Six Regions to Travel

To: Regent Radiance of Candentia

From: Noxaeterna

Greetings from the mountains,

Mother, I hope this letter finds you and Candentia well. Baroque and I stopped by Barricades’ land for a day, and I’ve taken the opportunity to pen a brief letter for her to deliver.

Please send my regards to my foolish brother, and give the enclosed parchment to him. I’m afraid any correspondence will simply have to be from me to you, as we’re leaving for the swamps after this and I do not know where we will go next. And I daresay that any letters you send will simply pass us by.

I’d ask about Sonnet and Minuet, but I’d never be able to receive a reply. So I’ll simply have to hope that they are doing well. What am I saying, I cannot imagine Sonnet doing anything but flourishing, being the talented foal he is. And Minuet, I’d presume she’s doing nothing short of amazing in Candentia, with Lux to learn from. I can only regret not having more stories to tell Baroque about his siblings. I suppose I can only hope he’ll know enough about his siblings from the stories I can tell.

I truly regret not being able to take all three foals with me, but Sonnet and Minuet belong together, in Candentia.

The mountains have been kind to us, and it appears that Aberfa has blessed us with clear skies for the foreseeable future. I can see why Mister Caerulus spoke so highly about the view from the peaks of Vallis, after seeing the sun rise over the distant mountains with my own eyes.

Did you know that there’s a herd of pink llamas somewhere in the mountains? We had the fortune to bear witness to that herd. Rockie here had the brilliant idea of trying to grab a tuft of pink fur to serve as proof. I must say, the first few attempts were rather funny, but he eventually did end up succeeding. But either way, we got some. Check the package we included.

Besides that, we also found some fairy pools hidden in some caves. Baroque loved the way the glow from the lantern reflected on the waters. He wanted to take some with us, but we didn’t have any suitable containers. Perhaps I’ll have to take him back, but with a glass jar or two. But there’s some mushrooms, gemstones, and feathers included with this letter, that I hope my brother will appreciate.

We fell asleep beside one of those fairy pools. The magic was strong, and it just felt right for a nap. I don’t know what sort of magic it was, but it brought Rockie and I into the dream realm. It was a strange experience, being able to move around, but not feeling the ground beneath my hooves. Likely more so for Rockie, given he hasn’t earned his wings yet. I wonder when he will earn those wings, and take to the sky.

While talented, he doesn’t seem to have the same aptitude and propensity for magic that Sonnet has, nor the tenacity Minuet has. But he does share their curiosity, and I dare say that he will be finding his wings soon.

I’ll stop here for now. I wish you the best of fortunes.

As much as I’d rather say otherwise, please don’t expect these letters to be a regular occurrence. Only Zahavah knows when I’ll get a chance to pen another one.

Your son,

Noxaeterna