Fantasy A Divided Kingdom [Open]

[TheMightyRedLemon]

(Totally Not)Bran The Begger​

"I am but a humble beggar..." Bran said as the guard spoke his name. "Oh, but don't mind if I do take that sword!" Even as he said this, his dirty, cracked fingers wrapped around the hilt of the bade that Arya held out to him. No way in hell was he going to straight up give his name to a member of the Guard. For all he knew, he was a wanted man. After all, why else would a guard know HIS name? Bran gave a nervous smile. "Thank you for er.. dispatching my assailants." As he got a better look at the woman's face, she did look familiar, though he could not not quite remember from where he could remember her. Did she once give him a few spare coins? Or maybe he had stolen from her prior? These thoughts brought nothing but anxiety, so Bran pushed them out of his mind for the moment. "You really saved my sitter there."

Interactions: MarieK : Arya

 

[Rumble Fish]

Cowritten with: Togy
Mentions: FireMaiden

“How were you so quick to the call?” Takoshi made conversation as he ran alongside Kensue, not daring to ride on Epona in fear of being bucked off immediately. The beast had nearly gotten him impaled on a pitch fork once, and once was enough. No one ever believed him when he said the steed had done it intentionally, but he knew what he saw.

“I was supposed to be off-duty, if you believe it. Arthur sat me down, told me to ‘Stop jumping into action so quickly before the whiplash breaks my neck’, and forbid me from doing anything but enjoy the festivities” The disgruntlement clear in his voice as he ran after Kensue. He hadn’t had an off-day in four years, and he’d intended on maintaining his streak before Arthur stepped in.

“It took me ten minutes to find a suitable weapon. You seem to have been...noticeably quicker on the uptake.” Takoshi said, admiring the rider’s gear.

Kensue was keeping Epona at a collected trot so Takoshi could keep up, despite the mare’s disapproval. At his first question, Kensue shrugged with a look of uncertainty and pointed to her temple before listening to the man lament about having to be here. She could not blame him. Honestly, she was quite content to man the stables today. She had been bringing in one of the stallions from exercise when she first had that hot feeling on the back of her neck that something was amiss.

At his inquiries about her weaponry, Kensue pulled Epona down to a walk as she gestured to the boar spear at the ready on her back and the little daggers hanging in their scabbards and gently knocking against Epona’s shoulders as she walked. She pointed affirmatively at them. Though she did not tell him this, Kensue always kept a knife next to her bedside. Nobody knew about it and frankly she wanted it to stay that way. Despite being out of Sykes’ abusive clutches, Kensue still felt unsafe, especially at night. Too many times she had nightmares so she was taking no chances.

Humming in understanding, Takoshi kept pace, letting his paranoia protect him from any surprises as they went. As they hadn’t seen an attacker that hadn’t surrendered on sight for a few streets at that point, it was safe to assume the attack was truly over. Takoshi had learned to always trust Kensue when she had a “feeling”. He chalked it up to paranoia and coincidence when he first met her, but he’d long since realized that the only thing he could be certain of was her seemingly sixth sense.

“Are the princes safe?” The man asked, worry in his voice.

Kensue nodded to him and made a vague pointing gesture back towards the crowd where she had last seen the royals. She then made a gesture, like running her hand down long and curled hair, like Yvette’s before pointing to where she had seen. She made a fist and thumped her chest a couple of times with another nod. A small smirk curled across her face as she remembered how Yvette shot down that lord. It pleases the guardian to see a royal who cared as much about her people as they did about her.

“Yve-Her highness is her?” Takoshi hissed in surprise. Wasn’t she supposed to be at the palace? He thought he would be told something like this, ferrying the princess down to the fairgrounds didn’t feel like something everyone failed to mention to one of the guards sworn to protect her and her family. The likely answer was that the fact simply slipped his notice. Since he was rather unobservant when he was off the job. Usually, that was never, but Arthur had beat into him a clear rule of relaxation for the night, and made him leave his weapons, paranoia, and killer-instinct at home.

“Why? I didn’t think she’d be participating in the festival tonight?” Takoshi asked, clearly confused.

Kensue simply shrugged, unable to answer that any other way. As she did, the guardian felt her stomach rumble and, without hesitation she reached into one of her saddle bags and pulled out a cooked rasher of venison. Holding it between her teeth like a cigar, she turned back to Takoshi and made a sweeping gesture with her arms as she referred back to Yvette.

“Yes, well, so have I bu-” Takoshi began words falling short as a thoughtful expression overtook his features. “In hindsight, it should've been an obvious conclusion,” He admitted, nodding his head.

That received a rare chuckle from the woman as a response, though maybe it was through lack of use or just her but her laugh seemed to resemble the soft hoots of an owl more than anything else. She took a moment to look around, and as things seemed to finally be calming down, she let out a long sigh and her shoulders relaxed. Meanwhile Epona kept her head high and looking around, mainly looking at Takoshi but also in general for threats.

Rolling his eyes at the steed’s death glare, Takoshi continued at his pace, hopping over dead bodies with a surprising lack of grace as he surveyed ahead. He’d probably have to help move the bodies later. Sure, he could lug a bucket of water like everyone else, but few could stay as collected as him when carrying a dead body over their shoulders.

Kensue looked around at the carnage in front of them and sighed. Dismounting Epona she looked around while rubbing the back of her neck. This all had an unsettling air of familiarity within the woman. She let out a small sigh but tried to keep a stoic face. A lot of them belonged to citizens, scattered amoung the dead invaders. Kensue glumly turned to Takoshi and made the same hair gesture and put a fist on her chest. Epona, seeming to sense the woman’s sadness, nudged her muzzle into her hand as if to reassure her.

“We should. Eight dead on this street.” Takoshi said, counting the bodies listlessly before continuing forward. “Her highness should be at where the fires are weakest, right? Either the others have gotten her out entirely or have kept her near, or, god forbid, she’s in the thick of it.” The man questioned, listing the bodies of civilians in his head as he passed them.

Kensue nodded ruefully before pointing to where she last saw the young royal before making a circle with her finger and then putting her fist into her palm. After that, she took Epona by the reins, not wanting to potentially step on any of the deceased as they made their way through. The mare, nostrils flared let out an anxious snort. The scent of fire and death had her on edge. Seeing this, Kensue leant in, took Epona by the muzzle and blew softly into her nostril. After a second the mare reciprocated the gesture and seemed a bit more settled.

Eventually, dead civilians gave way to live civilians scurrying about with sloshing buckets of water. A scream echoed over the roaring flames and pattering of feet, alerting Takoshi immediately. Kensue had already looked up nearly half a second before the scream and stood up fully alert. The horsewoman quickly leapt upon Epona and stood up in the stirrups. From atop the mare, Kensue saw the source of the chaos and pointed it to Takosi in haste.

Yvette, next to a dead man with an arrow through his throat and another through their knee, crawling away. Grimacing, Takoshi hastily approached the scene, placing his boot on the back of the crawling man before pressing their body into the cobblestone street. Tempting as it was to slit his throat with his blade, the man was in no state to fight. Killing him now would be an execution. Letting him live would also, without a doubt, result in a longer, more drawn out execution later, but at least he could wash his hands of involvement.

Kensue once again dismounted Epona but remained silent, only watching Takoshi and her highness. Staring intently at the body on the ground, Takoshi looked to Kensue before looking towards Yvette. To be honest, he didn’t really know the proper response to this situation. Clearing his voice, Takoshi stepped down harder on the struggling man beneath his boot before speaking.

“You okay kid?” He asked, voice awkward and strained with worry.

 

[Inheritance]

Brom Beararm​

CRASH! The ruins of a tent shattered over him as he slammed an unfortunate marauder into the ground, taking the tent and another enemy bowman with him. He yelled out an apology to the royal party as he darted by, knowing he hadn't hurt them and continuing his fight. Of course this was the day he didn't bring a weapon. He stood up and shook himself, scanning the are for more hostiles, but it seemed as though they were in full retreat. He bolted off to try and capture or kill any stragglers, knowing their information could be vital to solving who was behind this attack...and on the side, he wasn't quite done with the fight. His little duel with Ivanoff had left a bad taste in his mouth and he was ready for others to feel the pain of it. With a grunt, he exploded off in another direction, moving much faster than any man his size ought to move...




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Prince Caspian​

Yvette's speech was admirable, and he was glad to have witnessed it. After convincing the others to stay, he turned to the rest of the burning festival to see if he could pick out any other enemies. He watched as the tarnished festival ground swarmed with Guardians and reinforcements, and he sheathed his weapon knowing the situation was under control. He turned back to Yvette, who was getting people to try and put out the fires. With a nod he joined her on the high ground, and in a move that may or may not have been an attempt to steal the spotlight, he spoke too.

"Aye, the princess speaks the truth. All of us need to work together to get this fire under control!" He beckoned to half of the remaining crowd, "You folks, follow me! Look for any survivors as we work!" He commanded.

He trotted over to meet them before giving out commands to follow through with Yvette's plan. Did he steal her thunder? Hopefully not. He had no desire to undermine her authority, but he saw there were enough reluctant people in the crowd that they needed a boost. What better moral boost than to have the royalty work with them, to show them that they want to build the kingdom up just as much as the commoners? With several others helping, Caspian began executing Yvette's plan and slowly but surely began to bring order back to the disastrous festival.

As he was congratulating the commoners and guards, he heard the clinking of armor and heavy footsteps approaching. As he turned to look, he saw 4 of the Lakkari, or the Elite Guards of Royalty, leading a man from the palace to the carnage of the Harvest Festival. As they drew nearer, Caspian recognized the strange armor and limping stride of the man following the Lakkari to be none other than his lead advisor, Orrin.

MarieK Heda FireMaiden

Orrin Evernight​

News in the Kingdom traveled far and wide, resonating within the cities and eventually boiling over into the outside world. There were spies, there were rumors, and there were lies; but no bit of gossip, rumor, or information got far without reaching the ears of Orrin Evernight. He had been up in his study, planning a tournament for Caspian to showcase his jousting ability when the Kingdom's head spymaster came flying into his quarters, frantically explaining there had been an attack on the Harvest Festival! Orrin leapt up, painfully landing on his right leg and growling in pain and anger. After his shock had cleared, he dressed in his armor and gathered his Lakkari, the elite guard in the Kingdom.

Sure the Guardians were great, but the Lakkari had been one of the more brilliant ideas Orrin had ever had; training an elite group of warriors to be loyal to the King and the King alone. Obviously, as there were no King, the only two that were able to command such an elite group was the crown prince, Caspian, and himself. The Guardians had served the Kingdom well for many many years, Orrin himself had been one for several years, but they were unfortunately outdated and were getting more and more useless. The Kingdom in its current state was dealing with a strange issue it had never seen before: A question of who would get the Throne. While the obvious choice was the eldest legitimate heir, it seemed as though there was a competition for the crown and there would need to be a new group of dedicated soldiers that could get involved in political squabbles. Unlike the Guardians, Orrin's elite had no qualms about using their wickedly sharp swords to butcher a treasonous royal, and Orrin knew that with them backing Caspian the true prince would take his rightful place on the throne.

Walking down to the destroyed fairground with his guards, he saw that the guardians and soldiers had already taken control of the situation and was putting the fires out nicely. He noticed the familiar golden glint of Caspian's armor, and breathed a sigh of relief that the true Prince was safe and sound. As he approached the group, which took a long time due to his cane and slow, limping walk, his eyes widened in horror at the death and destruction caused.

"What happened?!" He cried out, "Who could have done such a thing? Where were the Guardians? Were none present?" His frantic questions had an edge of accusation to them, but were still full of worry. His gaze shifted from Arya, to Yvette, to Caspian, and finally to the spy that the late King and Queen had hired.

He had never liked her. She had always been a thorn in his side, working against him in the silent chess game for the Kingdom. Caspian was the true heir, and this spy mistress did everything in her power to see a bastard prince take the crown. By the blood of the gods Orrin would not let that happen, and with a slight scowl he turned back to the others to be filled in on what was to come...

@ anyone who is near and wishes to answer

 

[Dragonlord318]

Autumn Festival
Interactions: americanCaeser Heda
Mentions: FireMaiden Inheritance MarieK

- ARTHUR -​

The next events went by in a blur. Ivan approaching with multiple terrified assailants. The royals and Arya departing into various areas. Brom barreling through the tents.

Apparently no-one was injured since there was no response provided to his query. He scratched his neck at the royals' - and Arya's - complete ignoring of his presence. It really annoyed him. "Well, to be fair, I was hard on everyone to be more jovial and less stoic beforehand..." he muttered to himself. Apparently this was the gods' way of punishing him for his own ignorance of the safety of the people. He spat on the ground. Curses. I should've prepared the guard more and not been so focused on the celebration.

He shook his head of his own self-doubt. He was the de facto Guardian leader and he was going to act like it. "Nari," he said, "I trust you'll keep Yvette safe. Ivan," He turned to the brute, "Stay by Caspian's side. You!" He pointed at the guards who shackled the newfound prisoners. "Y-y-yes, sir Guardian?" one responded.

"The remaining Guardians and royals have the situation under control. It seems the majority of the fighting is over. We're taking these four to the castle for imprisonment and questioning."

"Y-yes sir Guardian!" Arthur motioned to the monks to follow him as they departed, prisoners in tow.

~~|||~~

Autumn Festival
Interactions: Office Worker Craig MarieK Tattletale ​

David had just finished sewing up Prince Renald and was wrapping his torso with bandages. For being a guardian and a messenger of the crown, the two that were with him were all but useless when it came to medical aide. That wasn't too surprising, though, as most fighters enjoyed seeing the blood of their enemies but had nary the stomach for seeing their comrade's blood on a scalpel.

"Alright," the monk said, "he should be safe to travel to the infirmary now. Your majesty, can you walk?"

Just then, Arthur walked by with his entourage. "Prince Renald!" he yelled. "Go on. I'll catch up," he said to the guards, then jogged over to the group, the three monks following. "What happened?" He saw the bandage around the prince's torso as David was helping put his tunic back on, and the cloth slowly becoming red wrapped around his hand. Arthur cringed even more. How? How did all this happen? He looked to the side as a lone tear tried making its way to the surface. but he shook it away. "Has anyone seen Roawn?"

 

[MarieK]

Interacts with: Yvette, Caspian and Orrin, Bran, Nari (Sorry, the tags weren't working.)

Arya​

Arya merely shook her head Bran's words. Clearly, he didn't recognize her and why would he? It had been a lifetime ago.

Smoothing a few rebellious wisps of hair back and out of her face, and adding to the soot that marred her face in the process, she said, "Your 'sitter' best keep an eye open for danger."


"What happened?!"

Arya turned to investigate the origin of words that were spoken more demanding than questioning, asserting authority where tragedy and need yet lingered. Her eyes landed on Orrin and the moment they landed on the man, she became acutely aware of how many people surrounded them. There wasn't one who could prevent her from murdering the man in cold blood. That she was sure of.

The more he spoke, the more she desired to unsheathe her last dagger and burry it within his heart.

But she withheld the urge, if only because she wanted to avoid being hung for treason. She needed proof of his crimes against her family and the only evidence she had was a memory, a claim made by her cruel aunt. The woman would never risk her reputation to accuse Orrin Evernight of causing her brother-in-law's death despite having to care for Arya in her youth.

For now, Arya would have to remain silent.

"The guardians were here defending the kingdom," Arya answered the man, stepping forward as she crossed her arms. "But I haven't seen a single Lakkari."

Well, at least she tried...

Her insolence was sure to strike a nerve, she only hoped it was Orrin's nerve and not Yvette's or Caspian's. Not that she would apologize for speaking out. Why would she? But they wouldn't know why she disliked him so much and she may come off as unreasonable or worse. Senses dull after the pain and stress of the day had taken its toll, she couldn't bring herself to worry over how her outspoken behavior was perceived. Roawn was gone.

Orrin probably lacked this information, but his questions and accusations were insulting to Roawn's death and the Guard. She wouldn't simply stand by and let him throw around misplaced accusations when each wafted in the air- and her heart- as densely as the smoke.

~

Interacts with: Arthur and David, Seth, Prince Renald

Leah​

Leah kept by Seth's side watching for danger as David assisted Prince Renald. Externally, the woman remained composed and unmoved by the relentless worry that spun an anxious web around her heart. The arachnid of fear had claimed her heart as its lunch and she lacked the knife to free it from its prison. No one knew. No one knew that she had fought that day, violating the terms of her employment. If she could keep her head low, maybe she could make it back home without ever being found out.

As if the ears of fate had inclined themselves toward her thoughts, Arthur materialized from the smoke. Leah avoided looking at him as she shrugged nonchalantly.

"Prince Renald was wounded and David is assisting him," she said, stating the obvious to avoid drawing unwanted attention to herself and allowing room for the Prince to explain the wound for himself.

"You!" A woman pointed a bony finger at Leah as she stumbled to Arthur's side, gripping his arm as her legs swayed precariously. "It was you! This woman saved my child and I during the battle. Those feinds attack our merchant cart and she stopped them with her arrows."

Leah nearly collapsed. The truth was out.

The woman rushed to Leah and pulled her into a tight hug. Peering over the woman's shoulder, Leah looked to Arthur. There was no regret or apology in her gaze, only acceptance of he had to do. The agreement had been that she could work for the Guard as long as she never fought again, but she had broken her vow that day. Since she wasn't a guardian, there wouldn't be a counsel meeting or chance to defend her innocence. Arthur was free to fire her on the spot.

The woman murmured her thanks through tearful sniffles as she scurried away, leaving Leah to deal with the repercussions, not knowing her gratitude was about to strip her savior of her very reason for breathing.

 

[MarieK]

Collab between Inheritance and MarieK

Caspian:

He knew the glint of the familiar armor just as well as he knew he familiar limp. He didn't need to see the Crimson Griffin on the Lakkari's armor for him to know that Orrin was coming to the fairground. Caspian could hear Barron's panic and worry turning into condescending annoyance, and Caspian was hit with a pang of guilt that he and the Guardians were unable to protect the festival.

"Marauders and raiders. I'm not sure who ordered it, but they didn't seem to attack with much organization. I suspect-" He was cut off as Arya addressed Orrin. Caspian was surprised to hear the bitter resentment, if not anger, in Arya's tone; her defense turning into accusation against the Lakkari. Before Caspian could address it, Orrin spoke.


Orrin:

Of course it would be Arya that called him out. Of course she would be the one to oppose him. On the list of people in the kingdom that could spell disaster for Caspian's right to rule, Arya was near the top. He remembered her protests to the Guardians suggesting he become a royal advisor, and he remembered her hissing a completely unwarranted warning to him. She didn't like him, if not hated him; and while only the gods knew why this was the case Orrin knew she would take it out on Caspian, and had warned Caspian of her early on.

"Why Arya, I expected someone with your level of training could handle simple security without the help of my elite. If you had been here 'defending the kingdom', as you say, I wouldn't be staring at a burning festival, would I?" He took a step forward, meeting her eye. His Lakkari stood firm, ready to break up any fight that broke out. "If the Guardians lack the talent and capability to defend the kingdom, please tell me now. I would be glad to employ Lakkari to oversee the Guardians for the well being of the Kingdom. I suppose I have expected too much from the Guard; it is unwise to assume the skillset of the Guards to be on par to the ones I knew when I stood with them."

His eyes and tone betrayed no hint of mockery, and while disrespectful in word there was no inkling of insult in his voice or face. How dare she speak to him as such, and in front of the Prince no less! He continued to hold her gaze, hoping to anger her into saying something else. If the Prince could see her madness here and now, perhaps he could rid the kingdom of a terrible threat on this very day.


Arya:

The serpent's speech slithered down the vertebrae of her spine, increasing the rage that burned her veins. Orrin was nothing but a deceiving snake from the bowels of hell itself.

As infuriating as his words were, it was nothing compared to the nonchalance that resided in his expression as he addressed her as if berating an insolent child that had been caught stealing a loaf of bread.

Right was on her side, but the prince would not be swayed by enraged accusations. She would have to refrain from revealing how deep and thick her anger truly was.

Clenching her teeth, her jaw muscle flexed beneath the pale flesh.

"And what is your history with ambushes? Is it bloodless?" Her lips framed a smile, but it was cold and unamused. "Mayhap, the Lakkari would have been of some use had they actually been here to assist. As it was only the guardians- and few at that- were here when the fight began."

She raised her chin a fraction of an inch and shifted her stance to include Caspian in on their conversation. "The royals are still alive, the fire mostly stopped, and we have captured some of those responsible for the attack."

"And only one of ours died." Arya's voice cracked slightly, but her gaze was dry and steady as it returned to Orrin.

Orrin:

And what about your history with ambushes? Is it bloodless?

A terrible rage stormed through him, one that he hadn't felt in a while. He felt his casual demeanor slip-if only for a second- to reveal a vast and terrible anger. His jaw clenched, his eyes widened with outrage; and perhaps he would have spoken out had the prince hadn't been there. As he regained his composure, he realized he had also succeeded at angering her. Perhaps he could trigger her again.

"Yes, trusting the Guardians to handle something as important as the Royal's safety was a mistake; one I will not duplicate." He answered with the same condescending tone. "It is good that Prince Caspian and his siblings are all in one piece. I shall escort them to the palace where they are safe, my Lakkari will be able to guard them."

Of course, the Guard had just proven to him that they were not strong enough to defend the royals. The most important people in the kingdom, almost killed! Several soldiers and even a Guardian dead- it was clear to him that the Guardians were crumbling.

"Arya, send the prisoners up to the dungeons for my men to question him. You and the rest of the Guard can oversee the cleanup of this mess...I trust you can at least do that without disaster?" There was a small smile and a sinister look in his eye for a half second; then it was back to the same condescending glare.

He knew what he was doing- he was a linguist above all else. Treating Arya like a common servant or soldier, implying the Guardians weren't talented enough to protect the royals; all of this would lower Caspian's faith in them. It was an unfortunate necessity, the Guardian were failing, and only Orrin and the Lakkari could save the kingdom.

Arya:

Her words struck a chord and she was permitted a brief glance beyond the facade he donned where an ocean of indignation resided.

How long had he clung to it? Years? Decades?

Her anger faded at the window view of a soul wrought with rage. It was then she relinquished the malice she felt for the man. Someday, she would see him brought to justice-whether at the end of her sword or the executioner's- but she couldn't afford the price of her soul in the process.

"I'm afraid they hold the decision of whom they allow to guard them. Neither do I answer to you. And if you ou wanted prisoners to question, you should have arrived earlier."

There was no blatant disrespect in her voice. She spoke matter-of-factly.

Arya glanced to Yvette, then to Caspian, waiting for them to verbalize their desires. Even then, she would have to play the boardgame of politics they all teetered on, carefully. She could not outright choose to align herself under their rule without risking her future in the Guard. Neither could she refuse their authority.

Arya only hoped they recognized the position she was in and did not take offense at her choice of words or lack thereof.

Caspian:

It didn't take a genius to see the obvious, and very intense loathing for each other. Caspian had always known that Orrin had no love for Arya, but even though his advisor appeared composed and even there was a second where pure, unmarked rage was shown in his eyes. It alarmed Caspian, as he had never known Orrin to lose his cool.

He was stunned into silence for a time, before both of them turned to him to make a decision. It seemed Orrin wanted to take them back to the Palace and let the Guardians clean up what remained of the mess, and Arya didn't want to be ordered around by Orrin (rightfully so, as he was not royalty).

He paused to think. He would have liked to help fix things and make sure there was nobody injured, but he wanted to figure out who was behind this attack. On top of this Arya wanted him to find out about the Guardian Stone, something that still sent his mind spinning. After thinking for a moment, he spoke.

"Orrin is right… the prisoners need to be brought to the dungeons for questioning. We need to figure out where this attack came from. Yvette, could you direct the cleanup of this place? The people need someone who can command them." He turned to Arya and Orrin. "Arya and myself can interrogate the prisoner to get information; Orrin you are free to join us."

He felt he had handled it well, giving all parties a chance to do what was best for the kingdom. His mind was still racing about all that had happened though; Who was behind these attacks? Was Orrin right, were the Guardians failing? Perhaps more Lakkari could be trained to help the Guardians if they really did need more help.

When Orrin had first pitched the idea of the Lakkari, Caspian was skeptical. He didn't see the need for them, as the Guardians were there for the same reason. Orrin had insisted though, and as a compromise Caspian had only allowed for fifty total Lakkari to be trained. But now, with more enemies and the lack of capability of the Guardians it was perhaps time for fifty more. He would need to talk to both Orrin and Arya privately, but right now they had a job to do.

Arya:

She didn't know how right Orrin was, but she was thankful he would not be in charge of interrogating the prisoners. This way she could discover the truth for herself without having to trust Orrin to relay his findings accurately. Not that he would lie to Caspian, he had little reason to, but it was doubtful he would surrender information to the Guard willingly.

Arya inclined her head, agreeing to arrangement.

Caspian had the wisdom to lead, that much was obvious, but she worried that he lacked the confidence needed to assert his authority. Could he not see the weight his words carried? People would serve him and do so willingly, but not if he did not believe he could lead. He would be susceptible to being manipulated or having his leadership undermined.

It simply did not bode well for the kingdom to have an insecure king.

But how could she make him see that he was the proper king without openly choosing a royal?

"Are you ready, Your Royal Highness?" she asked, Caspian, wiping the sweat from her brow.

An emotion akin to worry flashed across her gaze before she could think to stifle it. She was worried. Orrin was not trustworthy and he intended on surrounding the royals with the men he had trained. Which begged the question: Were they loyal to him or the crown?

"If I may," Arya said, shifting her feet and shoulders toward Caspian and away from the others. "I'd like to suggest that the prince consider keeping some guardians at the castle. It would be wise since the Lakkari, however well-trained, are not magically inclined."

She shrugged, glancing at Yvette and silently imploring the two royals nearest to her to trust her. "Your Highness was already planning on staying at the Guard's home. Perhaps, it would be better and more comfortable for Yvette to stay at home and have guardians there."

"And the Lakkari and the Guard would better serve the kingdom by operating as one."

It would also give her the chance to keep an eye on Orrin and find out more about the stone.


Orrin:

He couldn't believe his ears. How dare this ignorant welp speak to him in such a manor! He silenced himself as he heard Caspian speak, confident the right decision would be made. He had trained Caspian well, and at this point the prince should know that Arya was nothing but-

Arya and I will interrogate the prisoners…

By the gods, Caspian was a moron. Had he not listened to him?! Orrin gritted his teeth but remained impassive. He would deal with this later. Right now, he needed to wipe all thoughts of replacing his Lakkari with Guardians from the princling's mind.

"Sire, there's simply no need to waste man power! I would think a strategist like Arya would know that! We are dealing with a crisis, and we need to be as efficient as possible." With a dark look at Arya, he continued. "She is too young and inexperienced to know what it's like to lead an army; you should trust placement of troops to me."

He took a step back towards his Lakkari. "Caspian, you're extremely talented, and I know you'll do an excellent job getting the information we need. You're surrounded by enemies on all sides, your Highness, but I'm not one of them."

Arya was good, great even. She had already weasled her way into Caspian's thoughts and dug her claws…but Orrin would pry them out one by one.


Arya:

The verbal sparring was getting old. Her fingers itched to find a weapon and challenge the man to a fight and be done with it, but it would reflect poorly on her behalf.

Arya was not a woman who enjoyed arguments. She found them tedious and monotonous. Maybe, that was why she fared terribly in relationships and had few close friends if any now that Roawn was gone.

But the way he spoke the last sentence in particular set her on edge. She never said she wanted to lead anything because she had no plans to. The thought of it was as appalling as kissing a frog just to turn him into a prince like out of the old fairytale her father had told at bedtime when she was young and still had the naivety to dream about such fantasies. It would take a princess to turn the creature back into a prince which she was not. Neither was she inclined to go around kissing frogs or leading armies.

What she wanted was peace. If Orrin asserted himself into a position of power where he controlled the Lakkari and the Guard, she would have to challenge him for the job.

Not that she was opposed to fighting the man. Not at all.

"Orrin is correct," she interjected, surprising even herself. "I do not know what it takes to lead an army. How could I? But the Prince knows the Guard is its own sect and we are not to be controlled or led by anyone but ourselves. This is for the kingdom's best interests, not our own or the crown's."

It wasn't necessarily a good thing to remind any royal of the limits of their rule, but it was basic knowledge. The first king had paid in blood the right for the people to have its own warriors. Too much power for one individual was poisonous.

Her gaze shifted back to Orrin as the thought entered her mind. She recalled her father's words of warning with a sense of foreboding.

'A divisive spirit is not to be trusted.'

She had to tread carefully, given she had already ambushed Caspian and held him at swordpoint. How could she make him see that she was not his enemy?

She couldn't.

Arya searched Caspian's face, trying to discern the thoughts waging in his mind. Instead of attempting to dissuade or manipulate him like Orrin was doing, she merely folded her arms and waited for the Prince to make a decision.

She had trusted him, but it was his turn to decide whether to extend a measure of confidence in return.



[End of Scene One]​

 

[FireMaiden]

This is a collab between FireMaiden Rumble Fish Togy TheMightyRedLemon
Mentioned: Inheritance (Caspian/Orrin) MarieK (Ayra)​

Neither of her hands were clean. Figuratively and literally, dirt and blood covered her palms. Yvette seemed to be a million miles away, the cleanest of her hand pressed against the side of her neck. That dagger hadn't done much damage, but cut her enough to cause a decent bit of bleeding. Her blood slowly rolled down her neck, soaking into her shirt and pushing through her fingers. Yvette's eyes locked on the man she had killed...she only snapped out of the trance when Tako spoke. The young woman jumped just a little, attention snapping to him. "Yeah, yeah, I'm...I'm okay," The princess nodded, looking back down. It wasn't the first time she had hurt someone like this, and as of today, not the first time she killed. The first time intentionally perhaps. It was self defense of course, nobody would blame her.

"I'm glad you're here," She finally stated, turning to look at Tako and Kensue. Out of all the guardians, they were the two she was closest to. Tako helped her train, and had for pretty much the entire time he had been a guardian. And Kensue was...well, it was easy to befriend her. "The civilians are working on getting the fires, out I've been... I've been helping them," She said, coughing a few times. Her hand dropped from her neck as she did, pressing slightly into her ribs. Yvette might have been more injured than she originally thought, but that wasn't the focus right now. "Do either of you know how many of these assholes are still here?"

"Forty. Counting the dead, I mean. Alive? Five, six at most" Tako said, hand holding his Katana at his hip as he stood a little straighter.

"...Iz tha' counting me?" was the injured man's slurred groan in response.

Hissing a quick "Shut up!", he delivered a swift kick to the man's head, much to their annoyance.

Kensue nodded in agreement with Takoshi before holding up five fingers and pointing to the west, where she had seen some retreat. She looked back to Yvette and, seeing her hold her ribs and coughing, she made a worried expression as she pointed to the princess before bringing a hand to her head and then gesturing to her own body.

Yvette nodded. That was good to hear. Soon there would be none left, either dead of finally having fled. Hopefully they would take them into custody to get some answers. If not, the man Tako was standing on would definitely be taken. But her gaze shifted to Kensue when she started to gesture, Yvette chuckling a bit when she was done. "I'm okay. That bastard," She replied, pointing at the dead man, "Managed to graze my neck. Also tackled me which certainly does not help the fact was thrown into a building earlier... I'll have a doctor look over me when we return to the castle," She said, glancing around. The fires were certain dying down which made her feel better about leaving. Still, the princess wanted to remain until they were all out. "Are you two okay?"

"I'm no-"

Another kick to the man's head was rewarded with a pained grunt followed by silence.

Takoshi stretched out his arms, displaying his blood-soaked shirt and trousers. "Not a drop is mine. You?" Takoshi asked, turning towards Kensue.

Kensue blinked and was about to respond where there was a high pitched whizzz and the woman let out an "Aurgh!" as she suddenly gripped her arm, the fabric of her sleeve ripping and a freshly deep graze in her flesh as the arrow shot by. Turning her head, Kensue saw the attacker, one of the invaders trying to get the last word in before fleeing. The shock of being attacked coupled with Epona spooking at her rider's sudden yell caused the guardian to become unbalanced and fall from the saddle.

Kicking off of the man beneath him, Takoshi launched forward and barely managed to catch Kensue with the help of Yvette. Peeking over the top of Epona, Takoshi grimaced. "Ah. There's the sixth one."

As the invader turnd to retreat, a yell came from an alley near him as a dirty man in torn, shabby clothing charged him, holding a wooden bucket high over his head. "IM BRAN THE BUCKET KNIGHT!! FEAR MY MIGHT AND RUN IN FRIGHT AT MY SIGHT!" The homeless man screamed as he began to batter the fleeing warrior attop the head with the aforementioned bucket.

Yvette was faced with the split second decision of firing back, or diving to catch Kensue. The princess chose the latter, rushing forward with Tako to help him catch the other woman. Yvette would manage to catch one of her shoulders, stumbling a little before steading. "I can-" About to pint out her borrowed bow should have enough range to reach him, a screaming man bolted out from an alley and began to assault the attacker with...a bucket. "I...okay, that's...that's new," Yvette mumbled.

Takoshi watched dumbfounded as the beggar sprang from the shadows. He stared, silent, as they beat the man over the head with a bucket. Slowly, a smile formed on his lips, followed soon by short, quiet chuckles. His laughter grew in volume, becoming hysterical as he clutched his sides, bending over in amusement. The man bleeding from his knee began laughing too. Another kick shut him up. He'd...he'd never seen something like that before.

Calming down his laughter, barely holding it in Takoshi yelled "Ho! Sir Bucket!" before going into another uncontrollable fit of laughter.

Bran continued to bludgeon the poor intruder with his makeshift weapon while on top of him "ALL I WANTED WAS SOME BOOTS!! IS THAT SO MUCH TO ASK?!" He yelled in a tone than spoke to the sorrow of a man tired of walking barefoot on burning hot stone streets.

Kensue managed to get herself up, hissing through her teeth and gripping her arm. The guardian had gone quite pale and her body was stiff. While Kensue would typically cope with being attacked during a siege or a battle, being randomly assaulted brought back too many unsettling memories for the woman. She watched the man who was going to town with this bucket with wide eyes and a neutral expression. She was breathing shallowly and quickly through her nose. Epona was still unnerved by what happened, pawing the ground and flaring her nostrils in loud and flustered snorts.

Yvette glanced between Tako and the beggar, her hands on Kensue's back to help keep the older woman steady. She wasn't sure what the hell the man was doing, but his help was appreciated. Even if he hadn't meant to, you know, help. Yvette would make sure he got something for it, but for the moment she was doing her best to remain professional. Not to mention, it would hurt to laugh, her torso ached. "Uh...he-hello!" Yvette called out to him, stepping forward to put herself between the beggar and Kensue. "You can come take one of their books off of one of these two!" They didn't need them after all.

Coughing into his hand, Tako tried valiantly to regain a straight face. "Sorry, my apologies, just..." Tako trailed off, shrugging helplessly before attempting to act professionally once more.

"There's plenty of boots all around. Leather, Cloth, oh, those ones are fur" Takoshi said, staring at the boots of dead men in appreciation.

The homeless man stood up and dropped the bucket to the ground before turning to face the trio. "Hello there! I'm sorry, I'm not in the way am I?"

Kensue quickly narrowed her eyes and had to fight the urge to take a few steps back. Despite now not being in any condition to do so, she instead took a step forward despite holding her injured arm. While the man certainly seemed to be on their side given what he had just done, she could not be certain. And Yvette was injured more than she was. Kensue still had her knife hanging from her belt, which she kept a hand over. She turned to the princess, gesturing to her, then putting a finger to her temple before pointing to the stranger.

"No, actually, you took down the man who shot her," Yvette answered, gesturing back to Kensue breifly as she watched the beggar. Yvette couldn't tell if he knew what was going on, or if he was just having a good time, but he had been helpful regardless. So there was no need to be hostile toward him. Unless he gave them a reason of course. She could tell Kensue had shifted though, Yvette's gaze shifting to the woman. "He seems okay," The princess whispered back. "He did just beat down one of the attackers with...with a bucket."

"A good man will beat back your attacker, a great man will beat back your attacker with a bucket" Takoshi added, leaning towards the women.

The dark haired woman looked between the two and then back to the stranger. Still uncomfortable, she made a little waving gesture before retreating to the relative safety of Epona who had stood by all this time, mainly for reassurance. The mare stood stoically, watching the man more with an air of curiosity than fear. Her ears were up and forward and her head was lifted for a better look. Kensue just busied herself by checking her girth while watching the three from the corner of her eye.

Bran couldn't help but but noticed the way these people carried themselves. They were likely members of the guard, the beggar thought to himself. Except that one seemed to move with a bit more grace than the others. Bran lived his whole life watching people, and the way someone moved and carried themselves was usually a dead giveaway. She was definitely rich.

"Wonderful! It's a pleasure to meet you all, despite the uh.. unfortunatecircumstances. I am Bran." He said with a short but respectful bow.

"It's nice to meet you Bran," Yvette spoke, glancing to Kensue as she moved. Yvette was worried about her. Not only was the woman injured now, but something was definitely bothering her. And unfortunately, Kensue couldn't talk to them about was was wrong. Thank god that Epona was around to help keep the guardian calm. "Are you injured Bran?"

The Beggar began to laugh light heartedly at the question. "You. Are asking Me if I am hurt? When your neck bleeds?"

Kensue groaned as she turned back to her arm. The gash was deep, causing pain to shoot you her arm and into her shoulder. She kept herself half turned to the trio as they conversed. The man seemed harmless enough but Kensue felt like she couldn’t take any chances, especially after being attacked. She walked back to them, still holding her injured arm. Epona, like a big loyal dog followed her at a short distance, huffing and perking her ears up at the stranger who had helped her rider.

“Well, Sir Bucket, thank you for your... noble assistance” Takoshi spoke up, finding the beggar’s eccentricities just a little charming. Hell, once this was over with, he’d probably offer to buy the man a pair of boots.

Yvette's focus shifted again when Kensue groaned. The princess turned before answering the beggar, brows furrowed in concern as she moved to examine the woman the best she could with Epona in the way. "We should regroup with everyone else." With the fires mostly under control now, meaning that the civilians could get most of it. Yvette still wanted to help, but Kensue needed medical attention. Hell, Yvette herself needed medical attention. With a cough, the princess turned back to look at Bran. "I would like to thank you for your help. If you would join us, I can make sure you receive a fair reward." Whether that reward turned out to be money, a job, or a night in the castle where he didn't have to worry about a thing, they would see.

Kensue winced at being touched initially, causing Epona to huff and pin her ears at Yvette until Kensue made a sharp sound through her teeth and jabbed a finger into the side of the mare's nose as a reprimand. While she was uncomfortable with being touched, she knew the princess was trying to help. At being told to regroup, her brows furrowed anxiously and she shook her head lightly as she raised a hand, pointing to Yvette before raising her hand in a one-arm shrug.

Bran looked between the the three of them then looked back to Yvette. "Well it certainly seems safer to travel with the three of you." He said with a shrug. "I'll come with."

Kensue blinked and turned back to Yvette and Tako, gesturing to Bran with a worried expression.

"I'm coming with you," Yvette told Kensue, knowing the older woman would be worried about her. But she had nothing to fear. Yvette could handle herself, even when someone got the drop on her apperantly it was...well, Yvette was certainly proud of herself for that feat. Glancing to Bran as he spoke again, she nodded with a small smile before once more looking to Kensue. "Yes, absolutely. In the very least he deserves a hot meal for his help," She stated, moving to glance at the men who attacked her. With one dead and the other unconscious, someone should be by soon to pick them up. Someone needed to pick them up anyway, which was another reason to regroup with the others. She took a deep breath, clearing her throat before he began to lead Kensue, Tako, and Bran to the last place she had seen her older brother and Ayra.

When they arrived however, she hadn't expected to see Orrin and Ayra fighting, with Caspian stuck in the middle. Her lips pursed as her brows dropped, arms crossing in disappointment. "This is hardly the time for-" Yvette was cut off as Caspian spoke to her. The surprise was evident on her face, Caspian was no actually handing something off for her to handle? Logically, it made sense. He would be dealing with the backlash, trying to figure out who these attackers were and with Renald no where in sight...Yvette smiled nodding to Caspian. "Of course!" She sounded a little happier about that than she should have, but it was rare she could play such a major role. The princess then turned to her friends, focusing on Kensue and Tako. "You two, please return to the castle. Kensue, I want you to get that wound looked at immediately. Tako, keep an eye on my brothers please," She spoke, her hand moving up to redo her bun, Yvette wanting to keep her hair out of her face.

"Oh! And do take Bran with you," The princess added after a few moments as she moved past them to rejoin the civilians. She couldn't let them, or her brother down.

 

[Rumble Fish]

Mentions: FireMaiden Togy TheMightyRedLemon
Interactions: None but OPEN TO THEM

“Hold still please.” The medic spoke firmly as she gripped onto Kensue’s arm as she leant in to inspect it. Kensue could only look away back towards the princess, Takoshi and… Mr. Bucket? Kensue still found it hard to trust him. Granted, he had saved her from that invader who shot her but she could not afford to be too friendly. As the medic poked the wound, Kensue jumped a little and glared at her.

“Oh don’t give me that.” The medic growled, “Now I mean it. Hold still. This is going to have to be stitched closed.” Kensue just sighed and kept her gaze back on the trio. Epona had to be tethered elsewhere while this got done so the woman was left on her own. Without Epona’s presence, her mind began to wander elsewhere back to a place she never wanted to again but, still shaken from the random attack. Blinking, the guardian’s pale eyes seemed to glaze over in thought…

Kensue cowered, gripping her bleeding arm and staring upward at the cause of her injury. This huge, tree-trunk of a man towering above her, hand on a thick and hard cane. His black eyes glared down at her as if she had murdered his son.

“You pathetic swine,” He snarled through yellow teeth, “I give you food, I give you shelter and I took you in after your lily-livered weasel of a father abandoned you, and THIS is how you repay me!?”

“My father was not a weasel-!” The young girl shrieked as the cane was swung into her knees, causing her to drop to the floor in agony. Sykes knelt above her and grabbed her by the jaw, forcing her to look him in the face.

“Don’t talk back to me!!” He thundered furiously as if such an action was a personal insult to his honour.

“But-!” Skyes rose suddenly, slamming a kick right into her ribcage. Kensue howled and gripped her chest, curling into a ball but still staring Sykes down. Despite her knees being presumably broken, she forced herself to stand upright. Her skinny body shook but her glare was still hard despite her heart hammering against her damaged ribs.

There was a silence.

“…You hear that?” Sykes hissed. Kensue did not respond to this, afraid that if she did, she would receive an even worse attack, “This is what submission sounds like.” Kensue’s eyes widened as she felt her body crumple back onto the ground, her heart racing furiously, darting her eyes anxiously, praying for her father to burst through the door and rescue her. Where was he?

“Papa-?” she squeaked, almost too afraid to even do so. Syke’s brought the cane up high above his head.

“You will REMEMBER this!!” He roared, “AND OBEY!!!” The cane came down with the fury of a thousand men, which was the last thing Kensue could remember before it all became a blur of agony and threats that eventually slipped into darkness…

"Right, that's you." A voice jerked Kensue out of her trance. The medic was wrapping her wound in a bandage, "That wasn't so bad now, was it?" she added, sounding a lot friendlier than before. Kensue simply blinked, her eyes still a little vacant. She gave the medic a nod before getting up. Still a bit shaken, the guardian made her way back to the others. She decided to keep Epona where she was, wanting the mare to relax after the stress of the day.

 

[Inheritance]

Prince Caspian
​

With the assignments all filled, Caspian made his way up to the dungeons with Arya. He had a lot to think about. Had he handled the situation well? What would interrogating this prisoner lead to? And what in the world was the problem between Arya and Orrin? The way they were at each other's throats; the venom dripping from each of their words was recognizable by even the simplest of men. He would ask about it later, but at the moment there was a job to do. With a nod to Arya they walked up to the dungeons to decipher who was behind this terrible attack...

Orrin Evernight
​

Orrin tried to muster up as much dignity as he could while storming up the stairs, painfully grimacing as his bad leg caused pain to shoot through his leg. How dare Caspian completely undermine him like that? Didn't he understand Arya's intent?! She just wanted to drive a wedge between them for her own personal gain! The young whelp would be fall victim to her like sheep to a lion, and Orrin knew he was the only thing stopping it.

But this new strain of ignorance demonstrated by Caspian was as infuriating as it was stupid. He would be playing right into her hands now, vulnerable to whatever lies and plots she would be planting in his susceptible head. He had to stop it...but now was not the time. Right now he would only drive him closer to her if he protested, so with a stiff bow he had exited; already plotting his next move. Caspian would interrogate the prisoner then report back to him, that was certain. After that he could straighten him out and try to clear whatever lies Arya had told him. Until then...


Orrin walked through the door at the left of the throne room, trying to hurry through his limp. He needed to speak with Alixaviah immediately; his plans to commission more Lakkari would need to be run by her so she could prepare the trainers. He would ask Caspian to allow the training and deployment of one hundred new Lakkari- tripling their current numbers. Of course, Orrin had already begun training these Lakkari soldiers several months before; the lakkari training took quite a long time and he needed the troops to be well prepared. Nobody was better equipped to handle the one hundred new active Lakkari better than Alixaviah, and she would then have the task of selecting 100 more recruits to begin their training. Making sure the door was closed behind him, Orrin moved through the maze of hallways until he got to one such area that had a torch seemingly out of place. With a quick switch the back wall opened up, and down Orrin went into the catacombs beneath the palace.

After getting through some of the Catacombs, his own Lakkari close behind, he got to the secret headquarters of the Lakkari. Only a select few people were allowed in here, and he hoped Alixaviah would not be late for their meeting. He hated tardiness...

TheMightyRedLemon

 

[Inheritance]

Brom Beararm
​

What carnage...what destruction. What cowards would do such a thing? Attacking a festival, a place of cheer and laugher, was one thing, but attacking civilians and murdering women and children was another. This whole thing was terrible, and worse yet Brom wasn't sure who to look to for guidance and direction. The elder guardian that he had fought could perhaps do it, but at the moment he wasn't sure who was alive or dead or active. He had heard shouts and cries, rumors of a guardian dying, but he hadn't believed it until he saw the corpse for himself. The sense of despair that had filled him then and haunted him now was numbing, and he did not know what to do.

He trudged towards the medicine tent, not knowing what he was looking for. He had rounded up prisoners and helped put out the fires...all there was to do now was pick up the pieces. Yvette had done a good job cleaning up the mess, and though Caspian had ordered her to oversee it he left to the palace as soon as the order was given. That's not what a "prince of the people" should do. There was much to think about, and Brom had never considered himself a very think-hard person. His brains were in his arms and his hammer, not philosophy and leadership.

He pushed his way into the First Aid Tent, eyes down and mind full of dark thoughts...but as he did so, he felt the hard presence of another body, and he jumped back in surprise.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going, ma'am." He stammered, focusing in on her. "I'm Brom." He said stupidly.

Rumble Fish

 

[FireMaiden]

Princess Yvette
Location:
The City
Interaction:
Open
Mentioned:
Rumble Fish (Kensue) Inheritance (Brom/Caspian) Dragonlord318 (David)​

With the flames now mostly under control, a majority of the buildings and stalls just smoldering, Yvette could finally direct the recovery efforts to other fields. "Be careful making your way through the houses," She called out to the group of civilians she was working with. "No doubt they'll be unstable!" Half of them were scouring the buildings for supplies and family memories that maybe survived the fires. Yvette couldn't blame them, in their shoes she would do the same thing. The other half of the group was focused on the supplies Yvette ordered be brought in. The medical tent was already set up for those who were injured, but the rest of the supplies were going to be put toward temporary housing, a collection of tents for the displaced while their homes were rebuilt. Yvette stood behind one of the blacksmiths, a large cart holding a number of boxes of food, medical supplies, and things to make the tents. The blacksmith was handed one of these boxes, grunting a bit as he shifted to handle the weight before he stepped away and Yvette stepped up.

"Oh! Your highness!" One of the men handing down supplies spoke, the surprise evident in his voice. "These are really heavy, I'm sure the men can handle it," He added, trailing off suddenly as the other man hit him.

"Just give her one of the boxes," He spoke, glaring at his younger comrade. Yvette just stood there, sighing a little.

"But-"

"She can handle it, I promise," The older man reiterated, the younger one furrowing his brows before sighing and nodding. Grabbing the side of one of the crates with a bunch of tools in it, he and the other man slowly handed it down to the princess who took it with little issues. She had to take a moment, readjusting her grip on it before smiling and walking off. The younger one seemed rather surprised, the older one just chuckling as Yvette carried the crate over to a small clearing near the river where the tents were being put up. No sooner did she sit the crate down, a woman wearing a white uniform, the trims the kingdom's colors approached her.

"Your highness," The woman bowed, Yvette turning to look at her.

"I know, I know, I should visit the doctors, but I don't have the time now," Yvette spoke. The gash on her neck was still bleeding but it had slowed greatly, the blood surrounding it and on her collar already mostly dried. Not to mention the dull ache slowly setting into her muscles and bones. But Caspian had left her in charge and Yvette wouldn't let him down. She turned slightly, expecting the nurse to leave her alone now but instead the woman cleared her throat.

"No, milady, that's not what I am here for. While I do believe you should take care of yourself...I cannot find Prince Caspian and... it's about Renald. Would you please come with me?" She spoke, wringing her hands together against her chest. Yvette felt a chill run down her spine, immediately nodding and gesturing for the woman to lead on. The nurse would guide Yvette to the main medical tent, past Kensue and the man she was taking with, and to the back corner. Laying on a plush mat was Renald. Labored, shallow breath, sweating profusely, he looked incredibly pale. Yvette moved, shifting to sit next to him, Renald weakly reached out. Yvette took his hand, squeezing it.

"I'm right here Renald, don't worry," She spoke gently, barley getting a squeeze in return. "What...what happened?"

"He was stabbed by one of the attackers, one of the guardians saved him, David I believe," The nurse spoke, taking a moment to pice together what she wanted to say. "The wound became infected, perhaps because of the smoke and debris from the fires or maybe-"

"His murderers weapon was poisoned," Yvette remarked bitterly.

"...perhaps, yes. In any case, we have done what we can for him, he...does not have much time." It seemed now that prince Caspian would be getting the throne after all. Renald was already too far gone, the guardian's healers couldn't get there in time. Tears threatened to spill over Yvette's cheeks, but with Renald whispering something, something the Princess couldn't make out, the young woman just chuckled.

"I'm not crying, I'm not," She replied, the corners of Renald's lips curling just a little. He wasn't dumb. Neither was she. The nurse stood in silence as the siblings held hands, Yvette doing her best to keep her shoulders from shaking. A few minutes of silence would pass before Yvette took a deep breath. A shaking hand stretched out, gently pressing two fingers against the side of his neck. "He's..." Yvette started, taking a deep breath as her hand moved to close his eyes before she leaned over and gently kissed his forehead. "He's gone," the princess spoke, placing his hand down over his chest. Yvette sat there for a few moments, before she slowly rose to her feet. "Have someone take his body to the castle. We will...we will bury him soon," She said, looking to the nurse who nodded. "I must continue helping the civilians. Please, carry on." The nurse nodded again, bowing respectfully as Yvette turned to leave.

It felt...odd. The princess wanted to cry, to scream, to go and find the man who killed Renald. But at the same time, perhaps this would put an end to some of the fighting. Caspian was the only prince left now. Maybe that would help some of the people relax. Yvette stopped breifly when she saw something out of the corner of her eye, one of the injured reaching out. Yvette moved to stop down next to him. "Can I help?"

"T-thirsty..." The man struggled, Yvette nodding and reaching for a water skin next to him. She shifted, gentle lifting his head so he could take a few slow sips. When he was finished, he pulled away some and Yvette gentle laid his head back down. "Thank...thank you." Yvette nodded with a soft smile, standing up so he could finally leave the tent. In most cases, she may have stayed in there to help but for now... she'd leave it to the nurses. Yvette would say nothing to the guardians present, passing them to rejoin the large group of civilians near the river.

 

[Rumble Fish]

Mentions: FireMaiden
Interactions: Inheritance

Kensue was still in her own thoughts as Brom entered the tent, bumping her shoulder. Kensue let out a grunt as it had been her freshly bandaged arm that had been hit. She gripped it, scrunching her nose and squeezing her eyes shut with a closed-mouth snarl of pain. Turning to face the man, her steely face softened as he seemed embarrassed for bumping into her. Her eyes scanned him up and down as he introduced himself. With a roll of her shoulders to express her dissatisfaction with the interaction, she took a hand and ran it down her other bicep; creating a sign for him. She hadn’t met this man before, but given his aura and how he spoke, he seemed trustworthy. He also appeared to be disparaging over the sad affairs of the day, something Kensue could understand, having felt the same. To introduce herself, she rolled up her sleeve to reveal a silver bracelet- a gift from her father. Her name was engraved on it so she presented it to Brom.

“Miss- woah easy there! Miss Kensue- Quit pulling you nag!” Another voice called out, accompanied by the frantic clopping of dinner-plate wide hooves on the cobbles. Kensue turned to see a stable hand, struggling to lead a very determined Epona. Or was she leading him? Epona was storming forward, dragging him behind her, “I’m sorry ma’am she-stop it! She broke from her tether!” Kensue approached the man, taking the rope from his hand and patting her chest twice, thanking him before turning to Epona. Epona, now quite pleased to be reunited with her mistress chuffed and fluttered her nostrils happily.

Kensue chuckled and wiggled the mare’s muzzle playfully and Epona reached her snout up and started nibbling on the woman’s hair- a mutual gesture between them. She turned back to Brom, as Epona had flicked her ears and was studying him with her big hazel eyes. Kensue, suddenly a bit more lively, gestured to the little gold plaque on the mare’s head collar with her name branded onto it. She made a fist and held it out before moving it to Epona’s nose to sniff- inviting him to greet the mare in the polite manner. But her mood was changed as she spotted the princess Yvette and she looked terrible as if she had heard something terrible. She reached a hand out towards the princess as she went past but she continued walking. Her brows furrowed, Kensue bit her lip and turned to Brom. She tilted her head towards Yvette and the crowd of civilians, inviting him to join her. Now that she had been patched up, she could go back on duty, even though Epona had been untacked Kensue would have little issue with that. The guardian was just as versed in bareback riding.

 

[TheMightyRedLemon]

Captain Alixaviah Njorvid
Location: Var, Catacombs

Moisture dripped at uneven intervals down from the ceiling of the catacombs, nearly overshadowed by a cacophony of sound emanating from deeper below. Screams and battle cries rang out from the deepest depths as Lakkari soldiers trained, earning this place it's nickname "The Halls of Hell". The further down one goes the more the noises become less like the screams and yells of the damned and more like the training of an army. Metal clashed and pounded against metal and shouts rang out from the grand room used for training. Many stood paired off and sparing, throwing fierce attacks and dodging out of the way in quick succession. To the outside eye it seemed they were attempting to murder one another, though this was simply how intense their training was. If they couldn't hold up to this level of combat training, then the Lakkari Order had no need for them.


A fully armored behemoth of a figure stood at the side and watched the men as they fought, studying every movement and every flaw. Standing a good bit above everyone else in the room, they had the best view of each training pair. The roar of clashing steel overshadowed the sound of footfall as a young woman entered the room and stopped in front of the hulking mass of armor, giving a respectful salute. "Captain Njorvid, Lord Orrin has returned to the Catacombs."


The armored giant nodded at the young woman and raised her hand above her head, causing every man in the room to stop and scramble into formation, giving the same salute as the messenger. "Dismissed" a booming voice commanded as the giant returned the gesture. Then the hulking figure turned and exited the room, needing to duck under the archway slightly. With a brisk pace that rang out loudly with the amount of armor on their body, the Captain of the Lakkari marched towards the meeting hall. Lord Orrin had scheduled a meeting with her upon his return, and Alixaviah was not going to be late getting there. She already had a hard enough time moving through the deepest parts of the catacombs, what with the lower ceilings, but she knew at least he would be coming in through his usual entrance. This gave her plenty of time to get to the room in question. Once she was inside, she sighed in relief and straightened her back. This room, maker blessed, was big enough to accommodate her size a little more comfortably.

Mentions: Inheritance - Orrin