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!
Grabbing his backpack and leaving a note as usual, Edmund headed out for the day. His Mummy still hadn't complained about his adventures or note-leaving so at this point the child assumed it was ok. The plan for the day was to travel along the Rainbow Road however today Edmund was lost in thought.
Consumed by racing thoughts about his magic and his conversation with his Mum, he'd taken a wrong turn as he'd followed the branching waters. Instead, he'd arrived at the Wishtide Waterways. It was as the trees and bushes around him changed that Edmund realized his mistake.
Placing his bag on the sand, the small child eyed the area around him, "Oh no. Mummy is going to be so worried."
I never realized how beautiful Fires burn under the stars
I've been sleepwalking, Too close to the fire
But it's the only place that I can hold you tight
Why was Remi in the Oerwoud, you ask? Shush. It hardly matters, and that paragraph of preamble would just be boring to read anyways. Suffice it to say, he's here, he's a manticore, and he's about to come across a very lost young abandoned.
Moving steadily through the underbrush with his head low, wings pinned to his flanks, and his deadly tail curled tightly over his back, Remi paused to scent the air. Amidst the chaotic and orange scent of the molten tiger he'd been following for the past hour or so, came something else. Something small and spiked with adrenaline. It smelled yellow and young. It smelled not unlike his own children, at times.
Trying not to rustle the surrounding foliage too much, lest he unnerves whoever was out there, the manticore cocks his head to the side, calling out silently. Hello? Thinking that were the child ahead somewhere, an attuned, hearing a friendly voice in their head might be less startling, but reasoning that were they in need of help, remaining as a manticore would give him the advantage.
the lullaby
Styling stolen from Sky (obviously)
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Edmund sighed, eyeing the trees around him. He didn't know where he was but thankfully, he could still see the path he'd taken through the trees. He hadn't really been thinking about walking too carefully so there were enough broken sticks and such for him to find his way home. Hopefully.
Picking up his bag, the small child decided that it would be best to try and backtrack to his actual destination. It was as he was turning around that Edmund picked up on the sound of rustling leaves. Unfortunately, the Abandoned couldn't hear Remi through the bond and as such he felt a shiver of fear.
"Who's out there?" Edmund called out with a slightly trembling voice. Reaching into his bag, the child pulled out a lighter he'd taken from home. Popping the cap and igniting the flame, the little Abandoned prepared to defend himself as best as he could, brandishing the lighter like a sword.
I never realized how beautiful Fires burn under the stars
Behind the glow of the lighter, far larger than the flame, Remi emerged slowly. Seeing the boy was alone, the manticore paused, pushing back the foliage with his wings just enough that he could shift back down into a much less terrifying figure. (Or not, depending on who you asked). Holding up his hands in a placating gesture, the alchemist flashes the boy a warm smile. "I remember when my son was your age. He liked to explore too." He still liked to explore as it turned out, only it usually involved much more madness and chaos than Edmund likely needed to hear about.
"My name is Remi." Kneeling and dusting off his hands, Remi glances around, but couldn't see nor hear anyone else. "Is this... a solo expedition?"? He askes with a grin, his head tilting mischievously to the side.
remi
Styling stolen from Sky (obviously)
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Thankfully Edmund doesn't see the manticore, but he does hear the rustling leaves. Turning around to face the general direction of the noise, he does his best to stay calm. For a second he thinks it his imagination, and then Remi appears. The sound of another's voice startles the child and he jumps.
The flame over the lighter reacts to the child's panic and a single sparking ember lazily is given off. The ember floats on invisible wind towards Remi before hitting his chest and fizzling away into nothingness. There's a moment of calm before Edmund panics, completely disregarding anything Remi has said as guilt fills him. "Oh no! Are you ok? I didn't burn you, did I?" Growing flustered the child quickly pockets the lighter. "I'm so sorry! I still don't' know how to control my magic yet!"
I never realized how beautiful Fires burn under the stars
Not terribly worried about the bit of fire that trails his way, Remi brushes gently at his shirt to make sure that nothing is smouldering before shooting the young boy a warm smile. "You didn't, no." He chuckles reassuringly. "That's okay. Sometimes I lose control of my magic too. " Although when Remi lost control of himself the consequences were far more dire than just a few singed bits of cotton, but Edmund needn't know that.
'Come Leafchange even the tiniest bit of fire could be a problem though.' The Lullaby points out, still knelt down before the young abandoned. Given the boy had ignored his questions in light of making sure he was okay (which was quite thoughtful), Remi repeats himself: "Are you out here alone? What is your name?'
remi
Styling stolen from Sky (obviously)
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Edmund relaxes when it becomes clear that the man is unharmed, "Oh thank goodness!" But then the man kneels down to be at his level and the child almost takes a step back. But then the name given out earlier registers. Instead, Edmund's eyes go wide. "Wait, You're Uncle Remi?!?"
There's really only one thing that Edmund can do now that he's realized who this is. Instead of leaning backwards, he leaps forward and throws his arms around the man's neck in a hug. "My mummy told me all about you! I'm Edmund."
Still latched to the Demi-god, Edmund finally answers his question. "I was trying to follow along the Rainbow Road, and I think I took a wrong turn. If left Mummy a note though before I left." He hadn't just run off without saying anything. He was better behaved then that.
I never realized how beautiful Fires burn under the stars
Uncle Remi? For a moment the alchemist just blinks in polite surprise. His first thought is that this much be Phoebe's child. She had run away and got married without saying anything to him; why not add a sudden child into the mix? "Uh..." He mumbles helpfully, before finding a child suddenly in his arms. Returning the gesture—Remi, a father 4 times over now was unsurprisingly good with children—he chuckles. "Nice to meet you Edmund."
Still assuming this to be the child of his fellow demigod, the alchemist grins as he leans back, regarding the boy with a mischievous smile. "Well that was very good of you. She'd worry terribly if she didn't know where you were, I'm sure." Luckily this was as true of Maeve as it would have been of Phoebe. "Well, should we try and find the Rainbow Road? Back in the Greatwood, the paths like to move themselves around. Maybe Torchline has decided to try that out too."
remi
Styling stolen from Sky (obviously)
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Edmund giggles happily when his hug is returned. He'd had great luck so far in how his spontaneous hugs had been received. Hopefully the trend would continue into the future. He still had a few Aunts and Uncles he'd yet to meet. The first time a hug was rejected would be quite painful for the child.
Rem's mischievous smile is met with a slightly sheepish one, "I hope so. Papa seemed like he didn't like that I only left notes. And I did try to say something before I left. I just... forgot." So excited he'd been about his adventure; Edmund had raced out of the house without a word apart from his traditional note.
Edmund smiles gratefully at his Uncle once the man makes his offer. "Yes please! I need to be home for dinner." The child then pauses as the rest of the words register, and his eyes widen. "The paths in the Greatwood move? How do you ever find your way?" A map was useless if the paths changed, and landmarks were likely the same.
I never realized how beautiful Fires burn under the stars
Grinning, Remi straightens and begins to set off. Knowing the paths well he was sure he could have Edmund home in under an hour. "Mmm, yes they do." He replies, smirking down at the boy. "If you are very nice to the trees, often they will let you through. Sometimes they need to be bribed though." Remi explains. "Watering them helps, pruning away deadfall, or making sure they know you mean no harm. If you do—" Mean them harm, that was. "—you will end up terribly lost for hours and hours, only to find yourself spat out as if you hadn't gone anywhere at all."
It could be bothersome at times, but truthfully it was one of Remi's favourite aspects of the Greatwood.
"My son likes to play around here as well. Mateo. Have you met him?"
remi
Styling stolen from Sky (obviously)
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Edmund's eyes grow ever wider the more Remi explains about the Greatwood. After a brief period of silent awe, the child nearly explodes, "You can befriend the trees?!?" The idea is nearly impossible to comprehend and overwhelmingly exciting. Turning pleasing eyes to Remi, Edmund implores the Demigod. "When I go to the Greatwood one day, will you teach me how? Please? I want to make friends with the trees."
The mention of a child his age is something that is strangely uncommon for Edmund. "No, I haven't. Do you think I could be friends with him too?" Remi was nice, and his Mummy had said that he could be trusted. If Mateo was Remi's son, then the other boy would likely be perfect as a friend.
I never realized how beautiful Fires burn under the stars
'If you are very clever about it, yes.' Remi replies with a wide smile, before nodding. "Of course I will. I can show you where to find the water they like, and how best to care for them and what sort of gifts they like most." He agrees. In the back of his mind he thought that Mateo would likely be far better suited for this task, but of course that didn't need to be said just now.
'Of course. Have your mom bring you by and I will introduce you.' Still thinking this was a child of Pheobe and not Maeve (what a surprise that would be), it fills the alchemist with a strange sense of pride to think of his children and the children of his friends also being friends.
So it was that after a brief interlude Edmund was brought back to Torchline safe and sound, and Remi was able to carry on.
~FIN
remi
Styling stolen from Sky (obviously)
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
