Chapter Text
Sometimes, your house stops being your home. Imogen was all too familiar with the feeling of solitude, but she didn't feel alone in the company of the horses on the stable. The animals didn't judge. They never cared for her thunder shaped scars, she couldn't hear their every passing thought, and when they nudged her it was always with fondness, not fear. It was therapeutic to be away from civilization, brushing Flora's mane in the still of nature around them, braiding intricate patterns with small flowers interlocked into the fur. She felt like family. More than her father ever did, after she started resembling her mother in more ways than just looks. Hell, the shouting presence of Liliana Temult from her nightmares made more appearances than he ever did.
She couldn't stay like this long, though, she had to go to the market today for some vials of ink. The season was suited for travel, and the stable was much more busy than in winter, so they needed more for the signing of contracts. Good thing Flora was one of their fastest steeds, she would be in and out of the city in a heartbeat. Until then, she enjoyed the wind in her hair, the rhythm of hooves against the field, then the dirt road, and finally on the cobblestone bricks. She brought the horse to a trot and looked around the town square. She expected the market to be buzzing with sound, but it was dead silent. Brooding. The silence felt like a bad omen of sorts. Still, she saw groups of people gathered on corners and alleyways, talking to each other no louder than whispers, but their minds were imposing on Imogen's, trying to break her walls and spill their worries inside. She resisted the best she could, but still a couple of words leaked through the cracks in her resolution.
"...Witch... Into town... Traveler... Not safe! Do something..."
She shrugged it off, the little pieces not enough to paint a picture. She liked to pretend that not caring about what she heard from others meant she didn't invade their privacy to begin with.
So she went to the store, bought Master Faramore's favorite brand of quill ink and a new stack of paper as well so she wouldn't have to venture back soon and walked into the streets. There was an agglomeration in the heart of the plaza, were the circle of flowers native to Gelvaan decorated the village. There was also a small bird fountain in the middle, nothing too fancy, and as far as she knew, there was no reason to be joined around it. She opened her mind to try and suss out what was happening, and the regret hit her faster than the dagger-like malicious thoughts hit her. She instinctively held a hand to her aching temple and tried to make sense of the words, but it was tangled together like a swarm of bees buzzing deep, deep inside her head.
That was when a sweeter, gentler voice cut through the heaving screams of hundred minds, and just like honey, poured into her.
"Look at those flowers, Pâté. Aren't they absolutely gorgeous? How much care must go into this garden. Oh, it must be nice to be loved like a flower, hm?" The melodic thought stopped, as if waiting for an answer. Imogen dropped the ropes she was previously trying to untie and stepped closer to the crowd, trying to peek between shoulderblades and hats. "But again, I'm nothing more than the remains after the flowers wither." She giggled. "Must be why all these people are staring. How very rude of me to waltz into town in the middle of the day, I should've waited until night to take a look at these. Well, it's better to introduce myself before-" Imogen was close enough to hear the thoughts with clarity, but also so surrounded by the townsfolk that her mind once again was invaded by all the worry and prejudice this town had. She lost the connection as she stepped in the center, looking at the back of a hooded figure just as people shouted from different parts of the circle.
When the first rock hit the stranger a spell was broken, and Imogen realized how everything around her was chaos. The ghost of smile died in her mouth as she finally understood what they had been screaming this whole time.
Kill the witch.
The screams of pain and agony pierced her ears louder than the hivemind of archaic beliefs, and she stepped into the circle with the figure recoiling to protect themselves. Something about that scene tugged at her heart. She could see herself there, many years ago, being tormented by kids when her scars started appearing. She could see herself begging her father to talk about her mother so she could control these powers. She couldn't just see anymore, she had to do something.
"Enough!" Imogen shouted, and they held their rocks up high. "What the fuck are y'all doin'? You're hurtin' her!"
"Get outta there, Imogen, unless you want the same fate as that wicked creature!" A man shouted, gripping the rock tightly. She recognized him as the tavern keeper. Everyone else followed in deafening screams, impossible to untangle and process.
"Please, I've done nothing!" The woman quivered, Imogen noticed how much broken she sounded in comparison to not long ago, how different reality was from her thoughts, and she ached with her as she put her hand in front of her body to deflect another rock.
"ENOUGH!" Imogen repeated, raising a hand up high.
She wasn't sure if this was the outcome she wanted, but she didn't feel guilty when purple lighting hit the person who had thrown that rock and some adjacent figures. She recognized their faces, but at the same time they also blended together like an amorphous collective. When they tried to resist, another lighting was heard, and she grabbed the woman by the arm, pulling her into her feet and running towards Flora. Imogen kicked and casted whichever spell necessary to fend from anyone trying to pull them back. She ushered the woman into the horse and climbed behind her, securing her in place with her arms before commanding Flora to run as fast as she could back to the Dureni Fields.
She tried not to pry into the stranger's head while they travelled silently, only the sound of hooves and the earthy smell of the woman filling the atmosphere as the town was getting more and more distant. It reminded Imogen of the smell of dust just as summer rain began to pour. It was enough to keep her senses occupied and her mind protected from what she assumed would be worrying thoughts filled with pain.
She basically jumped from the horse when they arrived near her house, and told the woman to wait for her. All she managed was a stuttered "Oh- Oh, okay!" Before Imogen was too far away to hear her. She got a bag and shoved some clothes inside along with the little money she got from tending the stable and a few rations of food, fruits and bread. She ran back outside towards the woman, now on the ground. It seemed like she was trying to make Flora smell her hand so she could pet her, but the horse didn't feel comfortable and kept shaking her head. Only when the distance closed Imogen realized her hood was finally down, and hearing her tired sigh, the woman jumped back to look at her, still anxious.
"Hey, it's just me." Imogen managed as she looked at her face, mouth almost agape.
Her skin was a greenish kind of grey, with long and frazzled black hair framing her face with sunk in cheekbones. She could barely see her dark expressive eyes between stray locks of hair from her half bun with a streak of white. She was pretty sure that even if she looked around the entire world she would never find someone that looked as fragile and absolutely beautiful as her. She only noticed her staring when the sweet voice filled her thoughts once again.
"So it seems I scared her. I suppose it took long enough."
"Uhm..." Imogen collected herself and stared past the woman. "I should get Flora into the barns before I leave."
"Horsie is not coming?" She looked at Flora and she snorted as if answering the question.
"It's safer for her to stay here." Imogen smiled as she petted Flora's neck and she leaned into her hand. She pulled delicately on the reins, and the woman followed her inside the barn. Once the horse was back in the stall, Imogen kissed her snout and pulled away, looking back at the woman who had been silently watching. "We can go now- I mean, if you don't mind me tagging along, that is? Jeez, I should've asked."
"No, no... You helped me a great deal back there... Might have saved my life." She smiled. "I don't understand why you would want to come with me though, we just met." Her lips curved upward and Imogen kicked a little pebble in the ground, uncertain herself. Perhaps this was just a grand excuse to leave this town behind.
"I mean... I can't go back there, not after..." She stared at her gloved hands, the feeling of the scars still burning.
"After you saved me?" The woman raised her eyebrows. Imogen gave up on the thought. She wouldn't feel sick for hurting them today. Today they were maniacs attacking a random girl on the street, and she wouldn't feel sorry for how they screamed when it was brought upon them by themselves. "I thought that was pretty awesome, if you don't mind me saying. You seem very capable."
Imogen chuckled. "Thanks."
"To whom do I owe my gratitude?" The lady offered her hand, skin gripping around the shape of her bones. The fact she would want to touch her after what her hands had done was surprising to Imogen, but she felt a sense of security when she squeezed it.
Without opening her mouth, Imogen stared deeply into her eyes. "I'm Imogen". She looked confused for a second, but as soon as she noticed the gentle smile on her face she understood it was the woman that made that wild thought pop up in her head. It felt sweet to have such a calming voice in her mind after everything. "I'm Laudna."
They smiled at each other. Laudna basking on the feeling of having one person not be scared of her, and Imogen feeling the same. They were two sides of the same coin. Still, there was so much still unknown. And so little time, as Imogen heard the distant thoughts of the people trying to find them, she tugged Laudna's hand so they could run together to outside of the city.
"Where are we going?" Laudna huffed as she tried to keep up with her pace.
"Wherever our feet will take us!" Imogen laughed.
Soon the two figures disappeared on the horizon, going straight through the main road. It would be a few days before they reached somewhere safe again, but for now the only thing that matters is their burning lungs and their hands clutched together, for better or worse.