Erreselith "take me back, oh take me back to the past"
Like leaves following the path the winds had carved for them, Erreselith found herself once again at the shores of Atollon. While usually she was one to keep more to the dense forests, places with easy hiding – she could not explain the pull in her heart towards this place. Looking over the near fantasy-like waters and nature of this place left her breathless. The sounds of water lapping against sand and rocks, the leaves rustling in the gentle breeze, these sounds calmed her troubled heart – making her body, tense from all the stress she had been feeling, relax once more.
Erreselith took a deep breath, her eyes closing as she let the soft, warm wind rustle through her long, green mane. It had been a long time since she had felt this kind of peace within. It was, in one word; heavenly. Of course, it was impossible for nature to take away all of her issues, but if this helped her – it would be hard to avoid this place. Maybe she should seek out Atollon’s ruler, from what she had seen at the midwinter festival – the current sovereign seemed welcoming enough.
For now though – she simply wanted enjoy this peace for just a bit longer.
There was a weighted fatigue to her steps mollified by the gentle wash of sea water upon the sand, each lapping brush of it coming to caress the shoals with a tenderness that Kira could only admire, her crescent hooves sinking into the supple face of the beach with an ease that betrayed her comfort. She was tired, moreso than usual–and yet a single, telekinetic hand played with the emerald rope necklace that hung at the hollow of her throat, its pendulous sway beating in time with her heart.
The young queen was smiling, sweet and smitten, when the forest green of her eyes lifted, searching the horizon, razing the beautiful plainness of it within the dusky light of the sun–
And settling upon the warm, chocolate hide of a woodland nymph lazing beside the tide; the other woman’s verdant hair unspooled like lush, springtime grasses; like forests that Kira had once dreamed of.
And she was sure that she had seen the homely brown of her face at least once before. Perhaps beneath the limning flicker of candlelight, her hooves moving to the resounding beat of drums.
Nothing–neither her weariness nor the strange malaise that had settled over her in the passing weeks–could keep the radiant, welcoming smile from curving her lips as she quietly closed the distance between them, coming to a pause with a breadth of space laying respectfully between them.
There was nothing queenly in how she politely cleared her throat, the slender flutes of her ears pricking with curiosity as she hummed out a friendly, “Hello.”
Her silvery voice paused, her braided tail dusting her hocks as she inclined her head amicably. “Are you enjoying the sunshine?” She inquired. “It’s so warm here–I don’t envy anyone out in the meadows as winter comes closer.”
Erreselith "take me back, oh take me back to the past"
As a new yet familiar voice graced her ears, a singular auburn eye turned to look at the presence that had joined her with a tilt of her head. A soft smile returning the one that was given her while she nodded her head in greeting. “Hi there. – Ah, yes I am. It’s a welcome change from both the forest and the cold that’s starting to greet us.” Erreselith replied with a gentle hum, her voice having a twinge of roughness from the lack of use.
Winter had always felt foreign to her, not to mention the aches this season brought to the various scars littering her body. While it was beautiful, it was certainly not her favorite – all things considered. Winter also tended to remind her of her brother’s eyes, making it just a little harder on her soul than other seasons. With winter came ice – with ice came the eventual hardening of her heart until the end of spring neared.
She returned to look at the shore for a moment, before looking back at the other. She did not seem to have changed much, since the coronation that happened a bit ago. Though things did seem to be a little different to her feeling..
Atollon’s Sovereign had a special kind of glow about her – one she could not immediately pinpoint. It was apparent that the young queen was tired. Exhaustion was something Erreselith herself was more than familiar with, making her able to tell when someone was on the verge of it – or had already crossed that edge. The other still had a bit to go till that point, it seemed, but it was enough for the green haired mare to feel concern swirl inside of her.
“How have you been?” The question in itself was simple, the last thing she wanted was to step out of line with others, making her pick her words careful. Her tone was not any less gentle, though. The soft hum akin to leaves whirling down in the middle of autumn. It was warm, filled with kindness she wished to show to everyone equally.
It was still strange to her, sometimes, how easily she could find company; how swiftly she could sift through the shoals and find something other than another grain of sand to stand beside. Kira didn’t question it though, she only basked in the steady tide of gratitude that her companionship was welcomed as the other woman smiled, those mahogany lips curving into an inviting smile. One that Kira returned in kind.
No matter her fatigue, she stepped near to admire the water that lapped at the horizon, content to remain upon her four feet as the regarded the island together.
“The cold is something new to me,” she confessed, a soft huff of laughter accompanying her words. “Even after a couple of years, now, of being in this land. I’m too used to deserts,” she explained. “The sand feels a little more like home.” Her smile turned into a lopsided, lackadaisical grin as she shrugged simply.
The glow that Erreselith saw within the young queen was something Kira hadn’t felt herself. Rather, she had only felt the burden of Revan’s absence, associating her sudden weariness with the fact that she woke at night searching for warmth; her muzzle outstretched toward a breath of dappled skin that she could never quite find. It often hurt when she fully roused and saw the place beside her still empty, and it took conscious effort for her to remind herself that he was still there, just on the other side of their shared bond.
And he was coming back. He was coming back, because he’d promised that he would.
The other mare’s question drew Kira’s attention back like the tide, and her gentle expression curved into one of gratitude. The words were simple and soft, a courtesy—that didn’t mean she took even a syllable of them for granted, though.
“I’ve been well—and trying to make sense of the puzzle that is this place,” she started. Because that, in truth, was what Kira had spent the majority of her time doing. “There’s still so much about this world that I don’t understand. And magic always seems to be at the root of everything, no matter what land you’re in, but… this magic?” Kira inhaled slowly, shaking her head with a low, thoughtful whistle. “It’s not quite anything I’ve seen before. Most of my hours are spent with the scholars—trying to put the pieces together.”
She huffed a soft, almost embarrassed laugh. “I think they’re about ready to drive me away,” she confessed, a wink of humor shining in her eyes.
She sobered slightly, her head dipping with humility as she kindly tilted her head. “I’m not sure I ever caught your name, either,” she started. And Kira, despite thinking this woman likely knew her name already, wanted nothing more than to greet her as a friend; as an equal.
“I’m Kira,” she offered brightly. “And I hope the islands have been treating you well.”
