The Alliance

[coold00d12]

    James would nod. " That's understandable. I would expect that they would allow my army to camp outside the walls, however. They would allow five men other than me inside, wouldn't they? Still, none of this will matter unless you accept. So, will you?"

 

[Cindella]

"I suppose that would be an acceptable number." She mused.
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As she thought about leading the men into the city, her hand absentmindedly moved to trace the scar on her neck, her eyes focused on the map once more. She almost didn't realize she'd said it, but the words that slipped out of her mouth shocked her.

"If what you say is true, and my people are in danger, then I cannot let my prejudices against your kind prevent me from helping to protect them." She sighed, her green eyes flicking towards his. "Only five men."
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[coold00d12]

   James would smile as the elf agreed. He would then lean forward and offer his hand, " It's a deal then. As king, I hereby decree that you answer only to Sir Locke and I. Should any of my men accost you without good reason, they will be punished. And should you require anything, Kristoff, the scout from earlier, shall answer to you throughout the duration of our journey, as punishment for accosting you."

 

[Cindella]

"Fair enough. Although, if one does lay a finger on me, I will not hesitate to remove it from the rest of his hand."

She narrowed her eyes at the male, wondering if he would object. Even if he did, she'd still keep true to her word. No human would go unpunished by her if they wrong her again. She noticed the light was starting to face, just outside the tent flap and realized thar she wasn't going to be able to leave.
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"I'm guessing that I'm not allowed to leave the camp." She said, a statement rather than a question.

 
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[coold00d12]

   James would frown. " Try not to remove anyone's body parts without good reason, please. I'd rather if you sent them to me or Sir Locke, if possible." Then, as she mentioned leaving camp, james would shrug. " I'd prefer if you didn't, but if you don't wish to help your people, you may leave." He would then stand and stretch, looking outside himself. " We should break camp in a few hours, until then, please make yourself at home." Next he would sit back in the chair, looking through some documents.

 

[Cindella]

It was strange to be treated so different than the humans who lived around her cities did. Her brows furrowed in confusion, wondering if this were all some ploy to attack them. However, she didn't let her mind dwell on it and she turned and walked out of the tent. It was rather intimidating to her to be around all the humans. It made her heart beat faster, perspiration to build up on her forehead, and her stomach to roll. Taking a deep breath, she walked forwards, pushing past them, looking for a tall tree to stay in. There was no way she'd be able to keep herself calm while on the ground. A voice stopped her on her search for a tree causing her to look around, trying to figure out who it could have been.

"What?" She demanded, knowing that it had been her who was the recipient.

"I said who knew that a knife-ear would be so easy on the eye." A large male said, standing up from his perch on an upturned bucket.

"I'd refrain from talking to me like that." She threatened, her voice a low growl in her throat.
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That caused him, and the other males to erupt into laughter. She felt her face go hot, and went to grab her dagger. However, Kristoff had stripped her of her weapons when he had brought her in, so she was weaponless. The male saw the movement and smirked.

"Were you gonna attack me? I don't think King James would take to kindly to you attacking his men, especially if they are just giving you a compliment." He said with a grin. "Don't you worry your pretty little head, I wouldn't touch you with a ten foot stick."
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Anger flooded through her, but she bit the inside of her cheek hard to prevent from assaulting this man; she could taste blood in her mouth.
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[coold00d12]

     Meanwhile, James was walking to Sir Locke's tent. As he approached the tent, he was not surprised to hear Sir Locke yelling at Kristoff for taking Inari prisoner. The yelling would abruptly end as James pulled the entry flaps of the tent open. As he walked in, he would chuckle, " I said question him, not scream at him. I highly doubt you even know what the situation is." Sir Locke would shrug, " I understand that he took an elf prisoner, and that such an action could damage our peace-talks. So, I decided to inform him of this."
     James would nod, " I understand. Don't assign him night-watch for the next seven years or anything, I've already got a punishment worked out." Sir Locke would grin as Kristoff became visibly nervous. " It's simple, the elf he took prisoner is now serving as a sort of liaison for us. This way, we don't get mistaken for an invasion. Kristoff's part in this, however, is servitude. Until this journey's over, he's going to answer to her. Fetch water, and the like."
     Sir Locke would begin to laugh, " That's great! Now, for his actual punishment, I would suggest fifty lashes or two weeks night watch." James would shake his head, " I wasn't joking." He would then turn to Kristoff, " Now then, go find her and see what she needs. And make sure there are no 'incidents'. I'd rather not have the men think that I value an elf more than them, but right now, she's the only option we've got." Then, as Kristoff left the tent, James would turn back to Sir Locke and prepare himself for another debate.

 

[Cindella]

Before she could do anything stupid, she turned on her heels and stormed off. Thankfully a proper tree had made it's appearance, and with an impressive feat of agility and flexibility, she found herself sitting in one of the 'L' shaped branches. From the position, she could see everything that went about her. Even if they broke camp after three hours, it would still take them almost a day to get to where they were heading. The thought of spending the night amongst a group of humans made her skin crawl.
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Kristoff frowned as he looked around for the elf. There were over a hundred tents pitched, and he was supposed to find her in it? He sighed under his breath before walking forwards, asking if anyone had seen the elf. Those who had, pointed him along his way, but those who didn't would laugh at him and make jokes about how he needed to lay of the mead. He always have a halfhearted reply before pushing forwards.
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"Elf did you say?" A man piped up, the same from her encounter earlier. "Saw one passed through here a minute ago."
"Where did she go?" He asked, his hopes up as he'd been searching for almost half an hour now.
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"Why, you thinking about seeing if the drapes match the rug?" He said, earning a laugh from those around them.
"N-no! I've been charged with watching over her." He stammered, his face blazing.
"Ya hear that boys? He wants to watch the little elf." He chortled.
"Just tell me where she went!" Kristoff demanded.
"Aye, think she crawled up some tree... that way." He said with a laugh, pointing further into the camp.
"Thank you." He said curtly, then left.
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Inari frowned as she looked down, seeing the scout from earlier looking up towards the trees for her. She rolled her eyes when he spotted her. She had been picking the leaves off a twig, broken off from one of the tree's many limbs, when he found her.

"Need another kick in your arse?" She questioned, picking another leaf from the twig.
"No, I'm here to-" He started, before being cut off.
"I know what you are doing here. James said you're to be my da'lin inana." She scoffed.
"What's that?" He questioned, curious.
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Inari set down the twig she'd been plucking and looked down at the male. His question and curiosity seemed genuine, so she indulged him.

"It's what you humans call a child watcher." She informed.
"Oh, like a babysitter!" He exclaimed, happy, "But no, it's more like a hand servant. I'm to fetch you whatever you desire." He said with a frown.

From scout to servant, he couldn't believe how far he'd fallen. At least he hadn't got lashed for taking her in. Maker knows that the only thing that spared him from that fate was that she proved to be useful. With a sigh, he sat down at the base of the tree and leaned back against it. It was going to be a long three hours.
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[coold00d12]

     After the three hours were up, the army began to slowly take down their tents and prepare to travel again, it would most likely be another hour before they actually traveled. James quickly took his tent down and packed the furnishings onto one of the carts. As they went to retrieve their horses, James and Sir Locke would converse, discussing the necessity of their new 'liaison'. " You just don't understand, they won't allow a messenger, they won't allow you, and they certainly won't allow an army. This is our best chance to even meet with them," said James. " I don't understand why. It's not like a weapon-less messenger could take a city, even if they poisoned the council. Besides the needless paranoia of the elves, I don't see why you trust this elf, that was taken prisoner, to convince them we're here for diplomacy," replied Sir Locke.

 

[Cindella]

For those few hours she had quite the delight, tormenting Kristoff with random things that she wanted, only to not want them when he returned. However, the fun came to an end when she noticed the men breaking camp. Sighing, she slipped her legs over the side of the tree and let herself drop to the ground, landing with barely a sound. When she looked up, Kristoff had his brows up, clearly impressed. She scoffed before turning and walking away from him. Humans were so stunned by things that the Elvhen did daily. Snapping out of his wonderment, he took off after her.

"Wait!" He called out as he reached her.
"What, am I to be shackled this trip?" She said, anger in her voice.
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"No, I just don't want to be punished for showing up without you, is all." He said with a frown.
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"Yeah, whatever. Let's see if you can keep up." She said with a wicked grin, darting off before the words had time to sink into his head.
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"Damn that elf." He sighed, before taking off after her.
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When she finally slowed enough for him to catch up, he was wheezing hard while she had barely broken a sweat. She chuckled at the human's stamina, before catching the tail end of James and Locke's conversation.

"...don't see why you trust this elf, that was taken prisoner, to convince them we're here for diplomacy." Locke was saying.
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"Well, for one, I do care about my people, so if what you say has any weight to it, then I'm not so stupid as to let my pride and prejudice jeopardize it." She said, walking up to the two.

Kristoff standing with his hands on his knees behind her as he tried to catch his breath. She crossed her arms as she looked to Locke.
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[coold00d12]

      Sir Locke would quickly turn to the elf, quite obviously not expecting her to defend herself. He would get visibly upset and begin to open his mouth to speak, but James spoke first. " See? At least she can see the necessity of it. Without her assistance, we're never going to meet with them, and if we don't meet with them, they'll likely attack us, and then we'll be forced to fight back. It would all lead to more needless bloodshed," James would say, smiling.
      Locke would shut his mouth and begin to scan the area. Once his eyes landed on Kristoff, he would begin to speak to him disdainfully, " Why are you panting? Can you not keep up with the elf? Perhaps we should replace you and give you some lashes instead, if you can't handle being a simple servant." James would shake his head, but say nothing to this.

 

[Cindella]

The corner of her mouth quirked up into a smirk as James took her side on the matter. She resisted the urge to poke out her tongue at Locke, knowing it would get her reprimanded as well. However, that didn't mean she couldn't resist a small chuckle. Then, ignoring Locke for now, she walked towards James, stopping a few feet in front of him before she spoke.

"I assume you already know if you try to march towards the city from here, it would take at least ten hours, and that's pushing your men. So my suggestion is to set up for the night just a little over halfway. There's a small outpost, abandoned now, that we used to guard. You didn't have it on your map, so I can point it out if you'd like." She said, looking up at him.
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Kristoff frowned at the ground as Locke berated him, however he couldn't hold back his tongue from the comment sitting on it.

"Have you ever tried to keep up with an elf, Ser?" He questioned, righting himself.
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Inari frowned at their exchange and looked back at Locke and Kristoff.

"Please excuse him, I purposely tired him out. Just a test to see if he was worthy enough. For now, he will do." She said, looking at Locke for a moment, before returning her gaze to James.
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[coold00d12]

    Locke would eye both Inari and Kristoff disdainfully. James, however, would smile at the newfound information. " I'm glad you found use of him. This outpost, why was it abandoned? Also, are you certain it's abandoned? I'd rather not march an army into a small, occupied outpost might make for a bad impression," he would say, observing Locke's expression.
     Locke would clear his throat, then begin to ride off, " I'm going to make sure the rest of the knights are ready to move. Perhaps you should send some scouts to this outpost, however, to see if it's a trap. Could be a fort full of elven sharpshooters ready to get some new trophies." James would frown, but nod, " Alright, make sure the scouts are ready as well."

 

[Cindella]

Kristoff breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that he wouldn't be put on a even worse work detail for his behavior. He shot Inari a thankful look as Locke left him alone. Inari noticed it, and her brows furrowed slightly, but then she turned her face back towards James. Inari's face darkened, somewhat as they talked more on the subject of why the outpost had been abandoned.
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"Yes, I'm sure. I was just a da'len when we lost the outpost." She started, crossing her arms as she explained, "It had been attacked by an army of dark, foul creatures. Now it stands in ruins, a kind of reminder to not forget how dangerous it is outside of our boarders."
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[coold00d12]

    James would frown, " That sounds welcoming. Nonetheless, it sounds more secure than camping out in the wilderness. When Locke returns with the scouts, would you mind giving them directions? While I'd like to believe that you'd be completely honest with us, I can't trust your word alone. Not to mention that someone could have taken occupancy without you knowing." James would like to trust Inari, but he knew he had to send some scouts ahead, if only to assure that the outpost even existed. Perhaps, if it's empty, this outpost could prove her trustworthiness to Locke, James thought.

 

[Cindella]

"If your cause for peace is true, you may be able to convince the council to set up a human outpost there." She said, gesturing at him with an offhand gesture. "Speaking of him, is he always so... ahn av!" She said, pausing in thought before snapping her fingers as she returned her gaze to James, "haughty?"
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Kristoff suddenly started coughing extremely loud, and she turned to look at him, but he only hid his face as he exaggerated the cough. Her brows furrowed as she peered at him, wondering what his actions meant.
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"You might want to go get a drink, clear your throat." She said before turning back towards James.

Kristoff did just that, and once he was sure he was out of James' earshot, he started laughing as he made his way to a barrel to fetch himself some water. However, elves had better hearing, and so she could hear him laughing all the way to the barrel.
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"Did I say something funny?" She questioned, her gaze on the Human King.
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[coold00d12]

    James would smile his head as she asked about Locke being haughty, " Allow me to apologize for him, as he's only trying to protect us. He's usually quite the opposite, but with the war, the constant threat of attack, and the fact that we're moving an army through elven territory, he's a bit overwhelmed." Then, as Kristoff walked away and she asked, James would put the two together and shrug. " Well, not many people openly question the knights. Especially not about them being, as you put it, haughty. Normally, the knights would take it upon themselves to 'protect their honor' and 'discipline' someone, so it's not exactly a common topic in discussion," James would explain.
    Meanwhile, Locke had gathered the knights and a select few of scouts into a group. " Scouts, as you know, an elf has taken it upon herself to help with the negotiations. This elf has also suggested another campsite for us, some abandoned outpost or something of the like. As per usual, you will be scouting this outpost, but be aware: this could very well be a trap to deter the army. Be on the lookout for elven sharpshooters," he would say, speaking in a very commanding tone. He would then turn to the knights.
   " As to you, my fellow knights, we must be more vigilant when guarding the king. Should the scouts miss something, we must be ready. We'll be changing formations, riding in the box formation in case of ambush. Now, we must meet with the king and the elf in order to find out the location of this outpost, follow me," he would say, his tone lightening when speaking to the knights. After he had finished his briefing, he would begin to lead the group to James and Inari.

 

[Cindella]

"War definitely changes people." She agreed, kicking at a small twig on the forest floor, then furrowing her brows she continued, "So you discipline your people for questioning others?"

She frowned, thinking how vastly different that humans were to elves again. In her clan, they weren't reprimanded for their questions. In fact, it was smiled upon if they did question; as it showed that they were interested in the well-being of the others. Inari didn't say this out loud, as she thought he might take it as an insult; as she didn't want to be put back in her shackles at any point. Luckily, the sound of Locke and his men approaching drove the thoughts from her mind. Looking up at them, she assessed that he still distrusted her, which was obviously why he had such a large force going with him. Yet she couldn't stop herself from being snarky.
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"Such a large force for investigating an abandoned outpost. You afraid of ghosts?" She commented, keeping her face neutral from the glee she got from ribbing him.
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[coold00d12]

     Locke would look to the elf, shaking his head, " No. Only five of these men are going to the outpost. The rest of us are here to guard the king." James would sigh as Locke mentioned guarding him, " Listen, I know it's your sworn duty and all, but I'm not my father. I can defend myself."
     Locke would nod, " I know, it's mostly to keep up appearances. Should we be ambushed, I'd think someone would think twice about attacking twenty of the most skilled knights in the kingdom." Locke would then turn to Inari, " Now, elf, direct the scouts to this outpost. I'd rather have it located and scouted before we reach it." As he spoke of them, the five scouts would walk to the front of the group, eager to leave.

 

[Cindella]

She listened without speaking as Locke informed her of his plans, but hearing James object to the guard made her raise a brow.

"Locke's right. You're in Elvhen territory. If the scouts we have patrolling see you, especially with this army behind you, then they aren't going to ask questions. They will openly attack. Locke's group is going to be lucky to not run into any. But if you do, then let them know that you are under protection of Clan Odirthven." She said, feeling her skin crawl at having to give a human her protection that could easily be used to hurt her people. "They won't fire on you, unless you attack them first."
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Her eyes narrowed at him as he spoke to her.

"I have a name, shem." She said icily.
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[coold00d12]

   Locke would look to the elf, first surprise, then disdain in his eyes and voice. " As do I. Perhaps if you used mine, and I knew yours, I'd use it. Now, unlike elves, we don't exactly have hundreds of years to wait around and argue.Direct the scouts to this outpost so that we may be off." James would smile, quite obviously on the verge of laughter, but keeping it in nonetheless.

 

[Cindella]

"I would have thought that your King might have informed you. But I guess he doesn't share everything with you." She said, glancing back at James with a pleased smile. "Which is good to know." Then looking back at Locke, she added. "But if you prefer elf, then I will continue to call you shem." 

Moving forwards, she stepped towards a map that had been placed on a table between them. She moved her finger to the main city that they were marching to first, then slid it off to the right, an inch.

"There's where the outpost is. It's only about six or eight miles from the main city."
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[coold00d12]

  Locke would observe where she placed her finger, then wave one of the scouts over. The scout would look at the map for a moment, then nod and return to the other scouts, quietly informing them of the outpost's location, then leave, the rest of the scouts following. Locke would look to James, " Well, the scouts should be back within an hour or so. I assume you want to be marching by then?" James would nod to Locke, then look to Inari, " Thank you for your assistance. I believe we'll be marching soon, so you may want to gather your belongings."

 

[Cindella]

Once she pointed out the location, and Locke had a scout confirm it, she then stepped back and moved away from the group. She wondered what her people would do upon seeing her leading an army of Humans up to their gates. The thought sent shivers up her spine, but there was no going back now. Kristoff noted her shiver, but didn't ask about it, knowing that the elf wouldn't be likely to tell what her fears were. Then, when James thanked her and told her to gather her things, she couldn't stop the smart comment that flew to her lips.
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"What belongings would that be? I was brought as a prisoner with nothing but the clothes on my back." She said dryly.
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[coold00d12]

     James would frown, " Yes... It was more of a general statement, meaning for you to get ready. And speaking of marching, would you prefer to ride with me and the knights, march behind us, or walk ahead with the scouts?" As James offered for her to ride with him and the knights, Locke frowned, " I'll go make sure that everyone's ready. Don't want any stragglers." The knight would then begin to walk away, checking in with various officers along the way.