Take Back the Crown


Svetlana decided to give everyone more time before calling her comrades to move on. They all seemed distraught after surviving the ordeal. She was thankful that at least they were all alive... Well, almost everyone... She thought to herself as she climbed into the caravan with Hjalmar.


He was still out, and the longer he stayed that way, the more concerned she became. She sat next to him, pondering on what to do. She ultimately decided to try and clear his mind with her magic. It seemed fogged and polluted, shrouded by an unseen force.



She placed her left hand on his chest, which was slowly rising and falling as he breathed, and her right hand touched his forehead. His eyes, which were both decorated with heavy bags underneath, flickered at her touch. But they remained sealed shut.



She closed her eyes and concentrated, trying to heal his life force, or at least get it flowing again. She sighed realizing it would probably take her awhile, "Phaedra?" She called to the Sylph from inside of the wagon, "I see you are tired, but would you mind steering this caravan? At least when we start moving, that is." She hoped her request wasn't too great, the lass could still remain sitting, but also could be doing something helpful at the same time.






@TeeKay
 

As she was guided into the wagon by Hjalmar's side, Phaedra was not in a conversational mood, as Bo had already guessed. Even still, she remained wide awake in spite of her mind and body's protests. She couldn't help it - there were just too many things to look at and too much to think about after the rough voyage they had on the waters. All the questions she had she managed to keep to herself, if only out of a deep empathy for the rest of the group.. and also the fact that she could not talk to horses. She wondered if they were normally as averse to traveling over water as Thora or Bo. They likely were now if they weren't before. It was too bad they would likely have to carry them over the ocean once more further along their journey.

She was snapped out of her deep thoughts at Svetlana's request and Phaedra gave a warm smile.

"Don't worry about me. I can manage that."

In the end, Phaedra was just happy to see everyone doing well. Or, at the very least, alive. Her eyes flickered down to Hjalmar for a moment and her smile began to fade. Were they too late from grabbing him from the stormy waters? What if she had been available to scoop him up from the water? Despite the possibility of facing a friend's death, her resolve strengthened. She would help as much as she could - until her body finally broke down, if necessary. As long as she still had breath - and was still conscious, unlike the last time around - Phaedra would do her very best. She promised herself this. Her loyalty had certainly been earned after these wild experiences.

@Lo Alyssa
 
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Foxrun was startled from his thoughts, peeking through his Sun shield, his fingers, at the large man. He pushed himself up when he saw who it was, and cracked a grin. I was right. I must seemed crazed. He noted the mixture of emotion in his eyes before explaining himself. "I was realizing the sort of irony of my situation. And I also called our group normal in my head." He chuckled again "and I couldn't keep it together. We are far from being normal. Which I don't think to be a bad thing actually." He grabbed the side of the caravan as he pulled himself to stand. He was doing the same as Bo clearly was, finding a way to pass the time until given orders. "Ah, how was Phaedra?" He suddenly asked, astonished he had let the question slip away until now. "She was quite a sight, a blinding one, yet it was breathtaking." Then he realized that his choice of words wasn't quite the best. "Okay I didn't mean that literally...although it was definitely an effect of those winds. Point is, she did great." He cut off. "No wait. We all did great. She proved herself undoubtedly." He then huffed, somehow he had allowed himself to ramble again, but he had finally spat out what he was trying to get at.


@soundofmind
 
The elf stopped dead in her tracks a little surprised by Valeiah's words.


She sighed heavily, resigning herself to this quest's dangers, if only to keep people like the sassy healer existing in this world.


She felt a sad smile tug her lips as she turned to face her.


"I have seen the fiery passions and cold betrayals of men. Deaths. A few births..."


Oceana turned her head up to soak in the glaring sun.


" I'm not old by any means but by the end of my life I will have lived doubt the years of any human. And no one will weep of my passing. No one really would now..."


"I've spent an entire six years crying about Kìgyo's betrayal and I've decided that other people deserve to cry a lot more than I do and... Well..."


Her blue eyes bore deep into Valeiah's, lips quirked in a smirk.


"....I can't shoot an arrow straight if I'm crying, can I? What would you lot do if I couldn't swoop in and save you all the time?"


She winked at the human girl, perhaps not even needing to feign the slight happiness upon her face.


@Danika
 
Valeiah snickered a bit. "I guess. Though, you're pretty talented with that thing, you could shoot it straight if you had a knife in your back and an eyepatch." She shrugged. "And then there's me. If I tried to shoot an arrow I would somehow manage to lose a limb in the process." She smiled a little bit.


@OlKaJa77
 
Oceana actually giggled, putting an elegant hand to her mouth.


"Well..." The elf maiden said " I can teach you if you like."


@Danika (sorry it's short. I'm at the gym)
 
(it's all good)


"Really?" Valeiah beamed. She was so used to being the teacher, nobody really taught her things often. "Sure! If you really want to."


@OlKaJa77
 
Oceana grinned wide; the usually sour-spirited healer's excitement was contagious. And as she had said the other night, she loved teaching, even if it was a strange human.


"Alright." She chuckled, "I'll explain when we have some down time. Let's go load up."


She turned back to practically skip back to the wagons, startling some of the others with her unusually bright countenance.


@GalacticRam @L1d1ja @Danika
 
Valeiah was pretty excited at this point. She still couldn't see out of her left eye though, so she went off to go find her brother. She had a limit to how she could heal herself. She could only heal on herself small bruises and scrapes. This bruise was much bigger than she could fix. Luckily, she had her older brother.


"Alo. Will you get rid of this bruise for me? I want to be able to see." Valeiah came up behind him. Alo turned around. "Sure." He put a hand on her eye. There was a light emitted from his hand, but not as bright as Valeiah's when she was healing Oceana's arm. He had weaker power.
 
Lucasta departed from her little brother, and approached the caravan. She climbed inside and sat by Svetlana and Hjalmar. "Is he going to be okay?" She asked.


Lucas ran up behind Valieh and Oceana, and tugged on the elf's pants. "Hey."He said, wanting her attention. "I think you're really cool." He grinned, happily.


@Lo Alyssa @Danika @OlKaJa77
 
(Tomorrow's sports day so I'll probably pass out as soon as I get home so I might not be active )


During the violent storm, Ayda had managed to stay on the ship for the most part but sustained pretty painful wounds , especially to her head.


Because of the commotion, no one noticed as Ayda was flung off the ship by the powerful winds and into the cold sea.


Somehow by a miracle , Ayda managed to be washed ashore but far away from the others.


Although at this point , the dark haired maid wished she was dead. A wooden plank was embedded into her torso, multiple injuries littered her frail body and her body stained the sand red.


Her pale skin shimmered with sweat as she breathed rapidly , as unconsciousness took its grip on her.


"....... F.... Flower...." Ayda murmured in her confusion, her slightly blue lips struggling to even speak.


(Yikes she might die (ಥ﹏ಥ) )
 
The elf's eyes widened almost comically large. She just stared down at the young heir for a split second.


"M-me, my lord..?" She stammered, her ears going cherry red.


She knew Prince Lucas was but a child, but she wished to give them some of the respect they should have held. The elf didn't necessarily believe in birthrights, with the exception of elven ones, but the little boy had courage to not run home screaming thus far. She admired that.


Bending down, a very small amount, so she was eye-level with the prince she smiled bashfully and said,


"You're much... 'cooler' than me, my lord" she stumbled on what she assumed to be the human slang word for 'impressive'.


"You're so brave for coming with us, fighting for your people. Just as a Prince should be."


She scrunched her nose in amusement when he scowled at her, no doubt thinking the elf was patronizing him.


"I'm serious, Lord Lucas!" She cried playfully, hamming it up now. "You arre soo braave" she cooed with obviously affected awe, her accent making it sound even more ridiculous.


The prince gave her that look again, but fiercer.


"See?" She giggled," Now, that, was me being patronizing."


Her face turned a bit more serious, though still smiling.


"Do you know much about my people, the elves?"


She asked, genuinely curious.


@Queen of Fantasy
 
Lucas cross his arms. "I'm not that great." He mumbled. He thought she was making fun of him. So he gave a small look, but soon went away at the mention of her people. "No, not really. Can you tell me about them?" His face brightened.
 
Foxrun was just that, taken by surprise with how upbeat the elf was. "Are you sure you hadn't hit your head in the crash?" He joked before eyeing the child approaching behind her, about to say something when he already announced himself. The kid brought a smile to his face, reminding him of how often he got stuck entertaining smaller children in his village. It was children around this boy's age that had actually taught him some very valuable lessons. He was firm in believing that this quest wasn't just for their sake, but generations to come. As he watched the boy interact with others, it hit him. He wanted to see this boy able to play with his friends. No worry in the world, aside from getting scolded by his sister or Svetlana for doing what children do best. He wanted him to have the opportunity to build relationships with people the way he was doing on this journey. Without fear they could be taken in an instant by some unnecessary fate... maybe this was why he was really here? He did not want what became of the children in his village, to happen to Lucas or any other person for that matter. He cringed at the images racing in his mind, and turned away from the others without a word. He had not planned to go far, but when he finally stopped and looked up, he noticed something in the distance. No, someone. He shook all thought from his mind and raced over, seeing the girl bleeding on the sand. She was part of their company, although he didn't know her name. He had no idea she had even been above deck, too much had been going on. He had not kept count of how many people had gone below deck or not. "Someone! Over here!" He yelled, waving over at the group "HELP!" He screamed even louder when nobody had heard, then fell to the ground beside her "hold on, alright?" He whispered, moving wet, dark hair from her face. How had she been thrown so far? He felt useless, moving to cradle her head gebtly, trying to soothe her until somebody came over.


@QueenSaiko And whoever hears and comes to aid
 
Lilith explored the beach after the crash, looking for any supplies that may have washed up on shore after the crash. Two bodies caught her eye in the distance. One was sitting up, the other flat on their back. She recognized one of them as Foxrun, the other a human girl. Though Lilith never talked to the human girl, she did recognize her and quickly bolted over, and knelt down beside her.


"Oh my gosh..." She clasped her hands over her own mouth in terror. She looked up to Foxrun with wide eyes. "We need to get her back to the others..." She stood and spread out her arms. "supernatet." She muttered, and Ayda floated above the ground, gently. Lilith turned to walk back to the others, and Ayda's body followed close behind. Once close enough for the others to see and hear them, she called out. "Svetlana! Valieh. We need some major healers over here..." She yelled.
 

Before Svetlana could respond to the princess' question, she was urgently called outside. "Stay with him for now." She told Lucasta, hopping out of the caravan and making her way over to the scene. She pushed a couple people out of the way that were crowding around helplessly.


She tsk-ed, and muttered to herself as she lowered Ayda's body to the ground. Of course not everyone was unscathed as she had hoped.



She muttered multiple incantations that would help with the process. Not only did she need to be healed, but a plank of wood that somehow found its way through her torso needed to be removed as well. It was a bloody mess.



Svetlana managed to dislodge the plank of wood and tossed it aside, wasting no time to seal the wound before she died from blood loss.



Her wrinkled hands were stained red as she continued to speak and coax the wound together. After several grueling minutes, she sighed in relief as the last of her flesh sealed, and the she was finally done.



She sat back in exhaustion, "She should be fine." She said through shuddering breaths, "Oh dear, I'll be spent before the sun sets." The old woman grimaced, getting to her feet and heading toward the lapping wave in order to wash off her hands.



"Put her in the other caravan that
is not holding wounded passengers." She cursed herself for not going a head count. The girl could have died! Between lowering the caravans and horses, waking everyone up, she must have forgotten.



 
Oceana twisted around in a flash, having heard Foxrun's call for help with her sensitive ears.


"They have very good hearing..."


She mumbled, looking to where the yell had come from.


Without another word the elf turned away from the boy and sprinted to the fey, ignoring her limbs screaming in protest.


She reached Foxrun and Lilith just as she floated the maid.


"Ayda!" She cried, feeling terrible for having forgotten about the dark haired human.


Now she was broken and bleeding and it was all her fault. She had sworn since that second night to protect her.


She limped beside them, unable to take her eyes away from the human's limp form, desperately wishing, not for the first time, she had magic.


Thankfully Svetlana was a master magic user and quickly sealed the wound.


Oceana remembered the time the human had squeezed her hand barely a day ago. She remembered that warm hand.


She touched Ayda's hand now.


It was icy cold.


The elf's eyes teared up, and she inhaled sharply.


"No no no no no..." Chanted, Not again...


But even Svetlana announced she would be okay, the elf wept, knowing how close the girl had come to perishing.


@QueenSaiko @GalacticRam @Queen of Fantasy
 
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Valeiah decided to let Svetlana take this one. Valeiah would've had to pull the wooden plank out herself, which would've been really painful for the girl. She just hoped Svetlana was able to get it out easier, and less painfully. "She'll be okay, Oceana. She was found just in time." Valeiah said, then nodded a thanks to Foxrun and Lilith.


@Lo Alyssa @GalacticRam @OlKaJa77 @Queen of Fantasy
 
"....." Ayda was barely still awake , and could only manage to glance at the others.


"I..... Cold..." Ayda said meekly. Despite being healed by Svetlana , she was still suffering some of the symptoms of shock due to the amount of blood she lost. And the fact she was drenched in water.


"..... Please.... Don't cry... It's.... Just a scratch...." Ayda said quietly. Despite having been literally on the brink of death , she was still more worried about others than herself.


"Sorry..."


@GalaticRam @Queen of Fantasy @Lo Alyssa @Danika @OlKaJa77
 
Oceana shook her head vigorously.


No. I am, she tried to say but her mouth wouldn't obey.


Whipping out her fur cloak from her pack, scattering her tools in the sand carelessly, she tucked it around Ayda who had been moved to the wagon.


"There." She whispered hoarsely.


@QueenSaiko
 
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"Thank you." Ayda said, more strongly this time as some of her strength returned to her body and the numbness faded away.


"Stay with me... I don't want to be alone...." Ayda said, dark eyes slowly closing as she gave into the sweetness that was sleep ; she finally got some rest after that entire near death experience.


@OlKaJa77
 
The elf nodded and squeezed the girl's hand, before bending down to put her pack back in order.


Then she gingerly got up into the cart and settled herself next to Ayda, one lithe hand on her shoulder.


It was an unusual show of affection coming from Oceana but it really was because the elf wanted to make sure she felt every breath Ayda took.


She prayed to all the elven gods that the human should heal quickly, before another attack came.


Looking down at the pale young woman, making sure she was unconscious, she whispered


"That's it you clumsy girl... I'm teaching you how to fight......or at least how to stay on your feet."


Her ebony locks brushed Ayda's cheek as she bent closer, squeezing her eyes shut.


"I'm not letting this happen again."


@QueenSaiko
 
Thora chuckled quietly at the thought of the large man having to reluctantly learn how string his bow. Then again, he wasn't also so big was he? What a thought, the tall bearded man was once as small as she. She tucked her tangled locks behind her ear and reminded herself that she would need to brush through it later. She looked past Yaroslav and watched as the group began to load the caravans. There was a mild amount of chaos that appeared to have ensued and she was selfishly thankful she had avoided it. Her tender heart was as weak as a rabbit's and all of the recent commotion had been so much to handle.


She turned her attention away from the waters and looked out at the expanse of sand that stretched out past the sea and towards the colors so far away on the horizon. "We are traveling that way?" she stated in the form of a question before whipping around and looking at Yarolav for an answer.


@Lo Alyssa
 
He had followed her gaze to see the endless sand dunes and the distant canyons beyond. He frowned, not looking forward to traveling under the beating sun, "Yes." He bluntly stated, scanning the horizon for land markers. His grandmother had educated him on the stone's locations during their travels, two pairs of eyes were better than one after all. He noticed two high columns in the canyons, a dip in between them. He pointed in that direction, "We will be making our way over the sands toward those two tall canyons in the distance." He said, "At least it is not so far that we can not see it." He added with a reassuring smile. Though perhaps it seemed closer than it actually was. This was a desert after all, the heat played tricks on the mind. Plus, the sand would make their pace much slower in comparison to the roads they had been traveling on.




 
Thora took a long, deep breath and sighed. She just couldn't catch a break could she?! "Let us join the others then," she murmured and sprinted down the dune. If they had to journey across the hot, lifeless desert then she wanted to leave as soon as possible so that they could get through the ticklish sand just as fast.


@Lo Alyssa
 

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