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Post by Aramil Marcus Cassidy on Jul 6, 2013 12:21:22 GMT -5
Aramil had been gone for awhile on orders from the king. A small scouting party made its way across the country they were told it was just recon but Aramil knew the real reason why he was going across the country. They were in search for the giant that was released upon the land. They found nothing of course, not even a foot print or broken tree to lead them in any direction the giant could have gone. A year had passed with still nothing to bring home but they were low on supplies and some of them had died from natural causes. Making a command decision he ordered everyone back to the castle. There they would give the news to the king and await further orders, but at least the few that were still alive would return home to give the news. Aramil leaned forward and patted his horse the armor on the horse clanking as he did.
The party came over the hill and stopped as their long since lost home was finally in front of them once again. The sight was heart warming something that he had not felt in a very long time. The four men accompanying Aramil awaited his orders and he kicked his horse into a gallop as they headed towards the castle they call home. As they reached the draw bridge horns went off warning the castle guard of their arrival. Never had Aramil thought would he be glad to hear those horns in his life, but he was. Upon reaching the keep Aramil and the men dismounted only to be greeted by the general not the king.
Aramil walked up to him and bowed. "General" The general bowed to him back and spoke "Captain, what news of your scouting party?" As he looked at the 5 of them his smile turned to a frown at how so many returned.
"As you can see, only myself and four others made it home. Some fell to bandits, others fell to disease from nature. We searched all over the country where we could and still found nothing of the giant. Our supplies became limited and we had to return home if we wished to continue the tracking." Aramil explained.
The general nodded and finally said "I understand captain, your men always come first with you and I admire that. The king will not be happy with only 5 of his men returning when he sent twenty. For now get your men feed and bathed, ill make sure you and your men stay here for awhile. If the king wishes to send another scouting party ill send a different batch of soldiers. Well done Captain." He saluted and went back inside the keep.
Aramil turned to the men and told him that he would meet them at the nearest tavern once he finished with his horse. He went to the stables and stripped the armor off his horse. The horse nudged him in approval and began eating its well deserved hay. Aramil left his horse in the care of the stable and headed down the street. Aramil looked about the castle and took in all the new features and people that were milling about going about their own day.
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Post by Arcadia Celedragonel on Jul 8, 2013 7:47:45 GMT -5
“Storm...... Storm?”
Nymeria shook her head as she walked through the forest searching for her black pegasus. As usual, the stallion always seemed to be missing when she wanted to go for a fly. The young auburn haired wilding rolled her eyes as she walked – walking was boring, flying meant enjoyment, and freedom from her father's eyes for a while. “Storm?” she called again, wondering where on earth the stallion could possibly be this time. A faint sound, something like a nicker caught her attention, causing her to look up into the tree in front of her. Low and behold, her black pegasus stallion was sitting on a sturdy branch gazing down at her. “What on earth are you doing up there? Come down or people will stare.” The stallion whuffled through his lips at her, shaking his head in a clear denial. “Storm.... promised you did, that we would fly. Please come down... you know I can not climb that high...”
The stallion sighed before standing up and gliding down to her level, reaching out to pull a few strands of her long hair with his teeth. Nymeria shoved his head away, stroking his muzzle, before to his side so that she could swing up onto his back. Once she was seated properly a tab on his flanks with her heels sent the pegasus galloping towards the edge of the forest, opening his large wings to take off soaring into the clouds. Here amongst the amongst the white puffs Nymeria allowed herself to smile and laugh, tumbling through the air with Storm as he flipped upside down and spun this way and that. Pure freedom. She even allowed herself to fall from Storm's back to dive down through the air, flipping over for the stallion to catch her again.
This was how life was for them... excitement away from the wildling tribes, finding adventure wherever they flew... but it always felt like a dream at the end of the day when Nymeria had to return to her father's critical gaze. She didn't exactly hate her father, she just didn't think he actually appreciated her. All he appreciated was power and her ability to see the future. Sure Nymeria saw futures... it was her gift, and her curse. It had cursed her to become trapped within the wilding world, never allowed to make her own decisions. Fathers word was law.
In due time Storm began to soar lower, drifting down out of the clouds into clearer sky. Foirfich lay before them, the river channel far behind them. They were well over the border now. Slowly the black stallion drifted down to the ground, trotting a short distance as his hooves touched solid earth, flicking his tail as he carried his head proudly aloft. Nymeria stroked his neck lightly before slipping from his back. The wildling crept forward towards a tree and looked down to the bottom of the hill. Something caught her attention, and she started towards it. Storm snorted and shook his head, stepping backwards with his heavy hooves. Storm bore resemblance to Friesian horses, complete with the distinctive curly mane and tail, but his large feathered wings separated him from standard stock.
“Go, I'll call you later”, Nymeria whispered, knowing the pegasus stallion was uneasy with being in strange lands. “But if you don't come, I'll call you a traitor”.
Nymeria smirked when she heard the thoughts of the pegasus stammering over her teasing. Nymeria chuckled before gesturing with her head to send him off. The stallion obeyed, flying to a nearby cluster of trees, perching amongst the branches where no one was likely to find him. Nymeria ran to the object that had drawn her attention and began to investigating. She was lost to her curiosity when two shadows cast over her, startling her.
Three guards had stepped up behind her, gazing at her with anger. “Oi! What you think you're doing?!” one of them shouted. Nymeria gasped and tried to run, but she was blocked off from escape, grabbed by her arms before being thrown to the ground roughly. “She's a wildling”, the man who had caught her explained. “What should we do with her?”
“Take her to the keep... the general should have an idea”, the more senior of the men suggested. “Though I wouldn't be surprised if he gave her to the captains... for entertainment”.
Her wrists bound with rope, Nymeria was hauled to her feet and held by two of the guards while the third, older, guard led the way into the keep. Then she heard a crash in the trees... more guards with chains and ropes... hauling a black shape towards the keep. “What did you find?” the senior guard shouted.
“Pegasus! Not a bad start to the day!” one answered with a laugh. Storm whinnied, flapping his wings and throwing himself against the ropes in an attempt to break free. Even Nymeria struggled, she struggled hard... even as she was half dragged into the street.
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Post by Aramil Marcus Cassidy on Jul 9, 2013 16:59:36 GMT -5
Aramil was walking through the streets half groggy, he was tried and it had been a long journey back home. He was trying to take in the sights but sleep deprivation was stating to kick in. Being a soldier Aramil was used to it but every time it hit him it was always like vertigo. Keeping himself upright and walking through the streets Aramil noticed some soldiers gathered around a woman. Must be a woman complaining about something being stolen again or cheated out of a sale. It was the usual here at the castle not much changed but the people. Then he realized the soldiers were getting closer and that the woman was not being crowded by the soldiers, she was being dragged.
What in this world would make these soldiers drag this woman through the streets? Closing his eyes and resting them for a second he opened them up. His vision sharp as a hawk once more and saw the woman clear as day. His heart sunk as he knew exactly who this woman was. It was the kings daughter or seer and these two fools were dragging her around the city by her head. Slowly walking over to the two idiots they saw him. They stopped and saluted him as the one on the left began to speak to him. "SIR, we were just coming to see you. We have a little gift for you." He pulled the girl in front of them both and put her on her knees to show his captain. "We figured you could use a little entertainment tonight as your returning home present from us soldiers."
Aramil rested his hand on his sword hilt as he spoke very slow and clear. "You have three seconds to let this woman go, there will not be a four"
Both men looked at each other and started busting out laughing while Aramil started his count.
"1"
"2"
"3"
Aramil drew his sword so quickly when he ran it through the soldier not holding the girl in front of him the man was half laughing still and the shock on his face was priceless. Aramil pulled his sword free as the body fell limp to the floor and the other soldier looked at him in horror.
"This Woman you have bound and dragged through the street, is the Kings seer and only daughter you FOOL. Now untie her and consider yourself lucky that I don't carry out your sentencing right here right now like your friend." Aramil spoke sternly.
The soldier left alive quickly untied the woman and stepped back four paces so as to run from his captain if he tried to kill him.
"Good, now clean up this mess and report to your station you will receive your punishment from your Sargent there." Aramil spoke once more. The soldier saluted again and drug his buddy's body through the streets away from the captain and seer.
Sheathing his sword he knelt down to finish unbinding the Seer as the soldier was in such a hurry he did a poor job of it. Throwing the rope away no caring where it landed Aramil looked at the woman making sure she was alright. He had seen her face many times in the kings court and private chambers but never this close. "I am sorry for the way those soldiers treated you, The king has been recruiting anyone these days even people who don't know the royal family and things like this have been happening since that damn giant appeared. On another note where are my manners, I am Captain Aramil Cassidy and All I know about you is your the kings daughter. But I never caught your name."
Aramil held a hand out to help her to her feet.
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Post by Arcadia Celedragonel on Jul 10, 2013 5:40:43 GMT -5
Nymeria struggled as hard as she could, throwing her weight around if it meant that she would be able to throw atleast one of her captors off balance. So what, they were taking her to see some general purely because they had recognized her as one of the wildling folk from Teumnach? What gave it away? The feathers in her hair or perhaps the leather armband around her bicep? They had even found Storm and he had been hiding in the trees. If she could get to Storm and throw the ropes off him, they could fly away and escape. Perhaps Eacharnach would have been a better choice of kingdom to escape to? This one only seemed to capture anything that wasn't common to them and drag them into castles. Sure, Storm was unusual in the fact that he was a black pegasus... but not everyone could tame a pegasus. And Storm belonged to her. Nymeria knew that Foirfich was all about 'glory for the king', but THIS was ridiculous. What did they hope to achieve? That their king would be able to fly around on a black pegasus stallion that had been stolen from a Wildling seeress? Oh yeah, that would be a marvellous reputation to have. Nymeria never took her eyes off Storm, she kept fighting the hold on her as long as he fought against the men that led him towards what might have been stables. There were stealing her pegasus and she was a captive. All because she had poked around in what had turned out to be a supply wagon. Nymeria had never seen a wagon before, one couldn't really blame her for being curious. The young woman yelped when she was thrown down at the feet of another man before her head was pulled up by her hair to reveal her face. No pain showed on her features despite the feeling that the red strands were being pulled out of her skin. The men conversed around her as Nymeria watched her precious Pegasus be dragged further and further away from her. Her only friend, and she had lost him. “....is the Kings seer and only daughter you...” Nymeria snapped to attention. Well that was the overstatement of the century. Nymeria was no daughter of a King, let along even from Foirfich. She was a wildling child... a commoner. Granted her father considered himself a Lord, when in reality he was just a tribal leader that thanks to her visions had made himself virtual King of the Wildlings. Nor was she his 'only' daughter, she was his eldest of six... yes... but his bastard child. Or base-born in the more polite circles. However, regardless of the distinction her remaining guard fled with the body of his dead comrade, leaving her at the feet of the senior ranking soldier. Nymeria flinched as he reached for her wrists but she couldn't really fight back much and she later realized that his only intention had been to unbind her wrists, throwing the rope aside. Then there was that description he gave her, claiming her to be a Princess. Nymeria's face remained neutral, even though she was flattered by the description. Hesitantly she accepted his hand and was helped to her feet, rubbing at the skin of her wrists lightly, the wildling girl shuffled her feet. “You are mistaken by your assumption. I am not the daughter of your king, though I feel no ill by your presumption”, she commented, correcting him that no, she wasn't a princess. Just a mere commoner. “I am not even local, though it is no surprise that my... abilities.... have been made rather vocal”. The wildling wasn't about to deny that she was a Seeress, as this soldier had already determined that she was. But how had he known? Last she had been aware her father was rather determined to keep her powers all to himself, and that was in Teumnach. How had a soldier of Foirfich known of her? “Nymeria”, she provided, daring not to give him her family name. Redwood had never felt like her last name anyway... she had initially been a Tyrell, until her father had heard of her. The Redwood's were prominent amongst Wildlings such as herself, but they were not highly regarded amongst 'civilised' society. “Your men... they took my Storm from me, a bit excessive wouldn't you agree?” she stated, pointing towards the black pegasus that was struggling, resisting at being forced into a stable. The stallion was a wild creature, he needed to be in open air, he didn't like to be closed in. Even Nymeria could hear the stress in his thoughts.
((OOC: Yep, she rhyme's when she speaks  ))
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Post by Aramil Marcus Cassidy on Jul 10, 2013 22:15:47 GMT -5
Aramil was taken aback by her manner but he shook it off. "I only assumed you were his daughter as the king speaks highly of you any chance he gets to his guest and other royalty boasting he had the greatest Secret in the world known to man. I only assumed he was talking of you. I apologize for any miss conception on who you are."
Aramil was then pointed to the black Pegasus. It was a beautiful sight that was for sure and heartbreaking at the same time. To see such a creature bound and struggling so hard to get free was a horrible sight. One that Aramil had been accustom to from his military experience. More then one creature that was mythical had been put down my Aramil on the orders of the king. Aramil ordered the soldiers holding the ropes to let the creature go. The men followed the order and ran off before the creature would bust free from the now easily lose ropes and kill them for binding the creature.
"I once again apologize for you and your steed any harm that may have come to you. Ill see to it that everyone that had a hand in this is punished responsibly and for my own wrong assumptions. Your not hurt are you?" Aramil stated to her.
Aramil finally sheathed his sword and looked her once over again just to make sure one of the soldiers had not stabbed her or cut her on any place of her body. They were known to dagger people they captured and thrown in the the jails to bleed out that they didn't like. Satisfied that she didn't appear to be bleeding he nodded to her and started to walk away from the woman leaving her to her business. He didn't want to bother the woman anymore then she already had been humiliated by being dragged through the streets wrongfully.
He had a half a plan to go to the general and tell him what happened but he knew the general was secretly corrupt and would do nothing. He wanted to put this castle into military law and rule with a iron thumb. Anyone that got a half a second with the man could see it on his face. He didn't take failure for a option and the price was death in all cases. It was the way of the castle and the king allowed it as long as his military was strong and continued to strike fear into all other military that dare oppose them. As Aramil was leaving he called back to her "I would invest in a guard accompanying you so this doesn't happen again, I cant save you every time" he chucked as a joke nothing more and began to look into the market place that was very close by.
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Post by Arcadia Celedragonel on Jul 11, 2013 7:49:06 GMT -5
The nymph wasted no time in running over to Storm to remove his burden of ropes and chains, tossing them aside as if they were poisonous snakes about to bite them both instead of harmless tools of control. The stallion calmed the moment he felt Nymeria's hands brush across his glossy coat, standing quietly and patiently until he was free once more. He knelt down to allow his tamer to slip onto his back before clattering down the road after Aramil, snorting loudly as he declared that he would keep his distance from the man. Nymeria could not blame him, they were in a strange place after all.
“You are wrong again, I have no part in your king's reign”, the nymph corrected. “I am a seer, but not from here. My father is no king, though I'm sure he wishes he were such a thing”.
There she went again, rhyming as she always did whenever she spoke, she could not prevent it... it was just the way she was.
Nymeria shook her head in response, no, she had not been stabbed or cut, or even raped thank the gods. “You have no reason to be alarmed, I have no been harmed. Bound I was, this is true, but I would not be free if not for you”, she commented in her usual rhyming way of saying thanks. After all, she could not form it in any other way considering her usual pattern of speech. Any other person would come outright and simply say the word “thankyou”, but Nymeria forever had a compulsion to rhyme her words, so that those unused to her ways often through that she was speaking in riddles, or trying to be cryptic about things that she was actually trying to convey clearly. Nymeria had no notion of WHY she rhymed, all she knew was that she did.
The nymph had always spoken in rhyme every since she was small, the gypsies she had lived with until she was eight years of age had thought it quirky and encouraged her to continue, while her father, whom with now she was forced to reside, despised it and frequently beat her to try and 'get' her to say things normally. But rhyming was normal to Nymeria, it was as normal as the standard pattern of speech was to someone else. How could she change something that came so natural to her?
“While I appreciate the suggestion, my funds are in question. I cannot afford a bard, let alone a guard”, she explained. “I am a Teumnach wildling; being captured is inevitably our thing”.
Nymeria studied Aramil curiously, bald men were not common amongst her people. In fact, she had never seen anyone that was bald before... everyone she knew had a full head of hair. She couldn't stop herself from pulling out one of her notebooks and making a quick rough sketch of the man on one of the pages, but she failed to pay attention to the road while she was making her sketch. Storm shied sideways at a barking dog, causing Nymeria to loose her balance, which threw her book from her fingers.... which clocked Aramil on the back of the head. “Sorry!” she quickly managed, dismounting from her Pegasus to collect her book. The nymph glared at the creature before she reached down to pick up her book, flinching involuntarily as an afterthought that Aramil might hit her because of the incident, then she moved to duck behind Storm, putting the stallion between her and the soldier. Nymeria was forever beaten by her father that she was terrified of getting hit... now she was wary of anyone that knew how to fight, thinking that they might hit her too.
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