Fantasy &nbsp; The Five Kingdoms - The Fall of Sarthenfall - Ic

FrostFire · Sep 16, 2018

Morag 'Aria' MacLaird

Aria watched everything unfold below her eagerly, scribbling something down now and again as she observed. Aurelie was predictable enough, she seemed terrified of any sort of conflict, physical or otherwise, and Cale certainly didn't seem to keen on fighting - he seemed more the diplomatic kind, someone to fight with words rather than weapons. He certainly chattered enough for it.
Azalea and Ray were also predictably going for the flags - and Aria was pleased to see Annabel taking up her own position. She heard the sound of rope against wood, and her head snapped down to the noise, snorting when she saw Ray dangling from his feet. Jotting down less careful/observant when eager she was impressed that he managed to get himself out of the predicament he had landed himself in for not being more careful. She doubted Azalea would make the same mistake, but she noticed that her cousin had slowed to gander at the little standoff in the middle of the field, but moved along quickly.
She smirked at Baxter's remark without turning her head. "For a group of mostly novices, it's hardly surprising. Although your brother seems rather adept at getting himself out of a tight spot... From experience, no doubt." Her tone was amused as she made the observation. The way he had dealt with the trap suggested he wasn't a stranger to such tricks, although he had failed to notice the disturbed undergrowth that hinted at it's presence, perhaps his run ins weren't as frequent as she had thought.
"It is a shame General Arwein isn't here to train them, she would have whipped them into shape in record time." Aria muttered matter-of-factly, more to herself than to Baxter, mentioning the General of the Trodarian army with a hint of wistful sadness in her voice. Unlike her parents, Aria had no idea what had become of the General, but she was too logical to hope that her good friend and mentor was alive.
Still watching what was happening below, Aria's thoughts in the back of her head drifted to her own training, and watching Ray stand off against Annabel brought her back to training with Luther... The memories hurt her heart, it was bittersweet to recollect them - especially so soon after she had lost him. But Aria was someone who seldom let negativity like that show, she buried the turmoil so deep that often it hid from even her.

"Ooof." Luther exhaled sharply as Aria's forearm connected with his chest, her leg swiping under his as she threw him to the floor, the wind half knocked out of him at the hard impact.
Still on his back and barely given time to register the fall let alone react, Aria was on top of him, pinning him down with a knife to his throat. They sat frozen there, and despite the tense and decidedly life threatening situation, they were both grinning like idiots.
"You're getting soft, Luther." She chuckled darkly, not moving the dagger from his Adams apple, the slight pressure of it sharp against his skin - if she wanted to she could easily deal the deadly blow, but he didn't look especially worried about it.
"No," He rumbled proudly, "You're just a tigress bred for war." He had adopted her Father's nickname, as many had. The King had always called Aria his 'little tigress' and as she grew the huge red cat was an apt comparison, and many of those close to her used it.
"I pity the man who gets on your bad side, and envy your future husband." He winked, eyes sparkling as he referenced their very secret relationship. Aria gave him a sidelong look, chuckling as she rolled her eyes and retreated, releasing him from her steely grip and carefully returning the knife to it's rightful place in her boot.
Footsteps approached, the King and General Arwein had been close enough to hear Luther, and a pang of worry stabbed her stomach. It would be very bad news if either found out about their little 'secret'.
"My little tigress certainly is formidable, it's a wonder you volunteer to train with her every day, Luther." Aria's Father said, "Your Mother's stubborn pride is a family trait, evidently." He joked casually.
"My son and I both like a challenge." General Arwein chuckled, unfazed by the jab at her as she extended her arm to Luther, who gladly took it and let her pull him up off the ground.
"Thanks Mum." He said shortly, grinning despite his definite loss and forming bruises.
"You and Aria are excused for lunch," Arwein stated in her usual no-nonsense tone, directing the next command to Aria.
"Return to the barracks after for combat, riding and strategy. We'll end the day with some base invading. We've set up something special in the mountains... Perhaps Luther could join you?" She smiled, in one of her rare 'softer' moments as the King nodded in agreement.
"But that will be after supper. Enjoy your lunch." She finished, spinning on her heel and stalking away - always the busy General with things to do.
The King lingered, he and Aria approached each other, and she kissed him on the cheek and they hugged tightly.
"Enjoy your lunch, Aria. I have some work to do later so I might not be around to oversee your training." He muttered apologetically.
"Don't worry, Father. I understand." She replied understandingly, giving him a hearty pat on the back, their armour connecting with a dull clunk. They separated, and Ethan marched after the General.
Once he was out of earshot and sight, Luther slunk up to Aria and swung his arm around her shoulders, making her smile as she looked up at his dark playful expression. "Soooo... Now we have some alone time..." He purred suggestively, and with an eyebrow raised in amusement, she elbowed him in the ribs, trying to keep a straight face but failing.
"For lunch, Luther. I'm not missing food to frolic in the woods with you." She laughed musically, shrugging off his shoulder as she jogged towards the castle, eager to get something from the kitchen. Aria needed her strength for tonight.
Luther kept up easily, jogging along beside her.
"Awwwwww, Aria." He whined from a little behind her, but a glance at him showed a devilish grin and sparkling eyes.

Soon enough, she skidded through the door to the kitchens, which were thankfully empty, her sharp emerald eyes spying a basket of fruit, some vegetable pastries, and a tray of sandwiches made with fluffy looking brown bread.
Aria grabbed a basket and emptied in half a bowl of assorted fruit, a few of the pastries (sweet and savoury) and plenty of sandwiches with assorted fillings - it was enough food for four people but she knew the two of them could easily demolish it. Food in their castle wasn't overly fancy, and certainly wasn't delicate, it was made for soldiers and warriors - people with bottomless pits for stomachs who were constantly exercising and needed plenty of sustenance. It wasn't plain or boring or 'poor' food, not by a long shot, but it was practical and functional. And in Aria's mind, delicious. She had no interest in the overly sweet, delicate pastries that the other Royals enjoyed - she loved hearty foods and fresh fruit and vegetables.
"Fancy a picnic?" Aria questioned lightly, mischief in her own tone mirroring Luther's as she grinned at him, and he grinned back.
"In a nondescript, secluded spot where no one will see us? Definitely." She chuckled at his enthusiasm as he suggested their usual meetup spot - the space they went whenever they wanted to be alone and unseen...
"You're rather persistent today." She noted sharply, eyebrow raised and smirk plastered on her face.
"You wound me, Princess." He mocked a blow to the heart. "I merely wish to court my beautiful tigress. Perhaps I can tame her." He teased, arms wrapping around Aria from behind as he rested his chin on her head.
"You'd have more luck getting a rock to sing, or a river to fly." She jested in return, savouring his embrace for a few precious seconds before stepping away, hearing Luther sigh softly behind her made her chuckle.
"You're such a hopeless romantic... Imagine if one of the kitchen staff saw? The gossip would reach our parents in less than a day, and then Dad would rip your head off and stick it on a pike." She was joking, but shivered nonetheless. She adored her Father, but she knew she was expected to make an 'advantageous' marriage like her cousins were. Her parents hadn't yet discussed it with her, she dreaded the day that they did, but King Ethan would likely pick out a few Lords for her to choose from. She had already met most of the ones she imagined were 'suitable', and they were mostly bigoted snobs that she could easily crush under her boot. A few of the Trodairian Lords were alright, but she shuddered at the thought of marrying them. If she was given the choice on who she could marry, a novelty rarely given to Princesses and especially not to one with no siblings, she would choose one who knew how to fight and didn't hide behind some ridiculous title. Someone like Luther.
Wanting to distract herself from such thoughts, she wound her arm through Luther's, instantly brightening up at the contact, and dragged him through the door at a quick march.
"Come come, lunch won't eat itself." She lilted impatiently, "You can resume your cuddling when we're sitting down and I have a sandwich in my hand. I'm ravenous." She continued to drag him through the castle grounds (it wasn't an unusual sight for her to be dragging him around - she had been doing it since they were little - so there was no worry about gossip) and at the invitation Luther sped up to match her pace, unable to hide the Cheshire cat expression.
It looked like Luther would get his wish after all.

Xanto · Sep 18, 2018

Raymond Callahan

Indifferently glancing at Annabel's sword, Raymond truly was unafraid of the blade since he was just pacing off to the left side. But, that was just it. Raymond was merely walking until he felt the wind get kicked out of him by the defender's sudden attack. Whatever happened to "I will let you make the first move here"? Apparently it was an insignificant line Annabel uttered not too long ago before she started putting on some kind of show to amuse herself. Now, she was sticking her tongue out and taunting him like they were seven.

Ray let out a calm breath then gave one more look around the area. Next, his figure turned walking away from their flag not paying attention to the hooded woman. It didn't seem like it, but the guy had already attained what he needed. His gloved hands stuffed themselves into his coat pockets still feeling a hint of the northern coldness. No, the flag wasn't obtained; however, he now knew how to win the "war".

Ray was humble about his fighting skill, especially only using it when needed. Someone sticking out their tongue expecting a demonstration wasn't about to test his patience. The younger Callahan cast a dark glance up at his brother walking back toward his area of the field. It seemed like Ray was doing nothing, but oh he was doing something alright. Raymond picked up a stick from the ground and took his hidden blade out sharpening the end of the wooden stem as he wandered through the forest.

How life takes its turns. He thought to himself not taking anymore heed to the fact that he was potentially being watched. Not too long ago he was swiping up objects from different places. In fact, he even went as far as dropping into the Eastern castle and picking up a few treasured items. A golden goblet, a platinum necklace, and an old looking book that he thought was overly guarded. With that level of security, Ray had no doubt he would enjoy the story and probably give it to someone he thought would enjoy the read. Where is that book anyway? Raymond thought to himself eyeing only the ground in front of his steps.

Without warning, his wrist sharply flicked throwing the stick from his hand. It ripped past a piece of rope and dove into some bark against a sturdy trunk. The sound of a thud a second later didn't surprise him at all, only earning a glance at the chains that fell over a certain area away from him.

Hm, somewhere in the tent. Raymond thought to himself casually carrying on with his own thoughts and spontaneously picking up a rock the size of a human baby in his arms. Maybe one of these days he'd actually find some time to read and take his mind off of all this. Yes, even if he wasn't one to usually enjoy silent eye strain by a subtle candlelight.

Ray let out a grunt tossing the rock a short distance away. Then, another trap snapped up. His hazel gaze shifted up to the rope net holding snow, leaves, the baby-sized rock, and no person in between. It was an amateur trap, but one that could easily be set under the time constraint they had before the match.

There was no rune of invincibility that the man held in his hands. After falling for the first trap though, Raymond was already aware of about half the pattern laid out by the opposite team's gang members. Getting past guards with limited detection was his hobby, evading traps was a skill. Occasionally Raymond would fall for a trap or two meaning that he wasn't new to rushed obstacles created by chain and natural materials. If Baxter's team was going to win the third match, then Ray had to clear the way for someone who he thought would match up quite nicely against Annabel's defensive style.

Blackrose7

Baxter Callahan

"He is just as adept getting himself into them as he is getting out," Baxter honestly replied recalling a few scenarios from the top of his head within a single year alone. His younger brother naturally found himself in situations beyond belief. Just imagine how exactly Raymond even managed to get caught in a group filled with royals and find himself galavanting in a game of capture the flag in a rebel camp that was sparingly mentioned in their written letters. That little- Baxter thought suddenly meeting his brother's familiar dark glance.

Raymond didn't even need to say it. At that moment, Bax knew that Annabel the defender was acting like more of an aggressor. The older Callahan could even tell that Ray was ignoring his orders and just . . "winging it." It seemed like an unfair gamble every time Ray would snap a trap a distance away from him like he knew exactly where they were though. In truth, his brother lived up to being a master of thievery. One glance and Ray could probably note what kind of trap was probably waiting for him on the other side. Though keep in mind that he wasn't completely invincible to these set ups. Hence the chain ring. Bax thought moving his attention away from the guy.

Cale and Aurelie were still having a ball in the middle of the match, while Azalea unsurprisingly ditched the extremely minor distraction. Now the game in its entirety was up to Angelo even if Baxter knew that his brother's stubbornness already cost his team the match.

Aria's words brought the man back down to earth reminding him that it was all merely a game. General Arwein was a famous name in the northern kingdom. It was a name he was familiar with now after being in Trodaire for the past year or two. At that thought, Baxter glanced at the freckled face beside him. The princess mentioned under her breath the previous day that his brother looked like someone. . . A Luther. "Who is Luther?" The rebel leader questioned looking back at the field.

FrostFire

SandraDeelightful · Sep 21, 2018

Princess Aurelie Beachamp of Aubigine

"My name is Aurelie," Aurelie said, her voice soft and shaking, but she still gave Cale a small, kind smile. The shaking was in part because of the cold and in part because of the fear. She was constantly afraid, and she was scared that someone would come up behind her. She had never been in a cold climate. She certainly wasn't used to it. Even in her bag of dresses wouldn't have kept the cold out. Not even her riding habits which were made of a thicker material than most of her dresses. Now, she had even more to get used to. But Aurelie had a feeling that this was what would be the easiest thing to get used to. "I come from Aubigine. It's far warmer there. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Ms. Sparrow · Sep 22, 2018

Azalea Eve Windfore

Legs pumping, breathheaving, Azalea blinked the snowflakes from her eyelashes, her feet sinking into the increasing inches of snow with a crunch, weaving her way through the variation of trunks of trees, pines, maples, and a few others she was certain.

When the armored man came into view, instead of running directly at him, she had to consider her advantages, taking cover behind another tree, out of sight. Brute force was not an option, it’d be like trying to tackle a wall of steel. Surprise would be her only advantage.

Azalea ran right of the man, staying out of sight as best she could sprinting a large distance away before circling back around, this time coming from behind him, slowing her pace to become as quiet as she could. Once in near range, the flag in hind sight, and only ten feet away at the most, she charged.

Azalea bent and snagged the flag right from behind the man, sprinting right past him as she yelled back behind her, “Toodle pip!”, her face showing no disappointment, let up with mischievous glee as she sprinted through the woods, never looking back to see if she was followed.

Azalea shot past Cale and Aurelie, a blur as she called back, “Let’s go, Cale! Party times over!” She yelled, though in no short of good humor, Azalea slowed once Annabel came into sight, slowing to a jog as she tossed the opposite teams flag to Annabel before she turned to Aria and Baxter, who was watching the game afar from a hill, and made a grand, exaggerated gesture of a gentlemanly bow towards them, flouring her arm behind her and bending so low her nose nearly touched the snow, grinning from ear to ear at their accomplishment.

Unfortunately it was short lived. By no means of cheating, the last two rounds were a struggle, she found herself now too cocky, and therefore in the process of being overconfident, lost in the second round, thoroughly beaten by Baxter’s team. The second time she found herself exhausted, the lack of food finally wearing on her. Her ribs ached by the time she got to the opposite flags location, where she was met with brutal resistance from the armored man, and lost, again.

By the end of all three games, she found herself somewhat disappointed.

The defeat, had inevitably wounded her pride, her pale cheeks flushed with shame, with her head raised high however, she pushed past her wounded pride and found it in herself to return to camp without a word. She returned to where Wind-Cleaver was tied up, where he too looked rather curious at the snow, his hooves stopping against the ground, sinking into the white blanket of snow with a crunch. She began to untie him from his post, wanting to enjoy the snow while it lasted.

Azalea blinked, rubbing her left eye as a snowflake hit the sensitive skin of her eyelid, surprised by the sudden coolness. She couldn’t help but smile the slightest, taking in the snow blanketed forest, glad to have something so beautiful in the chaos. Blinking up at the sky, Azalea wondered how many moments she had left to appreciate the little life now offered her. For the rest of the day, she tried not to think of the answer.

~~

Azalea’s eyes snapped open at the hardness and coolness of the floor under her. Her eyes widened at the smell of pine and moss, and the worn down white ceiling above her that was perhaps grand back in its day, but worn down immensely, now but a whisper of it former glory.

The same could be said for the rest of the room, she decided, sitting up and finding herself in one of the abandoned rooms of the monastery, dark, save for the moonlight that shone through the rooms windows. She’d explored parts of it in her spare time, this room however, was unfamiliar.

Alarmed, Azalea was quick to get on her feet, shivering against the cool breeze of the room, her blue nightgown protecting her little for the chill. She paled as she approached the window and looked down, her stomach twisting in knots as she gazed upon the sleeping rebellion camp, empty save for the soldiers on watch, lit dimly with torches.

The now faded scars on her cheek itched as she felt the uncanny sensation of being watched. She didn’t have to turn around to know the sleek eyes that watched her were his.

“It’s not real.” Azalea said quietly, not turning from the window, still her fingers shook as they clutched the windowsill. The dreams felt plenty real.

“Once, my lady, you believed a great deal of other things weren’t real, did you not?” His smooth chocolate voice sent chills running through her blood, a hint of mockery in his calm voice.

Azalea whirled angrily, rage replacing anger, clenching her fists and glaring at Keeper, his sleek dark form laying back lazily against the doorframe. “As far as I’m concerned your not real now either.“ she snapped, striding angrily towards the doorway which he lay against in an attempt to push past him.

His rakish eyes had followed her angry figure calmly, any trace of a smile gone from his lips she was nearly halfway out the door, his black gloved hand lashed out like a snake, quick as lightening, grabbing her wrist tightly and yanking her back into the room, Azalea gasped, stumbling back. That had felt plenty real. Azalea went ashen.

“Get out of my head,” She snarled, backing away from Keeper as he approached, catlike in his movements, graceful and silent. Her stomach dropped as she felt her back hit the wall, cornered. She breathed hard and heavy, both panic and anger coursing through her veins as his tall form stood in front of her. Keeper tilted his head, curiously, like a child would look at a new toy. His midnight eyes were empty. Cold. There was no light in them. She dropped his gaze first, feeling entirely vulnerable under it.

He reached out, softly, his thumb tracing the faded, permanent pink scars on her cheek, his hand caressing her jaw gently, like a fragile doll, Azalea flinched, the feel of the smooth silk of the glove sending chills through her. Azalea turned her head away, reaching up to smack his hand away, he caught her wrist and held it.

“You’re angry,” He said quietly, she attempted to pull her wrist away from his grip to no avail. More panic replaced anger. This wasn’t real. It wasn’t real. Her scars burned under his touch. Her wrist throbbed in his grip.

“Alas, I would be too.” His thumb caressed where her neck met her jawline, she flinched, glaring past him at the doorway that led out to a dark hallway. “How...angering it must be to keep such a secret from them. It has been months has it not? Whatever will they think of you?” A smile formed on his lips, his voice was gentle yet mocking, “My sympathies, my lady.”

Azalea writhed, a surge of rage overwhelming her, delivering a hard kick to Keepers knee, who was an unmoving wall against her struggles. The more she attempted to escape the more angry she became. “I hope you chok-“

Keeper released her wrist, roughly grabbing her by the arm, cutting her off from her spewing words, she hissed, attempting to yank her arm away from his tight grip before he pulled her over to window, stumbling over her own feet, she found herself staring back down at the encampment.

“I do not know what gave you the gall to speak to me as such,” he whispered behind her, so close she should have felt the breath in her ear, but did not. “Perhaps because you think I know so little, or think I can do no more.”

Azalea flinched as his hands drew to her neck, brushing her long red hair from her bare neck and tucking it gently behind her ear. She shuddered as he leaned in closer, so close their cheeks nearly touched as he whispered, “I can do so much more, Miss Azalea. You and your allies have only seen the tip of the blade.” His voice was cold.

Her breath caught in her throat, fear, not just for herself but for all of those she’d met. Her cousin, Aria. Aurelie. Raymond. Baxter. The wee chit. Annabel, Angelo, and even the little weasel Cale. But how, how did he know? Of this encampment of all of them. Why? How was it possible. Keeper was in Calore and yet...

“If you touch any of them-“ Azalea started, though in no position to make any threats.

He cut her off with a deadly, hollow laugh. “Do not flatter yourself, Miss Azalea, you are not the only player in this game.” He gestured out the window with his free hand, “All of them have a part to play, my lady, your cousin, your friends, do you know why?” His voice was harsh, his lips brushing her cheek as he whispered, his voice deadly, Azalea cringed, “Because I admire such...games.” He nearly hissed the last word, quoting her words from months prior.

Azalea closed her eyes, willing him to go away, her lips pressed tightly together. She felt like vomiting. She shuddered as his cold lips pressed against the burning scars on her cheek, before he stepped back, releasing her arm.

She forced herself to turn and face him, taking him in. His sleek, shoulder length midnight hair, his black suit coat dark as midnight, the pale, cold face. His eyes were the worst, empty and devoid of any emotion, they felt like empty holes one could get lost in and be trapped in forever.

Keeper bowed, gracefully, “But I’m sure you knew that,” he said smoothly, his voice returning to its usual sleekness. He straightened, “A pleasure, Miss Azalea.”

~~

Azalea woke in a bedroll of sweat, sitting up in her bed sharply, her stomach twisted inside. It had only been a dream, but they were always so vivid, so precise. They felt real every-time. Hair matted to her forehead with beads of sweat, she dressed quietly and swiftly, the hour early, though she’d woken up as such for the past two months of sleeping at the encampment.

Careful not to wake to Aria and Aurelie, Azalea slipped out quietly, most were sleeping still, and would be fore three hours, considering it was only 3AM. She’d woken up around the same time every night, and could never find it in herself to sleep afterwards.

She’d hardly made it to the edge of the encampment before she graced over and vomited, the sickness of her stomach overwhelming. Once she was done, she buried the evidence, scuffing her boots in the dirt to hide the vile substance before she steadies herself against the nearby trunk of a tree, hand against her stomach as she took a couple deep breaths to calm herself, both trying to cool her temper and her fear, she glanced up a the monastery, or what was being repaired of it, staring arg the windows, have expecting to find a figure watch her back.

Naturally, she didn’t.

Because it was a dream, she told herself, dirt and rocks stirred from the ground as she walked through the camp, the few soldiers on patrol no longer surprised to see her up and about at the early hours. She hadn’t told anyone of the dreams or her early mornings, it wasn’t necessary and she didn’t want to cause a fuss over nightmares she was sure everybody had these days. She found Wind-Cleaver, well-fed and nicely groomed, or as well as he could be in a encampment full of soldiers.

Azalea saddled him up, untying him before bending down and picked up the quiver that leaned against the pole Wind-Cleaver was tied to, along with the bow with it. Slinging the bow around herself, and strapping the quiver around her back, she hosted herself around Wind-Cleaver, snapping the reins of the horse and taking bf off at a gallop, giving the soldiers hardly enough time to push open the wooden gates, nearly trampling the two soldiers as she galloped past them and into the dark, secluded forest, disappearing into sight quickly, the only trace of her was the distant sound of hooves hitting the hard ground.

“I hate it when she does that”, one of the soldiers muttered after her, the other soldier snickering in agreement, before both closing the gates shut.
~~
Azalea returned at around 5AM that morning, three rabbit, and a goose slung over her back, along with her quiver, bow slung over her torso. Riding in at a much smoother, and calmer pace, the soldiers opened the gates at the sight of her, as she rode in, it was easy to notice their numbers had increasingly grown.

When she walked in two months ago, there were only fifty soldiers recruited at best, now they had two-hundred men at least. Though most the camp was still asleep, it was already bustling with activity. Soldiers going to and fro to start the day early. The air had a bite of chill to it that morning, and the overcast sky blocked out the sun entirely.

After dismounting Wind-Cleaver and tying him up once more, Azalea delivered the dead animals to what could be considered the kitchens she supposed, a larger tent stockpiled with whatever meats, vegetables, and herbs the hunters had gathered. While technically, she wasn’t a hunter, it hadn’t been a task of hers, she’d needed something useful to attend to in the mornings, and get her mind off things.

Killing things generally set her mind straight.

And so did training, usually. The past twin months had mainly consisted of her getting knocked on her arse half the time in swordplay, or hand to hand combat, not to mention the grueling endurance training that accompanied it, which consisted of running several laps around the very large encampment. Usually the training was overseen by the General, whom did nothing but watch, never offering advice, often silent except for the occasional bark: “Again!”. Needless to say she despised the man more and more every day.

Improvement was slow, and it almost seemed the General was content to keep it as such.

When Azalea first began training, it was very clear she wanted to get out in the field as soon as possible, if only to kill Shade after Shade, anything to direct her burning hatred on. It also became clear she wasn’t built for strength in general. Brute force was, by no means, her strong suit.

Instead, with her now imbedded swiftness and grace she was trained for more stealthier, quicker training, better suited for an ambush or killing silently, though still a formadible enemy in the fields as well.

James, a man in his early sixties, oversaw her training, and others who didn’t flourish in the basic training. He hailed from Sarthenfall’s neighboring country, Delchistrier and claimed to be a former “assassin” for the king of Delchistrier, until the more recent, young, King Cullen took the throne, which, according to James, was not a man James wanted to serve.

“Too young,” James had said, with a shake of his head, tsking, “Too selfish.”

James however, despite where he hailed from, was a masterful instructor, and she had improved tenfold from when she first started, though an infuriating man at best.

Such as that morning.

“Think girl!” He snapped, smacking her in the hip with the flat of his sword, receiving short of a growl from Azalea. “Little girl has her head in the clouds again.” He stated, his Delchistrier accent rich in as he blocked a blow from Azalea with his sword, before they resumed circling each other.

“Stop bloody calling me that.” Azalea snarled, lunging another strike for his shoulder, which he easily blocked. He swiped, his movements quick and precise, Azalea deftly stepped out of harms way, stepping to the side and turning her body in the process, striking a blow against his arm, which would leave only a small cut at best.

“Little girl will always be little girl until she stops holding back,” James said matter of factly, tapping his own forehead in a gesture with his free hand.

This day Azalea practiced with daggers against his sword, which she thought was rather unfair in truth, a sword was much more deadly, despite having more practice with daggers.

“I’m not,” Azalea said, impatiently as she circled closer to her target. “You have years of practice-“

“No, no, no-“ James said, raising his hand to interrupt her, receiving a scowl from his opponent, “in the head, yes?” He suddenly struck out, sword aiming for her throat, Azalea dunked, stepping to the side and delivering a hard kick to James knee, he lunged and Azalea dropped to one knee, dunking under the sword in the process and using the pommel of the dagger to deliver a blow to his side, hitting the spot just under his ribs.

James grunted, stumbling the slightest before his sword cut through the air, where her head would’ve been just a second prior had she not rolled backwards before jumping to her feet, grinning cockily.

Then he attacked, and again and again and suddenly he was glory of blows, twisting this way and that, leaving Azalea barely enough time to deflect each with her daggers, twisting, dunking and rolling away from each blow, though hardly able to keep up until she sidestepped, and James gave a hard kick to the back of her knee, causing her to stumble backwards.

This time she wasn’t quick enough to deflect his blow, the pummel of his sword hit her square in the stomach, knocking her flat back on the ground, and the air right out of her.

James stood over her, sword at her throat and gazed down at an obvious frustrated Azalea, who groaned painfully, clutching her stomach. She gave a pained laugh, “Rotter.” She breathed painfully.

James was not amused. “Little girl will never fight this war if she cannot win the war with herself.” He said coolly, tapping the spot on her leather armor where her heart lay under it with his sword before he sheathed it and turned away.

Azalea sat up, wincing before her pained, amused expression turned into a scowl. “What a great load of rot.” She muttered before standing up, watching James walk away from the training ground. “What does that even mean?!” She called after him, throwing up her arms exasperatedly, but received no answer back as he walked off.

Azalea bent to pick the daggers off the ground, weighing them in each hands before she threw back her arm and expertly threw a dagger against the trunk of the tree, embedding itself horizontally in the tree, before throwing the other dagger, landing right beside the other, both exact in angle.

James was always a cryptic fellow, today his message today was clearer then most, she found herself suddenly angry at the vulnerability. What did he know of what went on inside her heart? That was none of his business. Sighing, Azalea walked over to the now scarred tree and wrenched the daggers loose from the trunk of the tree. Sheathing each at both of her hips, she went on to the next part of her usual routine.

Now 6AM, most of not all of the encampment was up and about. The morale of the encampment had drastically gone up since the groups arrival, no longer weighed done by the loss of Isidro, and the fact that their numbers were growing, had definitely improved everyone’s spirit. Azalea threw feasts to make sure they enjoyed the normal side of life as well, where retired musicians played a harmonious tune as soldiers, and non-soldiers alike danced and got drunk off their arses until they were eventually cut off. The encampment has become a fort and a pilgrimage in a way, simply housing those who just wanted refuge and protection, and soldiers alike.

Tonight there would be such another feast, after checking the “kitchen”, she deemed the surplus of food was acceptable for such a task, plus, it’d nearly been three weeks since the last one.

Thwang. Piff.

The sound of the tightening and release of the bow was nearly in perfect harmony as the soldiers released their arrows. They stood in one horizontal line, all clutching their wooden hunting bows, their sights trained on the target dummy’s in front of them, made out of hay and sticks, set up to be the shape of a human. A sack of hay target for the head, torso, arms and legs, held up with small wooden planks.

Except they weren’t fighting humans they were fighting dark, magical entities. But they didn’t exactly have targets for those.

The soldiers reloaded another arrow, Azalea walked behind them, checking their stances and making sure their aim and focus was set.

She stopped behind Matthew, coming up behind him and adjusting his arm so that the taunt string of the bow was not resting against his arm. “Away from the arm, never let the string rest, unless you want a ghastly burst of pain when you fire.” She said, adjusting his arms until his position was perfect.

After checking the rest of the men’s positions, she ordered them again. “Fire!” She called, her voice full of authority, raising her voice so all men down the line heard her. The arrows hit their marks nearly perfectly, all but a few, who Azalea chastised and instructed yet again. She wasn’t always the best instructor, but she humored the men nonetheless.

“No, no, Ethan, you great idiot, you’ll never shoot anything with that angle.” Azalea said bluntly, smacking him lightly in the elbow so his aim was straight again, his arm snapping to attention, which had been previously relaxed. Alexsander, another soldier, grinned beside a now pink-faced blushing, Ethan, obviously holding in a laugh.

~~
(6:03 A.M. Rebellion Encampment: Two months after the groups arrival)

explosiveKitten

Bakuyoshi · Sep 22, 2018

"No that's not right either, the jamming issue still remains. And the range is still pitiful. A shade could rip me apart before a bolt could even be fired." Cale muttered as he took apart his experimental weapon. For the past two months it had been nothing but this for him. Waking up in the morning and making use of his free time to try and get his new Crossbow idea working. Yet for every problem fixed two or more would always pop up. And along side that he still had to work with his new partner and later on be training with Angelo, who was a harsh teacher yet Cale still had to thank him for the exercise. When Cale first showed up he was Scrawny and could hardly lift a sword, while it wasn't what Cale imagined he had some muscle, not enough to carry a weapon like Angelo's yet he could at the very least hold a shortsword or Rapier. He was able to help around with the heavier stuff. And while he is still stubborn towards Ray he has a lot to thank him for. But he remembered he promised Ray that he'd show him a few of his more crazy Schematics. Maybe the Armorcracker could be shown off. Or maybe Ray could figure out the secret that Cale has been missing for the Repeater Crossbow. "Priscilla you pick the worst times to go to a bar. Especially the one time I feel like I need to hear you say something about me getting a girlfriend." He missed his cousin deeply, and if she were here he'd bet the morale would be much better. It's a lot better coming from a commoner over a royal when it comes to keeping Morale up. Annd he was still coming to terms with being royalty, and between all of the forms of training, it's the manners that is the worst part. But his train of thought broke at the sound of annoying laughter from the Archers, "Tch amateurs." Cale muttered as he saw the man miss a shot in the distance. If it were Lorelthia the man would've been the target of every archer showing off how good of aim they had. And Cale was about ready to join in to show him how it was done.

explosiveKitten · Sep 22, 2018

Angie could hardly believe how time had flown by.

Two months, gone in seemingly the blink of an eye, and suddenly she found herself knee deep in this rebellion nonsense. She was training recruits, helping with heavy lifting, anything she was told, really. She was honestly surprised she was still here, and she probably wouldn’t be if it weren’t for Cale.

She had promised to teach him swordplay, and teach she did. Every morning, and night. For months. And not just swordplay either, oh no, she was teaching him hand-to-hand combat too. Not only that, but she’s was making sure he was building upper body strength too, putting some meat of those skinny arms. Yeah, she worked him hard, she knew she did. But Angie wasn’t the gentle type anyway, and Angelo most certainly was not.

Speaking of the string bean, she had to admit... Despite her harsh teaching methods and prickly demeanor, she was proud of him. He didn’t complain, he was astute, and a fast learner. He was even building a little muscle, so she could beat him a little harder.

She had found that she considered him a friend, which was rare among charges. She had even given him nicknames. Which is unheard of in her world. Cale may have even caught her with a smile on her face.

Slowly, she made her way over to the inventor’s corner to find Cale. He had spent most of the morning in there, and it appeared he had forgotten their morning lesson. Slowly, she made her way over to his work bench and silently looked over his shoulder at what he was working on.

“... Hey, string bean. What’re ya up to?”

Bakuyoshi · Sep 22, 2018

"Waiting for Raymond. He mentioned something about meeting up first thing in the morning we needed to talk. Also as for what I'm doing, take a look at all of the Crossbow parts. twelve times Angelo, twelve times I've tried this new weapon of mine. Every single time I fix one thing five other issues pop up! I mean it's a good way to pass the time and if it succeeds it'll be a great weapon for everyone. Think of it a crossbow you could fire automatically. No reload required and it'll have a clip of bolts to fire. And if we figure out how to set the bolts ablaze. The shades would be no issue for us. And take back Sarenthall." Cale paused "And maybe find Priscilla and Elizabeth." he muttered the last part. If Angelo heard him he could easily explain Priscilla but Elizabeth was an entirely different story.
"But it's odd to still see you here. Weren't you planning on leaving when I was ok to be left alone?"

explosiveKitten · Sep 23, 2018

“... no reloading, huh? Sounds... interesting. If you get it to work, of course.” She said, not sure what else to say in reaction to his ambitions concerning the crossbow. Honestly? She felt like the ability to rapidly fire bolts without reloading was a power that no one should have. But she wasn’t about to discourage him.

Angie did indeed notice Cale muttering about some people named Priscilla and Elizabeth, but didn’t press for information. If she’s did that, Cale would expect the same in return, and she wasn’t quite ready for that yet.

“I- I, uh, well,” She searched for the right words frantically, “I said I was going to teach you swordplay, and you’re not even halfway done with that, for one thing. Which you’re 15 minutes late for your morning lesson, by the way.”
She looked at the crossbow he was working on, and then looked up at his face.

“... Cale, have you been up all night? Have you eaten anything this morning?”

Bakuyoshi · Sep 23, 2018

"Yes I ate, last night, I don't eat many meals but I make sure when I eat them I make up for any meals skipped. Also as I mentioned my Blacksmith partner said he needed to meet me first thing in the morning. And... I'm getting sleep alright, one of the others got me this thing that stops bad dreams. Mind you given how early I get up I only get 4-5 hours of sleep but it's sleep. Wish the camp would stop relying on me so much sometimes. Also I need to get some repaired Crossbows to the quartermaster. He discovered a lot of broken crossbows and I had to repair a good ten of them. The nuts were broken and I had to scrap the bottom of the barrel for them. Had to go to the food area and grab quite a few discarded bones. I mean we have enough to make things work but bone nuts are not as durable as the usual metal ones I make. And it doesn't help that bone nuts are a pain in the ass to make just right. A single one takes two hours just to make sure it functions properly. Actually you know what?" Cale gets up and tosses his latest attempt to the ground. "I got frustration to work out! Take me there and let's get all of this energy out of me!"
Cale sounded different, he sounded angry at this point and he needed to get all of this out of his system before he and Raymond got their meeting underway.

Xanto · Sep 23, 2018

Raymond Callahan

Despite Team Baxter's first loss, the entire game managed to turn in their favor by the second and third rounds. It all happened pretty fast. The second round was especially quick since Raymond didn't give himself time to interact with any person whatsoever. He merely ran toward his target, shot out his rope launcher, and flew up to the trees kicking off of the few that were in his way to add altitude to his position. It didn't take long for Ray to snatch team Aria's flag halfway up their tree before swiftly using his rope launcher to swing himself a distance away for a sprinting head start. Sooner or later the guy ran over the halfway line scoring an even point for Baxter's team.

Then, in no time Aurelie used her shy demeanor to take the flag and run for dear life in the third round, thus wrapping up the game in its entirety. It was a good thing Ray unset every trap he could.

____

TIME SKIP YO!

Clunk. Shing. The sound of striking the iron while it was hot signaled another normal day in the blazing fire pit for Raymond. It had been about two months since their group's arrival at the camp. Fortunately, things have been picking up. From fifty soldiers to a good two hundred. That was the thing though. More soldiers meant more weapons, and more weapons meant more time in the fire pit.

Clunk. Raymond's arm continued to swing the hammer down on a glowing piece of metal over the anvil. Crafting a single sword took a good six hours for him, which was quick for any blacksmith. The more elaborate swords took double the time though forcing Raymond's sleeping habits to twist in different directions. His brows furrowed at the thought of trying to come up with a collaborative project between Cale and him.

Shing. Clunk. "Gah," Ray silently mumbled lifting his arm up to wipe the sweat from his forehead. Although it was still a bit chilly out for an eastern native, the guy felt like he was in the western sweltering heat. With no time to waste, Raymond returned to hammering at the metal with his eyes occasionally glancing around for other new orders. That was when his gaze stopped at the fire.

His arm kept swinging, but his thoughts started racing. Fire was the Shades' obvious weakness. If he could come up with a crazy idea incorporating-. Thud. The blacksmithing hammer fell to the ground following a careful placement of the hot iron safely next to the anvil. After two months of exchanging previous projects and brainstorming dead end inventions with Cale, it seemed that Ray finally arrived at an attainable concept.

The man sprinted out of the smithing tent thankful to feel the northern breeze hit his skin. He had to land the idea before it left him. It didn't matter that few dark smudges were across his cheek, forehead, and white button-up polo. It was part of the usual uniform dawned by any blacksmith especially since he refused to wear Baxter's apron.

"Incendiary ammunition," Raymond routinely jumped over a small fence finally arriving at the inventor's corner. Cale had previously mentioned something about an armorcracker undoubtedly cracking through a human soldier's armor. The inventor had yet to show it off, but Ray knew just what to put a spin on. Incendiary shells would be an invaluable modification to the invention blazing through the Shades' skins. "Pardon, Angelo," Raymond gave a slight nod at the sudden realization that he was interrupting a conversation. This occurrence was something the blacksmith should have been used to by now.

Angelo and Cale were always together. In fact, their bromance seemed closer than his and Baxter's. "Real quick," He stated not wanting to take up any more of their time. It sounded like they were headed somewhere anyway. If he didn't say it now though, then Ray and Cale would end up walking rounds all over the camp searching each other out for their next availabilities. "Flaming arrows for the ranged masses and explosive ammunition for the mid-ranged field fighters," Ray mentioned yanking out a small towel from his back pocket. He casually wiped the smudge and sweat from his face giving him a few seconds to conclude his pitch, "It would give an essence to guns against Shades since the ammunition would burn right through them." A long shot, but if they could accomplish this then they got themselves a bullseye. This of course was just their own collaborative project. Cale and Ray still had their own side jobs to perform.

Soon enough, Raymond swung the towel over his shoulder and eyed the two guys in front of him with his gaze ending on Cale, "What do ya think?"

SandraDeelightful

Bakuyoshi

Baxter Callahan

It was just a game. Those were words that never truly settled with Baxter. While his blue eyes scrupulously observed every player on the field, he was able to learn a lot from the new group in front of him. Azalea obviously won the first round, Raymond was quick to conclude the second one, and Aurelie sneakily completed the third match earning a slight smile from the rebel leader himself. "Not bad," He bluntly commented glancing at Aria before excusing himself for a meeting he had to attend.

___

TIME SKIP!

"Expand the weapon storage unit to the right," Baxter motioned his hand over the area as he walked past the structure and turned his head to view the person scribbling the layout. "Blacksmith perimeters need more air circulation," He recalled feeling the burning atmosphere whenever he visited his younger brother. It was unfortunate that Raymond had thrice the workload Baxter had as the camp's blacksmith before. The older Callahan could only swing by now to give a brief helping hand to Ray.

Within a few moments, Bax's footsteps finally came to a halt a short distance away from the archery field. He watched Azalea's trainees hit their targets, then let his gaze follow her as she scolded a few of his best men. "Take your work seriously," He indifferently stated with his gaze piercing through Ethan's skin, "Unless you want to be our first moving archery target." That soldier had all the time to mess around during the feast later that night. Training allotted no time for giggles and jokes. His eyes then met Azalea who seemed to be somewhat enjoying this part of her assignment.

Over the past two months, the camp had been developing a lot faster than most people could have imagined especially under a new leader. It still wasn't perfect, but it was progressing well. The monastery was somewhat clean, their numbers were rising, and minor renovations would soon be complete. Not to mention that they had a surplus of food and high morale that strengthened as more people joined their forces.

Although his role as a leader was successful, stress was beginning to take its toll on the man recently letting him blurt out more than he actually meant. "Carry on," The rebel leader muttered as he walked away with the layout guy.

FrostFire

Ms. Sparrow

Bakuyoshi · Sep 24, 2018

"Flaming ammunition could be done easily. I know the materials we need. The issue with that will be getting it to work effectively. I'll see if I can't pull some strings and get us some flint and steel, alongside some oil. The explosive one will require a lot more brainstorming as that same technology is going towards the Armorcracker. So much so once me and Angelo are done I'll grab the schematics from my tent. We'll unfortunately have to start by getting the Armorcracker functioning properly. Then once there we move forward to the explosive ammunition. But that'll have to wait for our main job this afternoon. Also give Bax a shout that the 10 Crossbows that the new guys broke are fixed. Unfortunately I ran out of metal midway through and had to work with bone for the nuts.

Cale paused for a moment thinking whether he should tell Raymond the full story. "And Cale has thought it over. Tonight is the night it has to happen." Cale kept it vague, he knew Raymond would have no idea but he knew the other person to know his secret knew what he was hinting at. "See ya in a few hours Ray!" He shouted before heading off with Angelo.

"Just to be clear you know it had to happen sooner or later. But it won't be as public as you think Angelo. Just to the higher ups. Or whatever Baxter feels as necessary. If it has to be public at the feast that's fine. The only issue is that I have no good looking clothes to speak of. And I doubt you have anything fancy either." At the comment of his lack of clothing he looked at his worst for wear engineer uniform, hardly befitting a prince. It was a clear sign Cale was a working man. All over it were burn marks, some slash marks and at the right shoulder area a clearly sloppy repair job on something that caused it to split wide open. "Just to be clear we did get the new combat armor right? I'd sooner not get this even more ruined as is."

explosiveKitten · Sep 24, 2018

“Oh no, don’t let me stop the march of progress. Please, continue.”
She stepped back with her hands behind her back, turning away from Ray and Cale as they began to talk rather rapidly about things like incendiary ammunition and crossbows and... whatever those two were doing.

Her mind wandered off to different places while the two conversed. For the first time in quite a while, she thought of.. home. The giant trillium gardens, the cobblestone streets and... him. Always him. He just came with the territory really. She thought of him and the others fondly, no matter how long it had been since she had been in Calistead.

She was forced back from her thoughts when Cale‘s goodbye to Raymond tugged her out of the building. She looked at Ray and gave a curt goodbye as she walked out. She soon fell into step with Cale, looking him with intent as she listened to him.

“... look, Cale, whatever you decide to do with your secrets is up to you entirely. If your secret to give, not mine.” She said bluntly, looking at him with a (hopefully) supportive expression.
“And, as it turns out, I do have some fancy clothes in my pack. I need it for those high-class charges I get every once in a while.” She said, raising an eyebrow at Cale as she looked over his current with a critical eye. He certainly didn’t look like a noble, but he didn’t need to. Did he? “Also, what makes you think you need to dress up for this feast? I had every intention of just wearing my armor.”
She rolled her eyes and raised an eyebrow at Cale as she looked at him during his last comment, “And, yes Cale, the tanner is working on getting you some armor to soften blows, but with the whole army needing to be outfitted, it’s taking a little longer than previously thought. What, are you sick of all the bruises I’ve been giving you?” She teased, jabbing him with her elbow.

Bakuyoshi · Sep 24, 2018

Cale gave her a playful kick in the leg "I kinda need this in tip top shape. Besides I'd rather a lot protect my skin from something blowing up. And this still hasn't been really repaired since that shade that got the jump on us. The one that got me in the shoulder and you in the ribs."

He paused at not needing to look fancy. But chose to answer Angelos question with a question "I don't know. Do you need to look good for the higher standing charges?" This remark was a little dry for Cale standards yet he needed to understand he had to leave an impression. The hell sort of prince looks the way Cale is.

"Besides it's a one time thing. Just to show them I can look fancy for the occasion. As much as it'll pain me to wear it."

explosiveKitten · Sep 24, 2018

“There are times when I was called to guard a high class event that required formal attire. And those stuffy nobles pay a lot of money for that, so it would be foolish to not take the job just because you don’t like a suit coat. And believe me, I hate. Dressing fancy.” Mostly because the tailoring process was a bit too close for comfort.

She said, then gestured towards the general area of the camp, “If you’re really that concerned, you can probably find a tailor somewhere who can whip something up quick. And if not, then I suppose I could patch up your clothes myself. I do repair my own clothes all the time.”

“Also? Don’t worry about making impressions to the toffs in charge, alright? They’re all just people. Judgemental people, admittedly, but just people.” She was trying to give him good advice. She wasn’t good at it, by any means, but uhhh... She was trying?

Bakuyoshi · Sep 26, 2018

"I'm going to have to be one of those toffs soon. I'm not going to lie I still don't want to do this. I kinda want to run away from this all still. But another part of me says I have to stay, stay and end whoever did this all. And to leave a message all those that follow the person that did this. I have my suspicions but all of it is speculation at the moment."
He knew from looking at the damage where the shades had come from. It was almost like an explosion of them. He had no idea where the explosion began but given his theory it came from the Midlands it was likely but who could get there hands on such power. Even the items the royal family had would not have caused this much.

"It's like I have the answer so close yet in the end I cannot reach it. Given my theory I have someone to ask but I'd have to tread carefully with her. If it is true then she may not be in the best mood when I ask it. A little insensitive to ask. Hey I know the situation is bad but I have a theory that the shades originated from the midlands. Mind if I ask if anything odd was going on before the attack?"

Cale could not help but feel insulted just asking the question. Even if it was not directed towards the intended target he felt scummy even emulating the question. And by the time he got to the training ground he casually picked up a rapier. "Nontheless it's time I get a feeling for this thing. On your start Angelo!" Cale immediately assumed a fighting stance ready for his mentor to teach him more of combat.

Blackrose7 · Sep 27, 2018

Annabel and her gang woke up from their tent when it was 6:00 am, so they can eat some breakfast at the breakfast tent.
She was wearing in her maid dress as well. Because Annabel managed to get around with telling Aria to do the part of the screening that Baxter couldn’t do after capture the flag was over.
Speaking about capture the flag, Annabel did her best with trying to beat Ray. But Ray managed to beat her, because she was a bit too overconfident in trying to beat him at the game. Hell, she tried to throw a lot of punches and kicks at Ray, and yet he somehow got the flag.
Trying to chase Ray on the treetops didn’t help the situation either, as he used a rope launcher on her from out of nowhere.
The third round was a what just happen moment for Annabel, for she didn’t expect for Aurelie to take the flag from her like that. Aurelie is the innocent rabbit princess after all, so Annabel was completely off guard with her running off with the flag. Annabel tried to chase her down, but oh boy was that rabbit princess fast when she was running for her dear life.
Eventually, Aurelie made her hoodie dress a bit higher like she said she would do after the game was over. Annabel also wanted to beat Ray fairly at tree climbing without the rope launcher being involved.

After Annabel and her gang were done eating their breakfast, they went to their job immediately.
Annabel was cleaning the monastery with a cleaning cloth and a feather duster, and she was also scrubbing the floors and walls with water and lye soap.
Nothing would be left unclean and unorganized when Annabel is around, because a royal maid like her will clean the place until it was spotless.
Meanwhile, her gang was decorating the stone structure to make it look more presentable for everybody thanks to Daisy’s help. “I want the flowers to be over there, Sam. Jerry and Thomas, move the paintings over there. This place needs to look amazing when everybody comes here.” said Daisy.
“Yes Daisy.“ said All of them, as they did what Daisy told them to do.
Now back to Annabel, and she made the monastery extremely clean before moving on to the gardening job.
Once there, Annabel was paying attention to the other people who was harvesting from the plants, and followed their lead after watching them and asking a few questions from them.

SandraDeelightful · Sep 27, 2018

Princess Aurelie Beauchamp of Aubigine

Aurelie still wasn't used to waking up early, and she was still as much of a rabbit. An entire lifetime of being taught to be seen and not heard, as well as to never think for herself was not something that was easily overcome. She was still scared of her own shadow.

But a part of her knew that this was important for her. She was technically a queen. It was a title she didn't want, and knew that she would never, could never live up to. She didn't want to rule, she simply wanted to marry and raise a large brood of children. Being a queen and having so much responsibility frightened her more and more everyday.

Aurelie hauled herself out of bed, still absolutely exhausted. She knew that her old sleeping habits would be hard to break. She was used to going to bed late into the night, or the early hours of the morning, and getting up at eleven at the earliest. It seemed strange after two months in this camp, she still hadn't got used to her new life, but it was so much different than the one she had been used to.

She tied herself up quickly before heading to have breakfast keeping to herself, as she usually did.

explosiveKitten · Sep 29, 2018

Angie just looked at him with a mildly confused expression as he started going off about theories and points of origin for the attacks and... honestly she just kinda tuned it out after a while. After all this time she has spent with Cale, she finally learned to just let him talk himself out after the fifth time listening to him rant about theoretical nonsense. She was glad he trusted her with this stuff, certainly, but... she got lost really quickly whenever Cale starts talking about it. She looked around to make sure nobody was nearby before sighing and picking up a wooden training sword from the rack and swinging it around a bit while listening to Cale.

Sooo you want to interrogate Azalea? Wonderful.

She looked at him some more, then shrugged and rolled her shoulders. “Alright then. Today, is just going to be a continuation of what we already learned. So, first before we start, I want you to come at me.” She gestured with her hand for Cale to strike her. “Apply what I’ve taught you, and attack. Don’t question it, just do it. Come on!”

Bakuyoshi · Sep 29, 2018

"With pleasure!" Cale shouted as he ran forward and went for a single thrust of his weapon. He was aware of the fact a rapier was a thrusting weapon. Swinging it would be useless and go against everything he learned about it.

He would hazard a guess that this was a test of how swiftly he could strike. Or maybe a test at how strong his strikes were. But nontheless he only cared about his improvement. If he was to be a prince not only did he have to be well mannered like one, but he had to have the might and skill to take what was his back. Whatever the cost was he had to train like this, have a trainer as strict as Angelo.

Ms. Sparrow · Sep 30, 2018

redhead-green-eyes-girl-night-city-light-awesome-88-best-red-hair-green-eyes-and-freckles-images-on-pinterest-of-redhead-green-eyes-girl-night-city-light.jpg

Azalea Eve Windfore

Ethan froze like he’d been shot. The moment Baxter’s voice rang across the shooting range all the soldiers seemed to straighten, including Alexsander, whom had been laughing at Ethan’s expanse up until that moment, his grin quickly fading, his gaze instantly staring daggers on the on the target in front of him as if he was already doing so. Ethan in the meantime, blushed fervently, his hand clenched so tightly on the bow she thought he might snap it. Azalea’s lips curved up at the corner of her mouth, amused at the sight of the tense soldiers, now snapped to attention. Baxter certainly knew how to capture his soldiers attention. Though this morning he seemed particularly unpleasant, she was glad it was not herself he was scolding.

Then his gaze met hers and naturally she didn’t find it as amusing. Azalea’s slight smirk faded, her smug thoughts suddenly erased from her mind, leaving it blank. His piercing blue stare always seemed to throw her off guard, like he was staring right through her, which she found incredibly infuriating. Much to her relief, the eye contact was brief, and she found herself relieved as he walked off.

She released a breath she hadn’t realized she held, turning back to Alexsander, just in time to watch barely formed grin quickly disappear. A still blushing Ethan coughed into his hand awkwardly.

Her eyes narrowed dangerously on the both of him. “What?” She snapped in a flat voice, hands placed haughtily on her hips.

Alexsander failed to suppress a grin, his brown eyes twinkling with amusement as he turned to face her. “Your face is red.” He said suggestively, his grin widening.

She blinked, suddenly feeling the heat in her face, which only made her redden more, though not from embarresment. “Your skills of observation never fail to impress.” She said sarcastically, her tone holding a very flat, irritable edge to it.

His grin spread across his face, Ethan chuckling beside him. “Thank you.” He replied smartly, looking all the more pompous. Alexsander and Ethan always seemed to be the most amused by Azalea and her antics, and most friendly, much to her expense as an instructor to them.

Placing her hands behind her back, folding together tightly, she tilted her head back, arrogantly, a smug smirk spread across her entire face, making Alexsanders own falter. “That’s one lap after shooting.”

“I was joki-“

“Two.”

Alexsander sighed exasperatedly, throwing up his arms in surrender. Ethan grinned at his friends punishment before turning to Azalea, “You know, he makes everyone tense, but he’s supposed to. That guys too serious though, you know? Broods too much.” He said, thoughtfully, glancing behind her as if Baxter might reappear and scold him again. She said nothing in reply, giving a dismissive wave, Alexsander and Ethan turned back around towards their targets, nothing an arrow and firing with the rest of the soldiers.

Her thoughts drifted as the soldiers continued to fire on their targets. It was true, she couldn’t imagine how difficult it was to lead an entire army depending on you, he was only slightly older then her, or so he looked to be, she wondered how he dealt with the pressure at all. She respected him, though at the same time hated him. She hated feeling vulnerable. Hated that he saw the bruises and the scars two months prior. Hated feeling weak. Though at the same time, was grateful he kept it to himself.

She glanced down at her wrist absent mindly, tracing over the pale skin that had been a dark purple two months ago, glad for its paleness. It was a lot easier to ignore things when you didn’t have the physical evidence written all over you. Though the five scars that ran down along her cheek would always remain, though now faded pink lines in her freckled face.

Once archery practice was over, and she was done watching Alexsander rub around the shooting range, much to her amusement, she found herself walking through the encampment with a new goal.

The General hadn’t attended standard training that morning, much to her pleasure. Knowing he was most likely out on some operative and away gave her the perfect opportunity to snoop, though still having to be watchful for Baxter and soldiers for what she was planning to do.

Nobody ever said much on the very sexist, quiet and unfriendly General. There was no history she’d heard of, no motive for his rotten behavior. He hardly seemed like a good General at all. Every operative he planned seemed to fail, most of not all the tunes, it was like the Shades saw them coming each time he sent people to clear them out from a certain area.

Azalea moved with a certain swagger, her steps spirited and every sway of her hips representing just how cocky she was. In the past two months she’d regained much of her former strength, her scrawny form filling out nicely once again, witha bit of newly added muscle as well, though not even close to being as built as Aria. Her hair grew with her, her dark auburn hair now reaching just below her hips, currently tied back in a simple braid, swishing from side to side with her smug swagger.

Sighting Aurelie, Azalea gave her a friendly if not cocky grin as she passed by in her usual fashion before she found herself in front of the much larger, General’s tent, guarded by two soldiers who looked at her scrutingly, exchanging glanced before one spoke up.

“You can’t go in. General’s orders.” He said stiffly, folding his arms.

Azalea matched his movements, easing her expression into coolness and leaning her weight on one hip, arching an eyebrow. “Simmer down,” She said, her tone smooth as marble though with a hint of smugness, “I wasn’t planning on it. I was looking for you two actually, Baxter’s looking for you, he has a task for the both of you and he needs you immediately.”

The guards shared doubtful glances.

She threw up her hands defeatedly, “Fine, fine, me and Bax are good friends and all, but if you wanna poke the bear then by all means...” she trailed off, turning on her heel as if to walk off and made it all but one step before one of them sighed wearily;

“We’re going alright?” He said irritably, brushing past her with his partner in tow.

“Nathanials not gonna be happy about this.” The other soldier muttered under his breath.

“Baxter’s in charge not him.” The other said pointedly, the rest of their conversation fading with distance as they searched for Baxter.

Azalea grinned mischievously after them before turning towards the tent, giving herself a silent pat on the back for both her cleverness and acting skills.

There was a gleam in Azalea’s yellow-green eyes as she looked about, making sure nobody was watching as she slipped into the General’s tent to begin her own investigation on Nathanial Whitemane.

SandraDeelightful

explosiveKitten · Oct 1, 2018

With ease, Angie deflected all of Cale’s blows, dancing around him like a hummingbird around a flower. She was watching his form, taking note of every minute detail she could see. He was improving, at the very least. A fast learner, too.

But he wasn’t perfect. Then again, nobody was. She blocked a couple more of his hits before she grew tired and quickly knocked the rapier out of his hand with a quick flick and twist of her wrist, sending the thing flying up into the air. She quickly grabbed it out of the air, and swung it around so the tip was tucked under Cale’s chin. The woman in armor stared at her charge down the blade of the weapon.

She then flashed a half-grin at Cale and with a quick motion, retracted the sword from Cale’s throat and tossed it back to him.
“You’re definitely improving, that is blatantly clear. You’re hardly the scrappy prince I met two months ago.” She started, walking around him with a critical eye. “However, you keep making rookie mistakes. You continue to narrow your stance as you fight- You start out correctly, but by the end your feet are practically touching.”

She looked at his feet and used her own foot to nudge his feet back into place. “And you’re still treating the blade like an object. I’ve told you before, you need to view it as an extension of your arm, not just something to swing around.”

Xanto · Oct 2, 2018

Raymond Callahan

Raymond nodded when the inventor only scratched the surface of their potential project. It was an understandable action since the brainstorming process would likely take a couple of days over the couple of minutes they had to converse before Cale and Angelo took off. Besides, Cale gave just the right information for Ray to know that the project was doable. After many ambitious ideas it was a victory to hear that these two fiery ranged weapons were moving on to the next step.

"Whenever ya ready," Raymond casually adjusted the towel over his shoulder listening to the required materials Cale listed. Without a doubt, a couple of items such as steel and metal fasteners with threaded holes could be found somewhere in the forge. The blacksmith area after all was the hub for metal.

Raymond raised a brow in confusion when Cale started referring to himself in third person. It didn't take long for him to realize that it was a late addition to Cale's message for Baxter. In which case, Ray snapped his facial expression into a casual small smile with a nod the same time Cale continued about letting something be known that night. "See ya," The blacksmith slightly waved.

Tonight is the night it has to happen? Ray repeated in his mind furrowing his brows in confusion again. Well whatever it was, he just had to wait till later to find out what the guy was talking about. There wasn't any time to ponder about a secret anyway despite how curious Ray usually was. He had better stuff to occupy his time till then.

Err . . . fast forward.

"Bet there's a door behind this tree," Raymond said standing behind a tree trunk with a fourth of his body still on display for the guards by the general's tent to see. His body then made its way to the side of the trunk and placed an arm against it. Over the past two months, Ray has almost made it a routine to entertain Armand and Paul. "What do you want?" The curious Armand asked already used to Raymond's demonstrations. This particular one seemed almost impossible to accomplish, so taking part in the bet was that guard's practical way to go. The hazel-eyed man shrugged merely shooting a glance to the side, "A flask, empty." It was a simple item, nothing to be too excited about. "Done. Half your serving of tonight's dinner," The same guard wagered suspiciously watching Raymond gradually walk over to the other guard's side.

Before replying to Armand, Ray raised a brow at the more silent guard who he knew was in the general's social circle. Paul was almost that guy's twin when it came to controversial ideas. " . . A sword that can slice through any man's armor," The more quiet guard muttered giving in to the obvious bet, "Including his." A gasp sounded from Armand followed by a grumpy reenactment. "The liquid stashed by the general's closet," Raymond countered eyeing Paul in a calm yet determined way.

"Done." The serious guard huffed.

"Done," Raymond gave a single nod before making his way over to the tree trunk a few feet away from the two. Those guards just never learned to reject a good bet. In one smooth movement, Ray picked up a sack over his shoulder then walked into the invisible door behind the tree.

"BULL!" Armand yelled in disbelief immediately rushing over behind the tree. Where Raymond's body seemed to have entered into an invisible room that the tree trunk apparently held the entrance to. The guard nudged his body against the tree searching for the door Raymond supposedly disappeared through. "Armand, get back here!" Paul commanded. "There is nothing here!"

Meanwhile, Raymond indifferently swung the general's closet door open then stepped out with the sack still over his shoulder. It only took a few moments for him to turn back around and pull a few dresses out the sack. Wow general, what nice style you have. Raymond thought to himself hanging a few random dresses in the empty closet. Although he was personally on okay terms with the ol' chub, Ray had quite a handful of people he needed to avenge.

A good-willed prank. What better way than to toss the general's remaining clothes somewhere by the horses and replace them with dresses? A friendly prank was all it was. In fact, it could be even be some sort of welcome back gesture.

"You can’t go in. General’s orders," Paul's voice sounded out just as Raymond finished hanging the last dress. The voice that responded though made Raymond slightly smile. Princess Azalea. He silently shut the closet door listening to their interaction. At this point, it was no surprise that the princess stretched out a lie just to get into a restricted area. In fact, the interaction gave Ray just enough time to slowly walk to the tent's entrance.

Even behind a closed tent, Raymond could feel Azalea's natural confidence undoubtedly assisting her with the scene she was auditioning for. The princess's feat earned a smirk that widened a bit as Ray watched Azalea's leg cautiously enter the tent the same time she probably peered around looking for any eye witnesses. Little did she know that Raymond was right in front of her the whole time.