[Archived]The Gentle Waves

[ThatWeirdGirl 432]

The city was silent, the only sounds coming from the ocean as waves crashed against the rocks. She was alone, the silver haired Mali’ker off making the last few adjustments to his contraption and the allied armies not arrived. Not even the birds chirped, hiding in the green leaves as they watched with black, beady eyes.

 

Solaria wondered when they would turn against the city, when they would start attacking. Soon, she predicted. It had to be soon now, she could feel it down in her bones as she brushed her hands against the walls of an empty home. She was alone, at least for a while.

 

She wandered down the streets, brow furrowed. Haelunor was her home, it was where she had fought and defended for decades. Haelunor was where she loved, found people to call her friends. And soon it was to be under siege by nature itself. And all she could do was hope the amassed armies and preparations were enough.

 

-----

 

In the south, another woman made her final rounds. The ice beneath the witch creaked and crunched, allowing her a bit of freedom even with her useless legs. Owls hooted in the distance, the sound of snow crunching beneath her chair’s legs. It was strange, being out at night alone. The stars glittered above, clouds fat and heavy with snow that would cover the ground and muffle the sounds in her beloved home.

 

Her eyes glowed noticeably in the night, skin looking even more sickly and the cracks only more obvious. The frost witch wandered along, head held high as she continued on her walk. The night was peaceful, it gave Vulnikru time to think.

 

-----

 

The city was chaos. Roots tore the stone around her, shredding it to bits. The Okarir’tir was covered in red dust, armor torn away at her side and a gaping wound in her flesh. Adrenaline drove her on, moved her feet as she choked on spit and blood, forcing herself on.

 

Minotaurs, harpies, dire wolves. It was all the same whirling storm of chaos around her. She collapsed into the water. It splashed around her, lapping at her wounds and washing at least some of the dust from her pained body.

 

“I think I’m going to die, Elvira.”

 

The words remained in her head. Some of the last she would speak to her friend.

 

“Sometimes, old veterans just know a battle will be their last. It may be nerves… But…”

Her eyes closed.

 

She was lifted, and the world faded to silence and light.

 

-----

 

In the south the square was filled with laughter and merriment, a woman passing out baked goods. A smile remained on the crippled witch’s face as she watched. The people of the frozen city had become like family to her, like a coven, after her own had left. They fed her their raiders, made sure she was comfortable. In return she fought alongside them when the time came, healing their injured in the clinic.

 

Still, she felt out of place. Alone, even along her adopted kin. It wasn’t something she would be able to explain if prompted, but it lingered in the back of her mind regardless.

 

Every time she wandered, she found herself by the shore. Listening to the water lapping against the icy sand. Her mind always brought her there, stringing her along. It wasn’t something she could explain.

 

A courier bird landed on her thigh, and she skimmed over the message with a small smile. She started toward the crowd.

 

-----

 

The high elf opened her eyes, and she was in a clinic. The smell of herbs told her that, as did the woman working on her broken and weakened body. Every bit of her body ached, vision clouded with stars as she mumbled. She had heard on the battlefield of the prince killing a man where he stood with no warning. Just instant death.

 

She tried to call out for him, but her voice was quiet. Mumbling, all she could hear was sloshing in her ears. Like the waves of Haelunor, gently lapping at the city’s stones. She didn’t know what became of Haelunor. Was it gone, like the cities before it? Would her name be washed away with those waves, forgotten to time within a few years?

 

A Soulheart wasn’t supposed to fall so easily. She was supposed to get up, keep fighting. But her body was heavy, she could feel herself growing weaker as each second passed. A familiar face approached, and her mouth opened to greet her old friend.

 

“Haelunor fell.”

 

The words hurt more than any arrow. Her eyes closed again, and Solaria Soulheart drifted into a long sleep. The world faded with her beloved city.

 

-----

 

The waves lapped against the dock, gently rocking the ship that sat at the end. It wasn’t anything spectacular, but it was something that could sail away over the horizon. And really, that’s what mattered to Vulnikru. A small crew awaited her, mostly slaves that could be terrified into service as well as a few peasants she paid. It wasn’t like the witch cared much for their plight. Maybe she would have, years ago. Not anymore.

 

She didn’t hesitate to board her vessel, to sail away toward that horizon.

 

Spoiler

Taking a break. Hopefully a long one.

 

[osumanduas 1442]

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