Essetia & Romul

I needed to calm down, you’re way too bold to love

She had eyes of sooty amber. They were painted with depth and curiosity, wisdom and understanding… But what did they see when she looked at me? What could they tell from the storm that raged behind my wild eyes? What could she determine from the way Romul stood guard over the temple ruins that were me? They were all questions that kept my mind from straying too far from the Diviner and all her oddities. A priestess with tiger stripes the color of rust, threaded in the faintest traces of red –of blood- and deep brown, with peculiar wings to match… She was quite extravagant and heavily decorated for a holy servant of the Gods. But it made me wonder if they’d foreseen my plight and sent the priestess to my aid. Maybe they’d warned her of how this casualty of war would come to find her way to the Throat. Then again, I hoped she was just as blind as the rest of us… I hoped she was too ignorant to see any more than I allowed.

Of course, I could also appreciate her wit and mild indifference when it came to my unwillingness to amuse her. “Fair enough,” I replied with a grimace. The Diviner certainly appeared to be a mare who kept to her own opinions and judgements, which was quickly becoming something I’d come to characterize her by. However, I wasn’t all too enthused when she thought it smart to question where I’d come from. We’d discussed the importance of trust, but that didn’t mean that I’d give it away so freely… Of course, I didn’t need the Gods condemning me for lying to a member of their counsel. The truth was the truth no matter how much of it was shared. The priestess was lucky enough that I hadn’t openly lied to her yet.

“My story?” I questioned amusedly. “I’m not sure you’ll learn anything of significance from it,” I assured before watching her gaze dance across the sands. It took the mare a moment to consider a plan of action, but she soon invited me to join her upon the dunes that surrounded the Dragon’s Throat and I complied if only to please her. Romul took my consent to be permission to again wander ahead of the Diviner and I, and I watched as he wandered about scouting out strange scents and frequented routes leading up to the water’s edge. “Perhaps it would be best if I knew your name before telling you my story?” I pressed as we began to trail the borders of her home. “I’m sure you understand my hesitation, given we’ve only just met.” It was a statement that carried the weight of an accusation and perhaps the barbs of my defensive nature, but if I had anything at all, it was most certainly a point.

As we ambled down the shore, I watched as the sun grew faint and hazy as if nightfall would come soon enough. But it was something I would welcome after a day spent so close to the desert. I wasn’t sure if I would become accustomed to the boiling temperatures that the land entailed, but I was determined to make it… real. “I’m no one of importance really. I was born in the World’s Edge– surely you’ve heard of it? I didn’t stay there long and have only recently returned to Helovia… Romul was always quite partial to the place,” I supplied with a slight sigh. “Ever since then I’ve been content to roam where I might and sleep where I liked,” I finished curtly. The truth is what you make it and I hadn’t lied…

“What about you? What’s your story?” I questioned nonchalantly. “You said something about an invasion… Did the Dragon’s Throat participate?” I’d managed to insert enough curiosity where it applied and drew enough lines so that the Diviner might be directed away from the subtle brimming anger that threatened to overwhelm me. I hadn’t seen the invasion myself and knew only that the Edge and the Basin had come together… Had the Throat been a part of robbing me of my home in the Falls as well? These were all questions I knew the Priestess could answer.