only bad people live to see their likeness set in stone

[♕BEFERA]

N I R V A N A & S T Y X

^{all work and no play never made me lose it
all business all day keeps me up a level
all work and no play
keeps me on the new shit, yeah}

^{i'm little, but i'm coming for the crown
i'm little, but i’m coming for you
i'm little but i’m coming for the title
held by everyone who’s up}

only bad people live to see their likeness set in stone
what does that make me?

The air grew cool and eerie as two figures moved beneath the shadow of the Hall of the Dead. The colt that strode lazily alongside his dam was small, his lightly spotted frame going grey under the veil of the Hall. The white bird was reluctant to stay behind in the ravine, but this outing did not require his presence. It was time for a lesson. Over her reign as Dark Queen and now as Imperium Empress, Nirvana had changed and learned much about herself and how to lead. She was born a Princess, but she had to fight for what she had earned. Every step she took toward a goal used to be for her own benefit exclusively, but over time, her heart leaned toward caring for others, for her subjects, for the first time. Being royalty wasn't all fun and games, not by a long shot. There was danger and excitement, but in the end, it's who you're ruling, not what you're ruling, that matters. An empire is nothing without its numbers. A kingdom is nothing without the loyalty of its masses. Nirvana knew this, and it was time to pass her wisdom onto her son, who, up until now, had only been trained in the ways of battle. It was important for the colt to spar and practice, yes, but there was much more to being a ruler than being able to fight and kill. Any mongrel with a strong physique could fight and kill for their own desires, but a King would kill for his people. A King would fight for the good of his kingdom. Styx needed to understand this if he was going to be able to succeed his mother's rule.

The darkness of the Hall was thick and heavy, and Styx's auds flicked back, wondering why his mother had brought him to this place of the myriad of choices they had for vacation spots. Why had she brought him here? He knew he was overdue for another sparring match, and he was anxious to see Achilles again after that incident with Ranjit. Indigo visionaries looked up at their dam's violet spheres. Nirvana was powerful but elegant, fearsome but regal, and for the first time, Styx saw his mother as more than his mother. She held her head high, and onyx locks draped over her nape, looking queenly in their own right. The fire-tressed colt looked forward again and kept quiet, listening to his hoofsteps and those of his mother's as they trod down the well-beaten trail, canopied in darkness. After a few more minutes of silence, the brindled Empress spoke, her tones soft and easy. She did not look at him when she spoke, but instead continued to walk, eyeing the land around her with small glances here and there. "Being a ruler is much like walking through this forest." Styx's auds pricked suddenly and he looked to his dam, eyes agleam. "Many have walked the path of royalty, and many have done it well. The canopy above us... think of that as all of your subjects, all of the equine who reside within your kingdom. Imagine each leaf that grows from those branches as one soul, one life. They shield your rule, they watch you from their world in the trees. You are the only one who sees the forest from its floor, the only one who can." She paused, hoping that her analogy made some sense to the colt.

It seemed a bit far-fetched, even in the Empress's mind, but she went with it, hoping she could instill some level of wisdom, even if it involved comparing leaves to equines. The colt raised a brow at his mother's words at first, but tried his best to understand, looking up at the branches that kept light from entering the Hall. The orange-bay Queen spoke once more, taking a few moments to gather her thoughts beforehand, making sure that what she said to her son stayed with him, that it felt important, felt real. "They look to you for plans, for answers. They look to you for guidance, because only you have that power. Some of them might block the light for you, and some of them might not. It all depends on how you walk this path. In this case, the sun beyond those branches is whatever you can think of that might be a danger to your kingdom: stealing, raids... even invasions or wars. Friends are you're greatest ally, though through my reign I haven't had many. The ones I have had, though, have helped me tremendously. Alexei, Ranjit, Lashiel, Litala, even that damned Lucifer." The Queen chuckled, thinking of Lucifer and his hellcat and the battle they had at Tiff Cliff. It was the turning point in Nirvana's life. Suddenly, she became the ruler of all Darks, not just those residing in Obascus. She was grateful to him for that, but glad he wasn't strong enough to take her on that day. Life would have been much different, she figured. The thought crossed her mind that she would have challenged Lucifer again when she had regained her strength, but would she have challenged a stallion that had been one of her closest allies? Would it have severed their loyalty to one another?

The Queen expected that Styx was probably getting bored of her rambling. He wasn't, though. He had been gazing up into the canopy, feeling the leaves watching his every move, judging his decisions, being wary to keep the sun from piercing through. Nirvana halted without any warning and looked into her colt's indigo orbs. The land around them fell silent for a moment, and the Empress spoke. "What you must know is that being King will not be a free-for-all fun zone. Having control has its perks, but you must make decisions wisely, or the leaves above you will fall, and your kingdom will be vulnerable. Kings and Queens that rule with hap-hazard planning and impulses do not last long on the throne. They are risen up against. They are overthrown. They are killed. To be a good King, your decisions, your plans, must be for the good of your kingdom, for they are your friends, your shield, your weapon. They are everything. Without them, you are not a King, you are a ruler of dust. Do you understand, son?" The colt stopped just as his mother did and nodded slowly at her words before replying in a quiet tone, as if he were afraid the leaves were listening. "Yes, mother." Nirvana gave a little smile, seeing her son's fear. This was important. "Don't be afraid of them. Most of your subjects will adore you and support you. Most of those leaves up there will block the light for you just because you are their King. Just don't do them wrong, and they will be loyal to you." Nirvana paused, a smile still gracing her features. She was glad that he was a bit afraid. Fear would keep his narcissism at bay. It would keep him from getting too confident, too cocky, and cockiness was the downfall of all shitty rulers. They get comfortable, they think they can do no wrong, and then they ruin everything.

These lands are not as they were in the days of Dark and Light, Styx. There are more factions now, and not one of them is a pushover like the Lights had been. They are all strong, all formidable, and all a threat. This doesn't mean you should fear them, either, but it does mean that in the event of a war, which may come about in your lifetime if you will it, it will be a hard war, and one that you may not win. I want you to choose wisely, son. I want you to be a good King." Styx nodded more quickly this time, feeling a bit overwhelmed by all of this. He didn't know the first thing about wars and how to fight them, and if he had to fight a war, how could he make sure he won? He had many questions, but kept them to himself for now, figuring that his mother would deliver answers in time. "I want to be a good King too," the colt blurted out, trying to stand taller. Nirvana smiled brightly and stood taller herself in response, proud of her son. "Good," she said, "But until you take my place as ruler of our kingdom, you still have much to learn. That's all for today." With that, Nirvana turned and began to walk the direction they had come, not wanting to spend more time than needed in this eerie land. She didn't want to traumatize her son with the stench of death that seeped from the nearby Graveyard, or the ruins of the House of 1,000 Corpses. Those lessons would have to wait for another time.

words: 1481
muse: bitchin
notes: ASK BEFORE JOINING PLEASE

[RANJIT;;]

i can't be told to compromise this
they'll never doubt the body lying at my feet
[smear:360000]RANJIT[/smear:000000:1]
a most formidable reminder
they will speak my name for eternity

”A very long time ago, before any of us were born, my namesake ruled a kingdom.” As Nirvana fell quiet, an alabaster shadow slipped from between the tree line with the rasping vocalizations giving away the pale pelt before any manner of sight could do so. The former monarch’s crown was held high and aloft, reaching for the trees as the powerfully set chassis fell in line to stride at Styx’s other side, flanking the coltine between the two massive equines, both rulers of their own right. The steed had been, as had become his way as of recent, skulking in the House when the sinuous articulations of Nirvana had delved into his aural canals. In a true showing of his utmost skill in movement and the powerful control he held about his own embodiment, the Kaiser had left the House and circled about the pair so as to come out in front of them. Calculative strides were altered to keep pace not only with the tangerine femora but her little progeny as well, not wishing to permit either to fall back as he might have been able to do with full strides. The powerful mogul cut a splendid and terrific figure within the darkness that stretched in all directions about them, musculature rippling with health and tresses floating like chased ghosts upon the wind. The inky tips of each strand danced against his colourless pelt and the Cadaverous Kaiser conducted himself with the utmost control; no one could mistake him for anything but a ruler.

”My namesake, along with his queen, took control of the Dark lands of Maison Belle – called Score there, they were a horrifying set of landscapes, filled with death and terror at every step and bend. In this land, like here at one point, there were three great kingdoms of horses; the Luce, likened to the Light here, whom you will never know; the Rebels, as our Unaligned; and the Score, as our Darks.” With each syllable that escaped from the monarch’s guttural vocal cords, his voice became ever softer, until it was a mere rasping croon meant only for the two beasts at his side to hear. This was a tale many knew parts of, but few still alive knew the entirety of. Memories of this realm of Maison Belle flickered within the mind’s eyes of the mogul but his belief in his own reincarnation – that he, Ranjit the pale, stood as a newborn Ranjit the black – was one bound of such tenuous threads that he discussed it with no one anymore, for the only fae that would believe and assure him was one who had vanished to the lofty winds, carried away from him too soon. ”A steed by the name of Cheval Roi reigned supreme as the Rebel King of All; wise, yes, and smart, but a coward. He, like the Harbingers here, like Vita Cinis and like Paralyzer before them, refused when the Luce – when the Lights – came begging for help. He turned a blind eye to their plight as we Score ravaged their lands and took captive their mares and foals for our own use. The fool did nothing and it got him killed, in the end.”

Disgust decorated each syllable and this was not the pale charger they knew; no, this was the Score Lord of Maison Belle who spoke now, nape arched to expose the high crest, nadars flared. Even moonwashed as he was, the Ranjit that had been seen and feared as the scourge of Maison Belle stood there clearly now. The heavy cranial tomb cocked a bit to give Nirvana a look and the single pale carmine ocular that caught sight of her visibly softened some; affections between the two grew daily now and it was rare indeed that he stepped from her side. Behind them, the yawning maw of the House of 1,000 Corpses gaped open, hungry for any fools – save the one who had vanquished it – to stride within and become forever lost with the despair of the sheer horror it conveyed merely by existing. Ranjit wanted to tear it down stone by stone. ”The Luce lord, a black stallion named Fenwe, was a brash stallion, who knew not the limits that were set for him. A braggart, Fenwe did not know when to keep his mouth shut and his insults against my namesake, as well as a foolish attack in a time of peace, merely as a way of showing off, sparked into ignition the war that would eventually bring about the ruination of his own alliance and kingdom – as well as his life.” The pale maw opened and a hoarse rumble of a chuckle, horrendous to hear and chilling, rippled forth from the stallion’s great skull as he gave it a shake, ivory tresses flailing to and fro with the movement; so controlled were his motions that he did not once misstep.

”The point, little Styx, is that rulers, Kings, Queens, Emperor, what have you, must understand there will be times when you must forge connections for the good of those over which you rule. Connections work as a two-way road, Styx; Cheval Roi learned this the hard way when he was slain by a pack of wolves at the height of his life and had no one to assist his queen. An allegiance between the Luce and Rebels of Maison Belle might have saved the Luce, in the end, from the destruction of their own alliance; such as it might have done here, had your mother not been hellbent on conquering.” Amusement took to colour his articulations and he spared another glance towards the ember stained bitch. The brute had been pleased to see the Light fall, as he had been pleased to do it in his past life, so he had no complaints on that front, as the glance to Nirvana would reveal to the Empress. ”The other point is to remember your humility. Perhaps you will think, young as you are, naïve as you are, that because you are destined to be King of Imperium that you need not be humble, that you need not bow your head and sometimes take the high road. I would ask you, young Styx, to remember the story I have told you, of Fenwe and my namesake, and how a few insults and a foolish attack brought about the utter elimination of a kingdom.” The beast paused for a moment, remembering back to that day with clarity that came from being reincarnated, even if he himself did not wholly believe in his utter reincarnation. Well could he recall the words that Fenwe had spat and the daring charges the monarch had attempted on him when he had been speaking to Obsidian. It had been what had begun it all, that day in the Red Fields.

The words that flowed next came ever the quieter and took on a queerly sad tone to them. ”We have trained you for battle, Styx, almost from the moment you took your first breath of air in this world. You will be trained for battle until the day you take your mother’s crown. This is not a bad thing; in youth, you will court battles and war and flirt with death and danger and all that is very fine indeed. But, Styx, there is one lesson you must take from this and place it close in your heart and remember it when you feel the urge to simply burn the world down: A wise king never seeks out war.” The mogul took two strides and swung his great white body to block the pair so that old oculars that had seen so much in two lifetimes could stare down at the young one. ”Be ready for it. Know when it may come; know your warriors, know your army, know a strategy. But do not seek it. You are young, little prince, and you have yet to taste the blood of an enemy. You have yet to see the life leave the eyes of someone who has died by your teeth or your hooves. I do. Your mother does. We have slain many in our times. Death is not a beautiful or glorious thing and listen not to anyone who believes so.” Pale orbs continued to observe the young colt before he stepped aside and fell back in step with the pair, continuing to articulate his speech in that rasping but soft tone. This was not a conversation meant for anyone else but the two at his side. ”You have never seen war either, little one. Your mother has seen one. I have seen one, in this life, and my namesake was the cause of another. There is nothing beautiful about war."

Thoughts of the great war of Maison Belle rose into his mental sphere and for several strides, the chalky monster permitted himself to become lost in those thoughts. He had slain FEAR in the same manner he had slain the Luce King, crushing their skulls; an intimate and personal murder. Two he did not regret. ”The greatest thing that a King or a Queen can have is mercy, Styx. You think it strange, I know. We are Imperium, yes, built on strength and powerful and sternness. But a king or a queen who slays anyone who disagrees with them, who murders followers who do not follow the set doctrine, is a king or a queen who will one day be murdered in their sleep. Mercy need not mean allowing it to happen; many terrible things can be done in exile or prison, Styx. You want them,” the powerful crania jerked to indicate what he meant, who he meant, the teeming masses of equines who were part of their Kingdom, ”to love and respect and fear you. Mercy is a powerful weapon, son, if you can learn to wield it with the finesse that it need to be wielded with.” With that, the great stallion, who name remained whispered in other parts of realms who knew of Maison Belle, fell quiet, respectfully bending his skull to the tangerine Empress so that she might add onto his speech and to either agree or disagree with him, whichever she felt the need to do so. His belief in his articulations remained strong; it had made him untouchable after Fenwe had fallen and likely would have kept him untouchable save for his refusal to put his children in danger with the plague. Ranjit knew that but for his willing abdication of the Dark Throne, he and Adviendha would still be ruling it.

count. 1774
tagged. Bef
notes. ...oops?
_{-download hitman to view as intended-}

[♕BEFERA]

N I R V A N A & S T Y X

^{all work and no play never made me lose it
all business all day keeps me up a level
all work and no play
keeps me on the new shit, yeah}

^{i'm little, but i'm coming for the crown
i'm little, but i’m coming for you
i'm little but i’m coming for the title
held by everyone who’s up}

only bad people live to see their likeness set in stone
what does that make me?

The fire-tressed colt moved his young bodice to follow his mother just as the pale mogul appeared from the trees. The sheer whiteness of him in the dark startled the colt, and his auds flung back abruptly. Nirvana's pricked forth and she flung her skull to the ivory stag's direction, taking in his image, pleasurable to the eyes. A smile fluttered across her maw as her violets met his coral orbs, and when he moved to walk beside them, she and her son continued forth alongside him. The three equines moved abreast along the wide trail, and Ranjit's tale filled the air around them. Nirvana stayed quiet as Ranjit explained Maison Belle, for she knew his wisdom would leave an impact on Styx that he wouldn't soon forget. Not only that, but she wanted to hear the full story for herself. She wasn't really sure how she felt about this reincarnation stuff, or if it was even real, but she knew this Ranjit was real, and anything that he believed was true was probably true. Styx listened intently, indigo orbs looking from Ranjit's great skull to the path ahead and back again. He looked down at his own hooves in comparison to the massive flints of his mother's and of the white beast's. He realized how small he was, how young he was. It angered him. He wanted to be older, stronger. He wanted time to go faster so he could see himself as a stallion whose hooves could match the sizes of the towering forms on either side of him.

Nirvana's opinion of this reincarnation business was changing with every sentence the pale brute spoke. His emotions were too real. His knowledge was too specific. Ranjit wasn't one to put forth any delusional thought, not really. The brindled Empress's expression melted from her excited smile to a stoic, flat look, listening, understanding. Nirvana didn't expect to learn anything from this visit, not really, but it was a welcome surprise. With Cheval Roi's name spoken into the wind, an air fell over the three of them, something Nirvana didn't really understand. She had never heard this name before. Why was it invoking this aura? Ranjit continued speaking, and when he laughed, a chill ran through both Nirvana and Styx, sinister it was. When he picked up again, Styx was much more interested, as he had finally gotten to the point of this ancient story. It was hard for the colt to care much about names of Kings dead and gone, and it was even harder for him to take in all of this information after his mother had just finished teaching him some very important things, but he listened anyway. Nirvana understood, and stayed silent through the pallid mogul's telling of the lands of his past. It was important to make friends, as the brindled Queen had told her son earlier, and she nodded at Ranjit's words. When he looked to her, her heart leapt a little, and she smiled. It was good to know that Ranjit gave her full support on her takeover of the Light kingdom, but she knew this long before today.

When Ranjit spoke again, Styx's snout crinkled up a bit at how the former King called him young, called him naïve, but he understood. He was young, he didn't know much about a lot of things, but in time that would change. The fire-tressed colt tilted his small skull a bit. He had never really thought that being humble was something a King should do. He had always seen rulers as never backing down, never submitting. Maybe he was wrong. Insults and a foolish attack... had caused an entire kingdom to fall. Styx would never make that mistake, he decided, for his kingdom needed to prosper, for he was its King. The lesson from earlier was sticking with him now, he was bringing pieces of his mother's words into the topics at hand. The former King's words were quiet now, and Styx looked up at the stallion's ivory head as he spoke his next piece, and the colt felt himself thinking, "why would I want to?" as Ranjit warned him about the dangers of seeking out war. Styx had no interest in battling another faction. He liked sparring and he liked fighting, but he didn't want to put anyone else in danger. There was no reason to. He started to think, why do wars happen? What causes them? Why are they fought? When Ranjit swung out in front of him, the dappled colt nearly skidded to a stop, immediately fearful of the giant brute's frame moving ahead of him.

Nirvana halted as well and nodded as Ranjit spoke of her knowing death by her own doing. She recalled Thanatos, his icy eyes losing their rage, their glow. She remembered his blood in her mouth, the heat of his just-killed body on her teeth. It was not how she wanted killing him to feel like. She wanted him to cry out in pain and she wanted his last breaths to make her feel like a god, but it didn't. He grunted and fell, and she tore at his throat until he stopped breathing. It was a strange thing, to see the life leave a body. It wasn't something that made her feel like a better ruler or that she had saved any lives, though she was glad he was dead and out of the way. If not there, in the bowl of Obascus where she had been keeping him prisoner, she would have killed him on the battlefield in Terra Sancta where Blythe Amaya, the rotten bitch, was surrounded by her mongrel children, telling them to flee, run for their lives, retreat to somewhere they could hide. A smart mother would keep her children close, and would surrender when she knew she could not win. She had managed to beat Lucifer for her own freedom, but in the end, her children were still taken hostage, and she could have gone with them, but didn't. The Lights had always been so selfish.

Ranjit moved back to Styx's side, and the three began to walk again, though it took the colt a bit longer to react to the other two moving forward. His rasping vocalizations came again, and the indigo-eyed colt wanted to know why wars were fought like they were. Why did those old Kings in Maison Belle die? Why couldn't they live peacefully? What did the Lights in these lands do for his mother to battle and disband them? He wanted to ask, but Ranjit had more to say. Mercy. Nirvana understood it. She could have had all of the Lights she captured executed, but didn't. She let them go after the new order was established. She remembered when she had wanted her brother killed so badly, and had suffered multiple rapes for it, and he ended up saving her from the brute she'd struck the deal with. Ranjit motioned to the canopy overhead, and Styx looked to it. Styx didn't want to kill anyone. He remembered when Achilles wanted to "get rid of" that strange and colorful little filly he was tied to, and Styx was about to refuse when Ranjit arrived. If someone did him wrong, he would want to hurt them, he knew this, but maybe when that kind of situation came about, he would let them rot in a prison instead.

It was then that Nirvana realized how much of a father figure Ranjit had become to Styx. No one had asked him, he had taken it upon himself. The Empress eyed the pallid kaiser as he nodded to her, and a smile almost involuntarily twitched at the corner of her maw. She looked to Styx and spoke. "Ranjit has seen much in his time, as you've just heard, and he's very right about everything he's said. Being King doesn't always mean asserting your authority at everyone. There are many other royals who are on the same level as myself, and there are others who I address as King and Queen. On the other hand, sometimes you have to bow to those you might think deep in your heart are beneath you in order to keep the peace." The brindled Empress paused, wondering if that was the right thing to say, but knew it was the truth. She had never thought rulers like Paralyzer to be of any worth, and yet she addressed her as a Queen. "Even more so, sometimes you'll be insulted by some mongrel, or you'll be scoffed at by lowly brutes who think they're all-that, but as King, you have to shrug some of those things off." She paused again, looking into her son's blue-d eyes, hoping he was really processing all of this.

The small colt nodded to his mother and then looked to Ranjit and back to his mother again, still feeling quite overwhelmed. The orange-bay witch spoke again, seeing her son looking a bit fatigued by all of this. It was a responsibility he would have to take on, but it wouldn't be for a while, not for at least another year or two, and she wanted to reassure him of this, but didn't. "As Ranjit said about the land of Maison Belle and its fate, sometimes petty arguments can lead to destruction. As a good ruler, you should avoid killing unless it is extremely necessary. You might not believe it, but your mother has only ended one life in her time, and she's reluctant to end any others." She used herself as an example, one that she hoped Styx would follow. "Do you understand, son?" Styx gulped. It was time to ask some questions. He halted, and Nirvana strode one extra step before stopping too. She wanted to leave this place soon. Something wasn't right about being so close to all of those corpses. Styx hadn't even noticed them, but Nirvana knew they were out there. "I do, mother, but I want to know, why do wars happen, really? What did the Lights do that they had to be disbanded? Why did you fight the war, mom?"

Nirvana's violet eyes widened. She didn't expect that he would me thinking about any of that. All this talk about past wars brought up the most recent one, it seemed. The Empress had struggled with guilt over disbanding the Lights, but knew that their tiny existence was sucking the lands dry. They were arrogant and selfish and foolhardy creatures who disguised themselves as fighters for the good in things. In truth, they were lazy, and it was time for them to be assimilated into the stronger kingdoms. Maybe it was unjust of her to attack the small, weak kingdom, but she did not regret it, not really. She felt guilt over displacing the Lights who resided in herds, but at the same time, when she recalled who those equine were, their names, all she could feel was hate for them, and pride that she had forced them from their holes in the ground and made them fight and lose their freedom. Nirvana didn't speak a reply, not yet. She hoped Ranjit would chime in with something first. She wasn't sure where to begin to tell a colt that she invaded two scarcely-populated territories and took them over for the good of the rest of the lands. It was a complicated concept that she wasn't sure Styx would fully understand.

words: 1906
tagged: Ranjit
muse: kill me

[RANJIT;;]

i can't be told to compromise this
they'll never doubt the body lying at my feet
[smear:360000]RANJIT[/smear:000000:1]
a most formidable reminder
they will speak my name for eternity

In the brief muteness between his coarse vocalizations and those that flowed forth from the Empress’s vocals, the hessian permitted his cunning mentality to drift back to those days of Maison Belle. The world he saw there remained hazed in crimson, as though a comet or a sun of vermillion blazed bright in the celestial boundaries. He saw, as they walked, the land before him turn to the blood-stained realm of Dreadful Valley. At his side, instead of the tangerine queen of Imperium and her grey coltine, a slender silver flicka moved along, her body firm and powerful. The words of wisdom he passed to his first born eventually became the ones he would pass on to this foal, whose head needed to be filled with the right things in order to lead Imperium as it needed to be led. Grudge and soon after her, Thorn, had been given the same lessons that the young one was learning now. Neither, however, of his two old offspring had made it upon a throne; Thorn had fallen to madness and with the Rejects and Grudge had been lost to hopeless love. The pallid mogul had not seen his two children in many years now; into Thorn he had run when in Maison Belle but so far as he knew, Grudge was deceased – rotting somewhere much as his old form, his old self, that strange and powerful and awful namesake was. The Cadaverous Kaiser turned his thoughts from that path as Nirvana spoke and refocused his attention there.

Nirvana captivated the stallion like few others had done before. Never would she be his Adviendha, but the femora had reached out and grabbed her place in life and when there had been no road upon which to walk she had simply carved her own out. Ambition, Ranjit understood and respected; what Nirvana possessed went far beyond that. Though he knew little of her past, the fae had shown herself to be capable of throwing down anyone or anything who stood within her way. Yet mercy she possessed for those who deserved it; where he might have slain Paralyzer as an example, she had permitted the bitch to live on. The Empress also had the state of mind to understand that an allegiance with Altus was for the good of both kingdoms; though at the start, Imperium might have struggled to win against Altus, tired from the war, they both stood now upon even footing and were better for it. Nirvana recognized the Harbingers as equals, much though Ranjit hated to see it; he disliked the group and in truth knew that his loathing of them would have caused issues and it was best that he did not stand the throne currently with them opposite. Beyond that, Nirvana held to her a quiet wisdom and fierce determination that drew all to her and forced respect whether one wanted to respect her or not. Were she anything less than what she was, Ranjit would have already seen her bleeding out at his feet; but she was what she was and never before but for Adviendha had he been so proud to stand at the side of such a mare.

As the young prince piped up his own queries as to this lesson the two elders – queen and former king – sought to teach him, it forced the old soul within the search himself. After he had literally crushed the skull of Fenwe, the question of why had been one plaguing him for years. But for a few harsh words between the two, years before the battle, they might have learned to be friends. Nirvana, he knew, certainly had nothing personal against the beige queen of the Lights. Why they fought, he knew not at this point. As the trio continued out on past trailing limbs that raked at his spine – gently stroking Nirvana’s and missing Styx’s entirely but ripping at the pallid Kaiser – he continued to ponder this, giving the queen a chance to speak. Yet when it became clear that the Empress had nothing to say, he forced his jaws to unhinge and vocals to shudder forth. ”What you must understand, young one, is that the rivalries between Light and Dark go back many, many, many generations. When it started, why it started, I know not. Your mother knows not. Even the most ancient of those among us could not guess it.” The mogul permitted himself to pause, to frown out into the world and to consider the articulations carefully. Styx would need to learn that even his elders were unaware as to the source of conflict between their two factions. ”Perhaps it began as brothers fighting, as so many things begin. Perhaps a father and son or a father and daughter or mother and son or mother and daughter failed to see eye to eye with one another.”

The mogul drew in a slow inhalation, considering and chewing over his potential articulations with the utmost care. Well did the hessian understand that these words and Nirvana’s may very well be the basis on which Styx built his future empire. Gone were the days when the Cadaverous Kaiser himself longed for constant bloodshed and death; the future rested now in the hands of this foal and others. If ever the realm was to survive, it had to adjust and move forth. ”You are fortunate, child. When I was born, the Lights were still a great kingdom but had begun to decay. War in this land’s past had brought them low and low they remained, clinging to desperate ideals that were dying out. Though their leaders were powerful, they were fading swiftly; little new blood came in and with each passing winter, more of their elders perished. Foals were born, yes, but few remained in the kingdom, seeking prospects elsewhere as they grew to realize their land was dying around them.” For a moment, he let himself become lost in thought, auds lowering slightly. The Fallen’s death had shaken the entire realm and perhaps his death had truly been the start of this long war. ”While your mother, brilliant and cunning as she is, ended this war, it was the Triad before myself who truly began to; Lashiel, Thanatos, and Sarwin. Great horses alone, all but unstoppable together. Tensions were seething up between them, though it took two more successions before it truly broke out. I do not think we hated them. Perhaps they did. Sarwin hated only the Rejects for what they did to his mate and life. Thanatos…he betrayed us all, in the end.”

A ferine coldness seeped into his articulations; Ranjit would have liked the honor of tearing the bastard’s heart out himself. Before Lashiel had asked him to take the throne, the pale bastard had intended to challenge his father’s king for his throne, intending to slaughter Thanatos after he was done. It had not been necessary in the end, though he’d have liked it all the same. The juggernaut gave his huge skull a harsh shake and continued on his way, speaking still. ”Our kingdom was growing fast. More foals were born and more incoming horses joined with us than either Unaligned or Light combined. But for the plague, which you missed, Adviendha and I would have finished what the Triad began. “ For the first time in memory the beast had chosen family over duty and kingdom, a decision he had never regretted. ”Your mother understood a simple fact: the Lights must be taken down or the entire land would suffer. When a forest grows too thick, too wild, a purging fire is inevitable. Plants whose branches become diseased kill the branch to save the rest of the plant. So too does that happen here. The Lights were a disease upon this realm, a blight that needed to be wiped away and cauterized so that we could grow and triumph. Lethargy, carelessness, laziness; these things ruin realms, Styx. To continue to survive, we must adapt, both as a whole and alone. You will learn this as you grow older, that there are some traditions, some ideals, that need to be allowed to die in order for things to move on.”

The mogul exhaled on a sigh, cranial tomb shaking a bit as he considered the next bit to speak on. ”Your mother waged war on the Light kingdom because for too long they had rotted in decadence and languished in decay without doing anything about it. For too long they preached of good and of change and did nothing to work towards that goal. They were lazy, arrogant creatures who cared nothing for the overall good and only for themselves.” A glance was spared towards Nirvana but Ranjit quietly continued, having come up with another lesson that the young foal needed to comprehend in order to lead his kingdom successfully. ”Remember this, young Styx: the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. Except,” the powerful monarch paused and permitted himself a deviously cold smirk. ”When your family is involved. Family is everything, Styx. Remember that.” The Cadaverous Kaiser would never regret walking away from this realm when the plague had struck. His family meant more to him than anything else and even now the decision to return to assist in the war hurt him greatly. But for the feelings that he possessed for the tangerine femora walking on the other side of the small foal, he would have departed these lands already so as to return to his family, wherever they may be.

The difference, he realized, between the war here and the war at Maison Belle, was simple, in truth. Maison Belle had been a war of arrogance; the arrogance of Fenwe in believing himself to be the better between the pair and the arrogance of Ranjit in knowing himself to be the difference. The war here in this realm had been one of necessity. The Light kingdom had needed to be destroyed; torn down so that something better could arise in the place of it. Had that not occurred, this realm would have fallen to decay and ruin, rotting from the inside as the smaller herds began to wage war on one another and their kings and queens struggled in vain to keep control. By purging the forest, by cutting off the diseased limb, Nirvana and the army had given them a chance at something new and already that was showing. The bands, formed either of defectors from Imperium and Altus or the straggling remnants of the Light alliance, were appearing throughout the realm, a potential to blow up in their faces but also something to be smiled upon. Change was the lifeblood of all civilizations; stagnation lead only to death. To have played even a small part in the grandness of changing the old to the new pleased the rugged mogul greatly and to stand beside the fae who had done it all but singlehandedly pleased him ever the great. He bore Nirvana no ill will towards her victory; his own had been in finally ridding this realm of the malicious threat of FEAR and that lingering worry that eventually the Rejects would return. They may still, he knew, descendants and relatives of the stallion lived on, but for now the threat had been eliminated.

Ranjit saw a great future for this world. The kingdoms, which had suffered during the Great Plague and struggled to overcome the Great Disaster, fraught with tension, attacked by predators, and preyed upon by nature, would excel forth from this and grow. Altus had potential to become great should the Harbingers do as Nirvana had done and seize the day and opportunity before them. Imperium, risen from the ashes of Darkness, always strong under past leaders, would grow under the present and become ever the stronger when Styx took hold of the throne. Perhaps, one day, one of his children or children’s children would take that throne from one of Nirvana’s children or grandchildren but no time soon. Lands would come and go and challenges would forever ring across the realm and peace would not last for long but for now, things were good. Winter had come and ended and spring sprung around them. So long as they continued to adapt they would survive. ”Do you understand, Styx? Why we fought the war against them? It was not hatred. Least, not on my end. It was because we had to; they would not bend to your mother when she gave the chance and so we took it by force. The name Nirvana will be spoken of for decades after your mother is gone, for the great service that she gave to this realm.” Midstep, he leaned over the small foal and gave the Empress a nuzzle to the wither, giving her a respectful nod as well as a secretive smile.

count. 2148
tagged. Bef
notes. please do not match this i can't do this again lol
_{-download hitman to view as intended-}

[♕BEFERA]

N I R V A N A & S T Y X

^{all work and no play never made me lose it
all business all day keeps me up a level
all work and no play
keeps me on the new shit, yeah}

^{i'm little, but i'm coming for the crown
i'm little, but i’m coming for you
i'm little but i’m coming for the title
held by everyone who’s up}

only bad people live to see their likeness set in stone
what does that make me?

It was silent again after Styx's inquiry was spoken into the air, and the colt waited, looking to his mother with a quizzical but almost cold look, almost angrily unsure as to why what happened had to come about, here and in the ancient lands of Maison Belle. Nirvana and Styx could only visualize the place, but would never know its true beauty, or its true ugliness. The equines of Run Like The Wind would never see Maison Belle, nor its lava-ravaged plains. Hard, molten rock, left generations ago by that historic eruption, coated it still, and though the land may have returned to some of its old beauty, it would always be known as the world that died with the fire: the fire of the earth's molten blood, and the fire of the rage that consumed the equines who resided there. It did not die completely, it seemed, for it had lived on in Thorn, Grudge, Sarwin, Adviendha, and Ranjit. It had lived on in their hearts, and the fire that burned within them fueled this world to move forward. The equines of Run Like The Wind might never really appreciate their passing on of the story of their old world, but the results were all around them, whether they saw them or not. Styx's indigo visionaries stared his mother down until the silence was broken by Ranjit. This was what Nirvana had hoped for, and she watched his coral visionaries as he spoke, admiring them in her own silent way.

She cared for the brute unlike she had cared for any other. She had always admired him, even when she was sizing him up as a possible opponent for when she had been rolling the idea over in her mind of how she would take the throne. She was lucky to not have fought the pallid stag, that much was certain. She imagined that he would have had no problem crushing her like he had crushed FEAR, but even so, she was not afraid of the alabaster beast. His features were always stoic but intelligent, calculating but not malicious, wise and powerful. Nirvana didn't remember when she first started to look up to him, respect him, but she did recall when he came to her and asked her along to a raid on the Rejects of the House, a place she knew was close by, a place she remembered faintly, but for good reason. Ranjit's rasping words flowed from him and she listened, nodding slightly, looking to her dappled son, making sure he was listening too. Ranjit had become quite the father figure to Styx, and Nirvana appreciated it more than the pallid kaiser knew. The death of The Reckoning was one she did not expect, and one that would rob her son of his blood father forever. She cursed the brute sometimes for leaving his offspring, but in some ways, she was glad for his passing, for now Ranjit could be the one to teach him, Ranjit could be the one for Styx to look up to, and what a role model he was.

The trio were walking again, now, with Ranjit's step taking the lead. Nirvana was still wary of staying in this place, so she was glad for them to continue on. Styx didn't understand much of what Ranjit was saying, but he kept quiet, hoping it would make sense to him soon. Nirvana recalled the old kings who ruled the Lights before that dumbass Arion came and set the fate of the kingdom in stone. She heard about it only through the grapevine, but it was known that The Fallen had been on the throne for ages, and Evander had begun to rule alongside him sometime before Nirvana arrived. She saw Arion's enthusiasm, his want to change the kingdom from its sedentary and clearly annoying nature, but in challenging his father, he lost the respect of many, and though he won the throne, his kingdom did not respect him. This is why he failed. She hoped that Styx would never be so naïve in his days as king to tarnish his family name in the way that Arion had. Ranjit began to speak of the Triad, a group that Nirvana had never really respected, save for Lashiel, who was the true leader of the three in her eyes. With the mention of Thanatos, anger simmered within the brindled Empress, though she wished it wouldn't. She knew that speaking of him, thinking of him, remembering her rage, would only perpetuate his existence, which he did not deserve.

Nirvana's violet eyes saw Ranjit's countenance change, rage building in him, as well. He shook his skull, and the Queen almost wished to do the same, to physically thrash the thought of the dead bastard away. She pushed her anger down again and listened as Ranjit spoke once more. Styx began to see the point now: that the Light kingdom was dwindling and the Dark kingdom was growing in numbers. It made sense to him that numbers were equal to the strength of a kingdom. The ivory hessian spoke of the plague, and Styx rose a brow, never hearing of this before. Nirvana was a bit irked by Ranjit assuming that he and his little bitch Adviendha would have done a damn thing if the plague had not occurred, but she kept quiet, knowing at this point that it was all water under the bridge. The orange-bay Empress knew that even if she had not risen to power that she would have had some hand in the demise of the Light kingdom, for it was her duty within her own mind to rid the realm of them. She forgave the former King's momentary arrogance as Ranjit spoke of her highly once more. She had known, and others had known too, that the Light kingdom had to be removed from the lands, but the brindled Empress hadn't delayed action like the rulers before her. She gathered her militia and invaded.

Styx listened to this next part intently, understanding the plant example and nodding his small head, fiery tresses bobbing atop his poll with the movement. Nirvana looked ahead of her now, watching the ground come toward her and move beneath her as the three continued toward the exit of the Hall. Ranjit had hopefully delivered the answer Styx was looking for, and had done it well, for that was what the Lights were, though they themselves may not have seen it that way, so deep within the abyss of their own decadence. They blindly saw Darkness as evilness without exception, something that contributed greatly to their downfall, both in these lands and those of Maison Belle. The brindled witch didn't see Ranjit's glance to her, but an ear was twisted in his direction, still listening to every word with interest. Styx's expression changed to a hard one, one of understanding, and he nodded his head fully, knowing that family was definitely the most important thing. He knew he would have a family of his own someday, and that protecting them would be a very important task. He also knew that his mother was important, though sometimes he didn't want to be around her.

Ranjit spoke one last piece, and Nirvana looked to him again, watching as his maw moved, his coral occulars study her child. For Nirvana, there was a level of hatred, but she hated many things just for existing. She hated the Lights because they were ambitionless, goalless. She hated them because they thought they were the epitome of goodness, but they did no good deeds, and only laid dormant in their scarcely-populated territories, rotting. Ranjit's articulations diminished and his great skull moved toward her while the trio were still in stride. Styx's auds flattened for a moment, surprised by the ivory stag getting this close to him and his mother. Nirvana's blackened maw twisted into a grin as the pallid kaiser nuzzled her, and she returned the nod, silently thanking him for his words. The tangerine Queen spoke not and allowed her son to answer the white mogul's question. She would die one day, leaving Styx and any other children she chose to bear to their own devices. She did not want to die, not anytime soon. Though she was ready to give her throne up to her offspring, she was nowhere near ready to settle down, nowhere near ready to stop the constant pushing and fighting forth for something better.

Her gaze moved to her son's dappled pelt and she thought of The Reckoning again and how he would never know his son. She exhaled sharply, waiting for Styx's small, boyish tones to spring forth. Styx couldn't believe his mother was so famous. Her name would be spoken for decades? Really? Maybe she was more interesting than he had previously thought. "Yes, I understand." The colt nodded his skull quickly and several times, his voice a bit sheepish. He wasn't quite sure what to say, but Ranjit had certainly answered his question. Nirvana had never seen her son this way before, so quiet, listening so fully. He had been a relentless rebel up until this point, always fighting her authority and that of others, not wanting to hear much of what anyone had to say. Coming here today proved to be a much better idea than the brindled witch had expected. She spoke up now, making sure the colt wouldn't have any more war-related questions, at least not now. "Wars happen for many reasons, Styx. You'll understand more once you face some conflicts of your own, some real ones." Nirvana's violet occulars looked into the indigo depths of her son's, hoping that he would be through with questions for today. His little brain couldn't take much more information at this point, or he would forget it all.

"I expect that you will think long and hard about what's been said here today, as all of it will help you when you take the throne. Ranjit has been a great help, so if you could, I would like you to thank him. He didn't have to tell you any of those things, but he did it because he, too, wants to see you be a good King." Nirvana motioned her skull toward the ivory brute, and Styx looked to him, eyes wide, and gave a slow and low nod before speaking his thanks. "Thank you, Ranjit." He wasn't sure what else to say to the pallid kaiser, and though he was truly thankful for the stallion's words of wisdom, he was intimidated by the white bronc and always had been. The trio continued onward, the border of the Hall's tree line finally coming into view. Nirvana spared a glance behind them, seeing the darkness they had trod through together. This land was erie and unsettling, but the Queen had all but forgotten where they were while Ranjit was speaking, his voice cutting through this shadowy place, bringing a calm over the three. The brindled Empress gave one last long look to the alabaster hessian, a smile twitching at her maw again, admiring him, before looking ahead, ready to remove herself from this territory.

words: 1861
tagged: Ranjit
muse: NOT AS LONG AS IT COULD HAVE BEEN TRUST ME BUT I AM SORRY 5REAL