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 Posted: Sun Nov 12, 2006 2:30 pm
Arienh sort of just sat there trying to sort things out in her head as Andrew talked. It wasn't until he mentioned being 'too bold' that she realized how cold and rude she was being to the man. With a sigh, she her cloak and her fish started scooting around the fireside so that she could see him better. It was a weird sort of crablike scuttle that must've looked terribly ungraceful and highly unladylike.
Plopping back down and getting comfortable she quirks a smile in his direction.
"Sorry... I didn't mean to sound so cold. It's just been... well, a rather trying day. You didn't deserve my frustration... even if you DID dislocate my arm!~"
It wasn't accusatory, it was teasing. The princess even winked as she took a bite of fish and grinned.
"This is pretty good y'know."
A pause...
"I'm sorry about the Captain... He's not a very errmm.. Jovial person even at the best of times. If it were up to me, he'd have no authority... but he's of my father's guard. I have no say."
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Posted: Sun Nov 12, 2006 2:42 pm
"Living like we do, we have to know how to cook the things we catch." Andrew said as he leaned back. The fire glinted in his icicle blue eyes as he regarded the Princess. She looked much too royal to be out in the forest eating stream fish and sitting around a fire with him.
"You can certainly say that again." Andrew said as he moved onto his elbow. "Anyway, Your Highness, you should really get some rest. I'll wake you in the morning, and I'll take you wherever you want to go."
He figured it was obviously not going to be the castle, so he wasn't too worried about it. "Don't worry, you're safe. I won't do anything." Andrew wasn't really one to look like a Saint, so he wasn't sure if she was worried about her own safety. After all, he had dislocated her shoulder.
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Posted: Sun Nov 12, 2006 3:13 pm
"No that's all right, but I understand if you're tired. In that case... I'll bid you goodnight. Do you mind if I take the rest of my fish? It's a rather long walk from here and I best be making haste. I'm going to be late as it is."
She smiles thoughtfully.
"Haven't seen my horse around have you? I had one with me---"
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Posted: Sun Nov 12, 2006 3:19 pm
"Late for what?" Andrew said, sitting up. He certainly wasn't going to let a young woman travel by herself in the middle of the night. "I'm afraid it would ungentlemanly of me to allow you to travel without escort."
Both of the horses had been tied up near by, but he wasn't going to let her know until he got leave to take her himself. "Please, I have no home to return too, and I have no family that will miss me." He said, genuinely concerned with her safety. It wasn't like Andrew to really care, but this was the Princess of K'ivern.
"I would hate to think of you being hunted by that Captain. I can at least keep you out of his hands."
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Posted: Sun Nov 12, 2006 3:31 pm
The woman's brow furrowed deep in thought and she chewed her lip for a moment.
"I have an appointment with a client that I can't miss..."
His offer of help seemed genuine enough, but she had reservations about further getting him involved.
"You shouldn't come Andrew, you're already in danger for not taking me to the guards when you found me. I know this land well and I know it better yet by the light of the moon."
One look at his face clearly said the young man wasn't convinced.
"I can handle myself, as you've already noticed... I'm not -just- a princess. I'm a user of the banished arts, a crime that the penalty is so sever even my father would have trouble protecting me from judgement... I'm wanted by the guards and the king and if you're found aiding me, they will make you the scape goat in hopes of sparing me. I won't have you be my sacrifice."
There. She'd said it, laid it all out there. The harsh reality of what he was proposing. When it came to Royalty in these parts, there were no hero's, only imposters and frauds.
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Posted: Sun Nov 12, 2006 3:40 pm
Andrew took her words into deep consideration. Everything about it was true and eeking with danger. He couldn't help but shudder a bit with excitement. No way was she going to be able to leave him behind now. There was just too much adventure in her words for him to pass it up.
"You worry too much, Princess." He said, standing up and offering her a hand. "You simply assume that I care. As I said, I don't have a home or a family. I have nothing to lose by helping you. Nothing but my life, and let me tell you, that's not important to anyone. Besides, you sound like you could get into big trouble for all this 'banished arts' stuff you keep reminding me of. If you get caught, you'll be killed. If you get caught with me, like you said, I could be the scapegoat and you'll get out unharmed to continue whatever it is you need to do."
Andrew smiled the smile of a rebel. "Everyone has to make sacrifices, sweetheart. I don't mind. I'm sure you've heard it before, but I wouldn't mind dying so much, if it meant that an angel like you got to go on living on Earth." He knew that, out of the entire royal family, Arienh was the kindest on. She truly was an angel on Earth, in person and beauty. He wanted to tell her not to argue, but decided that he shouldn't boss her around too much.
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Posted: Sun Nov 12, 2006 4:09 pm
She could help but grin, but lest she encouraged him too much, she hung her head in feigned exhasperation. It'd been a while since she had a companion like this... She wasn't sure if she could truly trust him yet, but she'd give him a cautious benefit of the doubt for now.
"Well... I could use a companion if nothing else. It gets a little lonely out on the moors at night."
She smiles at him and places the hand, not holding the fish on her hip.
"But promise me one thing, if we meet anyone on the road, no trying to play hero. I meant what I said, I won't have you be my sacrifice. Besides... I have a few tricks up my sleeves in case we get into such a situation."
What she really wanted to point out but didn't was... If they were caught and she was recaptured, and they knew of her magick use... they would kill him and then threaten to kill her is she didn't submitt to marriage and her father's will for her future. An option where death was the lesser evil and would be embraced willingly.
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Posted: Sun Nov 12, 2006 4:18 pm
"You drive a hard bargain, Ma'am." Andrew replied as he smiled at her. Turning to kick dirt onto the fire, he smothered it out, and kicked leaves about the place a bit, to hide their encampment. Turning back to her, he led her over to the horses. "Are you able to ride with your arm?" He asked.
Honestly, he wondered if he could even get onto that horse with her arm banged up the way it was. Untying the horses from the tree, he held the reins of her own out to her. Andrew whispered menacingly to Teddy, his own steed, "Don't you ever run out on me again, got it? We're going to be together for a very long time, here, pal."
He saw her staring at him and laughed a bit. "Just giving a friendly warning to the horse. He can be a pain. Speaking of pain.."
"Why was that guy looking for you anyway?" Andrew asked as he stood by, waiting to see if she needed help mounting or not.
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Posted: Sun Nov 12, 2006 4:41 pm
"I'll manage. This isn't the first time I've ridden with an injury."
Arienh takes the reigns with her good hand and strokes her mount's muzzle reassuringly as she watches 'drew 'sweet talk' his horse. Giggling she waves her hand at him dismissing his explination. Turning in to her own horse who'd lowered it's head now, nuzzling against her cheek. She smiles and whispers into it's ear gently.
"Shi'teln ahn desim"
The horse bent a front foreleg, straightening the other as if to get up from a roll, but giving the visual representation of a bow. With her mount's back lowered, it wasn't much of a challenge to mount even with an injured arm. As soon as she was in place, a light nudge of her heel and the horse righted itself and stood patiently, basking in the affectionate pats Arienh was bestowing upon his neck.
Drew's query brought her eyes up to look at him consideringly. With a shrug and a sigh she replied relucatantly.
"He's my fiancee... or so I was informed just before I fled the castle."
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Posted: Sun Nov 12, 2006 4:49 pm
"If I may be so bold, I can see why you ran away, Princess." He said as he watched her mount, thoroughly impressed by the act. "So, where are we headed? I'm itchin' to get on with this."
The thought of all the danger ahead made him extremely excited. Though, he felt a little bad to be taking Teddy for so long. Maybe he will be able to return the horse someday. Mounting Teddy, he rode up alongside to Arienh. "You're the one who knows where we are going, please lead the way. I'll be following closely behind, Highness."
[[ooc: blah, short.]]
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Posted: Sun Nov 12, 2006 5:18 pm
"Arienh, please. Out here titles mean nothing... and it could attract unwanted attention..."
With a smile she laughed and nudged her horse into a brisk trot, heading north west toward the moors. Despite the lack of light and the multitude of tree roots and branches, her horse picked it's way through the underbrush somehwat effortlessly. They really DID know this place inside and out. She called out for him to hear,.
"There's a small villiage an hour's ride or so from here, we're headed half a mark past there."
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Posted: Sun Nov 12, 2006 5:26 pm
"And you, Arienh, may call me Drew. I don't have a title or anything, but I hate being called Andrew." Andrew replied as he trotted up next to her. He had never left the village before, so it was all the more exciting.
"An hour on horseback? Sounds thrilling." He said sarcastically, but smiling nonetheless. "Who is it that we will be meeting?"
Andrew wasn't sure, but if they were to be traveling together, they would need an alibi. Andrew wasn't known anywhere, but she certainly must be known. She was the Princess of K'ivern, after all.
"Erhm.. You should pick a new name. I think that Arienh may not be a very popular name."
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Posted: Sun Nov 12, 2006 5:43 pm
"It's a name not understoof to those outside of the old ways... It was my mother's mother who picked it for me... It means 'oath'."
With a smile she grinned and nodded.
"Out here I'm known as Healer Arienh, not princess. But the locals know the danger in my name. They will address me as Lady, Healer, Daughter and other simillar things..."
The way she spoke, Drew might start to see that she really did know what she was doing. For Arienh had secretly been servicing patients in the moorlands since her grandmother died, and even before then, she's been her grandmother's apprentice and accompanied her.
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Posted: Sun Nov 12, 2006 5:50 pm
"You certainly know your stuff." Andrew said as he rode next to her. He had always just imagined that the royalty stayed cooped up inside their safe castle and ignored the suffering outside. That was how he figured it anyway. After all, not much good was done for the people where he came from. And he had seen first hand the kind of life they lived.
"That's amazing though. I mean, it never occurred to me that you knew so many people outside of the palace." He said, beginning to truly start to admire this beautiful young woman.
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Posted: Sun Nov 12, 2006 6:02 pm
She tried to hide the saddened expression from him, but with a nearly full moon out, that would be hard.
"I wouldn't be able to help them as Queen... I'd be a queen in title only. Something to add to Mrithas' status... something for him to flaunt, use and someone to give him sons... I'm not that kind of woman. I'd be a prisonor locked away in the most luxurious of cages... I want to help them... those in town, but It's too risky for me to practice so close to home. My grandmother made me promise never to treat anyone any closer than the moors. Because if I'm caught, I can't help anyone... It might be a long ride, but it's worth it."
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