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!
10-03-2021, 10:33 PM (This post was last modified: 10-18-2021, 04:59 PM by Noah.)
will heaven step in?
He had not seen her before he left the city, but she was one of the first ones at his side when he awoke.
Eira had hissed and growled at the oncoming crowd, as her bondmate sat in the wake of all that had happened. Phoebe was among them, and after coercing the rest of the crowd away and assuring them that she would take care of them, Eira settled. She still stayed close to his side, pressing up against his leg every few steps. She felt uneasy where they were now, and felt the mighty need to protect her soulmate.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you when I left." Were the first words that Noah was able to muster as he looked over at Phoebe. "I didn't mean to make such a ruckus when I returned." Honestly, Noah did not have any plans to return after he left a few weeks ago. He had only come to the city to see Phoebe, and once they had spoken he had left, because he promised Deimos and Cordelia he would return soon.
Now he stood with her, and in such a short amount of time, so many things had changed.
Phoebe had known better than to test the griffin at Noah's side when he suddenly appeared in the middle of Stormbreak. Pim would have been equally, if not more aggressive, had such a thing occurred. Instead, she held her palms forward and out for the griffin to sniff, allowing Pim and Branbast to do much of the coaxing. Phoebe was a friend and could help and should be trusted - she wouldn't hurt anyone unless outright provoked and even then that sentiment was questionable. Instead, they would join the griffin's side, growling and hissing at any besides Phoebe who dared get too close.
"It's alright, don't worry about a thing." she said as Noah spoke, an apology the first thing from his lips. Carefully she helped him stand, hands on his forearms to keep him steady. "Are you hurt? What happened?" she asked, trying to see if any obvious wounds or hurts afflicted him.
Eira, at first, was standoffish to the others. It was only the woman's companions joining in on her protective shield around Noah that made her ease some of the tension she felt. When Noah had been here last, the hunter had left her with Deimos. This place was new to her, and the shocking actions that had transpired for them to get here still had even the companion reeling.
Noah took Phoebe's help in standing, though he did not feel any depletion of his strength as he did so. In fact, it was quite the opposite. There was a vigor in his muscles that didn't exist last night. He ran a hand through his blond hair, blinking some. His face was twisted in an obvious sign of confusion, or stress, or something that simply made the stoic man's icy features crack. "No, I'm not hurt," He lifted each limb in a gesture to solidify the truth, "But I'm...well, this is just going to sound crazy." He looked up at her honeysuckle eyes, searching for a prompt for him to continue.
She was glad he didn't seem shaky as he stood, instead he seemed very much in control of his frame as he did so. Strange, considering he had appeared out of nowhere. One would think he would be unsteady. However, based on his expression, it seemed that his mind was perhaps the place where instability lay. Tilting her head as he spoke, Phoebe couldn't help but smile a bit.
"Sound crazy?" she said, laughing lightly. "Frey took me and placed me in a cocoon where for two seasons I was just goop before reforming as their demigoddess. I think I can handle whatever your crazy is." she said with a grin, trying to use some humor to pull him from whatever confused reverie he was caught in.
Noah could not stand still while he unfolded the tale for Phoebe. He started walking, entering the tower without hesitation. He didn't go anywhere in particular, but it was away from the biting wind and away from others' ears. Finally, he turned back to the woman and started. "Vi called to me, last night." He breathed out, taking his time to let his thoughts gather and his words come out in a strong, steady stream. "He called to me in King's End. Told me that he needed a light, that my soul had the potential to be his light." It sounded crazier and crazier as Noah spoke, but he continued on. "I remembered him, Phoebe. I had been so young, but the heralds were in the Grounds and...it wasn't the first time I had met him. Vi gave me attunement...and last night he made me a demigod. His demigod." He rubbed his jaw, shaking his head slightly, "And then I woke up here."
Phoebe followed as Noah seemed to almost pace, walking in a random direction, all the while unsure of his destination. But he seemed to need the physicality for him to tell his tale - and what a tale it was indeed! "Vi?" she said in shock. To be called upon personally by a high god like that seemed so unlikely that truly luck had to have blessed the hunter! And the reason for his calling was even more amazing. Another demigod of Vi? The concerns about the war amongst the gods must truly be causing a stir in their realms for such a thing to be deemed necessary.
"But Noah! How wonderful! You are truly blessed then." she said brightly, grinning widely as his tale wound to an end. "You're happy, I assume? You seemed to be trying to understand your new purpose before, and now Vi has given it to you outright, has he not?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.
With the companions pressed close, Noah still wandered. He wasn't sure where he was, or what was really happening anymore, and the more he thought about it the more he lost control of his thoughts as they spiraled around him. Finally he stopped at an open window that overlooked a snowy courtyard, and leaned against the cold stone. Phoebe seemed elated for him, and Noah turned to her. Her smile was as radiant as ever, and her voice was so bright. She tilted her head, and Noah let loose a breath.
"I don't...I don't know how I feel. It's like a whirlwind. It all happened so fast, and now I'm here and...and my friends are still in King's End. Longnight is coming, and I'm not sure if I will be able to get to them before it does. It will take them a while to travel to Torchline.." He trailed off, his thoughts running wild and loose in his head like a rampage of frightened luxere. "I'm not sure what I need to do." He finally said, running his hand over his forehead and through his hair.
Phoebe nodded slowly as he rambled. There was a lot to take in, and he hadn't had the benefit of a slow wake up like she had. Vi had just plopped him into the world, a man reborn, without any pomp or circumstance but a weight great enough to break backs upon his shoulders. "There is a lot to take in and consider. Don't pressure yourself to figure it all out at once." she said with a small smile. He needed the time to just take it all in rather than focusing on all of the things that needed doing. "I am sure you will figure it out. You know, in the Greatwood, there is a demigoddess of Mort called Delphia. Maybe she can help you figure out what you're meant to do, being the demigod of one of the big three after all." she offered, a little counsel just to get him focusing on one rather than many things.
Then she reached into the pockets of her skirts. "By the way, I got this for you after we last met. You seemed like you could use a little pick-me-up." she said with a smile, holding out a small wrapped box to him. Inside he would find a pendent on a chain - a compass specifically with the pointer calibrated to point towards Halo. "You might not be able to be back home all the time, but this will let you have a piece of it with out all the time in a way."
Noah rested against the stone windowsill, looking out into the snowy courtyard. "You're right. I have some time." But not enough time, he thought. He knew his life was more than him now, more than Halo. As a demigod, he had a responsibility to this world that meant more than just fighting in the war. It might mean helping lead it. The hunter swallowed back all of his thoughts, trying to push them into the back of his mind. They still raged, untamed and wild, but at least he had them behind a gate for the moment.
Turning toward Phoebe and leaning against the stone with his hip, his brow arched quizzically. "Oh." He reached out and let her place the box within his left hand, his right opening it and pulling out what was inside. The chain unfolded with the weight of the pendant pulling at it. He set the box down in the window and inspected the pendant. It was unmistakable what it was -- he knew where he was, and holding it out against his palm, he knew where the fixed arm pointed. "Thank you Phoebe. For this, and for being an anchor in my storm."
Phoebe smiled and nodded, glad he made no protest about how little time there was. It meant that despite how overwhelmed he was, he still had his grasp of reason. That was easy to lose in the throes of panic.
Her grin only brightened as he opened his present, watching as he inspected the compass and realized where it pointed. "You're welcome. We must stick together through all of this and it will be hard. But I figured the least I could do was give you a little piece of home for when times get tough." An anchor when she or others couldn't be there. A reminder of why he fought - why they all fought. Friends. Family. Home. Everything that mattered was on the line. And he had been chosen to defend it.
