#varaelian

I've been in a very Van mood the last few weeks and I kinda sometimes forget I can post stuff to Tumblr other than my queue. :3

A song had been sung, calling loudly and angrily from across the isles that floated high above Abalathia. It resounded in the mind of the one who could hear it, trying to drown it out with all he could, but finding no luck, only misery in it’s deep anger.

Night fell, though it seemed almost the same as the day in brightness, the green hue of the sky unchanging and the stars barely dotted the black that peeked through the clouds. From on high he descended, down onto the rocks that once resembled someone’s home.

Through the pall of grief he walked, standing finally before the singer and for the first time, truly afraid, “Why have you called me here?”

“Why hast thou returned? What further misery couldest thee inflict upon these devastated lands?” Tiamat scowled, looking to the elf that stood before her.

“I am not here to disturb this place, merely to keep those who would do harm to the world from reaching their goals.”

“Were thou not a puppet of thy maker's delight? Clad in scale and feather to lookest alike to mine own kin, only to betray thine own kind in cold blood and destroy all before thee. Why wouldst thou seek to stop the destruction thy so keenly sought to bring upon the world of eld?”

Varaelian glanced away from her, holding his arms tightly, “I had no choice in what I did, as you put it best, a puppet. You would hold this against me, even now?”

“Thou hath brought misery and death in thy wake, abomination, and now ye seeketh peace?” Her words burned into his mind, only to be returned with a scowl and anger upon the younger dragon’s face.

“I have left it behind, all of it. I am not the creature I was! I cannot take back what has happened, old one. I cannot restore the dead to life or return your beloved to you. Perhaps losing mine to His shade was the punishment I had to endure for the pain I caused. The past is behind me and you, Tiamat.”

“If thou wouldst seek redemption, look to they who hath come before thou, and upon their faces and deeds, their kin, and find redemption in thine actions, abomination. Find redemption in action and deed.”

He closed his eyes and away his elven form went and before her stood a silent drake, head lowered, “I am sorry for what had happened and I know it is beyond forgiving.”

“What are you thinking, Varaelian? You’ve been uncharacteristically quiet since running into that man.”

Varaelian sat with his hands in his lap with his legs dangling over the edge of a cliff and the backs of his armored ankles clinking against the rocky face, “I’m not sure how to take that, Vae.”

“You’re never this quiet unless you’re asleep and even then, I wonder how Tyllanthus tolerated your terrible snoring.”

The lord shot his head up, glancing through the clouds that were scattered across a green-tinted sky, “I don’t snore.”

“That’s what you’re going to take away from this?!”

He couldn’t help but chuckle, “I never had much love for the Free Companies. I refuse to leave the fate of the world in the hands of sellswords and their love of money. I suppose seeing someone with such conviction over their beliefs, such excitement for their cause – It’s different. The Grand Companies are run by fools who don’t see past today, and we need to look to tomorrow. A tomorrow that could be snatched away the same way all over again.”

“The Riskbreakers, hm? Are you sure you should place any sort of trust into them? They are just another band of sellswords.”

“I don’t have to, I just have to make sure they get out alive and then leave Azys Lla. I can’t watch over this place forever—well, I can, but I don’t want to—and they would help rid this place of Garleans. After a good assault on the Castrum, they are like to leave it behind.”

“Lest you forget, they do have a very large airship, larger even than the Argius.”

“I’m no fool and I have no plans on taking it on. I need you to trust me, Vae. Believe in me.”

“I do believe in you, you big idiot. Ryuugan wishes you luck as well, and hopes to see you home soon. Good luck."

The canopy of the Shroud was illuminated by the lightning that crackled overhead and spread across the clouds as a spider’s web along green branches. Storms came and went in the deeps of these woods like clockwork. The boughs offered little in the way of shelter from the rain and the water seemed to drip right into each feather, soaking all the way to scaled skin.

He had seen so much. In a way, he was grateful for such a gift. He closed his eyes and he could see time stretched out as a road he could easily walk down and stop along. He could see each moment as if he was reliving it all over again. He could see the moments he held so dear to his heart.

He could see the ones that caused him pain, that replayed to shame him over and over. He could see the lives of each person as if they had already lived them.

The seasons rarely changed within Eversong, even the most beautiful of trees would see some of their leaves fall in bright glistening orange and red, only to be replaces soon after by the familiar glow of golden leaves.

The weather grew a little colder, but nothing a blanket or extra layer couldn’t cover. This was his favorite time of year. The time to feel the cool northern air on his face while he rode through the woods, riding as fast as his steed could carry him.

“Varaelian! Slow down!” Kirian called, “I’m not racing you!”

The knight had forgotten himself again and brought his horse to a stop, looking behind him, “I am just excited! I have something special for you!”

Kirian caught up, the two of them prancing ahead at a steady pace, hearing the leaves crackle under hooves, “What could be so special that you race ahead?”

“You’ll see.” Soon enough, the sound of the ocean came into the distance and they met the setting sun at the treeline, “Here we are!”

Kirian looked around, “It’s the ocean, Van. I thought you said you didn’t know how to swim.”

A sigh escaped him and Van reached over, grabbing Kirian’s reins with his one hand, getting off his own horse to walk along a small trail.

A campfire burned softly with blankets placed neatly against a tree and a spread of delicious food stuffs next to it, “What is all this?” Kirian looked to his husband for answers, only to receive a smile as Van offered his hand to help him down from his horse.

“A retreat.”

It was a more than welcome sight. The air had begun to cool again and the sun began to set over the tranquil azure coast before them. The chill led Varaelian to open one of the blankets and wrap it around the two of them, leaning back against the tree with its falling orange leaves, “It’s that time of year again.”

“So it is.”

It was in that drone-like state that Varaelian had found himself once more, staring out his office window, the glow of the Eversong mid-day sun fresh on his skin. He watched as birds danced between the trees and flew above the holes in the canopy, singing their sweet song and enjoying the breeze between their feathers.

It was so natural to them. A bird does not fear falling, they trust their wings to carry them, so then why couldn’t he?

Had a thousand-thousand years clipped his? Walking the sands was easier than trying to spread out within a cramped cave. It chewed at him, remembering only what Abragos had told him, “It is a part of you.”

It only seemed to anger him further, forcing him to swipe a hand across his desk and knock a bottle of wine to the floor, smashing it in the process, his eyes flaring blue and slit in rage. He had more courage trusting Arenthiel’s powerful wings than his own, taking her into battle seemed as second nature. Seeing the sky upon her back and feeling the wind upon his face was joy indescribable.