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 Posted: Wed Apr 21, 2010 2:01 pm
That information hit him hard. He stared at her in disbelief for a moment. She had played with her words before and they had been a trick or a joke. Somehow he did not think that this was the case now. There was honesty in her voice...along with contempt but he was focusing on the honesty. People really lived like that? With no warmth from hearth or heart? Living without knowing when the world would pull you from such a miserable existence...it was terrible.
Still, despite all that, her actions were all wrong. If she sought kindness then acting out was not the way to get it. Stealing, kidnapping, killing, all of those things were bad and he got the distinct feeling that she had taken part in all three.
"You and your kin have my pity, miss." He said failing to heed her words of warning. He didn't wish to be quiet. He knew that if things were to fall into silence he would become unbearably restless. The situation was to taxing to be easily handled in silence. "However, I can not and will not condone your actions. You have lived in torment but my kin are not the cause of this so any resentment you hold towards us is misplaced. We have done nothing to wrong you and you have nothing to gain from stealing me away. So, you are a villain and when the time comes you will face judgment as such."
If Etoile could have seen him she would have been proud over his little speech. She wouldn't have even cared that he was trembling in fear the entire time. At least that's what Fionn thought.
"Right, of course!" Etoile nodded her head and turned about before running off as fast as she could safely. In her mind she was cheering. All the pieces had been put into play, now it was just time to bring them all together for a grand duel...meeting...thing. When she actually told this story again she would have to come up with a much better name for their coming together. That or she would have to find another analogy to use.
Even with her scattered thoughts she moved fairly well over the loosely defined path. She knew the way to her brother well enough. She knew which trails to take and took them without hesitation. After every turn she wondered if maybe she should pretend to be uncertain over which way to go but then she ran the risk of her knight selecting the wrong path. That wasn't something she wanted. Hopefully Brioso just wouldn't notice that she knew the exact way.
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Posted: Sun Apr 25, 2010 11:15 am
"If you had lived your whole life knowing only the darkness of shadows, it is hard - no, impossible - to focus on the light casting this shadow. It is because we live in the shadow that we become dark, just like how you had grew up in the light with all these... Cute thoughts in your head, little princess," She shot the stallion down the moment he was done speaking, a hiss in her voice as she stomped her feet angrily, "Someone like you will never understand what we had to endure, but you probably know that already... This kidnapping will help us, free us from our bondage!"
She paused, narrowing her eyes, "The only villain around, as far as my friends and I are concerned, are those who had not helped... People who were lucky enough to be born and raised in the light but who did not think of pulling those in the darkness out..." Fleurite lowered her horn to rest it on his neck, her eyes rolling up to stare into his, "People like you... So you better keep as still and as quiet as possible before I judge you. Perhaps I did not make this clear just now, but cooperate and nobody will get hurt! Are we clear, little princess?"
Brioso focused on following the panicky mare as they sped through the forest, her eyes and ears open and her mind alert in case of an ambush. Her heart was pumping quickly, but not because she was afraid and tired from the run - in fact, she was rather excited, and this run was nothing to her compared to what she had to endured during training. Frankly speaking, rather than afraid or tired, she was more upset and angry; what sort of a brute would kidnap a helpless princess and injure her friend in the process?
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Posted: Fri Apr 30, 2010 9:19 am
In Fionn's eyes her reasoning was very flawed. It was a childish grudge. It was not as though his kind would necessarily think to help someone if they did not seem to want it. If one were to reach out and request aide than surely, surely someone would help them. What she was doing was backwards though.
He met her eyes with an angry yet fearful stare but didn't make a sound. He could feel the point of her horn lightly grazing his neck. If she struck him there he got the feeling that he would be finished. His muscles tensed fighting against the instinctual desire to move away. Yes, her actions were completely backwards. No one would want to help someone who hurt people like this. No one would take pity on them.
While Fionn did feel a bit sorry for those raised in the shadows he had finally made up his mind about them. They were beyond saving, if this mare was any example to go by. There would always be a chance at redemption for them but kindness was not likely to be shown to them before they cast away their ways. Not likely at all.
It didn't take Etoile long to find a cave but when she was in sight of it she slowly stopped running. As it turned out there were a few caves in the area. "Errr..." Her eyes flicked from one to another quickly. Well crap, which one did Fleur take her brother to?
Trying not to ruin the story she turned back to the dark mare. "I know the princess was taken into a cave but..." She glanced around the area again and pawed anxiously at the ground. "I'm...not sure which of these it is!"
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Posted: Mon May 03, 2010 9:12 am
"Good..." Fleurite smiled, glad that the stallion was finally cooperating - of course, she was glad that she was probably hated by him, judging from the way he was glaring at her. She pulled her horn away from his neck slowly before letting out a soft giggle as she wiggled her wings, excited. Smirking, she continued to speak, more to herself than to her prisoner, "Hm, perhaps taking this drastic step forward was necessary after all..."
Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted two figures approaching the area; her heartbeat increased as she realized that it must be her friend and the prince or knight of the story since... Well, there is no reason for most to be up this late unless they were real bandits. However, when they stopped near where she had diverted from the main path to the cave, Fleurite got worried - as Etoile and herself hadn't decided where exactly to bring Fionn to, she guessed that they probably stopped because Etoile was unsure... She frowned inwardly, feeling almost a little frustrated; she should have left a sign there! How could she have forgotten such an important thing?
Her hoofs dug into the earth as she came to a rather sudden stop; as she looked at the other mare for an explanation, her frown deepened slightly - she had learned a lot growing up on the rather harsh mountains and training with her esteemed mentor, but as she pondered the situation, Brioso realized that she did not really know how to react; she had been depending on Etoile to lead her to this kidnapped princess, after all.
However, as her eyes darted about from one cave to the next, Brioso spotted some flattened grass and a fresh set of hoofprints leading down a small, unmarked path to a... Cave! Perhaps her own pride had caused her to be extra alert despite the darkness of night, or perhaps it was just a stroke of good luck, but she was sure that they were on the right track. Her eyes lit up as she gestured towards the direction with a firm nod, her voice lowered into a whisper, "Keep close behind me, and be as quiet as possible... Perhaps we could take the kidnappers by surprise."
She then trotted down the path, her muscles tensed and her eyes wide open; she could feel the fur on her back bristling due to her excitement, but she knew that someone's life was probably on the line... The princess', Etoile's or even her own. There would be no room for any mistake, for what might happen next is not a friendly spar between fellow students or friends - it would be the real deal.
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Posted: Mon May 03, 2010 10:41 am
He didn't see how it had been necessary. He didn't see how any of this was necessary at all. Heaving a sigh he let his head drop to rest on his folded forelegs. There was no way that he could sleep in this situation but he could really feel the need for it. Resting his head would at least help alleviate that a bit.
'And so the knight took the lead...' read the narrator in Etoile's head and Brioso stepped forward. The casting had been perfect indeed as it seemed that the mare knew exactly which cave they were heading to. Not only that but she sounded very much like a valiant knight. She had to bite her lip in order to follow orders resisting the urge to mutter a coo of 'how brave'.
As quietly as she could Etoile slunk along after the warrior mare. Her breath trembled with excitement. The climax was upon them. The meeting of the bandit and knight. The rescuing of the princess. It was such a great story that she wasn't even considering how much potential everything had to go wrong. Before long she was able to catch a glimpse of the inside of the cave but all she could see was Fleur. She knew this meant the action was about to start.
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Posted: Fri May 14, 2010 11:51 am
"Stay here, please," Brioso whispered, turning to face Etoile when they were close enough to see a mare standing at the entrance of the cave, "Stay low under this bush... From here onwards, the grass won't provide much cover from here on so I might have to expose myself... Do not let the kidnapper know that you are here under any circumstances! If I get into trouble, run for help instead of trying to save me when its clear... Wish me luck!"
Dodging into another bush as quickly as she could, Brioso was able to get a better view of the dark colored mare. She was delicate looking, built smaller than the average mare - from afar, the many flowers and feathers braided into her long, curly moss green locks made her look rather elegant. When she was even closer to the suspected Bandit's lair, Brioso also noticed the two tiny flutter wings on her back and the almost glowing unicorn horn sprouting from her forehead... Indeed, she does look like a forest nymph out of the many legends she had heard.
She must be the princess that Etoile was looking for! But what was she doing down there?
As she crept nearer and nearer to the cave, she soon found the answer - a stallion behind her, presumably the kidnapper, was taking a nap in the rather... Dirty cave. How careless of him... And how lucky for her! As it goes, it is always wiser to avoid a confrontation if possible... Especially if there are innocents involved. She must be too scared to move from the spot...
"Princess! Princess!" Brioso hissed, trying to catch the mare's attention from her hiding place, "Over here! I'm here to save you."
Fleurite did notice the approach of the two mares, but pretended not to notice. Instead, as Fionn rested, she stood guard at the cave entrance, her back facing the approaching knight. Wiggling her wings, she was doing all she could to hide her excitement - everything was falling into place! Soon, this story would end and perhaps they could start a new one! The edges of her lips twitched up in a small smile; yes, that would be nice.
What happened next surprised even her - did the knight think that she is the princess? What an interesting turn of events!
She flashed a 'don't do anything stupid' look at Fionn, in case he had heard the knight's voice and had woken up. Preparing herself to act the part of a kidnapped princess, Fleurite blinked, forcing tears to her eyes. Turning around to where she thought the voice was coming from, she trotted out of the cave a little more as quickly as she could, pretending to look frightened by taking hesitant steps out. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she whispered back, a whimper in her voice, "S-Save m-me? R-r-really?"
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Posted: Fri May 14, 2010 12:16 pm
For a little while Etoile did exactly as she was instructed. She lay herself down in the cover of the bush and listened closely to what the mare had to stay. Oh yes, how noble her knight was. Etoile smiled and whispered a little, "good luck" as the the mare snuck off. She didn't stay down for long though.
The second Brioso seemed preoccupied with catching her brother's attention Etoile got on to her feet and picked her way closer to the cave. She knew there was no danger. Why bother being cautious?
Fionn's ear twitched hearing an unfamiliar voice calling a very familiar title. He opened his eyes with his brows furrowed in confusion. Someone was here to save him? His hope soared...and then crashed seconds later at the look his captor gave him. What was she up to? He slowly lifted his head and watched as the mare turned and left. Was there going to be a fight? He gasped slightly that would be terrible.
What happened was worse. 'S-Save m-me? R-r-really?'
What? She wasn't the princess at all! It was a trick! He didn't want to do anything stupid and get himself killed. However, he got the feeling that if he didn't do anything his rescuer was going to be killed by a fake! Gritting his teeth together Fionn gathered what courage he had and leapt to his feet. He wanted to cry out that she wasn't the princess at all but his words stuck in his throat in fear of what might happen. Instead he ended up biting soundlessly at the air.
As Fleur exited the cave Etoile's head tilted to one side. What the heck was going on? From where she stood she couldn't clearly see Brioso. In fact she couldn't see the mare at all. That had been great because she was trying to be sneaky but now she couldn't even point out that Fleur wasn't the princess. Then of course there was a little dilemma...did she even want to say anything? Things were getting interesting after all. Sealing her mouth she decided to just sit back and watch for a little bit.
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Posted: Fri May 14, 2010 12:34 pm
Wow... She was falling for it!
"T-thank you!" Fleurite nodded tearfully with a small smile as she trotted towards the mare, still pretending to be the frightened princess. Inside, she was all smiles but did not allow it to show on her face in fear that it would ruin the "show". When she lifted her head, she caught sight of Etoile standing a short distance away behind the knight, and resisted the urge to run up to her in joy - meeting the pale colored mare must be one of the best things that had ever happened to her as a story-teller!
"Look out!" Brioso exclaimed suddenly, leaping out from her hiding place and charging past Fleurite, straight towards the stallion standing behind. All her training kicked in, and she was but a blur as the adrenaline rushed through her body. When she felt that she was near enough, Brioso turned suddenly and quickly, her back towards the male. Digging her front hoofs into the ground, she then gave the stallion a warning kick... A kick that will probably be so near to his face that he would be able to feel the wind from the amount of force that she used.
Of course, although he is a bandit, she did not want anyone to be seriously injured... Unless he attacks and injures her or any innocents first. That will not be tolerated.
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Posted: Fri May 14, 2010 12:50 pm
Etoile was completely amused. It was such an amazing twist in the story that she could hardly stand it. Her eyes were sparkling with delight. She watched as Fleur approached looking very much like a delicate princess herself at the moment. Etoile noted how versatile the mare was in case she needed her for future casting. Everything was going so well, not quite as planned but it was a terrific story nonetheless.
However, things took a sudden turn for the worst when Brioso suddenly charged. Etoile's blood ran cold. She could see her brother standing in the cave still and the sky patterned mare was heading right at him. The mare attacked and suddenly Etoile screamed, "No!"
Fionn wasn't entirely sure what on earth was going on. He could see has captor speaking with his would-be rescuer. He heard the horned mare saying her thank yous. Not far behind the two he could see a bit of orange in the bushes that he knew was his sister. Then the world stopped making sense at all.
The mare burst out of the bushes and charged him. Fionn legs seized up in fear and he froze completely. In a whirl of motion she turned around and lashed out at him. His heart stopped. Almost as if time itself had slowed down he could see her back hooves nearing his face. He was going to die. Somewhere in the distance he could hear his sister scream and see her before everything went fuzzy.
His eyes slid shut and his body fell crumpling to a heap on the floor.
Etoile raced out of the bushes ignoring how they bit at her sides and ran past Fleur to Brioso and her brother. "You killed him!!!" She cried completely horrified.
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Posted: Fri May 14, 2010 1:16 pm
Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear!
In this situation, Fleurite can't possible continue acting! Who knew that the princess would be brave enough to stand up against the bandit? And what did Brioso just do? The female recovered from her shock at hearing Etoile's scream. Quickly, Fleurite turned, trotting over to where the rest were gathered - seeing Fionn's still body and hearing Etoile's comment, her blood ran cold - she didn't expect this to happen!
"Y-you killed him?" She stammered as she stared at Fionn; this time, the fear in her voice was real, "What did you do that for?"
The events that followed confused her a great deal... Firstly, why was everyone so concerned about the stallion? Wasn't he the bad guy? The bandit who kidnapped the princess? Secondly, she didn't even touch him! He can't possibly be dead, unless he died of shock... But what sort of bandit dies from shock like that? She wasn't even aiming for him!
"Let me check..." Brioso stayed calmed, knowing that panicking will not help the situation. Lowing her head to the stallion's muzzle, she tilted her head, listening for signs that he's still alive, "He's still breathing... I guess that the sudden kick must had shocked him so much that he fainted." She paused, straightening herself before raising an eye brow at the two mares in front of her; there is something weird going on around here!
"Before we leave for safety," She begun, her tone serious, "Do tell me... Why are the two of you so concerned about this bandit?"
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Posted: Fri May 14, 2010 1:29 pm
Etoile didn't look away from Fionn. She could hear Fleur approach as well as the change in her voice. She wasn't acting anymore. This was the Fleur that Etoile had met not that long ago. The game was up. The real life story was done with, but at what cost?
Her eyes were starting to water as Brioso moved to check Fionn. The tears dried up quickly when the mare announced that her brother wasn't dead, just out for the count. The sunset colored mare let out an exaggerated sigh of relief. "Thank the heavens!" She exclaimed feeling as though a large weight had just vanished off her back.
She smiled at her fainted brother fondly. He really was a princess. He even fainted like one. "How sweet..." She purred then cleared her throat and shifted her gaze to look at the knight. The mare looked confused and by the time she asked her question Etoile looked even more confused than she did. "Bandit? Don't be silly!" She looked from Brioso to Fleur without even thinking. "Fionn's the princess! Fleur's the bandit of course! She really tricked you...too...huh..." Etoile paused as her own words caught up to her thoughts. "Oh....ummmm...." Well if Brioso hadn't caught on to Fleur's acting before she probably got it now.
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Posted: Wed May 19, 2010 12:08 am
She felt immensely relieved that the stallion was fine; if anything had happened to him, she would be guilt-stricken for the rest of her life! Fleurite stumped to the ground, letting out a breath she didn't realize that she had been holding. Now that the anxiety was gone, she felt nervous - what would this knightly mare think of their plan? After all, she was pretty sure that most normal Soquili do not engage in pastimes such as this one.
Fleurite nodded, looking from Etoile to Fionn to Brioso, "Um, well, w-we were kind of... Acting." She paused, blushing as she shifted her hoofs nervously; now that she wasn't 'Fleurite the Bandit' anymore, all the boldness and cockiness in her voice had vanished. Giving a small smile, she then continued, "Fionn r-really i-is a princess - Etoile said so... But I-I was only a-acting the part of the bandit..."
She paused, allowing the information to be soaked up by the mare, "However, Princess Fionn didn't know... Etoile and I set this up... Please don't tell him!"
Wait... What?
"The two of you set this up? This whole thing?!" Brioso's eyes widened with a mixture of surprise, anger and frustration; she almost injured an innocent! A princess - a male one but still one nonetheless - could have been hurt! She sighed, exasperated, "So, what do you want me to do now?"
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Posted: Wed May 19, 2010 8:42 am
Etoile beamed at little Fleur seemingly forgetting that she had just gotten her brother attacked. Whatever guilt she should have been feeling over the situation had flitted away when Brioso had announced that he was okay. "I did say so, cause it's true." A self-satisfied smile settle on her lips as she shifted into a rather proud stance. Fionn princessness was greatly do to her influence after all. While the boy had always been a bit girly in the way he acted as a foal she had cemented this nature into him rather then encouraging him out of it.
Her stance faltered and she stumbled over towards the little fluttercorn mare as she spoke again, eyes wide. "T-tell him?!" It was something she hadn't thought about. If Fionn knew what she had done it was likely he would never play with her again, or at least wouldn't speak to her for a good long while. Eyes wide with fear she turned to look at Brioso as she spoke and nodded.
"We did set it up...cause it was a good story..." She muttered actually sounding nervous now. "I would...I guess...you could go back to doing whatever you were before I found you." She smiled a little at the mare and then coughed slightly. "Just...please don't tell him. That would be evil." And to Etoile it would have been. Only wicked creatures did cruel things like ratting them out to their siblings. Brioso was a knight, she couldn't possibly be a wicked creature! Right?
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Posted: Thu May 20, 2010 7:29 am
"And he is a good princess too!" Fleurite nodded with a smile as she exclaimed, excitement lacing her voice; now that she was all hyped up again, she appeared less nervous. Although it had ended in a rather bad way, the story itself was good and its characters were even better... Fionn acted like himself, but he fitted the role perfectly - to be honest, she was still a little surprised that a stallion could be this delicate, but then again, the world is a big place!
Hearing Etoile's pleas, she quickly nodded in agreement, "P-Please don't tell him! We didn't expect it to end this way, honest... We just wanted a good story." She frowned slightly, her unicorn tail resting by her side as she paused, "Besides, if you tell him that we set this up, when a real attack happens, he might think that its another set-up and put himself in danger by doing something reckless! After all, he did something reckless just now so he might do it again, right?"
She was sincerely worried about this, although she mentioned it partially to help out her story-telling friend. She paused again, allowing her words to sink into the dark colored knight, "At least now, he'll be more careful when walking alone, right?" She gave the older mare a hopeful look.
Brioso looked from one mare to the other; she could tell that they were begging for her to keep the matter to herself, but part of her didn't want to - Fionn (at least that's what she had gathered was the male princess' name) should have the right to know what had happened to him... Her ears perked up when Fleurite spoke, and she frowned; she made sense too.
"Evil?" Brioso echoed Etoile, eyes wide with disbelief as she sighed, "Evil is being a liar, and lying to your own family member is the worst of all! Putting yourself, your family members and friends in potential danger and then not feeling guilty about it is even worse than lying! That's what being evil means..." She looked at Fleurite and then at Etoile before shaking her head in mild frustration, wondering if what she said even found itself into their heads.
"I will keep it a secret if it means that much to the two of you," She finally spoke again after a slight pause, "But if you do it again... I consider it my duty to let him know the truth, simply because he has the right to know. Is that clear?"
She hated being authoritative, but it was for their own good - being out so late at night without someone to protect them... What if a real threat had attacked? After all, kalonas and skinwalkers had been known to prowl the forest in search of an easy meal at night... And judging from the reaction of all three soquilis during her "attack", they are the prime example of an 'easy three course meal'.
"S-Sorry... I t-truly am..." Fleurite muttered at Brioso's lecture; the older mare still looked rather young, but was already that more matured! She hung her head, staring at the dirt covered ground; she really didn't think of the risks involved... She just wanted a good story! She was pretty sure that Etoile had felt the same way! Sneaking a peek at her friend, she continued, "Don't worry... We won't do it again."
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Posted: Thu May 20, 2010 8:48 am
Etoile's ears flicked back as she was scolded. She hadn't expected everything to go the way it had though perhaps that was because she had never fully thought out where things would go after the kidnapping. Everything in the plan had seemed so fantastic had pointed to an amazing rescue story where the valiant knight returned safely with the princess. It seemed that the reality of things was slightly off. She wondered why that was vaguely.
She flinched as Brioso insinuated that she was being the evil one for endangering her brother. She wasn't evil. She wasn't. Yet somehow she found that she couldn't argue with the black mare. Her words caught in her throat. A sensation that she often got when her mother or father was unhappy with her. Somehow Brioso gave off the impression that she was a great deal older than Etoile. The twilight colored mare would never know the truth of the matter, that she was two months older than Brioso.
Slowly she nodded in agreement that she wouldn't do this again. "I'm...sorry..." She mumbled shifting uneasily. Her voice was as sincere as it was unsure. She didn't want to get her brother hurt, she really didn't. But she just didn't know what she would do with her spare time if she wasn't using Fionn for her stories. Really that was all she had after all, free time.
A little light lit in her mind as an idea crossed her, perhaps she just wouldn't do anything dangerous with him. He could still be her princess. That would work. Then she wouldn't have to risk him getting hurt or finding out that it was all a deception. Fleur was right after all. If he found out that she had set him up there was a very good chance that he would start believing it was all imaginary. She shuddered at the thought. "Fleur's right, we won't do it again. It...would be bad." Her eyes drifted over to the pitifully unconscious Fionn and she sighed. nope, she definitely wouldn't be doing anything dangerous with him again.
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