The
world around her was imaginary, a plain of existence extended within the mind
of her captor, and yet, for Seluna, it was the most peace she’d experienced in
many years. A portion of the land was a mighty fortress in the distance, standing
tall across the empty expanse, watchful, impregnable. Yet a corner of the land
had been carved for her, and in her moments of wakefulness she had a beautiful
little estate, the gardened lands spreading for acres in all directions, stocked
with fruits and berries and filled with things for her to do.
She still
wasn’t sure what to make of it, and it changed each time she awoke. She didn’t
know why Kaelus was giving her this space when they were at war, but with each
passing day it was easier to think, to be herself for a moment and not the undead
creature she’d been forced to become.
This
time she awoke with a surprise; the estate’s normally bright adobe walls were
bleached white, with large swathes of them empty and seemingly begging for
decoration. She pondered this for a few minutes, bemused. What was Kaelus
thinking with this change? What had she intended? Perhaps she’d accidentally
forgotten to complete some project?
The
world was one of the mind, and Seluna had some sway in her corner. On a whim
she smirked and concentrated, a set of fine brushes and brilliant paints
appearing in a case on the ground before her. She picked them up, humming
softly to herself, her thoughts far from the strange mental landscape. Slowly
she began to dip a brush in the first pot of paint, hesitant with the first
stroke but gaining confidence from memories and experiences long since buried.
In the peaceful quiet, she painted…
***************************************************
Hours
later, or perhaps days depending on the strange movement of time in the
imaginary landscape, Kaelus would come to check in on her uninvited guest. It
was never wise to leave an angry wraith unattended when it was trying to
possess your mind, even if it had seemed to calm down as of late.
As
Kaelus entered the open doors of the estate she would pause, her eyes widening
in surprise. Every wall was covered with murals, each painted in meticulous
detail by the hands of a master of her craft. Each scene was lovingly taken
from a favorite memory, and Kaelus would gently touch a few of the murals as
she passed deeper into the interior of the estate.
Here
there was an image of a young, red-haired Seluna playing with her first kitten
as a child. There a picture of her riding her first hawkstrider, the joy of the
ride captured perfectly on her teenage face. Further in were beautiful murals
of the forests of Eversong and, surprisingly, Lordaeron; memories of some of
Seluna’s favorite travels in her youth.
As she
passed into the next room, one of the murals made Kaelus pause and nearly break
out in laughter. There, depicted in all its glory, was a picture of Biara Dayfire
as a young teenager, her form outfitted in thick padded armor and astride a hawkstrider,
lance in hand as she charged an opponent down the lanes of a tourney. The determination
on Biara’s face, the pride as she was just about to clip her opponent perfectly
with the lance, was exquisitely detailed. In the corner of the drawing was an
older Seluna, this time a mother, looking on and secretly smiling at her
daughter’s success. Kaelus got a distinct sense from the arrangement of her own
body’s position that Seluna’s delight at her daughter’s jousting was a secret
thing, kept from her daughter for whatever reason, likely jealousy or
disapproval at such a martial skill.
Shaking
her head and still smiling, Kaelus would pass into the innermost courtyard of
the estate, where she would pause. There, laying on the floor in peaceful
sleep, lay her captive/invader. But it was not the raging, vile wraith that
rested, one arm cradling her head. The black hair had faded to natural red, the
scowl and rage had faded into the simple of smile of one who dwells in a place
of contentment.
And on
the wall behind her, a glorious mural of a mid-summer’s faire, the starry night
sky lit up by blasts of golden and red fireworks made of magic flowing from the
hands of a beautiful young magistrix, her blue eyes gazing in awe at the beauty
she was creating as a crowd stood around her cheering. One amongst them smiled
wider than the others, his tall, muscular form, broad shoulders, and charmingly
rugged good looks captured in the smallest details. Kaelus realized that here
she was seeing the first blooming of a love that would change countless lives,
for better and worse.
After a
moment Kaelus discovered that she was grinning like an idiot and shook her
head. With one last curious glance at the sleeping wraith, she gently backed
out of the room, marveling at the captured moments as she left, leaving her guest
to the first peace she’d had in a very, very long time.
