//------------------------------//
// Of Clans, Rivalry, and Loss 
// Story: Tales of a One Eyed, Scaled Half Breed 
// by TheGreenDragoon 
//------------------------------//

	Bargahrain was quite nervous, as the clan approached. She knew that many of them did not know of us as she, and the guards of the castle had. Yes, the armies had been receiving letters and tales of what we were, who we were, and why we were there. Yet we all knew that she was not the only one sending letters out, and we all knew that Glaioch wished for us to be hated as much as he hated us. 
Though clearly nervous, Bargahrain continued our lessons, and we began to excel in our own art of choice. I could practically dance as I played the violin, though my torn ear had given me slight troubles soon after the fight. Blue had created art of quality with those in the great hall, and had even been given the honor of a place amongst those tapestries. And White… Well, we wouldn’t know how well White was doing, until the clans had returned. 
Even with all the fear, the nerves and confusion, the moment that we all woke, early in the morning, to the sounds of the pipes playing in the distance… That was not a dream.

That was one of the clearest memories I have…

Green awoke with a start, trying to figure out where he was. He had once again been having a dream of forests, of caves and mountains, yet had been interrupted by a clear tone ringing out. He was shocked to find that, even while awake, the note continued playing. Green looked to his brother and sister, to find that they, too, had a look of confusion strapped to their faces.
“Um… Are the two of you hearing that as well, or is it only I?” Blue looked to me with confusion as he spoke, watching my ear twitch. “Hm… Seems likely that you are. Come on, guys! Lets go see what is going on!” Blue leapt to his feet, and slowly and cautiously opened the door to our room, White and Green standing behind him. Blue found himself looking into the fiery red eyes of Bargahrain.
“Ach, my wee ones, tha clans have returned! Quickly, quickly, ye mus’ get ready!” Bargahrain quickly ushered the three of them away from the door, down to the bath-house. “Ach, they werenae ta be returnin’ fer almos’ a week… All three o’ ye are in fer a treat… Ye’ll get tha cold shoulder from a few o’ ‘em, sure, but when tha ale starts flowin’, well… They’ll open up ta ye, nae problem. But ye need ta be clean first! Now get, get!” She shoved us into the bath-house, and galloped off, busy preparing a fort that was not supposed to begin getting ready for several days.
Blue and Green quickly scrubbed themselves down, excitedly chattering about all of the ponies they were about to meet. White also scrubbed quickly, but was busy talking with… herself, apparently. Green wanted to listen in, but had been taught that eavesdropping was rude from Bargahrain, and he honored her wishes. The group finally had cleaned themselves, and as they began to leave the room, they were once again interrupted by Bargahrain.
“Clean? Good, good. Now, White, are ye ready ta do tha readin’?” White nodded nervously, as Green and Blue watched on in confusion. “Now… Tha three o’ ye are all right at twenty years o’ age, so… None o’ ye are children any longer. There will be anger at my choice here, but I believe tha’ the three o’ ye are ta sit at tha head table… With Glaioch an’ I, as my own daughter once had…” Sadness momentarily dropped into her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a new expression, that of pride. “Ye ken… I may have lost me daughter, but ye three…” Tears poured down her eyes, as he drew us into a tight hug. “Tha three o’ ye have done nae but make me proud. I’ve started lookin’ at ye as though ye were my own children… Do me proud, wee… Nae, yer nae wee any longer… Do me proud, my sons, an’ my daughter.” She released us, and then smiled gently, gesturing to the great hall.
Green trotted to the hall in a daze, smiling one moment, frowning the next. He looked to his siblings, seeing the same expressions running through them. They were adults, at long last, and… They had another one who called herself their mother, not Mother Glimmer, but Bargahrain, the fiery orange earth pony. As they reached the great hall, they paused, looking once again to her. Tears poured down her eyes as she remembered those that she lost, but the smile on her face told a different tale… one of compassion, and of pride.
…………
Several hours had passed, the sound of the horns gradually growing in strength. Green stretched out his legs and wings, sighing, and then flopped to the ground, growing bored at long last. They had been standing at the front of the room for far longer than they had expected to, without a word from Glaioch or Bargahrain. Indeed, the two ponies stood stoically, staring to the entrance of the hall, as guards, servants, and cooks scrambled about, trying to prepare the room for the return of the army. Glaioch was clearly disgusted to find himself at the table with the hybrids, but knew better than to go against his wife’s wishes.
Bargahrain stiffened as the horns stopped, tapping her hooves urgently on the floor, causing Green to leap to his feet, and Blue and White to stop in their contest of jokes. Moments later, the great doors creaked open, as the last servant galloped from the room, having only moments before placed the last great plate of food on the tables. Green looked to the return anxiously. He had been unsure of how this return would go, as it was a return from war. Would they be blood covered, depressed and lost? Would they be bloodthirsty barbarians, having only begun to satiate their fill of conquest?
Greens answer came swiftly, as the hall with filled with jovial voices, arguing, fighting, joking and laughing, simply happy to be home. Bargahrain smiled, gazing at the crowd, waving at familiar faces, and Glaioch even allowed himself a shadow of a smile as he, too, recognized family. Green looked on in wonder, at the banner-bearer of the Kraoich, as well as three other banners he did not recognize, trotted into the room, causing an instant to those who they passed. Bargahrain looked to the banner bearers, and nodded once, to which each immediately left, placing the banners behind the head table. 
Bargahrain leaned in to Green’s side, whispering, “Each territory that we conquered keeps their banner, but must place it here to show who has conquered them. That way, they retain free will, but also knowledge of the shame of loss, and the eagerness to regain honor.” She winked at Green, then leaned in to White and whispered something as well. White nodded, then Bargahrain gestured to a guard next to a great horn, who began to bellow a call to silence throughout the room.
Bargahrain stood straight and tall, and looked to the clans, noting the wounded, the lost, then began her speech.  Green tried to concentrate on what she was saying, words of honor, of courage and loyalty, but had much difficulty. He was too busy trying to hide from those who were openly staring at him, and his siblings. However, it was extremely hard for you to hide when you were unable to move, and when you were standing directly next to the one who was speaking.
Green noticed that the crowds had shifted their gazes to White, and he began to listen to what Bargahrain was saying at long last. “ And now, dear clans of Kraoich, of Wolfkin, of Dannsair, of Greatail…” As she said each clan name, a great cheer rang out, causing her to pauses as the clans attempted to outdo one another, “I wish to introduce three new faces to us all… These three are members of the… Dragoon family.” Blue shied away from the stares, while White blushed, and Green stood tall, though nervously. “Most importantly, I wish to introduce… Our new bard, White Dragoon.”
Outrage. Anger. Shock, surprise, and glee. The reactions were mixed, ranging from sheer hatred, to pure joy at a new face. Glaioch looked to his wife with disgust, while Blue fainted away behind the chair, and Green held back a cheer for his sister. Bargahrain angrily gestured once more at the guard, causing the horn to bellow loudly again, silencing the crowd of voices. As they quieted, Green, for half a second, could have sworn he saw a tall, yellow being in the back of the room, laughing; he blinked, and the vaguely familiar figure disappeared.
Bargahrain looked to the crowd of confused faces, “My clan… Clans o me enemies, an’ those o’ me friends… I am coming upon my fiftieth summer upon these lands, an’ as much as I dinnae wish ta admit such a thing ta be, I… Am nae able ta remember tha ballads as I once did. This one, however, has showed an excellence tha’ none o’ ye have shown, an’ I truly mean what I say… White, if ye’d kndly, share what ye’ve written…”
White stepped forward, facing down the glares directed her way in a manner that Green couldn’t understand, showing bravery beyond anything he had ever seen, and opened her mouth. The words that flowed forth were beautiful, and of such devotion, that Green could do naught but listen with rapt attention; words that Green would never forget.

“To the ballad of the highlands,
The horns of conflict ringing out,
To those of blood and of blood lost
The strong rise, the weak shall grow
Honor to be regained, heroes to be born
Journeys that shall never be forgotten
And those of kindred blood, stay strong
For there are those much alike to you
Willing and able to aid one in dire need. 
All honor to the highlands of green.”

True, the poem was short, but… For a first attempt, to Green’s ears, it was easily on par with some of the writing that he had read in the great library of the fort. He gaped open mouth at his lightly blushing sister, blown away by what he had just heard. He rapidly shook his head, looking out to the crowds, unable to read the faces of those who watched. He nervously flapped his wings, awaiting the reaction.
From the front of the room, a dark purple earth pony under the banner of Wolfkin spoke up, “Well, I like her. Let’s keep her.” Immediately following this comment, the hall erupted into cheers for the new bard. Green, White, and Bargahrain breathed a simultaneous sigh of relief, and Bargahrain gestured to the horn bearer, one last time.
“And now, dear clans of Kraioch, and of our newfound allies, now that tha readin’ o’ our newfound bard is out o’ tha way, let tha feast o’ champions begin!” 

A memory stays, but the one remembering it leaves…

We wouldn’t realize it until later, but when the feast completed, White had a mark upon her flank, of a quill and paper… A destiny of being a great writer. Blue and I were amazed by what she had done, that she had achieved a goal that we had believed would only be gained by pureblood ponies. Of course, I would eventually gain my mark of musical notes. The occasion was not so great as Whites, however, and never really stuck in my mind. But, back to the great feast…
This was the first opportunity that we had to meet all those who had been away, to compete in tests of strength, of wisdom and music. During this feast, we had our first pints of ale, and in my case, my second, third and fourth… The feast continued late into the night, and into the early morning. I remember waking up, on top of a pile of snoring warriors, almost eighteen hours later, with White and Bargahrain laughing at the disaster before them.
Sadly, the arrival of the clans meant that our lessons with Bargahrain had ended, but we had begun a new series of lessons… For White, she had many tales to learn, and lands to explore… Her adventures kept her away from us, as she travelled from clan to clan, learning more tales, but each time that she returned, we would stay together, late into the nights, enraptured by the stories that she had learned, and those that she had written herself.
Blue, of course, began to converse with the alchemist, and the teachers, and soon had a knowledge base that far exceeded White’s, and my own. He eventually gained a mark of scribbled words within a canvas, his goal of becoming a scientific artist quickly becoming achieved. Blue was a true genius, but still far too weak to be much of an explorer, or a warrior. Even then, he and I were inseparable, exploring, discovering, and cheering one another on.
And as for I… Well, when I wasn’t with Blue, I had the luck of the draw… The only of my family with the strength and speed to be trained in weapons… And my teacher? I shouldn’t even have to say it…

I’ll simply slip away…

Green woke once again with a yawn, being shook slightly. “Green, ye scunner, ye need ta wake up… Todays tha day ye begin yer trainin’…” Green batted off the hoof shaking him, then frowned, and opened his eyes to see his mother looking down, a small smile on her face. “Ye were tha one tha’ wanted ta protect yer family, an’ I us’ made it possible fer ye… Now get! Ta tha courtyard!” Green slowly rose, stretching his limbs, then slowly trotted away, still tired.
Before long, his exhausted form arrived at the courtyard, to come face to face with one he had managed to avoid for months… “Hm… So I’m supposed ta be teachin ye scum, am I… She REALLY wants me ta teach a half-blood monster like ye, and another pure-blood scum jus’ like ye…” Glaioch glared at Green, and the upright yellow dragon beside him. Green ignored Glaioch, instead studying this unknown figure beside him. He recognized her vaguely, as though from a distant memory. Glaioch droned on in the background, as she took note of his stare, and winked at him.
“GREEN!” Green snapped to attention, looking at Glaioch’s glowering face, inches from his own. “As I was sayin’… I dinnae wish ta treat scum like ye with tha honor tha’ a teacher will, but…” He pats a large bruise under his eyes instictivelly, “My wife… convinced me otherwise… Anyway, Today we willnae be sparrin’… Ye will each be experimentin’ with our weapons, til ye find one right fer ye… I’ll be watchin’, an’ makin sure ye dinnae injure yerselves… too badly…” Glaioch pulls a large tarp off of a pile of weaponry, before trotting several yards away, to down a large tankard of ale.
Green trotted forward, digging through the pile, as the dragon beside him did the same. “Hey, half-n-half, what’s your name?” The dragon nudged Green as she said this, pulling out a large double bladed spear, and frowning. “Too heavy… Anyway, you can just call me Ash. Full name is Ashelyn Cindermane, but no one wants to be called something like that…” Ash did not give Green a moment to speak, instead just blathering away into his ear about who she was.
Green eventually begin to ignore the talkative dragon, instead focusing on the weaponry. Everything he pulled out just seemed… wrong. Too heavy, too light, too big and too small… Eventually, Ash pulled out a small bladed hook attached to a chain, and began to swing it about, grinning. “Now THIS, I like…” She padded away, swinging the weapon about with a goofy grin on her face, as Green grew frustrated.
Glaioch eventually grew weary of watching Green suffer, and trotted forward, forcibly grabbing Green’s wing, and examining it roughly. “Ach, nae… Too strong fer anythin’ too small, but still a wee bit too weak fer tha halberds an’ hammers… I wonder…” He jabbed his head into the weaponry, pulling out a long, rusted blade, and placing it into Green’s wings. Green swung it a couple of times, then shook his head. Glaioch frowned, then once again dove in, pulling out another of similar shape and size, placing it into one of Green’s wings, while placing the other sword into the spare wing.
Green cautiously swung both blades, feeling them slide through the air, and grinned. Somehow, with a blade in each wing, it just felt like it belonged. Glaioch nodded, a frown on his face. “Now, tha both o’ ye will practice with yer weapons… We’ll get ye ta learnin’ proper techniques tomorrow, when we find somepony willin’ ta teach ye tha weapon they excel at… When yer done learnin’ about yer weaponry, I’ll bring ye back, ta teach ye tha finer points o’ Scoltish Wrestlin’…” Glaioch left without another word, and Green and Ash grinned at one another.
“So, lass… What do ye think yer thing is called? I think tha’ mine are called… Claymores.” Green grinned down at the rusted blades, lying on the floor in front of him, examining them in detail. Suddenly, a hook jabbed onto the ground, dragging the swords away from him.
“Honestly… I don’t know what this thing is called. I just like it. Feels… right.” She seemingly spun the hook with expertise, barely avoiding her own limbs as it swung around. “So? You should pick up your ‘claymores’ and lets see who’s better!” She grinned happily, holding the hook loosely in one of her claws. Green grinned back, scooping up his swords, and prepared for his first sparring match…

A long lost dream ends…

Ash… Ashelyn Cindrmane. A figure that would follow me throughout my life, my first true rival. That first sparring match… Two beings, with no understanding of battle, flailing about randomly. It was a tie… because neither of us even were able to hit one another, and instead spent twenty minutes smashing seats, pots and art in an attempt to figure out how to swing. Bargahrain was the reason that first battle ended, running in and stopping us around oour hundredth ‘oops, my bad’ slipped out.
The two of us were lucky, and it turned out that the expert to teach us our weapons would not be Glaioch, and turned out to be two warriors of the armies. The one teaching me was a massive Pegasi, who never mentioned his name to me in all of our teaching, and spoke rarely at all. I eventually came to refer to him as ‘Meatslab’, as he looked like a barrel, and could hit like a mountain. Even then, he was able to teach me flawlessly, preferring a show over speech method of teaching. He would teach me for a year, always increasing my abilities. At the end of the year, we had an official sparring match, one with no holds barred. I won that match, barely, and he finally laughed, a single, short bark. That laugh designated the end of our training.
I know not who taught Ash, only that she became a veritable dancer of a fighter, swerving, ducking, dodging and weaving in each of our sparring matches. We were allowed to go into combat once a month, each battle closer than the last. At the end of the year, immediately following us each finally beating our teachers, we met for one last battle, wearing one another into a draw. Ash swore that she would beat me, and I swore the same of her… And then our weapons were taken from us, for a six month course with our hated enemy…

Slipping into a nightmare…

Green shakily rose from the floor, looking about as well off as he had in his last battle with Glaioch, five years previous. He looked over to Ash, lying unconscious on the floor, then back to his tutor, glaring angrily. He stepped forward, bolstered by Glaiochs apparent lack of attention, but swiftly found himself smashed into the ground once again.
“Lad… I wish I could say I’m surprised by yer failure ta fight once more, but I cannae. Yer still as useless as tha day I met ye… But as fer YE…” Glaioch kicked a bucket of water, dousing Ash back into a painful awareness with a desperate, stuttering gasp, “Fer FOURTY years, ye’ve evaded police, bounty hunters, an’ thieves tha’ ye made tha mistake o’ challengin’… An if it werenae fer my… wife… arguin’ fer ye, I would have turned ye in… Tha’ bounty on yer head is still quite massive. I honestly dinnae get it, though… Fer FOURTY years? An’ ye cannae fight worth squat… What did ye do, jus’ run away, like a wee scunner?” Glaioch sneers in disgust, and trots away, shaking his head angrily. The door slams, letting the two injured know the days ‘lessons’ had ended.
Green scraped his bruised and bloodied body over to Ash, and he weakly uses his own body to support hers. “Ach, lass… He really went all out today, didnae he? C’mon, lets get ta tha healers…” Green’s attempt to help was cut off, as Ash cursed loudly, and shoved off of him, stumbling several yards before collapsing once again. Green sighed, and slowly and carefully limped to her. “Lass… He’s done this fer two weeks now… I ken tha’ it’s hard, but we’ve jus’ got ta persevere, aye?” Green grinned a shattered grin at her, desperately trying to cheer his rival up.
“No, Green… We DON’T have to take this… What he’s doing, it’s nothing short of cruelty. We have to go to Bargahrain, to SOMEONE who can help!” Ash lay in a pool of her own sweat and blood while cursing, yelling, and glaring at Green, too weak to stand up.
Green once again helped Ash up, this time with a stronger grip to stop her from running. “Nae, lass… Because if we truly want ta beat him, we cannae let him break us… We have ta prove tha’ we are stronger then him… Tha’s what Bargahrain told me, when we began these lessons… She said tha’ he’d try his hardest, an tha’… Lass? What’s wrong?” Ash had broken down once again, dropping to her knees, and shuddering from sobs wracking her body.
“Did… did you hear what he said about me? Why aren’t you asking? Everyone else who does always asks…” Ash immediately quieted, forcing herself back to a standing position, and leaning against Green.
Green frowned upon these remarks. Glaioch had indeed said many things, cruel and insulting to the both of them, but the words that he’d whispered to Ash today seemed… different than usual. As if what he was saying had been true. Green grinned weakly once more, causing the bruises around his eyes to twitch in pain, but held it for his rival, and friend. “Lass… Tha way tha’ I look at it, things like tha’ will be told when tha time comes… Now, c’mere… Let’s get ye ta a healer…”

A nightmare’s grasp is broken…

Those six months… Of my times in the clans, I remember those with the most hatred. Daily ‘sparring matches’ with Glaioch, who would, on a daily basis, beat us to near unconsciousness, then send us away to the healers. Every day, we’d try a bit harder, many times nearly breaking. Each day, we’d manage to land one more blow, one more grapple, then the last. Ash broke her arm, I my wing, and yet the training would continue, as brutal and merciless as ever. Bargahrain, every day, would wait just outside of the halls to help us to our destination, a full hour under healing magic.
Blue grew ever more disgusted with what Glaioch was doing to us, and began to lay small devices, wherever he went. Blue truly was a genius, able to create traps and tricks, using nothing but what he had found within the castle, to sometimes devastatingly brutal results. However, not all of his traps were successful, and one led to only more suffering, on what should have been amongst my happiest days…

Slipping into the worst of nightmares…

Blue chuckled at Green, late at night. “Okay, so the mousetraps, fire-crackers, and the like have been successful, but I’ve got something BIG planned for the end of lessons tomorrow…” Blue winked at Green. For several days now, Green had been easily capable of finally defeating Glaioch at long last, but had held off, planning on taking him down alongside Ash. Tomorrow would be the day that they finally defeated him, in two separate one on one combats. “When that sack of dirt goes to take his seat at the head table, I’ll have a sort of… jet, attached to the underside of his chair! When his flank meets the chair, the jet’ll turn on, and BLAMMO! He’ll be rocketed to the ceiling in a huge crash! I just gotta sneak into the alchemists hut tomorrow, to finish up the compound…”
Green laughs, his mind filled with the delightful sound of Glaioch, roaring and screaming, as he flew head-first into a stone ceiling, “Ach, lad, that’ll be FANTASTIC! An’ ye think ye can do it?”
Blue nods eagerly. “Oh, easily… There will only be one bit that’s risky, but I’ve practiced it before, it’ll be ready to go, easy as pie… Well, as much as I know you want to hear more of my brilliant plans, we really should be going to sleep now… You’ll see the results tomorrow afternoon…” Blue winked once again, then flopped over, falling asleep instantly. Green grinned, then quickly followed suit.
………………
Green grinned ecstatically as he pinned Glaioch to a pillar, not twenty minutes from Ash also completing the task. Glaioch grunted, squirmed, and attempted to fight back, but to no avail. With an angry hesitance, Glaioch finally tapped out. Green yanked his now well-developed, and quite strong fore-hooves once more, causing a yelp of pain from Glaioch, and then finally released him.
Green subtly high-winged Ash, then turned back to Glaioch as he struggled to his feet. “An’ ta think… Tha two o’ ye whelps would finally be a match fer me… I’m disappointed in meself, fer lettin’ tha both o’ ye beat me…” Glaioch sighed angrily, then reluctantly opened his mouth once more. “It kills me ta say this, but… ta both o’ ye… congratu-“
Glaiochs words were cut short by a massive explosion. He whipped his head about, trying to locate the source, then turned to Green and Ash. “Ye two, quick, with me.” The trio quickly galloped off towards the sounds of screaming, and of fire crackling. Glaioch looked highly worried. Rumor had reached Greens ear that the Greatail clan was thinking of breaking from the clan… Was this the first strike? 
They soon found themselves in front of a shattered doorframe, and a burned and charred room. “Blast it all… What was tha’ alchemist doin’ this time? Tryin’ ta bring about tha destruction o’ tha castle?” Glaioch was interrupted by a unicorn hurriedly carrying a charred pony, groaning and screaming in agony, from the room. From several yards away, Green noticed his brother, looking on in horror.
“I… It was supposed to be simple… There wasn’t supposed to be…” Before Blue could explain further, he turned from the gaze of Green, and galloped away, towards the front gate. A few moments of silence passed, then Glaioch turned to Green angrily.
“Ye… What did yer brother do?!? Ye saw his face, tha guilt within his eyes… What was he doin’ here?!?” Glaioch reached toward Green angrily, but was cut off by a call from behind him. Smokepot, the clan alchemist galloped up, nursing a burnt fore-leg.
“Blue, tha wee lad… He tried ta make a propeller bomb, didnae notice his surroundin’s as he did so… As he was finishin’ up, my student, Firebug, bumped inta him from behind… He overdid one o’ tha ingredients, an’… Well, the fireball engulfed them both, but earth ponies arenae immune ta fire, like tha dragon-bloods are…”
Greens mind ran back, noting things like the slight scarring on Blues scales, and to the mutilated pony that had been levitated past him only moments before, and he covered his mouth in shock. He turned away, and galloped wildly, ignoring the calls of both Glaioch and Ash behind him. He ran blindly, until he found himself slamming into a familiar, old pony. “Green, me child… what was tha couse o’ tha explosion I jus’ heard?” Bargahrain grabbed the panicking half-breed, listening closely to his ramblings, “Ach… Blue? An ye saw him runnin’ towards tha gate? C’mon than, child… Let’s see if we cannae find him…”
Green and Bargahrain arrived at the gate, only to confirm that Blue had, in fact, ran through, and had not been stopped. Bargahrain turned back to Green, holding his head gently. “Stay here, my child, an’ let White ken what has happened… I’ll go an’ find Blue, he cannae have gotten too far…” Green nodded, and ran to find his sister. She had only arrived back in the castle two nights previous, and it took him some time to find her, sleeping in one of the towers.
Green quickly informed the drowsy hybrid of what had happened, and the two ran back to the great hall, where Ash and Glaioch also waited. However, knowing nothing of where Bargahrain could have gone, the group was forced to simply wait…
…………………
Green woke with a start. Hours had passed, and he had found himself atop a pile, White and Ash curled around him tightly. Glaioch stood nearby, still awake, but clearly exhausted. Green looked to the doors with a start, as they had begun opening. Moments later, Bargahrain trotted through, looking weary, and… filled with regret. Slumped over her back was the body of Blue, limp and coated with water.
Green trotted forward in shock, eyes widening as his mother spoke, “He… I found him, over tha edge of a cliff… I heard another explosion, an’ when I went ta it, I found nothin’… I looked over tha cliff, and saw him, lapping against tha Cliffside… I’m so sorry… I’m so, so sorry… This shouldnae happen ta ye… I’m… I’m so sorry…” 
White woke up, looking at Blue with fear in her eyes. Ash, barely awake, shed tears for the one that she barely knew, but was still close to her, from the stories and tales of another she knew as a rival, and a friend. Even Glaioch looked upset, gingerly taking the corpse from Bargahrain, his eyes truly sorry for what had happened. But Green… Green couldn’t even manage an expression. His mind, his soul, everything about him felt destroyed. How many times had he promised protection? And how many times would he fail?

The first of the great nightmares ends…

The funeral was surprisingly long… Blue had become well known by many in the fort, and many had quite liked his quirky, energetic self. I had… shrank away from the others during it, unable to accept the fact that I had lost one so close to me. I could still hear him in my head, bragging about his discoveries, showing off another painting as I laughed. White had written a truly beautiful ballad for him, one that bounced off of me, as I sat there, for hours, in shock. Nothing that was said, the condolences, the sorrowful farewells, the hugs and well meant words, had registered. I just sat there unblinking, for five hours, looking at him on that pyre.
This was the first true moment of my life. One that I loved had been taken from me, perhaps not permanently, but most definitely at this moment. No tears were able to pour from my eyes. I was only able to refuse to accept this moment. Blue was so smart, so bright… How could he have been taken from us? I argued with White, with Glaioch, even as they tried to make me understand. A full month of nothing but depression, and feeling lost…
The saddest part is that I lost more than a brother that day… Ash had run away, at some point during the preceding’s. I didn’t know why, I didn’t even notice that she had left for several days. Bargahrain grew more distant as well. She still cared for White and I, but she had effectively lost another child, something that hit her hard, and almost brought her to nothingness. And Glaioch… From Glaioch, I found a surprising amount of understanding and aid. As though now that I felt what he had once felt, he was able to speak to me with less hatred than before…