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!
Take a path through the Wildwood to the Crimson Cataract. I have asked the trees to be nice.
Remi will find the note on crisp, clean parchment, neatly in place where he's most likely to see it (on his pillow, of course). Oh, and there's a postscript, too:
You should wear this.
This, as the Lullaby will find out, is a perfectly crafted wooden bowtie. It isn't the same one Remi wore on their wedding night - it can't be - but from Ronin's memory, it's a good approximation.
And since the Huntsman does not have special memory magic, everything Remi finds upon stepping outside the houseboat will be crafted with Ronin's own two hands, and nothing more.
The night is barely upon them, setting the dense foliage alight in shades of amber and gold with the dying of the day, and should the alchemist begin to walk the suggested path, he will find the way (hopefully) suitably signposted.
Ribbons stream in crimson and gold, tied in abundance from the tree branches, creating a canopy of light for Remi to stroll through. Hopefully he is on time, because Ronin has timed the walk (and begged and bribed and blackmailed said trees) for his husband to arrive at the Cataract just as the sun finally fades for good.
From there, candles, fireflies and will-o-wisps take over.
The former dot a trail right up to the edge of the water, where the Cataract roars through the tranquil evening. Remi won't need any partial shifting to make it out, though - Ronin has taken care of that. Having used his dazzle just so on as many of the rocks and lichen behind the waterfall as he can, the Crimson Cataract has been set aglow, casting a ruddy light over the proceedings.
As for the Huntsman himself--
Ronin stands on his nimbus right where the candles peter out, wearing the sort of rustic bullshit suit that he's pretty sure his husband would have swooned over back in the day.
It doesn't matter, though. None of it matters, as long as his husband shows up. And if it's in just the bowtie and nothing else?
And you should know, I left but never lost my place
Like knowing you were going to be proposed to ahead of time, when the moment arrives, you're often no less speechless for it. Indeed, it's with trembling fingers and eyes already shiny with tears that Remi reads - and re-reads - the instructions left for him by his husband. Wanting to rush but also savour the moment, the Lullaby sits heavily down on their bed, holding the wooden bowtie in his hands and smiling stupidly to himself in the empty houseboat before breathing in a shaky breath and getting ready.
The trees are mostly on their best behaviour, and though the Lullaby is trying to remind himself to take in all the subtle details that have gone into planning this moment, gods if he doesn't want to simply fly down the path and into his husband's (presumably) waiting arms. Able to detect the telltale glow of Ronin's dazzle ahead apart from the golden fingers of the setting sun, Remi's chest expands as an unfathomably deep, and pure, and true sense of love begins to stretch and yawn inside of him. It makes him want to laugh, and cry, and collapse to his knees; instead, he walks the glowing path laid out for him with his breath held.
Dressed almost precisely as he had more than six years prior, this time Remi's jacket was unbuttoned and instead of a flower pinned to his lapel, there was a spriggan instead perched in his pocket. Against his throat was the wooden bowtie, and though it was slightly lopsided, the alchemist was no less handsome for it.
As the trees part and the rush of the Cataract comes into view, Remi comes to an immediate halt upon seeing Ronin. The corners of his lips twitch as if he was going to smile before his expression crumples entirely into one which might be mistaken for pain were it not for the tears of joy beading on his lower lashes.
and these nights I miss you most my heart is yours to break
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
"Oh, come now. I didn't do all of this to make you cry," Ronin says in a voice made equally as tight with emotion as he spots his husband strolling through the trees. He'd managed to wait very patiently if he does say so himself, the Huntsman inhaling deeply and letting it out again as if he might be able to sigh out all of the feelings that attempt to clog his throat.
Clearing his throat, he steps off the nimbus that he might go to meet the other man - it isn't precisely as he had planned it, but hey, they might as well walk each other down the aisle if they're going to do this again. "You are a sight for sore eyes," he says warmly as he reaches Remi, his hands smoothing against the lapels of his suit.
For Ronin's part, there are no flowers pinned to his braces either, but rather a burst of soft, downy feathers from a certain pale hawk. "You look incredible," he adds, as if the other man might not have gotten that much, before he gestures to himself. "Look. Not a buckle to be seen."
And you should know, I left but never lost my place
Too choked with emotion to say anything, all Remi can do is tilt his head imploring at the other man before giving it a little shake; you knew exactly what you were doing. Having not really realized that he was standing a good 20ft from where he was likely supposed to be, Remi chokes out a strangled sound of apology as Ronin nears before he goes back to holding his breath.
"Must be all that recent sparring that has your eyes sore." Remi says on a shivery exhale. Laughing nervously (had he walked through blushberry mist?) he reaches out for Ronin's hands. "I half expected you to be only wearing buckles." He admits as the familiar sensation of wanting to slip beneath his husband's fingernails and fill the cockles of his heart makes it suddenly hard to think straight. "But this..." Biting his lower lip, a boyish blush spreads across the bridge of nose making him appear almost sunburnt in the fading golden light. Remi exhales if only because there are no words he knows to describe just how perfect Ronin looks, and so his breathlessness will have to suffice.
"I almost thought you forgot...what...with the war and the relics and.."
and these nights I miss you most my heart is yours to break
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
"It wouldn't surprise me. Between the dust and sand and river water, not to mention you, it's a wonder I could see anything else at all," Ronin agrees, sniffing and trying to get a hold of himself so he can at least lead Remi through all that he's got planned. "I considered it," he admits, slipping his fingers against his husband's hands so Remi can feel the fluttering nerves and warm burst of love (and undercurrent of lust obviously) for himself.
"I could never forget," he whispers, leaning in to press a soft and gentle kiss against the corner of Remi's mouth. "I just didn't want us to be bruised or exhausted for this." It's far too important. "Come on, there's more," he urges, turning to lead them back towards the nimbus.
And you should know, I left but never lost my place
Remi's emotions are not unlike those paint-pour displays, where colours are layered and layered over top of one another in a confusing mess until the smallest catalyst - movement or alcohol perhaps - has them exploding outwards in unpredictable and vibrant arrays. "I am glad you opted for this. I am not so patient as I once was, and besides.." Waggling his hands in Ronin's that the Huntsman's attention might be drawn to Remi's missing fingers, the Lullaby shrugs. "..I am at a disadvantage now."
Moaning out an indulgent noise of love and tenuous patience, Remi follows along eagerly at his husband's side. "Ahh. Those days are in short supply lately." The Lullaby agrees, holding Ronin's hand with both of his and already feeling far too enamoured and overwhelmed to let the Huntsman stray more than a step or two away.
"More?" Sighing softly as the corners of his lips turned down in a faux frown, Remi shakes his head. "You did not need to do all of this."
and these nights I miss you most my heart is yours to break
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
"Mm, I ought to have gotten you some new fingers as a gift," Ronin laments, a stupid grin spreading across his face as Remi's emotions rock through him, pouring an opalescent sheen over his bones. "And they certainly are. So for everyone's sake, I hope they give us this one night to ourselves."
And if anything world-ending does come up, Ronin will either tell it to wait, or... well. No one really wants to know what or entails.
They walk together down the remainder of the aisle, bathed in the reddish light of the Cataract and the flicker of candles at their feet. Only when they reach the nimbus does he stop, Ronin turning and lifting his hand to spread kisses across Remi's knuckles.
"Yes I did," he says softly. "I absolutely did have to do all this. We aren't even allowed back in the place where we were married, and so this is important." Smiling and pressing one more kiss against the back of Remi's hand, Ronin steps up and onto the cloud, drawing his partner with him.
Together they rise up and up towards the top of the waterfall, where the seedlings they'd planted in Flowerbirth are thriving... and where two more plants have been lovingly added. One has flowers of a dusky hue in with petals in the shape of stars, and the other's dark fruits are reminiscent of... blueberries, perhaps?
"So they can grow, even if we don't make it back from the Cordillera," he says proudly.
And you should know, I left but never lost my place
'Maybe for our ten year, mm? Though perhaps then I will need other body parts, so maybe do not order anything just yet."
The last time they had been like this they'd been swarmed by friends and family. Remi could distinctly remember drinking several glasses of wine prior to the ceremony to try and keep himself under control lest he send everyone home before the wedding had even begun. Now, only with only Ronin (and Oria), the alchemist couldn't help but think of all those who had once given their well-wishes to the two men, who were now dead and gone.
Watching the dark lines of Ronin's eyelashes blur the blue of his eyes, Remi nods a touch sadly before climbing onto the nimbus. 'Once upon a time when everything was different...' Remi muses as if their life was nothing more than a fairytale which was still unfolding.
Melancholy as the moment might have continued, Remi's sombre expression instantly burst into one of joy to see the two newest additions to their little garden patch. "You know, anyone else might get the wrong idea about having such a deadly plant offered as a sweet gesture." Grinning the Lullaby presses his lips against his husband's temple. "And I always thought Mateo got that from me."
and these nights I miss you most my heart is yours to break
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
"Oh, well, can you decide in advance what body parts you are likely to lose? Because you know, those orders take a long while to come in. If I'm going to add to it, I better do it soon," Ronin remarks, though as they arrive before their newest additions, his sass dies on his tongue. "Mm, Mateo mostly gets it from you. But me and the belladonna go way back," he agrees, leaning into the offered kiss.
"Now, if I remember rightly, this was for Frey. For Safrin, we had to hop over fire. But I thought, given your feelings about her..." Ronin nods back across the greenery where, by star and candlelight, Sugar shrieks her welcome. The pale dragon has frozen a ribbon of the river that feeds the waterfall to give them some ice to jump across, and Ronin shrugs hopefully to Remi.
And you should know, I left but never lost my place
"Well...there are certain parts it might be useful to have duplicates of, just...in case." Given that they both could duplicate themselves, the implicate body part Remi was referencing was probably not actually that necessary, and yet for all of the ways Remi had changed over the past 6 years they'd been married, there were certain things that not even trauma could shake out of him. His juvenile sense of humour for one, or his unapologetic lust for Ronin.
Twisting his lips to hide the true measure of his smile, Remi chuckles as he gazes down. "You know I would do anything for you, though I have an idea. Take us down."
Not even the thought of Safrin could tarnish this moment. As they neared, Remi would slide himself far enough away from Ronin that he might keep his flames to himself, for the moment anyways. 'What if you jump over me?' He suggests, holding up a hand now entirely made of fire.
and these nights I miss you most my heart is yours to break
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
"Duplicates, triplicates, perhaps little statues of them just in case," Ronin agrees smoothly, assuming they are talking about the same body parts, of course. Because his childish sense of humour can only be matched by Remi's, and that certainly hasn't changed in all the time they've been married. The lust, of course, goes without saying.
Perhaps he can be forgiven, then, when talk of an idea instantly leads the Huntsman into believing there's mischief afoot, but obviously he's on board with it. "Okay, but you owe Sugar an apology later. She froze that part of the river special for you." He chuckles, stepping a little closer as they swoop down towards the ground again.
Blinking his surprise as the night air illuminates with much more than his dazzle, Ronin feels a bright grin spreading across his face. "You." He huffs out a chuckle. "But what will you jump over?"
Nonetheless, Ronin naturally takes the hint, jumping clean over the Lullaby to land back on the banks.
And you should know, I left but never lost my place
"Just in case." Remi agrees, and so it is that the pair have perhaps begun a tradition of giving each other dildos as anniversary gifts.
'Well, then we absolutely can jump her portion of the river. I just know what a stickler you are for tradition, that is all." Remi replies, knowing that Ronin is about as flexible as they come in times like this. 'Alright, how about I jump over the ice bridge, you jump over me, and then everyone is happy?"
As Ronin cleanly sails overtop of him, Remi would be remiss not to be a little bit of a shit despite the care and thought his husband had put into this; if Ronin happens to feel a pinch of flame on his behind, so what? Maybe he just didn't jump quite as high as he thought.
Eyeing the ice bridge, Remi winks in Sugar's direction. Oria, opting to spend this evening with her dragon-friend now that Sugar's portion was over, fled from Remi's pocket to perch on her friend's back as her bonded lept over the ice bridge.
and these nights I miss you most my heart is yours to break
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Not just any dildos, though - dildos that happen to be perfect replicas of their cocks. It's tradition, right?
"Oh, that's a good ide-- hey!" Patting out a lick of flame on his backside that he's sure is to do with Remi, Ronin will nonetheless have to simply deal with this new, rustic addition to his carefully curated outfit. "I hope you slip," he hisses, grinning as his husband goes to complete his task.
Chirping in satisfaction to have her ice bridge jumped over, Sugar will happily leave to cause mayhem with Oria now that she has completed her task, and as she swoops off into the starry sky, Ronin glides down on his nimbus to join Remi on the other side.
"Now for Ludo," he says with a sweet smile, holding up a paper lantern containing two candles, carefully painted with stars and lions. "It ought to float over the Greatwood all night if we light it now."
And you should know, I left but never lost my place
It's absolutely tradition. Some couples look back over wedding albums filled with photos in order to reminisce how they've changed over the years. For the Lullaby and Huntsman, should they live that long, they'll have a wonderous assortment of cocks to remind them of their youth.
"I cannot keep my hands off of you, what can I say?" Remi wonders looking mildly offended that Ronin should be anything other than infinitely grateful for his husband's harassment affections.
Miming as though he's slipping and sliding all over the frozen shoreline, Remi straightens to show that it's all an act before fixing his husband with a stern stare. "Imagine I had fallen and had pulled a muscle in my back. How would that have gone for the rest of your plans, mm?" By plans he absolutely meant the sex they'd inevitably have later.
The lanterns wipe the shit-eating smile from Remi's lips as he reaches out for the one adorned with lions. Gently running his finger along the delicate edges, he glances up at Ronin with a soft sigh. "In no world have I ever deserved you."
and these nights I miss you most my heart is yours to break
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
