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!
Phoebe had been staking out this spot all morning. From a small hole in the cliffside came a trail of goodies - carrot hunks, lettuce, dandelions and so on. Phoebe sat at the end of the trail, very still and very quiet, a little lidded basket next to her.
She had seen a few blink hares disappear into the hole. This was the trickiest part of her quest - catching a live blink hare to bring to Frey. Her best bet she thought was to somehow befriend one. But this task required a god's amount of patience. The sun continued to rise in the sky and though she heard scratching and scurrying from inside the rock, she had yet to see one poke its head back out.
And so she waited some more.
I look up to the little bird
The flies across the sky
And I, I wish that I could be that bird
And fly away from here
Lisbeth left the skyport and began making her way slowly across the cliffs, keeping well clear of the geysers. She breathed heavily in the humid air. She had never liked the air up this high; it did a number on her lungs, which were never strong on the best of days. But it was the only way to and from the skyport, so she had little choice.
Once the skyport was left behind her, she took her time, always careful to avoid over-exerting herself. It wouldn't take much to get her winded, and even taking her time, she stopped frequently to rest. Her already pale skin grew paler with the exertion, and she wished for nothing more to be home. Not that the barracks made much of a home, but it was better than the streets.
During one of her frequent breaks, she spotted a stranger sitting on the ground. Along with...scattered food? Curious, she headed in that direction. She was light on her feet and rarely made a sound, even though she wasn't really trying to be sneaky.
She stopped a few feet behind the stranger, quietly adjusting the bow and quiver on her back to make them a bit more comfortable. She watched for a long moment, but the girl didn't seem to be moving at all.
Phoebe could hear someone approaching and she sighed quietly. This was going to mess up hours of work. At least whoever it was didn't seem heavy footed. But then whoever it was stopped. Great. Clearly she had caught some attention. As she ought, given the strange circumstances she found herself in, but still.
Then the apparently woman spoke and the Nightingale cringed. She turned to look at the pale girl and lifted a finger to her lips. Quiet. "Trying to tame a blink hare for Frey." she whispered. Hopefully that would be good enough of an explanation. But like most things, she doubted it would be so simple.
I look up to the little bird
The flies across the sky
And I, I wish that I could be that bird
And fly away from here
"Oh" Lisbeth whispered, not wanting to ruin the woman's work. She looked at the food on the ground, then crouched down next to the stranger.
"I don't think this is going to work," she whispered. "Don't those things just disappear on you if you look at them the wrong way? And besides, what does Frey want with a blink hare?" She shook her head. It seemed to her that Frey didn't need anyone's help getting a blink hare. Maybe it was meant to be a tribute.
"I could probably drive it out of the nest, if you want. But that might spook it..."
"It's for a quest, so I can teleport." she whispered. Once again she heard the blink hares scratching about. She froze, staring at the hole. But no sign of them yet. Damn it all. If one didn't venture out, however would she accomplish this part of the quest?!
"No don't do that." she whispered insistently. "I just need one to associate me with food and it will stay with me." she said.
That's when it happened, a lone blink hare stuck its head out to sniff at a hunk of carrot. Phoebe stilled, holding up a hand in hopes of stopping the woman in her tracks too.
I look up to the little bird
The flies across the sky
And I, I wish that I could be that bird
And fly away from here
"Teleport?" Lisbeth's eyebrows shot up. That sounded...pretty cool. She tried to imagine what it would be like to teleport wherever she wanted. Maybe she wouldn't get so out of breath all the time. On the other hand, from what she understood of it, magic was very hard on one's stamina. It might tire her out even more than walking.
She froze in place when the woman gestured for her to stop. She watched the rabbit, curious. She'd never actually seen one up close. Her gut instinct was to fire her bow--it could make a good dinner. But that would no doubt ruin the woman's quest, which would be not only rude, but sacrilegious.
She did, however, want to see if she could help.
"Try this," she whispered close to the woman's ear. Then, moving very slowly and silently, she reached down and picked up a shred of lettuce. Moving slow so she wouldn't spook the rabbit, she laid her hand flat on the ground, palm up, holding the lettuce.
She held perfectly still in that position. With any luck, the rabbit would stop thinking of her as a threat so long as she held still, until it was tempted over to the food she held in her hand.
Phoebe nodded. "My son's father and I live in two separate places so I need it so I can take him back and forth." she explained. Not the most exciting thing but the very real thing spurring her forward on this quest.
But then the blink hare appeared and both women fell silent. The other one placed a piece of lettuce on her hand and fell still. It was a good idea, Phoebe thought, and copied the stance with some dandelions in her palm.
The blink hare finished the carrot it was munching on then looked up, nose twitching. It eyes the two women warily...but there was more food in their direction and they weren't being outright threatening. It hopped a little closer, eating a scrap of lettuce on the trail of food leading to Phoebe and Lisbeth. It paused again, eyeing them both before moving closer still.
I look up to the little bird
The flies across the sky
And I, I wish that I could be that bird
And fly away from here
"Hold very still," Lisbeth whispered. "Let it take its time."
She kept herself as still and quiet as possible, even though her muscles were starting to ache from staying in one place. She knew the slightest movement might spook the poor thing. A twinge in her back and thighs started to slowly build into a burn, but still she held still, waiting until the rabbit had started nibbling on the lettuce.
"Gonna teleport your son away from the fighting?" she whispered, so faint that Phoebe might barely hear her. "Would be good, if you're trying to get away. Me, I'm fighting. I'm part of the Stormbreak defense force."
Her fingers started to tremble from the exertion of holding her hands so still. She held her breath, trying to keep from twitching. But as she held her breath, her lungs started to burn. She could feel a coughing fit coming on. Her pale face started to turn red, and she knew she couldn't hold back the coughing and wheezing for very much longer...
Phoebe remained still and quiet, even as the younger woman whispered for her to do so. Unaware of how much her compatriot was struggling, Phoebe looked the picture of calm, near statuesque in the way she held her form.
Slowly but surely the rabbit inched its way closer to the women, nibbling on treats along the way.
She glanced over at the younger woman, brows knitting in concern. She was so small and frail looking. Phoebe couldn't imagine her holding up well in the war. "I'm taking him to the sanctuary Frey made." she whispered. Then, despite perhaps being out of line, she added, "I suggest you join us there." She couldn't help but implore the girl to do so. It would seem a waste of life for someone so young to put their life on the line when there were so many more very capable fighters joining the fray.
The rabbit moved closer still, almost within reaching distance now.
I look up to the little bird
The flies across the sky
And I, I wish that I could be that bird
And fly away from here
Lisbeth opened her mouth to reply, then burst into a coughing fit, spooking the hare and sending it scurrying back to its hole.
She fell back on her ass, leaning her head between her knees as she hacked and wheezed. She fumbled for the waterskin at her belt, trying to calm her coughs, but she ended up spilling most of the water down the front of her shirt.
When the coughing subsiding, she said in a wheezing voice, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
She settled herself onto the ground with her legs crossed, leaning her hands against her knees. After another minute of catching her breath, she said, "I'm not going to the sanctuary. I told you, I'm a soldier. I'm with the Fifth Archery Division out of Stormbreak." Despite still being winded, she sat up straighter and held her head high, refusing to admit any signs of weakness.
She picked up the dropped piece of lettuce and held it out to Phoebe, hoping they could try again.
Even Phoebe was startled by the sudden hacking cough from the other woman. Girl really, from looking at her. And though she was disappointed the rabbit fled, she was equally concerned about the girl's health.
While Lisbeth collected herself, Phoebe set to the task of setting out more greens to entice the rabbit back out.
"I am sure you are." she said, not doubting the girl's allegiance (odd as it seemed to be). "But you did just break into a coughing fit over nothing." she added gently. "There is no shame in taking shelter in the sanctuary. We will need people like you, with your skills, when the war ends too."
Once Phoebe settled again, the rabbit peaked its head back out, sniffing at the new food that had appeared.
I look up to the little bird
The flies across the sky
And I, I wish that I could be that bird
And fly away from here
"I'm fine," Lisbeth said, refusing to meet Phoebe's eye for a moment. "I'm needed now. I'm an archer. I'm good at it. Okay, sure, sometimes my lungs act up. Doesn't mean I can't serve a purpose."
She helped set out some more lettuce, throwing it down to the ground perhaps a bit harder than she needed to.
"Helping when the war ends is great and all, but a lot of people will die between now and then. One more soldier on the battlefield will mean one more person protecting the people of Stormbreak from the Ascended and their ilk. One more person standing in the way of the heathens that defy the will of the Old Gods...the True Gods."
She finally met Phoebe's eye, her earlier blush fading, replaced with a firmly set jaw. "We need all the boots on the ground that we can get. The survivors can worry about rebuilding after we keep them alive."
Phoebe was quiet, having clearly struck a nerve with the younger woman. She was fiery in her passion and determination. But she couldn't shake the feeling that it was misdirected.
"I used to think I knew my purpose." she said softly, watching the blink hare nose a piece of lettuce. "I was to be a housewife and mother to lots of children. A simple life." she said. "But now I am a demigoddess of Frey, a single mother of one living two with Mort, and a former brothel Madame." she smiled a little and looked over at the young woman, vibrant and full of life despite her obvious illness.
The rabbit hopped back out, nibbling on some food.
"We don't know our purpose. It is shaped by the Gods and this world they have created. I recommend you seek Frey's or another's counsel before you make such a life altering decision. Frey likes fruit." she advised.
I look up to the little bird
The flies across the sky
And I, I wish that I could be that bird
And fly away from here
Lisbeth wasn't quite able to follow Phoebe's story...a housewife, then a mother, then a demigoddess, then a Madame? She shook her head, sure there was a lote more to those stories than they had time to go into today.
"I've made offerings to the Gods," she replied, speaking softly so she wouldn't spook the rabbit again. "None have ever deemed me worthy of a response. So I do what I can to look to their signs in the world. To be guided by their wisdom if not by their words."
She met the other woman's eyes. "My father was a soldier. He taught me about honor. Duty. ...Sacrifice." Her eyes misted up for a moment, but she pressed on.
"If the Gods have some other plan for me, I've seen no sign of it. If Mort were to come before me now, today, and tell me that I wasn't meant to die in the war, that he would take me later, when my time was right, then I'd resign my commission right away. But he doesn't answer."
She lowered her head. "So instead I pray...to Vi to protect my life during the coming conflict, and to Mort to guide me peacefully if he decides that this is my time."
She raised her head again, sniffling a bit. She wiped her nose on the back of her sleeve. "That's all any of us can do. It's precious few who get to speak to the Gods themselves. As for me, I ask for guidance, try to read the signs they might send me, and do my best to decide what course I think they mean for me. And my whole life has pointed to this." She touched the bow over her shoulder. "I'm good at it. The best in my squad. I understand honor. I understand duty. Soon I'll understand fighting, and blood, and death."
She looked Phoebe over appraisingly. "And I have to believe that the Gods would put someone like me on this path, to fight, to protect the people, in order to ensure that people like your son get to have their purpose after peace is found again."
