| E S H A N |
| HRIWEAG|
Tag:
Darth Empyrean
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"It is when your finger is in my ear."
The wry words she spoke were touched with a particular inflection that only Maliphant drew from her. There was a softness that seemed indulgent. The light-hearted moment was quickly dashed away by what she knew to be coming. Gone was the shelter and sanctity of the moonlight. It created the illusion that nothing could phase or touch them through the witching hour and beyond—But the sun, harsh, and cruel despite its warmth—Brought truth.
Srina would do what needed to be done. It would happen, soon.
"You should expect anything from them—Especially while my mother remains matriarch."
The svelte creature moved with the sheets wrapped around her torso, thoughtlessly modest, and followed suit. Whether he knew it or not—He was right. It was time to get begin.
Not long later found her seated at a crystalline vanity while her fingers moved through her hair in a fashion that Maliphant wouldn't quite recognize. The plaits that she separated snowy locks into had meaning. More—Than anyone but an Echani could actually know. This was not worn for anything but a rite of passage. In her case, it would be forced. Not granted upon her by the elders. A respectful Talon child would have waited until the reclamation…But that was no longer an option.
Srina hadn't been a youngling in quite some time.
Her clothing was plain. A white and blue tunic, though, there was light padding at the joints. A pair of tan leathers tucked securely into flat boots. She stared for a long moment into the mercurial glass before finally securing the rest of the twining knots that fell in to a thick braid. Normally, when her emotions were in a state of upheaval, she instantly passed the brush to Maliphant. He knew well that she loved the sensation of his fingers pulling through her hair…But it was tradition that she finish it herself. Her expression was resigned.
Sad, perhaps. It was hard to tell.
When Maliphant was ready, when, the sun started to move over the great wall that surrounded Hriwaeg Srina would lead him toward a great hall where she knew a morning meeting would be held. There would be council members, elders, cousins, and all whom she required as witnesses. When the double doors opened of their own accord the assembled parties would stop in mid-conversation. It was unthinkable to interrupt, uninvited.
"I beg your pardon, Lady Talon—"
Cold eyes snapped toward the scribe that dared to countermand her actions and such silvery orbs went flat with distaste.
"So? Beg.", her waspish tone pulled at some of the other observers and her father stood as if to intervene. It was then, that he seemed to understand first. Her hair. Her attire. Ever the perceptive one. Her fingers were twined with Maliphants. Still. More than anything…She needed them all to see.
Understand. There would be no arranged betrothals. No more orders. No more judgment—Or review. She had power all her own. It was time they understood, exactly, how deep the well went.
"Ni verya-tye, Rána-Naneth."
Several eyes widened, bodies tensed, and as if she'd suddenly open-fired they all began speaking at the same time. The cacophony was unheard of in these walls. House Talon was notoriously harmonious within their diplomatic proceedings. There were protests large and small both in Echani and basic. Ranging from ritual to lore, to the sheer fact that Aeris Talon had yet to step down. She wasn't anywhere near the age of reclamation.
"It is my right!", Srina continued, still, standing before the doors. Once again—She felt a sense of guilt for placing Maliphant in the center of unwanted attention.
The focus of the room's occupants turned back toward her, slowly, and her voice lowered. It was full of authority that many would not recognize. From a talented, gifted young woman, to not only a soldier, a warrior, but a little queen. Silver eyes held their attention, steadfast.
"It. Is. My. Right."
The murmuring stopped. This was unprecedented. The Elders took their time, glancing, between one another while they formulated a response. Their faces were partially shielded with a veil but their features were easily recognizable. It was the image of what Srina might look like several hundred years from now. The voices that pulled from beneath translucent white fabric were light, airy, and touched with something that was almost childlike while each picked up where the other left off.
"It has not been—"
"Done—"
"—In many moons."
"It is her right."
Aeris Talon slammed both hands down, fully, on the table—But said nothing. When cruel metallic eyes pulled up toward her eldest daughter they were filled with untold words. Things that could not be shared since the Elders had spoken. It was the hand of Raihane on her arm that caused her jaw to clench tightly shut as she came to rise.
"…If you longed so deeply for pain…You needn't make such theater of it, child mine.", the words were dripping with condescension. There was no fear in the matriarch.
Not a single bit.
"I accept."
The tension in the room increased tenfold while the murmurs began again. It didn't seem to actually be words, so to speak, but something that resembled a whispering song.
"It—"
"Begins—"
"Now."
Where all at once there had been perfect stillness…There was motion. The Matriarch was being ushered back to her chambers while the necessary tools were being prepared. Raihane, her father, could only watch while each moment flowed into the next. His expression was pensive. He favored neither wife nor child but he worried for them both. He approached both Maliphant and Srina with a heavy heart. Thick eyebrows pressed together.
"…Are you certain this is what you wish? What you both wish? I know that Aeris can be difficult but this will be no easy task. You will need to name a second in the event that you fail. Are you prepared for that? For the consequences?"
Raihane breathed deeply, bothered, and without any qualms showing it.
"You know exactly who her second will be."
He did not want to fight his beloved daughter. His brow furrowed even further, and he paused, trying to find a way to turn back the ancient rite that had been invoked. Typically, it was used when the reigning matriarch was at the end of her line. When the crown was gladly turned over to the next generation.
"If it is your desire to be wed that drives you...Please, my love, do not go to such extremes. Your mother will bend. She loves you."
"You need not force it."
Srina...Wished, in part, that she could bend for her father. Her hand held that much tighter to Maliphant. There was no choice. Aeris would never do what needed to be done. The blessing of her parents on their union was a hidden want, however, unnecessary. She would be with the man at her side regardless of their opinion.
"...It is not so simple, Ada...It must be." 
