not a lie, of course. Amalia had already shown concern for the Greatwood and its people, and while it was fully possible that in the future their relationship would sour -- bitter experience had taught Juniper to always anticipate such an outcome -- for the moment, Juniper was happy to have encountered Amalia. "We are doing all we can for the Mathair. Even if you could help ... If you could truly help her, then I would gladly accept your assistance. But I do not believe I can say the same for the rest of my people."
Juniper nodded and entered the butcher's shop. It took her quite some time to trade away the meat she had brought -- first needing to overcome the butcher's astonishment at seeing a Fae in their shop, then to prove that Fae or no, she knew the quality of her own goods and what made a fair offer for them. Walking out of the shop, Juniper wondered if Amalia had even waited for her; she wouldn't have been surprised if the baker had just gone on with her day.
if you looked a little closer,
you'd find my eyes aren't smiling too.
why else love if not to feel the stars exploding in our veins?
When Juniper emerges from the shop she will indeed find Amalia waiting. She's found a seat on a nearby bench, feet pulled up beneath her and eyes distant with thought. The sight of the Fae brings her back to her surroundings, however; the Shield unwinds, feet returning to the cobblestones, though her expression remains distracted by something far away.
She's biting her lip when the woman comes closer, clearly considering something. Glancing up at the fae, Amalia furrows her brow. "Juniper..." the Shield begins, then hesitates again. She doesn't know this woman, not really, but she seems more interested in compromise and strong relations than the rest of the fae. There has to be trust somewhere, if she is going to make change.
Breathe in deep. Let it out slow.
Her dark eyes are serious when she finally fixes them on the woman, resolution written across her face. "What's your opinion of the Ascended? Do they deserve death, for what they did to the Mathair?"
you think i'm happy because i'm smiling,
but it's the easiest thing to do
Juniper definitely didn't expect to be asked such a serious question on her first foray in to the Hallowed Grounds, by a near-stranger. Were she human, her instinct would have been to lie -- to hem and haw, to hedge her answer and give some polite nothing. But Juniper was Fae, however many cruel whispers had doubted that status over the years, and she would speak nothing but the truth. Which meant she had to think carefully about her words, taking a long pause to choose them.
"The Ascended have slaughtered my people and ravaged our home at their goddess's whim, as if we meant nothing. We may not have been friendly, but we did not provoke them. I think we would be justified in returning the favor." Anger entered Juniper's voice on the last sentence, an anger that almost surprised her. She was usually so isolated from her own people that it felt strange to share in their communal outrage, but she did. Then she took a deep breath. "They should face justice for their crimes against us. But I don't know if 'justice' means 'total extermination.' And I do not want my people to lose themselves pursuing it. We have to live, and live among the other races, not drive ourselves to extinction chasing an all-encompassing vengeance."
Juniper looked into Amalia's eyes. "Does that answer your question?"
if you looked a little closer,
you'd find my eyes aren't smiling too.
why else love if not to feel the stars exploding in our veins?
She listens intently, nodding at the assessment, the anger, her expressive face belying the calm of her posture. She agrees with all that Juniper is saying, but she cannot help be skeptical of the intent behind it, her conversations with Nephele still a fresh brand on her mind. Justice, she has learned, is a word that people use as a shield to hide their intent.
Those who have taken life deserve to live with their mistakes, not to become martyrs.
"Some of your... well. A Fae spoke to me. Told me she was going to slay the Ascended for what they did. And she did kill one, and sent his body in pieces to the different lands. Is that justice? Or just revenge? Is it something you would stand for?" She turns her dark gaze onto the woman, intensity in her stare. "Because I cannot. I agree that the Ascended have sinned and should see justice. But if Alina is allowing assassinations without trial... then I don't think peace or good relationships can ever be achieved."
