Of Shadows and Swords (Chiarra)

((Going away for a bit))


Melody's eyes widened with fright when she saw what Lucius could do. She had never heard or seen such a thing due to her sheltered life. It scared her and she cowered away from both the men and Lucius and his shadows. They terrified her.
 
Lucius did his best not to kill anyone, simply taking their weapons and tossing them about until they either fell unconscious, fled, or just gave up. It was difficult, manipulating so many arms with no recent practice in the art of it. He hadn't practiced anything so big in a long time. When it was over and all had gone, the ones that could stand dragging their companions away, Lucius let the shadows fade and stood breathing heavily for a moment or two, trying to wait until the visual effects of it faded before turning back to Melody. She was cowering against the building, and when he reached for her she flinched even further into it, causing him to draw quickly back. . . He'd always known he would be treated like this. He'd just been hiding it so long that he hadn't really had any opportunity to feel it. It hurt more than he'd expected it to.
 
He manipulated the shadows, not killing anyone, just knocking them out and scaring them. But...the shadows were....touching and grabbing things and...that was what terrified her. It wasn't normal. She flinched away from him as he reached out to her. She knew he was only protecting her but...she wondered if she had to be afraid of more than just Archer now. "How...did you do that?" she asked him.
 
Lucius frowned a little, backing slowly away a couple more steps before just crouching low on the ground, trying to make a less threatening appearance. As down-hearted as he had just become, it wasn't difficult. ". . . There isn't really a how. . ." He said finally, voice low and senses alert for any more attacks. "I was born with it." He shrugged and sighed. "It's just what I am."
 
She watched as he backed away from her some and crouched low. "And...what are you?" she asked relaxing a little but still on edge. "I've...never heard of such a thing before."
 
He looked at the ground, arms crossed over his knees, and debated with himself what to tell her. ". . . My people were once called Black Ravens." He said, quietly, reminiscently. "But now we're just demons and monsters. You haven't heard of us . . . because we're hunted." Like animals, tracked down and killed without trial for any hint of shadow manipulation. "We do our best to stay very well hidden." He'd been lucky, having a prestigous job like protecting the princess back at the castle, even though now he was a fugitive, and that had all been because Aaric had been kind enough to take him in. He was one of the few lucky ones that got to blend in and have a life that wasn't just running. Well, until now, anyway.
 
She took in what he said and thought about it and compared it to what she knew of him before. She relaxed then, knowing he wouldn't hurt her and if he wanted to would have already. "You aren't a monster," she said. "I was afraid at first, I still am, but only because I don't fully understand this. I know you won't hurt me though and if you are being hunted we should get out of here quickly since those men know what you are and no doubt have gone to someone about it." She stood up and slowly walked over to him, holding her hand out to him to help him up.
 
He winced a little, having thought of it already but not really liking hearing it out loud, and took her hand as he stood. He didn't need help up, but the gesture was kind, showing that she wasn't too afraid to touch him, at least. "We should find Archer." He said, but at that moment he heard the hooves of a horse and Archer came riding up on their steed.


"No need," He said, shrugging and getting down. "I came upon you a few minutes ago and thought it was probably best we leave."


Lucius frowned at him. "You didn't think to help?"


Archer just shrugged, hands held high up in helplessness. "And what was I supposed to do?" Lucius had to admit it was a fair question. He was actually glad Archer hadn't stepped in. He wouldn't have killed them, really, but he would've done much more serious damage than Lucius had.
 
Archer came riding in as soon as Lucius mentioned going to find him. She didn't get into the argument about him not getting into the fight to help, but did immediately climb onto the horse. "If only we had another horse," Melody piped in. They could get away so much faster.
 
Lucius shook his head and just started walking, quickly but at a measured pace. "It's fine. Once they finally gather themselves back together, check injuries, figure out who to talk to and finally tell them, we'll have plenty of time to be long gone."


Archer just nodded, smiling a little to himself. "After they've finished wetting their pants, though."
 
She followed after them, listening to what Lucius and Archer had to say. "Still," she said. "It's not fair for you guys to walk all the time." She was silent after that, pretty much already hearing what he was going to say before he said it. Something along the lines of he was used to it and what not.
 
Lucius shrugged and Archer just looked up at her. "How do you think I get around all the time? Horses aren't exactly conspicuous when you're trying to be stealthy. One horse is trouble enough."
 
She simply just sighed and said nothing then. Though, she did look over at Lucius occasionally, trying to figure him out and wonder what he was thinking.
 
It was late, very late, when they left town, but they couldn't stop for anything. They were all tired, Lucius knew, but needed to keep going, so he kept himself from getting too foggy. "You know what this means?" He asked, looking at Archer and moving over to stand next to him when Archer only gave him a questioning look. "I can do this now." He said, whipping the back of Archer's right leg with a thin tendril of black in the dark.


Archer yelped at it and hopped away, swinging a hand back and hitting Lucius' shoulder but laughing anyway. "Cheater! That's just not fair!"
 
Melody also gave him a questioning look, but a more sleepy one because she was really tired. She tried to stay up though and she wasn't complaining about it. She looked over when Lucius spoke and then Archer called him a cheater. It took a few minutes, being sleepy, but she realized what he must have done. "Lucius..." she started, a bit nervous and yawning. "What else can you do with the shadows?" 
((Goodnight))
 
((Night :) ))


Lucius paused, wincing slightly in the darkness, and shrugged a little. "A few things. I haven't really gotten to practice much, over the years. . . Too much chance of being caught." Not only had he not wanted to die like his parents, he hadn't wanted to get Aaric in trouble for harboring him, either.
 
((Not going to be on for a while))


She listened to him and nodded softly. She was really tired, she felt like she was going to fall over. In fact, she did, her eyes closed and she slumped on the horse before she slid and started to fall. She woke up and tried to stop herself...
 
((Apparently neither was I xD ))


Lucius looked up with a startled little sound when he heard Melody beginning to slide off the saddle. He reached up and caught her with his hands beneath her back, frowning a bit before just shoving her back up into a sit. "Lean against her head and neck," He instructed, patting the horse's side. "I'll keep you from falling."
 
((Lol ^_^ and still not on, just came on to check some things ^_^ ))


Lucius caught her and she clung to him for dear life as he shoved her back into her seat. "Tha..." She stopped herself, remembering what he had told her and just nodded with a yawn. She leaned against the horses head and neck, closing her eyes and trusting Lucius to not let her fall.
 
Lucius waited for her to start drifting again, then just wrapped a shadow around her shoulders and back, to shield her a bit from the cold and to keep her from falling off. She wouldn't feel eerie, as Archer always liked to complain. It was just a faint weight, like a thin blanket, and would keep her secure. He hoped it was all right, so she could sleep while they traveled.
 
((Still away))


When she started drifting, she felt something like a blanket put around her and she huddled underneath it and kept it snuggled around her as she started to fall into a deeper sleep. She moaned a bit in her sleep like she normally did, but was soon quiet once more.
 
Lucius kept the shadow around her as they walked until the sun started to rise. When that happened, they moved away from the main road to where they were hidden, and Lucius got rid of the shadow, carefully waking Melody. "Wake up, princess," He said quietly. "We'll stop here and sleep for a little longer."
 
She groaned as he started to wake her up and she blinked at him, yawning. "You don't have to call me princess," she told him groggily. "Remember? And it would probably be safer anyways." She got off the horse though...well really rolled off the horse considering how sleepy she still was, but she still clumsily landed on her feet. "I don't want you getting into any more trouble." She laid down on the ground then and started to close her eyes. The ground wasn't very comfortable, but...it was what she had.
 
Once the horse was tied, Lucius and Archer settled against the same tree near Melody, leaning companionably against one another's shoulders because their fights never lasted long. "Go to sleep." Lucius said, closing his own eyes and intending to do the very same. ". . . Melody."
 
There was no need to tell her to go to sleep, for she already was. When she woke up, her back was stiff and sore and she stretched, trying to get it less stiff. She sat there then, waiting for the others to get up and then an idea hit her. They still had the food that Archer and gotten and she grabbed it and sat down next to them quietly, waiting for them to wake up.
 
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