The bells had woken her, every morning, since she had fled. They found her in her sleep, chiming away with an intensity that roused her from the depths, pulling her back into the waking horror of having seen Rene swallowed by the darkness that she had been running from, the sad smile fading some as eyes closed in resignation, or was that her mind, playing tricks on her? Time had slowed then, as it did now in those first moments of wakefulness, bringing her back to her new morning ritual of sobbing herself awake. Isenam, and the small cat that she had recently started to feed in the gardens there at the University were her only companions other than the horse, and the book.. Zenovia. The liar. She had the Godsdamned book, but she had lost everything in the process. Yes, Ophelia was still in the beginning moments of grief, knowing her brothers, her sister in law, her nephew, they were all gone, all of them. And then it trickled down into Vincent, Rosealie, all of them were dead now. She had kept in front of the spread enough to know that she had been one of the only ones who had made it out in time.
Before the bells had stopped ringing and where once there had been a lively city, there was just, silence.
The griffon stirred beside her each morning, as soon as the animal felt her move, the large beast the only warmth she had, too far wallowing into the sudden loss, she didn't even remember how to make a fire, only that she had to keep moving north, through Nevarra, into Tevinter. Once she was across the border, she could try and barter her hairpin for a message to be sent to Minratheous, to call to her friend, to Malachai, the Chancellor she knew, to come get her. He ... he would take her in, wouldn't he? He would come get her, he would, she knew he would. He had taken her into his care before, and he would now too, she was sure of it -- but as the days drew on, a raven had begun to follow her, and then another, and then another. Soon they were so many following her that Isenam had taken to the air to scatter them away, to keep the black birds from bothering her on her forward advance.
She rode when she could, finding plants along the way she knew would feed her, at least she didn't think she'd starve, between Isenam bringing her birds and fish, and her own foraging, she .. she thought she'd survive well enough, and she did. She was hungry, but she knew she had to move north, had to keep ahead of the advance, had to make it across the Fields, she could skirt around the Silent Plains, and then on the other side of Nessum she would find the Imperial Highway. She knew she should have taken it the whole way, but that would have taken her straight through the middle of the Plains -- and that would have meant no water or food for however long it took her to get across. And she was no fighter. Better to keep to the grassy areas that allowed Isenam to protect her along the way, that kept the tired old mare under her going.
The bells rang in her ears as she skirted around what she knew was Nessum on the eighth day, one raven back, insistent, and cawing loudly from above as she tried to push for the Highway. She was tired, oh so tired, as they kept ringing, over and over, urging her to rush forward, to keep going.
The bells rang, and the raven cried. She cried too, most of the time.
On the eighth night, she made the Imperial Highway, and her tears had stopped. The horses hooves set a slow and steady cadence, as she held the cat and the book, the griffon walking beside them, and the raven crying overhead, almost like he was alerting someone, or something to where she was. She never did stop, to send a message, she had realized, as she had come across Vol Dorma, could see the Reaches in the distance. She knew where she was no, close to the sea, well inside Tevinter, a safe enough feeling that she kept riding into the night, listening as the raven would fly on ahead, no longer calling out, and then return some time later.
It was with one of those cries that she saw the rider on the road, heading towards her, a raven and wolf keeping strides, she had been being hunted, this entire time then.
So be it. Survive Blight to be killed so close to being safe.. she should have sent that message ahead.
Ophelia stopped her horse in the middle of the road, and slid down from the animal's back as she saw the rider draw nearer and nearer, the wolf peeling off and heading into the tree lines as Isenam put himself in front of her, the large male roaring as the horse broke free of her hold and took off into the night. She fussed at him, the griffon, trying to push him on, as she put the cat on his back,
The bells rang louder in her ears, as the raven landed nearby, calling louder, louder than before, louder than the whole flock had been as she dropped the book and pressed her hands over her ears to drown out the ringing, the calling, the roars and the sounds of hooves drawing ever closer.
And when the most of it stopped, the hooves stilled, the cawing gone, and the quite rumble of the griffon warning away a rider, the bells kept ringing.
@Malachai Valentius
OOC: Yes, it's Malik and Qoth.
Before the bells had stopped ringing and where once there had been a lively city, there was just, silence.
The griffon stirred beside her each morning, as soon as the animal felt her move, the large beast the only warmth she had, too far wallowing into the sudden loss, she didn't even remember how to make a fire, only that she had to keep moving north, through Nevarra, into Tevinter. Once she was across the border, she could try and barter her hairpin for a message to be sent to Minratheous, to call to her friend, to Malachai, the Chancellor she knew, to come get her. He ... he would take her in, wouldn't he? He would come get her, he would, she knew he would. He had taken her into his care before, and he would now too, she was sure of it -- but as the days drew on, a raven had begun to follow her, and then another, and then another. Soon they were so many following her that Isenam had taken to the air to scatter them away, to keep the black birds from bothering her on her forward advance.
She rode when she could, finding plants along the way she knew would feed her, at least she didn't think she'd starve, between Isenam bringing her birds and fish, and her own foraging, she .. she thought she'd survive well enough, and she did. She was hungry, but she knew she had to move north, had to keep ahead of the advance, had to make it across the Fields, she could skirt around the Silent Plains, and then on the other side of Nessum she would find the Imperial Highway. She knew she should have taken it the whole way, but that would have taken her straight through the middle of the Plains -- and that would have meant no water or food for however long it took her to get across. And she was no fighter. Better to keep to the grassy areas that allowed Isenam to protect her along the way, that kept the tired old mare under her going.
The bells rang in her ears as she skirted around what she knew was Nessum on the eighth day, one raven back, insistent, and cawing loudly from above as she tried to push for the Highway. She was tired, oh so tired, as they kept ringing, over and over, urging her to rush forward, to keep going.
The bells rang, and the raven cried. She cried too, most of the time.
On the eighth night, she made the Imperial Highway, and her tears had stopped. The horses hooves set a slow and steady cadence, as she held the cat and the book, the griffon walking beside them, and the raven crying overhead, almost like he was alerting someone, or something to where she was. She never did stop, to send a message, she had realized, as she had come across Vol Dorma, could see the Reaches in the distance. She knew where she was no, close to the sea, well inside Tevinter, a safe enough feeling that she kept riding into the night, listening as the raven would fly on ahead, no longer calling out, and then return some time later.
It was with one of those cries that she saw the rider on the road, heading towards her, a raven and wolf keeping strides, she had been being hunted, this entire time then.
So be it. Survive Blight to be killed so close to being safe.. she should have sent that message ahead.
Ophelia stopped her horse in the middle of the road, and slid down from the animal's back as she saw the rider draw nearer and nearer, the wolf peeling off and heading into the tree lines as Isenam put himself in front of her, the large male roaring as the horse broke free of her hold and took off into the night. She fussed at him, the griffon, trying to push him on, as she put the cat on his back,
Go, run, you two run away, I've nothing they'd want to take.
The bells rang louder in her ears, as the raven landed nearby, calling louder, louder than before, louder than the whole flock had been as she dropped the book and pressed her hands over her ears to drown out the ringing, the calling, the roars and the sounds of hooves drawing ever closer.
And when the most of it stopped, the hooves stilled, the cawing gone, and the quite rumble of the griffon warning away a rider, the bells kept ringing.
Make them stop!
@Malachai Valentius
OOC: Yes, it's Malik and Qoth.
12-14-2024, 06:38 PM
