Young Writers Society

(Wonderful! I will try to type something up tonight but I'm a bit tired.)

(fair! I can start if you want? Mostly just Ky's reaction to everything, can't do any of the descriptions xD But gives us an in?)

(Sure, that works! I just wanna give this place a proper description with good attention. It's a big moment.)

(That's fair!! I'm really excited to see it ^-^ )

Ky still couldn't believe that all of this was really real. She was tense the entirety of the first day, watching any and every movement in the shadows, afraid that Aleth was going to jump out at any moment.

She'd seen Tarr beat Aleth to a pulp. Saw the truth afterward. There was no chance that Aleth was in any state at all to hurt her again. But she was still afraid. What if Aleth had hired someone? Or, what if...? She didn't know. But it still seemed unlikely that they were really getting away this easily. Loquitur was a god among men. And she wished there was more that she could do for him, even though he'd also seemed appreciative of the little bit of information that she was able to give him.

As time went on she slowly, very, very slowly, began to relax and rest in the hope that even if Aleth tried something nasty that Loquitur and Constance (if they're traveling together? I don't really know XD) would be able to keep her safe. Like they did before.

They'd been traveling a long time, but they were finally getting close.

She could feel the energy of the group shift, even though she couldn't tell anything different about the landscape. She clutched her kitten a bit tighter, petting his head as she looked down at him, strangely consoled that he was just as ignorant about what was waiting for them as she was.

(Can't promise this will be super magical; I wasted my day doing productive things and playing tf2 and tuckered myself out again. Hope you enjoy anyway!)

The journey had been a treacherous one; the quickest route to Caracal Keep was straight through Venholm, which was Gaius's territory. The party had been forced to camp in the woods and hide out in the woods for much of the trip, but eventually they had crossed safely into Clawholm.

Tomhas had been riding far ahead of the group when Caracal Keep came into view; he often liked to go into a gallop on Vara. The Keep was much different from that of Lord Tarr's. Where Wolf Keep was a squat, angry-looking place of stone and sheer walls, Caracal Keep was more pointed and elegant with architecture of a later era. Wolf Keep was surrounded by forest on all sides while Caracal Keep had clear snowy plains and rolling hills around it.

Caracal Keep was a fortress, of course, there was no doubt about that from the guards atop the walls and the arrow slits along some of the towers. That being said, there was more architectural creativity in its design. There were flying buttresses arcing overhead and wide windows abundant, though most of those were covered by heavy curtains to keep out the cold. Columns adorned both the interior and exterior of the Keep itself, though that wasn't yet visible. The gates, so square at Wolf Keep, were designed to look like the gaping maw of caracal, complete with small guard towers for ears and a portcullis jutting down as teeth.

In short, it was evident even from this distance that there was a very different energy present in this Keep.

Tomhas circled back eagerly to inform the others of his sighting, a wide grin plastered on his face.

"Nearly there, now!" he called as he came barreling by the leader of the party, General Wai. "Just over this hill and you'll see it!"

(wot do u mean? this is fantastic! lol)

Ky smiled as Lord Loquitur came to eagerly tell them that they were close. She didn't think she'd ever get tired of his cheerful giddiness. Most of the rich men she'd interacted with so far were grouchy and bitter and mean. She was becoming progressively more convinced that no one had taught Loquitur how to be an asshole before he became a Lord. It was refreshing.

She looked over at Tadaaki, riding to her right. He gave her a shy grin. He'd also been slowly coming around to the idea of living at Caracal Keep. He was less convinced than Ky seemed to be of the permanence -- he figured Aleth would be back in a few months and demand for them back, and Loquitur would hand them over, just as he'd promised.

Still, a few months of rest and not looking over his shoulder every moment -- of having to worry about whether Ky had made it through another day without getting hurt -- would be welcomed.

They were both excited to see what it would be like. And, nervous. What would the other Loquiturs think of them? The other servants? What if Lady Loquitur didn't want them there? There were so many unknowns. And, yet, they felt the same excitement that the rest of the group seemed to.

(Aww thanks!)

Sure enough, the Keep became visible as the party came over the hill. Tomhas broke into a gallop again, leaning forward on his horse and letting out a whoop of excitement. Anneke and the children would he waiting at the gate as they always did, he was sure, and he could introduce them to Tadaaki and Ky and then get warm by the fire while he ate. There was nothing more wonderful than coming home, especially when he was returning from a war meeting. At least here he could put those thoughts aside for a short time and focus on family.

Ky grinned broadly and urged her horse into a trot. Tadaaki followed suit. They were both vaguely apprehensive, but excited, and couldn't wait to see what it was that was making Loquitur so excited to get too.

"It's gonna be good," Ky said quietly, though to reassure Tadaaki or herself, she wasn't quite sure.

"It's gonna be good," Tadaaki agreed, his voice a low rumble, also not quite sure who he was reassuring.

Either way, it was about to happen. So they may as well get ready for it.

(Hey, sorry I disappeared like that! I had a final portfolio for creative writing and my birthday was yesterday, and I've just been wiped out. I can't promise I'll be as active as I was before; there's still some stuff to get done, but I'll do my best.)

"Open up!" Tomhas called when he reached the gates. "Open up, ladies and gentlemen, I've returned!"

"Welcome back, Lord Tomhas!" A guard waved, and the gates began to creak open. Tomhas grinned, an eager shudder running through him. Home at last. He could hug his family again!

(All good my dude! This is meant to be fun not stressful. Like, I'll definitely take all the responses you wanna give lol but don't worry about it ^-^ Also, hope the portfolio goes well! And HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I hope it was amazing!!)

Ky got cold feet suddenly.

What was she doing? She didn't belong here. And she was stupid to ever believe that she did. Keeps were meant for noblemen. She was meant to live in a hut on the coast and catch fish and argue with Prycn all day.

She'd washed the dirt off and dressed in nice clothes, but you never washed poverty off. Never. She was a peasant and she was abusing Loquitur's kindness and she shouldn't be here.

But she didn't know what to do now.

Maybe Loquitur was serious about not forcing her to stay here. She'd leave first thing in the morning. She'd probably not make it back to the South, and even if she did there was nothing waiting for her there. But at least she'd die doing what she knew. Instead of taking advantage of the man she owed her life to.

Her chest felt so tight. But she kept riding forward.

(Thanks for the birthday wishes! I think the portfolio went well; I got an A in the class but I dunno how the actual thing went. Been taking a couple weeks to do some self care so I'm not sure when I'll be back for regular.)

The gates opened, and Tomhas trotted through.
The courtyard inside was massive, full of small trees and decorative shrubs covered in snow. A cobblestone path led up to the Keep itself, and a silvery gate leading to the garden could be seen in one corner.

Tomhas leaped off the horse almost immediately and passed her off to a stableboy, making a beeline for the woman and children waiting for him on the steps of the Keep.

(Congrats! And totally valid c: Hope you're getting some good R&R in ^-^)

Ky's tension only built as they rode into the courtyard. It was so big. And ornate. And not a place that she was meant to be in. She swallowed hard, trying to push down the anxiety. It's not like hadn't been in courtyards like this in the past. Aleth visited plenty of important people and dragged her along with him.

But this was different.

So, so much different. This time she wasn't being dragged along as a servant. This time, she was here by her own volition. And she shouldn't be. She felt even more out of place than usual, not hiding in Aleth's shadow.

Pull yourself together. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to snap into Kyber-mode. Aleth had insisted she be able to play her role well, and she'd risen to the occasion. Grinning at Loquitur after her beating. Pretending her shoulder didn't hurt during the sparring lessons.

She apparently had some tells still that he could pick up on -- but she still felt like she'd done fairly well at hiding the full extent of the truth. She could hide her fear now, too. Ky slid off the horse, behind where Loquitur had left his with a stableboy.

"Hey."

Ky turned around as Tadaaki planted his hand on her shoulder and whispered at her. She took a deep breath and answered under her breath. "What?"

"He invited us here," he murmured. "It's okay."

Ky nodded. "Of course. I know."

He looked at her skeptically.

"I know," she snapped, feeling strangely defensive that Tadaaki had picked up the depths of her uneasiness.

"You're doing your little Kyber-act-thing," he muttered. "Alls I'm sayin'."

She snorted but looked up as the stableboy began leading Loquitur's horse away. She saw some other stableboys in the area too -- no doubt to take Lyra's horse away. There was no other reason for there to be so many out here. She gently grabbed her horse's bridle and started after the first stableboy, planning to work along with the other servants to tend the horse she'd ridden while the stableboys handled the Loquiturs' horses. Tadaaki turned towards the stables too.

Tomhas didn't notice, utterly absorbed in greeting his family.

Lady Anneke, his darling wife, was the first he embraced. Her hair was shockingly red, pulled back in a neat braid. She had piercing ice-blue eyes, but her strong face was split into a wide grin as she wrapped her arms around her husband and kissed him deeply.
"I hope you didn't ride Vara too hard to get here," she said with a chuckle as they broke away.
"I treat my horses with the utmost respect," Tomhas scoffed, kissing her again before bending down to hoist his youngest son into his arms and spin him around. "How are my little cubs? Eating well and strong as ever? Up to mischief?"

There was no doubt Tomhas's children were his and Anneke's. The two eldest besides Lyra both had their mother's hair, and the older boy had his father's deep blue eyes while the other two shared Anneke's lighter blue. The eldest was a girl of about twelve, the middle a boy of five, and the youngest a mere toddler of two.

"Ma'am, sir." The stableboys without horses appeared in front of the two of them. "Please allow us to take your horses."

A stab of panic ran through her. She wasn't a ma'am -- and she never got sir when she masqueraded as Kyber either. "What? No, uh, it's okay. We're servants too."

"Well, what you may or may not be to Lord Loquitur..." the boy directly in front of her said, eyes flicking towards the Loquiturs' reunion before returning to her. "Is none of my business. But we are his stableboys and this is our responsibility. I'm sure he'll assign you your own soon if you're a new servant. Please."

Ky took a deep breath. It was solid logic. But she didn't know what in the world she should do if she didn't get to retreat to the stables.

"Ky."

Ky looked up as Tadaaki handed his own horse over to a stableboy.

"Servants don't wait on servants," Ky argued.

"No," Tadaaki agreed quietly. "But servants obey their master. What do you imagine Aleth would have done if someone tried to interfere with us doing our tasks to his liking?"

Ky hesitated a long moment. That was a fair point. She was certain that Loquitur wasn't as cruel to his own servants as Aleth had been towards them. But there was still no point in getting someone in trouble for no reason. She silently handed the reins over to the boy.

"Thank you." The boys led the horses off, leaving Tadaaki and Ky standing awkwardly in the middle of the courtyard.

"What now?" Ky murmured under her breath, the anxiety spiking through her chest again. She shifted the kitten in the crook of her arm, getting him in a position that was more comfortable for both of them.

"I... don't know," Tadaaki admitted. "Should...we... go over there?"

Ky looked over and saw Loquitur excitedly greeting his family. She looked away. Yet another thing she didn't deserve to be a part of. "What if... we walk over there instead and wait for our instructions?"

She nodded towards one of the smaller trees that was about fifteen meters from where the Loquiturs were standing.

"Good plan," Tadaaki agreed.

They both started towards it.

Tomhas embraced his daughter and other son as well. Anneke let out a whoop of happiness as Lyra approached and pulled her into a massive hug.
"Oh, little one, welcome home!" she cried. "Thank the gods you're here."

The smallest boy looked up at Tadaaki with wide eyes as he approached, tugging on his father's cloak shyly. Tomhas looked up.
"What's up, Peter?" He blinked as he saw Tadaaki and Ky. "Oh! Oh, yes, I'm so sorry, you two. Got distracted. Anneke, darling dearest, these are Ky and Tadaaki, the friends I told you about." Anneke, still embracing her eldest daughter, looked over to Ky and Tadaaki.
"Yes, I remember." She smiled, letting go and Lyra reluctantly and planting a kiss on her forehead before approaching and offering both of them her hand to shake. "I'm very pleased to meet you two; Tomhas told me about your situation." Her eyes turned to Tadaaki. "I've sent out soldiers to retrieve your family, as promised. I'm to receive word when they arrive at your home."