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!
For a long moment, all she did was look at him. Quiet, tired, trying to recall any single thing that had not taken a turn for the worse after she began to meddle in it. Who had she helped? What had she accomplished? The only permanent good she could see was gazing back at her, right there. And wasn't that really all Amun, anyway?
But she didn't have the strength to argue. So she merely sighed and nodded in surrender. "Alright." Whatever he said.
She couldn't even bring herself to scowl at him as he compared himself to Wessex. "And what did Nate do to earn it? I'd take you over him, any day." Pausing by the door, Maea gave her brother a light squeeze with her uninjured arm. The effort it took to keep herself from drooping against him like some wilting flower was almost more than she could muster. But somehow she kept her back straight. The chin up.
No time to wallow. Learn to live with it. There would be time to fall apart after the war.
"I'll be back in a bit." The door creaked as she pushed it open. A rush of cool air wafted inside; rain had yet to fall.
Light is easy to love Show me your darkness
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
While Maea stared at Amun, he looked right back. Meeting her gaze, he arched an eyebrow as he waited for her to say something. When she finally did, though, it was on a completely different topic than her virtues (or lack thereof). "Actually, Nate is an odd case. Safrin cursed him so badly that the only way for the Voice to remove it was to infuse him with a portion of her power." He shrugged the shoulder he wasn't using to support Maea's weight again.
As she promised to return, he frowned. "What do you mean?" Walking them towards the door, he poked his head out into the street beyond.
"I didn't know that." Chewing on the thought, Maea eventually shrugged and shoved the glimmer of compassion for Nate to the back of her mind. She didn't want to think about that right now. "If the choice is between glorious deeds and curses, then I selfishly hope you stay the way you are now." Either path seemed far too perilous, and she did not wish him the sort of memories that would go with either one.
"I mean that you don't have to walk me to the infirmary," she murmured. "That's what you are doing, isn't it?" She knew where it was. And also realized that there was a need to go there. Even if she wasn't thrilled, Maea wasn't fool enough to think she would make it long with a wound that wouldn't stop bleeding. "I'm fine."
Light is easy to love Show me your darkness
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Snorting, Amun winked at Maea. "I'll do my best to be boring, but you know how hard that is for me." He flashed her a grin, but it slipped away almost immediately. "In all seriousness, it's not entirely up to me. Besides, this is all very far afield of getting you medical care."
Nodding, he narrowed his eyes at her. "I don't have to, but I am. You might just have to live with that." Indeed, he stayed pressed to her side, guiding her with the arm he had supporting her weight. "I know you're fine, but I'm not going to be able to focus on anything anyway until I know you've been treated." He grimaced.
It was indeed, and perhaps that was the whole point of the conversation. The topic itself was second to the distraction it provided. "You're never boring," she murmured in weak protest. "I meant safe." Though perhaps she was the wrong person to talk about that. Clearly, being 'ordinary' meant nothing in terms of being able to stay out of trouble.
Maea contemplated arguing with him about it, but one look at his face made her think better of it. She did heave a sigh though, even as she leaned into him. Allowing him to support her as the door fell shut behind them, even if she was perfectly capable of walking on her own. That wasn't really the issue, she suspected.
"I'm sorry for making you worry," Maea told him softly. "I tried to leave, when I realized... But she kept coming, and I couldn't - couldn't spare the second it takes to teleport out." A silent shudder passed through her, detectable through their connected bodies.
Light is easy to love Show me your darkness
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Narrowing his eyes at Maea, Amun reached out with his free hand. Booping her in the nose, he waggled his eyebrows. "I will strive to be safely exciting, but where is the fun in that." Smiling, he gave her a squeeze. Again, though, his good cheer only lasted for a few moments before he sighed and frowned again.
"You don't have to apologize for being attacked!" The words left him in a rush. Shaking his head, he pressed his lips together. "I'm just glad you made it out. And, while I obviously am saddened you had to take a life, it was her or you and now there's one less enemy to worry about." He led them through the streets towards the Temple.
Unsure whether it was because of the familiar teasing gesture that spoke so clearly of home, the way his smile kept faltering or the intensity of his words, Maea blinked rapidly against the stinging in her eyes and looked away, off to where the Citadel loomed on the horizon. Steel dyed the sky to the east and shadows had begun to pale, thinning rapidly as dawn approached.
"She did not feel like an enemy," came a quiet reply. Her voice was not entirely steady. "Not even when she made it clear I was one, to her." Not for a single moment. Not even when those burning weapons were aimed at her, seeking to end her existence.
It had been reflex, not malice, that killed Nephele. And that made it all so much worse.
Light is easy to love Show me your darkness
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
As Maea cast her gaze towards their surroundings, Amun kept his trained on her. Any sign or even hint that she might be faltering and he'd slip his arm further around her to support her weight. Every once in a while, he'd glance at the crowd or the road, but only so he keep them on track to the Temple.
Her words drew a sigh from him. "Maybe not, but that's what she was. And, while it might be tough for you to swallow, she's not going to be the only one. The first of many." Although he grimaced, he didn't turn away from her.
More. There would more of this? Of bloody homecomings and fading smiles, of that quiet panic in his eyes before the extent of the damage had been made clear. How many more times would it take before she went straight for the infirmary, before bothering to return? How many deaths could she carry before she shattered entirely? One was already too much.
Her pained silence said enough of how tough it indeed was to hear that. Her uninjured arm came up to rest at his back, a small hand closing around a handful of his shirt. Holding tight, as if to remind herself why she was not allowed to fall apart. Not if this was truly only the beginning.
"Have you... ever been at war, before?" she asked. Hoarse, unsteady. In all of his many lifetimes - what did this place, these stakes look like, to his eyes?
Light is easy to love Show me your darkness
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Frowning at Maea's question, Amun's brow furrowed. Sucking in a breath, he stared into the distance for a few moments. Finally, he nodded. "I...think so." He shrugged the shoulder that wasn't supported.
"Remember how I told you I could recall previous lifetimes? Well, I've never been at war in this lifetime." He paused and grimaced. "But in past lives, yes. Religious wars, wars against monsters, wars for no real purpose at all." Shaking his head, he sighed. "I don't usually look back that far because, well, to be honest, it can get overwhelming. But what I can tell you is that everyone loses in the end."
She did remember, and nodded. His answer wasn't very helpful, as far as moral support went. But she did take some comfort at least in the knowledge that he had some idea of what was to come.
"War was always only a story for me," she admitted. The Temple and the infirmary was close now, and she wanted to drag her feet. Stave off the inevitable. Not that he would allow it. "Something they told stories about. The worst we ever had here before was neighbor feuds and tavern brawls." With too little to go around, there had been nothing to fight over. "It feels... unreal. That I'm going to be in the middle of one, now."
Light is easy to love Show me your darkness
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Amun pressed his lips together. Still looking at the Temple in the distance and not at Maea, he shook his head. "I wish this war was just a story. That I'd wake up and this was all just a bad dream." His gaze trailed back to her. "With some bright spots, admittedly." Still, he couldn't help but feel his eyes slide towards her bandaged arm.
"That doesn't mean either of us are going to in the middle of it, though. Not if I can help it." He narrowed his eyes. "I know that sounds naïve, but I've never fought fair in my life and I'm not about to start now." Voice coming out it a growl, he inclined his head to her.
Maea met his gaze, and actually managed a small smile at that. She pretended not to notice the glance to her arm; not sure what it meant, whether it caused those silver linings in his nightmare to shrink.
It occurred to her then, that with being a bright spot also came being a weakness. The thought made her cold with dread.
"What do you mean?" she wondered as she turned her head to gaze at him. "I thought there was no avoiding it, especially for you." He was strong, even if the demigods on the other side made them all seem ant-like in comparison. There was no way he wouldn't get dragged in. As for herself... Maea had no illusions that she would make any difference, the way she was now.
Light is easy to love Show me your darkness
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Arching an eyebrow at Maea's question, Amun cocked his head to one side. "Maybe, maybe not. The future is never set in stone. I know that better than most." He gave her a squeeze with the arm her had around her, carful not to jostle her wound.
They arrived at the entrance to the Temple, and he finally released her. "But that's immaterial at the moment. You go get fixed up, so we can figure out what to do about this unprovoked attack on you." Hesitating, he added in a quieter voice, "I'm sorry this happened to you. But I'm glad you made it home."
