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!
You'll be faced with problems of all shapes and sizes You're going to have to make a few compromises
A figure both familiar and unfamiliar stumbled into the outskirts, swaying on his feet. The man's emaciated frame and ragged clothes were barely visible in the darkness, even with the moon bright above. At his feet, a small crest of earth heralded his arrival. It was a tunnel made by some as yet unseen creature
Eyes fixed on the Spire, the man resolutely put one foot in front of the other. Each step dragged in the dirt beneath him and took a few seconds. His eyes were narrowed and his lips pressed together. Every once in a while, the animal that was making a tunnel would circle around at his feet, but before too long it would return to lead the way.
After only a short distance, though, his knees gave out. Amun collapsed to the ground. Even then, he kept moving, dragging himself forward with his arms before they too failed them. His hands twitched a few times before they finally stilled.
With home so close, he let out a rattling cry, but it barely left his lips. Zhanshi surfaced, trying to pull the Ascended along by one ragged sleeve, but it ripped. The little landshark returned to the earth, once more circling the fallen man in increasingly fast circles. Amun's companion would occasionally dart off but never went too far before returning to the Ascended's side.
For now we're happy if not overjoyed And we'll accept the things we cannot avoid
empires f a l l when we move the i m m o v a b l e
Tunneling is not a normal sound in the Grounds, even with the occasional landshark breach. Loki finds the pair first, screeching as she dives down to the ragged near-skeleton and his companion. She hovers with heavy wingbeats near his face, recognizing the man as family, but knowing it’s been a long time since her bonded has seen them. There’s been sorrow. Loneliness - things the dragon felt too, but could not consider what the cause might be. Chirping at Zhanhsi as if in reassurance, she soon rises again, black on black, an elegant silhouette against the full moon.
It doesn’t take long for Wessex to arrive. Which, as she’ll soon find, is a fortuitous thing given Amun’s near offline state. She doesn’t know who it might be - Loki had just indicated family and hurt. But Zhanshi is unmistakeable. His hands - his mop of hair - they hit her heart with a brutal thump. “Amun?” she whispers into the still air, voice trembling ever so slightly.
Frail for only a moment, Wessex is soon by his side, saying his name as she shakes him to try and get a response. And when nothing comes, she takes a wrist to her own mouth and slides it across her fangs, opening her skin and trying to force the iridescent fluid into his mouth. “Come on, fucker,” comes the determined mutter, “drink.”
You'll be faced with problems of all shapes and sizes You're going to have to make a few compromises
As the dragonling's cry echoed in the sky above, Amun tensed. However, he couldn't rouse himself from the ground. Zhanshi, though, launched into the sky, aiming straight for the other predator. When the landshark saw who it was, it circled around Loki instead of attacking.
The potter, reassured by his companion's reaction, managed to roll onto his back. The familiar dragon was gone before Amun could see it. Instead, he stared up at the sky as the landshark returned to circling around him, slower and steadier now.
After a long time--or perhaps only seconds, Amun couldn't tell much in his state--a vision appeared before him. It couldn't possibly be Wessex, but at the sound of her voice (sounding quite unlike the usually formidible Wraith), his lips twitched and parted. "Prin...cess?" A rattling cough wracked through him at the single word.
However, she soon was by his side, unless it was a hallucination caused by his malfunctioning systems. His tongue darted out to lap at the liquid dripping on his chin and mouth. Zhanshi floated up to pull his mouth open further, but not before Amun muttered, "always...so buh...bossy."
For now we're happy if not overjoyed And we'll accept the things we cannot avoid
empires f a l l when we move the i m m o v a b l e
If only he knew how much she’d missed the nickname she hates. Choking back something that is half crying and half laughter, she just shakes her head. “Always.” Some things won’t ever change.
Wessex continues to keep her wrist at Amun’s mouth, even going so far as to try and lift his head a bit so he can more easily drink; ignoring the flux of sensations coursing through her until he has enough to feel alive. “There’s some healing in there,” she advises, if he wants to use it in addition to whatever kind of lifeline her fluid might be. As much as he needs.
Loki returns to the trio, landing on the other side of Amun. Chirping at Zhanshi again, her snout is everywhere in her own kind of inspection of both companion and Ascended.
my whole life is mine, but whoever says so will deprive me,
for it is infinite.
Zhanshi released Amun's lip when Wessex lifted his head. After brushing against Loki, the little landshark dove into the ground, making a wide circle around them. The potter blinked up at the Wraith, before raised one hand to grasp her wrist. "Should...relax," he muttered, eyes fluttering closed as the fluid hit his system.
His back and he moaned arched slightly as the pleasure and the slight restoration of his systems hit him all at once. Forcing his eyes open, he sought out the Wraith's gaze. "We-Wessex? It's...it's you?" he wondered, voice muffled as he brought his lips closer to the cut she'd made. If he'd had any fluid to spare, his eyes would've filled with iridescent tears.
empires f a l l when we move the i m m o v a b l e
There are so many things she could say, but none of them would be adequate for the moment; not when what mattered was getting Amun to drink, not talk, until he’d had enough to recover. Especially with the Voice ‘gone’ right now.
“Yep. It’s me. Still here,” she manages with an equally emotional grin. “Loki found you first.” The no-longer-little dragon trills at her name, keeping her place at Amun’s side, albeit so that she’s not in the way and doesn’t block Zhanshi from whatever he may need or want. “Drink a little more before I move you some place more comfortable and safe. Where do you want to go? Artisan’s Guild? Your shop? Theskyra House?”
She has so many questions - but they can wait until Amun is able to string more than a couple of words together.
my whole life is mine, but whoever says so will deprive me,
for it is infinite.
Amun let his eyes close with a laugh. "C-can't get rid of you, huh?" However, even as he spoke he lift his head up and brought both hands to Wessex's wrist. Fixing his mouth on the incision she'd made, he drank deeply, shuddering and shivering as he did so.
When he had enough to at least feel stable he released her. "Why not...shrine?," he asked with a frown, struggling to prop himself up on his elbows. "Yuh-your place..." he answered with a grimace. Rolling onto his stomach, he shifted onto his hands and knees. Taking a deep breath, he pushed down. Though he wobbled a few times, he managed to stagger to his feet. Standing, he swayed a bit, just blinking as the Wraith.
empires f a l l when we move the i m m o v a b l e
At first, Wessex gives Amun her arms for support and the dignity to stand on his own, but as he rises more wobbly than a newborn fawn, she attempts to reach down to take him into her arms. Cradle style. Like a beloved on their wedding day - after all, Amun is terribly important to her.
“I’ll tell ya in just a sec. Brace yourself. Loki, let Zhanshi know Amun’s in the old house, hm?” Then Wessex and Amun blink out sight and reappear in one of the upper bedrooms and the former Theskyra House slash current Town Hall. The room is neat, if a little dusty, as it hasn’t been used in quite some time. Moving to set Amun down gently, Wessex sighs neeedlessly.
“The Voice is not… around right now. She’ll be back, but she gave all the Ascended an upgrade and then disappeared for a bit. A lot has happened since you’ve been gone…” But they don’t have to talk about that right now unless he wants to.
my whole life is mine, but whoever says so will deprive me,
for it is infinite.
Mumbling as Wessex physically lifted him off the ground, Amun let his head rest of her shoulder. "But no one's scattering rice..." he observed in a whisper. Still, he found himself smiling as his arms snaked around her neck.
"He can under-- the rest of his words were cut off as the world swayed and shifted unexpectedly. At least this time it wasn't due to his malfunctioning systems but from the Wraith's teleportation. "--stand you just fine," he finished. "I'd forgotten what that felt like."
As she set him down, he felt his gaze sweep across the room. Sinking into a nearby chair, he blinked up at her. "Well, I'm pretty c-convinced...you're not a dying hallucination at this point." Letting out a wheezing laugh, he winked at her.
"I muh-missed that?" Shaking his head, he found himself tilting to one side until her was only held upright by the chair's arm. "Tell me. It's not like I need sleep." More fluid maybe, a few repairs once the Voice came back (he was still wrapping his mind around that) but the last thing he wanted right now was to be alone with his thoughts.
empires f a l l when we move the i m m o v a b l e
“Of course he can,” she says immediately with a shake of her head. “Sorry.” Not entirely sure why she’d said it in the first place, Wessex brushes the mistake off and focuses on making sure Amun is relatively comfortable. He may not be able to feel pain, but that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t have cushions to settle his obviously weary body in to.
“Yeah, but hey, you might be able to wrangle a welcome-back upgrade from her when she does return,” Paired with a forced grin, it’s an attempt to keep the levity up. She doesn’t know when their Lady will return, which is… worrisome. But she has to believe that with everything going on, that there’s a plan. “Ah, let’s see… what’s the last thing you remember?”
Going to close the shutters agains the inevitable daylight, Wessex tries to think of the last time she’d seen Amun and remembers that he’d been missing during the LongNight battle. Had it really been a year and a half? The very thought makes her hand still on the last latch as emotion hits her once again.
my whole life is mine, but whoever says so will deprive me,
for it is infinite.
"Now, now. A leader never apologies," Amun chastised Wessex with a wink. Grinning, he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. The tension in his body slid out as he released the breath he'd been holding.
Chuckling at the idea, he nodded. "I'll ask, but I already owe her something. Should probably finish that up. Better late than never, right?" He let his head loll back in the chair, sighing as he did.
Opening his eyes, he shrugged at her question. "Was making dolls for the departed. I know I should've mentioned I was going somewhere but..." his voice trailed off as he waved a hand in the air. "I am usually more capable of handling myself. Turns out, I may have underestimated the Wilds." He waggled his eyebrows at her.
empires f a l l when we move the i m m o v a b l e
Shaking her head, Wessex quips back with some of the personal growth she’d managed since he’d been gone. “Nah, a leader knows when an apology is worth it.” Admitting you’re wrong is an important part of building trust and all that jazz. Working together. As a council. “I’m not Queen anymore, anyway. It’s General now. Isla is the Overseer - or leader, I guess - of the Grounds.” Sometimes it felt like it was in name only, but the General is grateful for the help, if not the illusion.
And as for the Voice, Wessex wishes she had deciphered their Lady’s non-statements about Amun sooner. Turning from the window, the Wraith swallows heavily. “I’m sure she’ll just be glad to have you back.” There wasn’t even anything to forgive - from the bare bones, it sounds like something bad happened out there, and she finds herself sinking on to the edge of a bed (he should be there, not her), watching Amun carefully, as if he might disappear again.
“It’s okay. I mean yeah, I was worried for ages, but I guess the Voice never said you were dead, so I should have known.” And remembering his earlier words, she stops short of an apology. “What happened?”
my whole life is mine, but whoever says so will deprive me,
for it is infinite.
Amun snorted at Wessex's comment. "I'm not sure that one was." Blinking at the rest of the Wraith's statement, the potter tilted his head to one side. "Who the fuck is Isla?" Shaking his head a bit, he let out a bark of laughter. "Sorry. Filter gone. General is still leadership though."
Nodding at her words, he sighed. "I'm sure glad to be back." Sighing, he shrugged, rubbing his hands together. "I was...somewhere in the Wilds. Somewhere mountainous. We spotted a cave and I, in my of course infinite wisdom, decided to go spelunking." Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, nostrils fluttering.
"We were fairly deep, Zhanshi and I, when I heard a rumbling. I sprinted back to the entrance but...it had collapsed. Zhanshi tried to tunnel out but it was too far for our connection and...well." Opening his eyes, he shuddered. "I was left to claw my way out..." Voice trailing off, he felt his gaze slip away, staring at the wall or perhaps nothing in particular.
empires f a l l when we move the i m m o v a b l e
Who the fuck is Isla? Had Amun really been gone that long? Or had it just been that so much has happened?
His story is simple, the incident one that would have done in anywho who wasn’t Ascended - but she can imagine the dark, the silence, the feeling of energy slowly fading and time passing and never knowing if you’ll make it out alive. Especially without Zhanshi or Loki there. Her jaw clenches in compassion, recognizing in him a similar trauma to what she once saw in Mabel; what she can only assume is the trauma of dying and nearly dying combined with the scars of prolonged isolation. Amun isn’t like Wessex. He thrives around people.
At least she knows now why she never heard him while she was out searching for Mabel and a small amount of that guilt starters to dissipate - not only had she not had that ability when he’d left, but his mental state, auditory hallucinations… she nods, having no further questions.
“So… you also missed the Voice offering the dead a chance to come back? We have some… new siblings. And I’m sure it pissed the Old Gods the fuck off.” Half question and half statement, Wessex grins wickedly at the end. “Ok then, any more here and now questions before we start story time?”
