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!
Welp, here's hoping this peaceful moment last. Don't expect it to.
"...I was lucky, there was this nice old lady that took in kids like me, left behind by parents who didn't want them anymore," Belril said before looking back up towards Henry as they walked on. "And believe it or not, I was actually advised to come here after the portals opened up, since she thought I was just stagnating in Halo."
"And honestly, a friend would be nice, it's been pretty lonely here in the Grounds," he fessed up, a slight chuckle in his voice before a worried frown on his face before he glanced back towards where the various crops and mini-trees would be moved to. "However...what the Voice wants us to do in regards to the Order has me worried. While I could go to Halo to see if I could find any one of their number...once Deepfrost starts, I won't be able to come back to check on my crops daily like normal because the portal will have been snowed over completely. It's happened the other few years since the portal's emergence." He then glanced towards Henry before asking, "If I told your mother what to do for them, think she could care for them in my stead while forced away?"
Henry felt a bit of surprise at the way Belril relented into sharing more of his past. He'd have to remember not to push him for answers in the future, seeing how he was more open when he wasn't being pressured. He glanced up, out at the road.
"The Grounds can feel that way sometimes. Ever since the dome's been gone, people have been leaving left and right," He commented, remembering all of the friends who used to live in the Grounds with him. They were gone, now, pursuing other ventures, seeing the bigger pictures. Some of them seemed to forget about him altogether once they left, which left a bitter taste in his mouth.
"My mum?" Henry raised and lowered his brows, "Sure. But are you really sure you want to be there for Deepfrost?" he glanced down at Belril, frowning thoughtfully, "I'm going to Torchline for the season, I think... Wessex wants me to help her kickstart an Explorer's Guild, and I've got to spread the word about it, see if anyone else is interested in joining us. You could come with me, if you want, and you'd still be able to return here at any moment - except for LongNight, of course."
Welp, here's hoping this peaceful moment last. Don't expect it to.
"Someone has to go there to spy on any of the Order that stay there after the portal's snowed over," Belril said before gingerly reaching over to give Dot a good scritch behind the ears. "And I'm trying to get myself a more stable place before I do anything like join a guild. I could probably help out in some way, but I wouldn't be a full member or anything of the sort."
He then gave a small chuckle before saying, "Also, I wouldn't put it past my 'step-mom' of sorts to try to throw me a birthday party at some point during my stay and I'd be helping out with some of the other kids that were there last I saw." He had a small smile at that thought. "While I didn't have any siblings with my Accepted parents growing up, it almost felt like I had a lot of them at the orphanage."
12-27-2020, 11:41 PM (This post was last modified: 12-27-2020, 11:43 PM by Henry.)
sacrifice what you are for what you can become
Henry tilted his head in consideration of that. "Yes, the Order is a concern..." he agreed, although begrudgingly. In truth, he was hoping Belril would've accepted his offer. But he also understood, to an extent, as much as someone from his background could. So he gave a more affirmative nod, "I want to be with my family, too. But our family situations are quite different..." he let out a winded sigh, "this explorer's guild is leading me in a new direction. I'm actually quite excited about it." Even though his tone would not reflect that at the moment, since the air was heavy with the Order and Belril's past.
"It's brave of you to step up to the plate, though. Don't put yourself in too much harm's way, alright?" He surveyed the younger boy with a serious, dark gaze. It lightened, though, "We're like family, now, too, you know? We live in the same town, we both want what's right for our people, our world, and we're both doing what we think is best. As far as I'm concerned, that makes us brothers in this. So don't be afraid to come and ask me for help, should you ever need it. Alright? And, hey, if I can manage to get this guild going... its doors will always be open to you." He smiled.
"Any explorer's guild worth its salt could use a good healer."
Welp, here's hoping this peaceful moment last. Don't expect it to.
"Hopefully, even if I won't be doing all that much exploring, I can do what I can after coming back from Halo during Flowerbirth," Belril said with a nervous chuckle.
As they continued walking, the pathway towards the fields beginning to turn from road to grass and dirt, Belril had sported a bit of a frown on his face, a nervous look on his face. "...normally, I feel safe in Halo. I usually don't have to worry about anything beyond a sudden food storage and a sudden freeze happening. But now, with people from the Order, people that hate people like me for something I did not choose to have..."
He stopped suddenly, shivering in place for a moment. "Once I go back, I won't be able to return until Flowerbirth...but I don't know if the same is true with any of the Order that might be there as well..." He then looked up towards Henry before saying, "Hopefully, I can just settle with getting as good a look as possible at one of those compasses and rings and still be in one piece afterwards..."
01-04-2021, 07:30 PM (This post was last modified: 01-04-2021, 07:31 PM by Henry.)
sacrifice what you are for what you can become
Henry cast his blue gaze out towards the field as it expanded before them, the road disappearing in favor of dried grass. Dot snorted doubtfully beside him, but with a gentle prompt, he coaxed her onward. She picked her feet carefully enough, until they reached the garden and he asked her to stop, offering her more oats in the meantime.
If Belril was worried and nervous, it was because he ought to be, and Henry had nothing soothing to tell him. There were grim realities that lay ahead of them. Henry had doubts of if any of them would be able to successfully spy on people from the Order. If that was the case, they wouldn't truly be able to successfully fortify the Grounds. And if that were true, then... there would have to be a fight, wouldn't there? Even if the Grounds were shielded from the Order, there would likely be a fight anyway... or a battle, perhaps even a war. It all depended on everyone else, on if people would be quick to snuff out those who wished to commit genocide (or another dome).
Henry felt an aggravated pit forming in his stomach.
"Hopefully..." he agreed quietly, and not just for Belril. For him, for Amun, for Wessex, for the people that (knowingly or unknowingly) might need the safety. "It will require a great deal of deception. I'd imagine they are well-prepared against any kind of infiltration."
That was all the advice Henry had to offer on the subject, and he soon set to work on {carefully} helping Belril with the garden so that it could be moved back to the farm. He immersed himself in the dirt and leaves, for just a moment letting everything else roll off of his shoulders.
01-05-2021, 12:20 AM (This post was last modified: 01-05-2021, 12:21 AM by Belril.)
Welp, here's hoping this peaceful moment last. Don't expect it to.
"My luck, with the kids I'll be helping with while there, I probably wouldn't get too much of a chance," he said with a small chuckle, pulling slightly at the collar of the shirt he was wearing that day. "If I'm going to be honest, I don't want to deal with any of the Order...for all I know, one may take the opportunity to 'deal with a problem before it becomes one'," Belril added, a shiver going down his spine. "But hopefully, none of them start any problems in the Citadel especially."
Eventually, they stopped near one of Belril's wild gardens, the largest of them, before beginning towards them himself to look at the crops and trees in comparison to the wagon brought. "We're gonna have to make a second trip for the trees, but I think we can bring all the crops over in one go."
It took a fair few trips, Belril giving Henry's mother fairly-detailed instructions for care of the non-native fruits and veggies, and the teen crashing out overnight at Henry's place from how late it all went into the dark hours before it was all finished with moving into the soon-to-be impromptu greenhouse area...
