Troubles(open)

[Nayeli]

”Malady, how is this?” The handmaiden Shui asked me as she held up a beautiful dark green dress that was long and straight, but would hug my body with perfection. I looked at her for a moment and thought about it, pushing my black hair from my face and then nodded slightly before allowing her to help me dress. I did not need the help, but I took it, mostly because it was custom. ”Shui, what time is it? I need to know so I can figure out what time my uncle will be here,”

[/color] My hand maiden walked to the window, looking up into the sky before returning to me. ”It is near lunch Malady.” I nodded to her, knowing my uncle would be arriving soon enough.
As she continued to help me dress I stopped her as a figure came into my door. I was full dressed, she was just tying a string down my back. I looked at the young men, one of the men who protected me. Even as just a Countess, I was in trouble all the time. People hated my uncle, for reason sometimes unknown to me. I looked at him for a moment and he smiled… This man was a flirt with me, the age of my brother, I did not mind, but I tried not to allow my heart to get into my work, the men who worked for me included. ”Lady Nayeli… Such a pleasant day… Is it not?” I glanced out my window and gave a nod before looking back at him. ”I’m sorry to bother you, but there are some commoners who would like to speak with you.” I gave a sigh, my handmaiden walking around me and grabbing my dark green slippers from a table.

I lifted my dress and then allowed her to place the slippers on my feet and turned to look at myself in the mirror. My sleeves ran past my hands and I stood straight. I looked back at my Knight. ”Lets go… Shui, tell my uncle where I am when he comes, this may take some time.”[/color] She nodded and I went with the knight. He lead the way, his hand on his sword pommel. I stopped and returned to my room, grabbing my own dagger, placing it on my hip, where my I had a sash around my waist. I could only hope that this would not take long, but I had a bad feeling about it.

As we entered the throne room, five commoners stood, all as well dressed as they could get. I placed my hands together and clapped them softly, a smile gently on my lips. I allowed my ice blue eyes to dance over them. Before me was two ladies, two men, and a young boy. ”Hello Citizens! How may I help you?”[/color] A man stepped forward and looked at me for a moment, his seemed tired and I wondered why. ”Malady, I know that your uncle is coming today, but I thank you for take time to talk with us.” I nodded to the man and waited for him to continue. I motioned towards my own throne where I held meetings with the commoners and then motioned to my knight to bring forth a few chairs from the near wall. ”Thank you… Malady, our farms on the outer edge, have been attacked by bandits… I am kind of like the leader of the local farms, they trust me… I am requesting some knights to stand guard during the day and night.”

The farmers were important to the city and I looked to my friend. ”I will be sure Sir Dave here gets men on that as soon as possible… Your farms are important to this city.”[/color] Dave nodded to them quickly and I looked up as I heard something else, someone coming into the throne room. I stood up quickly, looking towards the main door of my throne room.
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( WORD COUNT ) 0.662
( TAGGED ) none
( COMMENTS ) ^_^
( STATUS ) done|open[/blockquote][/size]

[kaioinazuma18]

Kaio entered the city, needing to buy supplies. The upper level was quite busy, and the warmth of the day did not make it any better when there were some thousands of people crowding around you. He had to pick up supplies for his journey eastward, but he wasn't just going to get food, he needed a spare cart wheel should his cart end up breaking on him, and of course, pack animals needed food too. Luckily for him, he had managed to pick-pocket a pick-pocket, and that pick-pocket had been relatively successful. He was really beginning to wonder if stopping in for a pint at the local tavern would be a smart idea.

He hummed a song to himself, wandering through the marketplace until he found a place he could buy food. The people were talking about recent raids by bandits on the farms. This could be his break to make some more money, the more the merrier he always said, and money always made someone merrier. Especially when they did something they loved to get it. It was not going to be easy hunting the bandits down, but he was sure he would be able to do it, or at least help the city guard do it. They would never know his real name, and for the sake of being in the Broddring kingdom, he had changed his name to Alaric, just for the sake that he would be killed if they found out he was an elf.

Thank goodness for secrecy. He managed to buy the supplies he needed he continued to explore the city, looking around quite a bit. He paid well for his horse and wagon to be taken care of. Now that he was at least on his own, he could find his way around the city without too much of a problem, and within a swift minute, he found himself outside the castle. He sighed softly and turned, heading away and to the nearest tavern. One ale and two fights later, "Alaric" found himself in a tussle with a third drunken man who had attempted to molest a young woman. Big problem for both Kaio and his adversary. The man was six feet tall and built like a brick wall. Worst of all, he had two other men with him. The man challenged him to a fight, so they took it out into the street.

"Aye, you be causin' some trouble here, stranger, you'd best be leaving soon."
"Or what? You gonna kill me with your lack of social graces?"
"Byrn, don't take that from 'im, bust his nose in!
With that the three circled him. "Wait... that's not fair." Kaio said, looking at the three.
"Fine then, just you and me, I'll even give you the first shot."
Kaio knew internally that immediately, his opponent would be on the ground soon. "That's your mistake." Kaio said softly as he threw a punch, right to the nose, causing the man Byrn to double over and clasp his hands to his face. Instantly, Kaio, or as the drunkards knew him "Alaric", disapppeared down the road, running and laughing as the posse of drunk men chased him. Unknowingly he disappeared into the area of the castle, and he found himself jogging and dodging past men and women. Now the hard part was finding his way out. How he managed to evade the guards he did not know. but for some reason, he managed to slip into the throne room and stand by the edge of the door, watching for any of the drunken men. The men hadn't stopped chasing him, the only difference was now they didn't know where Kaio was.

word count: 1,167
tagged: none
comments: gah, messed up AGAIN, so I completely edited it, hope it's better.
status: done

[phrostphyre]

Sean Sviodson MacLaren stood in the shadows of the Throne Room of Lady Nayeli, niece to the King. As part of the Savage Faithful and his previous experience as a guard for his grandfather in Hibernia, he had been detached to trail her using his Hibernian woodcraft to stay out of sight, but within protecting distance. Which fit his throwing axes nicely; while his sword was sheathed, he could use his seax to defend himself when throwing the axes.

The barbarian grinned at the thought of one the peasants making trouble; he would dispatch them with an axe before Nayeli or the knight could make a move. The soldier delighted in being able to do nothing but drink and sing tales of his ancestor’s valor, but upon the field, he proved his own valor. Brunhilde fairly quivered in her tooled leather scabbard, wishing to be unleashed upon Sean’s enemies. Sometimes he thought she had a soul all her own, but then other times he simply thought she was just a tool meant for killing. The Coat of Arms for the MacLaren’s came to mind; a golden eagle dropping from a blue field upon a white mouse, cowering in green.

The mouse symbolized their enemies; the eagle was a MacLaren upon the field of honorable combat. Sean scratched his beard, and then stepped into view. He would much rather be known than cower in the dark, and besides, in his chain mail emblazoned with the symbol of the Savage Faithful; a rabid wolf’s head in red upon a field of green, tearing at a deer. A violent symbol, but the Savage Faithful were violent men, often outlaws from their own barbarous countries. Sean was an exception; he was merely seeking employment. His blood was as noble as that of the most noble King’s, a fact he often ‘conveniently’ forgets to mention when in conversation with nobles, his officers, and the King himself.

“Milady, forgive me if I didn’t show myself before. I judged your protection to not be adequate enough; this troubled me, as my officer charged me with protecting you, and I felt that though this could be done in the shadows, with stealth and trickery, I decided upon choosing the option best suited to protect you from any possible harm. Elfish, human, Urgal, or any other… coward that would chose to hide in the shadows.” The muted kilt had helped the man blend in with the shadows, but now fully revealed, he spread the cloak he was wearing for Lady Nayeli’s benefit, showing her his seax, throwing axes, and Brunhilde. Sean bowed, then spoke again, his soft Hibernian lilt filling the room.

“Milady, I, Sean Sviodson MacLaren am yours to command for the duration of my detachment to your household.” Sean rose and grinned, showing suprisingly good teeth, then wordlessly melted back into the shadows, where a faint sound of wood scraping leather was heard. Metal gleamed, and then it disappeared into the Hibernian-Scandian’s cloak. He had drawn a throwing axe, and it now rested in his hand, waiting for a threat, so that it might fulfill it’s purpose: Killing with speed, accuracy, and minimal harm to the thrower.

Comments: Great! This is gonna be fun.
Words: 530
Tagged: Hopefully more people join. If not, Kaio and Autumn.
Status: Doneity MacDone!

[Nayeli]

The being that had come into her throne room was by far someone I did not know. I looked at Dave, who nodded and headed forward, my own dagger was at my side, tied to my waste like a sword would be. I looked at the family around me and I joined them at their own level. "I promise to have many on this detail... Your farms are far more important to this city then the shops of the Market... I will also be sure to send a caravan to a close city to buy what food as been destroyed and taken."

[/color] They smiled at me and then I walked ahead slightly, watching as my Guard went towards the man.

"You there?" I waited for the man to speak and turned as another spoke, or for that matter, showed himself to me. I turned to look at him. The man before me wore what seemed to be a dress and I did my best not to smile in amusement. “Milady, forgive me if I didn’t show myself before." I nodded and waited for him to continued, knowing that for whatever reason he was here, he had to have gotten permission since this room was sealed until I entered and even then guards were posted outside all the doorways. "I judged your protection to not be adequate enough; this troubled me, as my officer charged me with protecting you, and I felt that though this could be done in the shadows, with stealth and trickery, I decided upon choosing the option best suited to protect you from any possible harm. Elfish, human, Urgal, or any other… coward that would chose to hide in the shadows.” Protection? I lifted my eye brows at him and turned towards Dave who was taking care of the man at the door to find out his reason for being here. I crossed my arms, my sleeves still hung slightly from how they were long. "I believe my protection is fine sir... I have traveled these streets from birth, by myself most the time and killed more then enough that if it was not orders I would be killed for murder."[/color] I looked at him for a moment and then returned to my own throne and set down. I looked to the farms and motioned for a guard to join me. "Go with the Farmers... Return them to their homes and then get five knights and the men they are over and find those bandits."[/color] He nodded. I waved towards the farms and they left. I had a heart, though not much of one on the battle field.

I then returned my eyes to the man who had come from the shadows. “Milady, I, Sean Sviodson MacLaren am yours to command for the duration of my detachment to your household.” I set up for a moment and motioned him to stand before me and not off to the side. I looked at him for a moment and then nodded towards Dav. "Dave there, he is my most trusted and unless you can become as trusted as he is, then you will never be allowed in my high detail... If you prove yourself then you may actually be put on a security team."[/color] I wondered who had placed him on such a detail for me, since I knew my uncle was far more smarted then such a thing.
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( COMMENTS ) ^_^ BTW, Echo, I do not see your reason for being here since the farmers are not actually characters, just temporarily here.
( STATUS ) done|open[/blockquote][/size]

[kaioinazuma18]

Kaio heard the shout to him and his head shot up, as if he was expecting something. turned around seeing the guards out of the corner of his eye. He had no weapons on him where he would let them search. no weapons belt to carry it, and therefore it was obvious he meant no immediate danger to anyone in the room. His facial expression remained calm as he watched the guards, making sure he had a way out if they did decide to attack him. Exit plans were always a nice thing to have in a citadel like this. Hopefully all would go well, and his initial plan would work.

Kaio glanced back and forth at all of the guards, and then at the one who was conversing with the leader. He stepped forward once so his back wasn't exactly one hundred percent against the wall, that was something he didn't want. He drew in a deep breath, bowing respectfully to the woman who was obviously the lady of the city. He still remained silent, and he would remain as such until she asked him a question, or until the guards attacked him, whichever came first. He was going to have to come up with a very convincing story to hide his little 'incident'. It certainly wasn't going to be the easiest of things to do.

The man in the back seemed to be even more of a challenge. If there was trouble, the man in the dress, as rediculous as it seemed, appeared as if he would be the greatest threat. He was armed, and Kaio was not, that was a bad sign. Besides that, the man was a brute, like he was the unholy offspring of a human and Urgal. It was not the prettiest of sights to see a man in a dress, but he guessed it was just the human's culture to dress their men up like their women to try to achieve "equality". Whatever was behind it culturally, Kaio did not want to know.

word count: 340
thoughts: yay

[phrostphyre]

“If you do not trust me, then that is not my fault, unless I do something to not deserve it. I have sworn loyalty to the Broddring Kingdom, your uncle, and his household. You are included in all of the above." Sean stayed half in the shadows, and half out. His cloak was a dark blue, and it covered him save for his head and boots. He thought of a passage from his grandfather’s compiled tales of the Gaeilge Islands, the Isles of Hibernia, Alba, Kent, Cymry, and Manx. All shared a common language, mythology, culture, and warfare: that of the Gaels. There were minor differences, of course, but if an Alban was on Hibernia and met a Kent, he would be able to discuss family, food, and then challenge each other to an honor duel. Gaelic culture revolved around the custom of single combat; it was immortalized in song and tale, it was honorable, and it was a good way to save the lives of young men that were needed to raise enough food for the islands to survive. Their biggest import was gold for their biggest export: Mercenaries. The Gaelic clan chieftains had huge piles of gold sitting around growing dusty, due to the fact that they used their clansmen as exported men-at-arms. "It is the custom of the Alban clansmen to make their way through trees and rocks, clad in their peculiar plaid, to ambush enemy clansmen with longbows, then charge headlong with drawn swords, shrieking in Gaelic. Generally, they use trickery, shadows, and stealth to hide their true intent from the enemy up until the point where they fire their bows."

Sean remembered his father discussing military history with one of Sean’s numerous uncles. His father had been of the opinion that while the Gaels had invented the wild charge and raid, the Scandians of his father’s homeland had invented the ship to land raid. In retrospect, it didn’t matter. Sean was a master of the Alban method of attack, the Hibernian single combat tradition, and the Scandian berserkergang was largely the work of his mother. She knew he would be a warrior. How could he not be, when he was the son of two different cultures, but both ready for war at any moment? So she had her father train him in single combat, a hired Alban tutor him in the art of woodcraft, and his father teach him how to unlock the red rage in his heart. All had served him in good stead several times, but now Sean wished he could simply form a shield wall around this Lady Nayeli, with a group of Scandians loyal to him. However, he would have to deal with a knight that used armor to heavy to be any good, himself, and hope she knew the basics of dagger work, because the thing at her belt was probably a show-piece.


Words: 483. My goal was over three hundred; looks like I did good. I think.

[Nayeli]

I turned my head towards My Knight, Dave, a dear friend who I had train with throughout my life and who had earned my trust more then enough times. As I watched, I noted the man had backed away for a moment and raised a brow. He was unarmed, which was a good thing. He had barged into my throne room, without word or anything. "What business do you have in here?" I could hear his voice from across the room and settled against my own throne seat. I then turned my head back towards the man... Sean Sviodson MacLaren if I was not mistaken.

He had not come forward like I had beckon, but spoke. “If you do not trust me, then that is not my fault, unless I do something to not deserve it. I have sworn loyalty to the Broddring Kingdom, your uncle, and his household. You are included in all of the above." I did not even glance at him, but my hands had come to my lap before my other hand sent a dagger into the wood work, had he been against the wall, it would have only been a centimeter from his head. I stood with that, the sound of the metal into wood had caught the ears of Dave and he turned slightly to keep a eye on me before he turned his full attention on the man.

"I do not care about those who swear Loyalty... For anyone can lie, no matter how much they say they do not... You will gain my trust when I believe you deserve it... Now, I need no protect from you, I honestly don't need protection from anyone, I chose to please my uncle because he believes all Royalty needs them... I have been trained since the moment I could walk to kill, fight, in the air of hand to hand, weapons, and mostly the blade."

[/color] I said to him before I walked past him, pulling the blade from the wood with ease before returning to the floor before my throne.

"Come with me... My Lady would possible like to see you before you chose to depart." Dave said to the strange man. He turned towards me and returned to my side. I smiled up at him and he patted my shoulder. I had his armor made to perfection, to wear it did not make a sound, with fabric in it, in order to allow stealth. Not only was he my head Knight, but he was my head Assassin and at the same skill with my own. "Have guard check to see if my uncle is present."[/color] He nodded to me and walked over to the side, spoke to a guard, who left the room.
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( COMMENTS ) ^_^
( STATUS ) done|open[/blockquote][/size]

[kaioinazuma18]

Kaio nodded. "It's a story that ain't so long. On the way into town, I heard rumblings about bandits bird-dogging the farms outside the city. I'd like to offer my services. However, ye see, I stopped into the tavern for a friendly pint, and before I knew it, I was being chased down the street by some of the unruly drunkards, and that's when I ended up here." He told the man before he told him to follow him. "Alright then." He muttered softly. It was a good thing they hadn't asked him his name yet, he would have to lie to them about it, but it was for his own safety.

If it meant that he could get out of this, he would try to avert the fact that he barged in without meaning to.

comments: blech, muse is dying.
tagged: open

[phrostphyre]

Sean wasn't fazed by the woman's boasting. She claimed to have killed. What did she know of pitched battle in a shield wall, where you depend on the man on your right to protect you? What did she know of hoping the second and third ranks didn't spear you with swords or spears? Could she possibly know the ball-clenching fear of fighting for your life, the lives of the men around you, and the fact that they were your best friends? She knew nothing. Just a pretty noble's daughter, trained in close up work with a pretty dagger for a pretty girl. Sean ignored the fact that she was close enough to touch as she retrieved her dagger; he concentrated on the fact that he wanted to wring her scrawny little neck. His tone was mocking. What would she do to him, other than kill him? And then bring down the wrath of her uncle, the rest of the Savage Faithful, and probably a good bit of the Alagaesian army.

"As you wish, madame. Betrayal often comes from those closest to you, however." The last wasn't a threat, it was a promise. Not of betrayal from Sean himself or the Savage Faithful, but family, friends, and loved ones.

[Nayeli]

Boosting… It was something I did not do… I told of my experience because I knew it was true. I had killed on the battlefield and on the streets of this very city and of many others. I knew of blood on my hands and trusting those around me. Many did not know this side of me because I kept it to myself. Only those who had seen me do such a thing knew that about me. I was more then a leader, I was a trained killed, just as this man who had been assigned to me. I waited for Dave, who was not coming towards me with the man. I also heard something else and turned my head to see a woman coming in with a guard, a beautiful young lady, black hair, like my own but curled. ”As you wish, madame. Betrayal often comes from those closest to you, however.” I glared at him for a moment. ”And those who work for money and come out of know where to pledge their own allegiance.”

[/color] I said, directed towards me.

I walked to the woman, her emerald eyes smiled at me. She wore a beautiful green grass, showing off her skin in areas, but no place that would be considered inappropriate. ”Sister… Lady Nayeli.”[/color] I took her into my arms, my little sister was home from her own training and it was a pleasure. At her hip was her own protective dagger, but it did not have a drop of blood hidden in the edges or in the hidden areas. ”My sister, please come in Leilani, take a seat… I just have a few more things to do and then Lunch with uncle… If he is here.”[/color] She nodded towards me and then I turned towards the man and Dave.

”Milady… This is the man… He claims he had gone into a local pub and then a group of men tried to attack him… He also heard of the bandit situation and he would like to help…” I looked at him and walked towards them, stopping a few yards away. ”Forgive my town Folk stranger, many of those in the pub are homeless and refuse to work… You are welcome to stay in one of the rooms on the lower level of the castle and eat tonight at dinner with us… Now, how can you help the with the farmer’s problems?”[/color] I asked him, my hands in my front, waiting for him to speak.

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( COMMENTS ) ^_^
( STATUS ) done|open[/blockquote][/size]

[kaioinazuma18]

Kaio smiled slightly and bowed slightly. "I am honored." He spoke calmly as he rose from the bow. "I am a traveling smith, but I am also a fairly skilled bounty hunter, if these people are causing problems, then it sounds like a job for me." Kaio replied. He was still nervous about them finding him out, hiding the fact he was an elf was not the hard part, keeping it hidden was. Thank the heavens he had long hair. He waited for their responses before he spoke further. He had already said more than was needed.

His eyes roamed around the place, darting from place to place curiously and taking in the details. He would have to record his experiences of this later on. He drew in a deep, but silent breath, calming himself further. He would need focus if he were to need to flee or fight.