| Tallsun finds Nasreen wandering along the remains of the glass wall, finally exploring the land she has come to call her temporary home. She has flown over various sections of the wall many times, but she has never followed it in its entirety until now. Part of her feels slightly guilty—she should be spending every waking moment trying to find Th’orqui—but another part of the princess overpowers that of a dutiful daughter and succumbs to the call of the breeze and the promise of a leisurely walk through the woods. She has already walked about five miles along the perimeter this morning, stopping from time to time to admire Kahlua’s work where the wall is still intact, and to bemoan its destruction in the areas where the smooth extent descends into glittering rubble. To have the power to create such a thing! The girl doesn’t quite understand how magic works in Helovia, but she is fascinated nonetheless. She touches her muzzle reverently to the warm glass, closing her eyes as velvet lips press against the wall, as if she is trying to absorb any lingering enchantment.
The smell and crackle of something burning just below her feet causes grey eyes to fly open. A patch of dry grass about a foot away from the wall has ignited, and though it is a small fire, her heart leaps to her throat. Rushing at it, she stomps on the tiny flames until they are suffocated, and only a trampled mess of yellowed and blackened stalks remains. Shaking slightly, she yanks the grass from the ground, tossing it into the forest. How…? Nasreen looks to the wall, unsettled by the idea that somehow she may have caused the blaze with all these silly ideas about extracting magic. But she soon finds the culprit—an incriminating ray of light bounces off of the wall and lands directly on the blackened earth. She shudders, as a horrible idea suddenly occurs to her: if it happened here, it could happen anywhere along the wall. Tall grass could ignite, creating a ring of fire around the Edge, trapping the inhabitants within…the princess shakes her head, as if to clear the terrible image from her thoughts. Many parts of the wall are shaded by the trees; it probably won’t happen. Still, though…she makes a mental note to warn Kahlua, and maybe whomever else is in charge here. For now, she continues her walk, yanking the biggest plants out of the ground and tossing them safely away. It is a methodical job, and though she soon works up a sweat in the hot sun, it is soothing to her to perform a service, however small, that will make the Edge safer. For once, she feels like she’s actually doing something, and it feels good.
She’s occupied with this task when she hears the call. At first, she pays it no mind, being focused solely on the job at hand, but after a few more repetitions of yank-and-pull, she realizes that the summons is for her—she’s a craftsman! She casts a wary eye at the wall, but the next section is shaded. So, she obediently turns and trots towards the sound of the booming voice that calls the craftsmen in. Soon, she sees its owner up ahead. Briefly, she is surprised: for a voice so strong, she expected a much older stallion, but the one who stands in the grove before her is not much older than she. Is he to be her teacher, now that Kahlua is busy with running the herd? Curiously, she moves forward, intending to introduce herself. However, just before she reaches the clearing, she trips. Copper wings flare as she struggles to keep her balance, and she stumbles rather clumsily into the circle, disheveled and sweaty from her weed-pulling. “Hello,” she says breathlessly, addressing the tall young stag before her. “I’m Nasreen!”
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[O] The Bindings That Tie Us [CRAFTER'S MEETING]
