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 Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2015 1:27 pm
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Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2015 2:53 pm
Freedom.
Or as close to freedom as Aquitaine had felt in the last few days. Yes, she was still under guard. But they were headed to her home and there everything she had told them would be proven to be the truth. She did fret over how Agave would take her arrival. It wouldn't take much for him to realize something had gone wrong on her last journey, and she prayed he didn't do anything foolish when they did arrive. He had been so good about keeping his past in check, but every now and then she did see him get hung up on things, and she could only assume it was thoughts of his past life returning, being triggered by something that was happening to him in that moment. And her children. She did not want them to worry when she returned home under heavy guard.
But she had faith that everything would turn out. Finally Ironforge would see that she had been telling the truth all along. That she was not a part of Pirata's army, that Agave had changed and that maybe he too shouldn't judge others based solely upon their looks. Right now though, the focus was on getting home. It wouldn't be that much further, they had already traveled for more than a day and she could see the trees that divided meadow from beach in the far distance. It lifted her spirits to see that sight. Soon she would be able to smell and hear the ocean and the last of her concerns should melt away with that.
"There it is." She said to Ironforge, motioning towards the trees. "Just on the other side of those trees. That's where you will find Agave and my family." And the truth, she added mentally, the truth that she had been telling them this whole time.
The journey had been uneventful so far, but Kale was not about to drop his guard just yet. Especially with their supposed destination in sight now. If anything were to happen, in would be here. Yes, their group was well guarded, but what better place to lay a trap than at the end of the trail. If there was one thing he learned from his time with Ironforge, it was that you should always be prepared, no matter where you were, even if you knew what you were to face, there would almost always be something unexpected pop up.
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Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2015 6:25 am
Ironforge glanced at the trees Aquitaine pointed out to him, they were hazy still with distance but a definite point of reference. Good. Although the trip had been short he was more then ready to to get to the bottom of this mystery. Was the mare telling the truth? Were they walking into a trap? Ironforge certainly hoped for the latter but he was prepared for the worst and glanced towards Kale and Mercy.
"Keep your eyes open." He reminded his fellow knights, it wouldn't do to start getting complacent now, not when they were so close to their destination. It bothered hi to be moving across this open grassland towards the tree's, but there was no other way to get there and according to Sorin, whom he had sent ahead the way appeared to be clear...of course if her family lived in this area then they would know how to hide from observers in much the same manner he did on his own lands. No it was better to be cautious and not take the appearance of peace and quiet to heart.
Mercy nodded slightly as Ironforge reminded them to remain alert - it was hard not to be , although she wanted to trust Aquitaine, wanted to believe that the mare was telling the truth - well...one only had to encounter Pirata once to be wary of ever repeating the performance. Mercy would be perfectly happy if she never saw the spider queen again and yet..here she was, potentially walking straight back into her den.
But no, Aquitaine seemed far to kind to be part of the Spider Queens herd and Mercy shook her head to keep her ill thoughts at bay. She would be prepared..but she would expect and hope for the best.
"I'm sure your family will be happy to have you home again." She remarked to Aquitaine in an attempt to lessen the tension in the group, giving Supreme and encouraging look as well, it would all be alright, she was sure of it..
Supreme wished that she had Mercy's positive attitude towards this whole endevour and returned her encouraging look with an attempt at one herself, though it was wavering and unsure. She even wished that she had Kale or Ironforges bravery in facing it. Instead she found herself getting more and more concerned the closer they got to their destination, every sound made her flinch, a strange birdsong in the distance had her flinging her head around to stare, the snap of a stick under hoof had her crowding the Soquili closest to her. If she wasn't so afraid of being left alone then she would have stopped completely...but better with the group facing a potential enemy then being alone out here on the plains where the enemy could easy get her..right?
Maybe.
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Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2015 6:47 am
Hearing Ironforge's reminder to stay alert, the large rainbow stallion nodded. He knew they weren't out of the woods yet. The end may very well be just the beginning to this little journey. So far they had run into no issues, but they would not know for certain until they arrived at the beach and got to see and talk to Aquitaine's family.
Aquitaine couldn't help but frown slightly at Ironforge's words. She had been truthful with them since the beginning, done nothing but what they asked of her, and yet he still didn't trust her. Of course she understood why. They still saw a connection between her and Pirata. After all, her mate was Pirata's son, and she understood it would be hard for them to accept that Agave had changed, especially since their last encounter with him hadn't been all that good. But she wanted more than anything for them to believe her, to see she wasn't evil like they assumed she was based upon her looks.
She turned her gaze to Mercy and nodded slightly. "They are always happy to see me return after a trip." But of course this home coming was much different than any other. It's true she had brought Soquili home now and then during her travels, but they were those who needed help. This time, she was bringing an entire group home and the way they had her encircled spoke loudly of the fact that she was being controlled by them. It would be hard for her children to see this, and likely even harder for Agave. She just hoped he didn't react too badly. He would be upset, and possibly angry, but she needed him to keep a cool head when they did reach her home.
The trees slowly grew bigger and more defined. Soon they would be invading her home. It was a terrible way to think about it...them invading her home, but in a way they were. They were bringing their mistrust and hatred of Pirata into a place that had always been happy and serene.
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Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2015 9:02 am
The trees continued to grow, until Ironforge could see through them tothe beach beyond, he had been able to smell the salt and hear the ocean waves for quite a while now but they were much louder now that he was closer. How could anyone sleep with the waves making such a racket the stallion wondered for a few brief moments pushing the thoughts away. Now was not the time to loose focus, not when they were so close.
So fare however everything had been calm, there had been no sign of a trap, nothing that would indicate something horrible waited for them on the other side of the trees. Perhaps the mare was telling the truth? Ironforge snorted slightly, even if she was it was best to continue being cautious. He slowed the groups pace as they entered the trees, pausing to look around and scent the air. When nothing caught his attention he pressed on wards.
Mercy nodded at Aquitaines reply but there seemed to be little heart in the mares words so Mercy fell silent, turning her attention back to the task at hand. She paused alongside her mentor when they reached the tree's but like him she found nothing that would indicate any ill will towards them. So far so good! She told herself hopefully as they continued.
Supreme pressed close to Mercy as they entered the tree's, shrinking away from the shadowy areas. Logically she knew that the group would likely spot anything hiding in wait, with this many traveling together it was unlikely that they would miss something but she still couldn't help but be scared.
Agave had started keeping an eye out for Aquitaine's return a couple of days ago, while it was possible that the mare could be gone for several weeks - a few days was more common and he started to watch for her generally after the third day. That day had come and gone now. Walking along the edges of the territory he kept an eye on the tree lines, pausing when he thought he heard a large group moving this way.
Almost instantly the stallion tensed, there was no reason that a large group should be coming to the beach, one or two travelers had been known to pass by but in all his time here Agave had never seen more then that. Was it his mother? Had she found him after all this time and lead her minions here for revenge? The thought chilled him to the bones, made him shudder, without waiting to see who might be coming the green stallion turned and ran, he had to find his children - at least the two of them who were home and the recovering stallion Prism who was staying with them. He had to make sure they were safe before he investigated any further. "Ipswich! Eadric! Prism!" He called out once he was back on the beach, spinning about to catch any sight of them.
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Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2015 9:22 am
The sound of the ocean and grown and it made it more difficult to pick up on the other sounds. It was actually the perfect place to set a trap. The heavy salt scent affected the ability to smell and the waves of the ocean muted all of the other sounds. But Kale kept this thought to himself, for surely Ironforge has also come to the same conclusion. He had been alert before, but now Kale was extra careful, scanning the area more and more as they moved into the trees and then pressed on to the beach.
He thought he heard something and paused to listen, but all he could hear was the ocean.
Setting foot on her home land should have brought Aquitaine joy, like it always did. But this time it was different. Her return had been marred by Ironforge's group and she still had no idea how things would turn out when they found Agave. The call of the ocean did calm her some, did bring that feeling of peace back into her heart, but there was still that edge of unknown that plagued Aquitaine. She moved into the trees and stopped when they stopped. She could see how nervous Supreme was, and she wanted so badly to comfort the mare, but it was not something she could do. If she made a move towards the brown mare now, then Ironforge or Kale might see it as an act of aggression.
She could not afford to make the wrong move now. So she kept silent and followed Ironforge as he pressed on. "My family should be around here." She said breaking the silence. "We tend to travel up and down the beach quite a bit during the day." They might even be further down where her parents lived. Oh please don't be there, she thought, not wanting this little procession to travel that far and worry her parents.
Having worked hard earlier in the day Eadric was spending some time relaxing with his sister when their fathers call rang out. He had almost never heard his father yell, and when they had, it was for a reason. So to hear their names being called in such a manner told Eadric that something wasn't right. Pulling himself out of the ocean Eadric nudged his sister. "Come on, we better see what's happening." With that he took off down the beach, making sure to keep pace with his sister so he could watch over her. Whatever was happening, it had to be bad, since his father would normally seek them out if he wanted them for some reason. "Stick close." He told Ipswich as he ran, his hooves leaving deep holes in the soft sand.
Prism had been resting in the grove he called home for now when Agave's call roused him. It seemed so out of place that Prism got to his hooves and went to investigate. He was still slow thanks to his limp, but it had gotten better in the last few weeks so he could walk at almost a regular pace. The shifting sand beneath his hooves gave him the cushion he needed to push himself a bit more today. He scanned the beach and soon spotted Agave's green form racing along the sand. "What going on?" He called out once he was closer to the other stallion.
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Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2015 10:00 am
Like her brother Ipswich found it unusual to hear her father so worked up - for all of her life she had only known him to be calm, it was something he worked at quite diligently, even spending time meditating by the waters edge. Her mother had once told her that he hadn't always been like that but she herself had never seen anything else.
So when he started yelling her name she tended to listen, clambering out of the water after her brother Ipswich raced alongside him, Ebony was sunning himself up in the trees alongside her fathers spiders so at least she didn't have to worry about him.
"Dad?" She called as thye got close "Whats wrong?"
Seeing his children arrive and hearing Prism asking what was wrong Agave blew out a sigh of relief. good..now he knew where they were. Unfortuntely the beach was hardly a good place to defend - sure the water meant that someone couldn't sneak up on you from behind but the loose sand leeched speed and there wasn't much cover aside from the groves where they slept.
"I was out by the treeline, checking to see if your mother was returning - but I heard what sounded like a herd coming this way. I don't want to alarm anyone but I've never seen such a large group come here before...Eadric I'll need you to help keep an eye on your sister and Prism." He told his son before fixing a look at the recovering rainbow stallion "I know you can take care of yourself but your still recovering and Aquitaine will never forgive me if I let something happen to one of her patients."
Gods. Why hadn't he built more defenses? He had wanted to when he first arrived but Aquitaine had talked him out of it, telling him that it was part of his old life and he needed to leave it behind - she had been right, at the time he had needed to let go of things like that..but he should have built them later, for practical reasons once he had recovered and become more stable.
Ironforge paused as they reached the edge of the tree's peering at the beach spread out before them, there were groves dotting the landscape here and there and he could see, not far away, what looked like tracks. Someone had stood there and then run off, the trail leading towards the nearest grove as plain as day.
"Someone heard us coming." He remarked to Kale and Mercy, moving forward to examine the marks "Left in a hurry too..well they know we are her, there is no point in dragging this out anymore, there are few places to hide out here anyways. Watch the grove, whomever ran off is likely in there or on the other side of it."
Mercy nodded as Ironforge spoke, glancing at the grove and then back towards her small group. "Perhaps.." She started, lettingher words trail off as she gathered her thoughts before she spoke up again "Perhaps it is just one of Aquitaines family, I'm sure this will go better if we don't barge in there like we want to pick a fight.." She suggested and taking note of Ironforges furrowing brow she rushed to add "I'm not saying we shouldn't be careful..just that maybe it would be best if we didn't approach so aggressively..."
She loved Ironforge..and Kale..and all of the other Knights but their continued run ins with danger and lives devoted to protecting others could sometimes blind them to a degree, made them see danger in every shadow, be proactively protective when it would be better to go gently.
Ironforge furrowed his brow at Mercy, ready to chastise her about being so complacent but as she continued he could see the wisdom of her words and finally he nodded. "Very well Mercy..you and Aquitaine can lead us in."
It wasn't like the mare could run off and dissapear on them in this fairly open land, Mercy could take to the skies and track her down easily enough, if this was a trap they would still be together..if it wasn't then maybe they could get through this without starting another war. "I will stay back here beside Supreme." He added knowing that the brown mare would likely appreciate the gesture.
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Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2015 10:16 am
When Ironforge came across a tell tale sign that they had been seen, or at least heard, he figured that must have been what he had heard earlier. But the darn ocean was messing with his ability to hear clearly. Normally, he could hear even soft sounds when standing still, but here it was hard to pick them up thanks to the constant gurgle of the ocean. Now they knew for sure others were out there, and if they ran off there may be more. Was it a scout for an army or was it just a member of Aquitaine's family surprised by the sudden visitors.
He listened as Ironforge and Mercy spoke, and when Aquitaine added in as well. "I will move through the trees to keep an eye on them, see if there is anyone lurking ahead." He told Ironforge as the plan was made that Mercy and Aquitaine would go out together. He didn't want Mercy, his first student, to fall into a trap now.
Aquitaine listened as Ironforge spoke about the tracks of someone moving fast on the beach. It was likely someone from her family, but it wasn't like them to not greet strangers, then again... "We don't get a lot of travelers this way." She finally said. "And a group this large is almost unheard of." If it was one of her children that spotted them, perhaps they had gone to fetch Agave. Well it didn't matter, they were hear and soon they would need to deal with whatever happened due to Ironforge's precautions.
She was thankful that Mercy had come with them. The mare certainly seemed to have a level head on her, but tended to take a more neutral approach to things compared to Ironforge or Kale. So when the mare spoke up and pointed out that the group should approach differently, less aggressively, Aquitaine was grateful for that. When the decision was made that she and Mercy would go out together Aquitaine nodded. But she also understood that in doing this, Mercy was essentially the bait. The bait they were hoping would draw out this army they were clearly expecting.
With a slight shrug Aquitaine starting walking. The soft sand now beneath her hooves helped. She glanced back at Ironforge, Supreme and the other guards remaining behind before moving further out onto the sand. "They shouldn't be far." She told Mercy, but it was anyone's guess where her family was now that those tracks had been found.
A herd coming this way? A group that large was certainly odd. No wonder his father had rallied them together so quickly. Nodding to his fathers direction Eadric spoke. "I'll keep them safe. But call if you need help." He knew his father came from a fighting past, but one stallion versus a whole herd...well the odds weren't good. If things turned bad they could run of course, but that could leave Prism behind helpless, and he would not allow that to happen.
Prism nodded. "I know." He was close to recovered but still had some residual pain and side effects from his injuries. He did not want to repeat that, but at the same time, he owed so much to Aquitaine and her family that he would help them in any way he could. Even if it meant putting himself in the line of danger. And if what Agave was saying, that a herd was coming, well that might just happen.
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Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2015 7:46 am
Nodding to Prism and Eadric and giving Ipswich a pleading look - please just listen to your sibling he all but mentally begged her - she was headstrong and prone to doing whatever she wanted, traits that he admired in her, it was nice to see his child so free and spontaneous but in situations like this he sometimes wished she was just a little bit more timid. Then again it would be better if there weren't time like this to begin with.
Satisfied that his family was as taken care of as they could be given the circumstances Agave went to meet the approaching herd, his multiple eyes hard and cautious. Imagine his surprise when he rounded the grove and saw Aquitaine approaching - and behind her moving into a flanking position a rainbow hide he knew all to well..along with his shaggy commander, he vaguely recalled the unicorn beside his mate as having been in the fight that last fateful day as well but he had not been focused on her...there was a flash of brown in the back as well but that one remained hidden and he couldn't quite make her out.
Suddenly unsure of what to do Agave skid to a stop and snorted, he wanted to run to Aquitaine but the presence of known fighters had him wary and the way they were flanking her made him think this was not just a social call. Tail swishing in agitation Agave glared at the Soquili escorting his mate.
"Let her go." He demanded, his voice harsh and cold "Now." Knowing that he was outnumbered however the stallion did not move forward, doing so might put Aquitaine at risk no matter how much he wanted to do so.
Seeing the bright green stallion approach Mercy glanced behind her to Ironforge, she remembered this stallion from the fighting though it had been Kale he had fought the spikes on his hide and the many blazing eyes were hard to forget. If she remembered right he also had spiders and she found herself glancing around for them..did he still have them? Mercy hated the spiders, the thoughts of their venom had her hide twitching in anxiety even from here.
"Does..does he have spiders?" She managed to ask Aquitaine after taking in his angry expression and cold demands. "You'd best reassure him.." She added, knowing that starting this off with demands probably wasn't going to get them anywhere good.
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Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2015 8:10 am
It was such a relief to see Agave, she wanted to rush to him, to let him know that everything was already, but she knew that couldn't happen. This situation had to be handled delicately. One wrong more and Ironforge would call the group in and act with aggression. She did not see her children, and she could only hope that they were safe, that they wouldn't come out at the wrong time and be tangled up in this potential mess.
She watched as Agave took in the scene before him. It was clear that he wasnt all that happen with what was happening...well neither was Aquitaine, but she knew they could handle this, that they could prove that they were good. Hearing Agave's words and the anger behind them Aquitaine shuddered. She did not want her mate reverting to his old ways because of this. He was outnumbered, but she knew that wouldn't stop him if he was forced to act.
At Mercy's words she swung her gaze to look at the mare. "Yes, he has spiders." It seemed like an odd question, but not really. These knights had fought against Pirata once and they would have likely dealt with the mares spiders in that time. Swinging her gaze back to her mate she took a single step forward.
"Agave," her voice was soft, "it's alright. Don't do anything. This is all just a bit of a misunderstanding." One very big misunderstanding, but she wasn't about to say that out loud. "They will not hurt me, nor you if you just listen." She closed her eyes for a moment. "Don't make them think you are still the stallion you were the last time you saw them." Aquitaine opened her eyes and gave her mate a pleading look, the success of this trip lay in Agave's corner. "Please stand down, this will all be explained soon enough." She wanted to tell him that she had found Supreme, that she was hear now, but first they had to deal with the reality of the situation, and that meant proving themselves to Ironforge and his group.
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Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2015 8:51 am
Ironforge tenses as the green stallion appeared, it was clear he had not been expecting Aquitaine to return in such a manner and the cold and angry tone he used to demand her release was...well it was almost a good thing, surely if the mare had been lying about being his mate he wouldn't care so much about her safety. Of course that did not mean they weren't working for Pirata - though even he had to admit that so far nothing had pointed to that being true.
There had been no signs of an army, certainly one couldn't be hiding on this beach, the groves - even all of them combined - were not large enough to support Pirata's minions and so although he tensed in readiness when Agave issued his challenge he remained silent and steadfast rather then reacting - so far the stallion had dome nothing to warrant a more extreme reaction. When Mercy turned to look at him he nodded to her encouragingly. she could handle this, he was sure of it.
The mares response regarding the spiders was not reassuring but since she didn't see any in the vicinity and the stallion wasn't attacking them she decided she would just..keep her eye out and hope not to see them. She'd killed one of Pirata after it had attacked her and while it had been self defense she was loathe to repeat the performance.
As Aquitaine tried to soothe her mate Mercy remained silent and still, it was best if his mate placated him, anything she might say or do might be seen in the wrong way and she didn't want to be responsible for ruining it all.
Supreme had been cowering behind Ironforge as they approached, watching and waiting to see what would happen, see if they would be attacked. So far however things had gone down in much the way Aquitaine had assured them they would. Recognizing Agave's voice she stilled slightly. A part of her wanted to go out and see him but she also recognized that this was still a volatile situation so she stayed where she was, silently waiting for Ironforge, Kale and Mercy to handle things.
Agave paced, his ears flicking in uncertainty as Aquitaine spoke, he wanted to believe her, he told himself that the rainbow stallion had let him go before, had , in part, been the reason he had been able to come to Aquitaine and begin his life over. In a way he owed them but that was all washed away in the face of the situation before him.
It was Aquitaine's quiet plea, her soft and desperate attempt to keep him from becoming what he had once been that was his undoing. He wanted to rush to her side an assure her that he was not reverting back to that hated creature, that she need not worried about that but it was only her safety that had him so worked up but he couldn't do that at the moment, charging towards her would likely cause the very thing he didn't want to happen. No to keep Aquitaine safe then he would have to let go, surrender and in doing so prove that he was changed...the Agave of old would never surrender so easily.
Lowering his head his pacing slowed, his hide trembling with the effort to bring his emotions under control, to unlace his ears from his head and turn his burning angry eyes away from the group until the anger had calmed. Long minutes dragged by as he warred with himself but eventually the pacing stopped completely and while he still wasn't looking at them when he spoke again his voice was calmer..softer. "Please...just let her go." He begged of them "Let her go and we can work out whatever this misunderstanding is peacefully."
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Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2015 9:11 am
Aquitaine stood silent as Agave paced. She could see that he was trying to calm himself, trying to pull away from the anger he had approached them with. Even after all this time, he still could fall back on his old ways - not as much as before, but a trigger like this could set him back. Please Agave, do the right thing, Aquitaine silently prayed. She knew her mate would listen to her, but it would take him time to be ready to accept what she had said and be willing to surrender. When he finally settled and begged for her release in that quiet voice Aquitaine blew out a sigh of relief.
The first battle, if it could even be called that, had been won. Now she needed to try to explain what was happening. Aquitaine turned and looked back at Ironforge. Supreme was still hidden behind the stallion but she was sure that in time the mare would become more comfortable and come out. She would explain as much as she could and then leave the rest to Ironforge. Turning back to Agave she took another step closer to her mate. "Do you remember shortly after you came to me? When you told me about Supreme? You said that one day you would want to find her again. Well, I decided to do just that for you. I hired someone who could track her down...and then eventually did. When they told me where she was I went there myself, to confirm the information."
Her gaze shifted back to Ironforge for a moment before continuing. "But they thought I was part of your mothers army. That I had been sent to find Supreme and capture her once more. They saw me, saw what I looked like, and assumed I was with Pirata. I did explain to them that that wasn't the case, that I wasn't with Pirata and that I was only looking for Supreme for you. I told them that you had changed, that you were no longer controlled by the hatred your mother placed within you. But they are obviously hesitant to believe me. So they brought me home, to see for themselves if you had changed, if I was telling the truth." She could only hope his initial actions hadn't ruined their chances.
Aquitaine turned and looked back at Ironforge. "Surely you can see he has changed. If he hadn't would he have given up so easily?" It might not be enough to change the shaggy stallions mind immediately, but she was doing her best to act as a mediator.
Kale watched the exchange in silence. He recognized Agave immediately, for it had been Agave that he had fought and then released that day that they had saved Supreme. Back then he had seen a glimmer of something in the fierce looking stallion, but hadn't been sure if it was true or not. Seeing him now, he was still not certain if the stallion had changed. And yet he hadn't pressed an attack. He was agitated, that was clear as day, but he did not move in closer. He watched as the stallion paced, he was ready to move if Agave chose not to heed Aquitaine's words, but eventually the stallion settled.
When he begged for them to release Aquitaine Kale was surprised. Perhaps Aquitaine had been telling the truth all along. But he would not let his guard down until he knew for certain that nothing would happen. Kale turned his gaze to Ironforge to see what would happen next.
Eadric didn't like this. Things were too quiet. If a herd was coming their way, he wanted to be there to help his father, but he had given his word to stay and keep Ipswich and Prism safe. But how could he do that? He looked over at his sister, and then to Prism. "If we hear nothing soon I think we should go check it out." It would be going against fathers wishes, but he couldn't sit idle when his father could be in danger. "I know he told us to stay, but what if he needs us and can't call out?" He would make sure they didn't rush into things blind, but approach cautiously, so that if needed they could run to safety.
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Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2015 11:35 am
Ironforge watched as the stallion struggled to bring himself under control, he did not call out for help or scream a battle cry to bring his fellow soldiers running, instead he merely pleaded with them for the safety of his mate. It was something he might do for any number of people he cared for.
"She's right." Supreme finally spoke up from where she had been watching things unfold behind the shaggy stallion "Pirata would never let him give up, it was a sign of weakness..if he couldn't win, even if he was outnumbered she would have expected him to try until he died."
"You believe the story then?" Ironforge asked the brown mare, turning his head to regard her
"I believe that he has changed." Supreme allowed, nodding her head slightly, the Agave she had known - even with that small glimmer of good inside was far to much his mothers puppet to surrender the way he had just now.
Ironforge considered for a few moments, mulling over Aquitaine's words, Supreme's opinion and the scene as it had played out before him. He still wasn't sure if he could completely lower his guard but...things seemed promising.
"Alright, everyone can relax a little bit I think, it seems this reunion might have some truth to it after all." The stallion deduced nodding to Aquitaine that she might move forward and see her mate.
Agave still wouldn't look at the group, he was still far to angry about Aquitaines current situation to trust his gaze and his temper by looking at her captors. This wasn't fair - after all this time and still he could not fully escape his mothers tainted reputation and now it had spread to his mate who, unlike him, had never done anything to deserve such treatment.
Still he listened and his ears twitched slightly as Aquitaine spoke of Supreme, yes he had wanted to know of her fate, he had not seen what happened to her that day and had always been curious about what had become of the only kindness he had known as a foal and then very softly, from farther back the stallion thought he heard her. It was enough to make him actually pick up his head and search the group again. That flash of brown in the back..could it truly be.
"You found her?" He asked Aquitaine, somewhat stumped for words in his surprise "I didn't think it was possible.."
Mercy breathed a slight sigh of relief as the stallions angry pacing seemed to slow and everyone relaxed just a touch. The tension had been high enough that for a few moments she hadn't been entirely sure what was going to happen but it seemed that they might have come past the worst of it - first contact and no blood shed was something to be proud about right?
"Go ahead." She encouraged Aquitaine as Ironforge released her to move forward.
Ipswich was getting worried, some time had passed since her farther had run off to confront the strange herd approaching their beach and while there hadn't been any sounds of fighting that hardly meant much, the sound of the waves could have hidden it from them or perhaps they had lured him far enough away that they wouldn't have been able to hear it regardless.
"Okay." She Agreed with Eadric, stoutly nodding her head in determination "If we don't hear anything in the next minute or so we go and rescue him!"
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Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2015 12:11 pm
Hearing Ironforge's words and seeing his nod Aquitaine finally moved forward, she kept her pace slow but closed the gap between herself and Agave. Once in front of him she gave him a deep loving nuzzle. "I'm alright." She assured him, knowing he would likely still be worried over her and what had happened. Later, she would share the full story of how she had landed herself in this predicament, but now was not the time. Pulling back she looked into his eyes.
"I found her." She confirmed and then turned to look towards Ironforge. "She's here." Finally, all her effort would pay off, Supreme and Agave would get to speak - that was whenever Supreme was ready to step forward. "She's been with them ever since being rescued." The remaining details she would leave up to Supreme to share, but Aquitaine wanted Agave to know that she had been safe this whole time.
Her eyes shifted to Kale as he moved. The stallion certainly seemed more relaxed, and she was glad for it. This entire trip the group had been so on edge about what they would find around the next corner, where the trap might be set waiting for them. Now that she had gotten through to them, helped to show them Agave's true colors, and her own, she was hoping they would learn a valuable lesson. A lesson she had spent the past months trying to spread during her trips out among the lands - and that was to not judge a Soquili on looks alone. They had done just that with her, but surely now they would see that it had been wrong.
Once Ironforge issued the order, Kale relaxed a bit. He moved closer to Mercy while watching Aquitaine and Agave. Well unless this was some amazingly elaborate ploy to get them to lower their defenses, then he was starting to believe that Aquitaine had been telling the truth all along.
"It's not going to be a rescue," he informed his sister. "We will simply check out what is happening. We don't know how many have come or what they want. If they mean us harm we cannot rush in and allow ourselves to be captured." They would approach calm and slow, assess what was happening and go from there.
Eadric waiting for a few more moments and finally couldn't stand it. "Okay, we're going." He leveled his gaze on Ipswich. "I want you to stay behind me. If I tell you to run, then run." He looked over to Prism. "That goes for you as well." No matter what, he would do as he promised his father, he would keep Ipswich and Prism safe. It might not be in the way he intended, but he would not leave them here unprotected while he investigated what was happening.
"Right, let's go." He said and began to lead them down the beach, following the trail his father had left in the sand.
Prism didn't think it was the best idea to go looking for trouble, Agave had told them to stay and stay they should. But he could understand their desire to find out what was happening. He could only hope that they were making the right decision. Nodding to Eadric the stallion fell in behind him as the moved along the beach.
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Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2015 10:01 am
Ipswich followed her bother as they set off down the trail their fatehr had made in the sand, she still didn't hear any sounds of fighting ..or even arguing which was a hopeful sign but perhaps they had waited to long and all the fighting was finished!
The thought was enough to make her chest tighten with worry and her pace pick up until she was crowding her brother from behind to hurry him along.
Agave felt a large weight lift off the darkened corners of his mind, although it had not been prevalent in his thoughts for quite some time he had always wondered what had become of Supreme, had always hoped that she had somehow escaped his mother like he had, found some peace in her life.
Indeed there had been a good bit of guilt in the way he had left, he had simply fled without making sure that she truly was being rescued. Of course his injuries had been quite serious and he doubted things would have turned out well if he had tried to wait and see what happened...no logically he had left when he had too and there was nothing to feel guilty for and he nuzzled Aquitaine lovingly "Thank you." He told her sincerely "Thank you for giving me the chance to find some closure."
Watching Aquitaine and Agave for only a few moments made Mercy a believer and she glanced at Ironforge to see if he was seeing it too - there was no way this was the same stallion who had fought with them when they rescued Supreme, that stallion could not love another in the way that agave so obviously loved Aquitaine. Love was not a part of Pirata's world.
Catching Mercy's look Ironforge nodded with a deep sigh - perhaps they had been wrong, although Aquitaine looked like one of Pirata's minions it was quickly becoming obvious that she was not. The mare's kind nature seemed to be her true one and the green stallion seemed to have changed for the better as well.
Still...he wouldn't go so far as to admit that their reactions had been completely out of line, maybe they would have believed her sooner if she had been your typical unicorn, if she hadn't looked so much like one of Pirata's minions, if she didn't have some weird creature trapped in her hair...but well they could hardly be blamed for being careful when it came to Supreme. Next time however..maybe he would place a bit less consideration based on looks.
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