Take Back the Crown

At the sound of Dorian's voice, Oceana's head snapped up, pensive thoughts forgotten.


is this the elven woman he meant? The one who knew the songs?


She vaguely wanted to interrupt their reunion but something melancholy inside stopped her. She no longer wished to do anything. Not argue. Not cry. Not learn her first and long awaited song of power. She just wanted to stand there, no longer thinking of anything at all. Especially not the sick, shameful feeling curling in her chest.
 
"Chuckles over there wanted to meet you too. Might have mentioned your craftsmanship to her." Dorian gestured towards Oceana.


"Really?" Kacel'la asked, the question half directed to Dorian, half to the other elf.


@OlKaJa77
 
".... Oh. I'm sorry." Ayda cringed, realising that she might have upset Valeiah. Even if she couldn't really relate to Valeiah, Ayda could tell it was a sensitive subject.


"I can move my feet now. Thank goodness. I'm really grateful for you healing me."


@Danika
 
"It's not a problem. Like I said before, the gods put me here to heal." Valeiah smiled at her.


@QueenSaiko
 
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Reluctantly walking forward, Oceana nodded.


"I'm Oceana, I'm smith Egonrael's daughter. Although I'm not sure you heard of him. He is-was...the high smith of our region... Although you probably don't care."


The elf suddenly felt uncomfortable and self conscious in front of Kacel'la. She hadn't been liked much by other elves and was afraid of rejection by the only one of her kind that dared talk to her in months. She also was still feeling out of place and unsure about the whole 'racist' deal that she had just caused.


"I was hoping you might know one of the ancient elven songs of smithing" said Oceana, hugging herself and staring at the rocky ground. @L1d1ja
 
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"I know many of them, so if you only want to know a certain one you'll have to be more precise about it." Kacel'la said. "And I think I knew of your father, might have a knife of his making. I'm a tad forgetful, but his name sounds familiar." She added.


"This illusion is draining. If they kick you away, come chat with me before you go. I'm scouting ahead, but you know how to find me." Dorian said to Kacel'la and his image vanished


@OlKaJa77
 
@Danika


"It must be a blessing to have power such as yours. Many of my childhood friends have fallen due to illness and injuries... One of them, he was called Thomas, had to be killed by my own hands...." Ayda sighed. She had gotten over the guilt of killing her friend years ago , but it still haunted her.


"He fell of a bridge, and became paralysed. Just like me. However poverty was cruel and there was no way we could save him. We drew straws and I got the shortest one. And... I didn't want his last moments to be in fear. He died peacefully, in his sleep." Ayda grimaced at the memory.


"... Sorry for telling you such a bad story. I don't know why I did."


@Danika
 
He had grown further quiet, also allowing himself to remain calm. He listened to the strange elven woman as he would any others. It wasn't that he disliked her after all, just that he expected more caution. And the situation did get out of hand really... Yet so far, she seemed more than willing to help.


And to his further surprise, Dorian knew of her, had spoken of her even. And honestly that made his unease lessen just slightly. He sighed slightly, continuing to collect himself.


Upon her handing the map to him, he looked at her in almost shock, but thanked her as well. "This could be very helpful for us. But you can have it back of course. We may only need it to at least compare to ours and make adjustments if needed." He assured as he looked it over, awed she had made it so detailed.


@L1d1ja
 
Oceana stared at the fire-haired elf open mouthed.


"M-many of them?" She stammered, shocked.


She had been searching for six years and had not found a single one. She was angry but shrugged off her temper this time. She was elated.


"All of them! Could you teach me all of them?!"


She exclaimed.


@L1d1ja
 
Kacel'la was a little startled by the other elf suddenly raising her voice. "I could certainly try to teach you all of them. I'm a very shitty teacher, but I can try." She nodded with a shy smile, rather confused by this sudden change of mood and temper of the elf.


@OlKaJa77
 

Yaroslav paused as there was commotion below. He snapped his head around, cursing himself for not having any long distance weapons on hand. He calmed down as the situation sorted itself out below.


"Dwarves would not be so noisy if they were trying to surprise us anyway." He said, "They are very loud, but very quiet when they scavenge."


@soundofmind





Svetlana rolled her eyes. Another intrusion, again. She heard their spats but decided not to take part of it. Instead, she watched the stranger carefully. Evaluating her almost. When Dorian addressed her, it helped alleviate any mistrust she had towards the elf. When she spoke about the red wyvern, Sveltana perked up, glancing into her hood.


"Ah, so your name is Sera, huh?" She asked, waking the wyvern from its nap and letting it groggily climb onto her arm, "I believe this trouble making spitfire belongs to you?" Svetlana chuckled, extending her arm as to return the small dragon.
​




@L1d1ja
​
 
Kacel'la looked delighted when she saw Sera. The little wyvern, once it saw the elf, let out a happy whistle and quite ungracefully leapt at her, climbing into her arms while purring loudly.


"Thank you very much for keeping Sera safe. I hope she hasn't caused too much trouble." Kacel'la smiled at the old woman, her words a little mufled as she was twisting away to avoid getting her face licked by the happy wyvern.


@Lo Alyssa
 
Valeiah nodded. "I don't mind when people share their stories with me." She said. "I'm sorry for the loss of your friend."


She was quiet for a moment before saying. "I suppose it's a blessing. It's hard work. I'm one of the most powerful healers in my tribe, so they assigned me to teach all the younger children." She grinned. "Let's just say I taught them more than healing. Most of the parents were very frustrated with me when their children returned home singing songs I taught them."


@QueenSaiko
 
Oceana nodded gratefully.


"I will do my best despite circumstances!" She said earnestly.


Her previously dour mood was swept away by her new excitement but a tiny piece of it lingered in the corner of her mind; coloring her thoughts and every move she made with a tinge of uncertainty.


@L1d1ja
 
Thora watched as Svetlana answered for her and returned the bright little wyvern to its rightful owner. She was happy that the "sea monster" had been returned to its master and it would not longer pose a threat.


She then turned her attention to Oceana who was elated to be talking to the elven stranger. She looked at her sharp features and raven hair with sorrow. Everyone here had a sob story, she was sure, but she felt more than pity when hearing Oceana's tale of woe. Her heart ached with sympathy, no it was more, it was empathy. Though not quite the same, she could understand the pains of her story; she had felt something all too similar many decades ago as well.


She slipped off of the cart and quietly cleared her throat. "I need a moment," she declared quietly to Svetlana and also to no one in particular and slowly walked ahead, though not too far, and nimbly climbed up the face of the canyon until she found a small ledge to sit on about 4.5 meters above the ground. The sun peaked over the top of the canyon and warmed her face, a melancholy smile claimed her face. She had been an avid climber as a young one because she lived on a mountainside and so she didn't mind the climbing or the height. In fact, this spot was perfect for her to find the peace and tranquility she needed right now. She would wait here until the group was ready to pass through and then she would catch up
 
"Hm!" Bo hummed, with interest. "Noted." Now that he didn't know. Now he knew that when they were looking for the dwarves, that they might be very quiet. With that knowledge, he kept an even keener eye on the walls and floor of the cavern as they continued to climb and walk over the rocky cliffs. His eyes however, kept returning to check on their group. It looked like whoever it was that arrived, was being dealt with. And from the echoes of their conversation that heard bouncing off the cavern walls, it didn't sound hostile. Maybe not friendly, but, it seemed like him and Yaroslav were ok to move on. They did have a job to do, after all. (He did find it strange that he was tempted to just let it be, when he had previously spoken of the importance of caution while he was below deck on the boat. He smiled to himelf. It was funny how his fears had a way of making him approach things differently.)


"Let's hope we see them coming, then." He added, still trying to carry the conversation. "If they're out here, that is." He had no idea how far their said territory went, and where they would stay or live in such a dry place. It seemed like a rough place to live - but dwarves were a tough race. He could see them toughing it out.


@Lo Alyssa
 
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@Danika


"Children have a tendency to repeat things , especially songs. That sounds adorable. I'm sure you were a great teacher." Ayda said, relaxing as she could now barely manage to bend her knees.


"I'm sure that even the most frustrated parents were secretly pleased. Childhood is precious. I wish I had more of my own."
 
"It is, isn't it? Very precious." Valeiah said. Then she sighed a little bit. "This is taking longer than it usually does. I think..." She trailed off as she placed her other hand on Ayda's back. Now both of them were on her back. "Tell me if its helping faster, now." The light was very bright now.


(Sorry this is kinda crappy)


@QueenSaiko
 
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Ayda experimentally moved her legs, to find out that she could now actually use them properly.


"... Thank you. I really thought I was a goner for a minute." Ayda sighed in relief, before smiling at Valeiah.


"There's no way I can repay you... But I'll try. Anything you want, I'll try to get it for you."


@Danika
 
"Oh, no. It's my pleasure to heal you. I'm really here to serve." Valeiah smiled in return.


"If there's any other problems with them, don't be afraid to tell me. I'll see what I can do." She said.


@QueenSaiko
 
Lilith watched as the argument escalated to an unbearable level. She was about to intervene, but it stopped before she had the chance to say anything. She shrugged and looked back at the new arriving elf and smiled. "Quite a beast you've got there." She gestured toward the wyvern. "I have a creature myself, though they are quite common." She said as the black cat, Jinx, leaped onto her shoulder.


Lucasta sighed and gave a quick rub on Hjalmar's shoulder. "I'll be back, I'd like to see how Ayda is doing." She told him. She stood and left the wagon into the second wagon, seeing both Ayda and Valeiah. "Hello..." She smiled at the human girls. "How are you feeling?" She asked.
 
"Thank you." Kacel'la smiled. "And your cat is very cute." She added.


A curious sound came from the wyvern that she was holding in her arms, the little creature focused on the cat.


"No, you will not eat it." She commanded and Sera let out a dissapointed whistle.


@Queen of Fantasy
 
Lilith chuckled at Sera's tiny growl, and the elf's name. "I don't believe I introduced myself. I am Lilith, and this cat of mine is Jinx." She gave a nod. Jinx hissed at the wyvern, but stayed seated in the witch's arms.
 
"Oh, they are out there alright." Yarosalv grumbled, noticing more and more odds and ends scattered on the canyon floors. It was the metal they were known for forging, a secret only dwarves knew. Yaroslav waited with Bo, as the caravans were not yet moving. He continued scanning the area, trying to notice abnormalities. He did a double take as a gleam in the distance caught his eye. He tapped Bo on the arm to get his attention and then pointed at a crevice their group was headed towards. "Something is not right." He stated as he slid down from his perch and kicked up dust as he landed, "We should go check it out."

​









​


Hjalmar couldn't help sigh in relief as the princess left the caravan. For some reason, he wanted to be left alone. He wanted to process what had just happened to him. He winced as a pang shot through his arm, he grabbed it out of instinct. Wondering what was wrong, he rolled up his sleeve to see a black mark etched into his skin. His eyes widened, as he frantically rubbed it, not knowing how it got there.

​





"That's a rune." He heard a voice come from the end of the wagon. It was Svetlana.

​





He quickly pulled his sleeve down defensively, not knowing what the old hag would say if she knew what had happened, "Och, very sorry attempt, boy." She chuckled and pulled herself into the wagon, "You can not hide it from me. I spent hours trying to reawaken you. Whatever that mark means, which I unfortunately do not know, and however you got it... the magic is very strong."

​





Hjalmar was silent, his hand still clinging to his forearm.

​





"Would you mind explaining how you got it?" She asked him, "Do not think you can lie to me either. I know it has to do with the daemon that pulled you into the water. I just want you to explain how it managed to cast such a powerful rune on you." She folded her arms, "No one else is here, it is just me. And you can be rest assured I will not tell anyone else."

​


Hjalmar just stared at her, unsure of whether he could actually trust her or not... She did vouch for him when everyone wanted him dead after stealing all of their valuables. Perhaps she was trustworthy. She seemed like a genuine person, perhaps she would not jump to conclusions.

​


"Well... I--" He stuttered at first, "It pulled me under the water and... it spoke to me." Sweat beaded his forehead, "I could not understand the words, and yet I knew what it was saying to me..."

​


"What did it say?" Svetlana raised an eyebrow. Hjalmar took a deep breath, "It said something about it's master wanting to give me something... I presume it meant this thing." He gestured at the rune, "I don't know why, of course. I am not associated with those ghastly creatures." He added quickly, "And then it pulled this small black rock from behind it and- well... shoved it into my chest? My body felt like it was on fire and then... I don't remember much after that..."

​


Svetlana mumbled to herself, her hand wandered toward her face as she looked away in thought. She sighed, "I do not know either... which is hard for me to admit. I know much about the magic world, and yet this perplexes me." She stated, inspecting his arm again, "We will keep an eye on it for now, okay? If something strange happens, or you feel odd- you will know it when you feel it... make sure you come to me straight away, okay?"

​





Hjalmar nodded.

​





"Oh and, Hjalmar?" He looked up at the witch as she stepped out of the caravan, "Do not tell anyone in this group about it unless you really trust them. Some of them might think you are a spy consorting with Kvacht." She said with a ominous tone, emphasizing his need for secrecy. The group had been through a lot together, but their bond was not yet strong enough for everyone to fully trust one another. Hjalmar understood that. He didn't plan on telling anyone anyway, he just hoped no one took notice of the mark or the aura it gave off.

​
 
Bo nodded, and hopped doen beside Yaroslav. "Aye, aye, captain." He responded in agreement as he eyed the cravace Yaroslav was gesturing to. "Let's do it." He followed beside him, looking around to cover their backs, but mostly, looking at the crevace, trying to see what Yaroslav had seen. There was... a faint shimmer. Something that caught the light for but a moment.


@Lo Alyssa (hope it's ok! It's short aa)
 
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