Khal was a long way from home... but ever since his first birthday had come and gone, he'd begun to find his wings. As he had journeyed south, following his Mummy's directions, he found many places he'd heard about from Cassandra and his mothers and father. Seeing them in person was an entirely different thing. Until now he'd been content learning all he could about Maua from his native kin, but now it was time to go after the practical knowledge. He'd barely hunted on his own, yet he knew Magnus and Nadia's children were already fending off trespassers... He was still considering a more permanent move south, as to leave Talisa would be painful for the boy who had been one of her loyal shadows. Especially now that there were new little ones. He pushed those thoughts aside for now, refocusing on the reason he'd bypassed his mother and aunt's scent markers for the nearest neutral territory. Khal sat now on the beach of the Cay, his thick fur drying beneath the October sun and salt breeze. Morrigan had told him of the possibilities that lay before him... the match that could be made if both parties wished it. For the Valour yearling it was difficult, looking down at his reflection in the water's edge, to imagine any Sigrun Princess wishing for such a match. Especially her. He didn't know if @Voluspa had any idea of a potential betrothal, and he had no intention of being the one to tell her. Khal only hoped she still wished to have this beach visit with him at all. Morrigan and Magnus were very close, after all. It would be good at least to hope for a friendship between their children. After a deep breath, he would finally find the courage to chuff across the strip of ocean towards where he knew the Lagoon to be, watching the distance for her dark shape. Potentially leaving himself vulnerable from any other direction...

she contemplated turning back, as much as the thought tore at her already bleeding heart — for while @Khal would not know of her shame nor of her dishonour, it was written so blatantly, and so painfully, across every fibre of her being. but, as she stood upon the edge of the lagoon, one paw teetering over the edge of the border, voluspa realized that she could not do that to him. she did not want to do that to him. and so she wouldn’t. the valour boy had ensnared a part of the sigrun that she could not quite understand, each fluttering of her emotions amplified by what had occured at her second drowning, and the anxiety that still pricked within her chest at the memory of her father’s enraged face. it gave life to further desire to see him, as promised, hoping that the temporary escape may anchor her amongst the crashing waves.

and so she moved, her steps slow and sluggish compared to her usual poise, eager to find the other yearling who so patiently waited for her out across the expanse of the sands. thankfully for voluspa, it did not take long to spot his brunette shape in the distance, throat tightening as she put further effort into burying her trauma, and opting instead to focus only on him. khal, she greeted gently as she approached, eyes brimming as they fluttered across his features, trying to mask the heavy blanket of exhaustion that bore down across her bones. better late than never, right? because while time, distance, and family had unintentionally been keeping them apart, she found comfort in that moment of reunion, and in the fact that they had, after all, followed-through on the promise of an afternoon by the sea.

He couldn't help but shift his growing frame anxiously upon the sand, feeling awkward no matter how he sat as he waited. He didn't have much longer to steel his nerve when purple and silver eyes spotted her approach, sending his heart immediately skittering in his chest. He chided himself as he tried to sit up straighter and not feel so much like a gangly yearly. He was the son of a Queen, a known warrior. He'd never seen Morrigan be afraid of anything, yet he was scared of a beach date with a girl who wasn't even a stranger? Silly, he thought. As she grew closer, he couldn't help but think there was something changed in @Voluspa. His expression grew a touch concerned but when she greeted him he couldn't help the shy smile that wrinkled the eye patch marking him as divine. "Voluspa," he returned, gesturing the soft sand next to him so she could sit. He might have asked if she wanted to take a stroll but she just looked tired somehow. "I don't think being late counts for princesess," he would tease in return, not knowing about her own family's strife but his own had been a bit on the rocks since they'd last met. "I'm glad you came. The ocean suits you," he complimented, tearing his eyes off her obsidian figure to look out over the waves. His own thick fur had been nicely groomed once but now the ocean winds had whipped his coat and sparse mane into chaos. He could see why she loved it, but perhaps not quite enough to pull him out of his beloved pines just yet.

seeing him felt like a sort of sanctuary -- an escape that she oh-so desperately needed, almost as badly as she wanted it. voluspa's chest continued to hammer as the distance between them dissipated, hardly skipping a beat as she was welcomed into his space, and settled comfortably at @Khal's side. the valkyrie's movements were slow and deliberate as her haunches fell into the sand, opting to position herself lightly against his flank, just close enough to revel in the gentle waft of amber and honeysuckle that clung to his pelt. don't be silly; if you start making excuses for me now, who knows where we'll end up. not that voluspa would ever look to take advantage of his hospitality, but she did not want him thinking that this had, for any reason, been delayed on purpose or planned without care. if anything, she felt guilty that it had taken them so long -- and hoped that he, too, found some sort of jovial comfort in finally getting to spend some time together without the prying eyes of their parents looming in the background.

does it? she asked instinctively following his next comment, head tilting in a look of absent consideration. sparing a glance out towards the ocean, she could not help but think back to being dragged beneath its icy surface, wrapped up its tendrils and the temporary peace that she had felt in those moments. attempting not to let her mind wander there, however, voluspa would force her gaze away from the lulling waves, and instead angled her torso towards khal as she settled her eyes upon his calm, brunette features. i don't know much about maua, but our god, vellen, rules the sea. she explained absently, not knowing how aware he was of their ways, in the grand scheme of it all. should they pledge themselves to one another, and their fates become intertwined as was currently planned, he would surely find out all the gritty details of it all -- but, they had to start somewhere, didn't they?

He did not have the skill of hiding his emotions like Morrigan and her stoic warrior allies often did. Khal wore his heart openly for all to see, whether he liked it or not. It was one of many reasons he told himself it was best to avoid the spotlight. Even distracted as he was but the brush of her midnight pelt against his thick brunette fur, he still noticed the way she moved. He couldn't quite explain what it was, only that something was decidedly off. Still, she stirred a chuckle from him as he watched her settled next to him, chiding him for making an excuse for her, "Sounds like an adventure to me," he returned, finding it difficult to imagine ending up anywhere bad in any situation with @Voluspa. "does it?" she continued, her dark eyes shifting away from him out to the waves, giving him a moment to notice the way the softness of cubhood had melted away to reveal regal and sharp features. She looked much like her mother, he thought as he lost himself a bit in gazing at her, but there is something there of Magnus, too. "Yes," he said quietly, though if he were telling the truth, she always looked somehow ethereal to him. It was only when her attention shifted back his way did he realize what he was doing. There was some surprise when she spoke of Maua, as he knew her family had their own god to worship, but it served to remind him again of the possibilities lain before them. They were both so deeply intwined into their gods that it would be an impossible union if they tried to avoid the topic. "Maua created me," he said with a thoughtful look, wondering if she merely wished to sate her curiosity or if there was some chance she might actually believe his origins. Because of course Maua created all in Amaryllis, but the Diety had been a bit more heavily involved in Khal's conception. "I have no biological father," he explained, watching her face to try and gauge her reaction before he said, "I know Vellen commanded your father to return your family seat of power to the sea, but that's about the extent of my knowledge. I'd be open to learning, though, if that was allowed." Truthfully, Vellen sounded a bit frightening compared to the warmth of Maua's embrace, but he could not shy away from it. Not if he had any hope of somehow being worthy of the match.

his words were soft and it soothed something within her chest, finding peace in the company of the valour boy, even against the raging of her own mind. thankfully, @Khal was enough to suppress all of those heavy thoughts, favoring his company, and the soft brush of their sides, in lieu of anything else that may attempt to preoccupy her mind. a small smile flashed along the edges of her lips, heat growing across her cheeks at his quick assertion, and the unfiltered way in which he declared that her company was a good thing. and though in that moment she could not bring herself to believe it whole-heartedly, if she knew one thing about khal, it was that he did not strike the sigrun as a liar. in any sense of the word.

dark toes continued to flex against the sand as her attention continued to lull between the crashing of the waves and the boy at her side, moving in an almost rhythmic fashion. that last glance, however, which was spared as voluspa angled her frame more appropriately in his direction, caused her eyes to catch his own, and also caught the way in which he had been studying her in a calm, almost tender, fashion. and while the feeling brought something new burning within the yearling's chest, it was awkwardly, jovially, that her eyes quickly fell away from his, finding that she felt nervous beneath the calm gaze of those baby blues. thankfully, for her at least, his next set of words prompted surprise, shifting the conversation off of her, and onto the supposed creator of amaryllis, whom khal and his family pledge fealty to. and who had, apparently, given life to khal. i don't understand - how is that possible? she said next, though there was no judgment to her tones as she purposefully kept herself pressed against his side. the declaration of mystical power puzzled voluspa deeply, for she had never heard of such stories, not even beneath the will and strength of vellen. it caused her brows to furrow and her eyes to remain settled comfortably upon khal's featues, hoping that further clarity could be given. she did not know whether this maua was a counterpart to vellen, or perhaps another version of him, or a being all its own -- but one thing that voluspa knew for sure, however, was that the valour's god seemed far more patient than the wrath of the sea god had even been.

it was no surprise that the conversation shifted to vellen next and, after giving room for khal to speak, voluspa would find herself straightening her spine, mulling over what she wanted to say, before trying to explain him the best that she could. vellen is all that my family has ever known and served; he is master of the sea and storms, which is why my father wanted to get closer to him. the ocean is an important part of our lives, as it what we, and vellen, come from, and also where we earn our name. she started, hoping that it would, at least, make some sort of sense. there was a wariness to her voice, however, though she did her best to keep her gaze focused and her eyes upon him; she wasn't ashamed of vellen, after all, but fearful of what he was capable of. he is -- not as forgiving as you make your maua seem to be. some of our ways are not for the faint of heart. words continued to flow, but voluspa found herself stopping short abruptly, eyes flashing as they finally fell down towards her toes. she did not want him to think any different of her, or her family, for their ways, already suspecting that the harsh ways of her family would be shocking for him to hear. and so it was the fear of reduction that loomed poignantly over her head now, having already bore witness to the fact that those outside of the sigrun seldom understood their ways - losing khal as a result would surely just be a nail in voluspa's coffin.

The closest Khal knew to a lie was the perhaps sometimes exaggerated tales of Farrow, and so Voluspa was right in that Khal would have been rubbish at lying even if he'd had a desire to try. He especially had no desire to keep anything from her though, even at the cost of his own fears. She did not move away from his touch and the sweet scent of the ocean and tea leaves wreathed around him. Their eyes met for a moment before she looked away and he was always struck by how dark they were and yet still deep, like looking into a night sky and finding more stars the longer you waited for your eyes to adjust. She was understandably confused about his revelation and the typically quiet boy had to take a moment to try and find a way to explain something that was as plain to him as the color of his own hide. "Maua created the lands of Amaryllis but I don't know They have any business with the sea or Vellen's territory," he mused, his own mind finding it simple to believe the two deities could co-exist. "Maua has the ability to... bend the rules so to speak when it come to children. Through Maua it is possible for any couple to have children, so long as the love is there. My mothers summoned Maua to them and the Creator wove their bloodlines together..." He couldn't help but let his words turn into nervous rambling by the end, suddenly acutely aware of how this must all sound to @Voluspa. "I'm not expecting you to believe me outright, just so you know," he tried to assure her, "It was just something I wanted to share with you, considering..." This time his words ended intentionally as he realized he was dangerous close to skirting the edge of a topic he wasn't sure he was brave enough to broach just yet. He was thankful that Voluspa was willing to do some sharing herself and the attention could shift back to her again. Where Khal had been a bit nervous for other reasons, she too seemed a bit unsettled when speaking of Vellen and her traditions. His brow furrowed slightly but he wasn't sure whether he should press the subject or not. Instead, he opted for some dry humor, "So not only are you a Princess... You're a mermaid Princess? Impressive." "Some of our ways are not for the faint of heart." It was the way her voice cut off so suddenly that put him ill at ease and not the words themselves. As her gaze shifted to the sand at their paws, it was the desire to soothe whatever had changed in her that gave him strength to acknowledge the unspoken, "If I may be honest, Vol, I can't hope to ever be worthy of you if I am faint hearted." He didn't know yet just how bad it could be, but he told himself that whatever worried her, it would be nothing compared to his duty and what he already knew he simply wanted as well. If anything, Khal had always suspected there must be a catch.

the more that she listened, the more that a seeping look of idle surprise swept along the breadth of her features. it started small at first, knitted against her brows, before eventually spreading down to the velveteen edges of her lips and the corners of her dark, watchful eyes. the story of magic, and creation, and divinity was overwhelming, to say the least, especially considering that it surpassed most things that she knew of vellen and his ways. that was not to say, of course, that she thought her confidant to be a liar -- but the news was jarring, nonetheless. she had never heard of vellen creating cubs from thin air, after all. does maua ask you for anything in return? she inquired curiously, for vellen was known to not give freely without expecting something of value in return. the concept of this maua, and the calm way in which @Khal spoke of them, stirred her head into a confused sort of frenzy, igniting the beginnings of a thousand questions within the back of her mind. was the existence of two deities even possible? were they one in the same and yet simply shielded by different masks? voluspa was too young, and frankly too inexperienced, to know one way or another -- though she did not intend to disavow the valour's beliefs simply because her own were different. rather, she supposed she would have to find comfort in the unknown, and deal internally with the intensity of this new information.

ears twitched as the conversation continued to ebb and flow, finding their banter natural, despite the hesitance that remained heavy in her chest (due to her own concerns, of course). there was an ease to khal's presence that was calming, like coming up for fresh out after too long spent beneath the waves -- though there was a quick fallout to one of his sentences that did not go unnoticed by the sigrun progeny. considering... she echoed softly, parroting the implication of the word as a hint of meekness slipped across her lips at the attempted jest. they both seemed to skirt around the elephant in the room with ease and equal avoidance -- funny, perhaps, in the grand scheme of it all. but was else could be expected from the pair of jovial, duty-bound teenagers?

voluspa smiled further at his inclination that she was a mermaid (though he would likely not think that if he had seen the way in which the sea had nearly swallowed her hole), but it was his next words that received a much more poignant reaction from the girl. it was quickly that her ears pulled back, the weight of his words falling upon her frame as she cast a look of perplexity, and perhaps even guilt, across the air between. khal, i don't want you feel like you have to be worthy of anything -- i just want you to be you, and me to be me. that's enough, and the rest of it can be history. wherever that took them, now or in the future, would be more than enough for voluspa. to consider that he might feel as though he needed to be anything more than what he already was, simply for her sake, was outlandish. if anything, voluspa feared what she may do to him should their relationship continue, and that she may be wrong for the kind, noble valour that had been gracious enough to accept her for who she was.

her eyes would remain on his own, gaging for a sort of reaction to her words, all the while ignoring that potent, heated pounding within her chest. it was only after silence had spread between them anew that the valkyrie would give a small twitch of her whiskers, opting to forego her fear in lieu of wanting to trust and confide within khal. well, if we're sharing, and if you want to know, i can return the favor. an open ended offer, not wanting to overwhelm him with the weight of the information that was soon to come. for if she was shocked by the generosity of maua, surely he would be shocked by the brutality of vellen.

does maua ask you for anything in return? As far as all the questions @Voluspa could have lain to him in response to what he'd just told her, he supposed that was a very mild one. It helped him relax just a bit about the subject since she wasn't looking at him with outright skepticism at least. Khal knew it was a strange thing to have to tell someone, but he hadn't realized how much so until the birth of his younger sibllings and seeing how they had interacted with Farrow. He hadn't really known he was missing anything until then and was perhaps the reason he so quickly took a liking to the Bearslayer. "Not that I've ever seen. My litter was more of a gift to celebrate the love between my mothers rather than requiring anything of them. I've never known anyone to be rejected into Maua's embrace in the afterlife, either. My Valour grandfather still lives as a spectre in the Grotto, and if you wish ir and your deeds merit it you could be even more powerful in the afterlife..." he rambled before realizing himself and trailing off sheepishly, losing himself in the chance to tell an outsider everything he had be taught as a young child. "Sorry, its just nice to share these things with you," he admitted. He fell into silence as she considered his first words and repeated him, feeling his skin blush beneath plush coat as their situation crept into the light. He'd known there was no sense in avoiding it, yet he still felt like the same shy boy who had first met the slightly older Sigrun princess. ...and the rest of it can be history. Her dark eyes held his and he felt that same feeling of falling into a deep and starless night he always did, yet this time it was easier, less of an urge to look away lest he be permanently ensnared. "I am happy its you, though. I have a hard time imagining it being anyone else." And impossible time, he amended mentally before clearign his throat as she asked if he wanted to know about her own culture, "I would like to. Lay it on me," he said before leaning into her strong shoulder lightheartedly.

vellen seemed to occupy a state of constant give-and-take, a push-and-pull that the sigrun that had always been subjected to. and so, to hear that @Khal's god demanded what seemed like nothing from them puzzled voluspa deeply, as was evident in the light furrow of her brows. a spectre? she echoed, processing the information the best that she could. she could not deny that it all sounded quite utopian when compared to the ways of vellen, but she was too young to be undeniably rigid. in some foundational way, she believed what khal was saying, even though she had seen vellen himself when she had been trapped beneath the waves during her drowning. perhaps in some odd, incomprehensible way, they existed in some sort of harmony. or may they would never know. i want you go know i certainly don’t mean to pry — it’s just all so foreign to what my family knows. and much, well, softer. the Valkyrie expressed once the valour had finished speaking, leaning slightly further into his flank in an effort to mask the bubbling of her anxiety, and nervousness, to share her own truths.

i guess i’ll start at the beginning, when i was born… she expelled with a soft hum, relinquishing control so that she could share with khal the most preserved aspects of their religion. with any other, she may have thought twice doing the same, mainly in fear of rejection, or horror, or both — but khal was different. and she trusted him with every fibre of her tattered little being. exit/fade via talking.