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!
Noah stood outside of Sah's house. So many seasons -- years -- ago, Noah remembered helping the man settle in. Teaching him to most simplest of things to survive in Halo, like build a fire. Stock his pantry. Now he felt as though Sah had always lived here.
The Sentinel did not bother to knock on the door. He thought the once-wolf would understand.
"Sah, are you here?" He called out. The fire crackled, but that did not mean that the Wild Thunder had not stoked it up before leaving for his business of the day. Noah had hoped to catch him early, before he could venture out and get caught up in helping, in fixing, in repairing.
don't wait for the wolves to tear you apart; there's always a cage around your heart
...look into a wolf's eyes. You'll never be the same again.
Sah had checked on Pad and Lilly upstairs when he heard the front door open. At first, caution and war-driven nerves hit him, but at the familiar voice, the Abandoned relaxed. Noah. Thank the Gods he was ok. The Sentinel had done so much for him since he came to Caido. As a Warden, an ally, and eventually as family.
The Wild Thunder raced down the stairs, a wide grin breaking out as he saw for himself that yes, Noah was in one piece. "Noah." Sah walked over in long strides and pulled the man into a tight hug, "Welcome home." He'd never said it, but he'd been worried for the demigod. So new to his status and amongst the giants like Deimos and Ronin, Sah had been worried. But clearly Vi's demigod had beaten every obstacle keeping him from coming home.
Though Noah knew the once-wolf had survived whatever happened here in Halo, seeing his face as he came down the stairs brought a whole new sense of relief to the surface. He wrapped his arms around his friend and held him tight for longer than he ever had. When the hug was finished, though, Noah still didn't let him go. He held his shoulders out at arms length, glacier eyes firm on Sah's face. Noah smiled, and though it felt clunky on his face, he embraced it.
"Thank you for defending Halo. Her people are safe because of you and the others." Noah was needed in the Draig, and in the throws of battle up there, his mind still focused on Halo. He didn't think he would ever be able to have a truly balanced and equal view of this world -- Halo would always take precedent for him. "How many dragons did you slay?"
don't wait for the wolves to tear you apart; there's always a cage around your heart
...look into a wolf's eyes. You'll never be the same again.
Sah noted the new tension to Noah but didn't comment on it. Instead, he returned the smile and shook his head. "It's home. How could I not?" The grin turned equal parts mischief and melancholy, "I should be the one thanking your for keeping us all safe." The Abandoned had only heard rumors and small tidbits of just what had happened on the Draig. But everything he heard made his heart ache for his fellow Halovians and the pain they must have gone through.
The question made Sah let out a small chuckle, a sheepish look coming to his face, "Hotaru landed the killing blows but we ended up fighting two. The others were driven away by spirits before the fight truly broke out." The fact that he hadn't technically killed one stung his pride a bit.
"Everyone's magic was messed up. Some king of outside interference, I think. But I was only able to fight using my sword." That fact had made the fight all the more dangerous. If Sah had only ever trained his magic, who knows what may have happened.
"That's interesting." Noah remarked. He could have, and probably normally would have, gone on about the merit of training one's self to be a broad weapon of magic, shifts, and arms -- whatever one held. But he simply didn't have the words right now. The world was still in the wake of what had happened, and it was not settled.
Did war ever truly settle anything?
He chuckled, too, when Sah did. "Hotaru is a powerful woman. I am glad you two were together to fight. It's a terrible shame, though, about her son." The mention of Hotaru turned his face back to a more familiar (lately) frown. "I can't imagine that kind of pain." The pain of losing a child, he imagined, was deeper than anything else. "What of yours?" He asked suddenly, eyebrows raising. He wasn't sure where the twins had gone during all of this.
don't wait for the wolves to tear you apart; there's always a cage around your heart
...look into a wolf's eyes. You'll never be the same again.
Sah nodded, "She is." Although his magic had nearly outgrown hers in certain categories, the hybrid was a force to be reckoned with. Maybe one day he'd catch up with her.
The mention of Enzo sent a sharp pierce of grief through Sahs' heart. Letting out a shaky breath he nodded, "Truly. It's...a pain I wish on no one. I got lucky but the memories alone are..." He shook his head and cleared his throat, forcefully pushing his emotions to the side. The Outlander intimately knew the pain Hotaru was going through. Not only that, but her status as his pack made Enzo's death all the more personal. Even though he had never met the boy, Sah grieved him as if he were his own.
Noah's mention of Soleil and Luka helped him shake off the looming shadows of grief. He smiled softly, "They're doing well. They were at the Sanctuary during the war. I picked them up as soon as Halo was confirmed safe." Confirmed at least ten times that was. Like hell he'd expose his pups to further danger.
"They weren't happy about going in the first place. But it was a weight off to know that they were safe despite what was happening here."
Noah was no stranger to death and loss, of grief and despair. But the loss (nor love) of a child was something he had never experienced. He never wished to. He had seen it destroy his father. One day, when he was a father, he wished to be able to keep them safe always. Noah knew this wasn't always true, but he imagined this fierceness within him about protecting his home and those he called his would only amplify with eyes of his own -- or Cordelia's -- looking up at him.
"Good." Noah said, though chuckled at the thought of the two children protesting Sah. "They are your kids, after all." Noah scrunched up his nose, some, the unspoken taunt against Sah's own stubbornness easy to see and hear beneath the words. Noah stepped back, then, sighing some and looking around Sah's house.
Noah took one of his gloves off and ran it through his hair. "My house was destroyed in the war. Dragon's ice and claws are the culprits." He shifted his weight some. "Cordelia and I have been sleeping in my old office in the Palace. She...she is having a hard time in the wake of all of this." It was hard not to when the streets were full of whispers and your name held a new title behind it.
don't wait for the wolves to tear you apart; there's always a cage around your heart
...look into a wolf's eyes. You'll never be the same again.
Sah scowled in mock anger, the twitch in his lips giving his amusement away, "And what's that supposed to mean?" The Wild Thunder was stubborn as all hell. It was no wonder that all of his pups, biological and companion, were as well. It meant he had a better handle on them, but it also made the Abandoned pity those who had raised him.
All mirth faded as Noah spoke about his home and repercussions of Cordelia's choices. "I'm sorry to hear that. If you need any help rebuilding, please don't hesitate to ask." It was the least he could do for his friend. His cousin however, that was trickly. Sah sighed heavily, brow furrowed deeply. "I can imagine. I'll admit, I'm a bit disappointed in her choices but I'm just glad she's alive." He shook his head, "I need to talk to her, once she's ready. Cordelia isn't a coward, so I'm hoping she'll tell me what she was thinking."
Hearing that his cousin had abandoned their allies in the defense of Halo had been shocking for Sah. It seemed so out of character. It had flat out felt like a personal betrayal. As he tried to consider reasonings for her choice, for a moment he'd wondered if she were pregnant or something. That would certainly be a reason to back out when things got too precarious.
Meeting Noah's eyes with his tired ones, Sah added, "Take care of her for me, please? And let her know that I love her." He wasn't sure when Cordelia would emerge, but he wanted his cousin to know that he hadn't turned his back on her. That'd he'd be waiting to hear her side of the story first.
"I think I will just patch it up to make it livable for now. Cordelia and I talked about adding on to it when we first moved back to Halo after Morgan's death, but now I think we will build something totally new. It can be Cordelia's dream home." Giving the woman something to look forward to would be helpful.
Noah didn't say much in response to Sah's feelings on Cordelia's actions. To defend her, to argue with the man about her virtues was not what needed to happen right now. In time, Halo would see her again for who she really was. In the time it took for that to happen, Noah would carry her shame upon his own shoulders, and keep her heart in the balance of peace.
She had kept her promise to him.
Noah spent the time, instead, giving details of the War to Sah so he had a deeper perspective. He talked about the Court of the Fallen, and the battle that they needed to wage, of the scars and damage inflicted, how he had pulled his comrades from the Core's illusions, and how Remi pulled the Core from Caido and saved them all -- and, in the blink of an eye, how it was all over and they were home. Hours passed, and finally Noah said good-bye to his friend and headed back to Cordelia.
FIN
don't wait for the wolves to tear you apart; there's always a cage around your heart
