There was golden stallions with antlers, beautiful painted ladies with striking eyes, and even great warriors that rivaled Tembovu himself. Of course, Uriel had little in common with any of those beasts and felt more an outsider than a friend to them… It was a lonely feeling that had only grown more prominent since his return to Helovia and he hoped that time would eventually bridge the gap between he and his so-called family. Yet, it pained him to admit that he longed to one day call them such… He desired for nothing more than the closeness he’d been denied during his childhood. After all, he’d been enraptured by a deadbeat father and taken away from his mother’s loving embrace. Now, all that remained was a truly broken boy, building himself into a greater man than his father could ever claim to be. Even his formers glories would die when Uriel rose from Thor’s ashes. He would take his failures and make them into victories, no matter the cost.
Yet, the colt hadn’t gotten off on the right footing and owed an apology to the one he called King. His return to his birthplace had been all but harmonious and Uriel wanted to see to amends, but couldn’t quite find the right time to do so. Clearly, both King and Queen were busy creatures, but Tembovu was anything but approachable- at least in Uriel’s eyes. The only male figure he’d known had abandoned his quaint little family and had stricken a rift between them all. Was the Elephant King a more righteous being than his father or was Uriel looking for direction in all the wrong places?
When the great and imposing beast began to speak, or rather continued (for Uriel had been late again), the colt stood to attention. After allowing himself to settle since discovering the hurt and hatred his mother harbored for his father, it had taken the young prince a great deal of time to recover from his own warring emotions. It was finally time for him to forgive and forget and move on despite the confusion an absent father so often left behind…
Uriel didn’t know of those who names were mentioned and knew even less about their tasks, but as he searched the crowd for familiar faces, he found no one that he could turn to. Rising panic began in his chest and expelled itself in the form of a sigh from his lips… his mother was nowhere to be found. What did that mean for Uriel now that he had come back? Was he supposed to pretend he could make it on his own?