This short, quiet wait by the border was perhaps the painfully longest moment he had ever experienced. As moments dragged by the stallion felt his heart beat rapidly against the ribs, his guts crawling as though the grass he'd eaten for breakfast had turned into living snakes. He took a deep breath to steady himself, then another one; was it the excess of oxygen that made him slightly woozy or was it just the nausea of violent nerves that did it?
It couldn't have been more than a few minutes since his call rang out into the forest, but when a pale figure slowly emerged from the mists and took the shape of a familiar mare the grullo let out an explosive breath in relief that suggested he must have held his breath at the very end of the wait. He watched her approach with some caution, wonder gradually turning into recognition upon her face; when she breathed his name he could have kissed her in relief, though was able to restrain himself and simply arch the neck in confirmation. A stupid smile spread over the masked face, happy and exalted as amber eyes roamed hastily over pristine hide, looking for injuries or signs of starvation but finding only rounded shapes, supple muscles and a new maturity surrounding her that Lace couldn't remember seeing before.
No sooner had the white dove arrived than another familiar face appeared, and Lace could have burst out singing. "Brisa, Kahlua" he breathed and stepped forward to lean into the paint's touch, silver neck arching to reach for the gray as well. "Gods be thanked, I really am back, aren't I..." For a moment the stallion closed his eyes and just stood there, savoring the presence of his friends. How long had it been since he'd been home? It had been fall the last time he walked these woods, listened to these voices, breathed in the musk of earth and skin and the sulfuric tang in the air that revealed the presence of dragons. Half a year had passed since he rose to power through the grace of the DragonHeart, half a year since he so abruptly fell from the throne and exiled himself from those he cared for. And still he was greeted with smiles and words of welcome, as if he had never endangered the herd with his own selfish actions or left its members to fend for themselves.
The spirit of the Qian truly lived on still.... Mirage would have been proud to see it.
He could have remained like that for an eternity, but there were questions asked and an exuberant dragon to consider. The gold-backed stallion grimaced as Fajira suddenly dived down from her high vantage point in the sky and landed, talons sharp and none too careful upon his back. A jubilant screech announced her presence to anyone who might have missed it, and like a scaly house cat she pranced and mewled along his spine, attempting to leap over onto first Kahlua's back and then Brisa's, should they allow her to do so.
"I missed you too, all of you, and more than I dare say" the aging stallion said with a wistful smile as he looked between the mares, heart aching and soul black with guilt. "I'm well, though for a time I feared the worst. The plague got to me, I had to leave so as not to endanger anyone else. It seems I have some natural resistance within me however, for the effects gradually disappeared - the last symptoms were healed not long ago." And glad was he to be rid of it. The only thing that burned his blood now was the constant pulse of magical fire, and that was a burden he could get used to carrying. Better that than the black madness that infected body and soul, causing such taint to the mind that his memories of two seasons worth of time was all but gone. Good riddance too - Lace didn't want to remember what he might have done to himself or others during the long winter.
"What about you, and the Qian; how did you fare over the winter? I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you all, it was torture not to know anything and having to stay away..." The guilt he felt reflected within the honey-colored eyes as he looked between Brisa and his former apprentice, a deeply rooted pain come from the knowing that he had failed in his duties - for surely kings couldn't be allowed to succumb to the same sickness as mortal men, and even if they did they had to endure it, for the sake of the herd.
The shadow over his features deepened as the name of his queen was brought up, another pang of shame pulsating through him. Ever so carefully Lace inched away from the others, as though the comforts of physical touch wasn't really permitted to him.
"I don't know" he whispered, the pain of his loss as plain to see as the scars littering his skin. "When the darkness fell over the forest... I tried to find her, and Rishima and the twins. But they weren't here, and I'm fairly sure I was the last one to leave before..." He looked away, swallowing at the memory of the crawling, whispering darkness that had chased him out with crimson eyes and blood-thirst.
"I saw Tandavi and Amaris when I came through the Threshold though, so at least they are safe." Lace forced himself to remain somewhat calm, though there was visible effort behind the movements as he raised the head again to meet the eyes of the woodland residents.
@[Brisa]
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