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!
She grew stronger and stronger every day, until eventually she felt as though she could face anything again. And while she had attempted to make better decisions, she was still perhaps a bit behind it all when she decided to venture out at night to get an idea of what the temperatures were like now, for when Bastien and her went on their adventure together. She knew he wouldn’t be able to tell, but seeing as she had some time to figure out what kind of weather to expect, she could adequately prepare for her own wellbeing out beyond the barrier.
Rexanna had been successful once before in the Ruin’s, finding bits and pieces here and there of leftover fabric hidden in boxes beneath some of the rubble that were in relatively good condition – and last time she was ever completely immersed here, she had been with Jigano and Bastien in the search of whatever it was Safrin wanted Bastien to retrieve. And gods that felt like years ago, now. Yet here she was, at the Ruins, diving a bit deeper within to the underground to try and find anything else she could.
She was bundled up, but her hair was pulled back in a braid, and her jacket had a half collar that revealed most of her neck – now only partially bruised but still terrible looking in the night when the shadows made it appear darker than they were in the light. But she grew close to the darkness within the underground, spotting a few boxes hidden away and approaching as she started a small sparkler firework in her hand to grant her light as she looked for the opening to the box.
"A brave thing, coming down here alone." The voice that rang out through the Ruins around Rexanna was low and rich like a purr, laced with the sort of amusement that came from knowing that she was totally alone. Except for him, of course.
Lucas was leaning casually against one of the shattered stone walls, the collar of his coat turned up, green eyes all but aglow in the light provided by her magic. He had missed it, the last time they had seen each other (regrettably he had been in no fit state to see much, in fairness), but now her beauty shone out from her.
Like the sun, as Bastien had said. He'd also told Lucas to stay away from the both of them. So obviously, here he was. A smile curled across his lips, the Ascended straightening up and offering her a polite bow. "I hope I did not startle you," he said.
Her hands scoured the top of the box until finally, finally she felt the crack to be able to pry it open. Her back turned to the outside, but she wasn’t entirely unprepared – the sparkler had been left momentarily on the top of the box to alight the world around her and there were plenty more where that came from. She pried it open just a tiny amount before a voice caused her to jump. Whirling, with sparkler now in hand, she turned to the source and spotted an all too familiar face among the darkness.
And for a moment, she realizes she should have known.
But there weren’t any smiles and gentle greetings that she offered Lucas – no, her mouth formed a small line and she fought off the urge to reach for her neck where the bruising had gotten better, but still wasn’t one hundred percent. His voice had reached her in a purr, and where Rexanna would usually react to that as well, she couldn’t find it in her to really care that much. But he kept his distance for a moment, offering a bow, and she was reminded for a brief moment of Archebold as she looked upon him and her firework died before she summoned another to take its place.
“Not as bad as at the Spire.” She responded to him, voice flat and eyes perhaps a bit wary as she stared at him like a hawk. She didn’t trust one ounce of him after what had happened, she also didn’t know if he even remembered the event. But the night she spent at Phoebe’s after, with Bastien’s worried face and mother hen-like actions were enough for her to realize just how serious it had been. And now that she was getting better, she didn’t want to repeat it and worry anyone else further.
She didn’t move, though, uncertain of what exactly to do seeing as she was cornered in a way. She also didn’t know what his motives were, and some of that made her wary as well – especially as she eyed his grin and the fangs within, and how once upon a time she had craved the feeling they had given. But it was a dangerous game. Rexanna’s head tilted to him, almost bored as she kept him in her sights. “I am quite brave, actually, but I can handle myself when I know what to expect.” There was a bit of fire within her voice as she replied to his earlier statement and awaited to see where it would go from there.
She was like a caged and cornered animal, and Lucas couldn't help the thrill that pulsed through him, though his movements were as slow and casual as possible as he straightened back up. She mentioned the Spire and he fought the urge to roll his eyes - he'd had enough of an earful about it from the pompous artist, thank you very much. Instead, he schooled his expression into something softer, nodding to her.
"It was careless of me, not to take proper care of you afterwards," he conceded. "Rest assured, that is not normally my way. Neither do I make it a habit to take so much. But when one's blood is turning to sludge in their veins, one gets a little desperate." He inclined his head to her, before spreading his hands. "You are formidable though, clearly. One look at you tonight says that much."
He laughed, though, at her last statement, arching an eyebrow. "And what is it you expect?"
His expression shifted to something softer, but it didn’t make her any more likely to appreciate it – in fact, she still watched carefully as he explained the Spire and how careless it was of him. And for a moment, she felt like a mother being extremely disappointed in her child – and the apology he offered with it felt very much like someone just saying things because she wanted to hear them. Her own expression didn’t change, but she did have to agree with him to an extent. She knew he wasn’t normally like that, had seen what he’d done at the Masquerade, and even though the town here was small there wasn’t any word of an Ascended outright killing another.
Yet still, she was wary.
Warier still when he complimented her and spread his hands. She still didn’t know what to do – the conversation wasn’t pleasant, but it wasn’t terrible either, and she knew she’d see him at some point and have to talk to him. She just hadn’t wanted it to be this soon. For a moment, she chewed on her lip when he poised the question to her. Her free hand moving to run through her hair as she tried to figure out what to say. “That’s the problem, I’m not sure what to expect anymore.” She offered, eyes landing back on him.
She paused for a moment, inhaling deeply as her eyes narrowed slightly. “I hadn’t expected to come and try to help you and result in being bedridden for days because I almost died.” She rolled her shoulders in a shrug. “What do you think I should expect?” She questioned him, head tilting slightly as the light from her sparkler fluttered across both of their faces.
"Whilst it might make you less brave, expecting the unexpected is likely a better way to live," Lucas commented with a shrug of his shoulders, glancing behind her at the boxes and arching an eyebrow without actually asking what she was doing with them. "Though, wandering around here in the middle of the night... one might say you invite danger, Rexanna. Just as you did when you came to the Spire."
He watched the sparkler flutter between them with piqued interest, resisting the urge to reach out and touch it. (It would likely burn the fuck out of him, honestly). "Bedridden for days?" he mused. "It sounds as though you did not have the care you deserved. There are those in the settlement with healing magic. You might have been walking around, right as rain, in only a few hours."
Lucas flashed her a grin at her question, one that bared his fangs. "I would never presume to tell you what to expect," he murmured.
“It’s how I’ve lived so long.” She replied, shrugging as if it were no big deal – but it had been. Married off into a land that wanted her people and her to perish, who threw her in a dungeon for things she had no control over and no fault to, for hunting her for years when she had managed to escape her captors. She fought off the urge to reach for her collarbone where the brand had sat long ago before Frey had been kind enough to remove it and show her that it wasn’t her anymore.
But she had no desires to return to that kind of life. She appreciated her freedom, and she’d fight for every last bit of it. His next question, for a moment, sparked a small smile to form that quirked the corner of her lips up slightly. “I wouldn’t say I invite danger, I’m just curious is all.” She said matter-of-factly, watching his gaze shift to the firework in her hand. “And besides, Longnight is over, the only dangers that lie here now are the people.” Her smile faded as she looked to him, let her sapphire gaze scour over his face briefly.
He began to speak of care, and Rexanna shook her head – her dark curtain of hair dancing along her shoulders and chest with the movement. “There wasn’t time.” She said, again, in a matter-of-fact tone. She certainly didn’t know how long she had with everything going on. And besides, the healers were likely busy with those like Lucas – affected and actually extremely hurt. It was better that way (at least that’s what she told herself).
A grin spread across his face, showing those fangs again that she eyed for a brief moment as if every time she saw them on him it reminded her of that night. “Prepare for the worst, hope for the best.” She offered, another small roll of her shoulders. “I’m hoping for the best Lucas, but I can’t help but to prepare in case it happens again.” Her voice had taken on a tone long built within her, that hint of royalty; of masks and faces, of near indifference.
"I'll drink to that," Lucas agreed with her sentiment about living, glancing further around the underground where they had seemingly decided to have such a deep conversation. In the middle of the night. But Rexanna didn't invite danger? Sure, sure. "Curious about danger? I think I like that in a person," he remarked softly, beginning to walk slowly around the area now, eyes easily piercing the darkness even without the help of her sparkler.
"Oh, I wouldn't say that," he murmured. "There are plenty of things that go bump in the night out here that aren't people. I imagine a lot of them live in this very place." Amusement danced in his eyes as he gazed over his shoulder at her, holding a hand out as if to invite her further with him. "Are you curious about that, too?"
There wasn't time, she said, but all Lucas heard were excuses. Excuses that he supposed he would have to be content with letting her keep, especially if it allowed Bastien to keep up his heroics around her. "In case what happens again, Rexanna?" he inquired. "In case I find myself in the belly of the Spire a second time, poisoned by the very air and on the brink of death? Perish the thought."
“I’ll drink to that.” He said to her comment, and for a moment she wished she was in the Rathskeller with a drink – that it would probably make this easier. But he continued to speak, and wander the area she had found herself in, and she wasn’t certain what to make of it all. He did seem apologetic, but she also didn’t trust his words. She had lived with enough people that could say everything she wanted to hear and still stab her in the back later. She had lived and learned, and chose to think she wasn’t that naïve child anymore.
He looked around, and Rexanna recalled Bastien mentioning a sight upgrade, and wondered if the wolf she’d found herself with could see without her fireworks (a disadvantage to her, but if she let it go she might be able to summon a bigger one for protection later). She felt caged, once again, even though she likely had the ability to leave – she didn’t know how. And as he spoke of dangers possibly lurking here, and she was a bit curious, but she didn’t know whether to take his hand.
Could he prove to her he wasn’t a threat? Would she trust him to do that?
And as he spoke to her again, regarding the events at the Spire, she realized somewhat exactly what kind of threat he seemed to pose. From what it sounded like, he didn’t want to kill her or hurt her intentionally, and there wasn’t another threat like the Spire that would leave so many dead or almost dead. After an internal fight with herself, she let the firework die in her hand and sucked in her breath, calling herself an idiot over and over again, but she slipped her hand into his.
It seemed an eternity before she decided what to make of him, and as the firework died and her hand slipped into his, Lucas allowed himself a predator's grin in the darkness. "It would be my pleasure," he murmured, his long fingers wrapping around hers, his steps sure as he led them through the liquid dark.
Deeper, deeper into the underground. He kept his grip on her hand light, gentle, and he told her when there was a misstep coming up, or a bit of rubble in the way.
"Who were you?" he asked curiously, as they made their way through the black labyrinth of stone. "Before you arrived here, I mean to say. Everyone has a story, and I'd enjoy hearing yours."
It almost felt like she signed everything away as she slipped her hand into his – but he was gentle with it, informed her of things she could trip over. He was careful, and she didn’t know what to make of it aside from absolutely seeing nothing and mostly being left with her thoughts and a man that had left her to die once before. She chewed the inside of her cheek as they walked, but soon enough he began to question who she was before. And she wasn’t certain if she should answer everything honestly, from servant to queen, to captive on the run before coming here.
But she had told so many others of her story too, and knew it wouldn’t be a secret for long. So she inhaled deeply, head turning slightly toward her side where Lucas held her hand as they walked. “I was born in a world where I was a servant to the King.” She began, figuring out how to say it and do it justice. “But on my eighteenth birthday, the King informed me that I was actually royalty of the land, how the Queen had died in childbirth and the King hid me away because of the wars on the border with a place called Asciend. He threw me into training to become royal, shipped me off to Asciend to marry the prince there and I did.” She paused. “But the King wasn’t truthful with me or my country, and it turns out I was the daughter of the Queen and the high general of our soldiers. Both were killed for adultery after I was born, and I was given to servants in the hopes that the secret would be safe.” She shrugged her shoulders, as if it were no big deal.
“But my husband found out a few years after we’d wed, threw me into the dungeons for an eternity it felt like before taking me back to Halyven, my country. Locked me in a cage and set to sieging the city. The King was killed and I became the Queen to a dead land. And I managed to escape, stayed on the run for years. It wasn’t until my husband was pounding on the door of a home I had hid in that I fell through a portal to here.” Humming along as if she had recited it for years, she began to feel little to no attachment to the world there now. Yes, she was the Queen of the land, but there wasn’t a land there anymore.
“What about you?” She questioned into the darkness.
She spoke and Lucas listened, leading them around corners and through corridors to explore this world beneath the world. Her voice echoed gently around the walls, velvet and silk, and he paused as she spoke about the dungeons and the later parts of her history. This place was not unlike a dungeon, he realised, though it seemed more a maze than anything else. With a smile she wouldn't see, he glanced across at her through the shadows.
"It's no surprise," he said, "that you seek out adventures. It sounds impossible to find peace and be content with it, with a story like yours."
Ah, but then she asked about his own, and Lucas led them forward again on slow, sure feet. "You'll never believe it," he said, "but alright. I have lived millenia or more." And he felt the weight of those years more on some nights than others. "I don't know what the equivalent would be in your world - all worlds tend to differ - but I suppose you could call me a celestial being. An angel. That is how I started life. But I dared to disagree with the world as my creator had made it, and I was punished accordingly."
He narrowed his eyes, though his grip on her hand was as gentle as ever. "Twisted, outcast, thrown into the bowels of the underworld. A place of fire and pain. What would you do, if that were you? Would you let it beat you down? Or would you force yourself to thrive?"
She agreed when he spoke after she told him her story. It was hard, to remain cooped up with the world at your fingertips when you had been stuck to live within walls and cages and dungeons for much of your life. “I’m not a person for a cage.” She commented with a small smile sparking the corners of her lips, but there was still a small amount of wariness that resided within her eyes and posture as she let him lead her further into the darkness. But she had asked about him, he still held her hand gently as he began.
For a moment, she paused in her thoughts when he spoke of living for so long. It sounded terrible if she were being honest, but she remained quiet when he continued to speak. “Hmm.” She paused, thoughtfully, listening still. She wasn’t sure if it was supposed to make her feel sorry for him, but in that moment she did even if she regretted it slightly. “It seems to me as though you’ve thrived.” She paused, head turning toward him again while they walked. “You don’t seem like the type of person to let things beat you down.” She offered, a bit of an afterthought.
But then, she remembered him saying something akin to an angel, and her brows furrowed in the darkness. “Did you have wings?” Her voice was nearly a whisper as she pondered the thought. “My husband and his people had wings.” She added, as if it made more sense why she was curious of it all. Large, birdlike wings, feathered to match different breeds of birds depending on what their heritage was. It made them formidable as well as dangerous, but incredibly beautiful.
“But it sounds like you’ve lived quite the long life, then. Can’t say I envy you in the slightest.” She teased a bit lightheartedly, but her words were truthful. She didn’t want to live an eternity, to watch worlds be made and destroyed, and to simply outlive it all.
"Nor am I. I can appreciate your need to seek out better things. Not even better, sometimes... just other." He laughed a velvet laugh through the darkness. "Anything to remind yourself that you are still alive, eh? Anything to break up the endless march of the days." His hand flexed in hers ever so slightly as she brought up wings, of all things - the question had thoroughly caught him off guard. He nodded slowly, before realising she couldn't see it.
"Yes," he said. "I did. White as snow... then black as pitch, once I was cast out. This world took flight from me. And as much as I have been given, I will always despise it for taking that freedom away." Bitterness tempered by the centuries rippled through his words, and Lucas paused for a moment in the corridors.
He laughed, though, at her comments. "If I let anything beat me down, I might as well lay down and die, no? But... yes. The life I have led, it is just as wonderful and as torturous as you might imagine. And now I am here, caged in this body even once the barrier fell."
