**Don't worry, I check a few times a day. I don't plan on leaving this at least for a while. **
All I can hear; "I me mine, I me mine, I me mine". Even those tears; "I me mine, I me mine, I me mine". No one's frightened of playing it. Everyone's saying it. Flowing more freely than wine. All through your life; "I me mine".
"You can follow me, lady, or face them. Here, come this way. It's thick, and difficult to navigate, which means that only the brave and the foolish will follow. I'm sure you'll find that both are easily dealt with." He walked off into the woods, and I followed him. Mostly because I didn't have another option, but I still followed him. Maybe I could even find out what his little errand for the king was.
The rustling continued behind me. Any other one of the court ladies would have screamed in terror, but I had a knife hidden in a secret pocket of my dress. I had close friends of mine who were very clever dressmakers. The whole dress didn't look like it could hurt a fly. Still, what was one knife against a bunch of palace guards?
I suddenly wish I had brought my bow and arrow.
I turned to the prince after a minute, "So, where exactly are we going?"
Sera
I held the little girl tightly, almost as afraid as she was. "Come on, let's go find Ren. She probably will know what to do with you."
"Who's Ren?" The little girl looked up at me with her big eyes.
"The Duchess," I explained, "Like, almost a princess, but not quite."
I walked through the brush until I heard Ren's voice. I took two steps closer in that direction. Then, I staggered back when I heard the prince respond. So she was in cahoots with the prince? Something wasn't right.
I ran in the other direction from where Ren and his high-high-highness was, towards the castle.
Love is beautiful, but what would love be without life?
"So, where exactly are we going?" the young woman asked, still following close behind Enyalius.
"I'm going to a little camp on the other side of these woods, and apparently, so are you. I don't think there's any kind of "we" involved." A little cold, perhaps, but Enyalius was intending to send the woman heading back to the palace. She was bold, but that was more of a hindrance than a quality. She was likely to get herself killed.
"How far is it?" She wasn't whining, but curious. Enyalius wheeled to face her for the first time, and smiled slightly at her hair, matted with twigs, and the graze on her forehead where she had scraped against a branch, all of which she was ignoring.
"It's only a few minutes away, as far as I remember, but that was when I was travelling at speed. It's not far," he assured her, with the conviction of the leader he hoped to become. He turned away again and hacked through the next bush with his knife, all the while noticing that the vegetation was slowly thinning out as they approached the village of Cairn.
Well, he hadn't figured out I was out to get his father, that was really all I could ask for. He was actually, for a prince, being fairly nice. But then again, I was nobility, even if I didn't act like it.
"How far is it?" I asked after a minute. I wanted to know how far I was going to be walking. Not like I cared, I just didn't want to get lost if he decided to ditch me, or leave me for wolf food, or something similar.
"It's only a few minutes away, as far as I remember, but that was when I was travelling at speed. It's not far," he remained silent for a minute. He obviously wasn't the type to open up conversation, and I was fine like that. I would have stared acting questions, starting off with what exactly he was doing in the woods, but I didn't want to seem suspicious. The fact someone, a lady of the palace, like me was in the woods in the first place was pretty weird. But he hadn't asked me about it. And I didn't owe him any form of an explanation.
We arrived at the little village, and it wasn't exactly what I expected. To put it bluntly, I knew why most of the ladies didn't leave the palace walls. Blood lined the edges of the streets, and a foul odor hung in the air. It seemed like everyone was yelling for one reason or another, except those too drunk to talk. But maybe someone here could tell me exactly what the king was planning.
Love is beautiful, but what would love be without life?
As soon as they arrived at the village, Enyalius pulled the hood of his cape over his head to cover his face. In the forest, facing the guards, he would have had no chance of concealing his identity; here, it might be his only defence. Even in the dark, with the moon shimmering into view in the night sky, the prince could not risk a villager recognising him. Nodding slightly to the young woman, who seemed engrossed in the town's atmosphere, Enyalius ducked into an inn.
"A night's stay for you and the lady, then. You're in the room on the left," said the innkeeper, jabbing a finger past the throng of drunkards. The young woman showed no sign of alarm at being offered a single room, but then, she had barely spoken since they had left the forest. He would sleep on the floor, regardless, as it would seem suspicious to ask for another chamber.
Enyalius ignored the drunks and proceeded to the left, but he noticed that the woman was hanging back. She was eavesdropping, he realised, and pondered again on his theory. Was she part of the fabled rebel group that so worried his father? That, or she was spying for the king. With this possibility in mind, Enyalius resolved to ask her about her motives when she returned to the room.
He watched as she moved closer to a group of men, flinching as five pairs of hungry eyes settled on her chest. Enyalius slid into the corner of the door, watching her. The men were all taller and considerably broader than him, and though he could probably have won against one in a fight, he couldn't take five. But why was he even assessing his chances? He predicted that this girl would manage fine on her own.
I noticed my friend Russes among the five men sitting in the corner. Ignoring the snide remarks and rude stares of the others. I walked up to him, and stuck out my hand. "You owe me something," I informed him. He slipped a vial into my hand, and I looked it over. The prince had walked in the direction of his room, or so I thought, and I was under the impression I was free from prying eyes.
"It's been too long, Ren," Russes responded with a smile.
"Well, yes, but I've been busy. As, I hope, the others have." I leaned closer to him, "I need information, and I need it now." His breath blew over me, and I suppressed a cough. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and on reflex grabbed the hand and twisted the wrist. I forgot people were watching, and that ladies of nobility should have trouble lifting a fork. The thought of breaking some-one's wrist shouldn't even cross their mind. I turned around to see it was one of the other five who had been so rude earlier. In that case, he deserved a broken wrist.
"Consarn it, woman. Ya broke me wrist," he looked down at his swelling hand.
"Well, you startled me," I slipped a few coins in his hand. It was my way of telling him to keep his mouth shut. He smiled as he looked at the pieces of gold.
"Ya pay well for me silence," he chuckled.
I ignored his comment, and turned back to Russes, "Meet me at midnight by the edge of the woods." I slipped a coin into his hand, and he nodded to show he understood my inventions. I wanted to talk with the nearest members of my group, and found out what everyone knew.
Love is beautiful, but what would love be without life?
"We should be running away from the castle." I said to the girl. She looked at me, confused. Through tears, I explained to her when the king was planning. She looked worried, but I couldn't really blame her. Lives were in danger.
"We need to warn everybody." I said. She nodded.
"Do you mind if we split up. We can cover more ground that way, and..."
"I don't mind. I know this place well," I cut her off, "but apparently not as well as I though." She just nodded, and we ran in opposite directions. I didn't like being all on my own, but I knew it would be better this way.
I stopped running when I heard something rustling.
"Who's there?" I asked, my voice shaking. I started crying, but silently. I wanted to hear an answer. If there was none, I knew I was in trouble.
I waited for a while, and there was no reply. I turned around, about to fun as far away from there as I could, when I felt someone grab me. It was a castle guard.
I am a fox, sly and quick. I never give up I never quit
**So sorry I haven't been posting, guys! My computer is broken xP But I also have every intention of staying in this SB
Nightfall
I parted ways with the elf and the human girl, and as I ran through the trees, I morphed into a cheetah. I would get around much more quickly this way. I had passed a couple more elves and a few fairies and warned them of the danger, but it seemed no one was around now.
My ham had long-since been abandoned, to my great regret. But I still had the money, so I would be able to buy another one. Or, perhaps, prey would come to me. Sure enough, it did.
As I ran, my ears caught loud, heavy footfalls, and a quiet, desperate "who's there". I skidded to a stop and trotted towards the sounds. My eyes fell on the girl I had been travelling with. She was facing rustling bushes, obviously terrified. As she turned to go in the opposite direction, a guard stepped out and advanced towards her. I growled quietly at the sight of one of the demons that was chasing us, trying to kill us off. When he placed his hand on her shoulder, I charged out of cover, straight at him. As I leaped into the air, my form changed into that of a saber-tooth tiger, and I mauled the guard with vengeance and pleasure.
When I finished, I noticed the girl sitting a little ways away, covering her face with her arms. Had she watched the scene that had just occurred before her, she probably would have had nightmares the rest of her life. That, or she would have been permanently scarred.
To bring her some comfort, I changed into a small, domestic cat, and sat in front of her.
"We've got to get out of here," I told her, eventually morphing back into my hybrid form. "Someone will have heard that." She nodded, and I continued speaking as we left the small clearing. "I know you think it's a better idea to stay split up, but it will be safer if you don't go on alone. I know of a small village nearby. We'll be safe there until morning. Then, if you wish, you can continue on alone."
She looked reluctant, but agreed to follow me. As we made our way towards the village, I reflected on how differently I had acted today. I was actually...helping people. Help was a strange and foreign word to me.
We had nearly reached the settlement when another rustling came from somewhere beside us.
---
That can be anyone who needs to be brought back into the mix
Singing: It's more than my forte; it's my fortissimo --- They say "Guns don't kill people. People kill people." Well, I think guns help. If you just stand there and yell BANG I don't think you're going to kill too many people...
"You've yet to tell me your name," Enyalius said, lingering in the corner of the bedroom as the young woman stared out of the window, back towards the forest. Of his two theories, it seemed more likely at the moment that she was a spy. She had carefully sought out the man she had spoken to, and he had sounded, from the few words Enyalius could pick out, as educated as the woman herself. Then there was the display of strength - and lack of stealth - she had shown in breaking another man's wrist as he approached her, which implied that she'd been given training. If anything told him that she was not a spy, it could only be her indiscretion.
"Ren," she said after a moment, probably toying with a false name and her real one. Enyalius had no way of telling the difference.
"Enyalius." He would have held out a hand, but he could do without a broken wrist to nurse in the coming days.
Ren smiled slightly. "Of course." There was silence again as the two of them pondered their next words. Enyalius, as Gryk's son, had always been careful to flatter and scorn in equal measure, but why did Ren feel that she had to do the same? He was going around in circles. Perhaps it would be best to ask her now, before she posed a greater threat to his security. At the moment, she could only tell Gryk his whereabouts, and if need arose, he could be leagues from here before the night had ended.
I'll post a profile tomorrow of a slave girl in the castle.
A. S.
Side note - all my child hood fantasys were very harsh... slaves being beaten. Girls running from men... Dudes being forced into the army. yeah you see what I mean.
My eyes narrowed as he asked the question, "Are you working for my father?" The question came out of nowhere, unless he had seen her little fight earlier. I knew I had to be more careful, and this just proved it. He was probably all buddy-buddy with the king. I chose my words carefully.
"I work for nobody," And it was true. I lead the rebellion group, as of yesterday. The previous captain had been caught and killed. Thankfully, he didn't give away any information to the king; Ferris had been brave into his last seconds. I was his second in command, so that made me the captain now. Russes knew that, and so did I. I also knew if I wasn't more careful I would go the same way as Ferris.
"What is that supposed to mean?" the prince questioned.
"Exactly what I said. I don't work for anyone," I sat down on the edge of the bed, and thought about my next words carefully. In the end, I decided that the words could have multiple meanings, "and I certainly don't work for your father."
I could see in his eyes he wasn't buying what I was saying, but he remained silent. I, however had one more thing to say, "I'll prove it to you." I intended to bring him to the meeting, as stupid of a move as it seemed. If he showed any sign that he might run off and snitch to his father, some poison got slipped into his morning tea.
Love is beautiful, but what would love be without life?
"You'll prove it to me?" he repeated, but Ren had left, the door swinging behind her. When he followed, Enyalius watched her melt into the crowd until he lost sight of her slim frame amongst all the late night drinkers. He frowned and returned to the room.
She had categorically denied her position as a spy, but it was not her answer that was of use to him. Enyalius had been studying the way she moved and the way she reacted to the question. Her body language was carefully monitored, but he had managed to discern a degree of shock. She was definitely hiding something, but her certainty in her denial made him wonder whether spying was the secret. If not that, she had to be a rebel.
And how on earth did she mean to prove it? Thinking, Enyalius nearly walked straight into the door of the room. He blinked twice and readjusted his hood before rushing into the room and locking the door behind him. It was only as he flopped down on the floor, blanket in hand, that he remembered Ren and jumped up to lift the catch again. He was unused to travelling with company.
With Ren's promise in mind, Enyalius closed his eyes and slipped into the meditative state he usually induced before going on stage. That way, he could get a little rest, and remain alert in case Ren tried anything. Spy or not, she was still dangerous.
We walked into the small town. It was torn apart and dull. I stayed close to the girl's side as we passed an alleyway, a scary figure glaring at us. This was freaky. All I wanted to do was run from there, but I didn't want to leave her side.
She stopped and looked around. I knew she was looked for that other girl, so I looked too. She was nowhere in sight. We walked over to some man sitting near a building. I clutched the girl's arm.
"Did you by any chance see a girl about yay high?" she asked to him, putting a hand up to show her height. She described her hair and eyes, too.
"Maybe," the man said, a smug grin on his face, "and if I had, what makes you think I'd tell ya?" She just smirked and handed him a small gold coin. He studied it, then pointed to a beat up hotel.
"They went in there." he said, not taking his eyes away from the coin. She handed him another coin, but this time silver.
"We were never here." she said. He smiled, and nodded. We walked over to the hotel.
I am a fox, sly and quick. I never give up I never quit
Name: Elizabeth Gender: female Kind of Creature: slave girl at the castle. Personality: She is quiet and observing seeing way more than anyone things and never showing/telling anything. She loves small animals and nature. doesn't get angry/annoyed easily. Thinks before she speaks. never does cry. Good with children. Appearance: Spoiler
girl.jpg (701.05 KiB) Viewed 182 times
Other: When she was 5 a curse was put on her obey whatever people say. She has too. know one knows though.. Age: 9
**I'm waiting on someone to post, and I'm not in the castle, so, sorry.**
All I can hear; "I me mine, I me mine, I me mine". Even those tears; "I me mine, I me mine, I me mine". No one's frightened of playing it. Everyone's saying it. Flowing more freely than wine. All through your life; "I me mine".
**
