"Where brilliance is good and madness is better..."
Helovia Info
Helovia opened in February 2012! We are an active fantasy equine RPG
Where once the world narrowed into naught but gray dust and desolation, the gods called for life. Wielding the elements of fire and light, dark and wind, earth and water, spark and time, they have created Helovia. The realm is set within the mythical globe of Loorien, a planet rich with all variety of creatures and blessed with all manner of magic. Originally populated by nomadic, tribal characters, they've since grown into massive empires saturated with culture and history. Separated into four distinct segments of Helovia, called "The Regions," each band of horse strong enough and capable enough, took up the power and responsibility of leadership. Unicorns, old, wise and mysterious, took to the north, hidden in forests of mists and shadows and rarely making themselves known beyond their cliffs of the World's Edge. Equines, vast, organized and militaristic, split into two, one group went north to the Windtossed Foothills and the other group went south to the Dragon's Throat. Pegasus remained nomadic, making their homes in various parts of The Wilds in a migratory manner. For many generations, the land was peaceful and calm, but peace was never the way of the gods. With a clash of argument, war and bloodshed massacred Helovia, and in the aftermath, the realm was eerily quiet. Now, as newcomers sweep into this land, they are met with the lingering bitterness of the gods and the struggle to reclaim what was lost. Nothing remains safe or certain while sorcerers and soldiers alike brood and bide their time for revenge, honor and glory.
Site Wide Plots
Kaos :: The Beginning of the End ☼ - 6/2017 - Kaos placed Helovia in a time-bubble for a short period of time, but the Helovian gods are fighting back. But Kaos is powerful- far more powerful than anyone thought. This may be the beginning of the end of Helovia as we know it.
Kisamoa :: A New Kind of Kaos ☼ - 3/2017 - Kisamoa asks Helovians to help him restore the Spectral Marsh. Which side will you choose?
Invasions :: All Out War ☼ - 5/2/16 - New layout and the brand new invasion rules are up! Thank you for your patience and we look forward to getting started with this new adventure.
The Rift :: Gods Do Die ☼ - 8/2015 - Helovia Gods are saving the Rift from corrupt gods! Can Helovians band together against these foreign deities?
The Literal Ship ☼ - 2/8/15 - Oh no! You have to pair up for Valentine's day!
Sky Island :: Murder ☼ - 10/25/14 - Vesta has been found dead on the island, and the gods have called to you to solve the murder!
Sky Island :: Peace ☼ - 7/7/14 - An island has appeared in the sky! Clouds carry Helovians from the Veins to the sky.
Restoration :: We Welcome the Dawn ☼ - 9/21/13 - The sun has finally risen on this day, giving the land new light, but the Time God and the Sun God have yet to be seen.
Endless Night :: Broken Magic Plot ☼ - 8/30/13 - The earth god has returned and is walking across Helovia to heal the land. Every area can now be considered lush and prosperous, but the sun has still not risen.
☼ - 7/19/13 - The moon has risen in the sky, heralding the return of the Goddess of the moon. Lamp trees which light the paths have grown brighter, moon flowers which grow in dark places have begun to grow and prosper and the world is brighter, filled with a new hope.
Endless Night :: Dead Magic Plot ☼ - 6/22/13 - The gods of Helovia, in order to protect the world, have disappeared into the rift, leaving the world sunless, moonless and magic-less in their absence. Only the herdlands have a source of light, but lamp-trees with glowing leaves and branches sporadically line the popular roads and paths from place to place.
Doppleganger Plot ☼ - 6/20/13 - The God of Time is still struggling to close the rift though which the dopplegangers have come. He has requested that his brothers and sister assist in closing this hole, but without knowing why it opened, the task is proving difficult. Magic still remains faulty and hard to control, but the herdlands continue to be places of refuge for those who are fortunate enough to call these lands home.
ORANGEMOON cools off the lands with a a viscious force. Colder than normal, a sign of things to come during Frostfall, Helovia is bathed in a rich tropical lushness - albiet a cold one. The coastlines of the Dragon's Throat are pelted constantly by tidal waves, and the desert climate is humid but chilly. Ice begins to form early in the Aurora Basin leaving the winding trails slick and dangerous. The mists of the World's Edge coat everything in a glistening crystalline shine which encourages mould to grow everywhere. The Spectral Marsh is the only area which remains fertile, blissfully temperature and lush.
Cotm
Character of the Month for
June, 2017
WEAVER, Corporal of the Aurora Basin, is a relatively recent addition to Helovia and has taken it by storm. Branded with the seal of Death on her chest, intrigue and interest follow both her past and present. Though she is assuredly beautiful, her sometimes sharp personality reveals that there is more to this uni-peg hybrid than meets the eye. Proving herself able on the battlefield in the Basin’s warrior ranks, we can’t wait to see her test her mettle against the looming Kaos happenings! Congratulations!
Helovia RPG was created by Tamme and Blu and coded by Tamme also known as Schwartze. All coding, palettes and imagery are copyrighted to the website and are not for use outside of Helovia. Thank you to our ServerMaster for hosting Helovia. A special thanks goes to Neo for all of her coding help and fixing Tamme's errors, Boom, for her loyal service and creation of the Time God, and to Ali for her consistent contributions and dedication.
11-12-2014, 04:13 PM (This post was last modified: 12-16-2014, 12:20 PM by Official.)
Now that he was in a herd again, she decided that she would travel to relearn what she needed to know. She had been honest with Torleik when she had told him that she was useless. What she had known about Helovia compared to now was rather pathetic, and the first place to visit would be a land she could consider to be safe: the one where her sister currently resided. While she did not expect to see Ktulu there, knowing that her twin was a wandering spirit like herself, she could use her familial ties in the event that anything off putting were to occur.
The last time she had visited the World's Edge directly, she had spoken to Thor and Mirage about potential dangers when she had been ruling the Foothills. However, that had been an interesting day considering that most of her thoughts had been projected into their minds. She wondered exactly what they had gleaned from her at that moment, but there was no use dwelling on such curiosities. Rarely did she try to hide who she was or what she was thinking, unless of course, she was hiding something that would eventually bring her pain.
As she approached, she noticed that the wall was down, vanished, and her eyes swept over the tall, beautiful trees, different than those in the deep forest. A cold breeze chilled her, but some of the trees here did not lose their leaves and needles in the face of the snow. Honestly, here was probably the most insulated, and her thick, down coat that protected her in the Basin's harsh freeze was too robust for this mild chill. Her breath puffed rhythmically, relaxed, and Tinek jumped from branch to branch overhead.
She remembered the borderlines well, considering Deimos had almost killed her for crossing them years ago. So, the edge of her pristine, gray hooves planted near the entrance, and her strange, dual colored eyes moved through the trees, looking for signs of activity or a patrol. "Hello?" she summoned softly, her voice gentle and chime-like. From the delicate nature of her soft voice and the purity of her pale coat, she seemed almost gentle, but the blood red hair and two colored eyes spoke another story of her duality.
Undertow has come to take me. Guided by the blazing sun. Look at everything around us. Look at everything we've done.
Please. Anyone. I don't think I can save myself. I'm drowning.
She had used to like the snow- the way the cold seemed to want the horses to huddle close. Kahlua thrived on closeness, on relationships (friendships, in particular), and the thrill she got from simple conversations with too many faces and names to remember. But this winter, particularly long and harsh in its rule, was wearing on the painted queen. Or perhaps it was that there were too many other worries and not enough cells in her brain to devote attention to each. Whatever the reason, the queen found herself struggling to smile on this crystalline day, though Khan tried so hard with his antics to draw some laughter from her lips.
From her mouth, a basket hung, the music box within playing a song that she knew by heart now. She hummed along with it as mecha scorpion clicked and whirred along mechanically. The ground here was somewhat shielded by the thick nettles on the trees but the glowing rock she carried with her lit the way well. That rock had been more of a comfort to her recently than anything else, a steady beacon in her life when too many other things were crumbling and falling.
Thoughts of Kaj in particular whirled through her head as she paced, her pretty soprano making the music box’s song one of sorrow rather than joy with her dissonant harmony. She had distanced herself from him, trying to let him go, but how could she really be happy? She did not know the phrase ‘if you love them then you have to let them go,’ but if she did she would have scoffed at the idea. It was what she was doing, of course, but it did not give her any peace at night when her nightmares began to haunt her.
A soft voice at the border distracted the queen from her depression and she instinctively altered her gait, heading that direction with hardly a thought about why. When she arrived, she was greeted with a face unknown to her- so rare these days. “Hello,” she answered back after settling her basket into the snow, the music box’s song fading into eternity. “I’m Kahlua, queen of the Edge. Can I help you?” Her voice was uncharacteristically mellow, still whispering of the darkness that swirled within her, but her face at least wore a smile.
As for Khan, he was nearly beside himself to see another dragon. Young and childish, not yet old enough to fully respect the idea of elders and hierarchies, the feathered blue began to caw and flap and bound erratically through the trees, swatting at Tinek if and when he might be close enough, trying to entice this other into some sort of game of rough and tumble or chase. Kahlua spared him a brief glance, but otherwise let her attentions remain on the pretty woman at the border. She was vaguely familiar, the red on her hair reminiscent of one of the Edge’s Sergeants (and also Paladin, whom she had met long ago), but the queen could not place her otherwise and did not try.
Music heralded her arrival, a soft, tinny sound unlike anything Ophelia had ever heard. Two, sculpted pale ears tilted forward, fascinated by the sound and eager to discover where it came from and how it was made. A mare she recognized approached with the noise emanating from a basket, and Phi saw, inside, a little box that made the sounds. The painted carrier of music had sang at the festival on the sky island - the same festival in which she had met Illynx and the frightening mare of glass who had called her to Mauja. At the time, Ophelia had not known who she was, but now, she was awarded an introduction.
Something about her tone seemed... rehearsed, but yet she smiled. Her adventures to find Ktulu had yielded much more fascinating results. This mare, Kahlua, was the Queen of the World's Edge; much had changed since Mirage, it seemed. "My name is Ophelia the Forsaken, sister of Ktulu," she replied. "I knew Mirage and Hellena, long ago, and I was here to visit my sister and perhaps learn of news here in the World's Edge. Congratulations on your title, Queen." The soft tones she used were gentle, curious.
Her heart was still coated in ice, still struggling, cracked, but this new experience was giving her a welcome distraction. She looked up as a blue, feathered dragon played around with Tinek, and she chuckled. Tinek had been looking for someone to play with ever since Comadre had been difficult to find. He grinned a toothy smile and jumped to the game, exhaling a breath of white, thick frost that iced a nearby tree.
She diverted her gaze back to the basket, intrigued by this glowing rock and mechanical scorpion. "Oh how fascinating," she murmured. "These remind of the sentinels in front of the Aurora Basin." Ophelia then craned her neck down to examine the glowing rock. "Did you find this? How is the light captured in the rock? It's beautiful..." The pale princess glanced up, smiling. Perhaps this one had a secret? Something for her quest?
Undertow has come to take me. Guided by the blazing sun. Look at everything around us. Look at everything we've done.
Please. Anyone. I don't think I can save myself. I'm drowning.
Ophelia. The muted queen repeated the name in her head several times, trying to remember it. Usually names were so easy for her, but distractions in her head made the process frustrating. Ophelia, Ophelia, she repeated again, trying to drown the clawed thoughts that scraped within her skull, but a new distraction provided much better relief. A different name- funny how often it was coming up as of late. “Mirage,” she repeated almost distantly, ears flickering at the thought of the midnight dragoness. Kahlua rued the day that Mirage would return to reclaim her throne, and yet… Yet now she thought she might almost welcome her back. Was she really meant to be a queen?
“Well welcome, please, come on in,” she said with a toss of her head, trying to draw herself back to reality. She always thought it rather rude to leave strangers standing awkwardly across some invisible barrier. The shattered remains of her wall were left crumbled on the ground for a reason. Horses, Kahlua most of all, were not meant to live behind walls; as for friends, they were not meant to stand outside of them.
The dragons seemed equally friendly with one another, she noted, as the elder one fell to the game. A moment later, however, her brain was flooded with unadulterated excitement that was certainly not of her own design. Turning her head rather sharply, she spotted her little blue circling excitedly around a new path of frost upon one of the conifers. Opening his mouth, Khan himself attempted to mimic Tinek’s actions, though try as he might he could expel nothing but air from his lungs. Frustration drove him to chase the silver then, as though catching Tinek might cause him to reveal the method behind this magic.
It was Ophelia’s tinkling voice that finally caused the queen to look away from the dragons. Stepping back to allow Ophelia a better look into the basket and its contents, she found happiness of her own as her things were admired. “The sentinels and the scorpion were made by one in the same,” she helpfully informed the Forsaken, having learned this information herself from Illynx some time ago. “But I made the rock,” she said, and then absently began digging into the ground, purposefully avoiding the question about how the glowing got there. Kahlua was last on the list of horses that understood the inner workings of magic.
When she found a rock that she liked under snow and frozen dirt, she picked it up and nosed it towards the queen. Watching it for a moment, feeling a familiar warmth well up within her, the rock slowly began to glow- dull at first, but then growing more insistent, this new rock glowed even brighter than the one she had kept for herself. The forest around them was lighted further, to about 10 meters around this second rock. “I don’t really know how it works…” she admitted unhelpfully, then. “But you can have it, if you want it.”
Something about this vibrant spirit Ophelia had seen singing on the island was lost, seemingly wrapped beneath a vale, a haze of apathy. She narrowed her gaze slightly, as if the thin focus could aide in her scrutiny of Kahlua. Her black lips repeated the name Mirage, obviously someone familiar, and the association had earned her an invitation. Cloven hooves crossed the imaginary threshold, borders formed only in the mind, and she moved closer, inward, following the painted queen. "Thank you," she said.
Tinek was enjoying himself with the young, feathered dragon, showing off his regal skills with a light snowfall. The slender, scaled beast snickered at the blue's youthful inability to produce any magic at the opening of his jaws and growled when he was chased. With a final scrape of his claws in the earth, he inhaled deeply, expanding his ribs with air. On the exhale, he bellowed a powerful snowstorm, icing one side of a tree. A spark tickled on the end of the breath, making a loud crackle.
Ophelia rolled her eyes, recognizing the sound instantly, rarely ever startled by such noise. While she was able to easily ignore their antics, she was captivated by the trinkets in the basket, amused by the music box that sangs its lovely melody. Kahlua's attention seemed to move back when Phi asked about them, interested to know that the Engineer of the basin could make more than just machines of war. She felt badly that his son was gone; he had a soft side, she could tell.
The rock, however, was another beauty entirely. Inspired by the beauty, she watched in rapt fascination as Kahlua found a rock. Ophelia's gaze never wavered as the magician breathed her magic to life within the solid stone. It flickered. Hummed. Grew. Then, the rock bloomed to life like a flower in spring, glowing brightly. Then, to further her surprise, the stone was offered freely. "I do not think such beautiful magic needs explanation," she said in awe. "Thank you, for the gift."
She had no way to carry the rock except in her mouth, so Tinek flew downward, grabbing it and keeping it carefully wrapped under a forepaw. "I am afraid I do not have much to offer in return." Her gifts were more selfish in nature, bent toward stealing and knowing. "But, you seem... distant, if I may be so... prying," she said. "Especially for a Queen of such a beautiful land. Why is that?"
Undertow has come to take me. Guided by the blazing sun. Look at everything around us. Look at everything we've done.
Please. Anyone. I don't think I can save myself. I'm drowning.
Oh, for Khan to have made such a frozen wonderland. His feathers ruffled, seemingly coming alive with the thrill of the frost. It was like the icy air that came from Tinek’s mouth was awakening something inside of him- something vibrant and alive, something thrilling and primal that spoke to his very soul. The young dragon did not, could not, know what his magic was, and yet… something distant in his mind knew that when his lungs were strong enough, when his body was grown and when the magic in his soul was awakened that he would breath frost into the world.
As for Kahlua, she jumped slightly at the cracking sound, ears and smile both flickering for a moment. Dragon’s could make ice too? She had not known it, for all of them she had been in contact with had breathed flame like it was the very source of their heart beat. So, it was a surprise to her, though not unwelcome, and she experienced the way that it made Khan feel alive. She did not understand, for she had never really desired to use magic to create such a destructive force, but it seemed to make the dragon happy.
“You’re welcome,” was her contented response to Ophelia as Tinek came to claim the glowing stone. Khan followed, settling onto the Sunshower’s back, his claws digging into her flesh, and she winced at the landing. “I don’t need anything. I’d rather just see others happy.” And the hollow air to that last sentence was a perfect segue to Ophelia’s query. For half a moment, Kahlua almost dared to think about whether she should answer or not. But then… well, what was there to think about? She was an open book.
“I’m a disappointment.” Did that about cover it? Absently, she reached down to press the button on her music box, disrupting the metal scorpion who creaked and croaked as if agreeing that she was as disappointing an owner as one could get. The hollow song started again, tickling along metallically as she continued. “Do you know what we’re standing in?” She paused dramatically, looking around. She’d gotten a lot more philosophical in her depression. “A prison.”
“Too many responsibilities. Too many horses wanting too many things that I can’t give them. Too little freedom. Too many…” she slowed and sighed. “Too many heartbreaks… You know?” And she looked to Ophelia with sad eyes, barely bothering to think other than to be consumed by her own thoughts and memories. A little dramatic? Perhaps; but Kahlua was made of her emotions and felt them wholly.
12-11-2014, 02:13 PM (This post was last modified: 12-11-2014, 02:13 PM by Ophelia.)
Tinek was showing off, unabashedly. He had always been the young one, unsure and awkward, but now he was growing into himself and into his heritage. He was a large dragon, powerful and intelligent - no longer the squirrely fish who wiggled incessantly and harassed Comadre. The powerful dragon then ignored his melting tree in order to grab the rock gift and sit next to his bondmate. It glowed, which was fascinating, and he looked up to see the feathered dragon closely curled on the other female's back.
The words, though heart felt, were weighted with depression. A dark cloud churned overhead, a rainstorm boiling over the one with whom she conversed. From the choice of the words, she was able to tell that somewhere, Kahlua cared deeply, but perhaps that was the problem. Ophelia could understand, and she nodded. Pity was unnecessary, but empathy she would give freely. Instead of comment, she waited, asking her question with gentle probing.
A disappointment? Those words skyrocketed from above, falling like death in the center of their palaver. Ophelia blinked in surprise, wondering why she could possibly feel like a disappointment. What had she done? Phi had abandoned her sister and her armies to fight alone in two battles - that was disappointment, but Kahlua? The song started on the musical instrument machine again, filling the air with a strange, tinny song, eerie almost...
Phi shook her head. No, she did not know exactly where she stood. Well, she knew exactly where she stood but not the historical or personal relevance. The nuance seemed irrelevant. A prison? Ophelia looked around, seeing nothing more than a beautiful forest, a place of protection - a home. Was this Kahlua confined then? By her own hand? Still, she listened, saying nothing.
Heartbreaks, she could understand all too well. Ophelia frowned, casting her gaze downward, an obvious sign that she had felt the emotions attached to Kahlua's explanation. She could still smell the salty, ocean air where Osiris had run, so tenderly, to the pegasus who lay on the sand. The pain of knowing that she would never earn affection that way... She did not deserve such honest love, she had decided. One with a heart so cold and personality so odd did not combine well with those possessing pure and honest hearts. She broke everything touched.
Even gods.
"If you keep giving, you will fall apart," she said, knowing that well enough from experience. "When I was... conflicted, as you seem to be, I went to the secret grove, thinking that my heart needed another to fulfill me. I met Hellena there, and she gave me wisdom that was... priceless." Ophelia looked up at Kahlua, hoping that she was receptive to the words she was going to speak.
"You have to make your own happiness with what you have and create a life that you are proud to live - one that honors the bond with your companion and honors yourself. I took those words to leave the Foothills and abandon my post of leadership. Though my actions were regrettable at the time and I should have stepped down more gracefully, I have been... better... since.". Well... in a way. Those issues had made way for a whole host of other problems.
"The only one you have to live for in this world is you. Give too much and you will be a shell." Ophelia rolled her shoulders in a shrugging motion, the expression of such deep emotion uncomfortable for the warrior spy.
"Anyone who demands differently can go to hell." The harsh words were shocking for the beautiful, temperate princess, but they were honest. Those emerged from the darkest, most pained bruise of her heart, the one that bitterly ached to matter what medicine she gave. Ophelia offered a wry, sad smile that barely turned up the corner of one side of her mouth.
"Come with me. Leave your post for others to manage and we can... explore. Live, for you." Ophelia had no idea where she would go, but there were nooks and crannies in Helovia that were beautiful. Certainly Kahlua had not yet seen them all?
Undertow has come to take me. Guided by the blazing sun. Look at everything around us. Look at everything we've done.
Please. Anyone. I don't think I can save myself. I'm drowning.
For all of the dramatics she employed, Kahlua often forgot that others had worries just like hers. Of course, when she was with them she’d be more than happy to listen to their sorrows if they wanted to share but later, at those moments when she was struggling with her own depression, it seemed like she was the only one in the whole world whose life was a disaster. So while she drug Ophelia down into her own pit of despair, it hardly occurred to her that the Forsaken would have felt sorrows as consuming or as troubling as her own. However, if she had actually been paying attention, she might have noticed the thoughtful way the white woman listened to her troubles and seemed to know them even as she did a terrible job of explaining them.
Her own heartbreak swirled in her head. Her king standing there beside her, her best friend, the one who had kept her sane through more troubled nights than she could count. The ground she stood upon was what anyone else would have called home, but Kahlua knew what home was. Home was huddled under Kaj’s wing, pulled close to his side. Home was her skin pressed against his, her nose in his neck, his warm breath crawling over her skin. Home was closing her eyes and letting go, knowing he would solve any problem that came her way. Home was the way he made her feel safe.
But his idea of home… it broke her very heart; because there, on the very edge of that heartbreak she was imagining, were children. Foals, dancing to her music box, playing with her scorpion, dancing through her forest. Then they were coming to her, calling mother, dancing around her, needing her. She couldn’t do it. Even farther on the edge of her mind was her own childhood, her mother, her father, her siblings, and the darkness that had ruled everyone’s lives. No. She couldn’t go back there. So she let those memories go, and listened to Ophelia’s words.
Her gentle blue eyes settled easily enough on the Forsaken, ears and mind receptive to the advice that was offered her way. And the advice was all sound, and it made a lot of sense, but the poor queen was left with an intellectual struggle she did not know how to grapple with. She was proud to live this life- there was no idea that made her happier than the idea that she should be queen of those who followed her- but how could she be so depressed by something that made her so happy in idea? She decided not to try to solve this mysterious puzzle and instead continued to listen, bobbing her head where appropriate.
Admittedly, the idea of giving less of herself was an odd one. And the idea that if she thought differently then she should go to hell, well… it did give the paint pause. Tilting her head, she pondered the idea, wondering what exactly that might mean for her. Luckily, she did not have to ponder long. Given an out from intellectual endeavors, she would take it every time. “You’re right… we should explore. Where to?” Her tone brightened slightly and she stepped forward, nudging her basket closer to a tree where it would be safe until her return.
For his own part, Khan only dropped to the ground long enough to grab the glowing rock out of her basket before returning to her back, perhaps in an attempt to mimic the silver dragon. Did he admire this handsome creature with breath of ice and spark? It seemed so.
Ophelia was used to speaking in such a way that brought silence to others, so she was unperturbed by Kahlua's lack of response. Instead, she was gladdened to see her bright features meet her suggestion to explore. Apparently somewhere, lost in her dialogue, something had sunk in, and the pale princess watched in amusement as the blue, feathered dragon grabbed a glowing stone before sitting atop Kahlua, mirroring the actions of Tinek. The pale princess smiled softly.
"What do you say about exploring the caves?" she asked. "I have not been there in some time." Ophelia started to walk away from the World's Edge and the envelope of trees that often felt trapping. The green leaves overhead and the iron trunks blotted out the sky, forming a romantic, serene maze to those with a map. Wide, open space, snow, mountains... these were freedom, to Ophelia at least.
Cloven hooves stepped steadily on the ground, unworried by the sinking of her hooves in the soft dirt. Spring was coming with all of the glorious sounds of singing birds and a warm, gentle breeze. Here, hooves on the terrain, she was equal to anyone and everything, she was everyone and no one at once. Away from the fortress of home, she and Kahlua were one in the same, no titles, no worries, gone from the games and exhausting work of managing wild spirits.
"So," she began thoughtfully, shedding her worries in the dance of exploration. "Why are you so trapped in your homeland?" she asked, red eye gazing out the right side of her face at her travel companion. Reading the projected emotions and thoughts out of her mind had been far too easy, and she tried, very much, to use them for good. "I could sense there... you were different." Her explanation was delivered rather calmly.
Undertow has come to take me. Guided by the blazing sun. Look at everything around us. Look at everything we've done.
Please. Anyone. I don't think I can save myself. I'm drowning.
Oh, how the queen wished she could have taken back her indifferent attitude towards the location they were to explore. The caves. She shuddered. If the Edge was the queen’s prison, the caves were the home of every nightmare she had ever envisioned. They were a torture chamber designed to make the nomadic Sunshower go mad at their very mention. It wasn’t just that she had been trapped down there for months on end (although they did play a large roll in her distaste)- it was the idea of the caves, the memories that accompanied them, that made her grow nauseous at the thought of them. It was the memories of her days as a monster, the reminders that she had attacked those she called friend and family, that she had wished to maim them… or worse… that made her grow weak at the knees and really display her cowardice.
However, for how ill the mere mention of the caverns made her feel, Kahlua was too enamored by this new friend to disagree. So, while her face very clearly said ‘no,’ her mouth offered quite the opposite. “That sounds nice.” She justified her decision to herself by thinking of all the pretty colored gems that lay on the ground (she had yet to electrify one- would it create a colored light?) and she tried to forget her fears by rambling about the subject for a moment. “I used to collect stones there, when I was Glazier. Have you seen any of my creations? I made a glass statue for each of the herds. They all have colored eyes…” The one for the Basin she had also tried to color blue, with stunning results, but she didn’t think it important to mention.
Following the white mare away from the Edge, Kahlua gave one last longing look to her basket and the music box. They would be safe where she had left them, she was certain, but Ulrik’s creations had become her companions as much as Khan was and it hurt her to leave them behind. In fact, on a whim, she danced back to the basket just long enough to let the scorpion toy climb up her forelock to settle between her ears where it so often did. Bouncing and splashing her way back through the mud, she arrived just in time to hear Ophelia speak.
Now, the silly queen did not know what Ophelia meant by calling her different, for Kahlua felt very much that she was the same as the rest of her herd, but she did not object. Instead, she focused on trying to clarify why the Edge was both her home, her love, and her prison, all the while oblivious to the fact that Ophelia had been one with herd mind already. “I didn’t ask to be queen. I was just the Glazier, and then when we were forced underground and Mirage disappeared… Well, the moon Goddess selected Kaj and I to lead the Qian. It’s not like I hadn’t thought of it… the respect people get, the power they have, when they lead…” she sighed in confusion as she recalled her childhood. She had grown up believing that power was the highest honor she could long for. It was one thing of her past, hate it though she did, that she could not seem to rid herself of.
“I guess I just didn’t know how much work it was. I like to explore and make friends- adventure makes me happy- but when I’m gone Kaj has to do all the work. I used to come home and see him so stressed and tired. He never looked like the Kaj I remembered. So we talked, and I stay home more now… I try to be good and help him. Still… I can’t help but stand by the borders sometimes and wonder what I’m missing out on.” With a frown, she caught Ophelia’s eye, wondering what response might come out of her wizened mouth.
Ophelia wondered if her admission of "that sounds nice" was honest or not, but she didn't want to pry this time. She could not say that she had ever paid particular attention to the stones in that area, but her memories served her well. There were, indeed, colorful rocks all around the Heart of Helovia, and she wondered about this mare's creations. She shook her head. She had not been in the Seer's Cave in the Aurora Basin to see the blue-tinted scorpion. "No, I have not," she replied honestly. "I am sure they look lovely."
From the way she spoke, it was obvious that this mare was a born creator. Ophelia paused in her steps, waiting for Kahlua to go back to her basket. A tiny, whirring creature crawled up into her forelock. It smelled of metal and strange that she had never experienced before, but she reserved any words. Some things were better to be curious about. As they walked side by side, she listened to Kahlua speak.
The did not interrupt and weighed her words with heavy consideration before speaking again. Ophelia understood the feeling of being tethered by responsibility and unable to escape, especially being a lead. She nodded, trying to organize her thoughts and her feelings as they commingled. Finally, she thought that she had something useful to say.
"I was one the leader of the Foothills," she said, thinking. "Though the responsibility of leading so many lives was difficult and one that my sister and I argued on at times. I received some valuable advice then from Hellena, advice that I took to heart." She smiled softly.
"Hellena told me that if I could not be happy for myself, then I had to be happy for Tinek." The dragon chirped. "I learned that in order to do that, I had to give up my position and do something for myself. While I did not know how to balance then, I made my choice and I know that it was the right one." Ophelia looked up at the sky for a moment, watching Tinek bound between the trees.
"Obviously you care, but you have to care about yourself too. You have to make yourself happy, have to have freedom. If relationships are shackles, set yourself free. That, and you can delegate to your herd." She suggested. "If your herd falls apart because you are gone, that does not fall on you.
Undertow has come to take me. Guided by the blazing sun. Look at everything around us. Look at everything we've done.
Please. Anyone. I don't think I can save myself. I'm drowning.
Though they had just met, Kahlua felt infinitely comfortable in the presence of this wise, white mare. There was something about her gentle manner, her sage words, and her temperate voice that made the Sunshower feel like she was talking to a sister instead of a stranger. Perhaps it was the way the Ophelia did not seem to judge as Kahlua shared her troubles and her woes, her worries and her sorrows, entirely absorbed in her own world, disregarding any distress that Ophelia might have been in herself.
More crystalline words fell from the Forsaken’s mouth, perhaps just a reiteration of what she had said before, but Kahlua often needed a second explanation. Slowly, painfully so, the words began to make sense in her mind. Of course, she couldn’t agree with everything. The idea of being happy to make someone else happy… well, that was one of the myriad reasons she dare not have children. Indeed, she had been frightened to death upon receiving Khan’s egg that he would be as much a child as any foal. At least her dragon had proven to be curious and independent, hardly relying on her except for companionship.
As for relationships… she did not know how to explain her fear. She loved being around other horses. She loved being the center of attention, the life of the party, the light in the darkness… It was the idea of more that scared her- whatever that more might be.
“Thank you,” she said abruptly as Khan took back to flight, flapping until he could glide above the canopy of the trees. “For listening… and understanding.” She wasn’t sure if she was ready to let herself be free yet. She did love the Edge and as much as she loved exploring she feared not having a home to travel back to at the end of the day. Besides that, the herd had been entrusted to her by the Moon Goddess. Could she really disappoint the deity by leaving? Not yet… she was not ready. Someday, perhaps.
Finally, though, the painted queen was ready to turn the focus from herself. She had shared her worries and her struggles. “What did you do after you left your herd?” she queried gently. Perhaps it was an invasive question, but the simple woman thought of it as conversation rather than prying. “How did you make yourself happy… for Tinek?”
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