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!
empires fall when we move the unmovable, so tell me all of my secrets, tell me all of my lies,
On impulse, Wessex scoots a little closer to Azrael and puts her arm around their shoulders, offering a place for them to lean on if they want, or just a feeling of solidarity. The world must be a scary place for them right now, and she hates it. In fact, she hates it so much she says it aloud. “I hate that you feel that way about the world. Caido is beautiful. Have you ever wondered what it’s like from above? Like, higher than the top of the Spire?”
Looking out over the Grounds, the Wraith can feel herself smiling at the memory and continues. “Sunjata let me use his dragon shift and we flew together. Up - up - up” Gesturing towards the sky, Wessex tries to paint the picture for them. “As high as starwhales fly, it seems, until the air grew thin. No problem for me, of course, but there’s actually a point where you almost can’t go any further. And when I looked down… I could see the Oerwoud jungle. Everywhere. An endless expanse of green, until it hit the Ocean and there was Apopo, in the distance. On the other side, the tops of the mountains of the climb. The river was just a tiny strand of blue, no bigger than a thread.” Exhaling needlessly, her voice becomes tight and breathy.
“It was everything, Az. And more. And you deserve to see it all if you want to, because Caido created this world for us, too.”
// we stood, steady as the stars in the woods, so happy-hearted and the warmth rang true inside these bones, as the old pine fell we sang //
Whatever it is they’re expecting, it isn’t this. And they find themself relaxing immediately as soon as Wessex’s arm wraps around their shoulder and they lean over into their aunts embrace, feeling some relief to hear the words that inspire such wonder in their mind. “I have wondered.” They admit softly, wistful in a way that almost seems to think that Wessex has been reading their mind.
They remain within Wessex’s arm, shifting to tuck themself into her side slightly so that they can peer up at her with wonder when she speaks of her flight, brows furrowing a fraction as they try to keep up. “Nate’s Sunjata?” They ask quietly, unsure if they’ve met the man, but having heard the name. “Wow.” They breathe their wonder and bewilderment, ochre and sapphire eyes glazing over slightly as if they’re picturing it in that calculating mind of theirs.
They wish they could see everything too, and they wish that they could run out and see it all. If only it weren’t so frightening. Though perhaps, they simply needed someone willing to go to protect them until they could protect themself without it. “I do want to see it. What’s your favorite place?” They ask, because certainly Wessex had a favorite or two – places that Azrael plans to put on their Caido Bucket List.
empires fall when we move the unmovable, so tell me all of my secrets, tell me all of my lies,
“Yep, Nate’s Sunjata.” she confirms, adding a point in the man’s favor to her mental tallying.
Now, Wessex has never been the mothering-type, but a deep, deep sense of responsibility and care has developed over the years for her Ascended family and Azrael in particular. Perhaps it’s because they’re Rexanna’s child, or maybe it’s because she’s watched them physically grow up (much like she did with Amalia, though this time has been far more hands-off), but she’s finding that she very much enjoys the role of Aunt with them. Including the unexpected and occasional snuggles.
They’re something special, to elicit this kind of response. The Wraith shifts around them, thinking for a moment about the world. “Hmmm… that’s a hard one.” The tip of a fang slips out from underneath her top lip as she considers alllllll the options. “I think I love King’s End as a whole. There’s just something about all that green… but the Oerwoud’s colors and oh, lushness is unlike anything I could have imagined…”
// we stood, steady as the stars in the woods, so happy-hearted and the warmth rang true inside these bones, as the old pine fell we sang //
“Oh.” They comment quietly, letting the imagery settle in their mind. Sunjata was a stranger to them, but they’d heard the stories, they’d understood that Nate had married the Attuned, and as far as they could tell it seemed like love. Moving past that, however, their mind sparks with a sudden realization that they want to know where Wessex’s favorite place is, a chance to plan a trip perhaps. A chance to go with the Wraith.
So they latch onto every word she says, pausing to consider it all. King’s End in its entirety, the Oerwoud’s colors that they idly wonder if it changes as the seasons go on. Would it be brighter in Flowerbirth? Would it be more muted in Leafchange? They hope they have the time to find out.
There’s a small wistful smile that manages to cut through their anxieties, nodding in understanding, before an offer slips from their lips. “Do you want to go there sometime with me?” They ask softly, smiling up at their aunt, hopeful that the answer is yes.
empires fall when we move the unmovable, so tell me all of my secrets, tell me all of my lies,
“I would love that,” Wessex says with a wide smile and an enthusiastic, but tight nod. “You just say the word and - well -” tilting her head a bit, she considers ‘when’ that might be. “Maybe I’ll have a surprise for you by then.” That little tease elicits a more knowing, sly look. She’s found she enjoys these kinds of surprises, and knows that Azrael would probably enjoy it too. Not just because of the novel experience they’ll be able to have, but because of what it means for the family.
“But you be careful when going after the Prince, alright? You’re more important to me than he is.” And with that, she gives their shoulders one last squeeze and disentagles herself, making to stand up off their little bench. It isn’t cold by any means, but it might just be time to head back before Bastien gets worried, and to allow Az to being to digest all of what she’d just dumped on them.
Offering them her hand, Wessex remains silent and allows the space for any other questions that might arise.
// we stood, steady as the stars in the woods, so happy-hearted and the warmth rang true inside these bones, as the old pine fell we sang //
Her wide smile and enthusiastic smile has one blossoming on their own face, eyes bright as they bob their head in their own excitement – dark curls flying around their face. The idea of a surprise by then has them mimicking a small gasp (having never experienced the true need for breathing, they’ve simply spent time learning how it worked, what seemed more natural, and testing it out when they get a chance). “A surprise?!” They squeak, nearly vibrating in their excitement – sure that Wessex will have figured it out by the time they get together again.
They handle their emotions well enough now, though, something a bit more somber and toned down influencing them as they eat up every word Wessex says. To be careful, that they’re more important than the Prince is. And if they could flush a true red, they likely would. Instead, all they can manage is a silver hue glimmering to their cheeks as they nod their head again. “I will.” They vow. They’d do their best.
When she offers out her hand, Azrael takes it easily, letting Wessex lead them home while asking small little probing questions about what her favorite animal she’d seen in King’s End was and what kind of weather the regions had so that they might be able to plan it accordingly, until they reach their door and Azrael can bid the Wraith a goodbye with a very tight hug and a bright, excited smile.
