Posted by SE. Nicodemus on October 29, 2008, 1:57 pm
66.215.227.73
A foolish barber and his wife.
She was his reason and his life, And she was beautiful....”
His flames are quieter now than he had ever forced them to be. They are a flicker of light, a gentle candle against his usual inferno. It felt strange to him, to be so quiet, so hushed. Andraste fidgets beside him upon a tree, being careful not to touch her burning wings to the tree, lest she set it on fire as well. There is a rustle in the not-so distant brush of the academy. Nicodemus knows, because the title had been given to him. He knows that it was a gift of sorts, from the Elementals. There was then a chattering, and Nicodemus let out a low whicker to the creature that was dwelling among the brush.
“Pardon me, but I think Keir is listening to our conversation.” He chuckles then, lowering his head to beckon forth the large mustelid. He came with a furry, though it was hard for anyone to believe that such a small creature could take down a bear all by itself. But size was not something to be underestimated. The wolverine chattered, a low growl parting from his lips, and his smile was nearly human. His toothy grin flashed a set of teeth so massive that it perhaps startled Arnlief. Keir curled himself between Nicodemus’ ears and growled contentedly.
The stallion nods to Arnlief then, their conversation safe now from listening ears.
“Andraste protects me. Her and now Keir.” His smile is kind, though some form of angst lay behind his mask of the kindness that he had once wholly held. Nicodemus was always patient.
So he listens, taking her words and storing them into his subconscious. “The reason why we have these powers is a mystery even to me.” He chuckles. “When horses first came here they sensed that this land was different than others, magical even. I suppose that we are not, in fact, divine beings, but merely pawns to the will of this truly special place. I would not question magic, however, because that is why it is so….it is unknown, and for good reason. Would it really be so special if you knew every detail about it?”
He laughs heartily. Truly Arnlief had a thirst for knowledge that Nicodemus was more than happy to quench.
He is silent for a bit before he answers her question, pondering the best answer. “It is a strange thing, how you come across your element. I have heard it said that some choose their own, and yet I find that in most there has always been some form of kinship with it. Take me, for example. I have always possessed a sort of…ferocity about me, a passion that only fire can possess. Back when I used to fight they called me Flame on the war-grounds….” He remembers those days all too vividly. The fights, the screams and bloodshed of innocents…..
“The elements become you, and vice versa. They are in a sense who you are, what you represent. Your abilities reflect this too. Andraste was given to me to protect others as well as myself, because that is what had been important to me at the time.” And look what I have become now. He thinks this darkly, his eyes closing for a moment. Look what vengence has made me.
Quote © Sweeney Todd