Tales of the Betrothed (closed)

[Luna Leska]

﹙ Ａυʀɛℓɩɑ ❀Ｐʏʀʀσƨ ﹞

xxxx↪ ＊↘↘ тнε яσγαℓ мαɪ∂ σƒ ɢяα∂ɪυs

xxxxxx﹛ ｃａｇｅｄ ｉｎ ａｍｂｅｒ ｓｈｅ ｓｉｎｇｓ ｅｔｅｒｎａｌｌｙ。﹜ xx↪x❀
ｃａｇｅｄ ｉｎ ａｍｂｅｒ ｓｈｅ ｓｉｎｇｓ ｅｔｅｒｎａｌｌｙ↘ｌocation: The belly of the beast.
ｃａｇｅｄ ｉｎ ａｍｂｅｒ ｓｈｅ ｓｉｎｇｓ ｅｔｅｒｎａｌｌｙ↘ｃompany: Prince Jean & The other victims of the beast.
ｃａｇｅｄ ｉｎ ａｍｂｅｒ ｓｈｅ ｓｉｎｇｓ ｅｔｅｒｎａｌｌｙ↘ｍ ood: Surprised? Shocked? Embarrassed? What is this feeling?
ｃａｇｅｄ ｉｎ ａｍｂｅｒ ｓｈｅ ｓｉｎｇｓ ｅｔｅｒｎａｌｌｙ↘ｉnjuries: none
ｃａｇｅｄ ｉｎ ａｍｂｅｒ ｓｈｅ ｓｉｎｇｓ ｅｔｅｒｎａｌｌｙ↘ｏoc:
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXⒸLunaLeskaXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
____________________________________________________________

The maid could only gaze down at the sandy floor at her feet. She felt foolish for having lashed out, though it did not even compare to the argument between Kunal and Adele, she still felt embarrassed. She did not mean to say so much, to reveal her past to strangers in such away. Her life was her own dark secret she would have rather kept to herself, the only people until know who even knew a bit of her life were Bashirah and Kunal, but even they did not know that she was abandoned by her mother and father. Even they had no clue that the once dark Dradecus was once a place she called home. Her sovereigns knew only that she was a slave, nothing more.

It felt almost hard to breathe as she stood there in silence as the King spoke his own words, admitting she was right and that all the royals displayed until now were childish. Aurelia meant no disrespect to anyone, let alone this man who had just made a mere comment. She did not mean to make them pity her or feel at guilt for the life she was placed through. Not once did she regret all that had happened, for if she had not been left or sold then she would have never met Bashirah...she would not have met Kunal. When he stood and removed himself from her sight the maid just remained still, her cheeks were warm with a flustered embarrassment.

She was a mere servant, she should have never spoken out in such away...especially to royalty. Aurelia was just about to retreat to her own little spot in the sandy prison when she was surprised by the sudden tight and close embrace of Jean. A light gasp escaped her rosy lips before a shiver coaxed its way down her skin when he whispered in her ear.

"I'd never sell you into slavery."

The young woman's eyes grew slightly in surprise at his gentle and warm words. Against her back she could feel his chest rise and lower with each breath which tickled the nape of her neck. Aurelia was unsure what to think of this sudden...sudden...what was his highness doing? This was foreign to her, such displays. Not even Kunal or Bashirah showed such affection towards her.

"Y-your highness?"

Unable to react properly or sort out what to say to his words, Aurelia quickly pulled from Jean's embrace and turned around to face him with an expression of obvious embarrassment as she blushed. Trying not to note the sudden race in her heart.

____________________________________________________________

[Ariiadne]

all my life i've been the slave of consequence
wondering how this - life could be so in tri cate
__________i wanna rewrite my heart
█████████__and let the future in--------[♥]
________i call out -________________is anybody listening?
it's like i`m diving into emptiness (____________but at least )
____there`s something beating in my chest
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ ▬ ▬▬

It sounded simple enough.

Step one: Navigate the tunnels to the highest balcony (good thing she was impartial to heights, Bashirah noted)

Step two: Assemble the turret (which she made sure to focus particular attention on; in all honesty, wielding such an unconventional weapon excited the princess)

Step three: Await the appearance of the sand beast

Step four: Signal the others when the beast is in an optimal position

Step five: Fire the turrets at the beast, hopefully holding it in place long enough for the guards below to attack it

Step six: Win.

Adrenaline just began to leak into her blood, making her hairs stand on end – not out of total nervousness (she was anxious, for sure), but anticipation. A battle and foe of such magnitude… never in all her dreams and thoughts did Bashirah think she would participate in such a feat. It made her feel a certain brand of strength with a pinch of confidence.

The only problem she had was that she was not paired with her brother for this task. Did it not make sense to put them together? She and Kunal were obviously so used to working together – and did it scathingly well – that it almost seemed strange that they were separated. His physicality would also make lugging the 45 lbs turret up to the balcony as well. Bashirah glanced over to her partner in this: Remus, the one who had proposed the “drugging” idea, which had crumbled at the hands of this current plan of action. Her heart fluttered when he was handed the signal flag. Yes; she would shoot the beast. There was nothing she wanted more at that moment.

The Gradian princess received her brother’s parting message with a strong yet subtle nod. With her own turret in hand, Bashirah charged through the designated tunnel, each breath growing faster with the pace of her footsteps, her eyes hungrily awaiting the light of day. She craved the burning in her legs all those stairs leading up to the balcony would make.

No fear. No mercy.

In the dark, Bashirah allowed herself to smile.

[Rada Han]

Rada Han

The group took to their tasks with gusto, as if they had something to prove, either to themselves or to others. Either way, each member seemed determined to carry on with the jobs given to them by the three mysterious elves. The Igalios brothers were particularly enthusiastic about the whole affair. Their precious land had been spoiled by something sinister. Their parents had been swallowed by a beast and it was unknown whether or not to them that they were still alive. Dradecus had the hot sun beaming down on it for the first time since the moon's creation. The night wouldn't come again unless they succeeded there today.

The first one to emerge did it sheepishly, in the silence of the empty main square. It was a place that was once bustling with life, reduced to some rubble and a vast expanse of sand. The wind seemed to pick up when Aine appeared. Tumbleweeds blew past her, but there was no sign of the beast. She drew closer, for it was finally her time to shine-- to experience the thrill of heroism, and to be an important part of a team meant to change the world.

All of the speculation regarding the Royals and the reason that the beast was there, finally proved itself to be true. Where simple royal guards walked without any consequence, Aine triggered its awakening. The ground rumbled just as the same as it did when they arrived in the city. It was a soft rumbling, then a pause.. Then a quake that was violent enough to knock the faerie off of her feet. She didn't flee, though, not until the beast emerged from the sands. When it did, it was an awesome sight, and the faerie was quick to react.

It tried to take her the same way that it took the Zuleidan prince. Aine was dwarfed by its size and shrouded in the shadow it created over her.

0o0gizmo0o0

Before the young faerie princess had drawn the attention of the monster, the other royals had begun to emerge from the tunnels. They were careful not to draw unnecessary attention to themselves as they tried to reach their appointed places for their tasks. There wasn’t a one among them who had complete and unyielding confidence in the plan, but what could they do? They were all determined to give it their best shot, or very possibly die trying. The two Shasta princesses, Kora and Adora, hid themselves on opposite sides of the square, their backs pressed against the stone walls of the alleyways as they waited for their chance.

The beast, compelled by its predetermined purpose to take the royals into itself, wasted no time in going after the tiny faerie princess. Just as its claws were about to close in around her, her agility allowed her to slip just beyond its grasp. As afraid as she may have been, this was only part of her mission. Aine changed into her smaller fae-shape, and took a moment to fly around the beast’s face. Or, what may have been considered a face, as it seemed to be strung together with the various wastes and dead rotting things of the desert. Avoiding the beast’s clutches as she flew in spiraling patterns as fast as her delicate wings could carry her, she did her best to lead the beast closer to the battlements, where the Mahapatras and Igalios’ siblings would be assembling the turrets.

Once the beast was close enough, the Zhaddaghs moved into action. Kora and Adora met each other’s gaze for only a moment before they went to work. Injuries and fatigue were pushed from the minds of the two sisters, as they focused all of their mental energy on the earth around and beneath the sand monster. With their arms outstretched, and beads of sweat collecting at their brows, the two sister had never looked more similar. Almost as though from a single mind, the two sisters closed their hands into hard fists, holding the normally shifting sand in place as though it were stone.

When the beast found itself suddenly unable to move, it made a terrifying and otherworldly sound that could not be rightly identified. It wasn’t quite a howl, nor a wail... more like the keening of some great bird of prey when it discovers its conquest just beyond its reach. Her part in the battle finished, the brave little Aine flew beyond the grasping claws of the monster to safety.

The beast jerked its massive girth back and forth angrily, if such an aberration had the capacity to be angry, and both of the Shasta princesses knew that they wouldn’t be able to hold it for very long. They needed the others to shoot off the turrets, or it would soon break free of their grasp.

[ Insanity Renaissance ]

The children of Gradius and Dradecus had been given plenty of time to scale the towers, so as the tiny faerie princess lured the beat closer, they were prepared, waiting for the Zhaddaghs to make their move. If one had told them they'd be fighting a sand beast in the city of darkness a week ago, perhaps they would have laughed and called it impossible. But as they waited in heavy silence, the impossible idea was suddenly very real. The beast pinned, the assassin Remus waved his flag, which rippled through the sky for everyone to see. Turrets ready, the four royals aimed true for the beast of the sand, opening fire as quickly as they could.

As the roped shots sailed through the air, Aine quickly moved out of the way, no longer required as the children of Shasta had the beast pinned down. It was beginning to break free, the earth that held it starting to crumble, much to the dismay of those controlling it, but the sisters' job was about to be made a whole lot easier. Before the creature had enough time to register what was going on, it's arms were pierced, pinning the monster to the ground. The shots were mostly well-placed, but as the creature had moved as much as possible while the earth had it pinned down, the A deafening howl came from it's throat, partly of pain, partly of surprise, if such a seemingly mindless creature could manage to comprehend what was going on. Quickly it began to struggle, and the team knew that there was a time limit on how long it would stay pinned.

Inside the belly of the beast, the Sovereigns of Dradecus, the prince of Zuleidi, the Gradian maid, and the Dradecus citizens were very much shaken by the sudden movements the creature was making. First it was running, then it stopped, then it shook, and then it screamed. The roar rattled the bony prison the men and women were trapped in, and eyes nervously scanned the stomach for any sign of what was going on. The ones that had been taken knew that something was afoot, but they had no inkling to what it was. However, there was nothing the group could do but sit and wait, clutching onto one another for the sake of balance.

This entire time, the guards, as well as the hapless Chandar, were hiding in the shadows around the central square where the beast was now captive for a temporary period of time. Blades drawn, they awaited their time to shine, to strike down the beast and take off the strange bone mask it wore. Now the creature was ready, and they all rushed out, seeking to do their part to save the city, and themselves.

Angst Werewolf

It was a sight that normally would have made people laugh at the pure impossibility of it- Five people running at a massive, angry sandbeast with nothing besides their swords and whatever armor they happened to have on them for protection. But as absurd as it was, this was possibly the one chance they would have to slay the beast and free those that had been eaten earlier.

As the attackers neared, the beast roared again, thrashing as best it could to free itself from its binds and retaliate. The guards charged, drawing their blades as they neared. For a moment, the beast wasn't fazed in the least- it lunged towards Adele and Tarkan, who were taking a head-on assault while the others snuck around from the sides. Just about a foot away from the two, the monster froze; seconds later it reared back as far as it could. The metal of the swords and armor was doing the trick- the beast could not stand steel, but it was pinned with nowhere to go.

"The mask! Go for the mask!" It was impossible to tell who shouted the order, given the noise and general chaos in the square, but it didn't matter. The guards heeded the call and closed in on the flailing creature. It was Tarkan who got the first strike. The Shasta guard slammed his sword down on lower part of the creature's mask. The beast let out another keening screech and flailed wildly, straining against the ropes that were pinning it down. The guards continued their assault, striking as quickly as they could to finish the job. One of the royals from the rooftops let out a shout of warning; the creature's thrashing was loosening some of the chains pinning it down. If they took too long, it would break free.

K33LA

Snap!

The chains came flying from the creature's back, lashing backward at the royals perched above the fray. At that moment, the five warriors dashed back to safety, Miyana at the lead. The going was difficult, the sands now loosely shifting beneath them. One, two, three, four, five of them all managed to return in one piece. Adele, however, had taken a blow to her side by one of the creatures massive arms, and she could feel a tight pain blooming in her ribs. The Zuleidan battle-prodigy stilled the screaming of her body, however, and forced herself to stay focused on the battle at hand. Adrenaline flooded her body, numbing her to the pain she would succumb to later. It was her duty to slay this beast, for Jean. Whether he was alive or dead, Adele refused to accept any outcome besides victory.

High atop the towers of Dradecus, Kunal watched the mayhem below. Although the beast was truly terrifying, he could not help but find the scene exhilarating. He could see everything below, giving him a birds-eye view of all that took place. Despite his distance, the Gradian prince's heart beat at a wild pace, hammering against his chest like a nail. He kept his eyes sharp, his mind focused, and when the creature finally freed itself from his and his companion's harpoons, he was quick to react. Rapidly, he contracted the chain and readied the turret for firing once more. The process took mere minutes, yet it might as well have taken an eternity. He would have to wait impatiently for now.

The other three royals acted much the same as Kunal, each one managing to react and reset their turrets with enough time. Emmyth, however, had more trouble than the rest of them, seeing how a large chunk of the creature's foul flesh was hooked on the end of his harpoon. Still, even he succeeded eventually, albeit in the nick of time.

Soon, the process began anew, though it would become increasing difficult to pin the beast successively. Although it did not seem to be cognizant, it was clear that surprise was no longer on their side. It dove back beneath the sands, though no clam came after. Churning like an angry sea, the monster's every move could been seen clearly. Kora and Adora were in the most danger, for if they were not careful, they themselves could be sucked into the whirlpool. Soon, however, the vortex's strength grew, and even the warriors were threatened. Taken aback, Adele slipped, the pain in her side firing angrily as she hit the ground. Quickly, her body slid away from the five man team, and the Zuleidan woman sounded a scream of alarm. Acting quickly, Miyana dove to catch her hand. The elven guard succeeded, yet she too was now sucked in by the maelstrom. Soon Tarkan hurled himself forward, grabbing Miyana's leg, and Chandar in return found himself tugging madly at one of Tarkan's bulging calves. The Gradian, as proud as he was, could not hold all three of them himself, however. He too fell to the sands, leaving little Anna to carry the burden of all four fully grown (and some overgrown) adults. Someone, the faerie guard managed to wrap her arms tightly around the one of the pillars of the courtyard they had taken refuge in. Her tiny feet, hooked with Chandar's, were that kept them from a painful death.

The peril did not end there, however. Those sitting high above the make-shift arena felt a sudden, jarring vibration through the buildings they were stationed upon. Like a miniature earthquake, the towers shook with vigor, and it was a moment before they realized what was happening: the creature was ramming itself into the supports of the buildings round the large square. The Dradecan Palace, being as large as it was, was in the least danger, yet the other three threatened to topple.

Was there anything that could be done?

In the end, it was Aine who answered this question. Even higher than the turret-team, she watched from the skies in horror as her allies struggled far beneath her. Summoning all the power in her small body, Aine commanded the wind to aid her. Eyes intent, she traced her hands through the air as if she was drawing the string of a great bow. Gathering power, the wind began to congregate behind her, compressing itself over and over again into an invisible arrow. When she could wait no longer, she released, sending forth a massive flurry forged from the skies. It shot true, piercing into the depths at the center of the sand-whirlpool. A low, angry noise came from beneath, and soon the sands erupted upward as the beast reappeared.

But there was no time to think or regroup, only time to continue with a vengeance...

Rada Han

They were in awe of the display, royal and civilian alike, to see a faerie outside of the forest conjure such power in an environment where magic wouldn't normally be found. It seemed that since the beast itself was something conjured by magic, the fae was able to borrow some of that energy for her own use. Such a tiny creature had so much power in Yardis, when she could. Along with the slaughter the beast endured, which cut so deeply into its bones, Aine's efforts slowed it greatly and for the first time, they could all see their progress.

It was invigorating... But there was something else happening. Instead of roaring back at its attackers with a vengeance, the monster seemed off balance. It stumbled, putting its face ever closer to the ground, like it was being knocked around by an invisible force.

Inside of the beast, they had all already gotten what was happening. Everyone there, over two hundred people had heard the commotion and rushed to their aid. They were all tired of being knocked around by a thrashing beast and decided to give it a thrashing of their own, all at the same time, with a force that even a magical beast couldn't ignore. All of them at the same time ran back and forth into the walls of their cage, with the intention of knocking over the monster and destroying its ability to balance itself above the sand. Suddenly, the turrets weren't needed to hold it down anymore.

Pipea

Bashirah set her trembling palms flat upon the cool stone edge of the balcony in an attempt to steady herself. She could still feel the vibrations of the turret – each cocking and firing – in her bones. But her work, it seemed, was done. Casually, she witnessed as Aine called forth the wind, creating a torpedo of air, directly upon the beast that writhed below. Silky hair blowing back, the Gradian princess inhaled, the traces of magic on the currents sinking into her lungs, filling her with the similar feeling of fire.

This… brand of teamwork was new to her. When the beast had first reared itself from the sands, Bashirah felt anxiety and fear grip her heart. But when everything started coming together as all of them did their required duties, it took the edge off the initial terror, as well as nearly completely eliminated any doubts that may have arisen in her mind. For once, she felt the sensation of connection with people other than her brother being forged inside her. And she did not know, after it was all said and done, if she could maintain composure.

She did not want to get ahead of herself, though. Down below, the guards still had work to do. The beast was still “alive,” but it was unstable. She gripped the stone tighter as her tower continued to sway. Maybe there was still more she could do? Manning the turret once more, Bashirah brought her sights to the beast’s neck area. It was difficult to keep steady, but if she could perhaps just make it that much easier for the guards to wail upon its mask, as she watched them now do…

Bashirah quickly looked back to Remus, who still held the flag at his side. “Signal to the others!” she shouted. He gave her a perplexed look. “I think we can isolate its head if we all pin it down at the neck!”

The signal went out.

Hoping to transfer her intentions by means of example, Bashirah painstakingly aimed, taking into account the instability of her platform, and fired. Being somewhat behind the beast, she managed to pierce near the back of its head, penetrating its flimsy carcass, the head of the chain digging into the sand. The others followed suit soon after. Soon, a web of chains rattled above the beast’s throat, leaving it little room to thrash.

Cardcaptor_Sierra

Anna waited for the arrival of the beast burrowing its way to the sandy earth, in Central Square. Her nerves were getting the best of her; it was her duty and the guards to attack the beast while everyone else render it defenseless, if only for a time being. Whether she had decided to object to her princess becoming a scapegoat for the beast no longer mattered as it reared its ugly mask at the surface, and the princess had avoided it just in time, floating in faerie form.

When the two Shazgard princesses emerged from the shadows and bounded the beast with the earth, everything seemed to have dazed from there. From the turrets that were blasted out of the rooftop, the beast’s echoed screaming and the beast trying to writhe free from the chains’ grasp, Anna then found herself carrying the weight of five guards who were being pulled in by the sand vortex into whatever sort of dimension it pulled the Zuleidan prince. Her arms holding on to one of the pillars for her dear life, her sight clashed with her princess from above, and the princess conjured an arrow out of thin air and into the vortex.

Now with the beast stumbling on the ground, Bashirah took the chance and aimed, and others followed suit, and now the head of the beast found itself clashing against the grounds, the sands dispersed and exploded at the impact and enormity of the beast’ head and the chains that were binding it. The beat and exhilaration of knowing that their progress was paying off flowed through the veins of the guards, and now it was time to finish it off. Anna, who was faster, then jumped readily on the side of the beast’ mask, and penetrated its frame with her sword, and the mask shattered by a little, considering that it was too thick to be removed by a mere sword. Chandar, Miyana, Tarkan and Adele were not close behind, and soon with the effort of five warriors and Miyana’s skilled throwing knives they could soon hear the sounds of the carcass mask cracking.

Rada Han

Shouts of encouragement came from everywhere. People began to emerge from the underground, through entrances in all of their buildings as an audience to the battle. Some brought their own weapons and could only wave them in the air when they saw that they were already well off on their own. Everyone past the front gates were stunned and couldn't pull their eyes away from the spectacle. There were Dradecans emerging from the rooftops and yelling excitedly, cheering them on as they thrashed the beast.

Tired screeches resonated from the monster's mask, louder and louder while it was being broken apart, like a throng of tortured souls screaming at them to stop the slaughter. Its sickening cracks pierced their ears, but it was Miyana who landed the final blow, faithful katana in her hands, to finally put to death the creature who almost took her homeland.

Immediately, the disintegrated mask exploded into dust, knocking everyone around it off of their feet and into the sand some meters away. When it cleared, nothing was there in place of that bony mask. It was a beast without a face, and it reared from its place on the ground in anguish, as if it had a hideous true face to see. Vertical to the sands, it broke free from all of its chains and put its massive arms up to where its mask used to be, when suddenly, the beast began to break apart.

Its arms rotted off of its bony frame, and were nothing but petrified stumps when they hit the ground. Its mane shriveled into ash, revealing the bones of the creature beneath it. Then, piece by piece, those bones began to fall. Its ribcage, then its spine, tumbled down into the sand, but there was no trace of them when they fell. However, all was not over yet.

The final bone fell to the ground without turning to dust. Like an egg, it began to hatch. From that crackling, quivering bone came a shadowy entity, like a ball of smoke that sucked away the light that tried to hit it, with no eyes, just dark abscesses where they should've been. The thing screeched as the monster did and took flight, aiming straight for whoever was closer. Tarkan, who hadn't been thrown as far as the rest of them.

Suddenly, from seemingly nowhere, the three noble elves dropped from the sky and onto the scene. Lun carried a medium-sized chest, which caught the spirit before it reached the Shasta. It bolted itself shut when it was filled. Once again, the Royals, their companions, and even the crowd watching them were struck dumb by the display of these elves, which none of them recognized as citizens of their beloved city.

Lun gave the Guards a wink and a smile as he dropped that chest on the ground. The other two, Sol and Stella joined hands around it. The holy trinity-- the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars-- joined in prayer for the first time in hundreds of years, to reverse the damage done to the city, and put the demon back its rightful place. The space in between the real world and the dreamscape, somewhere impossible to escape. The contents of that chest disappeared entirely and almost immediately, the skies over Dradecus began to darken again.

Rain began to fall, a welcome respite from the desert heat. Where the monster had fallen, hands began to sprout. Someone must've recognized these hands, because as soon as they appeared, along with the heads of their Dradecan brothers and sisters, the people rushed from their place in the crowd to pull them out. There were hundreds of them, all people swallowed by the beast, emerging from the sands all at once. Dradecan citizens started digging for survivors with their bare hands. Cries and tears were exchanged between those who found their friends and relatives alive after it was thought that all was lost.

At this scene, the Igalios brothers both abandoned their posts at the towers. Frantically, they rushed to not only aid their fellow Dradecans, but to find their parents who had also supposedly been taken by the beast. When the creature fell, so did the sands on top of its victims. It happened so suddenly, but they were prepared for anything, thanks to their King. So, when their prison was flooded with sand, many grabbed each other's hands and held on for dear life.

So, they just kept coming and coming, so many victims. Finally, someone grabbed the hand of their Queen, who was pulled from the sands with her husband clinging to her ankle. She paid no mind to him, but screamed when she saw her sons and instantly burst into tears at the sight of them. Even Emmyth, who looked so different, could never hide from his own mother. They shared a tearful embrace that seemed to last a millennia, while Ashcroft went to work trying to aid the others. When he looked around and discovered that the Zuleidan prince and his maid companion hadn't been found yet, he worked even harder.

It seemed like forever passed by until a sandy-blonde head of hair emerged from the depths. When he managed to crawl out, it was obvious that his hand had a death-grip on another's wrist. He pulled as hard as he possibly could on that arm until Aurelia came up, gasping.

From then on, in Dradecus, there was only celebration.

[Rada Han]

a t r i p i n t i m e

↘ all is lost again



Peace...



All of Dradecus was in celebration. The sky was falling dark again and the moon was beginning to appear in place of the sun, just like things were supposed to be. There was still a lot of cleaning up to do in order to bring Dradecus back the way it was before the incident, but for now, its people only wished to celebrate. It was a joyous occasion for everybody. Victims once thought dead were reunited with their families and friends, and no longer did anyone live in fear of walking above ground.

The King, Queen, and their sons were blissfully reunited as well. The Royal family was whole again. With that, Dradecus was whole again. When they were sure that all of the victims had been fished from their sandy prisons, the whole city found its way across the courtyard and onto the steps of the royal palace, filling what used to be the garden to the brim with happy people. Even those who couldn't enter the city at first were let through the gates, now that there was enough room to house them.

"Citizens of the Dark City Dradecus, lend me your ears!" At the top of the steps was none other than the charismatic leader, Ashcroft Igalios. His Queen stood by his side, and the sons he was so proud of were not far off either. The crowd still bustled, but quieted enough so they could hear their King speak.

"Good people of Dradecus. All of us, elf, fae, and human alike, have been victim to an ancient threat that once wished to take the world from us. It wished to take the moon from our skies and with it, our great city. It almost succeeded. Today, we've done the impossible. We've vanquished this ancient beast and sent it straight back to whatever hell it came from! My people, the Gods have smiled on us, at long last!"

The crowd, thousands of people of all colors, roared victoriously. Even Ashcroft found it difficult not to go nuts. He raised his arm to silence them once more, a smile ever present across his features.

"But there are times when we are helpless. It is times like these that we must learn to give credit where it is due, to the people who have come to aid us in our worst of times, Dradecan or not. Err.."

Just then, a woman unfamiliar to the rest of the citizens, but recognized as 'Stella' by the royals and their companions, approached the great King. Since the King was not around to see exactly who felled the beast, she took over, much to their surprise. When her mouth moved, Ashcroft's did. No one else seemed to even see her.

"Princess Aine Chrystalle, and Dame Annabel Crowbers, of Laelie. Princesses Kora and Zaara Zhaddagh, and Sir Tarkan Yilmaz of Shazgard. Princes Lucian and Emmyth Igalios, and Dame Miyana Kelfornai, of Dradecus--" At their mention, the crowd swelled once more. For the first time, Stella cracked a smile. Prince and Princess Kunal and Bashirah Mahapatra, and Sir Chandar Hari, of Gradius... and Sir Remus and Dame Adele Vanadis of Zuleidi...

Heroes of Dradecus!"

As the 'heroes' emerged from their places and stood before the King, he looked upon them with pride, not only to his own sons, but to all of them as equals. He lowered his voice so that only they could hear him, along with anyone standing closely to them. Every citizen of the city burst into hoots and applause, and exclamations of love and appreciation, and even song.

"I'm surprised. The Royal children, all in one place, and heroes to boot. You are all truly gifted. I could only wish to have an army of guards as good as yours." Off to the side, stood the Prince of Zuleidi and the Gradian maid. They only approached when the King motioned for them to come. "Clearly, there are more important things happening in Yardis than the need for all of you kids to marry each other. Your ceremonies will have to be postponed. Just know, that when it is time, you will have our blessing and unyielding support. Based on what we've seen here, we all have more to worry about than our silly quarrels with other countries. From now on, regardless of all the childish problems we've ever faced with your native Kingdoms, you have Dradecus on your side."

Then, he raised his dry voice again. It was getting so hoarse that the crowd had to be extra quiet to be able to hear him. Even then, the people in the back probably weren't hearing anything. There were just too many people.

"You have saved hundreds of lives, and potentially thousands. Whatever your motive in helping us, just know that your sacrifice will never go unappreciated. You have mine and all of Dradecus' eternal thanks."

In an incredible display, Ashcroft and Penelope actually bowed to the royals and their companions as if they were the superiors and not the other way around. Like a ripple across the entire city, every single man, woman and child also took to their knees for them.

"Aelfric, where'd you put the book? Gimme' the book."

"I don't have it. Why do you have to talk to me like that? Don't be an a**, Andrew."

"I have it, you fools."

"Ah, 'Dwyn was always the smart one."

Aldwyn had indeed taken that old, glowing tome into her hands. She offered it to Lucian, and once he took it, the thing gave an intense glow and burst into a light which attached itself to him, his brother, Miyana, and even Aurelia. This light manifested itself into the Crescent Moon seal of Dradecus on their wrists, in its signature violet.

"With this artifact, each one of you with Dradecan blood will be bestowed with ancient power. From now on, those who bear the seal will be able to travel through shadows. Where it is dark, you will see. Where there are shadows, you may go. The night will be your mistress. The sun, your compass. We, Aldwyn the Wise, Aelfric the Cunning, and Andrew the Brave, give this gift to you." Then, they were gone, just as mysteriously as they came.

Fast-forward another half an hour, and the Royals and their companions found themselves together again and out of danger, for once. There was a grand party in the castle that didn't have many limits, as it was already a huge mess inside. The Dradecans would hold a festival through the next few days, so this was a time for the heroes to enjoy themselves. Food was plenty and drink was abundant. Beds and cushions were always a welcome sight to see after their ordeal. They were all praised for once, and rightly so.

[Angst Werewolf]

xxxxxx ♨ Chαndαr Hαrí
{{ The Gradian Smith Mercenary }}
"I am a superstar and I don't care who you are!"

►xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx◄

Location: The Palace- Partying Hard, Bro!

►xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx◄

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Chandar Hari was one very happy man. He'd helped save an entire city, battled along side the royals of his kingdom (kinda sorta, but details were not important), and now he was currently drinking himself silly as three elven women giggled and plastered themselves all over him. The smith took another swig of his drink. He wasn't quite sure what it was, but damn it was good. "And then I thrust my blade into the side of its head!" he exclaimed. He had been regailing the elves with the story of how he had helped bring down the sandbeast, though it was safe to say that many parts were exaggerated, if not made up entirely. Chandar, for instance, most certainly did not scale one of the towers, leap off it, and backflip onto the creature's back in order to stab it better.

The elves did not seem to really care. They "ooh'ed" and "ahh'ed" in all the right places, exclaimed at how strong a warrior Chandar was, and kept his glass full. Needless to say, Chandar's ego had tripled in size in the last thirty minutes. "Oh, you're such a brave man, Sir Hari!" squealed one as she ran her hands through his short blond hair. Chandar grunted in agreement. "Of course I am!" he slurred, brandishing his fist and slopping some drink out of the cup. "I am a Gradian!" And with that, he proceeded to ramble on about how he'd set the raging sandbeast on fire.

Again, this was not true, but it made for a good story.

He was halfway through the tale of the gem he was searching for when he mentioned how he'd stumbled onto Kunal earlier that day. Chandar paused and frowned. In all the chaos following the king's announcement, he'd completely forgotten about the royals. Slowly but surely, his brain processed and finally registered the mention of the arranged marriages. Chandar sat up straight, dislodging the Dradican women. "Bashirah!" he exclaimed in alarm. She could not be forced to marry someone benethe her- only another Gradian would do. The same went for Kunal, though if he really was a man, he'd take matters into his own hands. Chandar supposed if that filthy Faerie wasn't taken care of soon, he'd have to drop in.

But Bashirah...Chandar stood hastily and stumbled into one of the tables nearby. He slammed his drink down and scowled. Bashirah, the beautiful princess of Gradius, was being forced to marry a elf. The horror. "It will not happen! Not on my watch!" he shouted angrily. Several of the other party-goers stared at him, but he ignored them. The elves from earlier tries to drag him back down onto the cushions, but he shook them off as he made his way through the crowd. Despite being drunk and quite unable to walk in a straight line, he was a man on a mission. He'd find those that dared to sully the Mahapatra line!

OoC/ LOLOLOLOLOL
Couldn't resist this.

[Sierra The Captor]

тαкє α ℓєαρ σf fαιтн.

ï ќṉøώ ώε'll ṃαќε ïτ.

Anna "Annabel" Crowbers. 21 years-old. Laelie Bodyguard.

The mention of her name announced loudly by Stella, and to stand before the King had her tied in knots. Her nerves did not ease either. When she stood before the King, along with the others she looked a little nervous, barely able to keep her face away from the ground. But it was the King and Queen’s bow that truly shocked her. If her Queen in Laelie had performed such an action, it would surely be a sign of weakness rather than an act of gratitude.

It was only until the grand party was taken place in the castle that Anna finally eased her nerves; lowered her shoulders, and took an audible, deafening sigh. She gave herself a pat on the back; congratulating herself for her hard work. Although she did not feel as she had done much, this truly marks as her first job as the bodyguard, and it alone was enough for her. If only there was music to accompany the party. Now it was time for the hard part; alcohol. Oh dear. After a while mingling around the table Anna suddenly found herself tempted, but in her hand she held the same cup, unable to drink it, and not willing to, in spite of the occasion. Her little faerie body would not take such a hard drink into her system so easily without as much getting ten times drunk than a man who had taken a swig of the whole bottle.

“Just drink it,” an elf who had been observing her sounded, earning him a glare. She supposed elves have a much better tolerance for alcohol, because if she was not mistaking that was his third bottle for the night.

“I can’t,” she murmured. The elf shook his head, taking a swig on wine and downing the last remaining drops of the red wine.

“It’s a party, for goodness sake, not a morgue. At the very least, you deserved it. You saved an entire city after all,”

It was true. For the night she and the rest of the guards were commended for their bravery in battle and bringing order back to Dradecus. But she couldn’t remember whether it was the fifth or sixth time she heard that. To have it constantly reminded of how brave she was was unsettling. It was not a matter that she was embarrassed by the appraisal, but rather she did not as thought she had deserved much of it given that the majority of her actions in defeating the beast was governed by a lot of help.

Chandar however, wasted no time in relishing his fame. After making a couple of rounds of his drink, his words became more slurred, and frankly, more ridiculous as the story goes on. Anna listened with a look of indignant, suddenly remarking loudly, not realizing that her words has a chance of being heard within his earshot “Yes, of course, but then if it was not for the faerie that he so despised that dragged his a** and the rest of the guards from the impending doom of the beast’ whirlpool he would have sat as a sitting duck inside the beast’ belly,”
Anna flushed at what she said, and before the elven maidens and Chandar himself could even look in her direction, she quickly turned about, stirring her cup in her hand, mindlessly humming to herself. The idea of finding the princess, was apparently, more pleasing to her than anything.

[00C; hehe, I put 'relinquishing' instead of 'relishing' >.<]

[Suppey]

∂σℓαи мιяσѕℓαν кєιяισи ιgσℓισѕ

_______________________________________»»....ק»lєครє ђєгє ๓є»»»єשєภ เŦ เ๓ ๏ภly รєς๏ภ๔ รtเll.....


Dolan smirked slightly at the victory of those people, even if his parents had been eaten by the monster he didn’t mind so much. That way there would only be one more person left until he was king. Don’t get him wrong, the boy had no hate towards his family and didn’t wish them dead… doesn’t mean he wished for them to be alive either though. He had spent his life waiting for the right moment to step forwards and become what he was meant to be. The first born son.

Somehow, Dolan had avoided the entire marriage situation. Mostly due to the fact that no one could catch him unless he really wanted them too. Thus he simply told his parents he wasn’t going and went away for a few days until they gave up searching for him. He knew what they said about him, he was their greatest disappointment. This made Dolan happy and sad all at the same time. However single handily attempting to destroy the entire pact between countries was more then satisfactory, even if it did fail miserable. Somehow all these blasted people ended up in the house of Dracedios and were now partying, It made Dolan grumpy. Though it made him happy that he was easily about to become part of the largest scheme to rule the world in the century, or at least that was his thought on the situation. Some monster attacks his county and yet no one dies? Right after the huge marriage as well. Either someone was distracting the world to do something else… or it was a test. Either way Dolan prepared to stay uninvolved, though now he was about to chose to step into the situation.

The boy slunk into the room in the shadows, appearing in a place where he knew he would be unnoticed. He decided not to go through the main entrance, it was not his desire to be announced to the whole room. Dolan would much rather nit pick through the people and suck what information available. I wonder my supposable wife is in the vicinity… though they were yet to be wed, he wondered if now would be a good time to introduce himself to everyone. Tell a lie, say he was on his death bed and then miraculously recovered. What a laugh, good thing he was under the category of perfect lier.

Though his marriage with the first princess of the Earth kingdom, this Kora person would be convenient. If Dolan thought correctly, once the current king and queen died would make him the king of the earth kingdom. His mind had gone over this before, but somehow that dirty land didn’t appeal to him as much as being the king of his own land. Much to bright, much to green for his classy liking. Though his marriage to her could still provide convenient. Besides if he decided he was unsuitable for his liking or didn’t fall through with his ever growing scheme of being ruler of the world, that was easily fixable.

“Prince Dolan!” a maid said with shock in her eyes, quickly bowing lowly. “Im sorry, we didn’t know y-you where here…” the girl said stuttering apparently with a bit of shock. He didn’t blame her, apparently seeing him around the castle was becoming increasingly rare. “Stand strait girl,” the boys voice spoke with authority, even if he was second prince it didn’t mean he was unaware of how to talk to the maids. “I wish to be announced” change of plans mostly, maybe he could acquire these peoples trust. Maybe…

Dolan walked over to the doors and man steeped up beside him to begin yelling over the roaring crowd. “Now announcing the second Prince of the house of Igaolios, Prince Dolan!” Some heads turned, though most people seemed to keep partying. Walking through the room he noticed a spot had hurriedly been made for him at the head table. Though looking around the table he wasn’t so sure he wanted to sit, noticing people who where not royalty. Even people who where not in the house of Igaolios where rarely allotted to sit at the head table, though today the table had been stretched out and a boisterous crew of body guards along with princes and princess of all kingdoms sat. Dolan didn’t want to sit down, though his plan required him to act friendly. Putting on a respectful smile he sat down in-between a white haired girl who looked like a body guard and man who was entirely intoxicated. “please excuse my absence” he said addressing the entire table and looked around with a nervous smile.

[V I V L I O N]

a d e l e x v a n a d i s
Bodyguard To The Prince of Zuleidi

Despite the over whelming feeling that there would be more to come, Adele couldn't help but let herself imagine that everything was at peace. Or at least that they might get a break. As the group stood at attention in front of the King and Queen, the Zuleidian put on a brave front. The beast was dead so why were they still standing? After the beast's arm had made impact with the side of her torso, she had to push through the flourishing pain. The loud sound of bones snapping still in the forefront of her memory. And now that the adrenaline was beginning to fade, each ragged breath felt like agony and movement of any sort was not a welcomed thought. However, the fact that she was being addressed by the royalty of a Dradecus was an honour that she could never even have imagined. It would be an insult to do anything but stand and graciously accept such an acknowledgement. As they were addressed privately by the King, the blonde stiffly nodded her head. Despite everything, she couldn't help but smile at the hope that due to their display of bravery the kingdoms might be united without the use of arranged marriages. It would be best for Jean and his betrothed's sanity.

But more importantly than the reassurance of peace was Jean joining their group once more. Despite the fact that they were standing in front of an entire city, the guard quickly hugged her friend, willingly suffering the sudden stabs of pain that ran up her side. It would be an understatement to say that her sense of duty went beyond that of a regular guard. And though most would think that she was bordering on the dramatic, the young prince had become her life over the years. If he had died, she would have been held accountable and been persecuted upon footing step on Zuleidian soil but a life anywhere else would be condemning her to a similar fate. Her whole life was ruled by duty and her loyalty to the only son of the kingdom. For him to be alive was a blessing and she made herself swear to never let such an incidence occur again.

She quickly released Jean, afraid of how such a display might be reciprocated in Dradecus. However, Adele told herself that the citizens would understand under the circumstances. Standing back once more (an arm wrapping around her torso to stabilize her side), her blue eyes blinked in display as the King and Queen bowed down to their group. The blonde was unsure how to respond to such a display. This had never come up in court etiquette lessons growing up. Hearing the sounds of more rustling, she looked over her shoulder only to see the crowd bow in what looked like a ripple on water from where she stood. This was surely a moment that would forever be imprinted on her memory.

After the speeches were done, the Royals and the companions were ushered into the castle to get cleaned up and relax among the available luxuries in the castle. However, as the others went about doing as they pleased, several healers approached the young guard. Adele blinked at the elves in mild curiosity, unknowing of their status, "Excuse me," She said hesitantly, "I must go tend to my charge." The girl took a step forward but was cut off by one of the woman.

"We have been assigned to tend to your injuries."

Looking the other up and down, the Zuleidian shook her head, "I am fine, thank you. Now, if you don't mind-" She once again attempted to side step the elves, but was blocked once more.

"Excuse me, Dame. But it is our duty to at least check up on you."

A small sigh escaped Adele's lips. They had pulled the 'duty' card on her and who was she to get in the way of the healers' doing their assigned jobs. "Fine. But can we do this hastily. I'd like to be able to get back to the festivities as soon as possible."

In the end, it wasn't just a check up. As she had already known, the healers declared that the majority of her ribs on her left side had been broken and the rest, varying degrees of fractures. However, they couldn't just stop there. Despite a protesting Sea Folk, the women chanted a few lines and performed their mumbo jumbo. Healing and sorcery were among the things that she'd just never be able to understand. Though, she could hardly complain when within mere minutes her bones seemed to have miraculously rejoined. The healers had warned that there was nothing they could do about the bruising and that she'd still experience pain and tightening in her side, but Adele knew that that was nothing to complain about.

Finally being released from the care of the elves, Adele awkwardly walked into the hall where the rest of the group, among countless others) were already beginning to celebrate. She kept an arm wrapped around her torso, anxious about keeping herself upright, even though the bandages that had been tightly wrapped around her chest were sure to do the job needless. Her eyes began to scan thensea of faces searching for a more familiar one. To be completely honest, she wasn't comfortable in the sudden situation. They were surrounded by strangers, in a foreign land. And as much as she wanted to relax and enjoy herself, being thrust into this sudden social situation put her on edge. Perhaps if she could get her hands on some of the alcohol that had already filled the hall with it's perfume...


" I will not bow. I will not break.
I will not fall. I will not fade.
I will take your breath away. "

[Rada Han]

When I turned my head, to cry
I had to dry my eye
I saw the tortoise from the sea, bringing you back to me.


xxxxxx

Seeing Adele after being stuck inside of a monster's belly for what seemed like days (it was actually just hours) was like seeing the sun after a long, painful incarceration. Of course, when he emerged from the ground covered in sand, the sun wasn't out. Actually, everyone in Dradecus was happy to see the moon because the sun was never really supposed to rise above the city ever. So, in that case, Adele was more like seeing the moon after a long, painful incarceration. You get the picture.

So, when he saw his friend, he didn't much care to see the others. Jean wanted to give Adele the biggest, tightest hug he possibly could, but she shuddered in pain. She had been injured, so he released her from his grip and let her be. The Prince didn't much care about the Dradecan customs or whether it was acceptable to show affection in public. He was still royalty and they'd deal with it if they'd been in Dradecus, Gradius, or any other Kingdom.

"If you let me get eaten ever again, I'll fire you!" He exclaimed, with a bright smile on his face. For a little while, he thought he was a goner.

Adele had been a sight for sore eyes. She wasn't nearly as beautiful as Aurelia, but she was the best friend he'd ever had and he would have liked to believe that it wasn't only the case because it was her duty in life to be that way. Jean-Baptiste, however, looked twice as bad as the rest of them. He had not had the chance to change his clothes or clean himself. The young man looked like he'd been stuck in a hole for the past couple of days, which wasn't exactly inaccurate.

From the rescue site to the palace, he stayed by her side, as things always were, like siblings. The Zuleidan Prince was dumbstruck when it was announced the names of the people who killed the beast. Staying back with Aurelia while the others received their congratulations, he was in complete awe.

"...Really?" He said to himself. "You guys killed that thing? Together? What in the seven hells happened while I was gone?" Had they been held at knifepoint? Was this the work of witches? Had they all gotten laid and lived in harmony while he was gone? Whatever it was, he was grateful for it, albeit a little jealous that he couldn't have seen it. Then again, Jean was never the fighting type. Perhaps it was better that he had been swallowed up.

Jean didn't bow to them. He didn't bow to anyone except his own father. Even then, one would be lucky to see it. After the ceremony, like Adele, he was practically assaulted by the palace maids. There were five of them and all of them were taller than he was.

"We have been assigned to tend to your uncleanliness."

As if his mood couldn't get any better. "Oh... really." He said somewhat obliviously. "We should get right on that, then."

Then he disappeared with them, like tears in rain.

Sometime later, when the festivities rocked the city so hard, the earth probably had to work extra hard to keep it from falling into the sea, the Prince of Zuleidi found his way back into the main halls of the palace. Jean looked quite different than he did before he was eaten, and even when they all met in Bhegin. Instead of lounging robes, he was clad in a handsome Dradecan ensemble, and shoes! For once, glorious shoes!

Recognizing the face of one of his fellow royals, along with the faerie guard. He took the liberty of sitting across from Dolan, Anna, and that other man he'd seen with them before the party.
"You, sir, I'm assuming you're Bashirah's new guard!" Then, he was gone. He was loud, and awesome. "I like him! I hope he doesn't die like the other guard did!" With a smile, Jean grabbed one of the half-empty bottles of wine gracing the table and helped himself. "I hope you don't mind me riding on the curtails of your success. Where are the others? I need to give them my thanks. Especially Bashirah... and not so much Zaara... and maybe Crystalle.. But definitely not Kora." He shuddered. What were they talking about again?






and there across the sky, I see what, makes the legend.
The legend is true , and its you
Yeah, you are the legend, the legend is true.

[Insanity Renaissance]

≿｛ Ϻ ɩ ʏ α ɴ αxx凶手xxӃ ε ʟ ғ ɵ я и α ɩ ｝≾


Tʜє Fʟσωєʀ σғ Cαʀɴαɢє と Kσʏαɴɴɪsϙαᴛsɪ と Ⱦ ℎ ℯxxℬ ℓ ɒ ȡ ℯxxℳ ɪ ა ȶ ӷ ℯ ა ა


━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
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xxxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXh i d i n g from all the t h i n g s i can't h e l p but be s c a r e dXXXXXXxxxxxxxxX
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxp ǝ ɹ ɐ d ǝ ɹ d ǝɯoɔ ı b u ı d o ɥ / ɥ s ǝ ɹ ɟ buıʇɹɐʇs ʍ o u buıʌɐǝן


XXXXXXxxxxxxxxXsay the w o r d s and i'll t r y / finding f a i t h in their l i e sXXXXXX
xxxxxxxxxxxʍ o u ʞ ǝɯ ʇǝן ʇ s n ظ uo ǝɯoɔ p ɹ o ʍ ʎɯ oʇ dn ǝ ʌ ı b ʇ,uopxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx



Being an assassin was an easy job for Miyana Kelfornai. You got a job, you went and killed who you were supposed to, you got paid, and you waited for another to come around. Repeat as long as needed. Being a guard was rather simple too. Follow the princes wherever they go and make sure they don't get killed. Either way, the only time people bothered her was if someone needed to die. She was generally feared for her skills and job profession as an assassin, and as a guard, her status as a half-breed kept people away. Fear, hate, and general disdain were the three primary feelings common people held for her. It was how it had always been, and she was used to it.

So, naturally, when the King and Queen bowed to her and the rest of team in thanks, and the people did the same, it was something she was not used to. Nor was the party in which people were constantly shaking her hand and telling her how amazing she was and how proud they were to have her guarding the princes. It was strange, feeling the admiration and gratitude these people felt towards her. And it made her terribly uncomfortable.

Mismatched eyes looked around from her seat on a couch in a corner of a large room, filled with partying guests and drunken fools. The half-elf sat rather leisurely, one leg folded over the other as she leaned back in comfort. In the half hour following saving the city, Miyana had disappeared at some point and returned healed and with a fresh pair of clothes. Given typical Dradecus style, her outfit was rather strange, but no one seemed to mind in the slightest. The actual reason behind her wearing the rather outlandish costume was the fact that she had been ambushed by some rather gutsy maids who attempted to force her into a dress. When she refused, they gave her the choice of either wearing one of their dresses, or the outfit she wore at the moment (where they found it, Miyana had no idea, but they probably picked it out so she would choose the dresses they picked out). And as she was no longer allowed to kill the servants of the palace without good reason, she had picked the strange costume much to the dismay of the handmaidens. Occasionally, her eyes traveled down to gaze at the crest on her wrist as she unconsciously tugged at her sleeves, the words of the three siblings echoing in her head.

Alefric. Aldwyn. Andrew. The three legendary brothers that helped make Yardis the place it was today. Miyana remembered her mother telling her stories of all the deities and mystical beings that shaped the land by the fireplace, where a young Nimal would listen with great zeal, allowing her to ignore the bruises that covered her from her latest beating. They had been the sparkles of light that her mother gave her in her rather dreary childhood. But as she grew, she lost the passion for the stories she once possessed, and dismissed them as mere legend. Well, now it seemed that they were not so fictional as she had believed not even a day ago. And one of them was female. Or they could change forms.

'Which means the one trying to kill us all...' She thought back to the old stories. 'Would probably be Izar. Damn that Alefric, banging up dragon goddesses.' While she wasn't exactly sure if one would get punished for cursing deities for their mistakes, she found herself not really caring that much. But the idea of the crazed dragon of evil from legends being their enemy wasn't exactly the most comforting. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Dolan, Anna, Chandar, and Jean all sitting relatively close to each other, but the assassin made no move to get near them. She wasn't a people person, much less a party person. Besides, her prince seemed to be perfectly fine. There was no reason to get up. Well, no reason until a drunken couple plopped down next to her and proceeded to get as romantic as they could without causing a scene.

Suppressing the urge to either hurl or take the two out into a dark corner and gut them, Miyana rose to her feet, quietly moving away, looking rather depressed about the whole “celebration” thing. Of course, when a random stranger approached her she would display her typical polite smile and exchange a few words with them. Oh, how she longed to escape this place and go do something nice. Like play the piano. Or murder someone.

Eventually, Miya found herself escaping the crowd, sitting in a window ledge above the main hall that people celebrated in. While she looked down at the crowd, her mismatched red eyes didn't seem really focused on the people below, but something else that no one seemed to see.


XXXXXXxxxxxxxxXtrying h a r d to be b r a v e / but y o u just run a w a y XXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxx
p ı ɐ ɹ ɟ ɐ ǝq ǝ ɹ ɐ p noʎ ʇ,uop ǝ b u ɐ ɥ ɔ ɹǝʌǝu ʇsnظ s b u ı ɥ ʇ ǝɯosxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


xxxxxxxxXXXXXXp a c k your t h i n g s / l e a v e this t o w n XXXXXXxxxxxxxxX
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxǝ ɯ o ɥ ob ɹ ǝ ʌ ǝ u ןן,ǝʍ ʇnq ˙ǝ ן ı ɥ ʍ ɐ ɹoɟ ǝ ɔ s ı u ı ɯ ǝ ɹ



ʟσɔαтισи: Dradecus - The Palace
ɔσмραnʏ: none at the moment
ɔяαvιиɢ: peace and quiet
ιиנυяιεs: all healed
ωσяם ɔσυnт: 828
мυsιɔ: xxxxx
σσɔ: after so long, Miyana has finally returned, and with a new posting format!

[turkoizdog]

ząąяą zą∂∂ągн

✎▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃


So not only had Zaara helped defeat the sand beast and been congratulated for it (in an intricate ceremony, along with the other royals), but she had also managed to convince the maids to fit her into something that wasn't quite as ruffled as the outfits most of the other women were squeezed into. It wasn't what she'd call masculine, and certainly wasn't as colorful as her usual regalia, but she didn't expect any different from the Kingdom of Darkness.

In fact, her attire wasn't the first thing on her mind tonight. The first thing on her mind was the fact that she had been told that the celebration would last for a few days.

Days.

That is, more than one. While she could take some appreciation in the hospitality of the royal family, any celebration that took more than one evening wasn't in her repertoire. Weren't they concerned about where the sand beast came from? Or who had burned down the castle at Bhegin? Or why they were in this entire predicament in the first place? One thing was for sure, Zaara was glad it was her sister marrying into the Kingdom of Darkness and not her; Kora would actually be able to enjoy the celebratory nature of the people, and while Zaara had nothing against them, it was always something she just couldn't understand.

"I hope you don't mind me riding on the curtails of your success. Where are the others? I need to give them my thanks. Especially Bashirah... and not so much Zaara... and maybe Crystalle.. But definitely not Kora."

Instead, she was betrothed to that.

Zaara sighed, staring down at the bottle in her hand. Someone had handed it to her, urging her to "live a little" before backing off after less than a second of her "leave me alone" glare. Now she sat a couple of chairs over from the foursome where her future husband was wrapped up in some silly conversation, legs crossed neatly at the end of a couch for two. Well, maybe one drink couldn't hurt.

"Here goes nothing..." she said, just louder than a mumble, though still more to herself than anyone else. Crack! She popped the top off and took a swig of her drink. Although it was stronger than she expected -- and would no doubt get you drunk quicker than alcohols from any other region -- she was surprised to come to the conclusion that this wasn't necessarily a bad thing. She took another swig and looked down at her bottle. A good portion of it was already gone, and while she didn't have enough in her system to actually consider socializing, she was at least a little more okay with the idea of partying than she was two sips ago.


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OOC: Lol, not exactly the biggest party animal... xd

[K33LA]

★ ☆ τ h σ s є xxxв σ r n xxxf r σ m xxxt h є xxxf l α m є s...

❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂❂

♀ ♂

Bashirah didn’t even bother to wind the turret up again when the final blow had been landed. Frozen only momentarily, paralyzed partially by disbelief, partially by awe, the Gradian princess bolted for the staircase, her feet barely touching the steps as she flew down.

By the time she reached the sandy square, the monster had just about completely disintegrated. From it emerged a darkness, a smoky shadow. That must have been the dark magic animating the carcass in the first place. It almost got away, but it was trapped in a chest by one of the elves, Lun, and consequently banished. Not soon after, the sky darkened and rain began to fall from the clouds. That’s when she noticed Kunal across a dune.

He had arrived much the same as his sister, bounding down the tunnels and steps which had lead him to his place in the sand. His heart beat a mile a minute, sounding powerfully with each deep, hurried breath he took. Something was different now, something he hadn't felt before - he was elated. Kunal felt as if he was on top of the world, and this time he wasn't alone. They had all worked together to fell the beast, and the fruits of their labor had been worthwhile.

Kunal caught his sister's eyes, and he could see she was feeling the same. Maybe there was still hope for the both of them? Before he knew it, his feet were carrying him to her side. When she saw him coming, she did the same. They met in the middle, apart from the surge of people that were helping those from the sand. Kunal picked Bashirah from the ground and swung her in his arms. He was giddy, ensnared in the joyful mood - even he could not deny it. He smiled at her, and for once, he was surprised it didn't hurt to do so.

For a moment, their mutual joyous actions came naturally to them, Gradian principles temporarily (and astonishingly) erased from their immediate consciousnesses. But, again, it was only for a fleeting moment. The uneven sand plus the force of Bashirah's impact into Kunal's arms knocked him off-balance; when her heels sank into the ground after their short albeit honest embrace, it was really like coming back down to earth. Bashirah cleared her throat. She distanced herself from her brother. So many people... paranoid, she glanced around to see if they were paying any attention. Advantageously, they all seemed preoccupied by the hands of those swallowed popping up all around.

The princess used this factor as an excuse. "Our duty is not yet complete," she announced, trying to conceal pleasure with responsibility. "Come Kunal, let us join the others." Her expression, at that point, had settled back into stoic straightness, but there was energy undeniably emanating from her. Without further ado, Bashirah rushed over to the first helpless fingers she could find.

Eyes meeting, Kunal also felt his face straighten once more - now was not the time for silliness. He went to follow his sister, yet when his feet moved this time they had an opposite effect; it was as if each step drained him of his previous elation. Stopping short of the crowd, Kunal withdrew in upon himself.

What am I doing? This is not how I behave...

He was acting so whimsically, his heart overwhelming his judgement - it wasn't right. Why should Kunal feel anything for these people trapped under the sand? Why should he feel any connection to the others who helped defeat the beast? Why should Bashirah? Weren't they all beneath them?

Looking up, he watched his sister intently. She was enthralled in her work, not a hint of doubt on her face.

Why does she help them? Shouldn't she be at my side? Or am I supposed to be at hers?

Although he wanted to go to her, to stop her and remind her of who she was, Kunal did not move. Simply, he stared at her with wonder, unable to understand why she continued to do what she was doing. Hadn't her lapse in judgement come to an end?

I want to join her, said a soft voice somewhere inside. Swiftly, he was isolated once more; whether Bashirah was with him in his solitude, he couldn't decide. Hadn't they always been together before?

Despite her brother's hesitation (which she did not even really notice), Bashirah plunged into the effort. Though her current attire did little to aid her in this mission -- high heels sinking into the sand -- she did not let that slow her down. In fact, she eventually just took her shoes off entirely. This turned out to be a good idea for more than one reason; jolting, startled, Bashirah felt fingertips brush and tickle the bottom of her foot.

She had found someone!

Quickly, she began to dig until an entire hand was revealed. With every ounce of strength, she pulled; then a wrist appeared. Then an elbow. A shoulder. And finally, the face of a gasping man. With most of his upper body freed, it was only a matter of seconds until he would be fully above the sand. With one final, forceful tug, Bashirah miscalculated and pulled a bit too hard. The man nearly flew out of the pit and knocked her over.

Before she could sweep the hair that had fallen before her eyes, a pair of hands grabbed the sides of her face and brought it almost desperately forward.

And Bashirah could not tell if it was sand or five o'clock shadow that gently scraped her skin as the rescued man thanked her with a breathless kiss.

It was only after the fact that the man had even bothered to brush the sand from his eyes. Sitting, dumbfounded, stupefied, the Gradian princess clutched the lap of her dress tightly enough to cramp her hands. When her eyes finally managed to look back to the man she had rescued, he froze mid-cough. A smile splayed itself across his mouth, as if he had just realized that, luckily for him, he had blindly kissed a very pretty girl. Bashirah hastily got to her feet and scurried away, mumbling something about helping others.

Watching Bashirah put Kunal in a daze, though the exact reason he could not determine. She felt... distant, apart from him, and never before had he experienced such a sensation, however vaguely. By the time she was finished, the Dradecan King had begun his speech. Kunal would have to put this feeling behind him for now and focus on the speech at hand. He made his way to the rest of the group, giving them all a slight nod of recognition (they deserved at least that much, if anything). Listening to the King's words, Kunal was unsure whether to be honored or unimpressed. After all, he really didn't like elves... but when the King and Queen bowed before him and his companions (and subsequently the whole crowd), the Gradian swelled with pride. They had accomplished no small feat.

Unlike her brother, Bashirah felt immersed in otherness; drowning, she found it hard to breathe. All of them, everyone, everywhere... they bowed to them, even the elves, whom the Gradians despised, and were likewise despised by. They did not know her. And yet, here they paid their respects. The princess knew that their accomplishment was at least worthy of some recognition, and while she was not unfamiliar with an entire nation bowing to her, there was something about this that was vastly different. A tad disturbing.

Bashirah knew feeling this much was dangerous, especially for someone like her, with her... frailties. But this she could not run from. And so, with her hands clenched at her sides, resolute, she let the world in, just a little bit.

Ⓚ and Ⓑ

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fσяxxx ω н α тxxx ∂σєѕxxx тнєιяxxx ραѕѕισиxxx вυяи؟?

[Lord_Lazlow]

☬ ¢in Igaolios
Eldest Dradecan Prince

A crowd of nearly fifteen people were gathered in one of the corners of the palace's Great Hall. All their focus and attention was on the eldest prince of darkness Cin Igaolios. His chair was in the corner and on either side of him was a girl, his arms around their shoulders. He was in the middle of one of his signature tales and as he swayed with the words, so too did the drink in the bottle in his right hand.

"So there we all were," he continued, "the beasty that you lot were trapped in was down below us, roaring a most evil roar. The guards down below were attacking its face, but not really doing much damage. That's when its happened!" Cin jumped out of his chair, several people ghasping as he did. He held his arms up as if aiming a rifle out towards his small crowd. "I took aim with my harpoon gun while everyone else was still unaware of what happened. Then I quickly shot the beast in the neck! The rest, you all know."

Cin sat back down with a smirk as a few people clapped and had impressed looks on their faces. Had he embellished the story a bit? Of course, but that's what made the story more interesting, everyone knew that. He placed his arms back on the shoulders of the lovely ladies next to him and looked at each of them. "Did you enjoy the story darlings?" he asked, looking back and forth to either of them. Their answers, however were lost to him as he looked back around to the crowded Great Hall. This was his element, the partying and socializing, the element he hadn't been in for what felt like months.

"What a great night, he thought as he took another swig from his bottle.

[Suppey]

∂σℓαи мιяσѕℓαν кєιяισи ιgσℓισѕ

_______________________________________»»....ק»lєครє ђєгє ๓є»»»єשєภ เŦ เ๓ ๏ภly รєς๏ภ๔ รtเll.....

Dolan couldn’t keep up with the conversation going on around him, purely out of the fact that he was uninterested. But yet, he weakly smiled and sat there. Listening, just listening. Dolan didn’t drink, he found it to render his judgment. Personally, he took happiness of intelligence over happiness of indulgence. He enjoyed this kind of lavish living and the food. However, drinking was not something of Draciduan culture he was fond of. Though he could not say the same for his brother.

Of course, Dolan mostly despised Cin. It was rarely that he ever saw him and as his chocolate brown eyes lay upon his brother in the room he cringed a little bit. Here he was, not taking things seriously as he should. Cin (in Dolan’s eyes) lacked ambition and intelligence. But there where years of being completely ignored, shoved to the side and told to shut his mouth that lead to these feelings. Dolan had a highly biased opinion to say the least of his brother.

Taking a small sip of water, Dolan stood from the table where he sat and drifted over to his brother. He stood slightly back, his red robe swaying with him. Another reason he remained mostly unnoticed was due to his clothing. The boy didn’t dress like a prince at all. He felt no need too, seeing as he was is no place for superiority anyways. Thus he dressed in a deep red silk robe, lined with a dark golden type fabric. The trim was the same colour. Black pants and boots. Also he wore red arm wraps. Something about wearing them made it easier for him to do what he did best, disappear. It just made the transition from solid form to shadow form a lot more simple.

Stepping into the group, he decided to prod his brother a little bit. “Fantastic story Cin….” his voice could be easily taken for being genuinely interested. “Its good to know that the hero of the day is enjoying himself with such… relief’s…” he said looking down at the women and empty bottles of booze that surrounded Cin. “Hmm, though I believe that these would be regular indulgences for you… would they not be?” Dolan intended for this to be some sort of snide rhetorical question. Not that he could sit that high on a horse, for he had wimped out of the whole fight himself. Well, in his own eyes it was picking your battles.

The boys mind wandered, when was the last time he had spoken to his brother without such rude type comments. Dolan could not think of a recent time in which he had spoken with Cin, yet with genuine politeness it had probably been ten or eleven years.