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!
Halo never stopped moving. They couldn't afford to. You stopped and you died. Froze to death, got caught in a storm, starved, or swooped up by a dragon. To not move meant to accept death. Which was why Cordelia hasn't stopped moving. Not since she was born. It's why she didn't stop now even when all she wanted to do was curl up into a ball and disappear beneath the snow, swallowed up by the never ending snowflakes, frozen like the Sea of Glass. The construction of the new watchtower and the weapon is going well. It takes up plenty of time, but in the moments where she's left with nothing eat up at her.
It's how she finds herself wandering towards the office Noah has claimed for himself in the palace, sweater drawn tightly around her thin frame, nails bitten down to the quick and new callouses starting to form on her palms. She presses on the door, peeking around the corner with a slight frown, "Noah?"
'Cause darling, it was good // Never looking down And right there where we stood // Was holy ground
Having been lost in as much paperwork it would take to drown an ursur, Noah didn’t hear Cordelia at first when she approached. It was only when he finished his letter by sealing it with Halo’s seal that he caught movement out of the corner of his eye and the unmistakable scent of his lover drifted his way. Immediately Noah stood, papers shuffling and a few falling to the stone floor. ”Cordelia,” he breathed, some sort of mix of relief and guilt on his tongue. Stepping from behind his desk the Warden closed the distance between them, wrapping the huntress without hesitation in his arms. He breathed her in again, his cheek pressed into her auburn hair.
”Im sorry I haven’t been back at the house for a few days.” The apology was sincere as it rolled from his lips, though it seemed a bit rehearsed. As if the hunter had been rolling it over in his mind, expecting the woman to come seeking him. ”There’s…a lot.” he gestured back at his desk, turning his shoulder out so that Cordelia could see the mountain of work on the great oak surface.
06-07-2022, 02:22 PM (This post was last modified: 06-07-2022, 02:22 PM by Cordelia.)
Cordelia
A shuddering breath slipped past her lips as he uttered her name. The huntress barely had a chance to close the door behind her and step forward before she was wrapped in his arms. The rest of the world fell away. Her face pressed into his chest, inhaling shakily, trying to burry all of the wrong beneath his familiar scent and embrace. It was the that the careful hold she had on the bond faltered as his own emotions slipped over her. A mixture of guilt and relief so potent it dared to make her knees weak. "It's okay." Came the whispered reply, unable to be angry with him for this even if she had needed him there. He owed himself to Halo before anything else. She couldn't fault him for that.
The tears are already there, though. Slipping down her cheeks and soaking his shirt even as he turned them slightly so she might see the papers covering the desk. "Yeah. There is a lot." And she didn't just mean his work. That much was clear with the way her voice broke and her whole body trembled, unable to hold herself together any longer now that she was in his arms, knowing it was safe to fall apart here even if it was the last thing she wanted to burden him with right now.
"Noah... I-" And the words don't come, lodged in her throat like brambles, choking her as they tighten around a sob. "I know you're dealing with a lot... I don't want to add to it." She still wasn't saying what she needed to. Maybe if she didn't speak the words it would change things. She knew that wasn't true. You couldn't undo death. "It's Aino... She- she's dead. A dragon outside of the Citadel grabbed her while she was helping Sah hunt."
'Cause darling, it was good // Never looking down And right there where we stood // Was holy ground
The space that Noah had opened up between them to gesture towards his mountains of papers did not last long. Like a dam breaking he felt everything she let loose -- and it nearly caught his breath in his throat. "Oh, Cordelia." He said her name again, more gently and with every vibration filled with love. Carefully he pulled her back to him, opening his chest to her. His arms wrapped once more around her, embodying his title as the Sentinel as he breathed out into her copper hair.
From his own mind, understanding and solidarity flew to her. Flashes and memories of Weaver and Korbin filled his heart, for the love he felt for them matched the love the huntress had given her cousin. "This world is still so harsh. I'm sorry you have to feel its wrath." He kissed her again before briefly separating them.
The demigod stepped behind her just enough to close the door securely. Then he set his hand out on her shoulder before running it down the length of her arm, finally gently intertwining his fingers between hers. ”These burdens we do not have to bear on our own.”
The way he said her name nearly broke her. The sobs coming freely now as she buried her face against his chest, soaking through his shirt in seconds as he wraps her in his embrace. Nothing can touch her here. The huntress cried herself dry for the first time in days as he held on to her. The steady rise and fall of his chest and the reassurance of his warmth grounded her better than anything else, slowly coming back to shore after being swept out by wave of wave of emotion, breaths ragged as she slowly drew back to look up him. Her eyes gritty and sore, nose raw from running, "I- I know I shouldn't be upset with Sah, but she was out there because of him."
Cordelia admitted, guilt swelling in her chest as she looked up at him, sniffling quietly. She wiped roughly at her eyes, drawing in another sharp breath, trying desperately to get a hold of her emotions. Letting him draw her away from the door and deeper into the office, her brows knit together, "How do you mean?"
'Cause darling, it was good // Never looking down And right there where we stood // Was holy ground
Noah took his time with her once the door was closed. He was silent for so many minutes. He held her and absorbed her, his mind melding with hers over the bond as he held her body close. With all of the world closed off an away from them, Noah was better able to focus on her. Focus on her face, her hair, her breathing, and every single emotion that she placed before him. He was the safety for her vulnerability, and always would be. ”Ive been thinking more and more that I need someone by my side, here.” He made the smallest motion to assure that she knew he was taking about this office, this Citadel, this region. ”Deimos and Sah both have their place, and they do their jobs well. Halo needs them where they are.”
”Halo will never stop being treacherous. It will always be dangerous.” and we will always lose people went without saying. ”But I’m asking you to help me lead here. Protect them. Keep care over the flock.”
It was what she needed. Her heart was bared to him and he took it into his hands, putting it back together with care until she could focus on what he had to say. Staying tucked against his chest, Cordelia listened his words, cheek resting over his steady heartbeat as he spoke. Absentmindedly her fingers found his, filling the empty spots between them, thumb brushing over his knuckles lightly. She opens her mouth to argue, wanting to point out that he has people by his side. His council. Except he beats her to that.
Honey gold eyes widen, drawing back slightly so she might look up at him, brows pinched together and lips parted. What he was asking of her was no small thing and she knew Noah. She knew how long he must have thought on this. How he must have weighed his options. It wasn't a choice he would have made lightly. Drawing in a breath, Cordelia nodded, "Always, Noah. I'll be there for them and for you." She murmured, managing the faintest of smiles as she drew him down for a kiss.
The weight might be heavy and the road harsh, but they did not have to bear it alone. Not anymore.
~FIN <3~
'Cause darling, it was good // Never looking down And right there where we stood // Was holy ground
