[PRP] Welcome to My Kingdom (Margaery Tyrell & Revenant)

[xo maho]

This is a private roleplay between Margaery Tyrell (Mahogany Sunset) & Revenant (tefla).

 

[xo maho]

The summer-yellowed grass whispered beneath cloven hooves. Although the sky was bright blue above her, Margaery folded her wings against the soft fabric of her tabards; the warmth wasn't something she wanted to enjoy right now, however much her wings itched to soak up to sunlight. Her head was mired in thoughts of the people with whom she couldn't see the beautiful day. Her family was first on the list, then her queen and her friends in the khalasar, and then... Well, then there was the one she had lost. She had found herself in that empty limbo between grief and yearning, still trying to find her way out of the pit that had opened when he had gone missing. How long would it be before she could think his name without feeling tears gather in her eyes?

He was supposed to have been the prince - the prince her brothers had promised to her, the one she was meant to bring home. But they had never even gotten to talk about going home, or even much beyond friendship... Still, something about seeing him disappear into the brush followed by a roaring beast made mourning painful. The not knowing had eaten at her far more than his death might have, over time... The only thing that Margaery was sure of was that she would never see him again.

Taking a deep breath, Margaery crossed the clearing, shrinking as she went. The transitions were jolting, painful everywhere; sometimes it felt like her wings were ripping from her body, but when she was done, they were still there, unmarred. The flicker was something she had winced through since the winter before last, when the ice demons had come after the khalasar. She lived with it now, but at least once she was small, it was easier to take comfort in flowers. Margaery found a bush of sweet-smelling wild roses, settling in at the base among the leaves. Closing her eyes, she rested her head on the ground and thought of home.

tefla

 

[tefla]

There was just something that felt so right in being able to come back from a journey to the comforts of familiar settings. Revenant had been away from what he jokingly called his kingdom for far too long. He had started calling this place his kingdom to anyone who would listen; which wasn't many individuals at all. Still it was nice to be home. The stallion had gone on a search to seek out one who was versed in fabric weaving. Eventually such an individual was found and after several weeks Revenant was proudly wearing the craft person's work. Revenant was more thinking of being able to wear the items for when the weather turned cooler more than anything but even he had to admit that the colors were strikingly beautiful.

Stepping into the clearing of flowers Revenant cast a quick glance around the open space before tossing back the hooded cape. It was much too warm to walk around with it covering his face and it limited his ability to hear. As soon as the hood was down the stallion stepped more lively. Somewhere around here would be the perfect delicacy for a quick snack. Just where was his favorite rosebush? The stallion's blue eyes scanned the foliage around him until stopping on a rose bloom that looked familiar enough. With a bounce in his step Revenant moved in for the kill. That bloom was tempting him to sample its sweetness. The stallion took a step closer to the bush and began the process of plucking the bloom from the bush when something ... different in the base of the bush caught his eyes. The feathers on his head fluffed up a little as he hurriedly stepped away from the roses. Had he seen what he thought he saw?

With careful steps Revenant moved back in to confirm what he believed he saw. Resting at the base of the plant he loved to dine on was a small mare. He'd yet to meet another that could do what he did so what were the odds of almost eating one or at least stepping on one? Stepping further away from the bush Revenant sighed before clearing his throat rather loudly. A snack would have to wait it seemed.

Mahogany Sunset

 

[xo maho]

So intent had Margaery been on imagining home - her brothers' smiles, her father's laugh, her grandmother's thorny words - that she hadn't heard the hooves approaching, even when they got so close to her that they could have barely shifted and then snapped her. Only the throat clearing woke her from her daydream, and she blinked slowly at the hoof in front of her.

Grey, fetlocks, cloven, delicate.

Something clicked, and Margaery looked up. Blue eyes met her gaze, followed by the fluffy ears of her people and wings that shone in the sunlight. The whole combination made her jolt, getting her front legs under her and backing into the trunk of the rosebush. Before she knew what was happening, her form started shivering, making her grow a few inches and then sending her in reverse back down to her small size.

Ghosts are real.

Letting out a sharp breath as the flicker shuddered through her again, Margaery gritted her teeth against her panic for a few moments more. "Pray state your name and purpose here, ser."

tefla

 

[tefla]

When the bush began to shake a little Revenant had been literally began to hold his breath. Soon he would see this mare in all her glory and she would see him. However when no full-sized flutter materialized in the whole time he was waiting for her to assume a more convenient size for conversation he began to panic. The realization that something was wrong came in a small, inconvenient coughing fit as he hurried to take in more air for his starved lungs. Recovering from the attack Revenant peered once more into the rosebush to discover that the stranger was still there ... and still tiny. Cocking his head slightly to the right Revenant heard the mare's voice, a little on the tinny side, but clear enough to understand just want she was asking of him. The stallion lowered himself to the ground in order to converse with this stranger. It would be easier on both of them this way.

Remembering that the mare had asked his name and purpose Revenant gave a small nod before speaking. "You ask for many pieces of knowledge all at once however I feel charitable enough to indulge your curiosity. I was trying to snack on the blooms that grow on this bush. I've just returned to these lands I call home and I was feeling rather peckish. As for my name, it is Revenant."

The stallion eyed the mare with a question on the tip of his tongue. "Perhaps you can indulge my curiosity by answering the same two questions so that I may know who I am addressing."

Mahogany Sunset

 

[xo maho]

Trying not to flinch back any more against the bush when the stallion lowered himself to ground level, Margaery did her best to compose herself. If he wasn't what her panicked, suspicious mind thought he was, then he was another prince from her brothers' stories, though he looked to be wearing a feather crown, which was strange. The nod he gave her was courteous, too, and that was something - his words, though, made her ears swivel slightly back. "As for my name, it is Revenant."

Did he not know who she was? If he was a revenant, a white walker - had he been sent to finish what the others had started, so long ago? Had those two who had taken her control over her form from her sent him after her, to break her more than they had already? How could she face it alone?

"I was trying to snack on the blooms..."

Wait. Intangible points began to circulate through Margaery's mind, putting pieces of this puzzle together, and her racing heart slowed.

Shifting a little closer, Margaery peered up at the stallion from beneath the leaves of the rosebush. Even if he was a revenant - and she was beginning to doubt that they ate flowers - he was not who she had thought he was. His wings were smaller, his tabards were the wrong shape, the wrong color... And what she had thought to be a feather crown appeared to be his mane. "Margaery of House Tyrell," she replied, "and I was resting where I thought to be safe from predatory eyes." Although she was far from comfortable around this new stranger, Margaery stepped out from beneath the eves of the rosebush. Her form shifted jaggedly to full size, and she tried to hide her wincing. "You say your name is Revenant, but... You are not a revenant, are you? A walking soul that should have long fled?" Even if she was fairly certain that he would not answer sincerely if it was indeed true, the right answer might still help assuage her fears. Possibly.

tefla

 

[tefla]

Revenant's wings twitched a little in the sunlight that was bearing down on his back. The stallion watched the mare closely as she seemed to back away from his lowered form for a while. He was puzzled at the behavior of the mare as he couldn't explain it. He was not a predator so what was with her frightened visage? He would just have to wait for an explanation though it seemed.

The mare had moved closer to inspect him and Revenant held still before the mare stepped forward out of the protection of the rosebush. It was then that the mare revealed her name, Margaery of House Tyrell. He caught the rest of her explanation before realizing what might come next. Revenant rose to his hooves and put a little bit of distance between himself and this stranger. He was right to do so as moments later the mare had resized to her larger form and he stood staring at her beauty for a full minute it seemed. He had not been sure but he thought he caught an expression of pain on the mare when she gained her larger form.

Putting it off as a possibility of imagination Revenant once again gave a polite nod to the mare as she put forth another question to him. This one shocked him for a moment. Margaery thought that he was a creature of legend? Chuckling softly Revenant moved to stand in front of Margaery before he found his voice. "Nay, I am only named Revenant. I am one of the living like you are," Revenant tilted his head to the side before curiosity made him speak again. "Do I look like a revenant to you?"

Mahogany Sunset

 

[xo maho]

Margaery's gaze shifted down to her feet as the stallion seemed to stare at her for an overlong amount of time. She felt her cheeks heat beneath his gaze, but knew it wouldn't show through her dark coat and was thankful for that, at least. Her eyes shifted back up to his when he answered her question with the negative she had hoped for - but then Margaery felt her whole body flush at his next question. "No," she mumbled, shifting her hooves slightly and looking down at his feet. "But for a moment, I thought you could be someone that I knew once. He was lost to me, and I have never found out if he is truly gone, or if he is only missing." Her eyes flicked back up to his, meeting their cool gaze. "There is more to the story than just that, of course, but it is for another time and better acquaintance."

Even while she denied him the rest of the story, and would continue, even if he asked about it, something about telling Revenant just this little made her shivers go away. The threat of her flicker faded, for once abated in the presence of company. And it was no ordinary company, she remembered - she was in the presence of a prince! The word might be tinged bittersweet by memories now, but finding one of her own kind did not make it any less an event. She felt herself go through the small transformation into diplomacy and political prowess that her grandmother had taught her, letting her mask of confidence slip over her like a shield. "I apologize if I have startled you, my lord, and also if I have trespassed. If you would have me leave, show me the way from your lands, and I will take it and bother you no more." Though her words were soft and sincere, Margaery kept her eyes level with his, near daring him to do what she had said. She wasn't sure what she would do if he did do what she said, but Margaery had learned to think on her feet in the past months. Her thoughts didn't always lead her down the right paths, but she could learn from her mistakes.

tefla

 

[tefla]

At first Revenant was perplexed by Margaery's story. Parts of it had been missed as he had been too busy observing his visitor. She clearly was of Flutter descent and as he had caught a glance at her hooves and they marked her Cerynei blood deep inside. How was it that the first individual to come into his lands shared many of the traits that he himself possessed? The only thing that would have made it interesting was if Margaery had any traits that one would associate with the Hippogryph race.

It was during this more thorough scan of this guest that Revenant realized that he had been too distracted with looks again to hear Margaery's story. He had caught bits and pieces but most of it had traveled in one ear and out the other.

What he did catch was when Margaery's dialect passed into a more formal language. Her attitude had become more dignified. The stallion's back straightened as the word "lord" came back to his ears. Revenant was no lord, not in truth, but if this magnificent creature believed he was one then who was he to argue. Clearing his throat Revenant peered at Margaery before he shook his head. "There is no need for you to leave. No trespass has occurred as clearly you were unaware that these lands had been claimed. I will admit though that I was startled by your appearance. I thought I lived alone in these lands. You may stay if you so wish."

Mahogany Sunset

 

[xo maho]

Watching his eyes as they passed over her, Margaery felt a little twinge of something between satisfaction and annoyance. She'd caught his interest, it appeared. This wasn't quite how she had met a prince last time - last time, she'd been freezing, and she'd followed him around while he'd checked on his animal patients. The memory was a heartwarming one. "Thank you for your graciousness," she said, though her mischievous mind also wanted to say something about his certainly appreciating her startling appearance. Teasing someone whose tolerance she did not know seemed a poor way to start an acquaintance. "How far do your lands stretch from this place?" She looked around her, appreciating the sweet sight and scent of flowers. If all his lands were like this, well... She might be tempted to take him up on the offer to stay, but she doubted it would be entirely appropriate. Definitely not anywhere in his immediate vicinity, at least.

tefla

 

[tefla]

"You are most welcome."

Revenant's gaze then left Margaery to scan the horizon. He actually had never considered how vast his "claim" on these lands should be. No one had actually shown interest before. The stallion was, if anything, a quick thinker if times called for it. He stretched his neck out to peer behind him mentally marking places in his mind. His domain was figured out in less than a minute. Revenant turned his attention back to look Margaery in the eyes.

"My lands stretch for at least as far as the eyes can see. There has been no one to contest the claim so I still do not know if there are others out there that have lands that border or cross into my own. I am sad to admit that I am only one individual and my claim might be smaller if strangers have chipped away at the borders."

Revenant gave a rueful smile to Margaery. He wished he was on more familiar ground to interact with others.

Mahogany Sunset