epic ( private 1x1 )

[GirlWithAHat]

When she felt an arm keep her on her feet, Giselle turned and found Maximilian. Her eyes looked to him him, thankful. She quickly turned back to the the angry dragon, her eyes hardening once more. The girl was trembling behind her, and Giselle wished she could comfort her, but now was not the time.

"A Watcher? Have you any business interfering?" The dragon growled, his copper eyes going from Giselle to Maximilian. Giselle quickly looked behind her, turning the girl's wrists to see what locked them. It seemed it was a key that locked the shackles into place, making Giselle's eyes scan frantically across the crowd. Who had the key that kept her here? The dragon looked at Maximilian's other arm and tilted it's head.

"What do you have under there, Watcher?" The dragon asked angrily. He started to move quickly towards the trio.

"I hope its strong enough to protect you!" When the dragon was nearly on them, Giselle managed to grab the girl and push her out of the way as far as she could. She could feel the dragon breathing on the both of them, his huge face bigger than the both of them. His eyes were on Maximilian's arm.

"Reveal it to me!" The dragon roared at Maximilan. Giselle heard the girl moving behind her, the girl's shackles rattling as she moved. Giselle backed up as well, looking to Maximilian. How could she help...? Giselle heard a slight rustling far behind her, in the forest beyond the platform. She wondered what the dragon had scared away...or, rather, called....

[KoruptBlade]

Max wasn't shaken. He'd encountered scarier creatures and more powerful people before. When the dragon finally provoked him to draw, he did, producing the oddly black sword from beneath his cloak and swinging it forward to fend off the oncoming foe. With his senses so heightened, he also heard the rustling in the forest behind them, but couldn't spare any of his attention. He also heard the beating of Frieda's hooves as she pounded towards the platform. He wished she would stay out of this one. It was dangerous.

[GirlWithAHat]

The dragon recoiled when he saw the black sword, and frowned deeply.

"I haven't felt that aura in too long." The dragon said, his eyes focusing on the black sword. The white dragon opened his mouth further, displaying his long fangs.

"But I will not fear it! For I have grown stronger since the last time that was displayed to me!" The dragon went at Maximilian, starting the battle between the two of two of them. Meanwhile, Giselle quickly jumped off the platform, trying to find the key to release the girl so she could get away. She panicked, looking from neck to neck of the unknowing Wald. When she found the key, she quickly grabbed it off their neck and ran. Looking from Max and the dragon to the girl as she grabbed the shackles, she could only hope that she wouldn't call attention away from Max to her and the girl. Once the shackles were undone, Giselle pushed the girl towards the horde.

"Go! Go! Run from here!" Giselle told her. The girl, shaking, nodded and stumbled through the crowd. Giselle watched her go, hoping that the girl would end up okay. It was Giselle's mistake to take her attention away from the dragon and Maximilian, however, because when she turned around, a very angry dragon stared into her eyes.

"You have taken my sacrifice. I suppose you will have to do, your Highness!" The dragon roared, opening his mouth like he was going to swallow her whole. Nothing would come out of her mouth, not even a scream. She couldn't even move. Giselle braced herself when the breath of the dragon moved. Giselle blinked and saw a large white wolf on the dragon's neck, grabbing the neck with strong jaws. It was after a moment she noticed the wolf was much, much larger.

"Dire...wolf?" Giselle wondered out loud, her blue eyes following the movements of the direwolf and dragon. The direwolf had torn a large gash in the side of the dragon's neck, and the wound was a bright contrast to both of the white coats.

[KoruptBlade]

Max thrust his sword at the dragon's face then slashed downwards in an attempt to keep it at bay, buying time for Giselle to free the girl.

When he heard Giselle shout for the girl to run, Max turned his head momentarily. "Giselle, get out--" she heard his breath get knocked out of him and he dropped onto the platform gasping for air.

Frieda whinnied from the bottom of the platform, desperate to help but knowing she was useless to Max if she also got hurt.

He rolled onto his stomach, looking up to see the dragon face-to-face with Giselle. He drew a desperate breath to yell just as the dire wolf came from out of nowhere and attacked the dragon. His eyes widened in surprise and the yell died in his throat.

Frieda leapt onto the platform and stood over Max, ears pinned against the back of her neck.

[GirlWithAHat]

Giselle watched as the direwolf and the dragon fought, both now covered in blood, though most of it was the dragon's. He was bleeding heavily from the direwolf's massive bite on his neck, but he appeared to refuse to give up or lay down. She had a sense that she...knew the direwolf. She wasn't entirely sure how, or where- she had never met a direwolf before- but the feeling of familiarity and comfort sat heavily on her chest. Suddenly, Giselle saw the direwolf turn, as if to ensure Giselle was okay, and she found the blue of her own eyes reflected in the wolf's. Everything hit Giselle quickly, and she felt her heart skip a beat as she realized why she had not known this body of water.

It had been a gray day, but no rain fell on the procession of Wald all clad in white. Giselle, her sister, and her father all walked at the back of the procession, following a medium sized boat. On the boat was her mother, her body covered and bound in a white cloth. This was her funeral. Giselle followed the boat with slow steps, trying to stifle her tears and sobs. As the procession approached the lake, the Wald in the front moved to the sides of the boat to help push it into the water. The boat easily floated on the deep blue water, and, soon, it was time to say good bye to her mother's physical being. With a sad nod to an archer from her father, a flaming arrow came from the shore and hit the boat, starting the burning. Giselle's tears flowed freely then, and she buried her face in father's side, away from the flames, away from the boat, away from her mother. She never wanted to see this water again...never wanted to come back....

Giselle felt some tears trailing down her face as she remembered, and found the strength in her legs escape her. She fell to her knees.

"Mother!" She cried, wiping away her tears. It was then the direwolf released the dragon, taking a step towards Giselle. The dragon took advantage of the direwolf being distracted and knocked it away with his snout, making the direwolf fly towards Giselle. Realizing what had happened, Giselle stood up again, running towards the direwolf's body.

"Mother!" She said, looking at the direwolf who was breathing hard. It looked up back at her, and Giselle felt the gaze of her mother back from the wolf. The direwolf quickly stood up after a moment, standing in defense in front of Giselle. Seeing Frieda and Max on the ground, the direwolf started running towards the dragon again, teeth bared. The direwolf ducked under the dragon's first attack and moved to Frieda and Max, looking at the two of them before looking at the dragon, as if saying that it was on their side.

[KoruptBlade]

Max waited until he had regained the ability to draw a breath without gasping desperately and crawled out from beneath Frieda, his hand tightening on the hilt of his sword.

He made eye contact with the dire-wolf when she looked at Max and Frieda, then stood and nodded. "We'll help you." he offered, guessing that the dire-wolf likely understood.

Max placed his free hand on Frieda's whithers and hopped off the ground, swinging up to settle across her sleek black back just in front of her wings. "Let's finish this thing." He said before Frieda plunged towards the dragon, leaping into the sky in the same instant. Max raised his sword over his head, grasping the hilt with both hands as he and his partner plummeted straight for the dragon's neck.

[GirlWithAHat]

When Max confirmed he would help, the direwolf turned back to the badly wounded and bleeding dragon, its head lowering. The direwolf ran with Max as him and Frieda charged the dragon, growling loudly, jaws open. Giselle could only watch as Maximilian, Frieda, and the direwolf attacked the dragon, slicing its neck through and killing it. There was a loud crash as the dragon's upper neck and head fell off its body, and the rest of its body slid towards the lake. Giselle, after the dragon's body fell, watched as the villagers all seemed to snap out of their trance, blinking and wobbling. One of them turned to Giselle, dazed and confused.

"The dragon...what happened? Did...did Felicie get eaten?" The young man looked sad as he said this, and Giselle put a hand on his shoulder and smiled to encourage him.

"No, no one got eaten, in fact," Giselle saw the girl that must have been Felicie coming towards the crowd, her eyes fearful but curious. "I believe that's her right there." Giselle said, looking at the girl. The young man quickly turned around and, spotting the girl, called out to her. She looked at him, and, the moment they met eyes, they started running towards each other before meeting each other in an embrace. Giselle smiled at the two, before trying to look past the now moving crowd to see Maximilian and Frieda. She managed to push through the crowd for a bit, but was stopped right before where Maximilian, Frieda, and the direwolf were standing. An older man looked to her.

"...your Highness?" Giselle looked at the older man, who's eyes were wide with wonder.

"It is, it is you! Princess Giselle! ...but, what are you doing here, your Highness?" The older man said, suddenly bowing a little to her. She managed to get him to raise and look at her.

"Nothing but my duty to my people. And truly, it is them who did the work." Giselle told him, motioning to the trio. She smiled when he looked back to her. She raised her hood again.

"Now, we will be taking our leave, thank you." Giselle said, moving quickly over to Maximilian and Frieda.

"That was incredible, Maximillan...and Frieda." She smiled at the Pegasus.

"We should leave soon, however, before we call too much attention to ourselves." Giselle said, looking to the crowd who were starting to move around now, and talk amongst themselves.

[KoruptBlade]

As the dragon fell, Frieda jumped back, retreating to a safe distance to watch their defeated foe crash into the water. Max watched for a moment then slid from Frieda's back, patting her on the neck before turning towards the direwolf. He nodded with respectful gratitude. "Thank you. We could not have defeated it without your help."

Frieda also turned to blink at the wolf, ears perked in a somewhat familiar way. Max wasn't sure why, but perhaps it was just a connection between two mystical beasts.

He then turned towards Giselle as she approached the platform. He slid the sword back into his cloak where it disappeared into darkness. He resisted the urge to shrug at her compliment, instead giving her a slight nod of his head, lips pursed.

He redirected his gaze out over the crowd, realizing that all attention was probably focused on them. He jumped down off the platform, slouching slightly. He hated being the center of attention. "Yes, we should move on." Frieda leapt gracefully down from the platform to land beside him.

[GirlWithAHat]

At the thanks, the white direwolf, its muzzle covered in bright red blood, gave a respectful nod back in understanding. The white direwolf also gave a nod to Frieda, and then moved to wash its muzzle in the clear water. As Giselle reappeared, the direwolf stood next to the two of them again, looking to the princess. As Maximilian agreed to go, Giselle turned around and started to lead the way away from the village, content at having been able to do something for her people. The five of them managed to slip away from the village. I hope this isn't the last thing I get to do for my people, Giselle thought grimly as she walked.

The five of them walked without interruption after that, the direwolf staying at Giselle's side. Every chance for Giselle to let the direwolf go, the direwolf did not take. Giselle looked at the map occasionally, just to make sure they were going the right way still. The day went quickly after this, and Giselle and Maximilian would occasionally exchange some words of conversation, but they walked largely in silence. As night fell, they found a place to set up camp. After Giselle found some firewood, Max built a fire, and the settled in around in. Giselle finally took off her hood, confident that she would be fine without it. The direwolf settled next to Giselle, letting her rest her hand on top of her head. Giselle pulled out some of the food that had been packed for her, and started to nibble on it as she looked at the fire.

"So...where did you grow up, Maximilian?" Giselle asked tentatively after a bit more silence. She had been wondering ever since he had told her about his travels.

[KoruptBlade]

Max remained completely silent the whole while as they traveled through the forest. He passed the time by mentally shaking off the battle with the dragon and the danger that Giselle had been in. It took a while for his hands to stop shaking with the residual adrenalin from the fight. After he had calmed slightly, he considered the direwolf silently, wondering if it really had anything to do with Giselle's mother. The fact that the wolf continued to follow them further and further down the path lead him to begin believing it did have some connection with Giselle.

Frieda followed a few steps behind the group, eyes mostly focused on Max. He was such an idiot. She couldn't believe how incredibly rash he always was. What if he'd been hurt? She eventually shifted her attention to the wolf as well, old feelings stirring up from the depths of her memory.

As they made their campsite and settled around the fire, Max sat across from Giselle, also staring into the flames, glad to be resting, at least for now. Frieda lingered not far off, quietly grazing on the grass near the group.

Max looked up slowly at Giselle when she inquired of his childhood. It took him a while to form a response, but when he did, he said, "I didn't really spend much time in one place when I was growing up, but I did live in a village far away from here until I was about five. Then my mother died and my father and I left that place. I don't have many memories because it was so long ago." He spoke quietly, the tone of his voice almost lost behind the gentle crackling and hissing of the fire, especially when his voice trailed off towards the end.

Frieda drew nearer when Max started telling of his past life. She'd never heard anything about his past before, since she couldn't ask him.

[GirlWithAHat]

Giselle waited for Maximilian's response for a moment with curious eyes, before turning her eyes back to the fire to let him...well, it appeared to her he was thinking. She listened to the light crackling of the fire and absentmindedly stroked the direwolf while she waited, but looked up when he started to speak. What he said surprised her, and she stopped stroking for a moment.

"Oh..." Giselle started after a moment of silence.

"I'm sorry about your mother. I know, clearly, what it's like to lose a mother." Giselle looked at the direwolf for a moment, and it appeared it was fast asleep, comforted by Giselle's stroking and the warmth of the fire. She looked back at Max.

"Is your father still alive? I find it...interesting that you appear to travel alone, well, I mean, with Frieda, of course, but, I feel as if...." She tilted her head.

"If he was alive, you would be with him. If this is...too personal, you can choose not to answer." Giselle added at the end, not wanting to intrude too far. They were going to spend quite the amount of time together, and it wouldn't be good for her to make their journey awkward.

[KoruptBlade]

Max watched her with calm eyes. He waited for her to stop talking. There was silence for a moment, then the fire popped, startling Frieda. "He died." he said flatly, then looked down at the flames again.

Frieda inched a bit closer and laid down where the warmth of the fire could wash over her.

"And it's fine to ask questions. We should know each other if we're going to be around each other all the time."

[GirlWithAHat]

The silence enveloped Giselle as she waited for his answer, and she blinked when it came. She looked back to the fire after that, sad to have asked. It seemed...fitting, sadly, that Maxmilian's parents were both gone. Giselle continued stare at the fire and the sparks it gave off as it crackled. She glanced to Maximilian as he added that it was fine to ask questions. She gave a small nod in understanding, making a sound of agreement. They would get to know each other fairly well, she thought, considering that they would be spending almost a full year together- and that was if they made the deadline exactly. Giselle took a look at the black rose on her hand again, it's very look filling her with some dread. What if they...what if they didn't make the deadline? What if she died? Giselle shook her head. She could feel in her chest that she had faith they would make it...or at least, faith that Maximilian would keep his promise. Giselle placed her hand over the rose and looked to Maximilian.

"I," Giselle started quietly. "I'm glad that it's you that appeared." She finished, with a small smile.

"I'm a little less scared of my fate, whatever it may be." Giselle confided with a nod, glancing again at the rose. She stood, fixed the blanket that had been packed, and then looked to him.

"I am going to rest now. You should as well at some point, it's been...quite the day." Giselle told him, smiling a little sheepishly. She climbed into her make-shift bed, and, before she could rest her head, found the direwolf at her head, resting as to help provide, from Giselle could tell, comfort. She smiled at the direwolf and took its offer.

"Good night, Maximilian." Giselle said quietly, before descending into sleep.

[KoruptBlade]

Max looked up when she spoke again, and was to surprised to find any words to respond. He was a little embarrassed too. He nodded at her as she adjusted her blanket and announced she was going to sleep.

"Sleep well." he replied, then fell into silence. He sat for a long while, watching the flames die away to nothing but glowing embers. It had stopped providing much warmth when the flames started dying down.

Frieda had fallen asleep quietly a few feet away.

Max laid another log across the embers and waited for it to catch flame to give them a little more warmth for the night. He turned over and crawled to where Frieda was sleeping and sat with his back against her shoulder, leaning his head back. She shifted slightly in her sleep, her wing sliding over him. He closed his eyes and drifted into a dreamless sleep.

[GirlWithAHat]

That night, Giselle dreamed again of her mother's death. However, as she begged for her mother to come back in Wald, the glove slipped off, the black vines and rose revealing themselves. A scream came up her throat, but got caught on...Giselle's hand came to her neck, trying to feel what was choking her. Feeling nothing, she pulled away her hand to find the black rose she had been looking at on her mother's hand on her own pale hand, and a vine wrapped around her arm. She continued to choke, and it was then she realized, by the movement of the vine on her arm, she was being strangled by the vine.

Giselle woke up with a start, panting, her hands grasping at her neck. Looking around frantically, she noticed the fire long out, and Maximilian and Frieda asleep. She tried to calm her breathing, not wanting to wake the two up. However, from the gentle nuzzle at her elbow, she knew the white direwolf was awake. Giselle looked at the wolf and gave her a shaky pat on the head before standing up. She grabbed the water from the river they had stopped at and walked a bit away from the campsite, trying not to step on anything loud. She dumped some of the water on her hand and splashed it on her face. She was still panting, and her lungs were burning. The cold water helped wash off some of the sweat on her face. Remembering her technique to calm her sister's crying when she, often cried, Giselle drank some of the water. She felt her breathing slow, and her throat relaxed.

After standing for a minute away from the camp site, Giselle quietly came back to her blanket, and wrapped herself up in it again. However, this time, no sleep came to her. Giselle sighed after what felt like hours with her eyes open, and turned to where she had seen some tendrils of sunlight to watch the sunrise.