Her own history is really just beginning for her past was so far behind her. She is just getting reacquainted with her husband who she was estranged from when she was murdered by his enemies and for ages beyond memory dwelled in the Kingdom of Light in a sort of self made life that was everything she could want with one exception... her husband Byron was not there. Her perfect life was just imperfect without the love of her life with her. She pined for thousands of years until finally, An Alamascan celestial approached her one day and asked her if she would like a second chance at life?
She agreed and next thing she knew she found herself in Acheron in a great black court lined with huge statues of demons and devils, and was led to her husband near the dais as he spoke to a woman, but she came to find out he was married to that woman, a beautiful, intelligent, young desert maiden named Saffiel. She could not help the envy she felt and worse yet, despite the undying love they had once shared, he refused to leave Saffiel. He loved her and had several young children with her to look after. He could not and would not abandon her. She was also the daughter of a very powerful desert king. She was even willing to share her husband with Anne but Byron was unwilling to have two wives. He was a one woman man with no exception, something he had now proved twice.
Anne was released from Acheron into the world Byron inhabited. It was like and yet so different from Earth. Morashtar was far more untamed, a pristine planet where magic was its technology and its guardians treated the entire world as a sanctuary and preserve. Oh there were wars and conflicts, there was progress and innovation, though intentionally slow, but pollutions and destruction of natural resources were closely regulated. This was a world where people were taught from an early age to think before they acted via the tenants of taught by priests of the Morning Star who governed the world along with its country rulers. It was a medieval kind of world for the most part and a dangerous world.
Anne had been transported from Acheron to the city of Castleguard on the West Coast and there sought work and took various jobs that just didn't pay well enough to support her. Housing there was not inexpensive and she ended up living in a dangerous neighborhood. A war had just ended not long ago and things in that city were still very unsettled. She was grabbed one night by a flesh trafficker who had been watching her for awhile now but she cried for help and guards came to save her from being disappeared into some terrible fate by the horrible man, who was actually a demon. She was a mortal in a world dominated by immortals. Then she asked in a tavern she worked in one night, the best money she had earned yet, if there was no place safe for mortals to dwell, and she was told of Cliff City on the opposite shores east across the vast continent. So she saved up some money to travel there. She had never been there before so could not take the city gate without an escort. The hatred between mortals and immortals that the war had stirred was still fresh and raw and in trying to persuade someone to take her to Eastguard and Cliff city offering payment she got no help, except from a few people who looked so sketchy not even the trusting Anne would trust them. And so, she purchased a map, a horse, and supplies and set off heading east and the north.
Well the weather turned awful and instead of going north where the roads had washed out, she had to go south, unknowingly into her own Husband's territory of Seumir. She knew nothing of husband's life now other than that he was married, in love, and had some young children with his other wife. Anne had died in the past life they had shared so there had never been a divorce. And he had not sought her out to ask for one since she had met him all too briefly in that awful feeling dark place Acheron. Anne felt so truly abandoned by him. Had he even tried to seek her since she had left him then to see if she was alright? If he had it was a secret to her.
She passed through the Kingdom of Valis on her way south and that is when he horse pulled up lame. She had been sold a lame horse. It was amazing he had lasted that long for in examining his hooves she found them badly damaged, damage that had been hidden by resins and paint! Oh she felt so foolish for not examining the animal more closely before buying him! Now here she was, in the middle of a wilderness filled with who knew WHAT kind of wild beasts or bandits and she had to walk! And so she did, she took unloaded her horse, removed his tack, which she left on the side of the road but took the bridle with her, and carrying as much as she could of her supplies in the saddlebags she trudged through the rain, sometimes the humid heat for miles. She got a ride here and there on a wagon, walking in between those rides she was so fortunate to be offered, until at last she reached the Chateau she had been told of where she could come by a fine horse at a good price and an escort to Cliff City.
She came across the beautiful horse running wild on her way, but he was not only huge, a Clydesdale of all horses she could only recognize, but he was also badly injured. She delayed her trek to gain the animal's trust and see if she could help him. She ended up spending a week with the animal, despite herself being starved by this time, but at the week's end she had herself the finest of horses. She named him Bram after Bram Stoker. He gave her a dracula vibe that horse did, and Byron being a vampire, well, she just loved the name for the steed.
Anne tried not to expect anything when she arrived at the Chateau looking bedraggled, thread-worn and covered with dust and dirt from the road with grooms leading her huge horse away to the finest stables she had ever seen. The chateau itself was just... magnificent. She felt embarrassed, mortified even to go into such a luxurious place looking as she did. Then... her eyes deceived her surely. It was Byron, HER Byron approaching from around the corner of the chateau to greet her. He was being so very kind and invited her in to dine with him. Anne felt so many tangling emotions as she walked into that magnificent place looking like a bag lady with him.
As she walked inside of the Chateau with Byron, taking in the exquisite sights, she remembered all too vividly JUST how she had met up with Byron after thousands upon thousands of years...
Anna had once been the Goddess Gaianna, proxy of the All Maker, God. Gaianna decided to go to earth and take human form and became Anne, also called Anna by many. There she fell in love with Byron and she with him. Theirs was a fairy tale love one might even say was the original Beauty and the Beast. Theirs had been the truest form of love. After Anne had been so brutally murdered all those ages ago she had become a spirit of Haman and there resided for ages upon ages just waiting for Byron to die and join her but he just never died and would have gone to Acheron if he had. So there she was in that perfect paradise but without her true love. Then one day, thousands upon thousands of years later, Yawen, the All Maker's prime proxy, picks her up off the shelf, and dusts her off and turns her into Gaianna again and places her INSIDE of Saffiel, the wife of Byron. Cruel? Not as yet for she had no memory of Byron while possessing Saffiel, BUT she dispossessed Saffiel and a few days later the true oracle Ronwe shook loose who she was during courte in Acheron where she was actually on Lucifer's throne to handle a matter for him. Byron and Saffiel were in courte with her. So suddenly the veil fell as she recalled her life as Anne and Byron recognized her. A very emotional scene followed but then Byron rejected her for Saffiel. Anne pleaded with him even desperately to be with her again but Byron just couldn't do it. He could not abandon Saffiel who was his queen, who he had three young children with, and was the daughter of a powerful king.
Remembering all this as she walked through those beautiful halls made her shudder as if a chill had taken her and she had to force back the tears which threatened as her emotions tangled so fiercely in her once again.
THE LOGS OF GAINANNA REMEMBERING HER LIFE AS ANNE
Title: Re: Sapphire Canyon
Post by: JD on November 27, 2017, 10:57:42 PM
Byron watched Saffiel with Gianna and marveled at her with star crossed adoration. Dearly he loved his Neffari wife and progeny, and it occured to him as if for the first, though he had tried to digest it so many times before, that for awhile his wife had BEEN the flip side of chaos. Surely that had affected her deeply. Now Gianna delved into the mysteries of chaos that was Maelmorda. It was all chaos, everything... there were just the two poles it had split into from which all else had sprung, but God had created crocodiles as much as the devil had created unicorns. Ergo the order in the chaos and the violence in the order. There was no black and white between the upper and the lower and there never had been. It was just an illusion. Byron was somewhat of an expert at illusions. To create the kinds of illusions he was capable of manufacturing from his mind, one had to believe that the wall betwixt illusions and reality was next to non existent. Few knew that about Byron.
Proof in the premise was when Byron was struck as if by lightning when his eyes settled on Gianna again as she laughed. For the very first time he actually LOOKED at her... Truly HEARD her voice. There had been something so... familiar about her from the moment she had stepped out of Saffiel. And yet... he had barely registered what Gianna looked or even sounded like. He had only caught her in the briefest of glimpses. He couldn't say why really... why he had not once really SEEN or HEARD her. Perhaps it was because of who she was against the sins he carried with him. Or maybe it was because she was ALWAYS naked and it was poor etiquette to notice especially with your beloved wife in the room. Or could be there was some force at work which kept his eyes averted until such a moment... as... THIS? As for her voice... it had been SO long since he'd heard HER... perhaps he had forgotten what SHE sounded like. Maybe it was even the full compliment of these possibilities. Whatever the case HAD been, Byron was looking at Gianna now, and not just looking... but staring WIDE-eyed. HOW had he not seen it? How in bloody HELL had he missed it? Why was he JUST noticing such a... a shocking... such a terrific... such a MIND BLOWING revelation now? And her name... Gianna... Gi-Anna. The auburn color of her hair... her bright blue eyes. Her beauty... oh gods her perfect... innocent... ivory skinned beauty...? Until now he hadn't even noticed how unbelievably GORGEOUS she was... the mother of his eldest child... his FIRST WIFE! His mind raced out of control as he just... stared in utter flabbergast across the dias at her, perched picture perfect as naked in her innocence as she was innocent in her nakedness... Byron could barely breathe when it hit him that Gianna was HIS Anna, his first and most beloved wife... and hit him hard that he was JUST NOW realizing this. Was it shock, a trick, a spell, shear absurd circumstance?
Byron was on his feet and moving towards her with all the self awareness of a remote controlled robot. Sammael had said his name SIX times now getting louder and hotter each time he spoke it pulling everyone's eyes towards Byron as he just got up and approached Gianna like a zombie chasing a ghost. "Anna..." Her name choked... then louder. "Anna?!" and he clapped her shoulders to pull her very suddenly to her feet, shaking her as he did. "ANNA!! What the HELL? It was you... you all along? But why...? Tell me!" He looked like he was on the verge of sobbing but he also looked desperately fierce. His reaction to realizing that Gianna was his long lost dead wife was far more violent even than when Lena, his SECOND wife had come back from being reported dead. Oh the absurdity of it all.
Sammael had risen from his throne next to Gia and grappled Byron's shoulders from behind. "Byron, what the hell, man?" The Prince of Demons raised a brow when Byron's stance proved immovable by shear focus to his first yank. So Satan shifted around and put some weight behind it to shove Byron forcefully away from Gianna. Sammael couldn't say it didn't feel good to get physical. He almost laughed when Byron stumbled, pivoted and fell seat first right into his throne. He did clap. "Well done, Decasey, now how about you explain your drama?"
Byron was still staring at Gia. His eyes had fallen right back on her when he'd landed in the other throne. Now that he had seen her he couldn't tear his eyes off of her. He was however registering the voices of others now. His hand raised from the arm of the throne to point at Gia. "She's... she's my wife... Anne... Anna." Now that he was saying it TO someone... it sounded a little crazy, but he knew it to be true. He felt physically sick that he hadn't seen it... heard it... felt it until now "Anne... PLEASE... explain this to me..." The hand that had been pointing at her was now reaching across for her. Where Byron's torment and grief had once been supplanted by unimaginable rage... this was that very same torment hanging on the edge of reversal, shocked and bewildered.
Sammael pushed Byron's arm down and away then he bent over Byron and his face blocked out all view of Gianna. "This could only happen to you, Corca. Now get the fuck out of my chair." He helped him out of course with a long pull of his arm which sent Byron staggering paces front ward the throne before Saffiel caught him up.
His long, thick blonde lashes blinked with depths of discomfiture which only let his eyes meet Saffiel's in evasive glimpses. He didn’t know how to feel about what he felt in her presence. Saffiel had seen Byron in various states of distress, some of them extreme, but none so profound as this. He looked like he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown and in front of the whole courte. Their good opinion of him was the furthest thing from his mind though. His singular focus was Anna. This was the first time since he and Saffiel had been together that she didn't even seem to figure into his priorities as anything more than a point of confusion, but that was because there was no room left for reason and he couldn't afford to open himself up to guilt. Until he had some answers, until he knew what was going on, he would remain locked onto the path of solving the myriad riddles tangling his heart and mind. He'd be useless to everyone until he had clarity. "I need... private audience with the regent. I need everyone but she, I and him," he pointed at Ronwe, "to go." It was of course for Gianna to decide whether to allow it and who should stay or go.
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Title: Re: Sapphire Canyon
Post by: Willow on December 02, 2017, 01:24:31 PM
Gianna was appreciating much of what Sammael was offering in counsel. She had heard whisperings of him and steeled herself for potential fights. But she was open and direct about what little she knew and how she wanted to learn. She was listening to them and perhaps that made all the difference. Andras approached her and she tilted her head to curiously study him as he commented about having a similar dress style to Maelmorda. She glanced down in confusion. "But I have no clothing." It was Saffiel that giggled first, trying to hide it behind a cough, and luckily Gia knew how Saffiel worked. She gasped and looked back at Andras. "A joke!" She clapped in delight and laughed. "It is funny because I am wearing nothing!" Saffiel was snickering into her hand. Gianna had only recently come into her first physical body and her transition here was going to be interesting. Gianna grinned at Andras. "Thank you for being funny. I may learn to make my own jokes too." She motioned for Andras to come closer and she leaned in to whisper into his ear. "A lot of these people seem very serious. I know there is good reason for that, but it is lovely to laugh right now." She winked at him as he backed away.
Gianna held herself quiet as Byron and the other men exchanged words, contemplating whether or not Maelmorda would need them or if he could be in danger. Gia sat cross-legged on the throne and eventually leaned into Sammael to listen to him instead of everything else. He was explaining Hell's circles. "What an intricate weave of being..." She murmured to herself. She considered it all then asked him honestly, "When we commit souls to experience horrors they commited in their living state, can we withhold further decisions until we see how they respond to that? For example...your souls in the urns. Once they are trapped in their own actions for some time, can I evaluate them, see what they are being exposed to, then make a decision on what I can do with them next? Or does everything have to be decided in this moment?"
Saffiel was impressed with how Sammael was treating Gianna. He seemed to be sincerely explaining things in great detail to her, perhaps in hopes that she really WAS going to be a suitable replacement. She would never be Mael, really, but she seemed eager to uphold his teachings and ways. .... if she could just figure them all out and trust her counsel.
The laughter about Ronwe made her curious, not offended, but Byron was quick to shoot them all down. Luckily he explained himself; Ronwe was the Oracle and could see everything. She was about to start prattling off about "Well could he see THIS? What about THIS?" But the doors to the throne room opened and in walked a very foreboding looking figure. He didn't strike fear in the Regent, however. She looked insanely curious about him. He bowed for only a second before she quickly motioned for him to rise, and she was staring at his staff when he asked if it was okay to comment on how beautiful she was in person. In person? Her blue eyes moved from the staff to Ronwe's shrouded face and she smiled. "That is very kind of you to say. So it is true? You can see things? My, that must be exhausting to see everything." She commented. Boy was she right. She rose from her throne and stepped down to approach him, her eyes searching the dark folds of his cover before she spoke again. "They are worried for Lord Maelmorda. He has given me -- Well, you know all that. They are concerned for his safety and considering voting on if someone should go and seek him out...assist him. The group is torn. Is there information you could--"
That was when Byron seemed to lose his ever-loving mind. Gianna heard him choking on about "Anna" and she turned, as the others did, to watch as he staggered towards her and grabbed her shoulders, starting to shake her and demand answers. Gianna looked as lost as everyone else. Saffiel stepped forward, speaking his name in a low tone. He didn't hear her. Sammael stepped in to grab onto him and redirect him to take a seat, working on getting answers from him. His words were broken, panicked, hurried. Gianna stood VERY still in front of Ronwe, her blue eyes moving to Saffiel the moment those words came forward. Saffiel had that lovely Neffari skin, but right now she looked pale. She didn't move though, even when she felt eyes on her from so many others in the room... especially when she was included in the group he requested to be escorted from the room.
Gianna swallowed and nodded, waving a hand. She looked at Sammael with intensity and mentally warned him not to go far beyond that door. He was like her super handsome bouncer, right?!
Saffiel was the first to brush past everyone to exit the throne room, her back rigid and her step brisk. No, she didn't want to talk to anyone. No, she had no comment on what was happening because she couldn't process this. Yes, it had always DEEPLY affected her knowing why she married Byron in the first place. He was possessed. She was a teenager trying to escape her home. Mog, his invader, had sent him to fetch her from the desert. She had fallen madly in love with him and she did not doubt that he loved her as well. It was the best of a very strange situation, right? They had surprised everyone by becoming such a strong couple. And now, here they were.
Once everyone except for Ronwe, Byron, and Gianna were outside and the throne room doors closed, Saffiel turned and looked at the group of them. "Can anyone send me home?" She was not exactly an expert in gating from Acheron, so she would probably need help. Her voice was drawn and she looked very unhappy, but she also had the look that said 'I don't want to talk about it'. Obviously this was going to take awhile and she just wanted to go home. Nothing she could do would sway what was going to happen. This could be the hammer that she had been fearing would fall since she fell in love with her husband those few years ago.
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Title: Re: Sapphire Canyon
Post by: JD on December 05, 2017, 07:32:47 AM
Though he'd never admit it out loud, Andras was surprised with how well Gianna handled herself. When she complimented him he just kind of grunted. He didn't seem to want to put much effort into expressing himself. Waste of time he would've said.
Sammael thought it beat to let Mordreig answer Gianna's inquiries about the souls and called him over with a beckoning wave before giving up his throne to him. Mordreig bowed to thexplain Prince of demons and took the chair. There was a very dark and mysterious quality to Mordreig. Though very handsome he could also be described as what could be called wicked. It was just the very Gothic look about him. He almost always wore black clothes, though his shirts were just as often white while the rest of his ensemble was black. His hair was black and curly, his eyes moss green. His skin was light brown, but he wasn't black, he looked more Roman or Mediterranean.
"So our Princess wishes to know of the souls... Princes and Matriarchs we often refer to as Caretakers, manage the souls and may handle those they are assigned as they deem best. Though Haman strongly disagrees with us, the redeemable are recycled after a proper ordeal here. Those who succeed occasionally grow our ranks. A prince may also pass a soul's charge to another caretaker but they are never to take a soul without consent. The angel of death and his harvesters collect the majority of the souls. He and the Morning Star assign the initial caretakers to each new purgator." Mordreig then leaned back in the throne to eye her curiously. "You really don't share Levi, Yajmah or Aegores memories do you? What can be their intentions for you? Have you any idea?" It was actually an important question to ask. In the past Haman's intentions where Acheron was concerned were rarely if ever good. Mordreig couldn't see Maelmorda's latest actions currying any favors upstairs either. Then Byron went on his tangent and the counsel splintered for the afternoon. Sam met his son Aras outside on his way to the courte which had just been closed.
Byron loved Saffiel. With all his heart he did. But suddenly recognizing Gia as Anna had thrown Byron for an impossibly unexpected loop. Had he known when she left that she intended to leave Acheron, he'd have immediately gone after her. As it was he had no idea. Byron had never put anything before her since they had met. Not even war and certainly not Lena, who he'd given up for Saffiel which was like the world giving up the sun all for love. But this... Byron and Anna's brief mingling in life had been the stuff of fairy tales. But theirs had also been a tragedy. When Byron started babbling about Anna... Mordreig heeded the vampire carefully. Although an arcana illusionist Byron had never been given to flights of fancy or an over active imagination. Mordreig felt it was pivotal to know if there was truth to what Byron said. He would have to be asked thrice to leave before doing so. Otherwise he would stay.
Andras was the one who attended Saffiel's call to leave Acheron. He was happy to do it because he knew it would incite a quarrel between the Decasey lovebirds and test the genuineness of the bond they shared. It was for their own welfare. Nevermind that he fed on strife and discontent. "I will provide you a gate, My Lady." He offered smoothly. "Where is it you wish to go?" When she said home, he smiled. Yes, he smiled. Uh oh. "Certainly." He said and a curtain of blue flames roared up around her where in the next few moments that lifting then dropping sensation deposited her on the streets of Inaaksu at one of the officer's gate stations nearest the palace. Andras was pretty sure she had meant to go back home to the Palace of the Lion in Arcador where her children were, but was Inaaksu not her home as well? And did she not deserve a vacation from all the rug rats? Andras believed SO.
Byron had been misunderstood by his wife to be sure... but whatever he had done, or hadn't done, he'd understand the situation stressing out his wife. But wishing to flee? He would be hurt by her decision to be sure. Score one for Andras, two that he'd sent her in that state to Inaaksu. Saeed and Byron didn't have the most stable relationship. But for the moment Byron anxiously awaited Gianna's answers to his questions. It was basic... What, why, how, when, where and who. Only nothing was EVERY simple. Was it? The way he was sitting in that throne he'd taken a seat in again, tilted forward, elbows propped on his knees, hands fiddling around with each other, the vampire looked as if he might split his skin. He was trying very hard to be patient but utterly failing at it. He needed a stiffer drink than wine!
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Title: Re: Sapphire Canyon
Post by: Willow on December 09, 2017, 01:41:23 PM
Things were about to get VERY interesting. Safiel hadn't met anyone's eyes when she left, she just thanked Andras for the gate as he formed it... and then promptly regretted that thanks when she realized where she was. Looking around the busy streets, Safiel groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose to unsuccessfully ward off an oncoming headache. It was Inaaksu, which she had not been back to since she had agreed to marry Byron. She supposed it wasn't fair to assume that Andras would know where to send her without specifying? She heaved a sigh. She was not dressed for desert weather. She wore a beautifully crafted gown from home. Yes, her REAL home... and she was already feeling sweat prick on her neck. Should she try to rush home? She wanted a drink. Maybe if she could have a drink and sit down, she could clear her head. It was a bad idea for her to flee like this, but she didn't think that in this moment. All she could feel was that crushing panic curling around her heart. Anna. Anna was even more of an imposing ghost that Lena. Byron had told her about his past in small sessions when he felt comfortable enough to, and he still got that look when he spoke of Anna.. the sweet maiden that had been taken by the world to get back at him for his sins.
Safiel felt sick. She stopped and pressed a hand to her stomach and she must have caught notice of the guards, because one of them approached her. "Queen DeCasey?" Well at least they knew how to aprroach her. She swallowed and tried to smile. "Is my father here?" If he wasn't, she would ask if she could be escorted inside to wait for him... and possibly have something cold to drink. She and her father had been working very steadily and slowly to reconcile their relationship. This place still gave her flashes of images. She would secretly be glad if he wasn't here because then Braemen wouldn't be here. The little girl inside of her was still terrified of him.
She also knew, as she was escorted inside, that she couldn't admit to her father that something wasn't right between her and Byron at the moment. Her father and Byron had a shaky relationship at best and Inaaksu was the number one ally in the war. She couldn't ruin that now when they were so close to the end of it.
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Mordreig seemes insistent to stay and Gianna decided to drop it. She honestly felt better with one of them in here with her, because Byron DeCasey seemed to be losing his mind. Was he, though? What was more likely: A heavenly sister of Maelmorda coming to stand in his stead, straight from Haman? Or a soul that had been harbored in Haman for centuries that was being deposited into the middle of Hell through a chain of events to upend things? Mordreig was right to be wary.
Gianna studied Byron as he sat, looking like he was going to splinter like a tree struck by lightening, then turned to Ronwe to ask for his help. "You can see that much insight is needed. Let's start with Byron, since he seems...unwell.." What she didn't expect was the deep, mysterious chuckle from their Oracle and the whispered word "Lionheart". Gianna stared into his dark blue robes and found her blue eyes moving to the orb on his staff. Lionheart. The word rolled in her head like an angry sea, churning up memories that had been buried beneath the sea floor. When those blue eyes turned on Byron again, they were Anne's, NOT Gianna's, and it seemed as if everything had changed.
"My Lionheart..." It came as a whisper from those soft lips, bare feet moving closer until she collapsed on her knees in front of Byron, who was still kneeling by the throne. "My Lionheart..." It was what she had always called Byron during their short life together... her tender pet name for him. She couldn't move. Her knees cemented to the floor, her blue eyes locked on him. She was shaking as all of the memories came rushing back, and Anna let out a heartbreaking sob as she suddenly collapsed forward, her slender arms hugging her naked frame. "He spoke the truth..." She choked on the words as she rocked back and forth on her knees. "He...He told me to be patient and I would find you. So many centuries...SO...LONG..." She wept violently, rising up on her knees again to suddenly grip Byron's face, her blue eyes searing into his. "My Lionheart, it IS you. He just said I had to be patient and my loyalty would pay off. It has...IT HAS." Mordreig was interested now, sitting up straight as this Anne or Anna sobbed and gripped DeCasey's face.
If he tried to pull away from her, Anne's look would read sheer panic and she would grab at his wrists. "PLEASE. Look at me...LOOK AT ME. I've....I've been waiting for so LONG for you. I am here now... I am HERE." She could smell him... see him. Things she had only dreamed of. Of course Anna had been delivered to Haman after her horrendous death. She really had been one of the sweetest and most innocent young women that had ever walked the earth, which is why it had been so unexpected for someone like her to fall in love with someone like him. She didn't know what happened after her death... She wasn't even aware that their son had lived. All she knew was that Leviathan had promised her that if she were loyal and patient, she would be given back to her Lionheart one day. It wasn't just coincidence that it was happening now....
Title: Re: Sapphire Canyon
Post by: JD on April 22, 2018, 12:35:50 PM
Byron was stunned when Gaia suddenly collapsed and called him by Lionheart... She had fallen in love with him despite the bestial, half lion form he'd been trapped in back then. When she begged him to look at her he did and just stared at ... who was she REALLY? Gaianna... proxy of? Yajmha? Leviathan? Had she ever BEEN Ann? Been human? Had Gaia been Ann those ages ago when Scottland was still Caladonia and England was Albion? Or was this some trick by Haman to deceive or confound him for some nefarious purpose? Haman was not traditionally deceptive but who was to say what Haman had become if the banishment of the Tsetar and the creation and inclusion of the Alamascan was any indication? Or were the Alamascan a mistake Haman couldn't afford to admit to or even reverse? What one could once have trusted for being what it was, Byron completely distrusted the practices of now. Byron had a lot of questions.
He hadn't missed the fact that the situation had been horribly upsetting to his wife either. Byron just wished Saffiel had not stormed off. He felt now more than ever they could use each other's support. He'd have been quite hurt and upset himself if he'd known she had 'left the premises'. He'd have dropped everything and gone after her had he known. The only thing Byron trusted about the situation was that Maelmorda had placed Gaia on his throne as his princess regent. Many would think Mael insane for the fact (not for the first time) while true advocates like Byron trusted his motives. That didn't mean they didn't wonder what the hell, it just meant they understood that Maelmorda was motivated by very complicated matters and trusted he knew what he was doing.
"Waiting for me..." He uttered. "It's been... I don't even know how long now..."
"Sixteen-thousand-one-hundred and twenty-one years," Ronwe clarified. "What with time striding by Byron and the time differentials in both Haman and Acheron." He smiled awkwardly.
"It's been... That long," Byron stated distantly. A pained look then overcame him before locking his pendragon eyes on her again. "Who are you really, Gaianna? Were you ever just human? And if not, did you know then who you were?" His instincts were on edge. If he doubted anything she said he was going to trust his intuition.
Byron's loins had produced several prophets for good reason. Though he wasn't what could be called an oracle, he was extremely intuitive. He could sense the emotions and intentions of others. He also had spirit sense and sight which was closely related. He was quite clairvoyant. It was this perception which made many loath, fear and want to stay clear of Byron and those children of his who inherited his knack, in spades in some cases. Shaithis had about the same level of clairvoyance as his father, just not mastered to the same degree. The twins Imaru and Loghaire on the other hand were true innate oracles the likes of Ronwe and required Acheron's protection. Lorella would have been a powerful visionary as well had she not gotten herself killed. Hers was a case of misinterpreting her own visions. She had seen Loghaire as a threat to herself and her clan when it had been she who was the threat to herself, Loghaire and her clan all along because she had deciphered her visions wrong. Such loops made translating visions dangerous. It took years to master knowing how to read unclear or incomplete visions. Loghaire and Imaru did not have visions, however. They saw what was. What had been. And what would be. There WAS no mistaking what they knew.
"When you say you've waited for me... found me... what does that mean? Waited where? For what? Who are you?" His eyes were burning on her now and he looked very tense, as if about to spring... at her. To his feet. Away. Just uncoil. He couldn't process what she was saying. No one would wait to be reunited with someone for over 16,000 years. He could not fathom that being the case. "I am married... I love my wife, my children, our life together tumultuous though it may be. You died... became... a distant memory... I don't understand any of this."
"She is your Anna AND Gaianna." Ronwe said as if that would clear anything up. "She is the first proxy of Haman. She came even before Yajmha. She felt the need to become human to understand them and did just that. She became Anna. She was born, reborn as a human. Only you sort of broke her... well losing you did. She HAS waited for you all this time. Yajmha was her replacement. He thought that in time she would give up and forget you, but she never did. So he assured her, countless times in fact, that she would find you some day. And well, here you both are." Tragic as that may be, he thought but did not say.
Byron felt as if his chest was constricting so tightly that he might strangle. "I don't... I don't know what I am supposed to say to that. Sorry Ann that you waited so terribly long for me... but I moved on? I have only married thrice in sixteen thousand years... to you, Ann, to Lena whose heart I broke, and Saffiel whose heart I will NOT break. I lost you... I lost Lena. I'll not lose her. I just won't."
"We have far less control over life than we think..." Ronwe knew he'd regret saying it but said it anyway. He felt all people should learn that. He ignored the scathing look Byron threw at him and even smiled at him. They had asked him to stay and help so he was... helping?
"Rah... Just nevermind WHY you felt compelled to say that," Byron fumed.
"Wise choice," Ronwe congratulated him.
Byron's eyes softened then as he looked on Gaia. "Ronwe answered all of my questions save one... what is it you hoped to find when you DID find me?" Compassion had replaced the bewilder, panic and shock which had lit the fire in his eyes before. Then it occurred to him that since she had been possessing Saffiel that when he'd loved his wife he'd had sex with them both. Fucking possession. He was truly developing a genuine hatred for the act. "And why did you possess my wife?" And there was that edge to his voice and the smolder in his eyes again.
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Title: Re: Sapphire Canyon
Post by: Willow on April 22, 2018, 01:08:42 PM
Anna's gaze watched raptly as Byron began to try to process things. She saw that familiar coil in his neck and shoulders. She saw how his step lightened in heightened awareness, trying to pace and figure her out. She rose slowly to her feet and folded her hands in front of her, watching the thought process spill out of him. Ronwe guided him with comments that were both informative and annoying, as it seemed. He didn't seem to mind. Anna smiled warmly at him in thanks. He had a way of simplifying where she was a bundle of emotions and hope right now.
Byron's pacing grew, like...well...a lion in a cage. The throne room probably felt like it was shrinking around him, so she made certain to stay in one place while he spoke. "Sixteen-thousand-one-hundred and twenty-one years and fourteen days." She replied softly. It made him stop. Her eyes were sad, intense. "I have had an ever-ticking clock in the back of my mind. Every minute strikes a bell in my head. It's driven me to madness, to hope, to certainty that we would find each other again. And we HAVE."
Why had she possessed Saffiel? Anna swallowed and chose her words carefully. "Once I found you, I knew that I had one chance to instert myself back into your life. Your current wife is the closest one to you for the moment. Part of the reasoning was also selfish. I had waited so long for you that I knew I deserved your love more than she. She is a leaf in the wind. She will pass like the one before her, and I will be returned to your side." ...He didn't like that answer. Anna held up her hands and spoke carefully. "The chimes from history are tolling. It all comes back round, rights itself. That is what is happening now...." She trailed off as his eyes flared up in anger, and she folded her hands in front of her again. When she spoke up after a moment, her voice was shaking.
"The night I was taken from the mortal world, I choked on my own blood swearing I would return to you. Those soldiers? They laughed at me as my vision turned grey and their faces blurred. I could feel them slicing me open, taking our CHILD. Those were not hollow words." Her own stare was intense now as she started to move closer to him, her voice sounding low and dangerous. "You cannot mean to tell me that time passed and your feelings were packed into a box and placed on a dusty shelf. You cannot mean to tell me that I have lived that night over and over for an UNIMAGINABLE length of time, only to come back to see you have cycled through wives and lovers as if I grew into a rusty memory and nothing more." Now Anna was pissed. Her fists clentched at her sides as they walked circles, staring each other down. "What did I expect to happen? That I would return and you would give me the courtesy of revisiting us, if nothing more. Your wife is a CHILD. She has barely been alive long enough to understand true heartbreak.... the torture of not being able to live the life that was meant for you. YOU know heartbreak and helplessness and being lost. How can you possibly assure me that she is your match!? Just as you thought the last one was? How can that decision be left to you when you aren't even sure yourself?!"
Her fingers combed into that beautiful strawberry blonde hair and she stared at him, expecting an answer. She was here to guide him back to her...to his life as it was meant to be. And he was being dismissive. She was unable to process any of it.
Title: Re: Sapphire Canyon
Post by: JD on April 22, 2018, 09:32:23 PM
Byron didn't like the way the dialogue with Gianna was progressing. There was a fierceness to her that he had never witnessed in his once wife... or perhaps he had caught glimpses of it. Had the years worn her mind away? He wondered because he suddenly felt threatened by her. It was the way she said the decision shouldn't be his. He felt now like they were a lion and lioness circling each other, about to tear into one another with tooth and claw. "I am sorry, Gianna. But I DO love my wife and I've been away from her for too long already. My place is by her side." Byron turned to leave but kept an eye on Gianna as he retreated. There was nothing he wanted more than to be by Saffiel's side now. He wouldn't give Gia hope where there was none. A silent command would bring the shadows swirling in on his path... unless his umbramancy was being interfered with. His mind was also reaching out to Saffiel to touch base with her so he could lock onto her and bring her with him, or finding her in Innaksu, cut through the shadows to shadow walk to her. He got the distinct feeling Anna wasn't going to let him leave, and was anxious to prove his instincts wrong in this case.
"Saffiel, love? We may have a problem... I am coming to you now if I can..." He hoped with all his heart she got his message. As princess regent of Acheron Byron wasn't sure what permissions Gia had been granted by Maelmorda. It would have worried him even more had he known that she could command the same authority over Acheron's legions and wards as Maelmorda could minus the seals and certain other powers the Morning Star alone could ever control. Maelmorda always had safety measures in place just in case.
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Title: Re: Sapphire Canyon
Post by: Willow on May 23, 2018, 10:42:10 PM
Gianna sat quietly on the throne. She barely realized that Mordrieg had left, but blinked and looked up at the hooded face of Ronwe as he approached her. Her throat flexed as she swallowed. He had confidential information. She nodded, then straightened and tried to be more alert and focused. "Of course..." She said softly. The admission that Maelmorda had been captured made her sigh. He wasn't in real danger. That was a positive. She nodded, concentrating on the situation. "We cannot tell them. We can't have the Jolly Band of Hellions tramping into a Seraphim's lair. We may revisit that if you sense danger. What my brother is doing is vital. If he can make Agares see, perhaps we would have an ally in our cause." The "bending of the truth" was the part they had to figure out. "I feel as if just telling them he doesn't want to be bothered isn't enough. What if we give them a little information? He has taken his wife and taken her for a respite stay and does not want to be bothered? They must know if they interrupted his vacation with Galaxy he would have their heads. But you would have to tell them. They trust you. They have little reason to trust me."
The mention of Byron made Gia's throat tighten and she looked down at her hands on her bare thighs. "I don't wish to claim him. I WISH for him to remember his love for me and .. and..." And what? Being inside of Saffiel also made Gia love her. She had FELT how genuinely Saffiel felt about Byron; It was as real as Anna's love for her Lionheart. "...punishment is still on the table. All of his lives, his loves, his offspring. I think he needs to be put into perspective. But I don't want to rush into it."
She gave a tiny smile to Ronwe as Mordrieg entered the throneroom again. "Thank you, Ronwe. I was a little frightened about all of this. I still am, but it seems I have a hearty council." She stood and took the clothing from Mordrieg. "Thank you so very much." The robes were slipped on and she motioned at the door while she tied them in place. She looked lovely in clothing, as funny as that sounded. Especially that color. Still standing, she lifted her chin a little. "Call in my Merry Band of Hellions. And we shall deliver the news to them, as well as this Mekkor. Wait, who is Mekkor?"
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Title: Re: Sapphire Canyon
Post by: JD on May 25, 2018, 08:14:42 PM
Title: Re: Sapphire Canyon
Post by: JD on May 26, 2018, 01:54:32 PM
Ronwe shook his head when Gianna suggested he tell the lie. "Oh no... I am a terrible liar. They'll know I am lying."
On the subject of Byron Ronwe moved a little closer to her and shed his hood to reveal his face to her for the first time.
His mercury, blue flecked eyes (the most human looking thing about him) and silver scales were scintillating in the brazier lights. If an artist could take a bird, fish, beetle, moth, and cat and blend them flawlessly, then dip them in silver glass and trim them in vibrant glazes of violet, blue and green, they'd have created Ronwe. Hints of his hard, iridescent insect carapice could be seen beneath his layered robes of dark green, blue and purple, the same color as his armor husk itself. Indeed if uncovered it could be mistaken as cuirass with horned pauldrons and the carapice covering his legs to the calves like greaves. From the calves down he had scaled big cat legs and paws. The silver scales covered all of him but for the center part of his face, his catfish like cheek and chin whiskers, and the top of his head where the scales transformed into feathers which became long and swept over the back of his head like a peacock's train. His tail though like a cat's in shape was also covered with feathers. The cloak he wore also hid all but the trailing tips of his moth wings which resembled a Luna moth's wings in shape and color while all of his feathers were the same dark shades of iridescent blue, green and purple as his carapice. His ears sat high on his head and were something between fish fin and cat ears in shape, but soft like a cat's. He was odd but had a sweet face in spite of his strangeness. The retractable claws of his cat-like feet and human shaped hands were comprised of black mother of pearl somewhat similar in color to his carapice though far more iridescent with sheens of black, blue, green, purple and pink. His teeth and sharp fangs meanwhile were a white mother of pearl. Like jewels his claws and teeth were.
He smiled sagely at her suggestions for Byron. "Few the Astraeus lion has given his heart to in so very many ages. Three whom any male would lose his heart to. Not so many children until Mog controlled his body and when it suited him his mind. The son that is also yours is heir to his thrones. Three offspring he bore with Lena during difficult times. With Saffiel he has produced three, as you well know. The too many out of him because of Mog he does the best he can with, though not as well as he could because of war and chaos. There are still a few he has not even met. A great feat that was for Mog to hide them from one so perceptive of his brood. Then hiding is what Beqidum know best. Perhaps more than punishment he needs help."
His eyes locked on her when she asked about Mekkor. "He is a very bad demon... one of Acheron's most evil, but also completely loyal to his Prince Sammael. He is not a member of the council."
After Mordrieg returned and assisted Gianna with her clothes, Ronwe asked him if he could tell the court about Maelmorda. Mordrieg refused and proposed Ronwe just tell the truth omitting no need to know details.
Hence Mordrieg and Ronwe both worked together to recall the courte. Gianna had thus far only met a few of them. Now the full retinue was called.
Amaymyon, aka Amy, Prince of fallen angels,
Ebriel, horseman of Pestilence,
Andras, God of quarrels,
Gabriel, fallen archangel not to be confused for Gabrian
Mammom, 4th Prince of Demons and demon of wealth and avarice,
Ronwe, demon of knowledge,
Balam, goat demon king of the 2nd circle,
Adramelech, LORD of the cricket demons and father of the Abyss Demons and their clans.
Ismeth, lord of chaos dragons,
Gremory, dutchess of the city of angels and devil acolyte of Amaymyon,
and Cassarus, father of the duminor.
Mordrieg was not an actual member of the counsel but was often included because of his authority over the wards and access to most any shrine, temple, dungeon, region or chamber in Acheron.
Ronwe delivered the news about Maelmorda. "Pass the word around as needed. Maelmorda is with his wife and is not to be bothered until he says otherwise."
It was the truth and the entire council took it with a grain of salt. It was hardly surprising. Ronwe was thrilled that it had been easy. Then he knew it would be the instant he figured out what to say.
Title: Re: Sapphire Canyon
Post by: Willow on May 26, 2018, 02:05:06 PM
Gianna actually let out a small laugh when Ronwe very clearly pointed out that he was a horrible liar. "I suppose that is good for me then?" Now was not a good time to plot what she was to do with Byron. Her heart felt as if it were shattered into a million shards and that someone had scooped them up and scattered them to the wind. If she were alone she would probably crawl into bed and sob into her pillow until she was so dehydrated that she couldn't stand... but right now there were things demanding her attention that didn't allow her to move past the numbness part quite yet.
She was surprised when Ronwe pulled back his hood. Her blue eyes scanned his features, her lips parted in awe. After a few moments, she spoke quitely and carefully. "I know from my past life that staring is rude, but I promise you I am not intending that at all." She walked slowly to the left, studied him, then to the right, doing the same. It coaxed a smile from her. "Ronwe, one night when it is quiet and we can sit with very large glasses of wine, I would like for you to tell me how your life has formed you until this point." All of the people here were like massive dusty books sitting on a wooden shelf in a library that stretched stories high. "You are lovely... and striking! You should stop covering your face."
He had removed his hood for a reason. He wanted to look her in the eye to show her empathy, but also to plead Byron's case. Gia's eyes started to sting and she looked down, smoothing one hand over her hip as she listened. "I don't know how to help him. I do not even think I can be around him..." The misery was like a thick woolen blanket that someone had doused in cold water and flung over her entire body.
After she was dressed and presentable, the group of gods and demons and horsemen and acolytes and ... there were SO many of them. She needed flash cards. Gia stayed standing and actually stepped down from the throne platform to approach the group as they filed in. Many of them eyed her, some in distaste, some in curiosity, some in confusion. Some had no readable expression at all. She cleared her throat and raised a hand to them as they entered. "Greetings." She introduced herself, then let Ronwe speak. She immediately followed. "I know this is strange, but rest easy knowing that your Lord has not been harmed and is with his wife.
"I have been informed that the War of Man has been concluded. There--" She cut off as she felt that sudden boulder of dread settle in the pit of her stomach. This was the first time that she was recognizing someone being delivered to Acheron that she knew...and had blood ties with. It was Ronwe that she looked to. She seemed pale. "My son.... is here?" She looked about, then snapped her gaze to Mordrieg. "How do I find him?"
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Title: Re: Sapphire Canyon
Post by: JD on May 29, 2018, 04:05:27 AM
Ronwe looked a little uncomfortable when Gianna inspected him but after eyeing her right back awhile he dipped over in a bow when his princess asked if he would share his story with her and then complimented him to offer her advice. "I would like that, Princess and you are very kind to say so. It is best I remain covered though for my own protection." That said he pulled the hood back up. He also pulled on some gloves before the entire counsel arrived to cover his dead give away mother of pearl claws. Not many knew what he looked like beyond him being a darkly robed figure with silver scales on his wrists that might even be part of a pair of gloves or vambraces. His hood was so deep it hid all his features in shadows and cloth, even his big, bright silver eyes. Sometimes the tips of his wings peeped out from beneath the long train of his robes but to the onlooker looked like the softest nightshade-green velvet.
The devil was moved by Gianna's pain and patted her lightly with his freshly gloved hands. "It is astounding that even a goddess could hold love so deep that it could still wound the heart for so incredibly long. I hope my friendship can help to ease your pain." Ronwe almost never offered his friendship to anyone because of who he was. Friends inevitably wanted to know things he couldn't divulge to them. But he was smitten by Gianna almost the moment he set his crystalline eyes on her. "I don't know if it helps... but there are many parallels in time and reality and in some of them Anna and Byron remain together for many life times and raise their son and other children together. You are not as unhappy in some places as you are here. There are even two temples in Acheron that let you become another self. The temple of time and the temple of realities. Fascinating yes?" Those temples were jacked into Ronwe like a couple of computers plugged into a mind and powered by the eternal flame.
Mordreig and Ronwe convinced anyone who doubted Gianna's authority there to believe Maelmorda had placed her on his throne as Princess Regent. Ronwe held a great deal of sway with the black courte, and even though Mordreig was more widely distrusted he was believed in this case. So when Gia made her introductions after a brief period of discussion she was welcomed by all to the court, even those who resented her presence there, their acceptance out of respect.
The opinions of the war ending varied among the council. Some could care less and showed disinterest never really following Morashtar's current affairs. The rest were pretty much split between those who felt relieved and those who would have liked to see Halen's army thoroughly trounced. Mordreig even said it might have been interesting to see what would have happened had the mortals won.
Then about an hour after the war's end was spoken of Ronwe met with a terribly disturbed gaze as Gianna asked about her only son. Mordreig arched a brow, completely misunderstanding her. Though a Prince of Acheron he was not charged with the sorting of souls so was unaware of the advent of the evil, aligned and other dead arriving.
"If he is in Acheron he is most likely at the Palace of the Lions in Arcador..."
Ronwe shook his head at him then fixed his eyes on Gianna. "Death whose name is Azriel brings them and delivers them to their initial destination. The other princes sort and distribute the dead they are charged with the guardianship of later," the oracle informed her.
"It is wise to let them adjust before calling them," Ronwe advised. "Death is a shock to the spirit. It is best to let them adapt before pulling them out of their journey. The journey is an alter-reality created by their own minds which eases the mildly sinful into Acheron. Your son is no great sinner. Also, he is chained to his journey, trapped there. You must enter his reality, which I believe is an Inn in Serhaubren, to see him. His journey will manifest in a pocket of the region death placed him. You simply enter his journey as you would any other region upon reaching it. You've a connection to him, just follow that to locate and travel to him. Or... I can accompany you there." The shrouded oracle went on to apprise his princess.
Title: Re: Sapphire Canyon
Post by: Willow on May 29, 2018, 10:42:22 PM
His own protection? What did Ronwe mean by that? Were people trying to hurt him for the way he looked? Gianna had so many questions, but she knew that now was not the time. When they got around to their little chat by the fireside she would pose her questions. His mention of friendship brought out a smile, but it turned quickly when he mentioned another parallel reality in which Anna and Byron remained together. Her face formed a stricken look. Did it help to tell someone that they were happier in another world and time? Would one spend their time and energy trying to get to that place? "Fascinating..." Her voice was barely a whisper as she responded. Somewhere Anna was thrilled and happy and content. Here? Gianna was watching a line of the most curious, severe, and beautiful creatures file into a throne room while she prepared to start down a very long path of proving herself, all while harboring a shattered heart.
They spoke for nearly an hour about the War of Men and she listened intently. It helped her... these important conversations. Until she felt Armand's presence and had to turn to her advsiors to be told to leave him be because the "death process" was a hard one. "Death?" Yes. Duh Gianna. This was Hell. It was kind of their thing. Maybe her head couldn't comprehend it because her heart had convinced her mind that NOTHING could be worse than what she was feeling. A 16,000 year old broken heart? How about a dead ONLY child?! So many of these feelings that were crawling up her throat were reminiscent of the night Anna was killed.
Those sharp blue eyes turned to look past all of them, staring blankly at the open throne room doors. When she finally spoke it was obvious that she was trying to jest, but it fell terribly flat. "Well, what a horrendous day...."
She shook her head at Ronwe. She imagined having to stay covered in Acheron was easy compared to on the surface. "Thank you for the offer. I.." What was she even going to say? She cleared her throat and focused back on the table of men and women in front of her. "Are there any more urgent matters that need dealt with immediately? If not, I will take my leave to go to the Inn..." If she was feeling this awful, she knew Byron would be showing up around the same time.
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