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!
Like some child possessed, the beast howls in my veins
“Who keeps making these mazes?” came on a frustrated growl from the honeybee. Standing amidst a corridor of long, sweeping hedges, hands on hips, blowing her hair out of her face with a punctuated billow of air. She’d only been traversing it out of simple curiosity, like she’d done before in the Grounds, clambering along the labyrinth without a care in the world. But she thought she’d seen plumes of smoke, maybe fire rising from the breadth – so inquiry had been instigated again without much hesitation.
Except this time they were definitely lost. Her eyes went downward to her fine friend Fangorn. “Haven’t we seen that one before?” She pointed to a barrier with a branch curling out of it, as if it didn’t look like the dozens upon dozens of others with similar characteristics. The vampire gourd, to his credit, waved his vines around in frustration, slipping in a rumble and growl of his own measure. Her nose wrinkled in response, and then another sigh wandered through. “Well, we could always climb the hedges.” As if this was a normal thing to do – already wondering about the possibility of hurling Fangorn over the edges, and winding her way up the sturdier ones.
Sah and Lilly were making their way through the maze as well. Lilly was in front, using her superior sense of smell to guide them closer towards the distant flame. The Abandoned wasn't sure what they'd find on the other side but ever since stumbling upon the maze, he'd felt the need to complete it. It was a blatant challenge after all? A puzzle to solve. So how could he have resisted?
It was as the pair were turning around a bend that a rustling was heard. Whipping around with narrowed eyes, Sah glanced up to see a hand coming up over the edge of one of the hedges. "You know, I don't think that's how mazes work." He called out while his hand inched towards his sword just in case. Lilly's however caught a familiar scent and gave an excited yip.
Like some child possessed, the beast howls in my veins
There was someone over on the other side of the hedges, and by the time Melita had pried Fangorn over, the gourd grumbling his discontent, she had enough of lumbering around the thicker stalks of greenery. She much preferred her familiar trees, wide branches, and ability to camouflage her existence amidst their expanse. The snarky little quip caused an eyeroll, and a huff of indignancy as she rounded over the top. “Don’t think I really care,” because she didn’t, at all.
But upon sitting along the top, grabbing hold of her companion in one hand, she looked down to see the familiar traces of Sah and Lilly. “Oh, hello.” As if this was a casual, normal circumstance – shrugging her shoulders from the ridge of the row, then waving haphazardly. “What are you doing here?”
Sah relaxed when Melita and Fangorn came into view. "Long time no see." He eyed their current situation with a smirk, "I gather nothing has changed?" From his few meetings with the Accepted, each having held the same amount of spontaneity and mischief, the Abandoned had gathered that it was in the woman's nature. The consistency of her chaos was reassuring in an ironic way, and fully welcomed.
Sah glanced at the rising smoke in the distance before climbing up to join Melita on top of the hedge. Lilly jumped up beside them, wagging her tail happily. "We were heading towards whatever fire is in the center of this maze." A mischievous look overcame his face as he leaned forward, "How about a race to it? But you can't touch the ground, only the hedges." A simple foot race would be too boring.
Getting to his feet, Sah winked before jumping to the next hedge with Lilly at his heels, "Go!" He had no doubt that Melita would accept his challenge so what was the point in waiting?
Like some child possessed, the beast howls in my veins
Even if there’d been some life alterations and changes, Melita didn’t know Sah well enough to remark upon them. “No, not really,” she addressed with a light shrug, maneuvering with chaotic grace along the top of the hedge, scooting Fangorn along with her toes as the gourd complained about the latest antics. He probably knew the foreboding conclusion.
“Same.” On the fire aspect – drawn as she was to effervescent flames. But she snorted, half-drawing her acceptance into a Cheshire smirk, before he was already off. “Damned cheat,” she muttered and cursed under her breath, as if she wouldn’t have done the same.
So it was off to the races apparently, and she grabbed hold of the screeching companion, vaulting along the eaves, racing and rambling upon its edges with astute sense of limbs and boughs. Given her predilection for climbing trees, Melita was all the more attuned to its nature, and launched in a series of long-limbed leaps.
Sah heard the comment Melita threw his way and it drew a laugh out of him as he leapt onto another hedge. He'd learned from their previous contests that the woman never pulled her punches and cheated as she pleased. It only seemed fair, fun even, to do the same.
His amusement distracted him however and he nearly missed his next jump, falling slightly only to catch himself on the branches of the hedge in front of him. Letting out a sigh of relief, Sah climbed back up to the top and leapt to the next hedge where Lilly waited for him to continue. Sah tried to move quickly so that Melita wouldn't surpass him. If he recalled their current score was 2 to 1 in her favor. Or was it 2 to 0? Regardless Melita was in the lead for their small competitions.
Like some child possessed, the beast howls in my veins
And Melita intended to keep that lead.
Except for faulty fucking gods damned hedges.
While her question had never been answered by any surrounding deities or spirits, it was uttered from the course of her foul, feral thoughts as she tripped over an askance branch, swiping at her ankles, her heels, in a twisting, turning fashion. “What the fuck,” she uttered, growling, seething almost instantly. She didn’t even notice Sah’s faltering measures, or that she’d have time to actually catch up. Fangorn rolled his eyes, while she broke off the bramble with a loud snap. Given enough time, she would’ve crushed it under her frustration.
And to begin again, long limbs racing, powering through, striving to gain a semblance of power and persistence.
Sah seemed to have found his stride as his next few leaps were made with ease. Lilly too managed to keep pace. Her lighter weight and extra set her paws was to her advantage as she bounded ahead of her bonded. leaving him in her dust. Though Sah managed to keep his pace, the hedges certainly suffered for it. A trail of foot-shape indents followed the Abandoned and wolf as they went.
At the loud snap from behind, Sah chanced a glance. Seeing Melita racing after him had Sah sending her a wild grin. "Come on!" Was it a cheer? A playful jibe? Who knows, but the Outlander pushed himself faster afterwards.
Like some child possessed, the beast howls in my veins
Tenacious and obstinate to a fault, she leapt across another series of hedges. It wasn’t particularly graceful any longer, not with her speed and rage incensing everything at once, but enough to spurn a growl at Sah’s words. Long gone was the playfulness; one snap of the branch and brambles had been enough to set her on a course of defiance and sedition.
And on that note – she grabbed hold of her staff, swinging it from one hand while she had Fangorn wrapped in the other. Despite his protests, and her inability to protect herself in case she fell, the honeybee had no intentions of listening to any such advice. She wacked at a few boughs as she passed, unrelenting and ridiculous.
Sah let out a hiss of frustration as the next hedge gave way beneath his weight. His foot sunk into the branches, minorly scratching his ankle. "Fucking hell." Prying his leg free took a moment but once it was free, he continued on. The Outlander could only hope that his friend didn't pass him in the meantime. Another defeat would be irritating for him.
Continuing on, the smoke was becoming ever closer. There was still a sea of greenery between them and the fire, it was still anyone's race. Sah tried to pick up his pace, but he only got stuck again on his next jump, "Fuck!" Getting his leg free once more, he was forced to continue on at a slower pace. It seemed these hedges were more fragile. Or his luck was just terrible. It was the latter most likely.
Like some child possessed, the beast howls in my veins
Was it wrong to cackle as Sah tripped and fell in the hedge? Probably. Did she do it anyway? Absolutely. The howl of laughter rang out as the smoke began to unfurl, as they became closer and closer – and gods, Melita would use this opportunity.
Sah might’ve had to reel back on his speed, but the honeybee did the exact opposite. Even with her hands full of weaponry and vampire gourd, she didn’t care – smacking at the hedges when they rose up, breaking and snapping at branches, and pushing off their slender build. A few more launches and leaps and she’d gained on the Abandoned, bombarding over all the time she’d lost from moments before.
She tossed in a couple obnoxious whistles and taunts, just for fun, relishing with little moments she could.
Just as Sah thought he'd finally freed himself; another branch gave in under his weight. A surprisingly creative and long tirade of curses escaped him. Perhaps he shouldn't have suggested a competition where both his height and weight were a disadvantage? It was too late now though as Melita rushed past him. Apparently fed up with her bonded's speed, Lilly went on ahead to keep pace with the woman.
"Seriously Lilly?" Sah called as his own companion left him in the dust, going neck and neck with Melita. Laughing in disbelief, he pried his leg free and continued on. As the spoke drew ever closer it became clear that Melita would win, much to Sah's chagrin. Still, he kept going, refusing to give up just because he was going to lose. Maybe Lilly could win though?
Like some child possessed, the beast howls in my veins
She hummed over his curses, laughing all the while, because the chaos blurred together and made for an enticing mess of silliness, stupidity, blunders, and mishaps. With no one actually maimed or injured, the hedge hopping had become something of a crude, misshapen game, and it forged another bubbling bout of mirth from the girl’s throat as Lilly joined them. “Coming to the winning side, mm?” Was a croon, as Fangorn waved his vines back at the wolf – in greeting or solidarity, perhaps.
The fire bloomed and hastened before them, and despite another trip along an outreaching stem she hadn’t noticed or cared about, the honeybee and company landed safely at the inferno. Before Sah. The wild youth hastened her victory with an irritating, obnoxious pose, hands full of vampire gourd and staff but rising anyways before the flames, howling out some ridiculous cry. “That felt good!” She stretched back and forth then, ignoring whatever bumps, scrapes, and bruises she’d accumulated along the way, glancing back over her shoulder to see if Sah had made his approach yet.
Not intending to rub in her success too much, she tilted her head in the direction of the mysterious, enigmatic elements. “What do you think this is all about?”
Lilly gave a small yip of acknowledgment as she followed Melita and arrived at the fire. The wolf circled the fire curiously as Sah caught up after just a few moments. The Abandoned chuckled as he emerged, pulling branches from his pants, "You win. Again." Sah shook his head in resigned amusement, "I'd say I should stop competing with you but it's too much fun." Mindless fun and often good exercise, what was there to really complain about?
But then the fire stole his attention and Sah found himself studying it alongside Melita. "I'm not sure." Head tilted, and brow furrowed, he tried to place the sensation that was traveling across his skin. "I think it's magic. Maybe? It doesn't feel like normal fire." There was an extra hum in the air around the flames, a strange magnetism.
