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 Posted: Sat Nov 16, 2013 3:16 pm
Pierre felt rage welling up inside him, his voice becoming a low and dangerous growl. "You know not of what you speak. Our ways are not your own. You are a human. You do not understand the complexities of vampiric law. If they choose to kill me, my people," he spat, "would have the same. For them the stakes can be no higher, and for me they can insult no more - DO NOT CALL ME COWARD," he bellowed, another lion-like snarl ripping from his chest as the animosity once more took over and he raged at the door, trying to find a way out. The cross held him back and the silver pained him greatly, but still the beast within raged on as he tore at the door with a fury that would not be calmed.
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Posted: Sun Nov 17, 2013 1:54 am
She was quiet and slightly annoyed, waiting impatiently for him to quiet. He's acting like a child. I guess we all are... Nevertheless, if he knew me well enough, he would have known I would never say anything to hurt him, but... Two can play at this game.
"The biggest battles are not those we fight in the physical world, but those we fight within ourselves. If you're not going to fight the monster within, you are a coward in my eyes - and I mean it this time." She paused, allowing it to sink in and for him to calm down.
"You are right," she said softly. Her voice was pained, but controlled and tinged with a passive resentment when she continued. "I don't understand. Then, why did you choose me to be your queen in the first place?" She picked up the scalpel, letting it drag along the stone floor before walking to the door. Looking back over her shoulder, she said, "Get your stuff together, Pierre, else you'll lose more than just your humanity... Or does that even matter to you?" With that, she closed the door behind her and returned to the bed she woke up on.
The scalpel was tapped on the tray, repeatedly. The sound rang through the room as if it was agitated itself.
"Idiot," she muttered under her breath in frustration. She threw the thing onto the tray where she had found it and crossed her legs. "You are all idiots. No, we are all idiots. We need a plan, James - a plan to keep everything and everyone together. We keep stabbing at each other - um, emotionally - and never set things right. He orphaned me and THIS is how he treats me? No... Don't take it personal. But, I am a human. I do not understand the complexities of vampiric law." She looked up at him and sighed. "I'm sorry. Just ranting." She took deep breaths and closed her eyes, resting her head on her hands. "James? Will you turn me?" 
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Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2013 11:26 am
 
He stood up and crossed over to the infirmary door. Looking back, he added. "I will always love you, but I cannot just sit idle while you hurt the people you say you love. You need to understand, Jaime - this is not your home world. You're in our realm now. If you want to be part of it, perhaps you should take a long look at yourself." He pushed the door open hard and marched away down the hall. "And stop stabbing people," he yelled over his shoulder.
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Posted: Sun Nov 24, 2013 6:33 am
Jaime stared out in front of her. James' words played over and over in her mind. It was true. He was right and there was no denying it anymore. She bit down hard into her own wrist, allowing the blood and tears to spill freely. The pain was satisfying, but still not enough to dull her sorrow. After a moment, she withdrew, grunting softly as she tried to calm her emotions. Too incompetent to yield their power, yet I am their symbol of revolution. It's predestined, isn't it? There is no choice. Everything is out of control, falling apart. This is not home, I know that, but that does not make its customs right. That does not make any difference. Governments and laws are useless unless they serve a proper purpose - and pride is not one of them. You expect me to understand, but nobody ever explains. Selfish? Well, I'm sorry I'm not so eager to have my fiance killed. What a bummer. Get it together? Get what together? There is nothing left. She gave a bitter laugh and watched her wound heal, leaving a light scar. There is nothing left...
She pulled herself up, touched her lips with the tip of her tongue and started rummaging through cabinets and inspecting the other beds. Anna was kept underneath a sheet of linen on one of the beds not too far away. Her body was cold to the touch, yet she seemed at peace and almost happy. "Sweet dreams, mama." Jaime kissed her eyelids before biting through the thinning skin on her neck, attempting to drain every last drop for strength. She found a fresh cloth and a knife that was, probably, used for larger operations. It was silver. A torturing device? She shrugged and wrapped it in the cloth. With this, she slipped into the narrow hallway at Pierre's cell and pressed her cheek against the cool metal door.
"Pierre?" she started. Her voice was hoarse and her throat felt raw from grief. "Please forgive me..." Her voice trailed off, threatening to break into sobbing once more. Taking a deep breath, she spun on her heel and left before he could reply.
From there, she gathered some fruit and herbs from the kitchen, careful not to be seen by anyone, and stashed these into a material satchel she had found laying somewhere. They were soon joined by two reasonably sized vials of blood that she found in her room, a small book on the use of herbs and basic incantations and a few corked vials of fragrant oil. After taking a steaming bath, Jaime dressed in her shorts and black top that she wore when she first entered this world, grabbed a deep emerald cloak from the armoir and headed down to the stables. Saddling up was more complicated than people made it look, but she was all set and mounted upon her mother's midnight-black steed not long after twilight.
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Posted: Wed Nov 27, 2013 1:22 am
James found the bandages in the desk of the study. The fire warmed him a little; he furrowed his brow, finally understanding the smothering heat the vampires always seemed to dwell in. The temperature would need to increase significantly to bring any warmth to their cold flesh. With a shake of his head, he wrapped the cloth tightly around his hand. The scalpel had been silver and would cause the wound to heal slowly.
Quickly, he took a peek outside, shielding himself with the thick, velvet curtain. It was dusk. Relieved, he jerked the curtains open and watched the last pale glow of sunlight all but disappear beneath the horizon.
The shadows moved. He tensed; his keen eyesight scanned the darkness below and came to rest on a pale-haired girl in an emerald cloak mounting a horse. She turned slightly and the dim light illuminated her profile. Jaime. Exasperated, he unlatched the window and leaped gracefully to the ground. In a flash, he was beside her; the horse reared in shock and stamped uncomfortably as James snatched the reigns from her and kept him still. "Are you trying to get yourself killed," he hissed quietly, "Where do you think you're going?" He hazarded a quick glance up at the estate, straining to detect if anyone had noticed they were missing.
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Posted: Wed Nov 27, 2013 1:58 am
"Whoa, there," Jaime grabbed onto the horse's mane as James caught hold of the reigns. She patted the side of its neck in attempt to calm it. It did."There's a lot of things I'd like to say to you now, James, but none of it will help the case. If we're going to win this war, we need power and numbers. I'm going to my mother's estate to find truth and recollection. I will return when I think I'm ready. Try to keep Pierre alive until then? He's the strongest member of our little band and the rebellion, or whatever you call yourselves, would be very sorry to lose such a strong player. This is beyond the laws and traditions of your world. This is about survival and fighting for a cause. Could you manage that?"
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Posted: Thu Jan 30, 2014 10:11 pm
"No, I could not manage that," he snapped back at Jaime. "You're acting as if you're already queen, ordering everyone about and meddling in affairs that are the concern of the leaders - like Pierre. By going against him, you are committing treason," he took a deep breath here to calm himself. "You have to trust that he has a plan. He deserves more credit than you give him. He knows what he's doing. Even if he doesn't, it's not our place to object. You have to decide right now - are you going to be the type of woman who will stand by her fiance, no matter how bad things look, and see it through to the end, trusting and supporting him... or are you going to run off and do things your way, abandoning him when he needs you most?" James let go of the horse's reigns and stepped out of the way. "The choice is yours. But I will be no messenger boy," he said in a firm, low voice. "If you leave now, I wash my hands of you. I had nothing to do with it, and I will say nothing about your departure from this day forward. I will obey my prince's commands," he added, meaning that he wouldn't do as she said.
He looked up, waiting for her reply as the moon began to rise.
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Posted: Thu Jan 30, 2014 10:42 pm
Jaime became silent and motionless. Even her breathing ceased. After a short while, she rested her forehead against the horse's neck, drawing into herself.
'Shh, be still.'
'But they expect too much. They expect too much,' her voice was a weak, grieved whisper.
'That is their problem. Keep your slate clean. For once, do the right thing. If you inconvenience and hurt others you're no better than the monsters you've slain.'
'I'm already a monster.'
The older version of herself held her close to her bosom and, somehow, she could feel the heat and it gave her strength.
"I'm such a fool," she laughed bitterly. "A useless orphan, too old to be adopted, but not financially stable to become independent. The hope of finding a family was never there. Likewise, the desire to be queen was, and still is, non-existent. It's a life in a cage: duties, obligations, relationships will become nothing more than work. Do you know what it's like to find something you've never believed you had the right to claim? And, then, in an instant, everything was ripped away." She swallowed hard and then continued in a wavering voice, "Don't you dare judge me when you haven't felt my pain as I experience it."
She sat up and reared the reigns, sending the horse into an aggressive gallop and disappearing behind trees and into the darkness. Half an hour passed, running away from her troubles, before she found herself in the kitchen at the inn once more. She was playing with the mortar and pestle to ground something to a fine powder. She seemed focused and almost happy as though she had left all of her burdens in the forest.
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Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2014 5:15 am
James watched Jaime retreat into the darkness of dusk. I'm disappointed, he thought, but he wasn't sure if he was disappointed at her for her actions or at himself for loving her. Both, he decided, resolving to sever ties with her in that moment. The further from me she rides, the less my bonds will be...
* * *
Pierre mounted his horse with some difficulty, his hands bound together by cursed steel. James handed him the reigns and double-checked the saddle bags. Pierre watched him. "And you didn't see her at all?"
"No," he lied, refusing to look up, "Must've just slipped by me."
"No... note? No token? Nothing...?" The last word came out breathy and quiet, the voice of a broken man.
"I'm sorry. There was nothing. I assumed she would've told you goodbye." As soon as he said it, he wished that he didn't. He could almost feel Pierre's anguish.
"I... I understand," the Prince said, attempting to sound more confident than he felt. "Under the circumstances... what with everything that's happened... I wouldn't want to..." He trailed off, his grip on the reigns going slack; they dropped from his hands. Pierre leaned forward and buried his face in his palms miserably. James pretended not to notice and adjusted the straps of the saddle. After a suitable amount of time fiddling with them, he picked up the reigns and handed them to Pierre, who lowered his hands and took them once more. Now it was Pierre who avoided James's gaze. He seemed to have aged a century in that moment; his eyes were dark, his lips tightened into a hard grimace, his face drawn. James couldn't stand to look at that any more and instead mounted his own horse.
Sir William nodded and led the two, along with a few of his guards, in the opposite direction that Jaime had fled. Onward toward the capital and away from her...
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Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2014 1:50 am
 Jaime washed the burgundy slop out of her hair and inspected its effects in the mirror. The dye was smooth and very effective. She looked different. No, she looked less different, but different from her past, almost unrecognizable, which was good. The white hair that she came to associate with her misfortunes finally was no more. She was no longer Jaime. She has moved passed that, she felt. The inn was vacant when she had returned to it, they had gone without me, but the tracks were still visible and tracing them would be easy. After hastily dressing into something more of the realm – a comfortable riding habit that had the option of taking pants with it – and reloading her pouch with fresh goodies, she set off once more. Their indecisive patterns were confusing, but this was remedied as the road went on. The black stallion’s hooves pounded into the forest floor as the pair cut through the trees where they saw fit. Her mind was calm and focussed: she had purpose. It took her quite a while, but eventually she caught up with them. Sort of, because their heads bobbled in the distance and she was unsure if she should go out to them. Following them at a distance would lessen the drama, would it not? It would make them happier not to see her. Then again, there was a good possibility that they would not recognise her. She did not let the assumption rule her actions, however, but chose to adopt their pace and ride a good following distance behind them. We’re going to save Ravenheart and revive Rhodessa, and you need a mascot, I suppose. We will deal with issues of emotion when the ordeal has passed.
Ever since she had absorbed her mother’s memories, she felt a tad stronger. From that thought, her hand absentmindedly felt for the pouch and lifted out a vile, bringing it to her lips and drinking from it as though it was some exquisite wine, and she a pheasant unfamiliar with artisan wine etiquette. It was sweet and bitter, and started failed to taste like blood as it first had. As it coursed through her system, she felt it’s energy heighten her senses. James and Pierre were now glowing with a low light that made out their life energies. So did the leaves, which shone even dimmer, and insects and other critters about her. She, herself, glowed in a low, dim hue that, from practice, the knowledge of concealment her mother had given her. It was a pleasant sensation, to notice and consciously reach out to these lights as though they were all in the same boat, together. She felt empathy from the critters, as scared as they might have been of her, and all other riders, strength and stability from the trees and empathy from the horse between her thighs. She patted him and was grateful – a sensation that started from her core and branched out into ever nerve. Her mind became still and, as it did, so did that of her steed.
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Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2014 3:07 am
James shifted in the saddle, an odd feeling creeping up his spine. His sixth sense was raising a warning, but he ignored it. Still, it was persistent. He looked ahead to his right; Pierre was far too distracted. He looked to his left and hailed a guard. The guard slowed to keep pace next to him and leaned in. "Does something seem... off to you," James asked quietly. The guard paused for a moment, considering, before shaking his head. "No. Why?" James merely shrugged in response and rode on. A few hours later, the feeling had multiplied tenfold and he could no longer ignore it. "Wait," he called loudly in warning. The word had scarcely left his lips before he found himself flying through the air and crashing hard into the base of a tree. Horses reared and chaos ensued; James remained where he was, not moving a muscle from how he had landed, carefully scanning the crowd for the attacker. There was nothing...
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Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2014 3:20 am
The little army had halted. She briefly saw someone flying into one direction. Was there trouble? She lulled her energy, bringing it to a point that one would mistake her for nothing more than a forest critter, by sense. The horse did not seem to become nervous at all. He was sturdy as ever, as though he had gone through much worse than a simple fright. Jaime soaked in the scene and became fully aware of all her surroundings. She did not stop, herself, however, but continued toward them a little off the road. If she were to meet with them, she was prepared. If they would attack her, she was equipped to fight them off for as long as it took to bring them to their senses. If they would send her away, her thoughts were arranged. If she were to see and suffer the company of her old friends, she would be steady as the horse she was seated upon. If there were bandits, she would be capable of a spar and close enough to them to receive help from, supposedly, any gentleman bound to the code of honour. Even if they would not budge and trouble themselves over a seeming stranger, she would have accepted her fate as gracefully as she would have been at her wedding. There were faint whispers among the assembly, but she could not make it out even as she came nearer.
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Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2014 3:38 am
Weapons were drawn and horses stamped their hooves impatiently. James continued to wait, slumped back against the base of the tree, chin tucked low, waiting. The group quieted, waiting for another attack. They circled around the section of the road, watching each other's backs. James noticed a faint movement in the air above them, as if an almost transparent liquid was flowing and contorting in midair. "There," he said calmly, pointing above their heads. The horses snorted uneasily. "What is it," one of the guards asked, appalled and amazed. Confused silence. "A portal," James replied at the same time as the captain of the guard. "Something's coming," he told them. Urgent whispers broke out among the ranks. "Hold your ground," the captain commanded. The soldiers fell into form. The waiting began.
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Posted: Fri Mar 28, 2014 5:04 pm
A giant leathery, sky-blue wing protruded from the portal; then a great, scaly arm with massive razor-like claws reached down and gripped the earth. Slowly, ever so slowly, the dragon climbed his way out of the portal. The horses reared back in fright, dumping riders and fleeing toward the safety of the capitol. The few horses that were brave enough not to flee still reared and bucked wildly, heading for the safety the trees offered. James continued to stay still, lounging slumped in the roots. Pierre calmed his horse and guided it to safety in the trees where the other horses were rounded up.
Then soldiers scrambled, shouting "Dragon!" as though identifying it would somehow make them safer. Only James seemed to feel that something was different. The dragon stretched its muscles and then turned his head to James. There it was - glasses. What dragon wore glasses. "James River," it said in a calm, rumbling voice. James nodded. "Stand," it commanded. James did as he was told. "You are hereby summoned to the high sorceress; she waits for you ahead. You must all come with me." He turned away and gave another stretch - but this one seemed to shrink him; where a great, menacing dragon had been moments before, there now stood a dragon-like figure in patched robe, loose slacks, buttoned shirt and vest. He leaned on a wooden cane as he continued down the road. After a few feet, he stopped and turned. "Come along. You must walk with me."
James hurried to his side. One by one, the soldiers followed, seemingly confused, but relieved. "Leave the horses here. They are not allowed to enter the city," he instructed. "But - " The dragon seemed to know what he was thinking. "The ones who fled will be safe at the stables outside of the city. The stable hands will be along to fetch the others." He turned and led the way.
The whole scenario shook Jaime's core, but she stood still, holding her steed, who was still and calm as can be a moment ago, at her side by the reigns. He pulled at them only gently at first, and then gave a jerk that sent pain jolting through her wrists, causing her to shriek and fall onto the forest floor. The black horse stood amidst the others, much to her annoyance. James, her head snapped into his general direction. What awaits him? Her view broadened to encompass Pierre, standing nearby with his horse under full control. A dull, yet persistent, ache ate at her insides. She rose and came to stand a while behind him and thought how, if things were different, she would sneak her hand into his.
"Do you think he will be alright?" she dared to whisper.
Pierre didn't turn around, despite the jolt that went through him. It couldn't be Jaime, he told himself. "I'm almost positive it's the same sorceress who caused all of this, the one who cursed Rhodessa into the Badlands. So, no. He won't be okay. He doesn't remember... but he's in danger." He turned to face the speaker and found a beautiful lady with reddish hair. Though she looked quite different, there was no mistaking her scent, the unique rhythm of her heart. His eyes opened wide in shock, looking down at her. He was frozen with the shock of it.
She didn't prepare herself entirely and stood staring at him for a while before finding the courage to continue. "I owe you an apology," she looked down, embarrassed. "I had no right to accuse anyone, or to react the way I did. You've been through too much; all of you have. Would you ever forgive me?" She met his eyes once more. The division between them was thick and unbreakable. "If you will not, may I still travel with you to help you see this through? We've come this far..." she trailed off, staring into the distance just past his right shoulder and bracing herself for absolute rejection.
Pierre dismounted slowly and landed on the ground with a thump. His face was blank as he slowly began closing the distance between them. He stopped just in front of her, towering over her and looking down into her eyes.
Jaime blushed and her heart felt like galloping thunder against the walls of her chest, as was her reflex when it came to him, it seemed. It pined her to think of everything they've lost, but she held a brave gait and returned his gaze, wondering at his thoughts and what he was going to do next. It never crossed her mind that he would be able to finish her off right there and then. She was completely vulnerable and there was no one to stop him now.
Pierre placed his left hand under her chin, pushing her head back all the way. With his right hand, he gently brushed over her jugular with the tips of his fingers, leaning in.
Her muscles tensed and relaxed at the same time, her stomach exploded into butterflies and a shrill ran down her spine. It was fight or flight, but she could not move.
[[Worked out with Genrin619 through Facebook messenger.]]
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