i am a leaf on the wind

Months had passed since she’d first stepped foot in the Threshold. Everything had been so different then. It’d been her and Adelene, running for their lives. Away from home, away from the rebellion and the bloodshed. Her brother and parents were dead, and though thoughts of them crept into her head constantly, there was no looking back. Not really. She couldn’t return to Morham. The teal in her hair and on her wings would give her away in a second. The mark of royalty, of a dynasty that the rebels wanted wiped from this earth.

But here, she was nothing. Here, she was plain and simple and no one really noticed her. Not that she was neglected here or anything. But no one had heard of Morham, and she never really admitted who she once was. Not that it would matter here. That was the beauty of it. She was a princess once, yes. But there were plenty of those around here, and her heritage meant little. No one needed to murder her in order to keep a throne in Helovia. And therefore, she was safe. She could no longer even call the wind to her.
 
She was truly nothing; a thought that she found more freeing than sad.
 
Still, it was strange for the once princess, who knew her place in life and had plenty to keep her occupied each day, to now have almost nothing to do. She’d joined the Edge and found herself welcomed with open arms, and decided to join the healers. That seemed like something she would be good at, and she’d soon be on her way with Tilney for their first task. But she has some time to spare, and feeling a bit more confident than she has in the past few months, decides to venture back to the Threshold.
 
This time, she is the one that has a home to offer. A home that had given her a reason to live, when she’d had nothing at all. It seemed only right for her to spread the word. She flies, covering the distance between the Edge and the Threshold somewhat quickly, though trying to stay low enough to the trees to avoid the worst of the bitter cold air. Still, she’s grateful when she comes to the beginning of the woods, landing quickly and tucking her black and teal wings to her side for warmth. She slips into the trees, grateful for the break in wind provided by the trees, though it’s still chilly.
 
The sound of a Hello? nearby catches her attention, and Lyanna turns her path in that direction, figuring it’s as good a place to start as any. She finds a mare covered in a blanket of stars, white mane cascading down her shoulders. If anyone could remind Lyanna that here she was plain, it would be this mare. Not that Lyanna was jealous or upset by it, but she did sometimes forget. In Morham, her relatively simple coloring had been the most interesting one would find. There are footprints in the dirt, and Lyanna guesses that there’s perhaps someone else lingering just off the path.
 
She nickers slightly as she closes the distance, stopping a polite space away from the other mare, with a nod and smile. “Hello,” she says, though trying to make it clear she realizes that the mare might not have been looking for her. Instead, she adds, “Come out! We won’t bite,” with a nostalgic smile on her face. Her first time here had been so similar, except she’d been the one in the woods keeping clear. This time, she was the one inviting them out. 

watch how i soar.

lyanna

i am a leaf on the wind

The group grows somewhat quickly, as it had when she had been on the other side of this conversation. The number stops at one more though, this one silent and perhaps deadly (though the only thing that makes Lyanna think such is the white skull on her face). The third mare to join remains silent though, and in a moment, there are horns peeking through the trees. Lyanna shifts her attention from the two mares to the horns, which are quickly followed by a rather tiny, adorable stallion. She doesn’t say this aloud, knowing he might not actually like being called adorable. But she can’t help thinking it.

His eyes linger on her for a moment, and while they do, she feels strangely like herself for that time. It is still strange (though also somewhat glorious) to be overlooked. After all, she was raised a princess, and everyone stopped and bowed and watched her go. She was raised in a land where the strangest coloring was her own, a mark of her family’s line. Here though, she is nothing. And she doesn’t miss the attention really (it’s safer for her anyway to go unnoticed). But still, there’s something pleasant about feeling like she’s not worthless either. 

His gaze turns though to the last mare, and then he introduces himself, voice rather loud for his smaller size. He drops his forehead, presenting it to all three of them before stepping closer to her, forehead nearly touching her nose. She’s not entirely sure what she’s supposed to do here. Perk of being a princess, she knows there are other customs for greetings. She’d learned them all, and been well rehearsed whenever visiting dignitaries came. But she has no idea where he’s from, and here, she’s so far from home that she doubts she would have learned the customs of his herd anyway. 

Instead, she crossed the distance, figuring maybe a gentle touch will work. She sniffs a bit as well, figuring one of these two things might be right and hoping she didn’t just manage to offend him in the process. “Lyanna,” she offers, pulling back and hoping to cover any guffaw with her introduction instead. “It’s a pleasure to meet you as well. “ The starlit mare has already introduced herself as well, and asked the question Lyanna is wondering. She doesn’t know Helovia well enough to know what all the herds smell like, so she can’t even guess. Instead, she waits to see what his answer is, quickly figuring out that it’s custom to save the recruiting for a few more moments.

How strange, this recruiting thing is. She’d never actually done it before, so instead, she takes her cues from the other, hoping mostly not to make a total fool out of herself. And to perhaps make a friend in the cute stallion. She could use a few of those around here. 

watch how i soar.

lyanna

i am a leaf on the wind

There’s a reason Corbin always told her she’d make a terrible warrior. There’s no part of her that’s worried when the stallion drops his head toward her. Lyanna doesn’t see antlers pointed at her face, she simply sees someone saying hello. Unlike the mare with the skill painted face. One of these days, her all too trusting nature is probably going to get her killed, or at least get an eye gouged out. Particularly here, given that she had absolutely zero powers to speak of a very little fighting skills without the wind to aid her.

Lyanna listens as the other mare simply dives in, offering the Hidden Falls as her home, and storing away for later how very different recruiting approaches were. So at least she knows she can come up with her own style. Not that she knows what that is here. Life is still so different from Morham, and she still feels like a fish out of water. She keeps trying to change that, but it’s not really working out for her all that well. Sometimes she can’t help but wonder if Helovia will manage to be home. Sometimes she simply wonders if she’ll ever have a place to call home again. 

There’s something about the way the deer-like stallion looks at her though that takes the worries away. She would admit, if asked, not in the same way that Apollo can make all the worries go away, but because to him, she isn’t foreign and worthless. To him, she actually knows something, and she could help him. It’s the only thing she really knows how to do, help others. Well, knew. She was great at that in Morham. Here, usually all she could do was keep someone company till another horse came around. But she tried. One day, she hoped to do more.

“No,” she says after his question, and there’s a tinge of sorrow in her words. “I’m from the World’s Edge,”  she offers instead, adding, “But if you are interested in seeing that as well, I would love to show you.”

ooc: gah, so sorry for the wait, work ate my life for two weeks

watch how i soar.

lyanna