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!
Vervain knew stories about gods, about demons and angels and genies and all manner of other creatures. But since arriving here in Caido she had seen things. Heard things and experienced things far beyond those that came out of a book. More than that - Remi had been cursed, Ronin blessed and sent to the stars for his devotion. There was so much more to it here than there ever had been in Northaven.
And yet.
Abandoned was the word they gave to those gifted with magic. Vai had come to understand that this meant she was not looked upon favourably by the gods of this place. And that was fine with her, honestly - she had no qualms with them beyond the pain they caused those she loved, and she wished for nothing more than to get on her way without treading on toes.
Still, though, she thought sometimes everyone needed a little spiritual calm. So, approaching the shrine in the glade and kneeling awkwardly down (being heavily pregnant made most things difficult), she set out an offering of fruit and flowers and other bounties she had found in the woodlands. Along with it, she lit a ruby red candle, inhaling deeply and enjoying the solitude.
"You look about ready to pop, hun. Here, take a load off." A voice purred from the darkness.
Vai would find herself suddenly in what could only be described as a sort of rocking chair. Composed of twisted branches and moss, it curved around the huntress' back and thighs. Her feet and legs would be suddenly bare and placed in a cool container of water. "Better?" Frey asked, stepping out from behind one of the many trees. Naked as always, their shifting sensuality and sex would only be fixed based on Vai's preferences. Whatever that may be, it would be heightened such that Frey would exude the pinnacle of pleasing characteristics.
Looking down at the fruit, the deity smiled and reached out to pluck a ripe peach. Taking a bite and not minding at all as the juices flowed down their chin and hand, they cocked a hip and eyed Vai silently for a moment.
Vai let out a soft oh! of surprise at the voice that interrupted her quiet thoughts, and before she knew it the earth around her twisted and moulded about her. Her suddenly bare feet were enveloped in blissfully cool water, and the witch let out an immediate sigh of relief. She sank back into the rocking chair, a smile curling unbidden across her lips at the sheer and unexpected pleasure of taking the weight off for a while.
"More than better. It's wonderful, thank you," she murmured, eyes opening to regard... well. She knew not what, only that her electric gaze roamed over it hungrily, sparking with heat that she was in no position to make good on.
Frey. Remi had spoken of the god, and his opinion had been somewhat... mixed. Still, Frey was here and so far, so good. "Is it good? I wasn't sure if they were overripe," she remarked of the peach, unsure of their preferences.
"Anytime." Frey mused, slurping lasciviously at the juices running down their wrist.
"It's just peachy." Frey replied, their voice a perfect deadpan as they raised one perfectly sculpted brow towards the witch before grinning. In their hand suddenly appeared a glass of wine, and one would float towards Vai as well. "Drink. It won't harm the child." They said with a casual shrug and smile, before suddenly reclining into a chair identical to the one Vai had been placed in. Raising the cup of crisp and sweet tasting wine to their lips, they drank in earnest, leaning back with a contented sigh.
"Stay as long as you like. Your body is doing quite well, but I know it isn't easy." Frey noted, their eyes scanning over Vai in a way that the witch would likely intuit as more than just a cursory stare, in much the same way that their comment about how well Vai was doing was more than just a throw-away comment. Frey knew how well Vai's body was handling the pregnancy. Knew that her child was healthy.
Vervain tried and failed to hide her smirk at the deadpan tone of the god, pink flushing her cheeks. Well it was hardly as though she could help it - Remi hadn't been kidding when he had mentioned Frey and their tendency to look irresistible. Add a veritable fuckton of hormones and it was little surprise that they rendered her a hot mess. "Hm? Oh - thanks." Accepting the wine and taking a long sip as Frey seated themselves, Vai let out a long and happy sigh. "Damn, that's good," she said, though she should have hardly expected less.
Gratitude flashed across her face as Frey told her to stay as long as she liked; in truth she didn't know if she could get up right now - her body moulded into the seat, her legs and back and feet singing their relief. "It certainly is not," she agreed, taking another sip of wine. "Have you any children?" She couldn't help but ask, given their comments. "Out here...? Oh, I... I don't quite know, to be honest. After Deepfrost it seemed only right to pay my respects to the guardians of this place. Especially now that the world seems to be coming to life again."
"I create life on the regular hun, it's part of what I do." They replied a bit sternly as if it should be obvious. But then again, given Vai's current situation Frey supposed they knew what the woman was actually asking. "But yes. There are a few out there I would consider mine in the way you mean."
Nodding, Frey held out their hand and a small bluebird swooped down to perch on the tip of their finger. "Well, as long as I'm around, life will always follow LongNight. " They said, gently inspecting the bird. Sticking out their tongue, a worm appeared on it, which the small bird graciously accepted. Wiping their lips gently, they looked solemnly towards Vai.
"Do you want to know what it is?" Frey asked, nodding towards Vai's bump, casual as anything, as if they hadn't just fed a bird a worm right from their mouth.
At their stern tone, Vai inclined her head apologetically - she was speaking to a deity as wild as the woods that surrounded them. Of course they created life with practically every step. It was a surprise, though, to learn that Frey did have children in the same sense as the one she'd intended, the witch smiling brightly at that thought. She didn't know why it seemed so endearing, but she couldn't help the way it felt.
"That is very reassuring," she murmured as they spoke of the cycle of death and rebirth, arching an eyebrow at the worm that suddenly appeared on Frey's tongue for the little bird. It was... weird. But not. At the same time. She was still trying to find words to describe it (whilst surreptitiously checking her wine for worms) before, quite suddenly, they asked her about her child.
Blue eyes wide, she grinned at Frey. "More than anything I would just like to know that it is healthy," she said. "But... yes, please."
"Well let's take a look, shall we?" And in a breath, Vai was naked. Suddenly next to her, Frey placed their hands on her belly, and where they touched the flesh, softly pinkish light seemed to unfurl and radiate from within the witch. Inside the baby gave a happy kick that might normally have been quite uncomfortable, but beneath Frey's fingers was instead actually mildly pleasurable.
"Strong." They mused, appearing oddly happy and content which, had Vai been privy to any of Frey's interactions with other mortals, would have seemed strangely out of character.
Moving their hands in smooth patterns over Vai's belly, the witch would feel relief of her aches and pains and from the literal and metaphorical weight of the life she carried. "Boy." Frey announced proudly, leaning back into their own chair with a smile.
"Ah--" It was surprise rather than shame that flickered across Vai's face at finding herself so suddenly disrobed before Frey, though there was no chance that she could get up with anything like agility even if she had wanted to. And she didn't want to, not with the deity that seemed to hit all the right buttons so damned close to her.
As their hands moved over her she relaxed further into the seat, a content smile on her lips, wild curls falling into her face slightly. A laugh escaped her lips at Frey's comment, the kick that the baby gave something altogether more delightful than it had been previously. "Yes. Takes after their father, it seems," she murmured.
Not their though. His. Her son took after his father. Lips parting in a smile of awe and joy, Vai gazed up at Frey with cheeks flushed with pleasure. "Thank you," she said softly. "And... everything is as it should be? What can I do to show my gratitude?"
The deity smiled, reclining back into their chair. Though Vai remained unclothed, a warm breeze stirred around them and patches of sunlight filtered easily through the glade making the experience one of utmost relaxation. "Yes, it's all where you'd expect it to be." Frey replied, stretching their legs out.
"Nothing." They said breezily. "Just get through the remainder of your pregnancy."
There was no doubt about it - Vai could not have been more comfortable in that moment, cradled by the rocking chair with the gentle breeze caressing her bare skin. Frey's presence made it all the easier to relax, and she smiled sleepily to the deity. "I think I can just about manage that," she said jokingly, her tone warm and her eyes already dropping shut.
She was having a son. And he was healthy, and she was off her feet for once and the aches and pains of pregnancy were a long way away. It was hardly a surprise, then, that Vai found herself asleep before she knew it.
Awakening some time later, still naked in the rocking chair, she glanced around only to find Frey absent. A small smile played across her face. As far as meetings with gods went, this one hadn't been half bad.
