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 Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2011 5:50 pm
  Linwe held tightly to the rock, wishing this fairy would go away. She knew that it was mocking her and it angered her that this creature could see the fear on her face. She didn’t want to show this weakness. It made Linwe feel ashamed of herself for letting it get past her. She wanted to put on a brave face and show this pesky fairy that her words couldn’t affect her. But no matter how hard she tried it didn’t work. She felt the fear ever present as the fairy laughed at her for the way she clung to the rocks. It was from the near-death experience that caused Linwe to act this way. When she was first leaving her tower she was fine on the rocks, this is, until she slipped. After that long fall, Linwe hadn’t wanted to climb anything again.
Silently, Linwe felt pressure on her hand, lifting her head slightly, she saw Seylin’s hand resting atop hers. She was confused by the gesture at first and then realized what he was trying to convey. He had a hold on her hand so that if she slipped, he would catch her. Linwe couldn’t find the words to express her thanks to this man and didn’t have the time to do so. The fairy was still targeting her by zooming close to her as if she was going to push Linwe off. Linwe felt the squeeze from Seylin’s hand as reassurance and she couldn’t help but cling to that sturdiness. She closed her eyes and hide her face close to her hand that was being protected by Seylin. Silently, she cursed herself for how weak she was appearing but there was nothing she could do about it. She was experiencing this fear and it shook her to her core.
Finally the fairy left and Linwe was convinced that she would leave her alone. She was wrong. The fairy started talking to the two men about her. Not the person these men believed her to be but who she truly was, “Princess” Linwe. It took awhile before she was able to put two and two together to see what this fairy was planning. When she did, Linwe was horrified. If they listened to this fairy, then Linwe was trapped. Looking down at the rope that surrounded her waist, Linwe felt hope drain out. They had her already tied up. All they would have to do was bring her to the castle. And they wouldn’t have to worry about the fact that they were bringing the wrong person. She was in fact the person they were looking for. They just didn’t know. Panic was racing through her veins as she tried to judge what these men would do. She had only known them for less than a day, she wouldn’t be able to make an accurate guess. She could only hope that they would think the risk too great.
A look towards Seylin and Linwe knew that she was asking too much. Of course, he was thinking it over. He probably saw this as the best idea yet. An unsuspecting maiden crosses their path and they don’t have to battle a sorceress to get the ‘treasure’. He must think of it as a win-win. Linwe felt disgust flow through her body. She had been starting to trust this man. He was the one protecting her from a fall that could kill her but here he was considering throwing her to her death only in a different way. How could she have come to trust and care for this man? She knew she must have felt some compassion toward him for the way this betrayal felt to her. With a quick motion, Linwe removed her hand from where Seylin had been holding it. ’If they think I’d just go down without a fight, then they were mistaken.’ She heard Seylin speak about the idea sounding good to him. Linwe felt the anger rise up in her. She was ready to take an arrow from her quiver and … she wasn’t sure what exactly she would do with it. And until she had a good plan, she had to continue to listen to Seylin.
He went on to talk about how he had unfinished business with her mother. What was it? Linwe felt a twing of pain in thinking of her mother. She longed for the safety she provided and the comfort. After this betrayal, Linwe felt like she was alone on this one, surrounded by people who wanted to harm her. However, Seylin speaking again surprised her. She looked at him when he addressed her about her story of her mother in the country. Looking into those eyes, she tried to figure out what exactly he was planning on doing with her. Her trust in the man gone completely. She could only nod to confirm the story.
Now Seylin was addressing the fairy and actually holding her interest. He thought that she should go up and check the tower for a princess. One that Linwe knew not to be there. The fairy actually seemed like she was going to do it. It seems Seylin must have in some way insulted her and she was going to prove him wrong. ”Fine, I’m going. I can get there much faster than you anyway.” Linwe was glad to be rid of the fairy but now she felt fear at being with the two. She no longer trusted either of them for considering this plan to turn her in. And she was still attached to this rope.
Continuing the climb, Linwe had to remind herself that she didn’t trust Seylin anymore every time his hand went down to help her. She did her best to go on without it but there were times when she had to grudgingly receive the help. When they reached the point of a flat smooth surface where they were to wait for the elf, Linwe turned to Seylin, trying her hardest not to look in his eyes. ”I want this rope off me, now.” She wouldn’t look in his eyes or Bringham’s. She couldn’t risk trusting these men again.
((I had a post all written up and then you posted as Seylin so I had to rewrite some of it. But I love doing that so all's good! ^_^))
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Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2011 11:03 pm
_________________________________________________________________ “ Fine, I’m going. I can get there much faster than you anyway.”, That fact that the fairy spat was certainly true, and so Seylin sent the easily deceived little creature a smirk as she whipped through the air towards the tunnel and disappeared. Glad that she was gone, Seylin began to send a very soft, kind, smile towards Lily when she appeared quite distraught. Even with almost all of his power being stolen from him, he could sense her aura enough to know the colors of her mood. She was deeply grieved, and Seylin began to feel a strange pain that felt like inky octopus poison clogging the inside of his heart. Whether she meant to or not, the damage had been done. There was something about this girl that had broken through his defenses. As if she was a pebble that finally sank to the bottom of a pool too dark to see the bottom of. The rock was there, and he couldn’t get it out without delving deeper into himself to wrench out the connection. Stranger still? Seylin was unsure whether he even wanted to do such a thing. No one had this effect on him, and he felt that the girl was to become very important to either him or his quest very soon. He felt it the same way a human sensed impending doom.
It did not take long for Seylin to realize that she was quite upset at him. Any help he offered was grudgingly accepted, and if not for purposefully keeping up a small magical barrier, Seylin feared she would give him the ‘evil eye’ and curse him with something terrible. ‘ What could I have possibly said to offend her? I turned down the fairy’s offer, I thought she wanted to go home.’ Seylin felt that if she had something on her mind, it would be better for her to just confess her concerns or yell them at him when they reached the top of the wall. Purposefully extending his aura like water to explore the vibes radiating from Lily’s aura, Seylin tried to read her mind, and the only thing he could even hope to perceive correctly was that for some reason she had no trust in either himself or the clueless Bingham who certainly didn’t want to lie to the King or marry Lily for money. Angered, upset, bitter; the emotions clouded his heart like another spray of octopus oil had been released into his heart, and Seylin wasted no time in reaching the top of the cave so that they would not be so close together. The conflicting desire to be close to keep feeling her aura and express care and concern almost overpowering the pain that had made him cold in the first place.
“ I want this rope off me, now.”, Lily couldn’t even look him in the eye, and perhaps that hurt most of all. Grieved by this silent treatment, Seylin wasted no time in gently (but swiftly) yanking at the rope to have it magically untie itself and look to pass through her like a finger-trap trick. Just letting the rope fall to the ground, with the amount of force he used it could have whacked the ground, but the magic rope just lightly ‘tapped’ against the rocks before Seylin sensed Bingham’s anger bolstering within him and so Seylin began to just walk away from Linwe and the blonde down the dark tunnel without a lamp to avoid a confrontation. Unfortunately, he was not quite fast enough to avoid Bingham following him deep into the tunnel.
“ Hey! Dragulia! I have a bone to pick with you!”, Seylin’s mouth curled in an uncomfortable grimace; but, the man with the dark hair then turned around and crossed his arms over his chest to let the blonde get whatever it was off of his chest. Seylin didn’t answer, and truth be told he didn’t need to. Bingham was very predictable, and Seylin had originally pegged him to be the kind to ramble.
“ You’re not here to rescue the princess?! You mean me and Lily could have waited at the bottom of Toll Cave…where it was safe for you to get your ‘tower’ business over with?”, Obviously being in the cold, dank, pitch black tunnel had taken its toll on him. The irony of Toll cave taking a toll on him had no effect in brightening Seylin’s mood. With his arms crossed over his chest, he remained quiet. Sensing with his aura that Bingham was nowhere near finished yet.
“ What is it that’s up there in the black tower?! I thought it was abandoned…I thought it was cursed. I thought this cave was cursed!”, Seylin remained silent still, and that frustrated the blonde man exceedingly.
“ Say something Seylin! I don’t have to be a wit to know that there is something you’re not telling me. Us. Me and Lily!”, Seylin listened to the man bumble, mumble, and correct himself, and while Seylin’s expressions softened to a deeply thoughtful expression, he did not look Bingham in the eye or make any motions to speak. ‘ I’ll tell him what he needs to know...’
“ I thought you wanted to rescue her too Bingham.”, Seylin’s voice was cold without being harsh or cruel, an odd temperature in his throat causing the change in his contemplative tone.
“ Yes; but--!”, Seylin interrupted him before Bingham sputtered something he would forget.
“ If you stayed at the mouth of the cave, you would be sitting ducks Bingham. If not for Ogres, then certainly for Hags and thieves. A goblin could come and snatch up that lost maiden and you would never forgive yourself for not being able to save her.”, It was a truth universally acknowledged that humans tended to blame themselves for everything in such a way that they virtually punished themselves for years. Other races of creatures were not so very different, but he knew the difference, knew the power that regret could bring, and used it to alter to future for the better instead of lingering in a black pit for the rest of his existence.
“ I came to retrieve something that was stolen from me. That is all. If you were to rescue the princess, I thought it would be two birds with one stone…some extra protection from danger…that is all.”, Seylin had elaborated more than he wished to do, and so he abruptly turned away and let his eyes drift down the darkness of the cavern tunnel. He must have struck a chord though, for Bingham seemed to have trouble opening his mouth to speak. Thinking he saw Lily a good distance away, Seylin pushed past the thoughtful Bingham and stopped ten feet in front of her.
“ Lily…I would have to be a complete fool to listen to someone whose brain is smaller than a chestnut.”, That being all he felt necessary to say to someone who clearly wanted him banished from her sight, Seylin politely bowed his head in chivalry before turning around and walking down the tunnel without a lamp instead of waiting for the fairy to come back and alert them. ' When she wants to talk, we can talk.', Until then, Seylin thought it best to focus on the task at hand.
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Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2011 11:24 pm
The instant the rope cleared from her, Linwe felt she could breathe again. She was no longer attached to Seylin or Bringham so if either of the two tried anything she would have the means to defend herself. She needn’t worry about that, however, neither of them tried to do anything. In fact, Linwe could have sworn she saw something on Seylin’s face. What emotion was that? She couldn’t quite tell but it didn’t look like anger or any ill-willing look. He retreated into the dark tunnel and Linwe stayed where she was. There was no point in following him. The further away from her, the better. He wouldn’t have a chance to hurt her then. Bringham followed after him angry about something but Linwe didn’t pay much attention.
Her face tilted up. She wished she could see the sky but it seemed pointless at the moment. If she could see the sky then she could see her tower. At this moment she wanted to climb back up there. Be back in the safety the walls provided. Mostly, she wanted to be back in the arms of her mother. Linwe didn’t think she would miss the woman so much. She had gone days without seeing her mother when she had been busy. It had been less than a day since she had seen her face but she desperately wanted to hear her mother’s voice and be wrapped in her arms. Fighting the tears, Linwe refused to let herself cry. She got herself into this mess and she needed to get herself out of it.
Hearing footsteps, Linwe turned to see Seylin. He was keeping his distance from her. When he spoke, Linwe almost felt bad for the things that had crossed her mind about him. Was he really someone she could trust? The answer had to be no. He couldn’t be trusted. He had thought about the offer, hadn’t he? He was just trying to cover something up. Seylin started to walk away and Linwe was about ready to let him when she remembered something. What he said to the fairy. Having unfinished business with the Red Witch. The thought that anyone would call her mother that disgusted Linwe but she had to know.
Following him, Linwe kept her distance but still was a bit closer to him than when he had approached her just a few moments ago. ”What unfinished business do you have with the sorceress?” She had to know what this man was planning to do to her mother. It was important that she know. Linwe made a promise to herself that she wouldn’t let Seylin rest until he told her. She could keep that promise, she was sure of herself.
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Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 12:28 am
_________________________________________________________________“ What unfinished business do you have with the sorceress?”
Seylin hadn’t walked three steps when Lily demanded the answer from behind him. Hearing her voice demand such words from him was like a whale spear had skewered him from behind and gutted through his flesh and bones. The man even believed that he heard the accompanying ‘whoosh’ of the spear flying through the air behind him. But of course, that was all in his head. An image that continued to become darker and more sinister as he imagined Lily standing behind him…Only with fire red hair, moved and stirring about the air without a breeze. When no death blow struck his back, Seylin knew that Lily was not Sylvanis, and yet, that knowledge did not improve the situation. He did not turn around, not did he even open his black and blue eyes as ancient memories flooded into his mind.
~
Many a year before, on the white shores of Crescent Bay, many a girl or boy would swim out to a large ocean rock peaking up above the water. Rising as high as a house, it was a favored place for people to come and watch the seemingly endless ocean. Glance for whales swimming off the shore line, blowing their haughty smoke up several feet into the air. With the pinkish orange, red, and purple hues of sunset sparkling on the floating water, it was the perfect moment to sit on the rock and wait for the hour of twilight to arrive. That time of day when the sky was still red and light, but the trees turned black and the stars began to twinkle into existence. Out of every hour of the day, twilight was Seylin’s absolute favorite. However, it was his favorite for an entirely different reason than the spectacular beauty of the sea.
There was once a human girl with rich golden hair the color of dab looms rested on the ocean floor. It wasn’t the color of sunshine that the songs wrote about; but, it was a darker hue that Seylin had found incredibly beautiful. As a teen, Seylin had been a troublesome sort…quite a rebellious lad, and he had broken their law to swim to the surface and spend time with the girl with evergreen eyes and metallic gold hair. When they first met she was sweet and compassionate, never knowing anything more than that he was a creature from the sea that she had been trying to spot in the water. Were they ever truly just friends or purely lovers? Seylin could still not say for sure. Their relationship was lovely and unique, and he had been banished from his underwater kingdom to be with her.
Only to finally allow himself to transform into a man, spend an hour in her company, and watch as his beautiful Delayne transformed into a woman with firey red hair. In the course of his gravest mistake, he had given Delayne the necklace that now rested pearl-less beneath his tunic as a sign of trust and proof of their believed engagement. The woman with the flaming hair stole the powerful magic pearl from its pedestal before Seylin could snap from his horrified surprise. One moment later, a flash of light flew from her powerful magic hands and pain consumed his entire body. For three days Seylin was writhing on the sand in torment, naked as a summer flower, and forced to remain human forever. Deceived by the very love flooding in his heart, Seylin had rushed to Donguire Castle the second he learned that the Sorceress Sylvanis could be found there…and what he saw broke both his heart and his spirits.
On the lawn stood dozens of stone figures, frozen in unison to the queen. Some could have looked to be expertly sculpted artwork, but Seylin knew from the condition of the queen that they were in fact cursed to become stone figurines. Rushing past them, Seylin's mind was transfixed on the goal of vengeance when...positioned right by the door...with an expression of both terror and agony on her face was Delayne. The real Delayne. Frozen in stone with a mermaid spear lodged through her body. Pierced through the stomach. Seylin could still remember buckling to his knees and weeping against the statue’s toes. Knowing full well why she had been set right by the door...why she was in a perpetual state of dying. Even if the spell was broken, she would still be dead. Sylvanis wanted him to know that…she must have known that he would go after her...and so she left Delayne’s writhing body there to torment him into an emotional state unfit for battle.
Having assumed that Delayne had been the witch all along, seeing the statue was too great of a shock. For the two years it took to learn of Donguire Castle's existance, seeing the proof of Delayne having truly been the person he thought her to be…and that he had not been able to protect her…was too much for Seylin to bear. He never set one foot through the door before he left. As a pathetic human, he was nowhere near powerful enough to challenge the witch to a duel, without the pearl in his hands, he had nothing strong enough to break the curse that suppressed his powers and kept him in human form. Banished from the sea, and unable to swim to their kingdom even if he did dare to return, Vioden was the only place Seylin could go. He thieved, deceived, and even did the bidding of the person he hated most. All to gain the strength to exact his revenge…or at least use that strength to forgive himself.
…
And now...the way that Lily demanded to know, as if she genuinely cared about the sorceress, and was on her side was so painful that Seylin froze in place. The wind literally knocked from his lungs. Even with being alive for all these years on his own to wise up, mature, grow strong and contain his emotions…Sylvanis would always have an evil heart. When she broke the charade, in that moment when he was still himself he knew. His aura searched her heart and mind and there was no goodness there. Lily had to be evil, or deceived, and more than anything Seylin prayed for the latter. Inexplicably afllicted and drowning in the despair flowing from the wound festering in his chest, Seylin just began to walk faster and seemingly ‘shirk’ the subject as if he hadn’t heard it. Ashamed at himself for allowing a connection with someone to form with Lily when she may have only been trying to deceive him…for the second time.
“ Business that is my own.”, Seylin’s voice was cold, but not harsh or vengeful. Professional in all his looks, he stopped and turned towards her while he spoke…but he never connected their eyes. He couldn’t bear to feel any of the strong affection that locking their gazes inspired within his heart. Ignoring the desire to confess everything to this lovely girl, Seylin turned away and began walking into the darkness again.
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Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 12:57 am
Linwe felt herself grow angry when Seylin refused to look at her. The least he could do was offer her the courtesy of a real conversation. Instead, he was withholding that from her. She waited for an answer that she could have guessed would never come. Seylin had started walking away and Linwe felt the anger grow. There was no way he was walking away from her now. His short little answer wasn’t good enough. Not when it came to her mother.
She followed behind him, quickening her pace until she was close enough to grab onto his arm to halt him. ”Tell me what has happened. I deserve to know.” If Linwe was thinking clearly she would have realized that the last statement wouldn’t actually work with the story she had told him. Her anger was blinding her from this. She wasn’t concentrating on keeping up any lies at the moment.
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Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 1:11 am
_________________________________________________________________Seylin’s bitterness and frustration only pounded in his ears when he felt Lily’s footsteps stomping faster behind him. Not quickening his pace to a run, which may or may not have been a mistake on his part, Seylin was forced to stop walking when the young woman grabbed his arm and forced his journey to come to a halt.
“ Tell me what has happened. I deserve to know.”, A portion of his upper lip rose for a flicker of a second in irritated grumbling at the words leaving Lily’s mouth. With all the clearity of mind that he could muster in such an angered state, the man felt her aura with his own. Smothering her aura more than just exploring in his desire to know what mood he was dealing with before he made any form of a reply. The feeling in his heart and mind from what he did feel in her aura made the man feel like she was still defending the sorceress, and that sensation blinded him and stole away any desire to be truthful and let her in again. In distraught anger, the man sent an unintentionally venomous glance her way, if only to defend himself against the anger striking him through her gaze.
“ Then tell me Lily, why do I get the feeling that you wouldn’t believe me if I told you?”, As accusing as anything, Seylin tried to gently shirk his arm from her hold before attempting to turn around and continue walking towards the exit.
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Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 1:18 am
Linwe kept her eyes focused on Seylin. She wasn’t going to look away. She would be here until he told her the truth. The looks he was giving her, Linwe knew that it was going to be difficult to get the truth from him but her anger was so great that she was determined to. In this state, she felt she could accomplish anything. She was stubborn enough to last through it at the very least. Linwe was good at waiting.
”Then tell me, Lily, why do I get the feeling you wouldn’t believe me if I told you?” He turned around but Linwe quickly made her way around him to stand in his way. She felt the anger flaming inside of her. The way he said the name Lily and she couldn’t take it anymore. She was fed up with it all and too angry to care about the consequences. ”My name’s not Lily, it’s Linwe.” Her voice was steady as she told him and her eyes never left his. ”Your turn.”
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Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 2:24 am
_________________________________________________________________Like that nettling fairy Lily rushed in front of Seylin and stood to block his way. There was a fire burning in her eyes, and yet her hair did not raise and blow about without a breeze like Sylvanis’ had in her moments of fury. Feeling a strange premonition in her anger towards him, Seylin craned his neck and bent his back so that he was not so terribly taller than she was. Perhaps his shoulder muscles tightened in an aggressive stance, but it was only to match her own without any restraint. The flames shooting from her aura and burning the edges of his own as if he was standing too near to a lighted match, Seylin glared back at the girl as she spoke.
“ My name’s not Lily, it’s Linwe.”, Lily confessed, and she seemed to roll the words off of her tongue in an ‘you ignorant idiot’ kind of fashion. That tongue lashing out at him and very nearly smacking Seylin in the face. It took a few seconds for the words to truly sink in, but when he heard the word ‘Linwe’ Seylin’s eyes widened in boiling anger and an odd satisfaction. Lily, Linwe, the names were just too similar. How had he not thought of that conclusion before? He knew he suspected that very thing in the back of his head, why did he not make that assumption the first instead of the second?‘ I knew it! I KNEW IT!’ , His mind echoed like inspector Javert, and Seylin began to angrily shake his head back and forth in disapproval of this information. ‘ But I know I sense more than human qualities in her aura!’, the facts did not line up, and yet it made perfect sense. The princess had been subject to many blessings and enchantments at the ceremony after her birth, and that could explain a great deal of little things he could confuse with something else.
“ Your turn.”, Linwe demanded, and Seylin flickered his head towards her and burned his gaze into her own. Seylin did not speak for the longest moment, as if ridding the 'your turn' from the face of the earth before he debated speaking.
“ All the more reason why you won’t believe me.”, Seylin’s tongue may have been sharp and critical; but, his eyes were deeply grieved and compassionate. Pity corrupted the anger that had once been vengeful. His voice becoming harsh, but kind, as he turned his head as if trying to gently let down and disappoint a young child.
“ I doubt you could recognize the difference between a truth and a lie.”, The pain watering his words spoke directly from the pool of water welling up from within his heart, and the man felt his anger subsiding. The girl didn’t know any better than to defend the only person she knew, that was certainly a thing to be pitied, but nothing he could feel any form of anger about. Given his own mistakes, he had done the exact same thing. ‘ The things one will believe to be nurtured.’, Not shirking away out of anger, Seylin still appeared upset in his facial features, but the anger on his face was more directed inward, at himself, than at the misguided princess. Not dragging her from the cave in either direction, Seylin kept walking towards the tower.
“...I’m sure your mother knows whats best for you…I’d best escort you back to the tower before she worries about your absence.”, His words were truthful, and yet the water in his throat made the vowels waver as if he was deeply hurt. No lie in his statement, Seylin just began to walk, and assumed that if she wanted to go home, then she would follow. If she did not, than she wouldn’t. In no mood to force Linwe to do anything against her will, Seylin tried to see through the ghosts in his past to think clearly of this situation; but, he couldn’t. Not when he still felt that strange, unnatural, connection. That yearning to know her soul that continued to beckon him to stop walking, look into her eyes, or just keep speaking and get to know her better.
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Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 2:47 am
Linwe stood her ground as she waited for Seylin to tell her the truth. She knew she had risked quite a lot with the information she had given him. But it seemed that he had no intention of bringing her to the King. She wasn’t sure if Bringham had overheard her confession or if they were too far away for his ears to hear. The thought of just Seylin knowing was something that Linwe liked better. She waited for his reply, hoping to finally get the answer.
She didn’t. He told her she wouldn’t believe him. She wanted to scream at him. Tell him that he had no reason to believe she wouldn’t trust his word. She deserved to know what happened between her mother and him. Then telling her she wouldn’t be able to see the difference. She knew the difference between truth and lie. She knew that Seylin was hiding the truth from her and she didn’t like it. How dare he treat her like a child. He had started walking and Linwe instinctively followed him. She didn’t want their conversation to be over. But then he spoke again.
”…I’m sure your mother knows what’s best for you…I’d best escort you back to the tower before she worries about your absence.”
This caused Linwe to stop in her tracks. She couldn’t go back to the tower, not after everything that has happened. ”I’m not going back. I can’t.” She hoped Seylin would listen to her. The need to talk to someone about this was great. Her anger was seemingly gone from her voice as she spoke. ”If I go back then I’ll be taken underground by the goblin named Marak.” As she spoke she found that she felt silly telling him all this. He wouldn’t care. He had more things to worry about. ”I love my mother but she has hidden me away in a tower all my life. I’m not going to give up my life on the surface to live underground with the little I’ve seen.” Looking towards the ground she shook her head. ”But why am I even telling you all this? It’s not like you care. You have your own problems to worry about which you have made pretty clear you don’t want me knowing.” A little bit of spite came back for the last little bit but then it was gone.
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Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 4:27 am
_________________________________________________________________“ I’m not going back. I can’t.”, Seylin stopped dead in his tracks, his heart lurching for unknown reasons as his eyes welled up with momentary surprise. Turning around to face Linwe, he took a few steps towards her and paused a few feet from her body. ‘Why can’t you Linwe?’ Seylin yearned desperately to know, and he leaned in closer with his aura to try and gently prod her emotions without bombarding or smothering her concentration.
“ If I go back then I’ll be taken underground by the goblin named Marak”, Seylin’s entire face paled over and his skin beneath his clothes transformed into gooseflesh. ‘ The goblin king…’, In shock Seylin mumbled it under his breath, and in shock he sent her a pleading glance. As if hoping that this wasn’t true. ‘ She really does have a black heart.’ It was common knowledge on the surface that every goblin king (who never had siblings or females in their family line) was named Marak. No other goblin had that name. Every descendant of the Valier royal line could use a powerful weapon that could easily cause a plague or unquenchable destruction if given into the wrong hands. If Marak wished to marry the princess, their offspring…the next Goblin King and all his descendants would be able to use that unspeakable power.
While Goblins were less evil than other races, this could not be bourn. Sylvanis must be trading Linwe for something powerful, bartering her, to allow the goblin king to take little Linwe underground and produce an ugly goblin brat! Was this truly for her daughters safety? Or to guarantee a war against Arcwyn that could never fail! The goblins would have the power they wanted…and Sylvanis could be queen of Gildur. Seylin was distracted within his own thoughts as Linwe began to shake her head and look away. His eyes on the horrors of the future, and not on her face. Only halfway through her first sentence did he finally realize that Linwe had begun to speak again.
“ It’s not like you care. You have your own problems to worry about which you have made pretty clear you don’t want me knowing.”, Seylin reacted quickly; but gently, as his hands softly embraced the sides of her face and jaw to kindly keep her eyes pinned directly in front of his face. Staring into Linwe’s eyes on purpose, there was a deeply painful expression glossed over the surface of his cornea’s that glistened in the dim light that his adjusted eyes could see.
Purposive in the desire to rekindle the strange array of feelings that blossomed when the connection he felt had been formed, Seylin quickly wet his lips in concentration, as if he was going to lean in and press his mouth against her own. He didn’t do so, and in fact, he had only been waiting in earnest for the connection to grow strong enough for him to push a thought into her brain. Something he had not attempted to do in so many years that the effort was painful to try and do. ‘ Don’t…think such things.’, Seylin’s Adam’s apple bobbed when he swallowed. ‘…I need you to listen to what I’m about to tell you…so please hold your tongue until I’m finished.’, Fostering the connection if only out of desperation to rekindle that beginning trust that seemed to be slowly being rebuilt, Seylin took a glance around the cavern to see if Bingham was nearby before he opened his mouth to speak.
“ This will be hard for you to hear…but please listen.”, He paused and began to explain the story of the elvish weapon given to the royal family. How all the great races except for the elves, fairies, and merfolk desired it’s power, and how only those with royal blood could use the weapon. He also re-explained the history of Sylvanis being hopeful to marry the king and become queen herself, to have a devoted husband who would use the weapon for her to bring all other countries under her feet. Being completely honest in all his feelings, words, and looks; he hoped that the mental connection would be enough for her to see that even if she thought he was delusional, that she knew he wasn’t lying to her.
“ Do you not find it a tad strange that your mother never let you play outside? That she comes up with some excuse as to why you cannot leave the tower? And that she promises marriage to a race that’s first virtue is: If it gives you strength than use it? They believe that if you’re born with a claw, than utilize it. They will do everything in their power and moral code to make their race stronger Linwe!”, He paused only to shake his head in anguish, his eyes staring deep into her soul once more.
“ This is hard to accept…but I know from what I have seen with my own eyes, that your mother would do anything to keep you safe…so long as it suits her goals. You would be safe, and as happy as a expensive gifts and lavish care can make you; but, Linwe…you’re marrying their King! The most powerful goblin in their kingdom! And when you birth the next heir to the throne, your goblin son would be able to harness that power that your bloodline can control. Surely your mother knows this. Do you think she took you as a baby for any other purpose than to trade you at the appropriate time? Don't you find it odd that this goblin was probably a constant visitor in your youth? ”, Seylin had to pause again, just to brush his thumb over her mouth to reassure that he meant no ill will in revealing these things she was blissfully unaware of. As well as to be a reminder to please hold her tongue until he was finished.
“ If she doesn’t make you marry this Goblin, then she will ask you to do something…monsterous…one day in the future. She’ll probably even tell you that its to destroy a village because it contains thieves or people who want to kidnap and kill you.”, Seylin was speculating on that last point; but, he had a strange sensation in his head that his words were not too far from the truth. An expression of deep sorrow crossed Seylin’s face as he glanced away for a moment to conceal how wounded he was before looking back into her eyes. Unaware that she could probably feel a small mirrored reflection of his feelings simply because his merfolk eyes had been staring and forming the connection for so long throughout the conversation.
“ I…we…can’t let this happen Linwe. Goblins…with that much power in their hands…it spills ill! Think of what they would do in return for such a power. They would certainly help start a war with such magic to make Sylvanis queen of Arcwyn. Nay, even the world if she desired it. She longs desperately for revenge Linwe…and…”, Like the floodgates opened, the waters of his emotion began to rush forth from his heart, and the man had to avert his gaze again simply to prepare himself for the tragic memories he was about to share with her.
“ Linwe…A long time ago I did not look like this very often. Me and my kind…we live in the sea.”, Explaining without explaining, somehow he knew that Linwe would understand he was a merfolk as opposed to something more sinister.
“ I wasn’t the eldest in my family, but I was of high standing. A Duke, king’s brother, if I was not banished. I was young and foolish once, like all adolescents, but before I left…I stole something from my father’s throne room. A great and powerful magical artifact that both controls the climate within the ocean and changes the direction of the breeze to guide travelers across the sea.”, Seylin’s voice was dripping with sorrow as he spoke, and there was an alien look on his face from not confessing this story out loud to anyone before this moment. It felt strange and liberating to tell someone, but strange nonetheless.
“ I left to be with someone I cared about…and when I thought we were together, it wasn’t really my darling there with me. Sylvanis disguised herself and waited until I was vulnerable before stealing the treasure I had foolishly stolen and enchanting me to stay in human form forever. Very slowly over the years my power has continued to wane, and now, I can do next to nothing to help my own people.”, There was a pain in his eyes that caused fluid to gloss and wet with unshed tears. Ashamed to be so transparent, he paused to compose himself.
“ It’s the most powerful weapon in our kingdom, but it was never meant to be a weapon. It was made to bring peace and keep our people safe…but ever since Sylvanis took it, the winds have become so violent on the water, and the health of the ocean is so foul that I can smell the poison in it with my human nose. No one has seen any merfolk near the shore for decades Linwe…if they did not all flee the ocean to live on the island…” , Seylin couldn’t say the possible truth…that his race would not have been able to survive in the deep areas where the poison gathered. Illness would have ravaged the cities, and the thought of having no family to even think of returning to was far too painful for the man to say out loud. His eyes clamping shut for a moment, he broke out of such depressive thinking and continued with his point.
“ Before you grow angry at the thought of returning to…to the person who has knowingly deceived you…”, he paused.
“ I want you to think of the consequences of what could happen if she returns and finds you missing. I am sure you have seen the power that your mother now has at her disposal. The magic she sold her soul to do…”, He looked away, ashamed that he was even asking this of her.
“ Think of all the people who could suffer if you don’t return. You must go back…but…if you can just keep from marrying Marak…all should be well for the time thus.”, He paused and averted his gaze.
“ If you could help me find a large, pale blue, pearl to throw down to me then you can see with your own eyes that she has deceived you. ”, he stopped to breath, but did not pause long enough to allow her to speak.
“ I don’t know if you know this but…”, About to suggest another alternative, Seylin stopped himself prematurely. Certain that she would not approve, and thereby he felt it best not to waste time mentioning it unless it was absolutely necessary.
“…I…care about your wellbeing. I am not entirely sure why, as we have not been acquainted long, but it is my desire to keep you safe, as well as my own people.”, Seylin looked deep into Linwe’s eyes with a gentle and affectionate warmth in his features.
“ I will not abandon you to a life underground if I can possibly help it…”, Seylin’s mouth brightened in a rare smile. “ If you could pretend for a while…go home…and show no interest in leaving the tower...and help me find that pearl, I know that we can help stop this future.”, Waiting in earnest for her response, Seylin gently caressed his right palm against her cheek in an affectionate way before taking a soft step back and removing his hands from the sides of her face. Breaking eye contact to let her emotions and thoughts not be clouded by his own. She deserved the chance to let her own mind contemplate the next course of action without his interference, and he had no intentions of robbing her of that right.
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Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 9:26 am
It wasn’t long after Linwe stopped speaking that she felt Seylin’s hands on her face and she was looking into his eyes. She was surprised to find the pain that was in them. With this connection, Linwe wanted to talk to him but she felt herself unable. She could only look into his eyes and try to listen to what he was about to say. It looked like he was concentrating on just the right way to put it. While Linwe was anxious to hear, she didn’t rush him.
He wasn’t lying when he told her that what he said would be hard to hear. Linwe found herself wanting to shut him out. The things he was saying couldn’t be true about her mother. She wanted to look away but couldn’t. Those eyes of his held her gaze and looking into them, it was clear that what he was telling her was no lie. Her mind was filled with questions. If Seylin wasn’t lying to her now that meant that her mother had lied to her. But what things had her mother told her were true and which were false? There was no way of finding those answers out now so she continued to look at Seylin and listen to what he had to say.
What he said next just continued to cause her unease. Of course, she wondered why she was never meant to the leave the tower. For years, she had questioned her mother. And she in turn, always gave the same excuse; that there were people out there looking to harm her. Linwe was only going to be safe in the tower. The marriage to Marak part was distressing. She had only learned of it the night before and she had fought slightly with her mother. But there was no fighting it. Her mother had already made the deal. That was the main reason Linwe had fled this morning.
She continued to listen as he spoke of her mother as someone who was using her since birth. That was hard to swallow. Her mother loved her. She was sure of it. But everything mixed with what Seylin was saying and what she knew for a fact was true made it seem like her mother was that type of person. His mention of Marak being their throughout most of her life was chilling. There was no way he could have known that and yet he had the facts right there. A chill was sent through her entire body. If everything that Seylin was saying was true then what that meant for her … she couldn’t even think of such things at the moment for Seylin continued to speak and she was hanging off his every word by this point.
The talk of her mother having her do something monstrous struck a chord. Her mother had advised her that should she see anyone climbing the tower, she was supposed to shoot them down with an arrow. And if what Bringham had told her when she first met the two of them was true, she would have been killing any ‘rescuer’ of hers. This fact alone made her feel a sickening pain in her stomach.
Suddenly, Seylin was speaking of himself, of his people. He wasn’t human? He looked to be human enough but Linwe should have known that looks don’t always make something true. It seems that what looked to be her mother was in fact someone who actually did kidnap her. Shaking that thought from her head, she focused on what Seylin was saying. She couldn’t think about her mother that way now. It would be too painful to alienate the one person she had known her whole life, who had protected her and loved her.
The story that Seylin weaved was a painful one. She could see it in his eyes how fresh the pain still was. All Linwe could think about was what kind of monster would do something like this to someone. The answer that he was giving was that it was her mother. It was strange to have this new view of her. Her mother was everything to her. To be deceived her whole life by the one person she trusted. It made Linwe feel angry. It wasn’t the fiery anger that she had felt moments before with her argument with Seylin. This one was more a sad anger that just lay at the pit of stomach. Tears started to pool in her eyes from the feeling but Linwe refused to let them drop. If she did, then Seylin might stop talking and think she was too fragile to handle what he had to say.
”Before you grow angry at the thought of returning to…to the person who has knowingly deceived you…”
This stuck at Linwe. ’ He wants me to go back? ‘ She couldn’t go back. She had just told him her reasons. Even if she still trusted her mother with all her heart she couldn’t risk going back. Marak would be there. He would take her underground and there would be no way she could stop it. How could Seylin ask this of her?
He continued speaking and Linwe forced herself to listen. His reasoning was quite sound. She didn’t want anyone to suffer because of her. But the dread kept building inside of her. How was she supposed to keep Marak from taking her? She vaguely heard him as he talked about the pearl. She would look for it if she did return. There would be no way to hide her curiosity to see who was telling the truth. But still the thought of returning was something she almost considered impossible.
”..I…care about your wellbeing.”
Hearing that statement, Linwe focused on his eyes to see a warmness there that seemed to rid her of the cold sensation she was feeling in her body. As he continued to speak about how he would not abandon her, Linwe believed him yet she still couldn’t see how he could prevent this. Then she saw something that she had never seen from him before. A smile. It was so strange yet so warming that Linwe felt herself give him a small smile in return. That was all she could accomplish at the moment. Anything bigger than that and the water in her eyes would threaten to run over.
With a slight caress of his hand, Seylin moved away from her, breaking the eye contact that they had been holding for what seemed like forever. Even though he was quite near to her, the small distance returned the cold feeling of dread. She knew what she had to do. She had to go back. That was no longer an option for her. The thing she was worried about now was Marak. She was convinced that he would take her underground the instant he arrived and there would be nothing Seylin or anyone else could do to stop it.
Slowly running her fingers through her hair, Linwe took a deep breath. She tried to make her voice sound steady but she knew that it was shaky from all the information and decisions that had passed in just a few short moments. ”I understand that I must go back. I don’t want anyone hurt because of me…” Pausing to take another breath she waited a moment before she trusted her voice enough to continue on. ”I will try and find your pearl… but…” Linwe silently cursed herself as she felt the water run down her face. She knew the tears would show in her voice and she didn’t want that now. She wanted to be strong. But at the same time, she wanted to have arms wrap around her, telling everything was fine, and that she wouldn’t have to do anything.
”…but I don’t think I can stop Marak from taking me…” Pausing again, she was sure it was taking too long to get out what to say. ”I’ve tried talking to my mother about not going but she already struck the deal… They can easily over power me…. I don’t think there would be anything you could do to….” She couldn’t finish what she wanted to say. Her thoughts wandered to ‘what if’ situations. If she were to convince the two to let her stay in the tower longer and she indeed found the pearl. How was she to contact Seylin? The thought of being in the tower alone was fearful. This seemed ridiculous to her though. The tower was her home and had been her whole life. Why should she fear it?
Because now she had doubts about her safety there and what her ‘mother’ was capable of.
There was more she wished to say but she couldn’t get her voice to cooperate. Instead, she stood there, trying to dry her eyes. She felt like a child lost in the woods, doing nothing for fear of any decision being the wrong one.
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Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2011 2:45 pm
_________________________________________________________________“ I understand that I must go back. I don’t want anyone hurt because of me…I will try and find your pearl…but…”, Seylin saw the tears run down Linwe’s face and his heart felt like it was drowning at the sight of her misery. Trying to out-stretch his hand and give’s Linwe’s a squeeze for support, he looked at her with soft, but determined, eyes; trying to convey that he did not find her tears embarrassing or weak. Soon, she started to speak again, and Seylin was all ears to her voice.
“…But I don’t think I can stop Marak from taking me…I’ve tried talking to my mother about not going but she already struck the deal…They can easily overpower me….I don’t think there would be anything you could do to…”, Seylin felt so powerless when her final words rang into his ear, but he had to believe that he could help stop this. Pulling the handkerchief from his pocket, Seylin attempted to give it to Linwe as a comforting gesture. It was standard white cloth with his initials embroided in blue. Something simple that might be the only thing someone could remember him by…if this ended badly.
“ I will go back with you…and enter the tower with you when it is safe to do so. First…I must help Bingham get back down the mountain…or he would be stranded here to rot…if Sylvanis catches me here.”, The words were very morbid; however, Seylin’s voice was strangely optimistic. He planned on helping to the best of his abilities. There was of course another alternative…a very true fact that the Goblin King could not marry someone who had been married before…not even a widow…Goblin law. But of course, Seylin couldn’t ask such a thing of Linwe. Not even if it prevented a great evil from occurring. Closing his eyes for a moment, Seylin knew they would just have to take their chances. Smiling at Linwe’s face, Seylin was about to walk her towards the end of the tunnel when a voice chiped up in the darkness, and Seylin turned around to see Bingham standing there with a distraught, shocked, expression on his face.
“ You’ve been Linwe this whole time?! And you’re not human Seylin!”, Bingham was quite distressed at overhearing their conversation.
“ You expect me to just ‘leave’ and be useless!? NO! I can’t just stand by and let this happen!”, Seylin worried that Bingham was about to have either a panic attack or begin weeping a tear to exert his emotions in a less destructive way, and so Seylin looked at Linwe in a shared glance before walking forward with an apologetic look on his face.
“ I just don’t want your death on my hands B--”, Bingham didn’t let him finish talking before blurting out again:
“ NO! Don’t you understand that if you fail, all our lives could very well be over anyway! If I’m going to die…then just let me help…I can help, I know I can…”, Seylin didn’t know what to say to Bingham to comfort him, and so he just looked at Linwe with compassion in his eyes, letting her make the next move.
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Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2011 3:53 pm
The small gesture of Seylin squeezing her hand gave comfort to Linwe. It was a small comfort but it still helped in the long run. When he offered his handkerchief Linwe accepted it and dried her eyes. If she was to be returning to the tower, then she couldn’t risk her mother seeing her this way. Linwe wasn’t all the best at lying to her mother but she could manage a bit. If she was emotional, things wouldn’t work out very well and the last thing Linwe wanted to do was put Bringham and Seylin in danger.
When Seylin mentioned going to the tower with her, Linwe was worried. What if her mother was there when he arrived? What if he hid and her mother found him out? All these situations kept running through her head. They were terrifying but Linwe found herself wanting to go along with it. The alternative of him staying here while she was up in the tower, with no means of communication was far more terrifying. She offered him a small smile before he was to go off and find Bringham but he didn’t have the chance to go very far.
“You’ve been Linwe this whole time?! And you’re not human Seylin!”
Linwe saw Bringham come from his spot in the darkness. She felt a horrible guilt in the pit of her stomach when she realized that he had heard their whole conversation. At least enough to hear their secrets. It was a guilty feeling that she had left him out. Bringham had been nothing but kind to her since she met him and what did she give him in return? She lied to his face and hid things from him.
Linwe remained silent as Seylin tried to talk to Bringham but Bringham refused to listen. When Seylin looked at her, she knew she would have to say something. Taking a deep breath she walked towards Bringham. She made eye contact with him, realizing this was the first time she had done so. ” Bringham, I’m so sorry that I lied to you. You have been kind and I should have just told you the truth.” She felt she had to continue to explain to him her reasons for lying. ” My mother has told me since I was very young, that the King had lost his child and wanted me to replace her. When my mother refused, she told me that he became angry and was going to have me killed. So when I met the two of you and found out you were looking for me, I lied because I was convinced you’d kill me if you knew who I truly was. Still it’s no excuse.”
She looked between Seylin and Bringham. ”I don’t know what to do exactly… If the two of you were to come back with me to the tower and hide, I’m afraid my mother or Marak would be able to find you out… I don’t think I could take it if either of you were harmed because of me.” Looking towards Seylin, she wished she had more answers or more plans but she didn’t. Maybe it would be best for her to go with Marak and attempt to stop any evil from happening from underground. The thought sent chills to her.
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Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2011 12:21 am
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Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2011 12:23 am
If you don't like the twist at the end, we can correspond and come up with something else.  xx  Within the confines of Donguire castle, Sylvanis rested in a mighty throne; her right hand tapping against the edge of her chin in thoughtful contemplation. By the rare blemish in Sylvanis’ almost perfect youthful face, it was unlikely that she had been able to sleep longer than a wink or two. When her mind stopped contemplating the unpleasant event to which little Linwe might secretly resent her for. Of all the races on earth Sylvanis detested Goblins the most, and she had just informed young Linwe that she was to be married to one. ‘ She did not take the news very well…’
Sylvanis regretted leaving the young princess all on her own after yesterday’s dinner; but in full honesty the woman did not think that Linwe would contemplate such a dark thing as suicide after Sylvanis spent so many years mumbling how ‘ill repute’ it was to end one’s existence simply because you were unhappy. There were, after all, several times when Sylvanis had debated ending her own existence, and if not for making herself think ill of suicide, she might have been dead many years ago. ‘ Goblins are despicable at times, but they value their brides. They don’t even eat female animals…so I know that Linwe will be treated well by her husband…’ The peace of mind that the thought had originally invoked seemed to have lost it’s effect…and standing from the throne of Donguire castle, Sylvanis paced the throne room once more. The length of her plain-looking dress trailing behind her as she walked.
“ I know what I desire…but there must be a way to keep Linwe safe…”, If ‘safe’ was the proper word. Every fiber of her heart did not want Linwe to marry, at least, not to that wretched Goblin King! Oh Marak the six fingered was a very wise goblin king, and extremely powerful to boot; but, therein laid the problem. Sylvanis did not wish for the power of the royal family to fall into Goblin Hands. Not when she wanted it so desperately herself. Sylvanis had spent all night fretting about the predicament she and Linwe now found themselves in. The silly little princess, who already had access to the power she longed to hold in her hands, was about to get everything else that Sylvanis ever wanted.
Marak was a strong King, wise, and powerful; with a joy for revenge that all Goblins adored. However…it was a known magical law that the Goblin King could not marry either a goblin or a widow. To keep fresh magic and blood in their kingdom, the Goblin King always married outside of their race. That would not have been a problem to Sylvanis, as she was no goblin; but…she was a widow. Sylvanis had swiftly allowed her blood relations to arrange a wedding when Anariel stole Rudolfos away. She was desperate to get out of Arcwyn and rid herself of the shame of rejection, and the sorcerer Waldenvon was quite willing to scoop up a young and pretty wife. Sylvanis learned every ounce of magic he could teach before he died, and though she came to respect him, Sylvanis did not love him in the way that lovers confess. Since growing an attachment for the ugly Goblin, she regretted her marriage at times; but, she would not have met him if she had not been so apt to achieve her goal. There was no winning situation. Unable to listen to her heart in regards to the simpler happiness of life, she had simply set her sights on revenge and recognition. No one remembered the noble maiden with a plain face that the king had discarded. Not until she appeared that night, in all her mastered power, and stole Princess Linwe as her own.
Everyone heard tales of the red witch…but now she wondered if the revenge she hoped for was truly worth the cost. Had not she made the king suffer for his faithlessness enough? He would never hold his wife again, or see their child on the throne of Arcwyn. As wonderful as it would be to release the great dragon and unleash terror upon the land, was now the appropriate time? Rudolfos was soon becoming an old man. To not allow Linwe to return to the throne would be foolhardy. Otherwise the old king would die and another family would rise to take the throne. Sylvanis could not allow that to happen, and yet it would be a torrential bore to blackmail the king into accepting her hand just so that he could have his daughter back. Sylvanis had long since lost her love for the older gentleman, could she truly give herself to a man she did not remotely desire? The throne was worth it. Nay, a throne was worth it, and Sylvanis was not yet finished searching out royal canditates to swoon. Seylin had been a failure, he started to catch on to her schemes too quickly all those years ago, and there were no more elves in Gildur to attempt to woo. Witches sell their soul to do magic, because humans don’t have any powers. Because of the stigma Witches could only marry other witches, and sorcerers usually remained celibate for their entire lifetime. The craft was worth it, but it called for a lonesome life.
Which trailed Sylvanis’ mind back to the subject at hand. If that Goblin King she now loathed the sight of was to steal Linwe from her, take her underground forever, then Sylvanis would be all by herself again. Darling Snow, (as she used to nickname little Linwe when she was a babe) was getting older and would desire to see the world beyond the black tower. ‘ I wouldn’t mind too badly if Linwe married some silly little farmboy and settled down nearby if it meant being able to see her.’, To be honest the red witch had been half amused when she joked that little thought, but for some reason a torch flashed brightly within her mind and the redheaded sorceress stopped pacing mid-step.
“ Goblins can’t marry widows…”, Even if she just forced her child to marry, murdered the husband, and erased Linwe’s memories, Marak would not be able to do anything about it. The Goblins would not be able to have a royal bride to access the Machdig power that responded to the Valier bloodline. With a pang in her heart, Sylvanis could now have peace for a mere moment enough to close her eyes and sleep. She would need not fear the wretched jealousy of her own child wed to the Goblin King. ‘ But how shall Snow react to this proposal?’, and where could she find her child a husband on such short notice? Snapping awake from her dreamless slumber after five minutes of sleeping while standing upright, Sylvanis was about to transform a frog into a man, when she thought of a better idea. ‘ I have three hours at best…I can just gather Linwe from the tower and take her through the mirror.’ Fleeing seemed to be the best option at this point in time.
A few moments later, Sylvanis was dressed in an eloquent red gown trimmed in golden threads. Disappearing through the portal shaped as a mirror, Sylvanis rushed to her daughter’s room to find it empty and bare. Not believing that her child would have left, Sylvanis raised a curious eyebrow and abruptly left the chamber.
“ Snow?”, Sylvanis called out into a corridor. “ Linwe; darling, come out of hiding now. I am not in the mood for childish games this day…”, Alas, there was nothing but silence from the other rooms. Fearing a great catastrophe, Sylvanis rushed from room to room, desperate not to find a poisoned corpse. Running from window to window in the hopes of not finding her mangled body on the ground. After searching every room with so little sleep for her body to function with, Sylvanis finally stopped pacing upon searching the last chamber. Gasping to withdraw enough air not to faint from worry and concern. Her voice hoarse from calling out Linwe’s name so many times, Sylvanis began to slowly pace through the tower three other times, just to double check that she did not miss seeing Linwe in a small space, that she wasn’t asleep in a wardrobe or otherwise simply unable to speak
It was only then, after returning to Linwe’s room to search for the thirteenth time that Sylvanis noticed Linwe’s bow and arrows missing. Her child hadn’t been stolen or attempted death, she had willingly abandoned her mother. In a state of shock, Sylvanis nearly fell backwards on Linwe’s bed. Too distraught to rationalize any more than the obvious, ‘ She resents me’, Sylvanis was so worried of Linwe’s safety that she tried to contemplate just where her child would have tried to flee towards. The only place she could have escaped was the river, and her daughter would not be so foolish as to leap down the waterfall that fell into Toll Cave. Such a fall could destroy her. ‘ Perhaps she just went outside to practice archery…’, Marak did always take her outside the tower to practice and— ‘ No!’ Sylvanis could not believe the idea that fluttered into her head. ‘ Marak would not have betrayed me and stolen Linwe from me!’, Oh but goblins stole brides all the time. Such a thing was not beneath a goblin! Gasping for air once more, Sylvanis tried to leap from the bed to rush back to her teleportation mirror when she stumbled from exhaustion and let out a yelp from smacking her knee against the stone floor. ‘ Linwe!’, standing up from where she fell, Sylvanis thought she saw something out of the corner of her eye.
Glancing that direction, Sylvanis’ eyes fell upon a tiny fairy peeking into one of the windows. ‘ What would a fairy be doing all the way up here?’, A fairy wouldn’t be here unless it was travelling in a group, and Sylvanis quite decided that she did not appreciate the ‘scout’ spying on her daughter’s little abode.
And as the fairy would probably know the location of her child, Sylvanis raised her hand and a dancing ray of red and golden light expelled from her hand directly towards Hazel. The light attempting to bend and swivel to coil around Hazel and tug her inside the window, Sylvanis kept her eyes focused at the task at hand. Finding Linwe.
Sylvanishad a serendipitous little bottle with that fairy’s name on it…
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