KAHLUA

The weight of the cart on the queen’s shoulders was as heavy as the weight of her troubled soul. The harness around her body was loose, having been made for a body larger than her own, but Kahlua felt like she was suffocating in its grasp anyways. The leather straps wrapped themselves around her the same way that fear, anxiety, and depression had been clawing their way into her heart. She had never wanted this, but KAJ had asked her… how could she say no?

As she pulled onwards, Kahlua found herself content with something to concentrate on besides the destruction she was walking towards. The cart wheels catching on rocks distracted her from the doubts she had. Still, war was difficult to forget entirely. The metal armor she wore was foreign to her and she disliked the way it rubbed, so cold and uncomfortably, against her skin. She only had it on because KAJ and ARCHIBALD had insisted that she wear it. On a whim of her own, Kahlua had decided to cover the armor with the wolf skin cape that THRANDUIL had gifted her. Pulling trade goods to the Falls would provide little in the way of surprise if the peaceful queen showed up looking battle ready.

Within the glass cart, Kahlua had placed a wide array of objects. A glass harness DRAGOMIR had crafted, her metal music box and scorpion, her glass basket, various colored feathers, a selection of plants from RESPLENDENCE’S garden, and a few chunks of glass from the Edge’s wall all rode along. Had she actually been on a mission to trade, Kahlua would have done quite well for herself. Of course, the very thought made the painted woman frown and her eyes begin to mist.

Shaking her head to try and clear her thoughts, the queen looked left and right to see ARCHIBALD and THRANDUIL (disguised as MIDAS). It hardly helped. THRANDUIL had claimed to be her enemy, she had history with him, history with MIDAS, and not enough history with ARCHIBALD to help calm her down. Even so, it was likely better that she was with RESPLENDENCE, or ALYSANNE, or BRISA… would the queen have been able to tell them that she asking them to do was right, or would she have fallen to tears and begged for forgiveness? At least there was the small consolation that she did not have to be queen in this moment. She was simply a follower, stepping where ARCHIBALD led her.

In the end, it didn’t matter. Reservations or not, leader or follow, the queen would arrive, as she did now, at the border of the Hidden Falls. “Hello, friends!” she called out after ARCHIBALD, trying to be cheery, to forget what was going to happen, to ignore the way the scar on her left hip was twinging with memories of the last invasion she had accidentally involved herself in… but try as she liked, her efforts were in vain. Her voice had not been as steady, or loud, or natural as she hoped it would be. She just couldn’t make it so. At ARCHIBALD’S indication, the queen shook the harness from her body, stepping out and leaving the cart to stand unmanned behind her. In many ways, dropping the harness was like untying the last thread that had been holding the queen together.

Her knees began to shake, her eyes began to water, and she began pacing wildly. “Oh gods,” she whispered to herself, choking on the words as they came out of her mouth. Her mind whirled, searching for some escape from this capture. Attempting to find a better solution to this war could not stop the wheels that had already been set in motion. She was here, simply a pawn in a war caused by the Lady Moon herself. Even now, though, Kahlua could not hate the goddess that had given her so much.

ARCHIBALD’S sudden stomp nearly knocked the queen over, but at least it drew her mind back to the reality of what was happening. She had a job to do… for her herd. Reluctantly, Kahlua lit a nearby rock with her magic, using its glow to brighten the dusky sky and alert the other factions that hers was attacking. Then, with one final breath, she began to wander forward, hoping (or perhaps more accurately, dreading) to find someone that had come to greet her travelling caravan; admittedly, finding a horse would be difficult with her vision so obscured by the tears that had continued to form in her eyes. Thus, it was left for Khan to act first. Swooping low around Kahlua, the drake began to blow short bursts of ice from his mouth, daring anyone to come near his bonded, lest they suffer his wrath.

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:: Word count- 798

:: Kahlua follows ARCHIBALD and THRANDUIL (disguised as MIDAS) to the Hidden Falls

:: Kahlua is wearing the following armor, covered by her wolf skin hide:
:: [Item: Armor | lightweight, full-body armor crafted by the Dragon's Throat forgers]
:: [Restrictions | Non-magical item]
:: [Item: Wolf Hide | Medium Size] (Given to her by Thranduil)
:: [Restrictions | Cannot be used in battle]

:: Kahlua pulls the World’s Edge glass cart with the World’s Edge leather harness, removing herself from the harness once she reaches the Falls border
:: The cart contains a variety of items, to appear as though the Edge has come to trade with the Falls

:: Kahlua used the following magic to create 1 large rock item, to alert all factions so that they can attack together:
:: [Magic: Earth x Shock | Can infuse rocks with electricity to create permanent light sources from them]
:: [Restrictions: Can only create 1 large item (lights to 20m), 2 medium items (lights 8-10m) or 3 small items (lights 2-3m) per season]

:: Kahlua enters the Falls but does not attack. Khan (her companion) begins to blow his frostbreath in short bursts while flying around Kahlua

the sunshower