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Description
previous: Ashes of Mercy

Q21 Romantiquinn & ?09 Another Light

SONG:: "Paralyzed " NFRealMusic

The acrid stench of smoke mingled with blood and the distinct odor of death burned his nostrils. The sounds of battle still ringing in his ears. Each clang of the sword, each thwoop of the bow, the hiss of an arrow through the air. It all grew to a painful crescendo in his mind, drowning him in his own thoughts. At first he didn't understand what he heard. Her voice was so soft, gentle even. It came at such a sharp and uncompromising contrast to the world... the slaughter around him that he couldn't wrap his mind around it.

"Hello?"

The voice repeated. Gentle, serene, soothing and... kind. It did not belong here. It did not belong in this field of death and pain and violence. It did not belong in the meadow of lost souls. But it was here, none the less, and the soft voice had quelled the cacophony in his mind.

Slowly he raised his head and turned his gaze from the steady drip of blood at his feet. Her hooves were a soft pink that seemed rich and deep in the harsh morning light. The depth of the blue limbs became an ink black and the sun light flowing upon her undercarriage turned the bold pink into brilliant fire. Fire that masked the hint of roses... Roses? Why? He would never consider roses for any description yet here he stood and here she stood...

If they weren't real then it wasn't because they looked fake! Her breast was adorned with a rose weeping petals down one leg. Her eyes, too, held weeping roses and the pink flowers stretched across her star speckled back and down her hips to be lost in a long swath of pale blue hair.

"What?" Was all he could say to her. Her concerned blue eyes darkened in a frown and she snorted at him. Before she could say another word he felt the world tumbling around him, light darkening in a spiraling tunnel and then the earth embracing him with a solid thud.

His wounds hadn't looked nearly that bad. Romance stared at the pale stallion where he lay upon the ground. Her head tilted in a bird like gesture as she considered the options. A battlefield was not her choice of destinations but one must go where one must when they were a war horse and, regardless of her lack of rider she was still a war horse and so like a carrion bird she would find her way to a field of war.

She sighed and stepped forward to drape her long mane over his bleeding body and shield him from those same birds she heard feasting upon the corpses up the meadow. "Whoever you are... I'll watch over you."

Whoever you are... The words whispered in the darkness all around him. When had it become so dark? Once upon a time it had been bright and brilliant and... beautiful. Where had that light gone too. And when had it left? He sighed into the darkness. His dark eyes gazing at nothing or everything. He couldn't tell anymore if he was awake or not, when his eyes were opened or closed. It was somehow fitting that he couldn't tell. Century after century he had witnessed slaughter and war, bloodshed and agony. Why then should he witness anything else?

I'll watch over you.

Who?

Why would anyone watch over him? The white horse tossed his head and groaned. No. He was a warrior, one of the greatest alive. No one needed to watch over him he knew what he was doing. He knew what to do. He didn't need to be protected. He could protect himself, he DID the protecting. His dark rimmed ears turned back and he snorted and pulled himself from the darkness. There was light here somewhere. He only had to reach to find it.

"Ah, there you are." She stepped back from him and his vision was filled with dark knees and pink hooves. When he looked up at the mare she was lowering her elegant head down to smile at him. "I was beginning to get worried. You're a great horse and I don't think I could carry you myself."

He did not doubt this stranger would have tried. Beautiful as she was.

"I think it would be best if we were gone from here. There are no survivors but others might come looking to clear the field and I would prefer we not find ourselves on the end of ropes." His ears turned back at this thought and she chuckled. "No, I thought not. Well... I am Romance."

"Truly?" He asked. His disused voice was soft and coarse but his surprise projected. She chuckled again.

"Yes, Truly. That is my name. What is yours?"

"I.... haven't one." He answered her. "I used to. Once. I used to have a name and a light..." Romance watched him as he fell silent. She watched him turn his dark gaze to the corpses, watched as sadness consumed his expression and she ached for the stranger.

"Then we will find you a new light." She informed him as she stepped further back to give him room to rise up.

"A new light?" He asked her.

"Another Light."

"But I am starless," he told her. "How will I shine another light?"

Romance stared at him as though deep in thought before straightening herself up, shaking her coat of dirt that did not dare cling to her, and speaking at last. "Why, we will light a new star for you, of course. For now you will be Starless. But it doesn't have to be forever." And she turned away from him to walk down the river.

Starless lingered where he'd risen and watched her go. They could... do that? Light another star? His gaze turned up to the fading night sky as the blood dawn consumed the horizon. There was one last star twinkling over head, just barely visible. How did one light stars that had died?

"Are you coming?" Romance called over her shoulder. Without a word Starless pressed himself into an easy trot along her trail. He didn't know why but he felt it was important to stay with this mare. Something about Romance called to him. It was as if... no, he couldn't even find words for the thought or the feeling. But... He couldn't take his eyes off her.

It was as if she had finally brought him hope.

This was originally supposed to be a more... epic-style art piece for the story. But I needed to do a bit of vent art and unfortunately Starless lends himself very well to the abuse of emotional frustration. I'll make it up to you Starless.

Description
previous: Ashes of Mercy

Q21 Romantiquinn & ?09 Another Light

SONG:: "Paralyzed " NFRealMusic

The acrid stench of smoke mingled with blood and the distinct odor of death burned his nostrils. The sounds of battle still ringing in his ears. Each clang of the sword, each thwoop of the bow, the hiss of an arrow through the air. It all grew to a painful crescendo in his mind, drowning him in his own thoughts. At first he didn't understand what he heard. Her voice was so soft, gentle even. It came at such a sharp and uncompromising contrast to the world... the slaughter around him that he couldn't wrap his mind around it.

"Hello?"

The voice repeated. Gentle, serene, soothing and... kind. It did not belong here. It did not belong in this field of death and pain and violence. It did not belong in the meadow of lost souls. But it was here, none the less, and the soft voice had quelled the cacophony in his mind.

Slowly he raised his head and turned his gaze from the steady drip of blood at his feet. Her hooves were a soft pink that seemed rich and deep in the harsh morning light. The depth of the blue limbs became an ink black and the sun light flowing upon her undercarriage turned the bold pink into brilliant fire. Fire that masked the hint of roses... Roses? Why? He would never consider roses for any description yet here he stood and here she stood...

If they weren't real then it wasn't because they looked fake! Her breast was adorned with a rose weeping petals down one leg. Her eyes, too, held weeping roses and the pink flowers stretched across her star speckled back and down her hips to be lost in a long swath of pale blue hair.

"What?" Was all he could say to her. Her concerned blue eyes darkened in a frown and she snorted at him. Before she could say another word he felt the world tumbling around him, light darkening in a spiraling tunnel and then the earth embracing him with a solid thud.

His wounds hadn't looked nearly that bad. Romance stared at the pale stallion where he lay upon the ground. Her head tilted in a bird like gesture as she considered the options. A battlefield was not her choice of destinations but one must go where one must when they were a war horse and, regardless of her lack of rider she was still a war horse and so like a carrion bird she would find her way to a field of war.

She sighed and stepped forward to drape her long mane over his bleeding body and shield him from those same birds she heard feasting upon the corpses up the meadow. "Whoever you are... I'll watch over you."

Whoever you are... The words whispered in the darkness all around him. When had it become so dark? Once upon a time it had been bright and brilliant and... beautiful. Where had that light gone too. And when had it left? He sighed into the darkness. His dark eyes gazing at nothing or everything. He couldn't tell anymore if he was awake or not, when his eyes were opened or closed. It was somehow fitting that he couldn't tell. Century after century he had witnessed slaughter and war, bloodshed and agony. Why then should he witness anything else?

I'll watch over you.

Who?

Why would anyone watch over him? The white horse tossed his head and groaned. No. He was a warrior, one of the greatest alive. No one needed to watch over him he knew what he was doing. He knew what to do. He didn't need to be protected. He could protect himself, he DID the protecting. His dark rimmed ears turned back and he snorted and pulled himself from the darkness. There was light here somewhere. He only had to reach to find it.

"Ah, there you are." She stepped back from him and his vision was filled with dark knees and pink hooves. When he looked up at the mare she was lowering her elegant head down to smile at him. "I was beginning to get worried. You're a great horse and I don't think I could carry you myself."

He did not doubt this stranger would have tried. Beautiful as she was.

"I think it would be best if we were gone from here. There are no survivors but others might come looking to clear the field and I would prefer we not find ourselves on the end of ropes." His ears turned back at this thought and she chuckled. "No, I thought not. Well... I am Romance."

"Truly?" He asked. His disused voice was soft and coarse but his surprise projected. She chuckled again.

"Yes, Truly. That is my name. What is yours?"

"I.... haven't one." He answered her. "I used to. Once. I used to have a name and a light..." Romance watched him as he fell silent. She watched him turn his dark gaze to the corpses, watched as sadness consumed his expression and she ached for the stranger.

"Then we will find you a new light." She informed him as she stepped further back to give him room to rise up.

"A new light?" He asked her.

"Another Light."

"But I am starless," he told her. "How will I shine another light?"

Romance stared at him as though deep in thought before straightening herself up, shaking her coat of dirt that did not dare cling to her, and speaking at last. "Why, we will light a new star for you, of course. For now you will be Starless. But it doesn't have to be forever." And she turned away from him to walk down the river.

Starless lingered where he'd risen and watched her go. They could... do that? Light another star? His gaze turned up to the fading night sky as the blood dawn consumed the horizon. There was one last star twinkling over head, just barely visible. How did one light stars that had died?

"Are you coming?" Romance called over her shoulder. Without a word Starless pressed himself into an easy trot along her trail. He didn't know why but he felt it was important to stay with this mare. Something about Romance called to him. It was as if... no, he couldn't even find words for the thought or the feeling. But... He couldn't take his eyes off her.

It was as if she had finally brought him hope.

This was originally supposed to be a more... epic-style art piece for the story. But I needed to do a bit of vent art and unfortunately Starless lends himself very well to the abuse of emotional frustration. I'll make it up to you Starless.