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!
Juniper nodded in sympathy as she listened to Sah. Yes, she knew what that kind of responsibility felt like. (In fact, it would only increase from here. But at least she wouldn't lead the Greatwood alone.) "It's hard to accept that some things are simply outside your power to change." Advice that applied very well to both of them -- to Sah's past, and to Juniper's present and future.
"It must have been a hard transition, coming here," Juniper added. "To go from being responsible for your people to being alone in a strange land ... I don't know how I'd cope."
Offering Sah a smile, Juniper nodded again. If he'd voiced his thoughts about interacting with the Fae, she might have mentioned that he didn't need to worry too much about prying -- the Fae were unable to lie, not unable to refuse a question. But, of course, Juniper had only so much insight into the workings of Sah's mind.
Juniper
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Juniper's advice got a nod from Sah. "It truly is." A lesson that the Abandoned had to keep learning. He always wanted to protect his loved ones, and learning to back off or accept that he couldn't was an ongoing struggle.
The Fae's words received a rueful smile. "I'm not quite sure I am. But I'm doing my best." The transition to Caido had been incredibly difficult for him. Adjusting to a new body, new magic, and an entire new world's rules? The learning curve had been steep. "I've had help, thankfully. There have been Naturals and other Outlanders who have stepped up with advice and other things. It's made it a bit easier." Deimos, Noah, Aino, Ilma, Seren, and many more. All who had given Sah support and listened to his struggles.
Turning inquisitive eyes on the Fae, Sah tilted his head slightly. "Fae also have magic, right? How is it different from Abandoned magic?"
Another nod from Juniper as Sah spoke of receiving help from others.
"I'm glad that you've found friends and people to help you. Community is important." Juniper herself knew that all too well, having been ostracized much of her life. But sometimes now she wondered if that isolation had in fact been one-sided, after seeing many of the Fae step up and accept her as one of their leaders. If she'd tried harder, reached out more, would they have let her in earlier?
As for Sah's struggle ... "Do you blame the Voice, for bringing you here? Would you go back if you could?" These were genuine questions, not attempts to turn Sah against the Voice. While she had no problem with Outlanders, Juniper also wouldn't wish being snatched from their home on anyone.
"Fae have magic and can change shape, like Attuned, though I haven't learned to do so yet." After all, Juniper was still quite young for a Fae. She considered Sah's question for a moment. "I don't know, actually. As far as I know, our magic functions very similarly to the Abandoned's -- but then I don't know that much about Abandoned magic, since only recently have Abandoned come to the Greatwood."
Juniper
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Juniper's question had Sah grimacing painfully. He grit his teeth for a moment, having to let out a heavy sigh before responding. "On the contrary, I'm thankful. I... my world ended. Everything is gone. As it was all destroyed, I blacked out, certain that I was dead. And then I woke up in a new body, in Caido." The Outlander explained briefly. "There's nothing for me to go back to. And I'm thankful to be alive but..." He sighed again, giving Juniper a small shrug.
"Survivor's guilt and all that." That was about as concisely as Sah could explain the turmoil that had been his introduction to Caido, and about as much as he really wanted to tell a stranger.
Instead, Sah happily focused on the topic of magic. To be able to wield magic and shapeshift was incredible. And without the stigma of being an Abandoned, even more so. "Abandoned have only recently come to the Greatwood? Were they not allowed previously?"
"Oh, I'm ... I'm so sorry." Juniper couldn't imagine experiencing the end of an entire world. It really put her problems in perspective, honestly. War might be coming to Caido, but at the end of it, even if the Old Gods lost, the land would still stand. There would be survivors. If Sah's world had been totally wiped out ... If he had died ... It made sense, then, that he would be grateful for this second chance.
But she could tell from his tone that he'd rather not linger on that topic, so she accepted the change of subject gracefully. "Well, until the barrier came down a few years ago, the Greatwood was almost totally isolated. There were storms that kept us from traveling through the Wilds, and no portals with which to reach Halo and Torchline. For some 300 years, pretty much the only people in the Greatwood were Fae. That's not as long for us as it would be for you -- Fae live a long time -- but it's still long before my time."
Juniper
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Sah gave a small nod at Juniper's words. There really wasn't much else anyone could see in regards to his loss. Very few in Caido, if any, had gone through a similar thing. Lilly nudged her nose under her bonded's arm, demanding scratches to distract him. Smiling softly, Sah began to run his fingers through her fur before turning back to Juniper.
He listened curiously as the Fae recounted Caido's recent history. "I had no idea that it was that recent." The Outlander noted, humming in thought. "I'll admit, it's a bit strange meeting a Fae in Caido. There were some in my world too, but they were a bit different. They had magic but they didn't shape-shift. They did have wings as well, and were generally known for being tricksters. It's a little weird to see two versions of one species in different worlds." Sah admitted, still trying to wrap his own mind around the concept.
Juniper nodded. "I know Fae who remember when the barrier went up, when the Voice first showed up in the Hollowed Grounds. Though things weren't always peaceful then, either. There tended to be conflict between my people and the Grounds -- but nothing like the scale of the war we face now."
She'd managed to bring her thoughts back to the coming war, which sobered her, but she tried to smile at little at Sah's description of his world's Fae. "It's odd to hear that other worlds have different gods and different kinds of magic, too. Especially since I don't expect to ever see them. The Fae of your homeland, could they lie?"
Juniper
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It wasn't a surprise to hear that there was tension between the Hollowed Ground and the Greatwood. Both regions were likely tense to have enemies right on their border. Sah wouldn't be surprised if a major battle in the coming war was fought there. The stretch of land was prime for such a conflict.
The question about the Fae of his world had the Outlander humming in thought. "If I recall, they couldn't lie either. But they were expert manipulators who were famous for half-truths, twisting words, and using double meanings. They were viewed as tricksters to the core."
The Abandoned shook his head. "At least, that's the rumors. I met a few, and although they were incredibly clever and mischievous, they weren't cruel tricksters or anything. Instead the ones that I met used their cunning to protect their homeland from invaders. Generally humans who wanted to use the resources hidden in the Fae's forests."
Sah smiled fondly. "They were good people. Ones with a fierce reputation that they exploited to look out for what they found important."
"That sounds familiar," Juniper said, smiling. It was somehow nice to hear that Sah's world was not so foreign at all -- that Fae there could be like her people. "My people cannot lie, but some of us are quite skilled in twisting the truth ... though that has never been one of my strengths, personally."
Perhaps someone with greater subtlety of speech would make a better diplomat -- but, Juniper suspected, probably not. It benefited her to appear straightforward and trustworthy. And it wasn't just an appearance; she genuinely said nothing she did not mean.
"My people are also quite committed to protecting our home, which has given us a certain reputation in some corners ... though we have become more open lately." Partly as a result of Juniper's own actions.
Looking out across King's End, at the rising moon, Juniper sighed. "Well, I suppose I should get home. My people need to hear the news of war sooner rather than later. I'm glad we had the chance to speak, however."
Juniper
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It brought the Outlander no small manner of comfort to know that some things in Caido were like his home-world. To hear that the Fae here were so similar in both reputation and in priorities set something at ease in Sah that he hadn't realizes was still jagged. Perhaps he'd find more similarities as he explored his new world further.
Juniper's glance towards the moon had Sah's eyes following. Eyeing the unfamiliar stars and moon he gave the Fae a nod as he felt a pang in his chest. Grief still ever present when his gaze went to the moon.
But he managed to smile at Juniper as he spoke."Of course. "Thank you by the way. For speaking with me and indulging my questions." A more solemn note came to his smile. "Good luck. I hope you and your loved ones stay safe in the coming days."
With that, the Outlander got to his feet and with a wave, disappeared into the trees. Lilly was at his heels, but the pup did give a small yip of goodbye before she vanished. Her own small goodbye.
