| Aurora Basin Phantom atk: 7.5 | def: 10 | dam: 2.5 |
| Stallion :: Unicorn :: 16 hh :: 8 yrs HP: 60.0 | Buff: NOVICE |
| Glo |
Every time Roland glanced at the sky he expected to see a blanket of stars and celestial cloud, mixed together like a ribbon of glittering sequins; the colour of violets and roses, rubies and sapphires. Only every time he looked up with that small spark of hope, that something might have changed in the heavens while his eyes were cast downwards, he is disappointed to meet nothing but an empty void of darkness. In hopeless defeat he listened to Sia speak, somewhat glad that she was comfortable to share her doubts with him. As it turned out, they had much in common, and the young mare had a lot to say.
‘There are things that never change…’ How true that statement was in Roland’s eyes. The more Sia spoke the more he felt like he could relate to her, see where she was coming from with an understanding that only came from having experienced these things yourself. His head bobbed in acknowledgement to her words, moving closer as she spoke, growing breathless. He was supposed to have learnt from his mistakes in Anorien; intended to leave his homeland behind bettered by what he had learnt and what faulty paths he had followed. Wipe the map and start all over again with a new identity but an old name.
Sometimes he wished he’d dropped it altogether; the false charisma, easy lies, and a moniker that seemed to stick to him even if sometimes he wanted to change it and be known by another title. When he had entered Helovia he had come with every intention of starting completely anew, even if that meant tearing down the building blocks of his life and weaving together a new personality. At one time he felt sick of the dishonesty, tired of being a serpent, clandestine and clever, but it hadn’t lasted long.
Like an addict suffering from withdrawal he felt his old life coaxing him back in an all too irresistible voice. So rather than ignoring it and weathering through the urges to be someone he wasn’t, he had thrown all that ‘fresh start’ crap out the window and joined the Basin as a Phantom, eventually climbing the ranks to become an Impersonator. It wasn’t anything exactly like the war, with the same thrill of danger, of being found out, and he hadn’t been given the opportunity to do what he did best yet, but he was feeling strangely optimistic about his future in the frozen valley despite the darkness and snow, neither of which he was all that accustomed to.
So he couldn’t agree more with the younger mare. Some things never change. But maybe, unlike her, he hadn’t stopped running. His feet mightn’t have been moving in that moment, but in his mind he was still distanced from the herd he had convinced himself to think of as family, and even the innumerous friends he had made. If there was ever a cause for him to go he would be ready to leave within the shortest moment’s notice, and he liked to think there wouldn’t be a single reason for him to glance back.
“I feel trapped in the dark as much as I feel strangled by the mountains around us, which is a fair amount,” he chuckled, glancing sidelong at the white mare. He felt unusually compelled to share with her an embarrassing anecdote, since it was apparent she could do with a distraction as much as he. “The day I joined the Basin was the first time I’d come in contact with a herd of any kind for many months. Their customs had long since slipped my mind, and though it seems silly I found it sensible to waltz right in and warm myself in their hot springs.” He smiled to himself, glancing back down at his darkened reflection with a breathy laugh.
“It didn’t take long before I was surrounded by grumpy Unicorns shoving their horns in my face, even going so far as to magic ice into the water. So, if it makes you feel any better, I too have felt trapped since the moment of my arrival.” It wasn’t the most dignified of tales, but he wished to keep the silence at bay as long as they stood at the murky shore of the lake. He was reminded of the sea and its dark water, waves rolling over the curved shore and retreating into the heart of the ocean. “If I had it my way, I would spend every waking moment under the hot sun with a field of open grass around me… But I can assure you that the Basin is safe, as long as you have a horn atop your head.”
Push your luck if it makes you a promise
that turns con men honest.
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Image Credit
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