Amaranth: A Dream

[idolpro]

Once, there was a maiden...

...whose battles called her far from home.
She slew the thing she feared most, and conquered the land that feared her.
As she fought, far away, she knew her children needed guidance.
She knew they faced tyrants.
She knew they faced fear.
In her homeland, things were broken.
So, she held up her hand before the sun, and cast a shadow on the world, and drowned the troubles of her home in darkness.

"Survival's a long reach," she said.

Comments

Re: The Shrine

[inspiteful]

...We could try bringing him off the island?

[ What's sanctity. ]

Re: The Shrine

[fallingflowers]

You mean for ^me_us to... l̪͕̪͚̮̪͓̗e̸̤͕̪͜ͅa͔̲̥̰̭͍͙ͅv̢̜̗̻̮͉̘ͅḙ̴̥̝͞?


[ Meanwhile, Shrike has joined you and the strange scene. ]

Re: The Shrine

[softlyfalling]

[ ]

...hello.

Your mother wants to see you.

Re: The Shrine

[forgottenmercy]

...ah, is that...

[makes vague gesture.] Though I'm not, ah, certain... [looks back and forth between the really flowery...him to the other two and back again.] ...How did you, ah, get here...?

[guess who doesn't know about the bridge.]

Re: The Shrine

[softlyfalling]

We... made a bridge, of sorts. She waits on the other side—

...she can't come here. So you must go to her.

[ she looks at... the other one. ]

Both of you.

Re: The Shrine

[fallingflowers]

[ ... ]

Re: The Shrine

[softlyfalling]

...Persephone.

Re: The Shrine

[fallingflowers]

[


... ]

I am not only ^myself_he.

Re: The Shrine

[forgottenmercy]

[going to kneel down by himself and ask, quietly.] Do you want to leave? Or do you, ah, wish to stay?

Re: The Shrine

[softlyfalling]

[ a glance at the real one—

and she nods to him, deferring to his wanting to ask. ]

...if it's duty that keeps you here—prayers won't help this world. As much as we all wish it.

Re: The Shrine

[inspiteful]

[ Well, they're giving a choice, and Eclipse sure isn't going to say no to them doing that. ]

Think about it?

Re: The Shrine

[fallingflowers]

[ The small maiden sways slightly on his feet, expression sliding away, if only the slightest bit, from that perfect-serene smile.
He looks, for a moment, very young, and lost. ]

If the gods can do nothing... was it meaningless for ^me_us to come?

Re: The Shrine

[softlyfalling]

...I don't think so. What brings good into the world even for a brief time, and brings peace and happiness to others... there's nothing meaningless about that.

But there's always... an ending.

Re: The Shrine

[forgottenmercy]

It wasn't, ah, meaningless, no. It, ah, meant something. [just going to keep kneeling by his...double.]

Re: The Shrine

[fallingflowers]

[ His flower petal face looks between all three of you, then fixes on Persephone. One small, delicate hand reaches out to rest on ^your_his pale cheek, and your eyes meet once again. ]

In the end, ^I_we cannot ever find that meaning here. It is an answer she does not have.

.... ^I_We will come with you.

Re: The Shrine

[softlyfalling]

...thank you.

And, I'm sorry. Please, then...

...follow us.

Re: The Shrine

[forgottenmercy]

[gently takes his other self's hand, then, to follow after Shrike.]

Re: The Shrine

[fallingflowers]

[ Suddenly, for Persephone, a strange feeling of vertigo, you looking at yourself looking at you across the clearing—

Someone else has arrived. ]