OWED TO THE PEOPLE [PK]

[MrMojoMordor 2413]

As the first rays of the sun began to paint the sky with streaks of red & gold
A man sat upon the cliff - over looking the sprawling city of  Vallagne before him.
Yet the usually breathtaking sight brought no comfort for him.

 

A courier had brought a message of Queen Catherine I's passing to Pelym-Vagil at night, prompting the man to begin his journey right away.
Yet as he arrived to the city he had defended and lived in for many years in the past - it felt different. There was no smoke coming from the local baker's chimney, no merchants setting up their shops for the day, no idle chit-chat among the city guards switching out the nightshift.
In the warm raising sun - the vibrant city with it's white grand halls & towers seemed so gray and hollow.

And so was the usually always brightly smiling man's face.
For the first time - his otherwise youthful appearance, now betrayed his age as a frown rested on his face. The deep-sea teal eyes, peaking out under his caterpillar-like eyebrows, stared into the far off distance as his mind tried to grasp the reality he's being forced to face.

So many times had he ridiculed his fellow guardsmen and knights - boasting of his own achievements, oh what all he has accomplished alone.
Yet, he's never really BEEN there. Neither for the people, the Queen nor Petra.
Not when Darkspawn attacked the Faubourg village. Not when the war against Veletz raged on. And even now -  when the Queen's was forced to face terrifying creatures who had her daughter and heir..  he was not there.
If he truly was 'better' - then why is he always was somewhere else? Instead of living up to the oath he gave - he was chasing skirts, playing at a wedding or telling tall tales of things he did 40 years ago.

The regretful guard takes a deep breath and stands up, descending the mountain to village of Faubourg. There - he breaks into his old home and removes the oak floorboards in the kitchen, bringing out his uniform he's not worn over 30 years.
Captain Pelym-Vagil would pick up his ram-headed mace once more, donning the now defunct RiverGuard armor as he entered the city - it feeling heavier than ever before.

He stops as he's forced to face another cruel reality: "... wait ve year's 1979? YAM 60 ALREADY!?" 

Edited May 30, 2024 by MrMojoMordor

[Antidot3 36]

Mahina Kame'eleihiwa, now a tall, weary figure, sat by a desk, head resting on her hand as her hair flowed down her shoulders. Time has already left its marks on her burdened face. She scanned the missive laid on the desk, flipping through the pages. 

A peculiar complexion was revealed on her face, not particularly melancholy, but more or less with a hint of nostalgia. She covered her face with both of her palms, as a raspy, quavering voice said,

"I will miss you, my first queen and friend. I will always remember you as My Young Queen Catriona." 

[Zemzy_Oakheart 347]

From a not-so-distant library would a certain wooden-eared woman overhear the news from a missive arriving. With a saddened gaze down to the parchment & recognizing the city's stamp upon it, Blume would remain seated for a moment beside the window & gaze out to the stars above.

 

"May you find peace among the stars up there, miss Catherine," she would mutter in privacy, as if to not disturb the building itself, "From one queen to another...."