Sunsinger Rising

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

1st Fall, 512 A.V. It should have been Spring, perhaps, the season of rebirth, but sometimes there was no better time but the present, and in forging a new pavilion out of what remained of the old, they could take the disparate parts now, go through the transformative death of Winter, and be reborn as a new whole come Spring. It made sense to Sama'el, anyway. His camp was being tended by Jyn, the indentured servant. His little daughter was walking now, but they rarely left camp. Sama'el considered the purchase of his bond a fortunate thing, and he treated them so well they seemed content to stay in Endrykas living a simple life. The tents were there, and the animals, save a few of the Striders. Seven of the elder Ankals of the Sapphire Clan stood gathered, as well as another set of seven Ankals, one from each of the Clans. It was serious business they were about, and the required witnesses. Mealla was there, his apprentice. Various other friends or people he had helped or had dealings with came to witness as well. With Sama'el stood Leto, Ronan, and Denen, who held the bear cub in his slender arms. Ruby, Diamond, and Opal, and all had agreed to stand with him today, brothers, friends, and more. Each had expressed a desire to join him, and so here he would offer them his blood to become family in fact, and a chance to join his pavilion. Sama'el stepped forward and Dohaina came to stand at his shoulder without being asked. Such things added to the Drykas mystique when outsiders saw them. "I escaped the destruction of my pavilion many years ago," he said in a voice that carried. If the old Ankals would have scoffed at how many years meant a lot to such a young man, they had the decency and respect to keep it to themselves. "Its name has not been spoken since, not by these lips. I am ready to raise the banner of the Sunsingers again." He was proud he did not stumble over the name, often thought, but never more than shapes in his mouth in the dark hours before dawn. He wondered if his friends even knew that was the name they might take on. He wished Kasb'el were there, and in a moment of silence between words, he prayed Syna would watch over his ultimate grandfather. "I have joined the Watch. I have earned Syna's favor, and Oriana's curse. My wife has gone back to the Web, and our son is a reminder of my obligation to the goddess, my chance to make things right. I am not perfect. I make mistakes, but I will do this right. I will make my ancestors proud and my descendants strong. "I ask that you witness the return of the Sunsinger pavilion, and also, the taking of brothers." He turned, pulling out his dagger, and walked first to Leto. With a quick, clean swipe of the sharp edge, he cut open the palm of his left hand, holding it out to Leto, and holding the blade handy for Leto's use. "Leto Treebearer," he said, voice softer around the edges, more intimate. The crowd would witness this, would hear his words, but this was also a promise between two people. "I offer you my blood and would make you my family."

[Leto Sunsinger]

As he stood there, Leto looked onward towards Sama'el, standing with Ronan, and Denen, and the tiny bear cub that was held within his arms. Listening to Sama'el's words, made the man filled with emotions of happiness that he was finally being accepted as Sama'el's brother. He remembered Kavala's words, and knew that even though he'd never procreate, he'd be able to love Sama'el, and work to make his pavilion strong, as well as teach his children many of the things that he had learned himself in his long years of life. He was getting older now, bridging on thirty years, and it was starting to get to him. But he knew, that with Sama'el's protection, he might live longer yet, and at least be able to pass on his knowledge to Sama'el's children.

Taking the dagger within his hand, Leto slid the blade across his right palm, pressing into it, and allowing his blood to flow freely dripping to the ground. Not wincing in pain at all, he knew that it was the right thing to do. Moving forwards towards Sama'el, he took Sama'el's hand in his own, allowing their blood to mix for a time, before stating, "Even if the web claims my life... I will always be with you Sama'el. I accept your name, in place of my own pavilion, being the last of them, in order to start anew, and allow a pavilion to obtain my knowledge and grow from it to prosper. You have my immense gratitude for this privilege..." Once he said his piece, there was a certain intimacy in his own reply that he knew Sama'el would know what it meant, even if others did not.

Let loved Sama'el, and even if he did not express it very often, Sama'el would likely know that he did. Even if death claimed him, Leto, the Leth-worshipper and glyphing summoner, would still watch over Sama'el and his children. And if for some reason death did come calling his name, Leto would face it with a ferocity that nobody knew, for he'd fight for his life, to protect and defend a pavilion that would soon give his life even more meaning...

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

Sama'el shared a little smile with Leto as they clasped their hands together, then put his arm around him for a fierce hug. This was finally, finally happening. "May Viratas bless our blood," he said, and took the blade back. All he had ever dreamed of were wives and children, but women had proven elusive. Dymphna had seemed a sure thing, then her father had suddenly married her off to an older man. Athe had been gone almost as soon as he began to consider her. Issima had married him, but their matrimony was short-lived. And yet the gods had seen fit to give him these friends, these brothers. He was beginning to realize that Leto loved him as Denen did, in a more complicated way than did Ronan. It was a strange thing, he supposed, but in the end it didn't matter in what form love manifested itself; only that it existed. Life was short on the Sea of Grass, even with the might warriors of the Drykas nation. He cherished all the people who came into his life, for however long. But he would have to sit down and talk to Leto, and soon. When they parted, he took the dagger in his bleeding hand, and when he walked over to Ronan, he grinned. There was a special sort of bond between them, who had been friends for a long time, and now he was able to help Ronan directly achieve some of his dreams, to join the Watch and maybe, just maybe, give him another excuse to see Kavala in the Santctuary. Of the three, Ronan was the man who was most like the brothers he had lost. They hunted together, sparred together, honing themselves like a pair of matched weapons, and yes, they could share their shames and their accomplishments, another kindred spirit to shoulder the burdens that came with life. He was smiling, and they were all probably relieved to see him smiling this much, the which he hadn't done much since losing Issima. "Ronan Windsong," he said, a bit of a swagger coming into his step, the barest amount of shared humor that he could get away with for such a solemn thing. He cut open the palm of his other hand, offering it and the dagger to Ronan. Making a family could be messy business. "I offer you my blood and would make you my family."

[Ronan]

The Elders of the Horse Clans stood tall, watching this ceremonious gathering with non-judgemental eyes. There was little judgement among the Drykas. Only quiet reverence and respect, and the more fierce spirit, tempered by the Grasses. First was Leto. A man who had followed them on all their travels, and a man Ronan had garnered a lot of respect for. He was skilled in glyphs - the ancient magickal wards that intrigued Ronan immensely. Since he had been versed in the arts of Geomancy, his interest in all things of mystery had intensified. Now, it was his turn. Sama'el came towards him, the dagger in his hand, Sunsinger blood staining its metal blade. Ronan held out the hand Semele had marked. The hand that now bore the dreamstone. It seemed strangely relevant to add a little of his earthiness to the mix. The pavilion would rise like a phoenix, but without the soil beneath its feet there was no grounding. Sama'el cut his own palm first, and then taking the dagger, Ronan slit his own. The flesh did not cut so easily. Hard work had calloused his hands. "Of Wind, of Sun, and of the Earth, I am your brother." A tingling feeling overcame him. It was so powerful. He tried to understand it. "In life and death - on the grasses, and across Mizahar. I am here for you, as you will be here for me. Thank you, Sama'el. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Thank you for changing my life." Completion. It was so simple. So succint and clean - despite the burgeoning blood. This was family. This was completion. "Let the Sunsinger rise again," he said firmly, fervour taking hold. He passed the dagger back, smiling at his friend - at his brother. And now they were bound forever. Riding to the corners of the earth could not change that.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

Sama'el felt something at the clasp of their hands, the mingling of their blood, but whether it was a surge of brotherly love or the benediction of Cheva over their oaths, he did not know. "May Viratas bless our blood," he said again. It seemed right that Ronan should be his brother and join his Clan as well as his pavilion. Working with Kavala, he had been granted a divine mystery, and the Sapphire Clan were the keepers of mysteries. He grinned and walked over to Denen, with whom he had traveled the longest. The back of his fingers touched the face of his ursine offspring, who nuzzled for a moment and then attempted to lick the blood off his hands. It was a strange sort of pavilion that would replace the memories of his youth, but he thought that perhaps even his grandfather, the dead Ankal, and his wise grandmother, they might even be proud of him. "Denen Brokensong," he said, eyes gleaming at remembrances that spanned so far back. Both hands were scored with the dagger already, and so he brought the blade down across his bare chest, over his heart. "I offer you my blood and would make you my family."

[Denen Sunsinger]

Denen watched the ceremony in anxious eagerness. He knew his turn was coming, even as he snuggled Sam's son close and breathed hot air against his little, furry head. A tiny, squawking sound left the cub's mouth as he bumped his head against his adopted "mama's". Cuddling the baby close, Denen kissed its head and offered Sam a soft smile as he drew close. It was his turn. He supposed this was as close as he would come, what he had aspired to for two years now. Holding the cub under one arm, something he'd become very good at over the past three months, his own palm was cut, and he smiled brightly to his friend and lover as he raised it and placed it to the wound. So many things to say, things that he did not feel he could do justice with his clumsy mouth. The knife was returned to Sama'el quickly, before he allowed his deft fingers to speak for him. "We have ridden many paths together. You have been my brother from the day we met. My hands are not a warrior's hands, but they will heal and love you and our family." The cub chose that particular moment to become curious about "Mama's" injury, and squirmed about under Denen's arm. He laughed and hugged the little animal to his chest. "W-We are...Suns-singers!" The rag-tag Pavilion at last had its roots. The road had been fraught with heartbreak and danger, with joy and growth. Here they were at last.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

"May Viratas bless our blood," he said a third time. And now he had three brothers. A part of him wished Eldon were here and not attempting to be a knight of Syliras or some such nonsense. But the Sunkiss pavilion was not his, no matter there was some shared blood. This was his pavilion, this ragtag group of people who cared for one another and who were stronger together than the sum of their parts. It came as a shock to hear Denen stuttering the name of his pavilion, the one he hadn't spoken since they all died in blood and battle. Perhaps he had said it in his sleep, betrayed by a somnolent tongue. "The Sunsingers have returned," he told those assembled. "I am Sama'el Sunsinger, and this is my pavilion." Dohaina looked rather like a gleaming golden statue of a horse, and more than one Ankal seemed more inspired by her than by the proceedings. But they considered him, his brothers, their horses, and the sleepy-eyed bear cub whose presence was recorded in Sama'el's skin by an angry goddess. No one had any particular reason why Sama'el ought not have his pavilion back, having proven himself on the Watch. The Brokensong pavilion would not suffer for the loss of Denen, nor would Ronan's change annihilate the other branches of his family, the other Windsong pavilions. There was a sadness when eyes fell upon Leto, though, for in this, the horseclans would gain a pavilion and lose another, but when a man reached his age without marrying and was the only member left of his pavilion, it was as good as lost anyway. One by one the Ankals and elders witnessed this, the return of the Sunsinger pavilion, and the new blood-brothers.

[Leto Sunsinger]

As Leto watched Ronan and Denen both become blood brothers to the Sunsinger pavilion, he was filled with joy. He had come to greatly respect the warrior Ronan, as well as the healer Denen, and Leth knows, they needed great warriors and great healers to keep the pavilion strong. But that sort of left Leto wondering how he could assist with the pavilion. Sure, he was competent with glyphing, but he was only really a beginner in webbing, as well as summoning... and although webbing would come in handy someday, he wasn't sure he wanted to teach any of Sama'el's children the art of summoning, as it could be a very dangerous practice if not honed right. But he would teach them how to read, and do glyphing, so that they could assist with those things to help make the pavilion well rounded.

Arias made his way up towards Leto and nudged his shoulder a bit, and he turned towards his strider, smiled, petted his face, and said, "We're now Sunsingers... the Treebearer's have fallen, but in their place rises a new pavilion from the ashes it once was..." Arias' eyes were sad when Leto spoke of the treebearer pavilion falling, but lit up again when he spoke of the Sunsinger's rising. Arias then neighed a bit, turning his head towards Dohaina, and Sama'el, knowing that he had sired Dohaina's children, and also knowing Leto's deep feelings for Sama'el. Only a few Drykas knew of them, Ronan being one of them, as well as Kavala, and Leto's now deceased Aunt also knew of them. But Leto was also afraid of what Denen would think if he ever found out the feelings that Leto had for Sama'el. He didn't want to infringe upon Denen's territory, but at the same time, he knew he had to express them to Sama'el at some point before they exploded out of him in disproportionate proportions.

But he'd once again save that for a later date. He'd live and die by Sama'el, and even in death, he'd still watch over Sama'el. Perhaps someday, they would bond together within the web, and become true lovers of a sort. Leto didn't know what would happen, all he knew was that what he felt for Sama'el was real, and he'd do anything for the man, even take a deadly blow for him, if the situation ever arised. But he was happy now, he truly was a Sunsinger, and now, he could have a true family and pavilion, one that wasn't broken through the creatures of the sea of grass. He was proud that he could be apart of Sama'el's life like this, and the time would soon arrive where he would express his feelings for Sama'el, and either be denied them, or, well, find out they were mutual...

[Ronan]

After stepping back and letting Denen make his own vow, Ronan watched with conviction. He and Denen had not seen eye to eye before, in the north, when Sama’el had been injured. But now was the time to put aside petty quarrels. They were family now. Brothers. All of them. It was a ragtag family, odd, and yet complete all the same. He turned back to Leto too. This union presented perhaps the biggest change for him. The Treebearers were no more. Were the Windsongs still alive and well though? Truly? What was in a name, and what did a bunch of remnant aunts and uncles really mean to him? Leto had other issues too. Though it had been several seasons back, Ronan remembered the glypher’s words. To he and Kavala, Leto had expressed his love for Sama’el. He half wondered if the Sunsinger Ankal knew of those feelings. Perhaps he did, but accepted Leto all the same. Ronan did not judge. Love was love to him, in whatever form. Leto’s feelings were only a problem practically. The Drykas lived a dangerous way of life. Failing to produce children was not productive to the horseclan’s cause. Finally, his eyes fell upon Sam again. The man glowed. He practically shone, even after everything. Issima. The cub. Even now, a zest for life shone through his soul, like a beacon to the whole grasses. Ronan was proud to call him a brother - and in a strange way, a father too. Though he was younger, he had looked up to him since he had first met him. He had led him down the path of redemption. He smiled, taking in some of that light. Feeling the fire and warmth of the Sunsinger.