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 Posted: Sat Dec 21, 2013 10:35 pm
This is an RP between ~Kiana_Nala~ & Thalea.
Please do not post unless given permission. Setting is sometime after Sansa has gotten away from the one that had captured her.
Note (added 7/25/15): Any characters presumed/stated dead may not be fact.
Since some of these characters may still yet be customed, Sansa will just believe they are dead through certain acts that occurred.
This does not mean any of these events occurred with that soquili (should they be customed) nor should anything that happens reflect on their character.
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Posted: Sat Dec 21, 2013 11:11 pm
Sansa had managed to get away from the one that had taken her from the castle. Joffrey was long behind her and so was the one who at the time, she thought to be her savior. Oh how very wrong she had been. The mare shuddered in fear, her pawed feet shook violently beneath her. Her hair was a mess and she had no desire to fix it. Lady was dead. The dove that had stayed by her side had flown away upon her "saviors" change in personality. Otherwise it would have likely been killed. What was the point in living anymore? Sansa was broken inside. Her heart was so torn she couldn't even feel it beating in her chest anymore. Despite the shaking of her limbs and body she couldn't even feel it. If she was cold she wouldn't have known. The mare was like an endless and empty void.
Her blue eyes were finally free of tears but the area around them were red though the swelling was finally going down. It seemed like since she had come to kings landing all she had done was cry. She was weak, not like her sister Arya. Her eyes closed as if the void in herself had grown in size. Arya. Where was she? Was she safe? Alive? The mare had been unable to protect her and while Arya had seen the world for what it was, well she had dreamed of it to be that of the stories her wet nurse had told her. There were no knights in the world. No magic. No good. The world was an evil and cruel place. Where there had been hope around every corner there was no longer any left in the world, at least in her eyes.
The mare came to a halt as she reached the edge of forest which led right to up to a large lake. She stood there for several moments in silence before walking up to the water and looking at her reflection. Sansa couldn't even see herself in the water as she peered into it's depths. "I don't want this anymore." She whispered to the water. Maybe it was better if she ended it all. It was the cowardly way out, but then again, that's exactly what she was. A coward. To weak and scared to save her sister. To stupid to save her father. Her brothers--even Jon were now surely in danger for her leaving kings landing. If they weren't dead already. The breath came out of her lungs in short gasps. It was too much for her. It was all her fault.
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Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2013 1:22 am
The thick metallic scent of blood filled the air, choking those who breathed in the putrid air. Corpses of the fallen were pulled to the side, their lifeless eyes stared into the souls of the living. Survivor’s guilt filled those who had fought and lived, they constantly wondered why they were allowed to live while so many of their comrades were dead and rotting. The battle was fierce and there did not seem to be any hope; the Kawanii seemed to be losing against the savage kalona race. A young foal walked through the desolation, his heart beating rapidly in his tiny little chest; fear cloaked him as a shadow rose from the dead bodies. A kalona covered in fresh blood turned its red gaze on the foal, with a sudden lurch it attacked.
Taliesin woke with a start, his heart pounding and his breath coming out in gasps. The sun was shining bright through the trees, it was not just nightmares he had to worry about, now his memories seemed to haunt him during the day. Slowly he shook his head, trying to rid the last ruminates of the nightmare; the herb was no longer having a strong effect, he was becoming immune to its properties. He was not sure what he would do when the herb stopped working all together. Fear spiked for a split second then relaxed as he took in a deep breath, he would worry about that when he got there. Why was he still having these nightmares? He was an adult now, not some tiny foal who did not know how to fight the enemy when it attacked. He was now a stallion who was skilled in battle, medicine and travel; so why did he constantly suffer?
On silent hooves he made his way out of the forest, the sight before him made him pause. It was truly lovely, nature at its finest. The lake before him was completely calm, it reflected the sky on its clear waters, a touch of heaven on the world. His golden eyes noticed the figure on the other side of the lake, curious he walked closer. Her whisper carried across the water and into his ears; those five words held so much pain and heart break. He continued to make his way toward the mare, stopping a few meters away from her. He looked at both her and her reflection in the clear waters, the emotions on her countenance seemed to vary with sadness being the most prevalent.
“Hello My Lady, may I ask what woes thee?” Taliesin paused, did he really just say that? Who used thee in a sentence? Oh well, the damage was done, the words were out in the open.
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Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2013 2:14 am
As soon as the stallions voice hit her ears the mare jumped and crouched down to the ground in fear, as if he would strike her. "I'm s--s--sorry!" Was the first thing that escaped her lips as if she was programmed to do so. And to some extent, she was. Slowly her mind processed the soft words that he had spoken. Her body still shivered with fear but she was at least able to look up at him, though she did not make eye contact. That was something she knew better than to do. Sansa took a gulp. From what she allowed herself to look at the stallion before her seemed to be the physical representation of all the stories her wet nurse had told her. For a moment she wondered if she had died at the paws of her captor or that she had actually gone through with drowning herself. There was no such thing as a kind stallion. No fairytales. No happy endings. Sansa knew better than to trust the sweet words of a stallion. There were nothing but lies and deceit hidden underneath. But what could she do?
Sansa gulped and allowed herself to clear her throat. She was a Stark. Starks were from the north, they did not fear the summer people. Sansa felt like a failure. She had dreamed of what it would be like in the summer palace, that she would meet her knight or prince, she would dance and be marry with the other ladies, that she would only associate with other nobles. None of that happened though. It took all the mares strength to rise to her feet, but her legs still shook. "I--I. . . Was lost." It was a lie that even the most foolish of soquili would be able to figure out but it was the only thing she could allow herself to say. To say that she had lost her father? That her sister might be dead as well? Her prince, the awful and twisted being she thought was the most valiant person in the world had brought all this upon her? He had treated her horribly and when she thought she had managed an escape her captor was only doubly horrible as Joffrey. Now she stood before this stallion. He seemed kind but so had the others and she would not allow herself to be tricked again. There was no way she could fight him off or run fast enough but she would not pretend that this would not turn out bad. Needless to say, she did not trust him one bit.
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Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2013 1:47 pm
In a blink of an eye, the once standing mare was crouched down on the hard earth in a submissive position. Confusion flickered across Taliesin’s countenance as he looked upon the scene. He shook his head, not accepting her apology, “I am the one who should be sorry. I did not mean to sneak up upon you and startle you in that way.” She still did not fully look at him, but always kept her eyes down. It worried him that a mare would act that way. What had happened in her life to cause her to be like this? During his travels he had heard of stallions who abused mares and the thought sickened him; would this be how the mares would act? Shaking at the sight of any male that comes upon them? His thoughts went to his mother and sister, two of the strongest mares that he knew. They were so different than the mare before him, but yet also similar. He did not say anything as he watched the mare get back to standing. His eyes widened slightly at the sight of the paws, how could a mare who bore the appearance of a wolf cower before him?
Her words rang with a blunt lie, but Taliesin did not push. If she wished to keep secrets he did not blame her, she had just met him after all and some secrets were meant to remain hidden and unspoken. Even though he knew that she was not truly lost, he thought he would do the proper thing and take her lie as truth for the time being. If just to get to know the mare a little better and to have some company upon the road. Traveling was a fun adventure, but sometimes one longed for a friend. “May I be of service My Lady? I know some about these lands hereabouts.” He looked around the woods, he had been here for about a week, ready to leave for home, although this was the first time he had come across this lake. His golden gaze returned to the mare, a smile appearing on his countenance, “My Lady, I seem to have forgotten my manners,” he bowed his head to the Lady, “I am Sir Taliesin Pendragon. I know it may be blunt of me, but may I inquire your name My Lady? Or do you prefer I continue to call you My Lady? I don’t wish to presume too much.” He was still smiling at the mare, he was surprised with himself for talking so much, usually he kept silent and let the others talk while he listened. Perhaps the nightmare shook him up more than usual. The knight gave a mental shrug and turned his attention back to the mare.
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Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2013 4:33 pm
Sansa had to give the stallion credit, his words seemed to exude nothing but kindness but that meant little to her now. So many others had used that to trick her before. However, knowing she could not possibly fight him off she simply decided she would go along with his ruse. Maybe she would have the upper hand because she wouldn't be tricked. "It is not your fault." She responded softly. Her eyes still did not make contact with his but she at least raised her head higher. It was a small move but at least she looked a bit like the lady she was. . . is. For a moment she allowed herself to look at the water again only this time it was the reflection in the water that had her attention. "I must apologize that you had to see me like this. It's been a arduous journey." She added, her attention once more taken by the stallion before her.
His question made her pause for a moment. This was most certainly a trap and she had already determined that there was no chance of escaping him. So what more could happen? Besides, she needed to get away from here. No matter what she had to give up in return. It's not like she hadn't been in this situation before. "My name is Sansa. I'm the daughter of Lord of Winterfell, Eddard Stark." She knew there was much danger in telling him her name, whether he intended to harm her himself or sell her to those that would. She wold just have to let whatever happened, happen. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Sir Pendragon." She curtsied and then paused. "Shall I call you Sir Taliesin?" Sansa asked him, not letting herself assume which he would prefer to be called. His smile was kind and had she not known the rotten parts of the world, she would have smiled sweetly and maybe allowed herself to truly enjoy his company. After several moments of debate Sansa made her decision. "If it would not trouble you, I will follow you out of this area." She said, having no idea where she had intended to go after that.
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Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2013 9:04 pm
He gave her a wry smile, “I believe it is, I seemed to have interrupted you doing something important.” He was slowly making progress with her it seemed, although she would still not make eye contact with him. “No need to apologize, journeys usually strain those who travel upon them.” He knew from experience how long and tiresome that some journeys could be and how one wished for them to be done so they could return home to the ones that they loved. How many times had he been in that position? Home… how was his family fairing? Was Aunt Eve still absent? Or had she sought out her revenge? He would have heard word for sure if the villain had taken the throne or the demented stallion who was Taliesin’s half-brother.
Taliesin tilted his head to the side in confusion, “Winterfell? I have never heard of such a place. Is it here in Kawani?” His thoughts went back to the rest of what she said, “That is a very lovely name Sansa. It is a pleasure to meet you. You may call me Tali if you wish, much less formal if we will be traveling together for a time.” He looked around the woods, “Did you have any specific location in mind in which you wished to travel? I was going to head toward home, which is…” He tried to get his bearings of which direction was where, he stopped when his gaze landed upon the mountain ranges, “They are towards those mountains, a week’s travel or so, depending on the pace. My mother and father have built quite a palace out of the mountain side.” He did not mention that it was there strategically to protect those from Guinevere and her army. “Do you wish to travel in that direction?” He returned his gaze back to the mare, he had forgotten where he was for a second and who he was talking to. Sansa was not one of his Quest mates, but a lady in need of help. “Sorry I said too much, you wish just to leave this area. With that I can be of assistance. When do you wish to leave?”
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Posted: Sat Jan 25, 2014 8:30 pm
The mare tried to find a reasonable explanation as to why he was wrong but the right words just weren't there. "It's alright." Was all Sansa could manage in response. His next words were not wrong but he didn't realize just how true they were. Or to what extent. This journey from Winterfell to the summer kingdom had been hell. Every turn there was an enemy and tragedy followed shortly after. There had not even a moment of peace let alone a moment to grieve those who had been lost. There was a gaping hold in Sansa's chest. Then with everything that happened since the death of her father? Sansa really wished her life would have ended by now. In some ways Sansa hoped that this stallion was just as bad as the rest she had encountered, that he would free her from the pain, the sadness and the never ending loneliness. If she could never seen Winterfell in her life at least she could in the afterlife. There she would finally be free.
"Winterfell is in the far north." Sansa replied. "Not many know of it because the harsh winters are almost impossible to face. My family has lived there since the first soquili came to these lands." She further added. It wasn't surprising to the mare that he hadn't heard of it. They mostly kept to themselves unless they were called upon by their king. Just the thought of him sent shivers down her spine and her breathing grew a bit labored. "Thank you." The mare responded, her voice trembled slightly but her breathing had gone back to normal by the time she answered. When he allowed her to call him Tali she certainly wasn't going to argue. If this stallion wanted to be called King like so many others, she would have. She knew better. "Tali will do just fine." The mare waited to respond, watching as Tali looked over towards the mountains. She couldn't say for sure if this was a sign of trap but she had already decided there was no way she could fight him off or run in her current state. What if she was wrong about him? This could be her chance to go home. It was too good to be true but she couldn't yet kill that hope that was inside her to see her family and home again. If only she had treasured all of it more when it was hers. She had been a stupid, silly girl. "Sir Tali." Sansa paused. Was this the right decision?
"I would greatly appreciate your assistance out of these woods. If it is not too much trouble. . . May I?" The mare paused once more. It was too good to be true. She knew this, but no matter how fearful and utterly broken she was, Sansa just could not allow herself to travel with this stallion unless she told him. "I--I should warn you before you agree to take me with you." Sansa took a deep breath. She was exposing so much of herself to this stallion. It was wrong. She needed to stop. Trusting him was dangerous. "I may get you killed. There are many who are looking for me." The mare finally came clean. If he was good then he shouldn't have to face the fate he would most certainly be forced to face. Everyone around her died. If he wasn't, well she couldn't say he didn't deserve whatever happened to him.
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Posted: Sat Jan 25, 2014 9:03 pm
In all his studies he had never learned of the land in the north known as Winterfell, but it did not surprise him, since he was not taught the politics of the neighboring kingdoms, that was his sister who held that responsibility. The way she described the land did not sound appealing to the stallion, harsh winters were not a favorite of his, having suffered through some blizzards while on his quests. “I know this is a personal question, but I am curious. Why did you leave Winterfell and come here to Kawani?” He stared at the mare, trying to gage her, trying to understand her, so far it was not working out the way he had hoped. Tali bowed his head to accept her thanks and smiled at her words, trying to get the mare to open up more, he told her something about himself that only his family knew, “I used to be embarrassed by my name, but now I am just amused. Taliesin means ‘Bright Forehead’ and being part unicorn I definitely have a bright forehead. Okay, now that I said that out loud it does not sound as interesting I thought it would be,” he shook his head and laughed at himself.
His ears perked at her saying his name, “It is not too much trouble at all, My Lady, I would actually be honored to guide you through these woods.” Different thoughts filled his mind when she said those words, what could she warn him about? She was not of this land and yet there was something here that caused her to be cautious and fearful. A slight frown appeared, he knew plenty of dangers that lurked in Kawani, and he was related to two of them. The knight looked at the mare, “It is a risk that I am willing to take to make sure that you are safe. My mother would be displeased if she knew that I left a lady to face an unknown land alone.” He took a deep breath, “Dangers are a part of life. I have been living with certain threats since I was born. I understand the fear and the uncertainty of it all.” He paused, letting his words soak in, “I promise that no harm will come to you while you are under my protection. You will be safe with me.” It was a promise he would keep, no matter how hard life seemed to make it.
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Posted: Sat Jan 25, 2014 9:30 pm
Sansa was surprised when the stallion had wanted to know why she was in the Kawani lands. It was personal, but if he took her from these woods didn't he deserve to know? The mare raised her head, nearly making eye contact. From what she could see of his face the stallion was handsome and well-kept. He had a kind voice. Then again, so had the others. Sansa made the conscious decision to trust the stallion, if only for a temporary time. The mare inhaled again, preparing herself. "It's a long story." She moved her paws under her. Looking a little edgy. "I will tell you. . . However, may I tell you on the way?" Sansa hoped he would understand her feeling of wanting to escape this area as soon as possible. If he would take her then she would follow. "You're only half unicorn?" The mare asked. Now her blue eyes rested on his hoofs. The hair that pooled around them made it hard to see if he had the cloven hooves that would either distinguish him as full or not. Then again he had lacked the tail that she had heard went with unicorns. Sansa had never seen one though, so it was possible her wet nurse had lied about them. "I heard stories about unicorns. They do sound like a kind, intelligent and brave race." She added.
When Tali told her that he would take the risk of taking her out of these woods her blue eyes finally locked onto his olive one's. "Why would you take such a risk for a stranger?" The mare couldn't fathom what she was hearing. Surely this stallion was mad or had a death wish. Or maybe he was drunk on the idea of a fight. The mare had encountered many like that. They all seemed to be summer children here. She had never understood the truth of her family's words until now. The "Winter is Coming" phrase. Winter was always coming and it had set its sight on Sansa Stark. It had done the same to her father and his men. "You don't understand." Sansa frowned deeply. "If you have a death wish then I won't stand in your way. I just. . . Want to leave here."
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Posted: Sat Jan 25, 2014 9:58 pm
The stallion nodded his head to the mare, acquiescing to her request to discuss her reasoning while on the move, “Yes of course, My Lady. It will be many long hours on our journey; we may even get tired of hearing each other’s voices by the end of it.” Taliesin flicked his tail full of hair and then followed her gaze to his hooves, which were cloven beneath all the fluffy fetlocks, “Yes, well part unicorn, part kirin on my mother’s side and regular draft stallion on my father’s side.” He could not help but smile, “Why thank you, I will take that as a complement even though I am only half of that brave, intelligent, race.”
Was she finally warming up to him enough that she was finally able to look him in the eye? Her eyes were a lovely blue, deep like the ocean, yet not quite as green. More like the sky meeting a glacier, “I am a knight, I am sworn to protect those who need help and who may be in danger. I am not a stallion who goes out to seek a fight; I would rather not fight if given the choice. I have seen battles, and death, but I have also seen happiness and hope.” The knight shook his head at her words, “I do not have a death wish, if I did, I would not be standing before you today. I promised that I would protect you, and I will keep that promise.” His thoughts went to his mother and sister, they would disown him if they knew he had left a lady alone and he could not bring himself to leave her. She needed his help and he was going to offer it. Threats of her past seemed to haunt her and it was the same for him. He was not sure if her ‘here’ meant the woods or kawani, so he took the literal meaning “I will help you get out of these woods. I know we just met, but you will have to trust me when I say I do not wish for death and I do not make promises lightly.”
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Posted: Sat Jan 25, 2014 11:09 pm
Needless to say, the mare was relieved to hear that she could slowly tell him her story, of how she had ended up in the woods looking like a peasant who had never seen a lake before. It was refreshing and new. In the castle there had been many secrets, but it felt like everyone knew hers. This stallion allowed her to keep it in, if only temporarily. She had caught the smile, though she could not tell if it touched his eyes since her head had been down.
There was no humor left in the mare but she had to resist the urge to laugh. A knight sworn to protect the innocent? Oh, she had seen many knights who were supposed to protect the weak but who were as corrupt as their boy king. The mare had little faith in his words now. If she had to travel with him though she had to put a little bit of her remaining faith in him. It was hard to do. Sansa could not bring herself to tell him the full truth, not yet. But she did at least let him in a little. "You are not the first knight I have met Sir Tali. I hope you are as you say." Promise? There had been many promises made in the castle. Her promise to wed Joffrey, for him to spare her father. Those had all been promises but were any of them kept? She once more fell deeper into her depression. They were nothing but pretty words. Sansa was a fool though. How many times did she need to prove that fact? One thing was for certain though. Allowing herself to gaze into his eyes, even if by accident, she could see that he had known pain in his life. To what extent she could not say. It was enough. "I have been promised many things since I came to these lands. Be that as it may, I feel I can only trust in your promise now. Knowing that there are those who wish to harm me I cannot say that believing in you, only to be fooled would be all that different. I'm willing to take that chance." Sansa Stark admitted to the stallion. She would try to be honest with him. No matter how hard it was.
Sansa's gaze dropped from his once more. Her light blues rested upon his gold necklace. "I will follow you then. To wherever it is you decide to take me."Thalea ((Shall we have them head out now?))
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Posted: Sat Jan 25, 2014 11:27 pm
Was he saying all the wrong things? He understood the need to be wary, but with each word he spoke the mare seemed to pull away, not trust his words for they seemed like lies. It hurt him to see how much his words of truth were seen as falsehoods; with that thought he had to give himself a mental shake. He knew that the mare before him had suffered a lot in her past and her lack of trust came from that darkness. Just continue being yourself, he told himself, and perhaps one day you will learn her story. “I am sorry that your other encounters with knights have not been a friendly one. I hope you will come to see that I am what I say.” There it was again, her pulling away. Who were those knights in her past that made her so? In acceptance of her words he gave a slight tilt of his head, “I understand My Lady. Trust is to be earned, not freely given, and I am glad that you will trust me enough for our journey to begin. I will not let your trust be misplaced.” He turned away from the mare and looked again toward the directions of the mountains of his home; he began to take steps toward the forest, preparing to leave the mirrored lake behind him. He turned toward the mare, “Are you ready Lady Sansa to leave these woods?” He would take her first to his home and hopefully from there she could determine where she wished to go.
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Posted: Sun Jan 26, 2014 12:06 am
For all that Sansa said there was a very small part of her old self that had not been broken, that believed every word the knight spoke. However, it had been buried so deep within her that she was completely unaware of it. Every now and then she felt herself get a glimmer of hope but it always seemed to be torn away. It was too fresh for her to have healed. It was like a open wound to the artery in the neck; it seemed to keep bleeding and no one dared trying to sew it up. When Sir Tali turned himself from the lake Sansa found herself looking at it as if it was the last lake she would ever see. Maybe it would be. No. She thought to herself. Sansa had told him she would give him what little trust she had left. She would believe him and if he turned out to be nothing more than a liar then hopefully he would have the decency to end it all for her. She could look forward to that at least.
"Yes." The mare replied softly, turning herself from the lake and following the young knight. She made sure to keep herself not quite at his side, nor behind him. The mare's paws softly fell upon the ground with each step she took. As if she was trying to be as quiet as possible. "Sir Tali, in exchange for leading me out of these woods I said I would tell you about myself." The mare put her wolf tail was between her back legs, slightly wrapping around it around her left leg. This was going to be difficult. "Where would you like me to begin?" Sansa was unsure if she was ready to tell him everything right now, but she would do as she said. Even if that meant that it took the entire journey to get to the present. It seemed a bit easier to leave it up to him. What he would like to know about her past.
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Posted: Sun Jan 26, 2014 12:30 am
When he looked back at the mare, he saw her looking at the lake, “It is a beautiful lake, although I much prefer the one that is near my home. It is quite large and in the morning the mist rolls off of it, creating a sense of magic and wonder.” He continued to walk, his hooves were silent as he walked through the woods due to practice and training, he could barely hear her paws touch the ground. There was no need for them to be quiet, but he did not press the matter. Taliesin gave a slight frown at her words, the way she said it made it seem like he was forcing her to talk about herself when all she really wanted to do was talk about anything but. He wanted to learn more about this mare and receive an understanding about why she is the way she is, but forcing her to tell him in return for helping her be free of the woods was not the way to go at gaining information.
A sigh escaped him, and he paused to look at the wolf mare, “Lady Sansa, you do not have to tell me your past if you do not wish to. I do not want to force you to do anything that upsets you. If you wish to tell me your tale, you can begin from where ever you wish. We have plenty of time to talk while on this journey and I don’t want our conversations to come out forced.” He looked away from the mare again and continued walking, heading in the directions of the tall mountains. “And know that this goes for me as well, if there is anything you wish to know about me, feel free to ask. This is not an inquisition, but two companions traveling and getting to know one another.” Although even if he told her his whole life story she may not believe him, there were parts that he did not even believe himself. His mother had an evil twin, who convinced his father that she was the real queen and became pregnant with Tali’s half-brother after turning most of the kingdom against the real queen. It just seems so unreal, like a dramatic tale woven by a storyteller.
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