11-27-2022, 04:51 PM
Valeriya originally parted from the members of the Khylsty with clear instructions to their survival. Armande promised they would be safe, and part of that meant relocating their group to somewhere more protected environment.
Vale had never considered the Underground as protected because it was an actual living hell. They were uprooted and plopped in a new place with new rules and new dangers. Vale knew most of them struggled with talking with the Above, and everyone was so enthralled with sky and trees and wind that they could miss the snake at their feet.
Vale made sure to leave strict instructions to do what Armande’s people said. Either they would follow them and live or they would fail and die. The power of controlling their fates was in their hands.
She happily continued to accompany Armande and Rowan upon their journey afar. She often passed entire days just staring out the window and marveling at the sheer vastness of the world. Maps were shown to her of the distance, and she could not fathom that this was only but a small corner of the planet. Boredom was not known to her. She asked after names of villages and the structure of mountains and devoured the information like water dripping on clay.
Eventually, they came upon a water that was called the North Sea. It wasn’t blue like the lake in Siberia. It was grey and cold and unforgiving. She simply stood there and stared without comprehension. She admired the beauty of it. How the line of it stretched to the horizon and beyond. She stared at enormous vessels that seemed to touch the sky. Then there was the cool wind flowing over her skin and tugging her hair. The way the water kissed at her feet. She loved every single drop of water that filled the sea, but she was also afraid of it, and did not want the the water to catch her as it run fast at her toes. She backed up swiftly to watch how the lapping waves hit more water, change course and divert an altogether different direction. From the safety of shore, she left shoes behind and let her feet sink into the sand and sharp pebbles.
If she had no idea so much color existed Above, she could not know how much water there was also. Only when she tried to taste it did she spit the water back out with a gag. It was horrid, and she was comforted that sometimes beautiful things were deadly. It made her appreciate the sea all the more.
When she was shown a map that said the North Sea was small compared to the great oceans, she shook her head and turned away. Such a thing was impossible and she swore not to believe such absurdities.
Oslo was a new village to her perched on the edge of the North Sea. It was cold in a way that tingled Valeriya with delight. The frozen water that fell from the sky was a playground for Vale, and she frequently had to be reminded to come away or her limbs might freeze and break off.
It was on one such time when Vale was wrapped in blankets having spent too much time out of doors that Armande returned. Her beloveds were distraught, but Vale’s optimism was infectious. And speaking of infectious, Vale found that her nose had swelled up and dripped constantly. When it was explained that she likely had a cold, Vale angrily disagreed and said she was perfectly warm. Despite that, there was a fuzz that filled her head.
“I’ve been cursed,” she would mutter to herself frequently. She’d given Armande a list of ingredients that she needed to counter the spell. But she had no idea where they’d encountered a witch that had cause to curse her.
Other than the curse, Vale’s optimism would not be discharged. She waited lifetime for the arrival of her Beloved and they were downcast by waiting a few days for a sign.
“That’s not how visions work,” Vale tried to explain once. “Force it and it will fight you. Let the vision come when its ready. She is a shy flower.”
Finally, Armande returned but she did not see any of the ingredient's she'd sought. Did he want Vale to suffer with this curse?! She frowned from within the folds of her blanket. And to her ire, she suddenly shivered.
Vale had never considered the Underground as protected because it was an actual living hell. They were uprooted and plopped in a new place with new rules and new dangers. Vale knew most of them struggled with talking with the Above, and everyone was so enthralled with sky and trees and wind that they could miss the snake at their feet.
Vale made sure to leave strict instructions to do what Armande’s people said. Either they would follow them and live or they would fail and die. The power of controlling their fates was in their hands.
She happily continued to accompany Armande and Rowan upon their journey afar. She often passed entire days just staring out the window and marveling at the sheer vastness of the world. Maps were shown to her of the distance, and she could not fathom that this was only but a small corner of the planet. Boredom was not known to her. She asked after names of villages and the structure of mountains and devoured the information like water dripping on clay.
Eventually, they came upon a water that was called the North Sea. It wasn’t blue like the lake in Siberia. It was grey and cold and unforgiving. She simply stood there and stared without comprehension. She admired the beauty of it. How the line of it stretched to the horizon and beyond. She stared at enormous vessels that seemed to touch the sky. Then there was the cool wind flowing over her skin and tugging her hair. The way the water kissed at her feet. She loved every single drop of water that filled the sea, but she was also afraid of it, and did not want the the water to catch her as it run fast at her toes. She backed up swiftly to watch how the lapping waves hit more water, change course and divert an altogether different direction. From the safety of shore, she left shoes behind and let her feet sink into the sand and sharp pebbles.
If she had no idea so much color existed Above, she could not know how much water there was also. Only when she tried to taste it did she spit the water back out with a gag. It was horrid, and she was comforted that sometimes beautiful things were deadly. It made her appreciate the sea all the more.
When she was shown a map that said the North Sea was small compared to the great oceans, she shook her head and turned away. Such a thing was impossible and she swore not to believe such absurdities.
Oslo was a new village to her perched on the edge of the North Sea. It was cold in a way that tingled Valeriya with delight. The frozen water that fell from the sky was a playground for Vale, and she frequently had to be reminded to come away or her limbs might freeze and break off.
It was on one such time when Vale was wrapped in blankets having spent too much time out of doors that Armande returned. Her beloveds were distraught, but Vale’s optimism was infectious. And speaking of infectious, Vale found that her nose had swelled up and dripped constantly. When it was explained that she likely had a cold, Vale angrily disagreed and said she was perfectly warm. Despite that, there was a fuzz that filled her head.
“I’ve been cursed,” she would mutter to herself frequently. She’d given Armande a list of ingredients that she needed to counter the spell. But she had no idea where they’d encountered a witch that had cause to curse her.
Other than the curse, Vale’s optimism would not be discharged. She waited lifetime for the arrival of her Beloved and they were downcast by waiting a few days for a sign.
“That’s not how visions work,” Vale tried to explain once. “Force it and it will fight you. Let the vision come when its ready. She is a shy flower.”
Finally, Armande returned but she did not see any of the ingredient's she'd sought. Did he want Vale to suffer with this curse?! She frowned from within the folds of her blanket. And to her ire, she suddenly shivered.
The Eye of the Khylsty