[indent] The Bear and the Maiden Not-So Fair [hr] The girl lay on her back with her arms spread out, watching the night sky above her, looking at each and every star that snuck into her vision from behind the canopy of trees towering above. Then she looked at the trees - trying to count the hundreds and thousands of leaves - even in the darkness she could make out their shapes and imagine the colours and the many shades of green. She imagined them growing out of the branches, and wished it were spring so she could see them blossom with flowers and fruit - more colours! Reds, violets, and magentas contrasting against the sharp greens set against a backdrop of grey clouds - dense and yet fluffy in the moonlight. If it were daytime, she wondered what sounds she would hear - surely more birdsong. She loved birdsong - she imagined if she heard it enough, she could pick out a sparrow from a thrush from a robin from a blackbird. If it were daylight she might be able to [i]see[/i] the birds, darting through the sky, swirling across an azure sky - a bright yellow sun glowing. She listened closely to the sounds of the breeze snaking through the grass; along with the gentle hooting of a distant owl, and cicadas, so many cicadas played their symphony. That was all that she could hear. The sporadic hooting of an owl and the mass chirping of wildlife as she lay back on the solid ground taking it all in. In this form, she felt small and insignificant, her own life disappearing on the breeze that she could hear - washed away on the streams that were somewhere off in the distance. She had learned these sounds off by heart. She knew how the sounds dipped and came back up, and that some of the animals and insects scarpered before the rainfall. She knew everything like the back of her hand. Yet still, this land was a mystery to her and something she would never truly know. The thunder began to roll over as clouds formed and floated across the curtain of night. Each of the familiar stars disappeared behind the clouds that moved in - and then came the rain. If she concentrated hard enough she could imagine how cold and refreshing each drop would feel on her skin, she could imagine the trickle of water rushing down her face and through her hairline, she could imagine how the humidity and rainfall would cause her clothes to cling to her skin, growing tight and uncomfortable - and cold. She could imagine the sensation of fresh water on her lips. But the rest of this scene was a mystery. She could only see so little, for such a short amount of time. Because it was now time to wake up. The loud banging of a hand nestled in a gauntlet thunked against the heavy wood of a door pulled her from her dream. No matter how she tightly she closed her eyes, it never came back. It might be another lengthy wait until this particular dream came back to her. “Up, Seven,” came the gruff and unforgiving voice of a patrolling guard as he paced the stronghold, his footsteps languid and dragging against the cold hard stone. “It’s Caeliana…” she whispered under her breath when she was sure he was out of earshot. With that, she blinked awake, heart racing from the crude wake-up call and mood soured from being yanked right out of paradise and back into reality. What kind of day would it be? She wondered as she lifted her legs from the bed, her bare feet touching the cold stone. She recoiled. There was never a day the sensation didn’t catch her by surprise. The very last dregs of sleep had now been shocked from her system, so there was always that. “It feels like a sunny day,” she said sarcastically as she walked to the window and pulled back the curtain. “Ahhh yes, I knew it,” she began in a slightly theatrical tone to herself, picking up a tankard half-filled with water “sunny and not a cloud in sight…” Outside of the window, really, was a lonely sight. The sky was a slate grey, always threatening something. What was behind those clouds today? The Imperial took a seat on the windowsill, blowing free drust from the rim of the tankard before she took a long sip. It was stale again and she scrunched up her face in disgust and croaked, “tastes [i]so[/i] good, so refreshing. I feel soooooooooooooooo hydrated...” She tipped the last of it onto the floor, staring blankly up at the lonely sky. “And today, we’ll take a walk through the forest and perhaps have time to for a splash in the river…” Caeliana said as she made her way around the tiny room. A tiny square of stone walls, stone ceiling, stone floor. Just a simple cot in the corner and a dummy who had seen better days to hold her armour up. Three candles sat on a small end table. That was it. She pulled on her jersey and trousers quickly. Like the dummy, her jersey had seen better days. It was getting threadbare at the elbow and shoulder. Not to mention that it was torn under the arm. She would need to get that repaired. “Maybe I’ll see rabbits or foxes running over the meadow. The sun [i]always[/i] brings them out to play. Not to mention there will be some does springing through the long grass.” She pulled the breast plate on, fastening the leather straps over her shoulders. “I’ll set up up a campfire, have myself a small picnic of bread and cheese… A glass of wine.” She tugged at the belt, letting the steel plates fall comfortably at her thighs. “After that I’ll lie back on the grass and take a nice nap…” A leather strap was used to pull back her hair into a bun at the back of her head, the usual strands fell loose from it and framed her face. So buried deep in her own imagination was she, that she didn’t hear the clumping sound of steel boots tracking back across the corridor. The hand battered against the door again, so hard this time it shook free some dust from the frame. An abruptly angry voice yelled out from behind it. “Seven. Stop fucking talking that nonsense to yourself and [i]get to the Godsdamned pit already[/i].” “Aye!” She shouted back, scowling from behind the door. Once again she waited until the old tin can had all but gone, and she whispered under breath “guess that’s a dream for tomorrow…” [hr] She stepped into the arena, it was yet more stone and grey and sleet. The rumblings of thunder over in the mountains carried on a gale to Windhelm, but the fortress kept them safe, at least that’s what they were told. It was as cold as ever, so cold and biting that it made even her tanned cheeks turn red and the wind nipped at her face so much that it brought tears to her eyes. It was a harsh and unforgiving day, not a ray of sun in sight. She sighed - unsheathing her sword, the familiar ringing of the steel almost made her feel comforted. What would the challenge be today? From the other side, a gate was opened. She stood ready, hunched slightly, shield on her arm held out in front of her. It was usually other soldiers, it was normally a sparring session. Sometimes, they’d fight some of the criminal scum picked up from the slums. Hell, Windhelm was just one giant fucking slum. “Come on…” she muttered, gaze intense at the dark corridor. She heard heavy footsteps. She felt them on the ground. “Oh my…” she gasped, as the form of a Bear lunged from the gate. He was a huge beast indeed. How had they captured it? She was in awe, it was rare that animals were brought in like this. There was something completely wrong with this one though, and she sensed it immediately. There was a red mist surrounding his entire body, radiating from him. But his eyes - the eyes showed his pain. He was under a spell. [i]Fury[/i] Her next observation was a series of slashes upon the belly of the beast, barely stitched together with magic. “How many times have they had you out here today?” Caeliana was incensed, it was unspeakably cruel and it didn’t take a genius to work out what had happened to such a beautiful creature. He deserved better than to be a slave to violence here. She did not know how many time he had fought against the Gladiator’s of Windhelm since he was captured, but this would be the last. She would make it quick too, the guards would not have time to figure out her plan. The bear bellowed out at the Imperial, a rasping and desperate sound that cut through her more than it’s claws ever could. It was pleading her to end it, at least that’s what she told herself. Her sword would only touch him once and it would be the last time steel ever did. Her eyes narrowed and she began a sprint parallel to the bear and she watched as he tracked her. Her grip tightened on the hilt of her sword and as the bear began to close the distance, a blue light coalesced in her palm and her shield came loose from her wrist. Under the force of her Telekinesis, she got enough weight behind the round shield to have it hurl towards the bear until it made contact with it’s head with a loud and dense [i]”thwack”[/i]. The shield dropped and rolled, metal scraping on stone - the sound bouncing around the walls of the arena. He was still up. It hadn’t been enough, “shit!” she yelled out, laughter erupted from the guards of the arena. “Gonna take more than that, Seven!” one of them called back in between his annoying chortling. She had to move now, though the bear had slowed down and was stumbling, she was still in trouble if it met her. She widened the gap with a quick sprint to the centre, “come on baby, follow the leader,” she breathed as her palms lit up again and she lifted up the shield once more, this time she threw it up into the air. It needed more [i]weight[/i], and she knew there was nothing like a good long fall to add enough weight to finish this. “Come on now,” she said through gritted teeth as he lurched forwards, the red mist still swirling around him in frenzied wisps. He roared out again, a tired yelp finished it and the gap was growing small enough for him to take a swing at Caeliana, but the shield landed first. Right at the nape of his neck, causing him to slowly drop, right at her feet. [i]Perfect timing.[/i] The red faded away and all that was left was the exhausted, panting creature - not an ounce of fight left in him. “Yer done, back up and we’ll have it taken back. Good work,” the guard from the outskirts said as he knelt down to pick up a chain from the ground. She did not listen, instead, pivoting so that she had a foot either side of the bears head, her hand on top of him. His fur was so soft, just like the fur that lined her cloak. She watched his breath form as clouds from his mouth and nose, saliva pooling around his chin. He cried so softly. The pain of his poorly tended wounds catching up to him. “I’m watching you, Seven. Don’t you try it or you’ll be in deep shit. Wulfharth risked good men to catch that beast,” spat the guard from the edge of the arena as he began to sprint out towards Caeliana, watching her raise her sword to the unconscious bear, “we’ll get more training from it yet! He’ll have you fucking lashed for your insolence!” If the guard had not wasted his breath shouting across the arena to her, he might have been able to catch her before she took her sword to the neck of the bear, placing a Calming touch on his head with her free hand. It was a singular swift and graceful movement that finished the job and released the animal from it’s torture. A spray of crimson followed. “Talos have mercy on you, creature.” Caeliana whispered down to the fallen beast, watching the blood pour from her blade to the stone. “You’re in trouble now you fuckin’ brat. You’re gonna get bumped - wonder where you’ll land this time... Shame, cos I heard you were [i]this[/i] close to being Six,” laughed the guard heartlessly as he grabbed Caeliana by her arm and began to drag her away from the scene. [i]Worth it.[/i] She thought to herself as the beginnings of a smirk curled over her lips. [/indent]