#varaelian

[varae-ver-you-are]

I've been in a very Van mood the last few weeks and I kinda sometimes forget I can post stuff to Tumblr other than my queue. :3

Local bastard finds moving on can bring happiness, more at 11.

[varae-ver-you-are]

I was choking in the crowd                          Living my brain up in the cloud             Falling like ashes to the ground        Hoping my feelings, they would drown But they never did, ever lived, ebbing and flowing

[varae-ver-you-are]

A song had been sung, calling loudly and angrily from across the isles that floated high above Abalathia. It resounded in the mind of the one who could hear it, trying to drown it out with all he could, but finding no luck, only misery in it’s deep anger.

Night fell, though it seemed almost the same as the day in brightness, the green hue of the sky unchanging and the stars barely dotted the black that peeked through the clouds. From on high he descended, down onto the rocks that once resembled someone’s home.

Through the pall of grief he walked, standing finally before the singer and for the first time, truly afraid, “Why have you called me here?”

“Why hast thou returned? What further misery couldest thee inflict upon these devastated lands?” Tiamat scowled, looking to the elf that stood before her.

“I am not here to disturb this place, merely to keep those who would do harm to the world from reaching their goals.”

“Were thou not a puppet of thy maker's delight? Clad in scale and feather to lookest alike to mine own kin, only to betray thine own kind in cold blood and destroy all before thee. Why wouldst thou seek to stop the destruction thy so keenly sought to bring upon the world of eld?”

Varaelian glanced away from her, holding his arms tightly, “I had no choice in what I did, as you put it best, a puppet. You would hold this against me, even now?”

“Thou hath brought misery and death in thy wake, abomination, and now ye seeketh peace?” Her words burned into his mind, only to be returned with a scowl and anger upon the younger dragon’s face.

“I have left it behind, all of it. I am not the creature I was! I cannot take back what has happened, old one. I cannot restore the dead to life or return your beloved to you. Perhaps losing mine to His shade was the punishment I had to endure for the pain I caused. The past is behind me and you, Tiamat.”

“If thou wouldst seek redemption, look to they who hath come before thou, and upon their faces and deeds, their kin, and find redemption in thine actions, abomination. Find redemption in action and deed.”

He closed his eyes and away his elven form went and before her stood a silent drake, head lowered, “I am sorry for what had happened and I know it is beyond forgiving.”

“Go, abomination, prove thy words are more than empty banter.”

[varae-ver-you-are]

“What are you thinking, Varaelian? You’ve been uncharacteristically quiet since running into that man.”

Varaelian sat with his hands in his lap with his legs dangling over the edge of a cliff and the backs of his armored ankles clinking against the rocky face, “I’m not sure how to take that, Vae.”

“You’re never this quiet unless you’re asleep and even then, I wonder how Tyllanthus tolerated your terrible snoring.”

The lord shot his head up, glancing through the clouds that were scattered across a green-tinted sky, “I don’t snore.”

“That’s what you’re going to take away from this?!”

He couldn’t help but chuckle, “I never had much love for the Free Companies. I refuse to leave the fate of the world in the hands of sellswords and their love of money. I suppose seeing someone with such conviction over their beliefs, such excitement for their cause – It’s different. The Grand Companies are run by fools who don’t see past today, and we need to look to tomorrow. A tomorrow that could be snatched away the same way all over again.”

“The Riskbreakers, hm? Are you sure you should place any sort of trust into them? They are just another band of sellswords.”

“I don’t have to, I just have to make sure they get out alive and then leave Azys Lla. I can’t watch over this place forever—well, I can, but I don’t want to—and they would help rid this place of Garleans. After a good assault on the Castrum, they are like to leave it behind.”

“Lest you forget, they do have a very large airship, larger even than the Argius.”

“I’m no fool and I have no plans on taking it on. I need you to trust me, Vae. Believe in me.”

“I do believe in you, you big idiot. Ryuugan wishes you luck as well, and hopes to see you home soon. Good luck."

Van smiled, “Tell him I miss him, I’m thinking of him, and I’ll be home soon.” With a tap, his linkpearl shut off with a whir. He took a deep breath and let it out through his nose, “The Riskbreakers, let’s see what you can do.” He whispered to the wind, letting it blow the air from his face as his hands pushed forward and falling into the whispy clouds.

[varae-ver-you-are]

Songs of Drakes and Men

The canopy of the Shroud was illuminated by the lightning that crackled overhead and spread across the clouds as a spider’s web along green branches. Storms came and went in the deeps of these woods like clockwork. The boughs offered little in the way of shelter from the rain and the water seemed to drip right into each feather, soaking all the way to scaled skin.

Each boom of thunder proved frightening and a reminder of what he had fled. There was no going back, but exhaustion landed him here and now, there was nothing he could do but shiver and cry out in the rain, hoping for an answer that would never come.

Day in and out of warm sun and a gentle breeze, and nights filled with moonlight and stars that shimmered down from the heavens and so the day cycled with not a note sang back to him. He laid amongst the leaves and flowers, tucked close and away from where wandering eyes might come across him. In his tiredness, he closed his golden eyes, dozing away until he heard a soft note, drawing closer until he could nearly hear the breath of the player against his ear.

His words were foreign and for a short time, unknown. He hadn’t the energy to move or fight, surrendering to the idea that if he were to die, let it be here amongst the green and peace of a faraway place. Instead of a sword, it was a hand that touched his head, brushing away the leaves that had been caught in his feathered crest.

“A dragon? Here?”

He cracked open one golden eye, looking to the stranger who had interrupted his dozing off. There was no roaring to get him to leave, just a harsh stare. What sort of pointed-ear creature could this be? Questions he couldn’t yet ask or answer, but this kind stranger presented before him a collection of snacks from his satchel, nuts and berries and something that looked like a white rock.

“I know this is not what you would eat, but here.”

It didn’t look all to appealing, not like the prey he had torn asunder before, but with an empty stomach, almost anything would have been good, even the rocks and grass that he laid on. He munched on what could be a few fruits and something soft and spongey that he could have sworn tasted like grass.

The curious man kept a watch on the drake, “I thought dragons had scales and leather wings. Feathers seems a little out of the ordinary.” His pale hand shifted through the feathers atop his head and took a moment to stand and walk around, finding a tail that swept from side to side, covered in feathers until the spiked end. His attention was caught at the noise belonging to a stomach of a still hungry dragon, “You are not the strangest thing in these woods, I promise you.” He chuckled, trying to push the rock away from where the beast had been hiding only to be growled at and stopped.

And again, he began to sing as he settled in to rest, missing the man by only a few inches with his tail as it was swung around to coil inwards.

“It was you.” The red-haired elf nearly shouted, retrieving his flute from his satchel, “I’ve been looking for you!”

This mattered little, as he couldn’t truly understand, just acknowledge his excitement with a snort and closing of his eyes. It wasn’t until the flute began again that his head shot up, making the elf stumble backwards and stop. He wasn’t upset, but instead looked rather surprised at this sound, something that mirrored his own singing. This person was not like him – having no scales or feathers, no talons and claws – so why was he singing in response? This drew him from where he was hiding, standing tall and towering over him, head canted to the side until he reached down and plucked him from where he was still fallen on the grass.

He meant no harm. A ‘please don’t eat me’ was muttered over and over until he was sitting up and a dragon’s face was only a few inches from his own, “O-Oh. Hello.” And it lowered and backed away, curiously looking at him as he got to his feet and cleared his throat, “My name is Tyllanthus.” Clearly this wasn’t going to work. He tapped his foot and patted his chest, “Tyllanthus.”

Odd name for a creature that could have been food.

@tiptopturnip

[varae-ver-you-are]

He had seen so much. In a way, he was grateful for such a gift. He closed his eyes and he could see time stretched out as a road he could easily walk down and stop along. He could see each moment as if he was reliving it all over again. He could see the moments he held so dear to his heart.

He could see the ones that caused him pain, that replayed to shame him over and over. He could see the lives of each person as if they had already lived them.

And yet, in this moment he chose to live. This moment, where his beloved husband was, sleeping and dreaming of something that may have involved the work he did, or maybe the future they had always wanted. In this moment, he sat awake, watching Kirian sleep ever-so peacefully.

A fire crackled softly in the hearth nearby, not loud enough to stir the sleeping spellbreaker, but enough to be of a sort of comfort to a sleepless dragon. Morning would soon be upon them again, but he’d choose to enjoy this sleepless night.

The happiness Kirian afforded him, the bliss that came to his life from the friends like Tevruden and Feiyn, and the joy that came from his daughter, Tylla, had brought him to this moment. A house had become a home. Loneliness had given way to company and the pain that had once been a part of every aspect of his life, was put behind him.

It didn’t mean forgetting it, it meant letting go of something he could never hope to change. It meant forgiveness in what didn’t need to be forgiven for and it meant embracing what he was, not hiding it under layers of sarcasm and fear.

This was happiness. This was what it meant to be whole and now he had no reason to fear, to be afraid or reckless. This is what he had wanted-- this moment, this life.

Peace, love and happiness. Varaelian didn’t have to look anymore, it was his.

[varae-ver-you-are]

Warm Thoughts

The seasons rarely changed within Eversong, even the most beautiful of trees would see some of their leaves fall in bright glistening orange and red, only to be replaces soon after by the familiar glow of golden leaves.

The weather grew a little colder, but nothing a blanket or extra layer couldn’t cover. This was his favorite time of year. The time to feel the cool northern air on his face while he rode through the woods, riding as fast as his steed could carry him.

“Varaelian! Slow down!” Kirian called, “I’m not racing you!”

The knight had forgotten himself again and brought his horse to a stop, looking behind him, “I am just excited! I have something special for you!”

Kirian caught up, the two of them prancing ahead at a steady pace, hearing the leaves crackle under hooves, “What could be so special that you race ahead?”

“You’ll see.” Soon enough, the sound of the ocean came into the distance and they met the setting sun at the treeline, “Here we are!”

Kirian looked around, “It’s the ocean, Van. I thought you said you didn’t know how to swim.”

A sigh escaped him and Van reached over, grabbing Kirian’s reins with his one hand, getting off his own horse to walk along a small trail.

A campfire burned softly with blankets placed neatly against a tree and a spread of delicious food stuffs next to it, “What is all this?” Kirian looked to his husband for answers, only to receive a smile as Van offered his hand to help him down from his horse.

“A retreat.”

It was a more than welcome sight. The air had begun to cool again and the sun began to set over the tranquil azure coast before them. The chill led Varaelian to open one of the blankets and wrap it around the two of them, leaning back against the tree with its falling orange leaves, “It’s that time of year again.”

“So it is.”

@drabblechallenge

[varae-ver-you-are]

It was an odd shame. For a long time now, it had been hidden under millennia of grief and drone-like watching of a world that he once belonged in. Even now with the freedom of a new life licking at his heels, he still felt ashamed of himself.

It was in that drone-like state that Varaelian had found himself once more, staring out his office window, the glow of the Eversong mid-day sun fresh on his skin. He watched as birds danced between the trees and flew above the holes in the canopy, singing their sweet song and enjoying the breeze between their feathers.

It was so natural to them. A bird does not fear falling, they trust their wings to carry them, so then why couldn’t he?

Had a thousand-thousand years clipped his? Walking the sands was easier than trying to spread out within a cramped cave. It chewed at him, remembering only what Abragos had told him, “It is a part of you.”

It only seemed to anger him further, forcing him to swipe a hand across his desk and knock a bottle of wine to the floor, smashing it in the process, his eyes flaring blue and slit in rage. He had more courage trusting Arenthiel’s powerful wings than his own, taking her into battle seemed as second nature. Seeing the sky upon her back and feeling the wind upon his face was joy indescribable.

Van couldn’t even look at the mess he had made on the floor, ignoring it and instead moving toward his couch, falling face first into it with a long groan and child-like whine.