Weeds are flowers too,
once you get to know them.

Returning from the Heart Caves, Rexanna decided that staying a day or so in the Thistle Meadow would be a great way to relieve some stress. Though, she was wrong for the most part. As she waltzed her way through the trees covered in gentle layers of snow, she stumbled over a hidden tree root, tripping and colliding with a nearby tree. A gasp had escaped her lips as she stepped back from the tree, shaking her head violently, cringing under the pain that she felt across her brow.

As she regained her posture and fought the thudding pulse in her head, she staggered herself away from the tree, cursing obscenities beneath her breath with slightly closed eyes. She sighed, walking her way to the river that slipped into the meadow, lowering her head for a drink – hoping that the chill of the waters would help keep the pain from growing in her skull. She stood there for many moments, drinking in and pressing her face into the chilly water, noticing the sunset as it reflected in the moving water.

But then something was wrong.

Her blue eyes widened as she looked upon her reflection, dropping down to her knees and pressing her muzzle around, doing her best to gaze into the water below. The Thief had managed to lose the gift she had received from the Elephant King. She felt her heart drop, her chest grow tight; wondering just what Tembovu would think if he saw her without her gift. Would all her chances be over with him? Or would that just cement the fact of them never getting together after all?

What she didn’t realize is that when she collided with the tree, her chains had been trapped by a low hanging branch and inevitably FLUNG somewhere within the Meadow. And yet, here she was, frantic in searching through the water – extending an ashen tipped leg into the frozen waters, pawing at the earth below searching for any sort of glint of light. Praying that she hadn’t lost it forever.

When she couldn’t see the glint of the gold, she stepped back from the water, eyes wide and heart beating loudly as she turned her head to the left and then to the right, unsure where the chains could have gone. In her frantic frenzy, the pain in her headache was gone, but the pain of frustration was growing stronger. “Where could they have gone?”

"Talk?"

Weeds are flowers too,
once you get to know them.

She paced and paced, wondering where the hell the chains could have gone in such a short amount of time. Her stomach began to churn with a sickening feeling of losing a gift that she held so near to her. Her eyes darting around until a figure caught her attention. The shadow was young and accompanied with a bear? She tilted her head slightly, wondering if this companion was his own. Being a mother now, she wouldn’t have minded a companion that could definitely keep her son safe. A bear, a lion, a tiger, whatever was giant and could make sure that no one could harm Rein.

He shouted to her and she offered him a small half hearted smile. Not wanting to stay around and chat while she had to search for her chains. He stopped near her and she watched briefly as his face shifted into something that seemed more worried. “Oh uh… Miss? Are you okay?” She heard him say. The Thief began to frown slightly. “Oh, I’m fine. I’ve just seemed to lose something very precious to me.” Her voice rang to him with a saddened hint in her tones. She didn’t know if he would be willing to help her, but she knew that if he wanted to stay and chat that he wouldn’t get further than her name.

She moved away from him briefly, tail flickering against the snowy grounds. Her face growing slightly red against the cream from her collision with the tree prior. The pulsating feeling growing in her brow made it become harder for her to think and she frowned a bit more. “It’s got to be around here somewhere.” She grumbled, half under her breath before turning back to the new face. “I’d love to stay and chat but I really need to find this. Unless you’re willing to help?” She questioned, tilting her head. Hoping that he might actually be able to help her find the Elephant King’s gift. In amidst her growing headache and judgement, she let her eyes fall on the bear companion for mere moments. She didn’t even think to contemplate if the creatures here would harm her. His cheery demeanor suggested against it, but she wasn’t really sure who she could definitively trust anymore. She hoped she wasn’t wrong.

"Talk?"

Weeds are flowers too,
once you get to know them.

Within her rush of trying to find the lost chains, she listened to the yearling. Her eyes drifting away from the companion as he spoke. “Wonderful! They look just like this one here on my horn.” She lowered her head to him, pointing the horn away in case the space between them was cut short. She really didn’t feel like stabbing a child today. Rexanna lifted her head back up to smile at him. “Except it has three loops!” She nodded along with her words, before glancing back to the bear. In which, the yearling noticed her lingering eyes and spoke of the creature beside him.

The Thief nodded to the bear as she learned of his name. “Oh how wonderful. Murtagh! That’s a great name.” She smiled to the colt before turning her attention over to where she had ran into the tree. “We could start over there? I, well… I tripped over a tree branch and ran into a tree. So it might be somewhere over there?” She questioned, wondering if that was even a good place to start.

She turned to face it, jumping on her hooves briefly in her quickness. Her legs ached slightly with the remembrance of her tripping, and her head ached from the dance with the bark of the tree. Her eyebrows furrowed before she trotted over to the trees, looking up into the branches. Thinking that perhaps since she had tripped and seemed to jump, perhaps they flung themselves into the branches above. “They’re not very big, but they should be pretty shiny against the snow I would imagine.” She spoke to Murtagh, turning her head to look upon him with a curious gleam in her eye.

She needed to find the chains. Her chest was tight with a feeling of life or death when it came to these stupid little trinkets. She’d wear them as long as she could. She hoped that it would be a sign of her continued dedication to the Elephant King. Even though they were just little decorative trinkets, she felt like her whole life with Tembovu resided in each little golden chain link. And perhaps it did, but she was attached to them. She felt bare and naked without them. If she couldn’t find them, she’d be heartbroken.

"Talk?"

Weeds are flowers too,
once you get to know them.

“Don’t worry Rexanna! We’ll find them!” Rexanna flashed a gleaming smile to Murtagh as he bounded off to search for her chains. She did the same, swaying away from the colt in search for the glittering gold chains. Her head hovered over the ground, searching near the water just in case she missed the fact that she possibly did manage to drop them into the water like a careless idiot. Her ashen hooves used for pawing away snow in case they got buried somehow. And yet, she was still unsuccessful.

But then the colt spoke again, a muffled sound full of something. That very something might have even been her chains. Her head lifted immediately in a rush, her singular chain flying with such a movement. Her eyes scanned the area in search of the ashen child with a mane and tail made of onyx and blood. She spotted him over the glistening snow, tugging on something. Something rather large. She began to head over to his direction, a walk turning into a trot and then a canter as she approached with swiftness. “Yes!” She exclaimed, seeing the golden chain within his lips. But then he continued to pull, and more of the chain continued.

And he pulled again, and it continued again!

Her brows furrowed, curious but also saddened. When he managed to pull the whole of the chains out from the tree’s grasp, she looked at them with a glint in her eye. “Well, actually… No. These aren’t them, but they look exactly like this, just smaller. We should keep these though, theyre really quite beautiful.” She smiled to the colt, hoping that he wouldn’t ask of the possibility of them being someone else’s. Because now that they had been found, she was planning on definitely keeping them herself.

Her smile began to falter again, head swiveling to the very tree she rammed into again, peaking at the tracks she had made in her attempt of going from that single tree to the water. She didn’t see anything there, so they must have been around where she tripped. She trotted over to the tree again, rearing up on her hind legs. Letting her ashen hooves clash against the bark of the tree as her head craned forth to peer into the mesh of tree branches.

"Talk?"

Weeds are flowers too,
once you get to know them.

Her heartbreak was slowly growing in size as the time passed between the colt’s words. She could’ve laughed at his comment if it weren’t for the shattering feeling she carefully held within her breast. “A little extra shine isn’t so bad.” She gave him a nod from her distance before busying herself again. Searching for something yet nothing all the same. She felt as though she was chasing the past, and perhaps after all of this effort that the past would need to be let go. It wasn’t worth all the heartbreak searching for the possibility just to lose them again in the end.

Or worse.

What if he wanted them back?

She withdrew into herself, a once proud golden Thief returning to her slaven ways. Curled up within herself, hoping that perhaps something would be able to put out the misery of losing everything she had to offer. Before when she lost her golden chains on her route to Helovia, she wasn’t upset over it. They were chains given to her by the Prince, a thing once to be proud of. But his orange eyes still burned within her, hidden away beyond chambers and locks. Gone for stories for another day, or perhaps to never be remembered. Either one would be okay with her.

And yet, the colt struck her attention and took her thoughts away from the Bloody Prince again, the memories flashing back in the most uncomfortable and untimeliest ways. “Well, what about these then?” Her head lifted from her solemn stance, her hooves numbly dragging her across the ground over to the crimson dipped colt. Her eyes lit up and all the memories of the Blood Prince and a disappointed Elephant King began to wash away with the relief that spread through her body.

“Murtagh! These ARE them!” She exclaimed, dancing on her front hooves briefly, landing to reach her head down to press her exotic lined face against the neck of the colt in an overwhelmingly thankful manner. She hoped he would accept and perhaps help her reattach them as well as the other golden chains that tangled his body.

"Talk?"

Weeds are flowers too,
once you get to know them.

His excitement warmed Rexanna’s heart at finding the chains, and he graciously accepted her offer of gently touching his neck – to which, he returned the favor with an affectionate nuzzle along her own neck. It reminded her of Rein in a way, and began to pang a bit of worry within her breast. She hoped her son was getting along well with the crafters while she was away. Was she such a terrible mother to leave the child with her herd while she spent time away? She couldn’t help it, she was tired of being stuck in the same spot for too long. And he was just too adventurous to join her. At least that’s what she told herself. She was just simply worried of getting him hurt and being unable to help him.

And yet, the colt before her attached the chains as her head hovered above the ground before stepping back to examine the work he’d done. Rexanna’s lips curled into a smile and she lifted her head, allowing the golden chains to slide across her brow in a familiarity that she missed. And yet, she watched him nearly tripping over himself as his legs tangled with golden chains she adored. “Oh here! These ones too. They’re too heavy for me.” Her smile grew gently as she reached over, her long neck allowing her head to hover above the chains. She gripped them within her teeth, tugging with him to help release him. Then knelt down into the snow, lowering herself fully to the ground to allow for Murtagh’s help with attaching these chains.

Instead of happiness from being gilded once more, she felt a feeling of almost disdain. Lifting herself to her hooves once more, she turned her head to examine the chains. Nearly identical chains that Cal had given her. Nevertheless, despite her sudden fear, she turned her head back to Murtagh and offered him a nod. “It’s almost like they were made for me.” A giggle escaped her lips, trying to force happiness where it began to crumble away once again before turning her gaze away from the lavender ones from the colt to look for his bear. “Thank you again Murtagh. And if you ever need any help or want to visit the Basin, just ask for me. I owe you!” She admitted, dipping her crowned head to the colt once more before turning away from him, feeling her heart shiver with the feeling of the cold chains as they moved around her.

"Talk?"