Living slow and loving fast.
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Post by aliyaah on Nov 21, 2021 23:40:47 GMT -7
TIMELINE: Avinash is still a young foal. This is him recounting one of the first times he had been taken to the Lands of the Free, and been allowed to wander out of the sights of his father. While he adventured, he met the young Evera, and the two hit it off quickly. Unfortunately, in an attempt to impress the neutral filly, Avinash hurt himself. When he returned home, thanks to Evera, they were met in a less than welcoming fashion...
That day had not gone as planned. He had hurt his leg. BADLY. But he had tried really, really hard not to show just how much it got to him. Things were already bad enough as it was, without him drawing more attention to himself. He had already messed up by having allowed this to happen. He should have done better, known better - after all, he was being raised to be a king. It had been foolish of him to venture up so high upon that pile, but Evera was so fun, and he had wanted to show him that he was fun too! But he should have realized that it was dangerous for someone so young, someone still learning spatial awareness and coordination of his own self. He had topped the mass formed of logs and boulders for a triumphant moment, before he had been sent tumbling down, ending up sprawling at Evera's feet. This amount of embarrassment he had felt might have been unbearable, had it not been for the great deal of pain that had then grew in his fore right leg, and throughout his barrel and ribs. Evera, the sweet thing, had not laughed at him. Rather, she had been very concerned for his well being. Despite being much smaller than him, she had assisted him as much as she could on their trek home, allowing him to lean on her if need be (something which he obviously wanted to avoid). Now, the unfortunate truth about being a kid and knowing you messed up was not the moment the action was done, but what followed after - the consequences. Mainly, the reaction of one's parents. He knew it was going to be bad. But more so, he knew that it was the repercussions from his older sister that was going to be more difficult to endure than anything his parents could have come up with. And boy, was he not wrong.
That had been the first time that Avinash had ever really seen Divine be, well... mean. His older sister had always been someone of a serious nature with him, and stern, but she had never been unkind. The moments that were a little less fun, such as the times spent in his lessons with her, he knew was for good reason. He understood that Divine, as former queen of the Neutral Kingdom, only wanted what was best for both him and the lands he was to rule over one day. She took teaching him very seriously, and for the most part, he loved it. He loved the attention he gave her, how important she made him feel. He respected her greatly for the stories she told him of her time as queen, for the experiences she had had, and for the knowledge she had gained. He hoped he could be half as good of a ruler as she sounded as though she had been. It was for this reason that he had dealt with her sometimes toughness without complaint, even if at times he would much rather be playing with his twin sister, Avaline. But that strictness that she had during his lessons was nothing compared to how she behaved the day that Avinash limped home, with Evera at his side. He had expected Divine to be grateful to the filla for helping him. Kind to the youngling, considering that Evera herself was so genuine and sweet. But no, that was far from what had happened. Instead, Divine had been harsh. Her normally amiable silver voids had turned ice cold, hard like metal. She had not tried to conceal her disapproval, despite how badly Evera had clearly felt. It had been entirely unfair - but who had they been to argue? Divine was older, wiser than both Avinash and Evera. And the foals knew they had made a mistake, being as reckless as they had been. And so, they had taken the scolding without objection, ducking their heads with shame. At the end of it, Evera had been escorted back home to Eacarrah, and Avinash was left to his own device - allowing his bad mood from the reprimand to simmer, and allow the pain from the full extend of his injuries to sink in.
While there was much to the day that he was humiliated by, he could not say that he did not look back on it fondly. After all, that was the day that he had first met Evera. Divine might not approve of her (unfortunate that she had had such a poor first impression of her, considering Divine was under the assumption that Evera had driven Avinash to perform his foolish deed), but Avinash sure did. Following this, Evera and Avinash became fast, and close friends. Best friends. The way things unfolded were unfortunate, that was to be sure... But he was grateful that they had happened, because it meant that he now had Evera in his life.
But that being said... He truly hoped he would never have to see his sister so angry again...
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Living slow and loving fast.
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Post by aliyaah on Nov 22, 2021 0:12:05 GMT -7
TIMELINE: Avinash is approximately two years old. When venturing the woods, he runs into Thomasin, who is accompanied by her goat. A misunderstanding unfolds, causing Thomasin's companion to think that Avinash had ill-intent towards the mare, and resulted in an attack to defend her. Avinash, still juvenile and taken by surprise, was badly injured.
A misunderstanding, gone entirely wrong. But how could he explain that to those who weren't there? Avinash was a royal, the crown prince. An attack on him could signify an attack on entire kingdom - an argument which his older, half-sister Divine was making forcefully. She was convinced that this was something more than just plain accident, as Avinash had described it to be. What were the chances, really? A stranger had showed up within the boundaries of Tremala Woods, the home of the Neutral Royals. They had just so happened upon the heir to the throne. And the had been chaotic, causing Avinash serious injury.
It had all happened in a blur. She hadn't seemed like a threat. Thomasin, that was. A stranger from the Dark Kingdom, who stated that she was just exploring the lands. She had seemed nice enough. So much so that Avinash had enjoyed his initial conversation with her, no matter how short-lived it may have been. Even now, even despite what had happened, Avinash truly didn't think she was a bad individual. Her companion may have attacked him, but it hadn't seemed as though something the mare had wanted. Yet the smaller, horned creature had been too much for the two year old steed to manage, particularly when he was taken so by surprise, and particularly when he had lacked combat training.... In particular, against opponents that were not within their species.
All that had happened was that Avinash had gotten too close to the spotted mare. He was unsure of what he had done, how is body language had been portrayed that he had been a danger to Thomasin... But clearly, the goat had seen something within him that the billy felt needed to be dealt with.
Yes, maybe it was Avinash's lack of experience and his youth that had allowed him to approach this situation with such a casual, trusting attitude. Maybe he had never thought that someone would be so bold as to come into his home, and try to launch an attack. Particularly when help could be called on within an instant, and the offender would be quickly outnumbered. Which, coincidentally, was exactly what had happened. The sounds of fighting, Avinash's surprised yells, and consequential grunts of pains, had echoed through the trees. Notifying all near by of trouble, and drawing patrols to the vicinity. Thomasin had not had a chance to explain herself, not when her companion was still so clearly worked-up, and Prince Avinash was evidently so injured. She had been forced to leave, with no clarity to the situation provided, leaving it open to interpretation... and the word of the prince. Word that was not so easily believed in the days to follow.
The patrols had sought out Avi's family immediately, telling them what happened, bringing the prince to them. Of course, such a situation was an entire family affair, so his father King Alistair, his mother Kalila, and his older sister Divine were all present. First, they tended to him as best as they could - not that there was much they could do for potentially broken bones, and severe bruising. These were things that were best healed with time and rest (at least, that was to the best of their knowledge). But once that was dealt with, tensions quickly rose within the family as they tried to make sense of the situation, and determine what they were to do next.
King Alistair, gentle-souled as he was, had been more inclined to believe Avinash's story. He did not see this as an attack on the kingdom... Just unfortunate. Former queen Divine, however, strongly disagreed. He was unsure why she had such a different opinion from her other family members, why she insisted something needed to be done, that someone needed to pay. One might argue it was old wounds from the war reopened, but all three Divine, Kalila, and Alistair had been present at the time of the war, even if their stories might have looked rather different.
In any case, Avinash would never forget the words that were spoken during that conversation. Even though he had been distracted by pain, which was so much worse than anything he had experienced previously (even the time he had fallen off the mound with Evera), the words of discontent had been clear as day. Divine had not only been mad, no, she had been furious. She spoke of irresponsibility on Avinash's part, for allowing himself to end up in a situation, for not being more careful with a stranger. She spoke of irresponsibility on the part of their family's, for allowing Avinash as heir to the throne and future heart of the Neutral Kingdom, to wander alone. She spoke of the importance of not allowing this situation to slip away, of responding to it - to show that the Neutral Royal family could not be trifled with, that they were a force to be reckoned with. She spoke of the importance for change from now on, the serious need to protect Avinash so that they could better secure the future of the Neutral Kingdom. It was possibly the only time that Avinash could recount where their father had had to put his hoof down with Divine. At the end of the day, it was King Alistair's decision as to how to respond, and he decided it was accident (much to Divine's dismay).
But despite being told that Divine's response was an overreaction, that she was likely wrong, and that his was a mere accident... Something had changed that day. Avinash would never forget the look his sister had given him prior to walking away. Her eyes were filled with rage, but something else, too. An emotion that he couldn't quite place, for it was one that he had not seen her display before.
It would be a long time before he realized that what he saw that day had been possessiveness. Accident or not, Divine could not risk the future king of her kingdom being jeopardized again. And it was going to become her responsibility, one that she assigned to herself, to make sure that he was kept safe from then on.
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Living slow and loving fast.
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Post by aliyaah on Nov 22, 2021 15:42:40 GMT -7
TIMELINE: Avinash is approximately two years old. This is following his encounter with Thomasin, and the following conversation with his family about what they were going to do about it.
Avinash was trying not to shift his weight too much as he grazed, finding that his pain increased greatly any time he really moved. As it was, he was trying to keep as much weight off of his hind right leg as possible, that being the limb that had taken the brunt of the attack. If he had his way, he likely wouldn't be eating at all - he had greatly lacked an appetite since his encounter with Thomasin had happened. However, his family had insisted that he at least try, instructing him that the only way he was going to get better was if he looked after himself by keeping himself rested, hydrated, and well fed. Even though he understood this, he found each bite difficult to swallow (literally), and instead he ended up playing with the food in his mouth for several moments before he choked it back. This was how he had been spending the majority of his days, situated in his resting spot by the creek - taking small sips of water, slowly and carefully grazing, and sleeping. He had to sleep standing up, for it was far too painful to for him to try to transition between standing and laying down, as well as vice versa. Thankfully, that was the one thing that seemed to come easy to him. His bod felt as though it was desperate for sleep, and he found himself drifting into dreamland more often than ever. Honestly, this was the only thing that made him feel good. Sleeping not only passed the time, but it gave him a break from reality - a reality that was currently both humiliating and stressful to deal with. This entire scenario was difficult as it was, but it was worsened ten fold while he was awake. You see, he was not the only one looking after himself. Rather his older half-sister Divine was also doing her damned best to look after him, much more than was necessary. She was constantly at his side, making sure he was eating and drinking appropriately, and chiding him about getting himself here. He had to tell himself that she cared about him and was only trying to do what was best for him, but honestly, that was becoming increasingly difficult as time went on.
Divine had always been hugely involved in his life, taking a big role in his royal education, as she was a former royal herself. That he was used to, and had never minded. This, however, was very different. She never left his side, she hovered, she controlled. He had to question why she was doing this. He understood that she was furious with him as to what had happened, allowing him to have been attacked as he was. She was also enraged with Thomasin and her companion, the one who had actually initiated the barrage. But it seemed as though even as the days went on, and the attack was slowly becoming a thing of the past, Divine's strong emotions did not wane. Not even slightly. He got that she was concerned for him, that what had happened had scared her. But was this behaviour really all necessary? It definitely didn't feel like it. He tried to see logic from it, tried to make sense of it all. He often remained quiet as she scolded him, and he found his eyes frequently trailing down her painted bodice and towards her pregnant belly. Was that what was driving these emotions? Her pregnancy? From what he understood, pregnancy could really affect an individual, really make them more emotional. Was it causing Divine to act more motherly towards him? He knew that she had had difficulties with the pregnancy, but it was his understanding that she had received supernatural intervention, and that all was well now. He supposed it still could have a lingering effect on her emotions, going through what she had, but... Ugh, it was such a pain to have to deal with.
"It was irresponsible." Divine commented, her silver voids set intensely upon him as she watched him take a few blades of grass into his incisors, and chew them slowly.
"Yeah, I guess. Maybe." Avinash reflected in return, tired of having this conversation.
"You have to learn to be vigilant. Even here within your own home. We might be the Neutral Kingdom, the ones that are supposed to stay level headed, candid, but even we have enemies. I thought you knew that." She continued on.
"I do." He said, guilt swelling within him.
"Do you? You approached Thomasin so carelessly. You let her initial courteous behaviour get your guard down, so that you could be taken advantage of." The anger in her voice was rising.
He desperately wanted to once again say that he really didn't think that Thomasin had meant him harm, that it had been a misunderstanding, an unfortunate mistake. But he knew that this wouldn't get him anywhere. He had already tried this many times. If he hadn't changed Divine's mind by now, he wasn't going to.
"You're right." He replied, admitting defeat, and lowering his bald dial in shame.
"I don't know why dad and Kalila let you wander without a guard. You're a future king, you need to be protected." Divine stated. Avinash did not like the blame being placed towards his parents. His maw turned into a deep frown, and the emotion of melancholy washed over him, threatening to allow liquid to spill from his pale green voids. "I think from now on I'll spend more time around you, keeping an eye on you myself. That way I can - hey, it's okay," Divine's train of thoughts were interrupted when she noticed his face, the sorrow that it wore. She closed the distance between them, and draped her nape over top of his, pulling him gently closer to her.
"I know I'm being hard on you. I'm just really, really worried about you. What happened was really scary," she explained, her tone much softer than it had been before. Much more like the Divine he knew.
"I know," the young prince then replied, allowing her her moment. Now, he felt bad that she felt bad. Trying his best to compose himself for the sake of his older sister, he told her, "If you want to hang around me more, if it would bring you peace to know I am protected, I'd be okay with that. After all, you're my sister and I love you."
"Okay. I love you as well." She responded. From that point, they allowed the conversation to drop, and silence fell between them. They shifted away from one another and went on as before. Looked like he was going to be spending a lot more time with Divine in the future. That was okay. It was going to be what was best... right?
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Living slow and loving fast.
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Post by aliyaah on Nov 22, 2021 23:43:09 GMT -7
TIMELINE: Avinash is approximately 2.5 years old. He has been crowned King. An invitation was sent out across the lands, welcoming all to Lachlan Breck to witness the coronation of the new King and Queen of the Dark Kingdom. Avinash, as King of the Neutral Kingdom, was eager to attend. Accompanying him is his royal advisor, Divine.
Avinash was eager and excited, yet nervous, all at the same time. This would be the first time he would be going to an event held by royals of some of the neighboring kingdoms. In fact, it would be the first time he would be meeting the King and Queen of other domains as a King himself. It was nerve-racking, as he wanted to make a good impression. And of course, these were the Dark Royals he would be meeting... And, well, the darks were not always so responsive and understanding to mistakes, being rather judgmental and critical, historically. As one of the ruler's of the Neutral Kingdom, he wanted to represent himself appropriately, so that he also represented his kingdom well. It was for these very reasons that he was extremely grateful that he had his sister by his side, and that his steadfast queen, Laqueta, would be joining them in due time.
From what he could recall from his father, the Neutral Royal's relationship with the previous Dark Royal's had been... well, it had existed. Alistair spoke of a time that he had gone to meet Queen Sephora and King Khalon, that hadn't gone over very well. It was difficult for Avinash to imagine someone not likely his cheerful, humorous father, yet that's what had happened. It seemed as though Sephora had been overly critical of Alistair, despite his explanations. When Alistair challenged her in response, he was met by hostility from Khalon. The former Neutral King Alistair had ended the encounter soon after that, not wishing to cause unnecessary drama or feuding between the kingdoms. Although Alistair had not said it out loud at the time, he had considered Queen Sephora and King Khalon to be shallow, conceited, and lacking intelligence. Not that they did not have the intelligence, but rather, they were blinded by their pride and it did not bring out the best in them. Having heard of this encounter, Avinash had prepared himself in case his meeting with the new ruling pair went similarly. He did not need the new Dark King and Queen to like him, he just wanted to avoid harsh feelings with them, and consequently, keeping conflict between their territories in general at bay. As a young king, this made him nervous. He knew that it would not be unlikely for him to slip up, maybe pick the wrong word and accidentally offend someone. Divine being at his side gave him confidence, it gave him faith. He knew that she too had had quite the relationship with various Dark Royals during her time - quite close with Queen Akroma, Sephora's mother, in particular. She had also been acquainted with King Zephyr during his reign. Her experience was an asset to him, and would help him navigate these unknown waters. For that, he was grateful.
Having never been to Lachlan Breck before, it was his grulla tovero sister who was several strides ahead of him, guiding him towards the Dark Kingdom in a steady two-beat pace. He trailed behind her, moving comfortably as they covered ground, his previous injury behind him. He had been lucky that he had been so young when he had been attacked by Thomasin's companion, for his youthful bod had allowed him to heal up quite nicely. That, and he was sure that all the care that his family had thrust upon him had really helped, too. Ever since that day, his sister had been a constant presence in his life. It had been maybe a little bit trying to begin with, but as he had transitioned into his role as king, he had been actually quite thankful for it. Becoming a king, particularly so young, was extremely stressful and taxing. But she had eased the transition, with her experience, her suggestions, and her support. Despite living her own life and having her own issues to deal with, she gave a great deal of her time and effort into aiding and promoting him. He was very lucky to have her.
He found a smile subconsciously making its way onto his features as he looked fondly forwards to his sister. The pair traversed mostly in silence, that was, until her pace slowed. A forest loomed before them, expanding vastly on the far side of the meadow they were now crossing. Even from the distance they were at, Avinash could see the multitude of individuals lining the forest's borders - guards, he was certain. Still quite some distance away, the mare pulled herself to a halt, and Avinash stopped beside her. Her blazed visage turned in his direction, her chrome hued pools bright.
"Remember what I told you. Be yourself, kind as you are. But always be vigilant. Darks can be tricky, and we don't know what kind of individuals these new royals are. Don't trust too easily. Be open, but don't let your guard down." Divine's words were stern, but not unkind.
"Yes. I won't make the same mistake again," Avinash responded, certainly.
"Good. I'll give you some space and let you do your thing, but I'll be close by in case you need anything. I'm sure Laqueta won't be far behind, either. Are you ready?" She asked.
"I'm ready." He said with enthusiasm, flashing her a willing beam. Divine then nodded in understanding, then took up a much more casual pace in the direction of the guards. He followed instantly, excited. He was ready to meet the new King and Queen. And he was ready for others to get to know who he was, too.
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Living slow and loving fast.
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Post by aliyaah on Nov 27, 2021 21:23:16 GMT -7
TIMELINE: Avinash is approximately 2.5 years old. He and Divine are returning from the coronation of King Joker and Queen Thmasin.
"You probably shouldn't have done that," the older, grulla tovero equine commented, although there was something half-hearted about her comment. The young royal rounded his light, sage-hued voids upon his siblings, assessing her. There was the slightest bit of a wry smile upon her visage, which gave him indication that she didn't entirely mean her words. She was possibly just saying them because he could have gotten himself into trouble by involving himself. Not that he had, but maybe. And maybe Divine felt like it was her responsibility to say something because of that, considering she was his older sister, royal advisor to the king, and looking out for him. But at the end of the day, nothing had happened, which was likely exactly why there was not much feeling within the former queen's words. He ducked his head, trying not to show her that he was smiling. After all, it was only funny because it had worked out. They wouldn't be laughing if the scenario had turned out differently.
The last thing they had expected to encounter at the coronation of the newly crowned Dark King and Queen was a naysayer. A particularly vocal, particularly violent naysayer. Who, seemed to have drawn her equally reactive sibling to her. It was one thing to have some random crazy come to the party and start screaming her head off about how she deserved to be queen (particularly, when the majority of the crowd seemed to have very little idea as to who she was at all...), and another to grow violent with the royals present. Another thing yet still, to have one's sibling show up and try to intervene, leading to a skirmish. It had been quite the... eventful sight to behold.
"Come on, Divi. She was going to go after Thomasin. You know you wouldn't have just stood by and let that happen." He tried her, knowing that if Thomasin had done nothing aside from take the crown, she certainly did not deserve to be attacked.
"Yes, but I'm much more trained in fighting than you are." Divine commented in response, slight humour playing in her lyrics.
"And that's why I used my words," the king retorted, recalling the scenario. No, his words hadn't helped anything, but at least he had tried to intervene to break the tension, instead of remaining passive and allowing it to all unfold. This response drew light laughter from his companion, which in turn drew a wide beam from himself, no longer able to keep it at bay. His sister tossed a gentle smile in his direction, giving in slightly.
"I know you tried, and I know why you did. You just have to be careful, you know?" She commented, the heartfelt concern clear.
"I know. And clearly, I need to practice my negotiation skills." He responded lightly, still smiling at her, although he meant each of his words. He wanted to be useful in scenarios like that.
"The Vigilum are good for things like that, and I'm sure if you asked them, they could teach you a thing or two." Divine suggested. Yeah, she was entirely right. It had been a good thing that both Zana and Casimiro had been present at the coronation. Although their efforts had not been needed, thanks to the divine intervention of Xerxes separating those feuding, their presence had been clear. Casimiro present and ready to seemingly literally pull the one known as "Peri", as he had said, off of the other. Zana, who had calmly, yet sternly, intervened as things began to unfold. Avinash had already been working on bettering his relationship with them - perhaps they would entertain him further with this favour. For the good of education, of course.
"That being said, I don't know that even Zana was going to be able to talk that wicked creature down. She was crazy." Divine commented, her words thoughtful as she reflected the situation they had just departed. "And a good reminder of the power of the Afterlife, doing things that us mortals can not." A good point. And Avinash knew that Divine knew that better than anyone. Although this event had certainly opened Avi's eyes to their capabilities, considering Xerxes was able to separate the two locked in combat with just his words, his supernatural control. It had been eery, and intimidating.
"Yeah... I sincerely hope we don't have anyone like that crazy mare within our lands to deal with," Avinash stated, the idea of someone lurking, existing in the Neutral Kingdom making him shudder.
"No promises. But don't worry, I'll protect you from them. Now, let's get home." Divine told him certainly, but her voice still humorous. Eager to get home and tell the rest of their family about all that they had seen, the pair of paints took off like rockets, racing one another on their way back, their demeanour's much more light-hearted than what they had first come to the Dark Kingdom with...
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