|
|
| (4 intermediate revisions by 2 users not shown) |
| Line 1: |
Line 1: |
| − | * - Back to [[GoldenCat/SixthMovement|Sixth Movement]]
| + | #REDIRECT [[ADanceOfAngels]] |
| − | * - Back to [[GoldenCat/DanceOfAngels|A Dance of Angels]]
| |
| − | | |
| − | == Earth and Light ==
| |
| − | | |
| − | The 23rd of Resplendent Air.
| |
| − | | |
| − | Spire...
| |
| − | | |
| − | The link between Whiteshield, a country mostly grounded, and Windia, a country in the clouds.
| |
| − | | |
| − | And it did show.
| |
| − | | |
| − | Each and every building on it was at least four stories high. Each and every building on it, even the newer ones, trying to build vertically rather than horizontally, making a place with bridges far up, roads above, and a thousandfold places for the nests for the Windian's distant cousins, the myriad of birds. And of course, many ways for their predators, the myriad of cats, walk.
| |
| − | | |
| − | Opal knew it Some pretty big directional gods lived here. Helped the city remain quiet, gloomy, strange as it had always been, in prayer. And something else, of course, the city was afraid of itself. Opal could see it in its architecture, conductive to Prayer. That is why they came, to bask into the power given by it. She could understand its architecture, its essence flows. She saw the marred jewel that is Spire.
| |
| − | | |
| − | Of course, by now, a good third of it was razed, in ruins. A second third had been razed, but among the broken buildings rose bigger buildings of ivory and ice that had not been touched yet, shining ominous as they connected to the others in all-too-familiar, but all-too-alien angles. The remaining thirds scorched by fire, essence, and claws - a destruction that aimed solely at lives. Right now, there were few more civilians alive in Spire than there were people in the army that liberated it.
| |
| − | | |
| − | Windians and those better off in the Spire tried to help those wounded, dying, those who lost all their possessions and now had to fight for food... and some districts were as of yet untouched by those relief efforts. And within the Palace of Timeless Winters, work as non-stop to check its libraries and underground to understand what had happened... and Opal, away from everything, in modified forge away from the Palace, works... and that is how the Prince finds her, walking to her doorstep, and knocking. "Hello? Can I come in, Opal?"
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Exceedingly Sublime Opal: ''' "As you like, Excellency," she called to him, the soft lilt of her sometimes crisp voice could be heard through the crack. Brush in hand, she stood over an enormously complex series of diagrams. The city, indeed, was used to channel the prayers of those who lived on the lower streets to those that lived above. However, the ambient upswell of possitive emotive Essence from the lower levels of the city had the unfortunate side effect of creating a persistant gloom, which, combined with the resent attrocities committed against the mortal populous made the creation of Shadowlands quite viable.
| |
| − | | |
| − | And thus she stood on a huge roll of paper, with amazingly detailed geomantric scrawls of the cities outlay, current state of disrepair, and notes regarding one feature or another. She seemed to be puzzling over one particular tower as the Prince entered. She did not raise her eyes from her contemplation, only presenting him with the silouette of her shapely figure, undaunted as it was by the robes she constantly wore.
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Alexander: ''' The Prince walked in, and could not help but admire what he could see of her form under the robes. She was beautiful... such a beauty like he had never seen, and not tainted by any shadow. And in such a stark contrast to her surroundings.... "Thank you, Opal. I hope I am not interrupting anything."
| |
| − | | |
| − | "I never understood why you came to this run-down place instead of looking for a forge in the reborn Palace... why was it, a desire for privacy?"
| |
| − |
| |
| − | '''Exceedingly Sublime Opal: ''' "Indeed. I like to work uninterupted by the questions or gazes of others. My work demands concentration and, often, dangerous items." She leans over, and gently makes a few little notes with her brush on the huge Essence map of Spire. The outline of Opal's postirior against soft silk was enough to make many men sweat. As it was, she was focused on what she was doing.
| |
| − | | |
| − | "How is it that you come to be here, Excellency? Do you desire something?" She said, rising back to her feet and calmly placing her brush back in its pot. Deftly avoiding the area of wet ink, she faces him fully, and give him her full attention.
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Alexander: ''' She faces him fully... looking down, since the towering statue of a woman was far taller than the little prince. But still, he managed to remain dignified while forcing his neck to look so far up, even though he also had to do so with her ample bosom on the way... "I... just wanted to talk. I never got to say how grateful I am for the support you gave me in the meeting, did I? That... meant alot to me... few were as supportive."
| |
| − | | |
| − | "And I do not want to lose an ally such as you due to my carelessness..."
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Exceedingly Sublime Opal: ''' This seems to take her a back a bit, and the expression on her face is obvious. She seems to consider him, intently. It was almost as if she could stare into his soul...
| |
| − | | |
| − | She saw the golden glow of his Essence, new it to be that of Greatness and of Virtue. So bright, these Sun Chosen.
| |
| − | | |
| − | "I merely spoke my mind about a matter I had been considering. Come, let us go elsewhere. I'm sure the smell of all this ink will eventually make me light headed." She seemed to consider him for a moment longer, than made her way toward the door.
| |
| − | | |
| − | "As for carelessness, I am not offended. It is not for the High to look down on the Low unless they need something."
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Alexander: ''' "Yes, let us. There are some things I wish to show you... but I thought you would be able to resist them for longer. You have the resilience of stone, do you not?" He asks... and then looks almost offended as she speaks of the Low and the High. "Opal, you are a crafter of wonders. Able to manipulate the very fabric of this world. You are not one of the 'Low'... and I care for my people. I care for my friends. And I wish you to be both."
| |
| − | | |
| − | "All I wish today is to talk, if that would be well with you."
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Exceedingly Sublime Opal: ''' "It would. Forgive me, Excellency, but I am a cynic. I have been for quite some time..." she looked again at the young Prince, felt the conviction in his words and the nobility in his voice. He expressed what he believed, and only that.
| |
| − | | |
| − | Could the world tolerate a truly honest person?
| |
| − | | |
| − | "What do you wish to discuss, Excellency?" She said as the moved down the hall. Opal left her door unlocked. After all, who would be interested in complex geomantric blueprints if they couldn't just pick the lock anyway?
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Alexander: ''' He turns around, in the middle of the street, offering her his hand... "Can I hold you? I will need to take to the skies... I will understand if it makes you nervous, Opal. You are a creature of the earth, after all..." His wings twitched. He was the opposite, a creature of heavenly skies, of sunlight over clouds.
| |
| − | | |
| − | "And what I wish to discuss?"
| |
| − | | |
| − | "I wish to discuss dreams."
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Exceedingly Sublime Opal: ''' She seems to consider this. By the virtue of her charms, she could not be taken from the earth against her will by mundane means. Still...
| |
| − | | |
| − | She took his hand and stepped into his grasp, and moved close to him. She was soft, surprisingly so. Though her skin was the smooth appearance of polished, white stone, her flesh was as warm and real as anyones.
| |
| − | | |
| − | "Dreams are for sentamentalists."
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Alexander: ''' He took her closer, placed his hand around her waist... and his wings shook them out of the ground, taking off in the skies, towards the Palace of Timeless Winters... "Then I am a sentimentalist, Opal, and happilly so. I believe in love, remember? And I wish to save the world..."
| |
| − | | |
| − | "But more than anything, I want to make it better."
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Exceedingly Sublime Opal: ''' After the sudden lurching sensation of being suddenly taken up from the constant, reassuring earth, she found herself aloft with the Golden Prince. "We all of us sometimes wish for something we can't have," she said, a little breathless against her own apprehension of the altitude.
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Alexander: ''' "Then you just try harder?" He asks, smiling at the woman in his grasp. She was far taller than he is, and made of Jade... but Alexander's strength could push a Jade door out of its hinges. He held her well enough, if not all that comfortably... "You believed in me when I spoke, in the meeting. You believed it was a nice idea, right?"
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Exceedingly Sublime Opal: ''' "I believed so. But, as I'm fond of telling people, theories are hard to impliment." Her robe fluttered in the breeze after them, and she made the material a little lighter and longer to prevent it from slowing his flight.
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Alexander: ''' And then they come to Spire... to one of its many 'branches', and one of the leaves in said branches. Lowering Opal on them, on a lavish garden of ice roses.... "Here. I like this place." He nods, letting her down gently... "They are. But they are easier when we have our powers. Your power is Creation, Opal... with the proper resources, you could help make a better world."
| |
| − | | |
| − | He walks to a great glass which allows one to see all beneath them... the city and the lands beyond...
| |
| − | | |
| − | "Just... look."
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Exceedingly Sublime Opal: ''' She looks over the looming spires and pillars of the Spire, and the sight was breath taking. Her hair and the train of her robes fluttered like banners in the wind, and held her breath.
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Alexander: ''' "We will rebuild it. We will try to feed the people, to protect the people, to call elementals and gods to help even more than they did my parent's rule. We will try to make the people better... we will try to make a better world. I... think some people disagree. Moon does. Iselsis does. But... I think we can do it, Opal."
| |
| − | | |
| − | "I wonder if you will be with me."
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Exceedingly Sublime Opal: ''' "Look down, Prince. This city was built on the sadness of those who dwelt at the base of these Spires. The prayers of they who longed for a better lot empowered those who these were attuned to. Will you resolve to bring them up, as well?"
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Alexander: ''' Below them, the city spread, the spires of ice and the great many-stores buildings... the world. The world watching them. And the mountains far away... the Prince turned to Opal, smiling. "That is precisely what I intend to do, Exceedingly Sublime Opal."
| |
| − | | |
| − | "Why are you so resistant to the idea? What chilled your heart so?"
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Exceedingly Sublime Opal: ''' "My past is my own, and my concerns are valid. How do you plan on the implimentation of this dream? The Realm has much cold iron to dispell it, and many would be resistant."
| |
| − | | |
| − | "It might be your birthright to rule Creation, but not everyone holds tenor with such."
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Alexander: ''' "One city at a time, Opal... and sorry to pry. But I lost it all. They took it all from me. If they can take my home from me... if they can destroy all I love... then I can create a new home, a new family. Then I can make this dream come true." He sighs, sitting down in a field of icy flowers. "And if they come for me, what can I do?"
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Exceedingly Sublime Opal: ''' "I see your point." She rests next to him, folding her hands demurely in her lap. "I will say this, however. Dreams are better things to die for then practicle concerns. I just hope you can hold yours tightly to yourself. Situation makes monsters of us all."
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Alexander: ''' "I hope..." He says, looking at her...
| |
| − | | |
| − | "So, Gennadi tells me you are going with him... why do you not come back, later?"
| |
| − | | |
| − | "Even if you do not agree with me, at least making plans for new cities and worlds might be an interesting challenge for you, no?"
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Exceedingly Sublime Opal: ''' She seems to be considering something, then sighed softly. She laughed, then, more a soft chuckle than anything and smiled. "I'd like that." She seems to consider her hand a moment, before she removes a small ring of white jade from one of her fingers.
| |
| − | | |
| − | She seems to twist it just so, and the one ring becomes to. One of them, she hands to Alexander. "Take this. If you ever wish to speak to me, hold it in your palm and lend it a little Essence, and it shall be so."
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Alexander: ''' The Prince holds it for her, holding the ring and her hands for a moment... letting his essence burn, and letting her feel the sunlight coming from him... "So would I... then, I will call you. And wait for you. And in time, I hope I can show you it is more than just a childish dream. It is my dream..."
| |
| − |
| |
| − | '''Exceedingly Sublime Opal: ''' She looks into his eyes for an eternal moment, before saying in the softest of breaths.
| |
| − | | |
| − | "I never said it was childish."
| |
| − | | |
| − | | |
| − | ----
| |
| − | | |
| − | * - Back to [[GoldenCat/SixthMovement|Sixth Movement]]
| |
| − | * - Back to [[GoldenCat/DanceOfAngels|A Dance of Angels]]
| |
