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 Posted: Fri Nov 08, 2013 8:35 pm
The journey had been long for the unseasoned traveler. Charlotte had never been on her own quite this long-- she had spent the journey to her Choosing in a dreamlike state, but for this one she was completely conscious. Her little fawn trotted happily behind her horse. Charlotte didn't know if Guardians required any sort of worldly comforts so she had found a travel cloak of hers from when she was a young and wound a rope tightly so it didn't fall off or dangle at Neve's feet as they rode. It didn't seem right to leave the fawn's baby fur open to the elements. If it made a difference... she wasn't sure. Neve just seemed so pleased to have Charlotte taking such motherly care of her. Even as they rode for a day, Neve's trot was more of a prance.
Charlotte did not feel as positive. A cold winter was on the horizon and the first hints of it were scraping her face as they traveled, making her cheeks a raw red. Eventually her hood was so tight around her face that she could barely see. But, as night neared, so did Oldcastle, and she sighed with relief and picked up speed.
Her mother had cried as she packed her saddle bags. "Why can't you tell me where you're going? Where are you going? Why won't you talk to me!"
Research. That was the only answer she could give. While most of her life this was a reasonable excuse for her mother, this trip was didn't have an ending in sight. She had never been gone for so long. And couldn't give her family an end date. As Adelaide screeched and followed Charlotte around her quarters, Neve remained happily in the closet, for once feeling perfectly satisfied not to meet whoever Charlotte was talking to. This lady was too loud. Too much for the tiny fawn's sensitive ears. Bleh!
Entering the town, Charlotte slowed her horse as they hit cobble. Her eyes wandered in awe. Oldcastle looked as though time has been paused and only recently resumed. The same life flower through Palisade, but this was Palisade's much older sister. Much older. Some buildings were still dilapidated, others were obviously recently worked on for living. The great castle, rising, mid construction, looked beautiful, even in its construction.
Before Charlotte knew it, she had entered a back alley. She thought she had followed signs for an inn but clearly she was lost. She hadn't been paying attention.
She got off of her horse, and Neve quickly found her rightful place at Charlotte's ankles.
"You lost, lil' miss?" a voice came from behind her.
Before she could respond, the man was approaching a little too fast, and pulled the reigns from her hands, forcing her to the ground simultaneously. Neve squealed in fear, wriggling against her Chosen, unfortunately making it more difficult for Charlotte to regain her balance and get back to her feet. But before she could, two other men emerged from the darkness.
"You Wardens have been comin' 'round here more and more. With yer Guardians. But yer "guardian" can't do much guardin', can it?" One of them laughed, pushing Neve back to the ground and ripping Neve from her. He mockingly cradled the fawn, who cried out even more, throwing her hooves in every direction. "She's jus' a wee thing, ain't she??" The other two men laughed obnoxiously.
"What have you got in here?" The first man rummaged through the saddle bags as the horse nervously waved his head, but still unwilling to leave its human.
"Please," Charlotte's eyes burned as she held back fearful tears. She wanted to appear strong and confident, but the tears burst through in waves, stinging her cold skin. She froze, her brain whizzing in circles as she tried to think of a way out. But her entire life had been so sheltered... she had never been so unequipped for a situation as this. All she could manage was a desperate "please" as they surrounded her...
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Posted: Sun Nov 10, 2013 8:35 pm
Thoughts lost amid the ringing blows of his hammer, Stephen hadn't noticed the rising darkness until a knock sounded against his door. Startled, Stephen paused, hammer in the air, and shot a glance toward the door. His gaze fixated on the man in the doorway, and he grinned, lowering his arm, but held onto his hammer. "It's gettin' late. You still workin'?" The man, a friend of Stephen's asked, stepping into the forge. Stephen shrugged, wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. "Ah, hadn't noticed, actually." He replied sheepishly, and his friend chuckled lightly. "Nothin' new there. Well, best be gettin' back; just came t' make sure you hadn't worked yourself t' death." Stephen snorted humorously, and waved his friend away. Alone once more, Stephen contemplated returning to his work, but it was getting late...Hmm.
He contemplated, but a new thought came to mind; where was Fallon? Now that he thought about it, it had been some time since he had last seen his guardian...and that was never a good thing. Fallon was unpredictable, difficult to leave be for long, lest he darted off, chasing ghosts or...whatever it was he chased. Brow furrowing, Stephen stepped outside, and heaved a sigh of relief at the sight of Fallon, grazing quietly. Surprising, but not unwelcome. He offered his guardian and smile, and stepped toward him. "Ah! There ya are. I had thought..." But before Stephen could finish, Fallon perked, not at the presence of Stephen, but as something only he could hear, and took off, without even so much as a parting glance. Oh for the love of...
It wouldn't be a proper evening with Fallon without the damn buck running off. Sighing heavily, Stephen broke into a sprint, chasing the guardian down through the streets. He didn't even bother to shout profanities, or to beg him back; by now, it was simply a normal occurrence, and those he ran passed on the streets barely lifted an eyebrow. Fallon neared the new Warden grounds, before finally slowing to turn into ally way. Curious, and more than frustrated, Stephen slowed to round the corner as well, ready to give the guardian a piece of his mind.
"Fallon, you moron, what are ya...Oh." Stephen nearly ran into the back of Fallon as he rushed around the corner, and came to an abrupt halt at a sight he had not been expecting. A handful of large men, one holding a frenzied baby doe, and all of them surrounding a young woman, who sat crying and pleading on the ground. Well...Stephen shouldered his hammer, grey eyes hard. "Gentlemen...do we have a problem?" Rhetorical question, of course. But he hoped that, with a witness now involved, they might leave the girl without much fight. Doubtful, but worth a try.
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Posted: Mon Nov 25, 2013 3:23 pm
The man holding the struggling fawn dropped her upon seeing the great stag, but the man going through the bags only stepped forward. Neve scurried back over to Charlotte, squealing and pressing herself closer and closer to her Chosen. Charlotte grabbed the fawn and held her tightly, not sure what direction this would go next.
"Just mind y'own business, now. Isn't any business o'yours," he bellowed.
"Biff, that's a stag. That's a grown Guardian. I'nt like this little one," one of the other men whispered frantically.
"Shut your mouth," the "leader" snapped.
"Oh, please, listen to your friend," Charlotte finally managed to croak through tears. "For your sake!" she mustered. "You don't know what the full grown ones are capable of!" Charlotte could only hope that the man would fear more than he wanted her belongings or a fight-- she really had no idea what a Guardian and their Chosen was capable of. She had little exposure and wasn't even sure if they could fight. The young man was brandishing a hammer, but... she was speaking through her fear and anger.
"Shut up! I've lived here all my life, I've seen these types prancing about. I wasn't born yesterday," he shouted at her, getting in her face. She couldn't speak any more. "You just go on your way, smithy."
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Posted: Thu Dec 19, 2013 2:02 pm
Stephen's eyes slid to the woman, and then back to the men as they quarreled. His palms were sweaty with nerves, the handle of the hammer slick, but he curled his fingers tighter, muscles tense as he waited for the men to decide their next course of action. Fallon, too, was still, standing just in front of Stephen, his stance fierce and protective. He towered over the men, head bent forward, his antlers aimed toward the group. The young man and his buck were outnumbered, but that wouldn't deter Stephen; he'd be damned before he left the damsel to fend for herself.
Stephen had hoped that Fallon's presence would chase the men off, but who assumed was the 'leader' was determined - he wouldn't scare easily. Unfortunately, a fight seemed inevitable. In response to the 'leader's' demand, Stephen shook his head slowly. "That won't be happening." He declared, fighting to keep his voice even and strong.
The man assuming the woman wasn't any business of his gave him an idea. He wasn't sure it would do much good...But it was worth a shot. He could only hope the girl would play along, or that she'd be to frightened to notice. "The lady you're harassing happens to be my fiancée. I'll do what needs to be done to see she's safe." Maybe, if the men thought he was more than just a passing figure, they'd back off. "And her father...he's a powerful man. Wouldn't be happy with any who harmed her." He warned, fabricating further.
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