Take Back the Crown

Valeiah had made her way up into a tree as well. She used to climb in the trees with her older sister, but smaller ones, since she had been learning how to climb. She took a shallow breath. She had been with her sister when the cannibals came, and she was teaching her sister how to heal. Since she was one of the more talented in her tribe, she was given the duty to teach everyone. It was difficult, but rewarding. Her sister had never been much good at it. They would trade off teaching each other.


(I'm not sure if I've already mentioned her sister as younger, but if I have just pretend I said older lol)
 
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Through out the night, the brave companions took turns keeping watch in the cold. It eventually came upon Svetlana who was woken up by a groggy comrade. She chuckled, and had to help them into their bed they were so tired (it was apparent they were not night owls). The old woman had no problem staying up for an hour, and she made good use of her keens senses, making sure that there were no more uninvited guests hiding in the brush. Before she knew it, the hour had passed. She originally planned on waking everyone up at this time, the sky was getting just slightly brighter, but the sun had yet to show itself. However, considering the ordeal her band of merry men had gone through the day before, she decided they deserved an extra hour of sleep.


She looked around, trying to decide who to choose next for the watch. She was about to choose Ferrix, but then noticed a light in the princess' tent. Curious, she waltzed over and peeked inside to find the young royal still wide awake. "Have you slept at all, princess?" She asked with concern. The princess glanced up at her a tad wide eyed, having been deep in thought, she did not hear the old woman approach. She was silent for a moment, "No... I did not sleep. There is much on my mind." Svetlana nodded understandingly and took a seat by the princess, "What has been troubling you?" She asked, though she probably already knew the answer. Lucasta was silent for a moment more, "I am afraid... I fear for my companions... What if Kavacht is waiting for us tomorrow? What if he has an army?" She asked with worry, "We don't have the numbers to face that kind of force, and though we have powerful friends in this group, I fear it is not enough to stand against him." She placed her head in her hands, stressed and obviously tired, she must have been dwelling on this all night. Svetlana thought for a moment before speaking, "You know," she started, "when I served Jor in the war that formed Algoran, he had a very small company in the beginning as well. It was not his numbers that defeated his enemies, but his strategy and wit. He was able to out-think the invaders, and that was ultimately their downfall." She said in an attempt to comfort the princess, "You are more than capable of leading this small company to victory, have faith in them, and in my words as well." She patted the princess on the back, "Now, since you're already awake, would you mind taking the last watch for the night?" She asked. Lucasta nodded and stood, she snatched her sword that was leaning against her cot. As she and Svetlana left, they carefully stepped over Lucas, trying not to wake him up.


Svetlana returned to her tent, and Lucasta took a seat by the dead fire, only embers remained in the pit. She rubbed her hands together and put them over the smolder trying to warm them with what little heat it gave off. A shiver went up her spine, and vapor escaped her lips as she breathed in the chill cold breeze, the sky was turning a dull pink as the sun slowly woke, the air smelled crisp and clean. There was not a sound in the camp, except for a few noisy snoring sleepers, and the early birds who sang their soft songs.


~


Hjalmar quickly and quietly darted through the trees of the forest just outside of Brink. 'Another successful run.' He thought to himself just as two arrows lodged themselves into the oak right next to him. It was never a good run if no one was chasing after you, it was when he escaped that his name got passed around. He could never be notorious if no one ever saw his larceny skills so elegantly displayed. He had just stolen a golden casted pot, that belonged to the richest family in Brink. Thing was, they caught wind he was coming, and they hired mercenaries to defend their home, more particularly their family heirloom. He had managed to sneak in and out undetected, grabbing both the precious heirloom and a few other valuables that they just left lying around for the taking. He couldn't resist. He stuffed them in his bag, was about to leave, but then realized this run was far too easy for his tastes. He sighed, and decided to casually plop down in front of the guards, heirloom in hand, saying, "I heard you two and the rest of your fellow friends were tasked with protecting the gleaming golden pot of the Oarsen Family." He said and then leaned against a tree, rubbing the pot with his arm as if trying to clean it, "I must say, you two are doing a bang-up job at it, well done, boys. Well done! I can't imagine a single person who could sneak past you!" He said with a smirk and a twinkle in his eye. One of the daft fools actually replied with a, "Thank you!" And Hjlamar couldn't help but stare in unbelief, he lifted his hands expectantly. It took a few seconds, and then finally the one on the right said, "Hey, wait a minute," before Hjalmar did his trademark salute and sprinted away, letting out a carefree laugh. "You know, I've always heard the tall tale of the legendary halfwits, but I never could have imagined they'd be real!" He yelled back at the bumbling dolts who were having a hard time keeping up with him. He hopped up onto the roof, kicking some of the shingles in their faces. By the time he leapt over the wall of Brink and into the woods, all the mercenaries were on his tail, as well as some of the town guards. Arrows whizzed by his head, and with every miss he let out a laugh. He could hear them yelling and cursing behind him, demanding he stopped running. But what sort of person in their right mind, would stop just to be killed? He never understood why the authorities demanded that of him, it never worked on anyone.


He heard their voices fading as he continued blasting through the brush, branches cut at his smiling face. He didn't stop to take a breather until he knew for sure that he had lost them. As he ran, the hours passed by and day turned to night. When he was comfortable enough, he fell to his back and laughed again. He loved the thrill of the chase, the satisfaction of being seen but not getting caught. He found it rather funny that he wasn't seen unless he wanted to be. He could slip through the shadows with ease, as long as he was in the dark, he was safe. 'Well,' he said pulling out the pot, 'looks like you and I have a wonderful future together.' He thought to himself, and put the treasure away before getting up and continuing his trek. He'd need to find a trustworthy fencer who he could sell the pot to for a profit, as your average merchant wouldn't buy a stolen item. It would be quite obvious as word spread that the pot was most definitely a stolen item, so that wasn't an option this time around.


He found his way to the main road, and was surprised to find it littered with dead creatures. He poked at one charred body with his foot, '... I've seen stranger things...' He thought, stepping over the bodies, occasionally accidentally crushing one under his boot. The earth was black and turned up, there must have been a mage battle here that he had just missed. A pity, he was always up for a fight. Not too far away, he noticed something in the distance. 'An encampment!' He exclaimed. He already had enough treasure, but his curiosity overruled reason. Despite the warning in his heart, his curiosity had to be sated.


The closer he got, the more he realized how odd this bunch in particular was. He nimbly climbed up one of the trees, silently hopping from limb to limb, staying out of sight and trusting that he would since he still had the cover of darkness. Though he was limited in time as the sun was getting ready to peek over the mountains ahead. He was just above the fire pit, his sharp eyes noticing a fair-haired girl sitting at it. He was about to vault to an ash on his left, but stopped when he noticed people sleeping in it, 'This just gets stranger and stranger.' He muttered in his head, it wasn't every day you saw folk sleeping in trees. Though he supposed he wasn't one to judge, as there had been times he was forced to sleep in a tree as it was the only safe place. He chose a tree farther away from people and noiselessly landed in the grass, crouching, pulling up the scarf around his neck to cover the lower half of his face. He went to the first tent, quietly peeking in to see if he could spot anything worth taking. He went through all the tents without a problem, and he had taken quite a few things that he thought would get him some profit. But his main goal was to inch toward the wagons they had parked nearby. There was no telling what sort of treasure they kept in there.


He glanced over his shoulder to make sure the girl by the fire wasn't looking, and then climbed into the first wagon. He found gold, silver, some jewelry and precious stones, he even found some tomes that would fetch a nice price. But he grew more cautious as the presence of tomes warned him that there were magic users in this group, they were always tricky and hard to escape, remembering his past dealings with them. He crawled out onto the bench in the front, and swung to the next wagon, finding even more treasure filled within. He had hit the jackpot, and felt glad he decided not to skip the opportunity.


The feeling was short lived. When he looked outside, he had noticed there was enough sunlight that he could easily be spotted by someone, and to make matters worse, the girl he saw at the campfire was gone. He crouched even lower in the wagon, staying still and steadying his breathing. He tried to listen for footsteps, or something that would clue him in on her whereabouts. All he could hear was the wind whistling through the cracks of the fabric over the wagon, some of the leaves rustled in the trees above him. He sighed in relief, and sheathed his knife.


He took a single step out of the wagon, and before he could remove his other foot, he was knocked to the ground in a white flash of ferocity. He rolled, with whoever was on top of him, a couple times before coming to a stop. He was pinned to the ground, and he felt cold steel pressed to his throat. No doubt, it was a sharp edge threatening to slit his flesh open if he should make a move to escape. So he remained still, his bag full of stolen goods must have flown out of his hands in the tumble. He looked up to meet the turbulent blue eyes of the fair haired girl. "Don't move." She seethed. His mouth cracked into a smile, "I don't think I can." He said with a chuckle, his arms were pinned under her knees. He had the oppurtunity to ram her back in with his knee, but decided to play along and pretend he was incapable of escaping... He was intrigued. "What a day." He said casually, "First I deal with thick-headed clods, and now with a clever bonny dame."


"You tried to steal from us." She spat, "Why?" Hjalmar would have shrugged if only he could move his shoulders, "I saw tents full of loot, and wagons full of riches. So I thought I'd do a little browsing." He said simply. Svetlana came out of her tent, followed by Yaroslav, and the others of their group would probably not be too far behind. "We have a thief in our midst." Lucasta said to the old woman, "What should we do with him?" Svetlana squinted at the boy, and she gave him a side smile, "Well, let's not decide now." She said helping the princess off the ground, "How about we decide as a group." Yaroslav roughly bound his hands above his head to the back of the wagon, clearly agitated his sleep was cut short. Hjalmar sighed, though he wasn't worried. He could escape any time he wanted, and that wasn't all talk. He had the skill to back it up. However, for some reason he found himself interested in meeting the rest of this odd group. Perhaps it would be more beneficial for him to negotiate.


(I collaborated with @Queen of Fantasy on this post! Sorry it is so utterly long, introductions are usually the most descriptive for me).
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In the same way she didn't need as much to eat, Thora didn't need as much to sleep either. She had already been awake for almost two hours, finding she didn't need anymore sleep after her night-guard shift. She leapt off of her branch and gracefully landed in the grass. She didn't draw too close to the commotion, but her curiosity overcame her. She saw that there was a new individual and he was being pinned to the ground. She looked around as others came to observe as well; she kept her spot in the back allowing space for many others to draw closer.
 
Garrett had exited his tent at the sounds of a commotion, and now watched the thief with curiosity.


He almost jumped as Dorian suddenly swooped down from the sky, landing on his shoulder.


'That guy has some skill. He was moving through camp almost noiselessly.' The familiar informed his mage.


'And you just watched and warned no-one? Wait...why are you awake?' Garrett looked at the hawk with confusion.


'If criminals could have a code, one of the rules would be to never rat another thief out. Plus I was watching to see how long it would take anyone to find him before I had to raise the alarm. And I'm awake because I trust no-one here enough to watch your back.' The hawk quickly ranted out
 
Oceana cursed under her breath as she stalked out of her tent in only her sleeveless tunic and some cotton under shorts.


The chilly morning air invoked gooseflesh along her body.


She was normally a light sleeper but the ordeals of the previous day had pulled her in too many directions in too little time.


So she was furious with herself when she had awoken to realize her daggers and tools had been stolen, along with her leather breeches, which she had spent countless hours embroidering. All of it had been in a pile near the tent flap, her desire to sleep in minimal clothing overriding functionality.


The elf maiden stalked silently up to the group now gathered around the intruder and crossed her arms.


She was seething and it showed. Her eyes were ice, sharp and cold, as she glared at their captive.
 
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Bo jerked awake as he overheard voices, gathered together outside. Thief... Decide as a group. He tried to figure out what he was hearing, but couldn't make it out. He rose quickly, leaving his tent and looking out to see Yaro and Svetlana with the princess. There... there was also someone else. He was young, and his hands were bound. He also looked rather undisturbed by his capture, but instead... curious? Am I reading the correctly? Bo tilted his head to the side, his curiosity rising as he approached everyone. His mind was begging to piece together the few things he'd overheard. Ah! This kid is a thief! And a caught one, at that. He glanced at everyone, running his hand through his hair, and then let his eyes fall back on the boy.


Immediately he could feel himself making assumptions about him, before he could even stop himself. He's young, and here alone. So he could've been abandoned at a young age, orphaned, or he left his family. Could be a runaway but it's not likely. It seems no one heard him coming - he noted the bag of stolen items that sat further off - so he's skilled. Maybe a professional? Prideful? Cocky? Curious. Takes risks.





He stopped himself before his thoughts ran away with himself. He saw other people waking and coming out of their tents, so he decided to wait before addressing everyone with any vague question like "what's happening." Instead he just looked at the kid with an unimpressed pout. "Huh."
 
Ferrix jerked awake from the sudden commotion. He had always been a light sleeper, easily awake by any disturbance. The fire mage quickly went out of his tent to check on what happened, only to see most of the people he were travelling with out and a person he didn't know being tied up. Well, this was an uncommon scene to wake up to.
 
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Typically an early riser - and a light sleeper - Phaedra found it hard to rouse herself that morning, especially after she had been awoken in the middle of the night during the deepest cycle of sleep to take her turn for watch. Though elementals had no need for sleep, the need for it and ability to dream was something that she had acquired from her mortal kin - and dream she did. Deep, lifelike dreams entered her mind that night that had left her feeling fatigued when she awoke - like she hadn't had a wink of sleep all night - and made it incredibly difficult for her to rise. Perhaps it was all the excitement from the day before.

It didn't take long for her to notice a couple of items missing. Her staff and her bag of holding were gone from her side. She was certainly awake now. Phaedra practically dove out of her tent, but was relieved to find her staff laying just outside. It was likely too unwieldy to take along, and the thief couldn't remove the stone from the staff without breaking it, which would have had devastating effects. Breaking magical items was something only fools would do, but thankfully, it was incredibly difficult to do.

Still, her bag of holding - the small bag she ordinarily carried by her hip - was missing and the value of such an item would be hard to miss. At least it wasn't difficult to track down the culprit as he had already been apprehended by none other than the princess. It seemed Phaedra had just caught the last moments of the encounter when she had tumbled out of her tent.

"Hm. Color me impressed." She said aloud to nobody in particular as she approached the growing crowd around Lucasta, the family duo, and the thief. "I wonder where she learned that.. Do they really teach princesses combat skills?"

It wasn't a question out of disbelief, but a genuine one born from her inquisitive nature. She wondered who had taught her and was actually relieved that, on some level, the princess knew how to defend herself.

Phaedra saw her bag of holding among one of the items scattered from Hjalmar's bounty when he was caught and quickly snatched it up, holding it close to her person. She frowned deeply at the thief at first - now up close - but soon her eyes began to wander, examining him from head to toe. He didn't look like he was new to the game - oh, most certainly not. He looked seasoned, but it was clear that he had gotten too greedy. But was it really greed? Or was it for the thrill? Just like her, joining this group? Soon, she was found staring down at him with odd colored eyes, head tilting from one side to the other. Phaedra was almost examining Hjalmar much like a scholar would with ancient texts, driven by their desire for knowledge and understanding.

He was simply just another puzzle for her questioning nature to figure out. She chose not to speak for now, but her curiosity was piqued.

@Lo Alyssa
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Valeiah plopped down from her tree when she started hearing noises from the group. Then she noticed Lucasta pinning someone down. Then she laughed at him. "Looks like yet another person has been tackled by the princess!" She laughed again. "Y'know, I was curious about how ridiculous I looked being pinned down like that, and now I'm wondering how you all refrained from laughing at me."
 

"Oh, you should have seen me caught in this one trap, I was dangling by my foot. I hit my head, and was dangling there for a couple hours before being able to cut myself down." He laughed as Yaroslav finished the last knot, who aggressively tightened it, annoyed at the thief's laid back nature. He stood back. "Now, I know you just finished these lovely knots. But if it's not too much to ask, would you mind cutting me down and returning my goods?" Yaroslav angrily unsheathed his ax, ready to cut the pickpocket's head loose from his body, Svetlana put her hand on his shoulder, warning him to calm down. "You see," Hjalmar said with his best sorrowful voice, "I've got two starving siblings back at home that need to eat, and that bag you've got there is how I'm gonna feed them." He looked at Lucasta with pitiful eyes, his lip quivered.

@Danika @Queen of Fantasy
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Lucasta scoffed. "You are very horrible at lying, you do realize that, don't you?" She crossed her arms sternly.

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Valeiah had to crouch down because she was laughing so much. "Oh my god, that's ridiculous. You're a quiet theif, but a horrible liar."
 
Hjlamar dropped the act, impressed she could see through his act. She must have been lied to often, "Impressive." He said, "That story usually works on the average angry victim... But, I suppose you aren't the average angry victim." He chuckled and leaned back, crossing his legs. "But no really, I do need that bag of goods. Let's just say I'm neck deep in a large debt that I'm just itching to finally pay off." He said. He glanced around at the group, getting a good look at each of the odd individuals. Most people would seem embarrassed at being caught and viewed in such a humiliating state, but not Hjalmar. It just meant he could test his skills on another escape act, if it had to come to that anyway.

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"Perhaps without the quivering bottom lip, that may have been a passable lie..." Phaedra frowned, successfully refraining from laughter. "Skills like yours would be incredibly useful, I'll admit. If not for our watchful princess, you might have gotten away with it. Are you for hire, thief? You mention you have a debt, and perhaps you can be bought."

It wasn't often that Phaedra handed out compliments, and here she was, the second person in two days to receive her favor.

"Does anybody disagree that he would prove useful to our cause? He has a... special.. skillset."

@Lo Alyssa
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".... what's going on? I can't find my necklace... W-who is this?" Ayda emerged sleepily from her tent, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes as she joined the other surrounding Hjalmar.


"That's... That's mine..." Ayda looked down at the thief and frowned at the sight of her beloved and expensive necklace on the stranger.


".... I would... Like that back, please."


@Lo Alyssa @Danika @Queen of Fantasy @TeeKay
 
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"I do have to admit, he has skills. But how do I know we can trust him. He did just try and steal some of our things." She responded quickly, unsure if she should trust the thief or not.

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"I almost killed the prince and you trust me. Maybe. Is it that hard?" Valeiah blinked. "Oh yeah. He is a liar for a living. I see where that's a little tricky now."
 

"We don't." Phaedra shrugged. "But, perhaps the promise of great wealth and the gratitude and a boon from a princess would sway his opinion. Surely, the opportunity for a reputation like that would be difficult to refuse. And thankfully, he doesn't seem to be a very good liar."




She has a hint of a smile from her last comment, but it quickly fades, bringing her attention back to the matter at hand. Turning her attention back to Hjalmar, she decided to bring the offer to his table. "What say you? What would be your terms?"

@Lo Alyssa @Danika @Queen of Fantasy
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Yaroslav yanked the necklace from Hjalmar's neck, "Ouch! Try to be a little more gentle, you big lug!" Hjalmar said playfully, teasing the big man. Yaro managed to ignore him and handed the necklace back to Ayda, "You don't need to be polite with a thief." He said gruffly.


"How ironic." Hjalmar said with a simper, liking the blue lady that proposed the idea, "I come to steal, and then get offered a job. That would be a first in my line of work." He pondered for a moment, liking the idea of traveling with this group. But that was just the cherry on top of the cake, the cake itself being his heavy debt paid off. He listened to them voice their concerns, "Of course you can't trust me, for pity's sake, I'm a sneak thief!" He said, "But, I would be interested in lending my skills to you for a price. If you promise to pay off the rest of my debt, I am at your disposable. You need not worry, I wouldn't cause trouble as long as you're holding that over my head." He smiled charmingly.

@Queen of Fantasy @Danika @TeeKay
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Valeiah stood up, since she wasn't laughing to tears anymore. "I kind of like him. He could be helpful as well. A scout, possibly?" She looked at Svetlana.


@Lo Alyssa
 
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Phaedra nodded to Hjalmar - she was convinced, seeing no reason why the thief would betray them for the time being.

"Then it is up to our own Princess Lucasta to make the final call."

She looked to the princess, awaiting her response. She already knew not to look to Yaroslav, already feeling his annoyance, and she could guess that Svetlana was likely amused by all of this. Phaedra herself was pleased with the idea of having Hjalmar's skill set at their disposal. She found stealth to be an invaluable asset and one that she could never quite employ, given her appearance. In this respect, it seemed that Valeiah and herself agreed and she found herself liking the fiery young woman. It was nice to see another, more agreeable, side of the girl.

@Queen of Fantasy @Lo Alyssa @Danika
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Lucasta sighed. "Alright. It seems... Doable." She agreed. She walked over, and snatched the bag of loot that she stole. "You can untie him now." She nodded towards Yaroslav. "But I'm keeping an eye on you." She eyed Hjalmar.

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"Welcome aboard, then." Phaedra's eyes sparkled with amusement. "What is your name, thief?"

She figured the least she could do was be polite if she were the one to assist in his recruitment. Phaedra was warming up quickly to the majority of their group, though she did keep herself separate for the most part. Maybe fighting, eating, and sleeping alongside them built a bond that she wasn't aware of? Even the excruciatingly indecisive Ayda.

For a moment, she felt a flutter in her heart. Outwardly, she didn't show it, but Phaedra was already beginning to like their ragtag group, even if she hadn't discovered everyone's secrets quite yet. It would come in time. But first - reminding herself to take one step at a time - her curiosity was begging to know the man's name at the very least.

@Lo Alyssa
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"I feel like I already have a new best friend. We have so much in common, like being tackled by the princess. Except I was more of a crazy killer." Valeiah snorted and walked off, probably to go climb back into her tree and grab her bag. She would have to keep an eye on it now that there was a theif in their midst.
 
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Hjalmar gave Valeiah and Phaedra a wink, "Thanks for the voice of confidence, ladies." Svetlana chuckled, also slightly amused with the charming thief. It was odd that he had stolen from them and yet held a very friendly personality that made him likable... well, likable to almost everyone except Yaroslav who was pacing back and forth, wanting nothing more than to hack the thief's smug pretty face off. "Princess," She said, feeling slightly reminiscent advising Lucasta as she had done with her ancestors long ago, "His skills would come in handy later, I think. I would advise we hire him." She said putting her hand on Lucasta's shoulder, "Remember what we talked about last night, let us not allow a good opportunity to pass us by."


Lucasta had already agreed in her heart before Svetlana said anything. And at the command, Yaroslav begrudgingly stalked over, with a frown he cut Hjalmar free, purposefully cutting the thief's arm while he was at it. The thief didn't react, just smiled, which ticked Yaroslav off even more. His frown deepened, if that was even possible. The thief stood up, wiping the dirt from his butt, "My name is Hjalmar, fair lady!" He said taking a low bow, "Burglar extraordinaire, at your service. Now, before you introduce yourselves to me," He continued, leaning against the wagon, "I have a very important question that I probably should have asked beforehand." He started, "What is the job exactly?"

@Queen of Fantasy @TeeKay @Danika
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