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Description

Winter, Year 769 of the New Age,

Glenmore, the Royal Glade, near Ather's Hollow,

Featuring Lord Aquila & Lord Accalon ,

with mentions of Acara , Arfailon , Archeron , Leal , Anira , Dulbhach & Aquilon (NPC)

It was a fairly dreary day. A heavy snow had fallen overnight, leaving the world cloaked in a deep carpet of white.

As usual, Accalon had kept Ather's Hollow in the grasps of spring, impervious to the weather outside. However, Acara and her other siblings had pleaded to be allowed out to go play in the snow, excited by the prospect of a snow day.

Accalon had accepted, and so he and his motley entourage of children had left Ather's Hollow to go to the nearby clearing, and soon the sound of playing fawns rung through the air, bringing a small smile to the ageing Lord's face. He shook his head as he saw Arfailon – usually so collected and genteel – go diving face-first into a drift of snow, his younger sister squealing and diving after him, causing the red buck to let out an audible 'Oof!'. Off to the side, Archeron stood with a huge grin, looking a second away from taking a similar leap into the fluffy snow.

The roaned Lord chuckled tiredly and shook his head, leaving the children to it. For he had noticed one fawn missing, and-

There he was.

Accalon sighed to see his youngest son once again sat apart from the others, laying nestled in the crook of the roots of a large tree. Walking over to the colt, Accalon frowned slightly as he saw the blind colt squinting at the snow before him, an expression of abject concentration on his face. "What are you doing, Aquila?" he asked as he pulled up closer to the colt, raising an eyebrow as he saw the colt didn't seem surprised at his approach.

The colt didn't look up, simply squinting harder at the ground. "Trying something..." he muttered. The two stood in silence for a moment, before Accalon prompted the colt with a mild, "Trying what?"

Aquila finally looked up at that, shuffling in the manner of a guilty fawn, before he flushed under his coat. Accalon stared, intrigued at the unusual display of emotion from his son. "What is it, Aquila?" he asked more gently, leaning down to the colt. Aquila was silent for a moment longer, before he sighed gustily, looking away mulishly. "I was... trying to feel the earth..." he muttered, shuffling his limbs for wont of something to do. "Leal... Leal had this idea... He said that since I had strong magic, that I could perhaps be able to use it to... to get around," pausing, he turned his face up towards where he thought his father was, ears pricked uncertainly. "To... to see. With... with magic."

The colt's words tapered off once again, unusual shyness in his eyes. Accalon nodded slightly, despite knowing the colt wouldn't see it. "That is a good idea. Have you tried it?"

Aquila flushed darker, tilting his head down to glare at the snow with a clenched jaw. "I... I can't feel the Earth," he admitted grumpily, ears splaying backwards. "I can grow plants and I could make this tree behind me flower, but I just... can't feel them," he said, words clipped with frustration.

Accalon let out a thoughtful noise, even as he felt his chest swell with pride. His son, making trees flower out of season at only three. However, he forced himself to focus on the problem at hand. "Perhaps the problem is that you do not know what it is that you are supposed to feel," he suggested quietly in his low voice. Carefully, he laid down next to the colt, before turning to him. "You are used to growing things, after all – forcing magic out of you and into other venues. What sensing the earth and the plants requires is different; it requires you to reach out with your magic, but to hold it in place. It is a far more delicate form of magic," he explained.

Seeing Aquila had turned to face him with wide eyes, Accalon went on. "Here. Reach out to me with your magic – try to sense my magic."

The colt looked dubious, but he did as his father ordered, squinting ineffectually as he tried to reach out to his father's magic. Accalon chuckled inadvertently as he felt what seemed like a small battering ram of magic try to barrel into him. Reaching out to quell the colt with a touch to his shoulder, Accalon smiled slightly. "There, I see your problem now. You are forcing your magic out like you are at war. Try again, and this time try to touch gently rather than throw your energy." Accalon paused thoughtfully, before adding on, "Imagine that you are trying to touch your sister with your magic. You would not wish to hurt Anira; so go gently."

This time, the touch of magic was gentler, more tentative. And when Accalon felt it touch lightly to his own store of magic, he heard the colt gasp and jolt back, staring wide-eyed in his father's direction. "I... I felt something," he whispered, looking amazed.

Accalon nodded slowly, smiling gravely. "That would be my magic. How did it feel?"

Aquila swallowed before scrunching his brows up as he tried to recall the feeling. "Sort of... steady. And vast. And not quite warm, but... earthy?" he said slowly, unsure. Accalon nodded slowly, "Now try and do the same thing to the earth – reach out with your magic and touch it. Don't try and push your magic into it – greet it like you would your sister."

The colt took a deep breath and held it as he, oh-so-carefully, reached out again with his magic. He was silent for a moment, brows furrowing, before he let his breath out in a surprised exhale, smiling slightly. "I... I think I feel it," he said slowly, awed. "It... It's asleep?"

Accalon smiled and nodded, touching the colt's shoulder again. "Aye, so it is. Now see if you ca-" his words cut off as he heard the sound of heavy, harried hoof falls. Snapping to attention, the blue Lord got to his hooves quickly, glaring towards the direction of the sound.

When the source arrived, panting and harried, Accalon relaxed his tense posture slightly. "Dulbhach. What is it?" he asked, wary at the calm guard's uncharacteristically panicked expression.

"My Lord! My Lord, come quickly. It is your father, sir. Princess Failthé is with him, but-"

Accalon felt his heart drop to his stomach. Moving forward in a strange daze, he swallowed and nodded to the ginger guard. "I... understand. Stay with the children," he ordered absentmindedly before he was racing back to Ather's Hollow, blood pumping in his ears.

'Let it be a false alarm. Let it be something small.'

He knew it wasn't.

NEXT: The Cold Bite of Winter

Background by LABINNAK with edits ^^

Description

Winter, Year 769 of the New Age,

Glenmore, the Royal Glade, near Ather's Hollow,

Featuring Lord Aquila & Lord Accalon ,

with mentions of Acara , Arfailon , Archeron , Leal , Anira , Dulbhach & Aquilon (NPC)

It was a fairly dreary day. A heavy snow had fallen overnight, leaving the world cloaked in a deep carpet of white.

As usual, Accalon had kept Ather's Hollow in the grasps of spring, impervious to the weather outside. However, Acara and her other siblings had pleaded to be allowed out to go play in the snow, excited by the prospect of a snow day.

Accalon had accepted, and so he and his motley entourage of children had left Ather's Hollow to go to the nearby clearing, and soon the sound of playing fawns rung through the air, bringing a small smile to the ageing Lord's face. He shook his head as he saw Arfailon – usually so collected and genteel – go diving face-first into a drift of snow, his younger sister squealing and diving after him, causing the red buck to let out an audible 'Oof!'. Off to the side, Archeron stood with a huge grin, looking a second away from taking a similar leap into the fluffy snow.

The roaned Lord chuckled tiredly and shook his head, leaving the children to it. For he had noticed one fawn missing, and-

There he was.

Accalon sighed to see his youngest son once again sat apart from the others, laying nestled in the crook of the roots of a large tree. Walking over to the colt, Accalon frowned slightly as he saw the blind colt squinting at the snow before him, an expression of abject concentration on his face. "What are you doing, Aquila?" he asked as he pulled up closer to the colt, raising an eyebrow as he saw the colt didn't seem surprised at his approach.

The colt didn't look up, simply squinting harder at the ground. "Trying something..." he muttered. The two stood in silence for a moment, before Accalon prompted the colt with a mild, "Trying what?"

Aquila finally looked up at that, shuffling in the manner of a guilty fawn, before he flushed under his coat. Accalon stared, intrigued at the unusual display of emotion from his son. "What is it, Aquila?" he asked more gently, leaning down to the colt. Aquila was silent for a moment longer, before he sighed gustily, looking away mulishly. "I was... trying to feel the earth..." he muttered, shuffling his limbs for wont of something to do. "Leal... Leal had this idea... He said that since I had strong magic, that I could perhaps be able to use it to... to get around," pausing, he turned his face up towards where he thought his father was, ears pricked uncertainly. "To... to see. With... with magic."

The colt's words tapered off once again, unusual shyness in his eyes. Accalon nodded slightly, despite knowing the colt wouldn't see it. "That is a good idea. Have you tried it?"

Aquila flushed darker, tilting his head down to glare at the snow with a clenched jaw. "I... I can't feel the Earth," he admitted grumpily, ears splaying backwards. "I can grow plants and I could make this tree behind me flower, but I just... can't feel them," he said, words clipped with frustration.

Accalon let out a thoughtful noise, even as he felt his chest swell with pride. His son, making trees flower out of season at only three. However, he forced himself to focus on the problem at hand. "Perhaps the problem is that you do not know what it is that you are supposed to feel," he suggested quietly in his low voice. Carefully, he laid down next to the colt, before turning to him. "You are used to growing things, after all – forcing magic out of you and into other venues. What sensing the earth and the plants requires is different; it requires you to reach out with your magic, but to hold it in place. It is a far more delicate form of magic," he explained.

Seeing Aquila had turned to face him with wide eyes, Accalon went on. "Here. Reach out to me with your magic – try to sense my magic."

The colt looked dubious, but he did as his father ordered, squinting ineffectually as he tried to reach out to his father's magic. Accalon chuckled inadvertently as he felt what seemed like a small battering ram of magic try to barrel into him. Reaching out to quell the colt with a touch to his shoulder, Accalon smiled slightly. "There, I see your problem now. You are forcing your magic out like you are at war. Try again, and this time try to touch gently rather than throw your energy." Accalon paused thoughtfully, before adding on, "Imagine that you are trying to touch your sister with your magic. You would not wish to hurt Anira; so go gently."

This time, the touch of magic was gentler, more tentative. And when Accalon felt it touch lightly to his own store of magic, he heard the colt gasp and jolt back, staring wide-eyed in his father's direction. "I... I felt something," he whispered, looking amazed.

Accalon nodded slowly, smiling gravely. "That would be my magic. How did it feel?"

Aquila swallowed before scrunching his brows up as he tried to recall the feeling. "Sort of... steady. And vast. And not quite warm, but... earthy?" he said slowly, unsure. Accalon nodded slowly, "Now try and do the same thing to the earth – reach out with your magic and touch it. Don't try and push your magic into it – greet it like you would your sister."

The colt took a deep breath and held it as he, oh-so-carefully, reached out again with his magic. He was silent for a moment, brows furrowing, before he let his breath out in a surprised exhale, smiling slightly. "I... I think I feel it," he said slowly, awed. "It... It's asleep?"

Accalon smiled and nodded, touching the colt's shoulder again. "Aye, so it is. Now see if you ca-" his words cut off as he heard the sound of heavy, harried hoof falls. Snapping to attention, the blue Lord got to his hooves quickly, glaring towards the direction of the sound.

When the source arrived, panting and harried, Accalon relaxed his tense posture slightly. "Dulbhach. What is it?" he asked, wary at the calm guard's uncharacteristically panicked expression.

"My Lord! My Lord, come quickly. It is your father, sir. Princess Failthé is with him, but-"

Accalon felt his heart drop to his stomach. Moving forward in a strange daze, he swallowed and nodded to the ginger guard. "I... understand. Stay with the children," he ordered absentmindedly before he was racing back to Ather's Hollow, blood pumping in his ears.

'Let it be a false alarm. Let it be something small.'

He knew it wasn't.

NEXT: The Cold Bite of Winter

Background by LABINNAK with edits ^^