Myrddin had been born out of the rape of his mother, Phaedra, by a demon. This demon, mad with grief and guilt had sought solace in the only thing his ethereal shape could still take pleasure in - sex. His mother, a devout creature who had lived alone, bore his painful birth alone, and died almost immediately after. Now, uncountably many years later, or at least, Myr's ancient mind could no longer recall how long, he was still troubled by the effects that his demon blood caused.

The old unicorn trudged thoughtfully into the snowy terrain - his old bones creaking almost as much as the frozen earth beneath his weight. Although he hadn't been in these lands long, he knew he would eventually die here - his days of roaming the earth were over. His journey here, had almost been too much. After the annihilation of his entire herd, it took every ounce of willpower he had, not to let himself lay down and die with them. He allowed only his heart to remain with them, to comfort their ghosts. Only his mind remained now - his cold philosophers mind. That is not to say that Myr had become cruel, only that he would never (could never) love again, in any capacity.

The white stallion moved to the waters edge - the sweat from his body rising up in bursts of steam as his temperature cooled. The silence of this place was calming; after having been on his own for several months as he ventured to Helovia, he was too used to being left alone with his own thoughts. Taking a step forward, he allowed the icy water to gently encompass his hooves, and then farther. The colt bit into his flesh, causing a burning sensation to race up into his shoulders. Myr leaned into the pain, and allowed it to overcome the arthritic creaks which had settled into his joints. He let all thoughts flow from his mind, only focusing on the bright white light which filled his mind. Soon, his legs were numb, and the feeling was quickly spreading throughout his old body. He sighed, dropping his head to just above the waters surface, to save his energy which was quickly being sapped by water, and his body's pathetic attempt to keep him warm.

Only now, as his mind emptied and the pain faded away from his consciousness, was Myr about to think clearly. To think about life and death, and what he would do next. deus nivis gratias tibi ego. [I give thanks to the God of Snow] Myr thought. He was not sure which gods presided over these lands, and his ancient mind was too used to the names of the Old Gods to be persuaded to call them something new, but in the end, it was all the same anyways. His body echoed the sentiment, as the biting cold ate away at the arthitric pain which etched his body, leaving only the bright white pain, which he could more easily manage.

. Myr hadn't even heard the youngster approach - his mind was too intertwined with thoughts larger than who it was who might be approaching. Besides, it wasn't as though the mare was stomping along, but rather delicately prancing through the snow.

She asked if he was crazy. Probably he was. You couldn't know the things he did without being a little crazy. However, the mares statement sent ripples of warmth coursing throughout his body, as his mind chuckled at the idea. Feeling pins and needles of re-awakened flesh start to pinch, he lazily opened one, "My dear, this could all be but a dream. And if it were, who would I be to judge if I was crazy, if I couldn't first tell if I were the dreamer, or the dream?"

With a long slow sigh, Myr raised his head, then tucked his muzzle alongside his left shoulder, in a deep bow. His joints creaked and crackled, protesting the greeting, but nevertheless, he pressed himself further until the tip of his gnarled horn broke the waters surface. "Long days and pleasant nights, Sai. I am Myrddin....and looks can be deceiving". He winked as he said this, a mischievous glimmer lighting his dull twilight eyes. He spoke the ancient greeting in a gruff but not unpleasant tone - sounding very much like one who had inhaled far too much smoke, but perhaps could still carry a tune.

Standing up straight, he regarded the mare with great interest, having used to be quite the charmer in his day. He noted the odd flash of emotion in her eyes - concern? Oh he hoped not - he was far too old, to have someone waste their sympathy on him. As specially as one as pretty as the unicorn mare before him. "Now tell me, what is a pretty little thing like you, doing out in a place like this? And please don't break my heart and tell me you're waiting for another..." Myr flicked his large moose-like ears forward, listening as the frost which had formed on the abundance of hair inside them, gently shattered.

.

Myr chuckled as the mare dismissed his suggestion that this was all but a dream - "Ahh. So then perhaps it is my dream, for my old bones find this water to be very good, indeed. Myrddin had never met another who could return his greeting in the way he was accustomed. And may you have twice the number, was typically what followed. Although he wasn't too surprised. Everyone old enough was dead already (or should be), and the younglings had long lost the desire to learn the history of their fathers. No, the young these days wished only to reinvent themselves and be unique, but only a few truly succeeded.

Myr looked at the little unicorn curiously as she rejected his 'flattery' as she so called it. Watched her doubtfully inspect her appearance in the swirling waters, then shoot him a half-hearted scowl, which only succeeded in twanging his heart-strings painfully. He had had a filly like her once - even her strange horns were similar, although his little one had more stag-like points, but many of them in a vertical pattern, as did Sorcha. And the attitude...that's what really did it.

Myrddin stepped back out of the frreezing waters, giving his shocked body time to recover. It was too hard to focus on conversation with the white-hot/cold numbness devouring his thoughts. "I've been recruited, I suppose you'd say. To the Edge? The herds are all the same - they all have their thoughts and their flawed philosophies. They all seek the same things, but call them different names. I will aid them as best I can, for I know things that can only come with age....But you; I'd hasten a guess that you t'wouldn't be bound by a herd or stallion even when you do belong to both." His eyes twinkled with that same mischievous light as earlier, as he looked out across the frozen land, before turning a warm gaze to the unicorn.

"I came out here, because I"m not ready for the introductions and hassle of introducing myself to my new herd. I've been alone a long time now, and I needed to collect myself first before plunging into the world again, as it were. I came here specifically, because the cold takes some of the pain out of my joints. And the water helps me to focus on things more important than the goings-on of my old body. But you Sorcha, have been a pleasant interruption to all that." He had turned his gaze out to the waters again - looking listlessly across them. He hadn't looked at the mare, or added any emphasis at this second 'attempt at flattery', as she would probably think of it, however this was done so unconciously - Myrddin was merely stating fact, in his opinion,regardless of what 'good', the little mare would think it would do him.

Myrddin smiled patiently and nodded through the girls questions, and even her tentative insult, about his gender. "Contrary to popular belief, you as an individual, really cannot do much, and certainly you can't do 'anything', even if you really set your mind to it, as most mares would have their babbies believe. Instead, you need to be at the right place, at the right time in order to affect change. Knowing where and what these places and times will end up being, is information which needs to be garnished from the minds of Kings and blabber-mouths, or those looking to usurp. Those are the tongues that we must pay attention to - and it is only in a herd, that we can listen to these voices. But it doesn't much matter which herd, as I've said, they all amount to the same anyways. However, Mauja, who recruited me ***, seems to have had....certain unspoken ambitions about him. I am very much intrigued by the plotting of others, you know" Myr replied with a satisfactory nod in Sorcha direction.

Myrddin was indeed beginning to like this Unicorn; with her bullshit-free demeanour and odd horned face. He chuckled, his eyes visibly brightening behind his dense eyelashes, and nodded as if she were complimenting him, when she once again called him crazy. "If I am not as crazy as you think, then either I am not as wise as I think, or you have a very poor imagination, indeed, youngling."

Myrddin looked over the horizon, noting that dusk had started to filter in. Looking back to Sorcha, he wondered briefly if it would really take a stallion all that long to entrance her. Certainly in his day, he would have tried. "I plan to find myself a King and win his confidence. Or a Queen, I suppose - but as you've pointed out, men can be quite stupid, which makes manipulating them all the easier. Woman are better allies, for they like to manipulate (he winked at her, as he said this) There is war on the wind - it will come, if it hasn't already. And if it hasn't, it isn't over. I intend to be a part of it. But you, what will you do?" He flicked his long white tail, causing a low snapping sound as he did so, as the course hairs switched direction.

"Oh so you fought of a bear did you?" Myrddin walked a full circle around the little mare, as if to size her up; pausing to look at the scarring she spoke of, finally concluding his inspection with a long look at the sharp set of horns, protruding from her brow. Returning to his original position, he raised a heavily feathered brow and snorted. "Aye, so you fought off a bear, hmm? And what made that an impossible task? Was it the Unicorn blood in your veins, slowing you down? Or perhaps those sharp barbs somehow made the task more difficult? Maybe it was your lady-like demeanor and unwillingness to hurt living creatures, which made the task impossible?" Myrddin shook his old head with amusement. If anyone could fight off a bear, this little mare before him could do so for all the reasons he listed - her heritage, her horns, and her personality. She was not weak, and yet the picture she painted seemed to suggest that overcoming the bear was quite a feat, somehow. Interesting. "Besides young-one, the fact that you did fight off the bear, proves that it was not in fact, an impossible task, only proving my point" He winked at her after saying this, rather smugly, though not arrogantly.

Myrddin furrowed his brow as he thought of the war, and what place he might play. "Wars are fought for the same reasons - for broken ideals held too highly by those who wish to think they are right. I think you're right to attribute this war to racisim, although I think the racism has been derived from one or two negative experiences, which has turned into a widespread hatred. (shrug) I will stand with the Unicorns, for now that I have some stake in seeing them win, so that I can continue to call the Edge my home, I shall see them to victory, if I can."

Perhaps it was the demon blood which coursed through his veins, but Myrddin really did like war. It was a dangerous game that his old mind was still fit enough to play - a game where physical strength (now his weakness), could be overcome by guile and experience.