PrinceAlexus
Qia
Vixere
Kaithe Dame
ChronicleMan
ERode
LanaStorm
Estylwen
Snowdrops
BunniesOfDoom
New faces were appearing tonight. His moon-struck eyes lingered across the whitening grounds of Dawnhaven while the cool air brushed against him. This was peaceful, unlike the little group exchange he had in the square by the inn. Glancing over to the individuals still loitering there, he snarled in distaste and moved his eyes around the grounds more. All three of the individuals that surrounded Eris were able to ruin his attempts for tonight. She didn’t seem to be keen on him being there anyway. The attempt was a dead end before it started.
A sigh left his lips while his hand supported his chin while he observed Dawnhaven from a higher point. “This is boring…” he murmured to himself. Everyone in this damn town was bored. There was barely anything to do or anyone to do for that matter. Maybe he should fly back to one of the cities and have his fun there.
It was odd seeing the guards from Lunaris arrive and then a familiar face on a horse — he was pretty sure he had seen her in the Lunarian castle before. Was that a throne agent? Pleiades had no idea if it was but he was sticking to what his gut was telling him. It was another higher up from the King under the moon. How pathetic.
Then his eyes focused on a carriage as he watched it go to the Aurelian temple. His curiosity struck while his head tilted, “Did they finally send the pathetic worshipers of the sun deity to Dawnhaven?” He spoke softly in a purring hum as his eyes sharpened towards the quickly built temple as he watched from afar at the carriage and the people wandering around it.
Tia approached the temple, hyper aware of the attention on her - villagers eyeing the ostentatious procession, vigilant attendants waiting to receive directions from her… but Tia kept her gaze on the temple. A far cry from the shining white and gold behemoth in Aurelia’s capital, it was made of simple, unfinished dark wood. Tia found herself awed by it. The capital’s temple was undeniable in its power, its presence, more force of nature than a structure crafted by tradesmen. But this wooden structure… there was something undeniably human about it. Tia let her eyes wander the tiered roof, the conchoidal patterns of the window panes, the small, intricate decorations carved into the wooden beams. Someone had designed this. Hands had mapped out the architecture, cut the wood, chiseled the small flourishes of design, erecting something beautiful when not two months ago this had been nothing but forest.
Images of her own childhood flashed in her mind of the temple she’d been raised in after her first family had given her away. It had been even smaller, though it had been the nicest building in the village. Tia lifted a hand to run her fingers over a wooden pillar at the front of the temple. The grain was still slightly rough against her skin, not yet worn smooth with age.
“Lady Priestess,” a voice called from behind her. Tia turned from the temple to see the old coachman watching her. Attendants were already beginning to unload boxes of supplies from the carriage, apparently having received their orders. “The supplies we transported - some are designated for the temple stores, but the rest are marked for distribution throughout the settlement.” The church had loaded her carriage with supplies for the winter - grains, salt, new tools, blankets… a range of goods that would no doubt be needed for the coming winter. Tia was to present them to the prince as part of her introduction, possibly garner some good will, but…
She was just so tired. She was drained physically and emotionally from the journey, she was sore, she needed a wash -
“Shall we deliver them to the prince on our way out of Dawnhaven?”
Tia blinked at him - he was giving her an out. A sudden burst of affection bloomed in her chest. She gave him a small, thankful smile, and bowed her head to him. He gave one in return.
Turning back to the temple, Tia blinked back tears again, trying to swallow around her emotions - and her growing frustration with herself. She was too frayed at the edges, exhausted from travel. She needed to get herself together. She forced a long, slow breath. Suddenly the eyes on her, the movement and activity of the attendants as they worked, became overwhelming. She needed to escape, recenter herself, if she was to conduct herself in a way befitting her station.
Another breath.
Going inside the temple was out of the question, with the workers moving about to unload the supplies. She could… walk the perimeter of the temple. Yes. See where the window were, which direction the morning light would - nope. There hadn’t been morning light for six months. Ok, then she could…
She could stop trying to justify her own actions to herself when she knew she was just trying to find an excuse to not be seen by people in case she had a breakdown.
Tia turned and began walking around the outside of the temple to do just that.
His curiosity was getting the best of him as his eyes lingered for far too long on the small group of prophets… priests… holy people… or whatever else they were called. It was pathetic in his eyes that they were building temples in Dawnhaven, though the Aurelian royal family seemed to be all about the jewels, the appearance, and not anything more. Maybe it was his hardened soul speaking from a past life. The life of when he was human. Growing up was a hardship and when the sickness appeared… not even holy people cared to keep him company. He was too ugly and far too sickly for their concerns. He could remember the grotesque whispers of why anyone would keep him alive.
With a fluid motion, Pleiades was up in the darkened but moonlit skies, and he soared over to the temple. Landing on the top as the newcomer and her entourage followed her into the temple. Stepping around the top, he was admiring the structure of it, but he sighed while dropping from the roof as if he wouldn’t catch himself.
His wings extended while he gradually descended from the roof and his feet met the ground only a few paces from the carriage. One of the individuals that seemed to come with the woman gasped upon his appearance and he grinned — probably an ugly one from their perspective though anyone with unbiased eyes would see it was out of mischievousness. Curiosity. A lingering hint of friendly demeanor, “Salutations,” The man whispered out in somewhat of a lustful tone. He had such a naturally sultry voice especially upon whispered words. “I didn’t realize such individuals were arriving in Dawnhaven so soon. I would have made a gift basket or —” His shoulders shrugged at the thought. “ — something…” The man emphasized as he circled around the carriage once before looking at the door of the temple.
Stepping a few feet closer, he stopped, and looked over his shoulder, “Do you think I would burn if I stepped foot in there?” The humorous tone of his voice would have indicated he was playing though the religious disciples might take his words as taunting evil.
“Or maybe I’ll step in and the temple will burst in flames,” Pleiades chuckled while grinning with his teeth slightly apart. It showed his slightly longer canines while he looked back at the entrance of the temple. He had seen better. Personally, he admired the water and reflectiveness of how the moon would shine down upon the Lunarian temples — he was biased. Growing up in Lunaris and everything.
The Aurelians seemed frozen as they stared at the newcomer.
“Demon,” one of the soldiers spat at Pleiades, drawing his sword. The sound of metal scraping against the scabbard seemed to break whatever startled spell the rest of the men had been under, and suddenly the air was filled with the sound of shouts, more swords being drawn.
Tia hadn’t made it three steps around the corner of the temple before the cacophony reached her ears. Panic was instant as it shot through her veins. She darted back around the temple to see the men she’d arrived with all in varying states of distress, some trying to calm their compatriots, others pointing their swords at -
A Blight-Born. His back was to her, and he was partially obscured by the wooden pillars of the temple, but there was no denying what he was. Not when his wings, huge, feathered, and inhuman flexed behind him.
Tia didn’t think. Her body moved without her command as she ran, weighed down by her priestess robes, and she nearly tripped as she placed herself between the Aurelians and the winged Blight-Born.
She glanced at him for only a moment - just long enough to see his wings, his claws, his shining eyes - and a familiar, prey-like fear shot through her. Then she looked back at the soldiers and held up a hand to them.
Tia had been told, of course, that Blight-Born lived in Dawnhaven. But knowing that and seeing it, being so close to one, was another thing entirely. She tried to fight down the panic, her breath coming out of her lips in small, white clouds. She was hyper aware of him at her back, the scars at her neck seeming to burn beneath her scarf.
She met the eyes of the soldier who’d first drawn his sword and gave a small shake of her head, begging with her eyes that he stand down. They couldn’t afford to threaten the peace of the settlement.
The sound of silver and steel shredding against leather caused his brows to knit together and his moonlit eyes to sharpen upon the soldiers that accompanied the followers of the Aurelian religion. A guttural sound could be heard as his body tensed and his face soured — everyone was just a killer tonight. Be that of boredom or be that the intention to actually kill.
Pleiades took a side step before an overly pampered religious brat stepped in between them and he stayed silent. She wasn’t talking at all. — How odd — The thought crossed his mind as he heard not one peep out of her. She placed herself in between him and the guards and he truly did not know what to think about that. Then the feeling of anger began to boil in him. Didn’t they know that blight-born take oaths to not do harm to the citizens of the town? No harm in the sense of death or truly being chaotic to just be chaotic?
Taking a few more steps back, Pleiades didn’t care to find out how sharp their swords are, and he decided to be a little more gruff with his tone. “You better be careful threatening the people of Dawnhaven. Blight-born have been living peacefully here aside you humans so I doubt you would want to ruin that,” He informed them while his eyes glanced down at the woman standing in between them. “You know… you’re overly dressed. You are probably the main cat in all of this. Didn’t you inform your fucking guards about the innerworkings of Dawnhaven?” Pleiades was slightly offended that they drew their swords so fast at him. Just for being himself…
Tia’s head whipped around to look at him upon hearing the growl of his voice, a hand still raised to the soldiers. Her hair stood on end as he gazed at her, seeming to weigh her worth. She told herself she wasn’t trembling - that blood wasn’t leaking down her neck below her robes. His fangs seemed to catch the light of the moon.
Tia forced herself to stand taller.
“My lady -”
Tia’s eyes cut to look at the soldier, stilling his words in his mouth. Then she was again looking at the Blight-Born. The quick, short clouds of air betrayed how shallow her breathing was. Tia clasped her hands tightly in front of her legs, her long sleeves hiding how they shook, and bowed her head to him.
The soldiers seemed to hold their breath. Then finally, one by one they resheathed their swords.
Pleiades did not seem to care for the act that was happening in front of him — was it an act? Maybe. He wasn’t sure he should trust the religious folk and their guard from the Aurelian capital. It made him annoyed with Prince Flynn unlike he was before — was this how his people treated others? — Even after she bowed… he was interested in the possible facade. Knowing how people were with him before he was blight-born and after, it was hard to trust, and his expression was more negative than anything. It tried to hold some kind of neutrality to it though that was a failure in the making.
“Is something wrong with you? Does a cat have your tongue?” The winged man looked down at the smaller woman with the question. His tone sounded condescending at best. His eyes would flick without pattern back towards the guards and if any of them shifted, he would, and depending on what they did. The man would step back, purposefully keeping a certain length in between him and the other individuals. Keeping enough distance so if he needed to spread his wings and fly away, he could.
Tia flinched back at his question.
“You will not-” the soldier cut himself off as Tia angled her chin back over her shoulder towards him, her eyes still downcast.
She glanced back at the winged man again, daring to meet his eyes. Her lips pressed together. She didn’t break eye contact as she raised a shaking hand to slowly loosen the scarf at her throat until she could pull it far enough away from her skin. The winter wind was sharp against her as she revealed the pink, shining scars, nearly spanning the entirety of her neck..
“Yes.”
The word was a soft, broken rasp, nearly too quiet to hear.
A huff could be heard when the soldier began to talk again. The armed men butting in was getting slightly annoying but this is what you get if you want democracy. His wings adjusted to be in a more comfortable position since they were large and heavy. The tips were dragging against the ground when he walked. His eyes seemed to focus in on the Aurelian’s eyes as she became so serious.
When she confirmed that a cat had her tongue, a raised brow could be seen, but his face went back to a neutral expression. “So you can’t talk to me then? Not like him or her?” He gestured to the guards and other individuals that were on the other side of her.
“Would you like me to get you a writing utensil and a paper?” Pleiades teased though he was being serious as he retrieved a small stick of charcoal that was wrapped in a paper peel so one could write with it and a little booklet.
Tia’s eyebrows drew together as her eyes flicked between his own and the small offering in his hand. He was… mocking her. She tightened the scarf around her neck again, hiding her scars. A new feeling buzzed through her - irritation. It was easier to deal with than overwhelming, petrifying fear, at least. But it wouldn’t do to offend him more than they already had.
After a moment of hesitation, Tia decided the diplomatic thing to do would be to simply take the gift at face-value. She raised both hands to take the notebook and charcoal, careful not to touch him, and gave another short bow of her head. She opened to the first page of the notebook and wrote a short message. Tia held it up to show him.
I apologize for their behavior. They’ll be leaving soon.
Seeing how her brows drew together along with the change in her demeanor, Pleiades understood that he must have offended her in some way, but he didn’t know if he should go about entertaining it or not. Did he want to expose that he could be nice to this individual? Then she took the notebook and charcoal writing utensil.
Looking at what she wrote once she was done, he nodded his head, “It is what it is,” He plainly spat out as if he was disinterested about this whole thing. As if there was no point in interacting with them at all.
Pleiades shrugged his shoulders, “I didn’t mean to offend you by offering a booklet and writing utensil, but I rather be able to communicate with the person in front of me instead of not at all,” He decided to clarify his actions and offer.
Tia froze, heat creeping to her cheeks. As a child she’d always been told her face was too revealing. It seemed for all the times the priests had slapped her for her insolent expressions, she’d never quite learned her lesson.
She looked back at the winged man, eyes flicking down to his wicked claws, his pale skin, his eyes that seemed to glow in the moonlight. The breeze picked up, blowing whisps of blonde hair around her face. She reevaluated. A small, hesitant smile curved her lips.
Tia lifted the hand holding the notebook to tap it against her chest.
“Tia.” Her name was nearly lost to the night air.
The man shrugged slightly as if he was repositioning his stance to get comfortable while he stared at her. His expressions left too much to the imagination. They were neutral at best. “Tia,” He responded with a nod of his head as if he was saving that name for later. To remember it.
A sigh left his lips which showed in his demeanor, his chest was bare, since he didn’t need as much clothing as a human did. His shirt was stuffed into his bag since he didn’t want it on right now, crossing his arms, and looking at her. “Pleiades,” He spoke more gently than the gruffness he had for the soldiers. “Pleiades James Porter, the postal master here in Dawnhaven,” He added.
Tia’s smile grew as he introduced herself - but then she paused.
The postmaster.
She was required to report to the queen when - if - she learned anything about the prince and princess’ progress. Judging by the Pleiades’ wings, he’d be much swifter than any horse. But would he be suspicious of her letters? How was she to hide her intentions here from him - from the prince, from anyone in Dawnhaven? She wasn’t a spy or a thief, she was just Tia -
She cut herself off, her blood thick with unease - and guilt. Remembering her audience, and that she needed to work on controlling her damned face, she chanced a look up at him again. She offered a smile again, if a bit weaker than before. Tia opened the notebook again to scrawl a new message below her first. After a moment, she added another line to it.
It was very nice to meet you, Pleiades.
Thank you for this book.
It was somewhat eerie, the pause, though he took no mind to it. A ton of people paused at weird times when he was around so he chalked up her behaviors to him being a blight-born more than anything else. Their eyes met when she looked up at him and his expression was unchanged. The man could be described as a statue with how he was at times.
When his eyes met the pages, barely a stance of a smile curled at his lips, and he sighed. “Yes, what a pleasure to meet you too, Tia,” The man stepped away from the priestess and the soldiers. It seemed like all the interaction tonight was ending quite quickly — when would he be able to get to the forsaken cities again to have some fun? Why did the prince bring all the stuck-up Aurelians and why did the princess bring all the depressive Lunarians? This was so unfair. His wings spread out before gusts of wind would violate the other individual's clothes, hair, and skin. With that, Pleiades was gone into the darkened sky, but Tia… if she had an eye for anything would notice that the notebook that she was handed was not completely blank. There were little notes in beautiful penmanship along with very detailed sketches of people, animals, plants, or things.
Tia watched him fly away, briefly mesmerized by the sight. He was terrifying, to be sure, but… there was something ethereal about watching his wings unfurl, and glide through the sky.
She allowed herself a moment to watch him. Then Tia turned back to the Aurelians she’d traveled with, setting back to work.
Collab with @c3p-0h Tiagara