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!
Maeve holds Edmund's hand as she leads him up towards the cliffs where the lighthouse stands tall, light shining out into the night, glittering off the ocean below. She pauses a little ways off, "I think here is a good spot." Spreading out the blanket on the ground, giving them a place to settle so they can gaze up at the sky comfortably, naming the constellations and picking out their favorites per Safrin's instructions.
"Now, let's see what you remember." The Nightshade hums, laying down on her back, allowing Edmund to settle into the crook of her arm as she focuses on the night sky above them. "Tell me what you see, little star."
Fight so dirty, but your love's so sweet Talk so pretty, but your heart got teeth
04-12-2022, 02:14 PM (This post was last modified: 04-18-2022, 03:07 PM by Edmund.)
EDMUND
When his Mummy had said that they were going stargazing, Edmund was ecstatic. The idea of seeing more of Lady Safrin's domain and spending time with his Mummy was fantastic. Two of his favorite things in one activity. What more could he want?
Settling against his Mum happily, Edmund wraps one arm around her waist and rests his head on her shoulder. Once comfortable he turns his eyes to the sky. "There's so many, Mummy", he notes with wonder. It always astounds him just how vast the night sky is. Scanning the stars above, Edmund's eyes catch on a particular constellation.
"There! Mummy look, it's Hydra." The child happily, and proudly, points at a long string of stars with an encirclement at the end. "The big water snake."
I never realized how beautiful Fires burn under the stars
Drawing her son close, Maeve lets her cheek rest against the top of his head, lips brushing his temple in a gentle kiss. She chuckles at his exclamation, jade eyes shifting to the stars above, drinking in the twinkling lights greedily. "And each one is special in its own right. Just like you." The Nightshade smiles, following his pointed finger, tracing the string of stars and wishing she had the ability to bring them to life. Even if just for a moment. "Very good. Hydra is one of our most prominent constellations here. He's said to be the protector of our seas."
Maeve provides the little bit of history she recalls from one of her many books, expanding on the lore and legends he was already growing familiar with when it came to their region in Caido. Her own hand raises, pointing out a series of stars that form an upside down 'W' shape, a tail coming off the back of it. "That one there is Drago. What do you think he's named for?" As if it wasn't a dead giveaway.
Fight so dirty, but your love's so sweet Talk so pretty, but your heart got teeth
Edmund eyes the stars curiously as his Mummy spins the tale of Hydra. Once she falls silent about their seas' protector, the child gives a decisive nod. "Hydra is a good snake." Maybe one day he could meet them. Or at least, whatever creature in Caido they were based off. Surely there was a giant serpent guarding the seas of Caido, right?
The child traces the constellation that his Mum has pointed out, running a finger along the stars to paint its image. "It's a dragon!" The name was certainly obvious now that he thought about it.
Edmund frowns in concern as he looks at Drago, "But Mummy, where's his head?" The wings and tail were clear enough, but the rest was a bit hard to decipher for the child.
I never realized how beautiful Fires burn under the stars
So the legend goes, but Maeve thinks that the only real protector that occasionally lurks in the depths of the ocean is Remi when he decides to stretch his tentacles. Maeve doesn't say this, however. The Nightshade simply hums in agreement, lips twitching into a faint smile as her fingers brush idly through his curls. "He absolutely is a good snake." Maeve confirms, giving him a gentle squeeze.
A laugh bubbles from her chest at her son's clear concern over the constellation's seemingly missing head. "Not missing, love. Just faint. You can barely see the stars here." Maeve traces a series of five stars that form the neck and the head combined, their light much dimmer than the rest of its body in this part of the sky. "See? It's right there."
Fight so dirty, but your love's so sweet Talk so pretty, but your heart got teeth
Edmund squints, trying to make out the dragon's head. It's difficult and it's only when a cloud passes by and casts a shadow that the child sees it. "Oh! Phew." A thought occurs and Edmund glances up at his Mum, "When it's faint for us, is it faint for him? Does he think he's lost his head? Or does he think that it's invisible?"
He's not sure how constellations work or if the creatures they form have such fears. But the stars are magical, so surly the beings made of them are too. Edmund imagines that sometimes they come down to the earth to play. Their reflections in the water might be them swimming and splashing around. At least, he hopes they get to have fun like that.
I never realized how beautiful Fires burn under the stars
Maeve chuckles softly, shaking her head at his question, "No, love. You see, the stars are nice and bright even if they aren't clear to us." She starts to explain, fingers still running through his curls, tucking him more closely against her side. "Sometimes the clouds, the moisture in the air, and even the moonlight can make them appear more dimly." The Nightshade motions up to the moon where it's hanging in the sky, full and bright, seeming larger tonight than it had previously.
"I don't think Drago worries about his head being gone." Dropping a kiss into his curls, the Nightshade shifts slightly, urging his attention to the other portion of the sky. "Over there is Siren. What do you think she does?" Maeve traces a fingertip along a delicately cluster of stars that don't really seem to make up anything at first, but upon closer inspection there is an outline of a rock and some kind of figure resting upon it.
Fight so dirty, but your love's so sweet Talk so pretty, but your heart got teeth
Edmund nods, leaning into his Mum to better see the stars above them. "So, they play hide-and-seek?" If they couldn't come down to play, maybe they could in other ways? Watching the clouds move across the sky, it does look like a game of sorts to the child. Different stars rushing to hide behind the clouds at different times, to evade the eyes of stargazers.
His Mum's reassurance about Drago is enough to soothe Edmund's worries. "Ok, Mummy. That's good." The child giggles softly at his mum's affection before following her finger. Edmund squints his eyes, trying to decipher just what Siren is. After a second it clicks, "She's a mermaid!" He glances up at his Mum, "Right?"
I never realized how beautiful Fires burn under the stars
Maeve laughs softly at that idea, loving how her son thinks, nodding at his words. "Yes, they play hide and seek." She confirms, giving him a gentle squeeze. Maeve wouldn't be surprised if the stars in Safrin's realm came to life. If they really did play games and chase each other through the sky. The Nightshade puts nothing past the starry goddess. Jade eyes track the clouds across the sky, a small smile on her lips, fingers brushing through Edmund's curls as they stargaze.
Nodding at his words, Maeve traces a pattern out along the cluster of stars, "That's right. Her tail is there and her there is her body." The Nigthshade explains, pointing out the shapes to her son. "What do you think her story is?" Curious as to what her son could possibly come up with for this particular constellation.
Fight so dirty, but your love's so sweet Talk so pretty, but your heart got teeth
Edmund eyes close for a moment as his mum plays with his hair, similar to that of a content cat in the sun. Eyes fluttering open he studies the mermaid in the stars for a moment. His brow furrows in thought as he tries to imagine how such a being came into place. How could a woman grow a fish tail?
After a moment the child looks back up at his mum, "Did she eat too many fish? Or spend so much time playing in the water that she grew a fish tail?" Neither of those seem magical enough so Edmund tries to think harder.
"Oh!" An idea occurs, and he grins happily. "Did she stick the stones from the rainbow road onto clothes and they became scales in the water?" That sounds magical enough to create a mermaid.
I never realized how beautiful Fires burn under the stars
They're all lovely thoughts. Much lovelier than the actual tale of Siren. Maeve huffs a quiet laugh, breath ruffling his curls as she holds him close. "Not exactly. You see, she was a woman on a pirate ship. She'd stowed away and passed herself off as a man." The Nightshade began to weave the tale for him, eyes still on the constellation up above, "Except women were considered to be bad luck on a ship. Especially one that went out to sea. The captain found her hiding away and to avoid the bad luck, he had the crew throw her overboard." Knowing her son well, Maeve pauses to give him a moment to be properly outraged before she continues.
"But she was a follower of Frey and called out to the herald just as the waves overtook her. Frey, unwilling to let something happen to an innocent, changed her into a mermaid. Her tail just as beautiful as the stones on the Rainbow Road." Another smile curled on her lips as she got to her favorite part, recalling the first time she'd heard this story herself, thinking that the sailors got what was coming to them. "Not only that, but Frey also made her heartbreakingly beautiful, giving her a magical voice that would lure anyone to a watery grave should they be found guilty of bringing harm to the women on land or sea."
Fight so dirty, but your love's so sweet Talk so pretty, but your heart got teeth
Maeve knows her son well indeed. Hearing the story has Edmund scowling, even as he bites his lip and sniffles. "That's horrible, Mummy. She just wanted to be a pirate." Letting out a shaky breath he insists, "They should have let her be a pirate."
Besides the burning behind his eyes, the child feels a now familiar burn in his chest. It's not the comforting warmth that surges when he hugs his Mummy or uncles, but something that tightens his chest. It's uncomfortable and Edmund reaches down and tightly holds his Mum's hand until the feeling goes away.
The feeling fades as the end of the tale is shared. It's satisfying and it pleases Edmund that the Rainbow Road did have a role to play.
"Good." Hearing that she was saved by Frey and made into a powerful being is relieving. But knowing that she now protects other woman from the same fat is even more so.
Biting his cheek Edmund asks cautiously, "Did she sink the ship of the men who hurt her? She should of." It felt wrong to have such dark thoughts, but the mermaid deserved closure in his eyes.
I never realized how beautiful Fires burn under the stars
Maeve straightens up to draw her son more closely to her chest, cupping his check gently as she strokes a thumb across his skin, "I know, little star." She murmurs reassuringly, pressing a kiss to the top of his head as she tucks him into her embrace. Even without an Attuned bond connecting them, Maeve can feel his unease and the anger bubbling up in his chest. She shushes him gently as he grips her hand, fingers brushing through his curls, waiting for him to ride out the wave of emotion.
"It's said that she lured them to the waters where the kraken is rumored to live and that they were dragged down into the depths never to be found again." Maeve murmurs, hoping to hear that they got their justice. "You see? The stars have all kinds of stories to tell us."
Fight so dirty, but your love's so sweet Talk so pretty, but your heart got teeth
Edmund curls up tighter into his Mum's arms, nodding against her shoulder as he listens. It soothes the anger bubbling beneath his skin until it cools into something he can swallow. "That's good." It sounds like the mermaid got closure, the pirates got what they deserved, and the kraken got a snack. A win-win-win in Edmund's view.
Calm once more he lets out a sigh, eyes going back to the stars. "They really do. I wonder if they'd tell their stories differently than we do." Even so young, Edmund has seen how the same tale could change depend on who's sharing it. Maybe one day he could ask the stars themselves for theirs.
I never realized how beautiful Fires burn under the stars
