My monthly reward from Melle-D, who inspired the direction of my designs of Diana's forms! They have a lot of places to follow them, please go commission them! https://melled.carrd.co/
This one's a special one. Those who have liked and favorited my art of Diana and her world know who SHE is by now...But now I want to shed a light on who she lost. This month, I’m sharing Diana’s mother, Marigold. The village of Highfold (Named for being the closest village to the peak and a 'fold' is where sheep gather) was the last wall of defense between Lambs and Yngya's own holy temple. An ancient saying is "All paths to Mother pass through Highfold." In this village lived the mightiest Lamb warriors, able to use elevation and training to deny the Old Faith a single inch of ground... Until Kallamar used one desperate wolf to bring his plagues.
Marigold had a very important role as a gardener. She had a knack for working the soil, making even the most stubborn frost yield to the plow and take seeds. She grew everything from food, to flowers to even medical herbs the healers used. A very patient woman, many were frustrated when, in her youth, instead of taking a warrior as many wanted, she took the hand of the stubborn rancher instead. When Diana was born, Marigold firmly believed motherhood was the same as gardening.
"You can plant a seed, feed it, water it, help it push its shoots to the surface. But after a point, you must step back, and hope your nurturing will help it grow on its own." She loved Diana dearly, taught her daughter the rules of the trade for farming, helping prepare her for her future. She always stressed to Diana being a lady didn't make you weak; it came with its own strengths and powers. "Love," as she'd quote, "can make even the coldest Winter as warm as Spring, fierce as Summer and wonderful as Autumn. Never mistake gentleness for weakness, my sweet."
The day the Old Faith finally struck, looking to kill the Lambs of Highfold and even Yngya, Marigold fled with Diana. The rotting plague was crueler to Marigold than to her daughter. As Diana grew weak and had her vision fade, Marigold felt herself rotting, like a flower rotting back into the soil. She tried to give Diana a brave face, smiled despite the pain, until one day, the Old Faith cornered them. Getting Diana inside a hollowed tree, Marigold blocked the entry, hiding Diana from sight... And breathed her last before the Old Faith started stabbing. Content they found a dead Lamb, Diana could only cry blood as her failing sight saw her mother's still form.
She was still smiling even as Diana laid her among flowers, the Old Faith's patrols giving no time to bury her. Marigold's final gift to her beloved daughter was to pass away protecting her child, smiling at her, and hoping Diana would never forget what it means to be kind. Because of Marigold, Diana never mistook survival for permission to become cruel.
