War and Peace

Voyeur kept Shadowdancer close the days after Binary gave birth. The dragon at least kept the mare at a slight distance. Not like the mistake that Voyeur had made in checking up on her after she gave birth to Rasalas, when she had sidled up to his side and tried asking him more about where he wanted his future land. Without the dragon's presence, her side had been pressed against his and her scent - elderberries, pine, and the fresh scent of a newborn - had drifted around him clouding his mind.

So Voyeur kept his dragon close to help him avoid everything that had to do with that suspicious mare. The stallion was no stranger to physical interactions, but something in her eyes and just the brush of her side against his held a strange promise, the promise of more, that had him pulling away from any interactions between them as fast as he could.

He wasn’t looking for more, he wasn’t looking for company or a foal under hoof, he was looking for solace and a solitary life.

But for some reason he had been unofficially appointed the go-between for Binary and Sirona, who was far too busy running her land to seek out the mare for every message between them. Why she didn’t just send her kitsune to deliver the messages Voyeur couldn’t understand.

But Voyeur didn’t shrink from what was asked of him by the Baroness of this land. So he straightened his shoulders, glanced at Shadowdancer who curled around his lower leg, and pushed open the door.

Binary was nursing Rasalas, and Voyeur nearly backed out of the room. But he had a task - to deliver this message.

“Sirona wishes to have another examination of Rasalas, to ensure he is growing properly,” Voyeur said, a bit stiffly, as Binary’s gaze met his.

“Once he finishes nursing, we will go,” Binary replied, a bit softer than her normally whip tone. She gazed at her foal with something close to adoration, and Voyeur didn’t quite realize he was standing there watching the pair with a softness in his own gaze.

“Uhm, she said the lower floor examination room will work,” he finally said, shaking his head slightly as if in a daze.

Binary’s gaze turned back to him and Voyeur felt as if he had been turned to stone. “Do you have any foals?” she asked.

Voyeur shifted, a bit uncomfortable. “I might have a few out there. I never stayed with a mare long enough to find out,” he admitted, and then felt a glimmer of surprise at the unconscious sharing of so much information.

Binary gave a slight quirk of a smile that had Voyeur wanting to run for the hills.

“So do I,” Binary admitted. “Gone now. But Rasalas…. He is mine to keep,” she said softly. Voyeur wondered at the words she used but pushed the urge to ask more away.

“Well…. Ok then. Sirona will meet you,” Voyeur said, and quickly backed out of the room.

“Voyeur?” Binary’s voice called after him, and Voyeur took a deep breath and poked his head back through the door.

“Thank you,” Binary said. Voyeur simply nodded and made his retreat.

But the words stuck with him. He wasn’t sure how many others the purple mare behind him had ever thanked.

Returning to his room, Voyeur contemplated the mare a few floors below. He didn’t have much time to contemplate, however, as Lunaris was soon rapping on his door with a hoof.

“Sirona has a task for you!” Lunaris called out before heading down the hall to where Sidra and Sulien were staying.

Indeed, Voyeur met the pair in the hallway, and studied them for a few moments before they headed down the flights of stairs.

“How is Binary?” Sidra asked with a bit of a smirk as they followed the white mare down the stairs.

Voyeur was startled from his thoughts, and was about to answer as he heard Binary’s voice below.

“You will see for yourself,” he replied as he heard her chewing out some poor Quirlicorn. Voyeur was glad to not be on the other side of those sharp words for once, but felt a tinge bad for whoever she was spitting at.

“I suspect she is doing quite well,” Sidra said as they came into better hearing. A ghost of a smile drifted across Voyeur’s maw as he shook his head, an exasperated movement.

It was enough for Voyeur to be glad he had never stayed with any of the mares he had met. Binary was demanding, and even if they were half as demanding as she was Voyeur would have been heading for the hills. It gave him no urge to settle down or have a family any time soon.

They found Binary near the bottom of the stairs, the other Quirlicorn seeming to have fled. Binary huffed slightly as her eyes fell on Voyeur, her gaze as sharp as a dagger. Voyeur winced slightly, but before Binary could start unleashing her words on Voyeur Sirona rejoined them, the small sunset foal following in her hoofsteps. The earlier kindness that Binary had showed him seemed to have fled in the wake of her storm.

“Rasalas is growing well,” Sirona said. “Everything checks out; you should be proud of him.”

Binary relaxed, and Voyeur breathed a sigh of relief; she was deeply protective of her foal.

“Mother bear,” Voyeur muttered to Sidra and Sulien, causing Sidra to hide her bark of laughter with a slight cough that had both the healers casting her worried glances. But a momentary look between Voyeur and Sidra had them smiling and shaking their heads.

“Thanks to your letters and the swift response from Ilkay, we have figured out a way to keep animals from getting into our gardens. You two will be helping with that,” Sirona said, as Lunaris moved to the side. Before they could continue a clatter of hooves came from the hall, as their foals joined them with excited voices.

“Ura showed me a bug!” Luuedei said with a happy tone, and Voyeur studied the glowing foal. All white, except for her glow, hooves and horn, she looked like a fresh star.

Rasalas was watching the other foals, Voyeur noticed, and another slight smile crossed his face as he watched the youngster.

Luuedei noticed Rasalas, and grinned. “Do you wanna see?” she asked, nearly bouncing.

Rasalas looked up at Binary, who nodded slightly. “Let’s go see a bug,” Binary agreed.

Voyeur relaxed as the mare left with her foal, Lunaris following moments later. Binary had given him a strange look as they left, and Voyeur was glad to not have to hear the questions that lay in her gaze.

“As I was saying, Ilkay found a particularly smelly flower that most grazing animals avoid. Sidra, I will need your help with planting them around the outside of the herb beds. Voyeur, we have some vegetables that need planted for the harvest later this year; you will be helping with that,” Sirona said as the foals left, turning her attention back to Voyeur and Sidra, using a tone that reminded Voyeur a bit of a mother giving firm instructions to foals, and not taking ‘no’ as an answer.

So a mere half hour later, Voyeur found himself working in the dirt, planting the vegetable seeds and sprouts he had been left with. There was something methodical to his work, and it calmed the stallion. Shadowdancer had uncurled from around his leg and now lay in the sun, looking for all purposes like a lazy cat taking a nap in dragon form.

Giggles interrupted Voyeur’s quiet meditation, and he looked up to see Luuedei and Ura racing across the grasslands that unfolded in front of him, dashing quickly around the garden he was working on. Looking around, a worry hit Voyeur as he didn’t immediately spot Rasalas.

The colt made an appearance moments later, panting slightly and slowing to a walk as he saw Voyeur.

“They went that way,” Voyeur gestured behind him, but Rasalas came to a stop on the edge of the garden, looking over what Voyeur had planted thus far.

“I’m not fast enough to catch up,” Rasalas said, and Voyeur was surprised to hear the foal's quiet voice. He spoke well for how young he was.

“You will be, once you get a bit bigger,” Voyeur assured the foal. The Torre foals were both older than Rasalas, and had longer legs with more stamina to carry them across the Plains.

Rasalas considered that, then nodded. “What are you doing?” he asked.

Voyeur looked down at his dirty legs, and the garden around him.

“Planting some vegetables for the Baroness. They will be harvested later this year,” he replied.

Rasalas nodded slightly. “Are you my father?” Rasalas asked suddenly.

Voyeur was a bit startled by the question. “No,” he finally said gently.

Rasalas had a pensive look. “But Mother said you were there when I was born,” he said with a confused tone.

Voyeur sighed slightly, and returned to planting as he considered how to answer.

“I was,” he admitted as he dug a hole for the next sprout. “I was showing your mother the way to this city. She wanted to have you in the tower, where it is safest to give birth.”

Rasalas moved closer, weaving between the already planted rows to where Voyeur was working, and silently helped with the hole.

They worked in companionable silence, planting in another straight row to add to the ones that Voyeur had already completed. After a while the stallion looked up to find Binary standing to the side, watching the pair work.

Voyeur’s change of attention alerted Rasalas, who looked up to figure out what had snagged Voyeur’s interest.

Voyeur noted the fading worry on BInary’s expression, and gave a slight nod. He had kept his eye out for any dangers while her foal was with him, and Binary gave him a grateful nod back.

“I thought you were playing with the others,” Binary said to Rasalas, and Voyeur stored the tidbit of information she had revealed to think on later. She had gone out with her foal, but not been with him the whole time. Voyeur didn’t want to ask what she had been up to, just in case it was something not for foal ears.

“They were too fast,” Rasalas replied. “I much prefer planting with Voyeur.”

The fact that the foal prefered his company gave Voyeur a bit of a warm feeling in his chest.

“Alright,” Binary said with a smile for her foal. “Show me what to do.”

Voyeur worked in silence side by side with Binary and Rasalas as they finished planting the rest of the garden. It was a quiet and warm thing between the trio, a feeling that stuck with Voyeur as he returned to the tower late that afternoon.

A horrible smell assaulted his senses, moments before he heard Sidra and Sulien’s voices.

“What happened?” Voyeur said, trying not to cringe at the scent wafting off of Sidra, who was covered in mud and something else stinky and sticky.

“I don’t wanna talk about it,” Sidra muttered, then stomped a hoof, mud splattering off her leg as she did. “Those damn flowers stink to high hell and back. Not only that, but Sirona forgot to mention that they give off some weird sap or juice or something, that clings to you like a second skin. And then my eyes were watering so bad I didn’t see the damn rock and tripped right into a stinking mud pit!” Sidra complained.

Voyeur gave a dry chuckle as Shadowdancer sniffed Sidra and immediately tried hiding behind his tail.

“I take it you are headed for the baths?” Voyeur asked, then winced as he heard Binary’s voice behind them. “That sounds like a great idea, I think I will join you,” he said quickly, and started trotting down the hall, not wanting to visit the weird warm feeling in his chest or the bit of amusement that rose as he heard Binary snapping at someone else.

Voyeur found the baths and waded into the warm water, not waiting for Sidra and Sulien. The pools were a work of genius, using the springs of the Plains to help water flow through them, a constant gentle current. He decided to study them some more another time, especially as Sidra and Sulien arrived.

“It won’t come off!” Sidra complained a bit later, and Voyeur came closer. The fresh water seemed to do nothing for Sidra’s issues. In a rare moment of generosity, Voyeur helped Sidra and Sulien remove the sap from her coat.

Nearly four hours since he went into the baths, Voyeur found himself restless again. The hour after the three he spent helping Sidra had been full of his thoughts, too loud for his own head.

“Are you leaving soon?”

The voice had Voyeur turning, spotting Binary in the shadows.

“Where is Rasalas?” Voyeur asked, and Binary nodded back down the hall.

“He is asleep; he had a busy day,” Binary said.

Voyeur nodded slightly.

“Are you leaving soon?” Binary asked again and Voyeur shrugged.

“When Sidra and Sulien move on, I will be going with them,” Voyeur replied. “After they get rested, most likely.”

“Are they your herd?” Binary asked, and Voyeur quickly shook his head.

“No, they are on their own journey it seems,” Voyeur replied. “I don't think that Sidra would bow to any claim of me being a head of a herd and her not being in charge,” he admitted after a moment. “She is more powerful than me anyway.”

Binary seemed to pick through those words. “Have you a herd of your own?” she asked.

“No, and I do not wish to,” Voyeur replied.

“The Baroness said you were at the Solstice in Queensbreak, when the alliances were formed,” Binary said, but her tone implied the question behind it - why form alliances if he would just be a lone Quirlicorn?

“The alliances will ensure others will look elsewhere to find land or a home,” Voyeur said. “Who would go against a stallion allied with two deties?”

Binary considered that, then took a deep breath. Voyeur had never seen her so clear eyed and focused, so hesitant.

“I wish to join you, with Rasalas,” Binary finally said.

Voyeur immediately shook his head. “No,” he said.

Binary’s eyes flashed with irritation. “Why?” she shot back, all hesitation having flown out the window.

“Because I am doing this for my own solace, my own land where I don’t have to have others unless I want them. Because I served the detities and wish to have a place where I can simply be myself, in peace,” Voyeur replied.

“Isn’t that what we are all looking for? Somewhere safe, a place to call home instead of always following the wind,” Binary replied.

“And that is what I am doing for myself. If that's what you want then get your own land,” Voyeur said, and turned away.

Binary hissed, and stomped her hoof in frustration.

“I can’t do that with a newborn. I’ve seen this world, and a life of traveling is not one I want for my son. I want to be able to give him everything I didn’t have. A family, a home, not an existence in which turning to the deities for a purpose is the only option. I want him to grow up safe,” Binary insisted.

“And you think infringing on my peace will give you that?” Voyeur turned sharply, glaring at her.

Something like victory danced in her eyes at his harsh reaction.

“You are allied with deity-made Quirlicorns. Ones that have the power and influence to keep others from infringing on your peace, as you call it. Powerful enough to make others think of looking the other way when it comes to pissing you off. A place where Rasalas can grow up safe, away from this world!” Binary said, conviction lacing every word. “If it pleases you, we can live far from you. But I will protect my son with everything I have, no matter what it takes.”

Voyeur felt a bit of his resolve weaken at every mention of Rasalas. He did care for the foal, as silly as it was to do so.

“Fine,” he finally hissed. “But I better not see you in my land, so stay the hell away from me.”

Victory danced in Binary’s eyes. “We will stay here,” she replied. “But you will come from us once you come back this way.”

Voyeur snorted, and walked away.

What had he gotten himself in to?