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!
Her home had been damaged by Longnight, and with everything else that had happened it was on the back of her mind — the least of her worries when it came to the current situation of the Hallowed Grounds. But today, when it was overcast and rather cold for a spring day, Rexanna had decided it would be the best day she could get for cleaning and repairing the sealing around her windows. She had left it empty during Longnight, spent the week hidden away in the Rathskeller, a person of anxiety and stress with opening doors she shouldn’t have. But it was over now. She had been cured of her curse from Frey. She had been gifted with a glamour of sorts. And things were… Fine despite the circumstances. The world was alive with Outlanders versus Naturals, and she had come to a lull in her and Deimos’ research. Which left the only logical thing to do — clean.
Outside of her home along the Settlement, a place she had planned to fix up and change to make a career somehow out of, she had a broom in hand and an uncertain look about where to start. There was rubble along the steps she needed to clean off, there were the windows that needed new sealing, and perhaps cleaning up the broken branches from the tree that had fallen onto the porch area. It felt overwhelming at first, but after a few moments of swallowing her frustrations, she decided to begin on cleaning the rubble from the steps and the porch.
All while thinking of the state of the place she now lived in, and where they would go from here.
By the gods, new, old, of this world or the one left in the wake of time, barely a week had passed but it felt like it was a whole lifetime ago since the waves claimed them. Dragging him down to a watery grave and spitting him out as far from reality as one could come. A tale of gods and men he'd wound up in. Finding himself thrown between all the things the stories had spoken of, that Roar had spoken of, magic, tricky deities and shapeshifters just waiting to go at each other. Conflicts he knew nothing about, still he stood fast behind what little friends he had made. Not as a hero or warrior, but as the good man he strove to be. Disregarding the fact that the whole display had been more along the lines of mewling coward frozen in place by fear than the stoicism he had in mind.
A simple cobbler walked the settlement. Keeping busy had been just enough to keep it all contained, shoes by day and stones by night. Working 'til his fingers bled and training 'til his muscles cried. Trading one pain for another and falling down half dead in his cot was exactly the kind of life he'd been proud to lead a short while ago. Yet he was left longing for more. The blasted thief had put delusions of grandeur in his head, as if the calling of Valhall hadn't been tantalizing enough already. Resisting it was no match when life was comfortable and love was close by. Now though, a dead man in a new world, it was closer than ever before. A second chance to prove one's worth.
A chuckle and a shake of his head cleared the racing mind of such folly. Einhärj or not only time would tell, but at that moment there was far more pressing matters to attend to. Such as making friends of those close enough to his home to smell the tanning when the wind pulled north. Shoes, bags and belts helped, but a helping hand and kind words couldn't hurt either. Enough of an excuse to get out of the lonely hovel, his little nest of worry.
"Heil ok sæl!" he shouted as he approached the next house in line on his crusade of labor. "I bring good tidings hard work and able hands!" Are added and put on his best smile, knowing far too well he must look like a vagabond with his clothes in a bundle and wearing as little his decency would allow despite the nipping cold.
She had begun to hum to herself, beginning on removing the debris from the porch – the stones that had come loose and the bits and pieces of branches and leaves that had accumulated. She hardly noticed as people walked along the street by her home on their way, likely, to the market and to the wares. Rexanna had began focusing harder on the work, hoping that the quicker it got done the less anxiety she’d feel regarding it, and hadn’t noticed at first when a voice called out. At first, she had thought it was for someone else – for the others gathering and beginning to trade and bribe each other’s wares. But as she turned and spotted the man that approached, her brows lifted slightly as she realized he was speaking to her.
The woman didn’t know what he said at first and didn’t bother to ask as he began to speak of able hands and hard work. As a matter of fact, that was exactly what she was looking to do! She set aside the broom to greet him with a wide, sweet smile. “Hello!” She said in response to him, paying little to no mind of his clothes and appearance, but instead on the idea of how she’d be able to repay him. She didn’t have much, but she could certainly make a few things of clothes a bit softer of a fabric, or pillows and blankets into those warm ones full of down. But she didn’t know what to offer aside from her smile that faded slightly as she pulled her dark hair from her face.
“I’m afraid I can’t pay you much for the help, but any extra hands on this for me would be immensely helpful! ” She offered, shrugging her shoulders lightly to the man awaiting his answer. She leaned against the side of the porch with the broom within reaching distance, her attention partially on him and the home around her and all the work it needed done. When she focused more on the man, she realized she hadn’t even introduced herself. “Ah, I’m Rexanna by the way.” She introduced herself with a small chuckle.
The silence almost became uncomfortable, but Are shrugged it off as simply him being out of tune with how people mostly where around the settlement. What little time he had spent around his neighbors had been stumbling at best, but none of the outright hostility against newcomers he'd both felt and dished out back home. Not that he faulted people for scratching their heads at whatever words slipped out of his mouth when he didn't watch his tongue. Tastes off what he never truly left behind in Midgård.
Suddenly nervous in the face of the stranger he but a moment ago spoke to without a care in the world, Are straightened his back and cleared his throat. "Are, cobbler, tanner and laborer." he said and offered a small bow as he'd come to pick up, from where he was not sure anymore. With his more measured voice faded his brightness of the smile somewhat, concern entering his mind and creasing his forehead. The talk of payment always had him in a bind. Not one to drive a hard bargain and more than willing to be left with kind words and a debt of gratitude, Are chuckled at the notion of being paid in more than a bat on the back. Yet he knew what little materials and feed he had was running out, one could not live on rabbit alone.
"I... No, there's no need. What little I need I have or take from the land, the least I can do is to give back what I can." he said, stumbling on words that felt foreign again, but managing to not revert to his own tongue. Only a moment after the words left his lips he realized he'd done it again and chuckled. "I mean, I'd be happy to help folks kind and fair with whatever needs doing, keeps me in favor even when the winds aren't in mine." Are added with a little extra something on his voice again, but still keeping himself at a comfortable distance.
Sapphire eyes watched him curiously as he straightened and cleared his throat, offering him a gentle easy smile in response. And she listened intently, leaning on the broom, while he spoke his name and what he did for work. Brows lifted slightly at the idea of a cobbler, refraining from looking down to her beat up boots before he was speaking of no payment necessary. Eyeing him curiously, she nodded but picked the broom up again. “I know how that goes.” She offered quietly in response, a small chuckle leaving her lips. Rexanna had never truly been in favor with the gods, unable to actually summon them aside from her few times with Frey.
She was certain that her glamour was the only good favor she’d be getting anytime soon. But it didn’t bother her any. “If nothing else, I could at least make some things for you? I’ve been sewing a lot lately and I can offer some of my work for the help around here?” She suggested, pausing to look back to the things that needed work. “Just let me know if any of that appeals to you.” She looked back to Are with a grin and a flash of a wink. Rexanna, then, picked up the broom fully off the ground and stepped a bit closer to where Are was, the location easier to spot everything she needed done.
“First things first, I need to get some of the shrubs and rocks off of the porch and steps here. I have a window over here that could use a bit more sealing to keep the warmth from leaking out. And…” She paused, eyeing her home a bit suspiciously. “There was another thing I can’t remember right now, but we’ll get there.” She laughed again, stepping back to her porch and reaching around to a small beat up closet to pull out a few of the tools that had been left there. “Help yourself to these, if you find you need them. They were left here from the last person that lived here.” She turned to Are with a grin.
Something about the beautiful woman both made him relax but also awoke a familiar feeling in his gut. A niggling worry he so many times before had ignored in favor of a more optimistic mind, a worry now apparent in the corner of his eyes and in the stiffness of his smile. The implication left hanging had his mind racing at the thought of what she took him for, but at the same time had him almost smack himself at how was reading too much into it.
"Yes... uh, sewing." he sputtered and tried his best to act relaxed, tugging at his shirt feeling like a naked knave before the queen. With eyes flitting back and forth between home and its owner as she pointed out what needed doing, he listened intently and made a mental list of the chores he was sure he wouldn't leave a mess.
"I'll probably wear through what I got in a few days more, so don't promise too much." he said and smiled.
The small armful of tools left much to be desired, but what he had on his belt would do for the more laborious of tasks. He put his bundle on the porch and started examining the thorny bushes and small jagged rocks needed removal. Not one to dawdle, Are tossed his hat and shirt and got to tugging at the largest of the rocks. "Ah, barely manheavy, this'll be gone in the blink of an eye! Where would you want it?" he asked, chipper again.
He stumbled over her mention of sewing, and her eyes flickered from the house back to Are for a brief moment. He tugged at his shirt for a brief moment before listening while Rexanna pointed out everything that needed work. And when he spoke next, about wearing out what he already had in a few days, Rexanna nodded for a moment before chiming a quiet chuckle. “I can fix things too, if you have need of it.” She suggested. After all, it wasn’t like she couldn’t do it herself. It would just take a few days for her to find the time and do everything. But Rexanna was a busy woman, and help was appreciated but never expected. And even with the glamour magic, she was always a fan of getting her hands dirty even if it didn’t look like it.
Rexanna stepped aside to let him see the tools she had and lifted the broom to move toward the steps to brush them off with it. Her eyes glancing to him occasionally as he started — first by removing the bundle of tools and his shirt of all things. At first she was a bit confused, but she wasn’t a person to judge. Whatever made him more comfortable she supposed. But whenever she realized she had perhaps been staring a bit longer than usual in her confusion, her eyes shifted toward the shirt left in the bundle before she picked up her broom and went step by step to brush off the rockery and tiny tree branches and leaves now that the snow had melted. But Are has grown chipper again, mentioning that the shrubbery wouldn’t be a problem and wanted to know where she wanted it. For a moment she wasn’t certain, until she looked to the corner of her home’s land and saw there was nothing there. A perfect place to put the debris so she could deal with it later.
After she had paused in sweeping the steps, she gestured with a clean pale hand toward the edge — not too far of course, she didn’t want to over exert him. “There would be fine!” She chimed to him in response before finishing sweeping the last few steps and pushing the rubble from the walkway. “So are you new here, Are?” She questioned, glancing back toward him as she began to work on the small walkway.
With his work cut out for him Are sighed relieved at finally being able to get stuck in again, the still chilly air had started bite more than he was comfortable with. Diving in between the shrubs he locked his arms around the smallest of the rocks and pulled it up to his chest in a well rehearsed motion. A somewhat uneven walk and a puff as he let out his breath was followed by the satisfying thud of stone meeting dirt.
"Yes, arrived just barely a week ago. It has been, rough." he said as he walked back to the porch and began tugging at another rock. Voice almost back to the same jovial tone that had greeted her. Instead of braving the small-thorned bushes while lugging rocks he started tugging at the roots of the plants, callused hands unaffected by the shallow stabs.
Digging his heels into the sandy soil did wonders. Slowly he liberated its roots from the dirt with sharp yanks. "You know, you have that air about you too. You lack that... something. You not from around?" he said between grunts and strains. Small talk had never been his strong suit, but damn it if he was going to spoil this new life of his by locking up and tossing the key.
"Not that it's any of my business, I am barely coming to terms with the sky still being up, so my gut is not one to trust anymore." Are said, laughing and motioning up with a thumb.
She continued to work while he worked as well, but she did glance to him now and then to see him work on ripping the shrubs that had overgrown out of the earth to move it. And she listened while he spoke of landing just barely a week ago – her brows raising in a smidge of awe. “Oh, quite fresh I see.” She offered with a chimed laugh, shrugging her shoulders but continuing to clean off the pathway. “It’s not an easy transition at first, but it gets easier the longer it goes.” Rexanna added, perhaps a bit quickly, before she had finished and moved to put the broom away before grabbing onto something she could use for the sealant of her windows.
His question poised to her gave her a bit of pause. And before she could answer, he spoke of it not being his business and offering a thumbs up when he spoke of the sky which caused her to laugh once more. “I arrived two seasons ago. This season marks my third.” She gave him a wide, brilliant smile. “Hasn’t been too terrible though. The place I came from before this was worse.” She shrugged her shoulders, an effortless roll that caused her hair to dance along her chest.
She turned back to the windows and used a small screw driver to pry out the old sealant that had gone bad before she cleaned it up and began to put the sealant in. “I hope you’re able to find your way around here! I can also try to answer some questions you might have.” She offered kindly, beginning to lay in the new sealant.
After a bit of toil and struggle the bush finally relented, sending Are hurtling back over his own shoulder and showering him in a fine mist of dirt. "Not easy? No, it never is. he quipped, the thorny, stubborn bush in his hands a nice metaphor for his days in Caido thus far. Refusing to budge and stuck in place even though the seasons shifted, not that he'd ever admit it to himself.
Clearing a small path for the bigger of the rocks allowed him to begin heaving and tugging at it. Straining as his feet dug into the ground and allowed greater purchase, rewarding him with a soft thud as it reluctantly rolled up on its side. "Caido is... Unique."
"People have told me it's dead, but what little I've seen have told me otherwise." he said, hands on hips and chest heaving from the exertion of rolling the boulder out of the way. A few small nicks and scratches burned his chest but Are was still thankful for the cool breeze on his skin. Like a damn furnace, his wife liked to say, always working up a sweat even though the frost still gnawing at the windowsills.
"I won't lie, it isn't Aros, there's no two ways about it. Seemingly bleak and in ruins, sure, but I see something more." he nodded along with the statements, but kept his eyes intently locked on the rock, as if the words themselves would compel it to scoot on over to the small pile. "Somewhere to begin anew." Are remarked and went in for a second attempt at the task ahead. Rocking back on the balls of his feet and pulling with all his might. After a small pause, another puff and a satisfying thud rang out as he triumphantly dropped the rock on the pile.
"A strong foundation, and on it, we build whatever we want. What would you build? he asked and smiled. Standing dirty, scuffed and sweating but without the tension that previously had haunted his expression.
She agreed with him, that it was never easy to move from place to place and start over from the beginning again. This was her third time in doing so, but at least things had gone right this time. She continued to work with the sealing as he spoke of Caido and she listened. However, when Are reached the part of people telling him it was dead she turned back to glance at him with a raised eyebrow. It wasn’t dead, but it wasn’t perfect either. No place ever was. And with the barrier in place it likely would remain in a kind of purgatory. A limbo place with nothing truly big and plenty truly bad. But she digressed, turning back to the sealing to finish up the one window as Are continued.
She didn’t know what Aros was, but she finished cleaning up the window before she turned to him and offered a soft smile. “I see more too.” She said with a small nod in agreement, watching while he dropped the boulder onto the pile and questioning her what she would build onto a strong foundation here. For a moment, she saw Halyven in its prime; white castle walls settled up within the mountains, people happy and singing and dancing, a tempered climate with seasons that didn’t bring destruction and terror down onto its people. And she smiled to Are then, uncertain of how to articulate what she wanted to say. “A safer place? One with plenty of space and welcoming overall.” She paused. “Uncertain of how to do any of that with no clear leadership.” Because there wasn’t in Caido.
Only Naturals and Outlanders grappling for decision making. How could you start and try to change things without a clear direction and good amount of people that trusted you to get the job done? Yet Rexanna was never one that wanted the task. She had been forced into it before, only to have it end in fire and destruction. She wanted little to do with continuing the trend.
Yet again that word came back, again and again people had spoken of safety as it was some final great thing. Everlasting peace and safety, a place where nothing bad happened and where all was good again. Surely a lofty goal, life could never be free of worry, that was just the order of things to the little man. Be glad for what was and try not to worry about what had been or what would become, that was always how life had gone on and would, even in the strange new place Are had found himself in. Caido, Hel, Niflheim, dead or alive, it would never matter to those living it. As it should not had mattered to Are.
Laying the last stone on the pile he paused and chewed on the thoughts for a moment. Wiping the sweat from his brow and stroking his stubbly chin, idle movements to stir the bubbling mess of a mind in hopes something useful would float to the surface.
Leadership.
Rexanna's ideas mirroring the pale lady's almost perfectly, she even had the hesitation down to a tee. What idea she had planted and that had slowly sprouted with the coming warmth grew yet another inch, its roots digging deeper into the thawing soil.
"You know, there was one who said the exact same things." he finally said, sauntering over the patchy ground back towards the house. "I'm hard to convince, 'stubborn as a West Gothnian ox' my wife liked to say, yet I think you and her are right. People need leaders, someone with the mettle to do hard things. Not like me, no, I am far too comfortable."
The work seemed to go fast, the day moving on as they worked and chatted and it seemed like things were finally close to being wrapped up as Are moved the final amount of stones onto the pile he had created. Rexanna had decided it looked like some kind of stone golem that could use a bit of paint and decorating to make something really stand out and be perhaps a bit silly for the people that walked by her home. But she didn’t respond to him yet until he mulled over the idea she had come to. Leadership.
When he spoke again, talking of someone that had said a similar thing, she smiled and nodded as she finished up the sealing of the windows. “I think it’s a common thing nowadays with so many people here and no clear sign of what to do.” She offered quietly, stepping away from the window and wiping her hands together to rid it of dust and dirt. She regarded Are for a moment longer, as he spoke of his wife and how stubborn he was – to which a chime of a laugh erupted from the woman.
“Ah, you’re married? Or were?” She questioned curiously, wondering if the other woman had made it here too or if Are was alone in this as much as she was when she started (albeit much different circumstances; it seemed as though Are was a kind enough man and likely would have loved to have his wife with him here as well). “I was married before I came here.” She offered quietly as a sort of common thread between them.
But she thought about it a bit more and smiled softly at the idea before she could say it. “I’m not interested in it much either, to be honest. Perhaps someone will come along though, prove themselves in a way, hmm?” She said, but she leaned against her porch with that same soft smile toward Are as she looked at all the work they had accomplished. His brawn paired with her broom and adept hand at sealing the windows. “Well, I think that about does it! What do you say?” She asked, glancing back to the man.
Just like a day or so before, at the spire, he rolled around the thought in his head. Tried it on for size and just as quickly mocked the utter hubris of it all. A leader needed to be gentle and smart as well as strong and stubborn, flowing like water over the changing lands, pulling people along in his draft and fording towards a common goal. Not just stick his head in the sand and hope for it all to just blow over. Chieftan Are, guildmaster Are. What utter shite he'd cooked up, yet it didn't matter how hard he dismissed it as complete nonsense. The core of the thought remained, slowly spreading it's roots and waiting for the first real spring warmth to sprout.
Lost in thought he almost missed the question following the silvery laugh. She would have laughed too, laughed at his husband for pondering things well beyond his ability, but not out of spite. No, at first she'd dismiss it as idle thoughts thrown to the wind just for the sake of thinking, then the laugh would've faded and that precious concerned scowl would take hold. A worry that her husband was serious.
"Yes, I have a wife, she's just not here yet." he finally answered and smiled, worry tugging at the corner of his eyes. "It's a pain, the wait, but at least the home will be in order when she comes. Hopefully not just our hovel, but the lands themselves." Are said and glanced over his shoulder at the the little slice of barren soil that was now home. He turned back and met her eyes with a half smile and a content nod. "A work well done, if I do say so myself." he said, walking over and picking his bundle of clothes. "If you ever need any help, with shoes or otherwise, don't be afraid to stop by, just follow your nose and you can't miss it!"
