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The mare had asked for a story. A true one. The aristocrat's mind was sent scrambling, looking for something. He couldn't recall anything. Nothing. Not a piece, not a shred. Somehow Quiach suspected this was a test- so a test for what? What did he know? There was a story of a King... but that seemed to be a fable. Quiach tried to muster everything he could collect, but really, a true story? There was a story of a bear, a story of the fox... ah. A war story. Or a story of discovery? Pieces began to reveal themselves, as he remembered one of the lands his family had travelled through. After all, the family's had been gypsies.
"You asked for a story, and I will try. My family was a group of travelling gypsies, a group of happy-go-lucky roamers who had travelled many days, from Anarore to Isilme to Skarok to Miaon. All of these places had stories, traditions, and more than one, more than half, were at war. Many places melted together in my head, molding together until they were a great blur when I was young. But there was one place I had heard of that always stuck. Because there was more to it, there was a secret.
"My sire and dam had always whispered of it, always murmured, keeping a wary eye behind us and before us as we travelled through the land. I cannot remember the name of it- something to do with the elements. Of course, like any colt, I wanted to be let in on the secret. I sneaked, I tried, I sought, I looked for, I longed. But it was a big blank wall. So instead, I began to piece together what I knew. The land was surrounded by a black stone wall, called Hiran, the word for 'protection' of that realm. Soldiers walked on it, and I remember they wore armor, silver metal that did not dent and did not fade from use. They were idols, heroes to the citizens. The leader of that place was known as the Imperial, and was a god in flesh.
"They said he was possessed. For years, his mind had deteroiated, until he seemed insane. He ran wild through the lands, galloping, fleeing from something. But there was something else, something not right.
"The Imperial's son, Divine, was blood-hungry and had gone to war. He had returned, triumphant, a few days ago. Normal babbling, normal stories. Who hasn't heard of the son murdering the king? Because that's what happened.
"That's when it grew strange.
"Ghosts and the undead. Angels and demons. This was the secret- there was a deadly disease spreading like wildfire through this small country, sheltered from the world. When Divine had returned, he had brought an army of metal horses that took the Guardians of the Wall away. Two days later, blood was spilled, and the metal horses continued to kill. But the killing was a sacrifice- those of them who survived were put into pens, where they were kept for sakekeeping. Two-legged animals came, riding more horses, and they forced pieces of metal into horses' mouths, forced them to carry the humans.
"What was the secret? They had been possessed by the people.
"Our family ran. Fires had burned behind us, but the two-legged took over that small world. The walls were manned by huge black horses ridden by the two-legs. They paraded with fine silks and banners, proud of their win. It was some time after that until I began to wander, falling deep into silence. I studied the steady silence of the world. One day, my family left me. They didn't say good-bye. That's how I came to Helovia. Alone." A bad story, but it was the only one he could take in mind.
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