Collaborative Post Between
@Musoka and
@ViolentViolet
Aeryn smirked, rubbing his fingers together as he watched the reptile Illysia had introduced to him as Vrash when he had first come to the Keep.
"Oh no, the pleasure is always mine." The soft brown eyes of the Sellsword immediately flicked to the amethyst orbs that Illysia claimed as her eyes.
"Indeed I do, but all of the princesses are under my eye at the current moment," Aeryn smiled and gestured for one of the servants, issuing an order to take the mound of fur that apparently had a name and the bear towards the gardens.
Illysia was no about to allow him to get away with his attitude, though with her own father in sight it was best to reign in her terrible temper. Her gaze caught his, hearing his fingers rubbing together in the presence of the dragon. Was the man afraid of the beast?
"Vrash," her voice calmed the dragon, the large reptile turning to launch itself into the air again, climbing up to the rafters with her twin.
"Still not comfortable with the Dragons I see." She raised one delicately arched eyebrow, the corner of her mouth curling up in a taunting smirk.
"Fear is not always a bad thing though Ryn, you need not be ashamed. The Palace is full of Dragons after all." Amused, she watched the Tully bastard and his animal companions walk away from them, knowing that the royal family would be drifting off now that the Wards were all gone and settled. She stepped forward, footfalls silent on the stone floor, coming to stop just barely six inches away from the mercenary.
The bastard princess knew that Arton was watching, not showing a hint of his desire for her, though when she looked in Aeryn's eyes she knew that he had seen them together that morning. He had seen them before, though she had never mentioned it before. A small gasp of mocking realization, a delicate hand to her lips, slightly covering her devious smirk.
"Could it be, the Dog of Dorne is jealous of a Whitecloak?" She mock asked him, daring him to try something. It would be his word against hers if he chose to tell.
Aeryn watched the winged lizard fly up and turned back to the demurely smiling bastard princess in front of him.
"Less uncomfortable, more weary." He rubbed his fingers together, his thumb working up and down the length of his middle finger. It was a trait he had inherited from his father, a tick to concentrate and calm the mind. The Dog watched the smirk curl on her lips, his thoughts running to other permutations of what those lips could do.
"Indeed..." He sighed, the pale lips of the Dornishman pursed as he began to bite the inside of his cheek
"The Palace is full of dangerous, fire breathing, meat eating reptiles," he smirked
"and most of them are under your control." He shrugged and laughed
"What's not to be weary of?"Then Arton came up. Aeryn stifled a small growl at that immediately. Her taunting laugh and mocking question made the anger rise slowly. He had two compulsions at that moment; one was to go up to the line of Whitecloaks and start a fight he would surely regret, the other was to give a display of attraction he knew would make the Knight squirm.
"Jealousy is reserved for those that do not have the power to take what they covet, I am not prone to such a feeling I assure you." He chewed gently at his cheek and offered a hand to the Princess.
"At this current time though, the stuffiness of the Knights is getting to me." He gave Illysia a lopsided grin,
"Shall we continue throwing barbs at each other elsewhere?"The Princess was rather surprised by his nervousness, his oddly gentle behavior and possibly even affectionate display of chivalry. It was out of character for the Sand, though she wasn't going to question it right now, with her guard still keeping an eye on her. Reaching out a hand she took the mercenaries arm, long fingers softly curling over the leather bracer on his forearm. She stepped closer to him, allowing her chest to push up against his upper arm, violet orbs looking up at him from beneath long, surprisingly dark, lashes.
"Perhaps the Dragon Pit would work. I have not yet seen the newest hatchlings."Aeryn smiled and nodded, moving with the princess. His eyes flicked from her back towards the line of Whitecloaks. His smile was not the lazy carefree grin he usually had. It held a very venomous meaning for a very particular Knight.
Manasa glanced out the window of her room, looking out toward the great sea to where the sun was just beginning to give the water it's warmth. Shiva stirred on the bed, looking at her Mistress with tired eyes, though she jumped from the high surface to pad over to the Stark girl and rub against her leg. The young woman knew that the tournament was today, though she had wanted to participate in something, even if there was nothing she could do. She was useless with a sword, well, better than her brother but still not much for combat. With a sigh, she turned to the chest at the end of her bed, where her leather and cotton gear was place, her sword gently wrapped in cloth. Her practice blade was thrown in with less delicacy, tossed on top of her secret stash of training gear. Her previous instructor had spoken of her flexibility and agility being her greatest strength against a larger opponent, and she had taken up dancing to keep that well tuned, though there would be no dancing in the Capitol, not now that this 'nest of vipers' had eyes everywhere.
A little while later, Manasa had found herself in the hidden place by the water, where the wall was not as high and the stone less worn away. She had not seen a single soul here in the days since she had arrived, coming out in the dawn for her solitary morning practice between when she woke and when the other Wards would make their way to breakfast. Usually she would pretend that she had slept in, or had been in the Godswood early, since no one cared enough to say anything to her about it. Reed was the only one who knew that she was doing, and that was because Winter had brought him to her and Echo once. Of course, she had made him promise not to tell anyone. She was just a young lady and his twin sister to them, and she wanted to keep it that way.
Now, the black haired young woman turned pale green eyes to the shadow opponent before her, swiftly flicking her sword to the side to smack his imaginary blade from hand. It was one of the few things she felt she knew how to do, with the human wrist so fragile, it was just about aim and timing. Something she wasn't absolutely horrible at. She continued like that for a little bit, until there was a bead of sweat dripping down her neck that she wanted to be rid of, though she hadn't finished yet. She could bathe when she was done.
Switching to a more complicated maneuver, she tried to once, and tripped over her own foot.
The Dornish swordsman had had a long night, abstaining from alcohol and women for a night was something he had never liked. It was a sort of ritual, an act of self inflicted pain so to speak to bring his mind to the immense acuity that the Dog of Dorne's tales were built on. It was a necessity for him, for his blade and mind had to be as sharp as each other. Aeryn yawned, stretching out all the kinks from the nights sleep. His fingers went to the slight purple black raised mark on his neck, a sign of a job well done a small while ago. A smirk played on his lips at the memory. Mongrel, his spear and his usual leather armor under yellow and black robes donned; Aeryn set out on his usual paths of survey.
A smile played on his lips as he watched the raven haired Stark woman practice with her sword. Manasa, if his memory served, seemed rapt upon becoming the antithesis of what a noble lady should be. He stepped away from his usual path and began towards the woman. The Dog padded up to her slowly as she began what seemed to be a complicated form. Her footing was wrong. She was going to trip. Aeryn sighed and moved faster, quickly grabbing the blade of her sword and stooping to wrap one arm around her.
"You must be very careful attempting that one." Aeryn set her back upright and held the hilt of the sword back towards her.
"Perhaps I could instruct you?"She spun on her heel, just barely avoiding tripping again when the man let her go, stepping away from him in surprise and then suspicion. She had not personally met him before, though the Dog of Dorne was well known within the RedKeep. He had slept with her own assigned handmaid not long before she had arrived at the castle, and, unfortunately for Manasa, she knew quite a few details she preferred she did not. She looked at him, her pale green eyes showing signs of distrust and fear, though the embarrassed flush across her pale white cheeks could account for the reason behind her anger.
"A lady should be able to protect herself, her children and her husbands House while he is away." Turning away from him she prepared to leave, not wanting to deal with someone so brash and wild. He was too much like a feral dog for her to be comfortable in her ability to calm him if he grew riled.
"Instruct me?" Her voice dropped to a lower volume, her gaze going back over her shoulder to look at him from where her shoulders had stiffened.
"What do you get out of it?"Aeryn raised an eyebrow at the blush that crept over the Stark's cheeks. He could not help but grin at her response. The wild Beasttamer, as he knew her from the rumors of her supernatural abilities with beasts and animals.
"I feel as though a woman such as yourself with friends such as yours would have no issue keeping a person safe," he stepped away from her and placed his hand on Mongrel
"What I get out of it? The knowledge that such a newcomer is safe in a pit such as this." He gestured around to the keep walls and smiled at the lady before him. The sharp song of a sword leaving its scabbard sounded through the silence. Aeryn held Mongrel in two hands, holding the blade towards Manasa.
"Come, try to strike me." Manasa saw him grin, watched his eyes flicker to her mammalian companions. He had been able to tell, heard the rumors already, of the things she was capable of.
"I can't always rely on my companions. Just as a Targaryen cannot always rely on their Dragons." The Stark girl watched him take his stance, holding the bastard sword in both hands. His was a real sword, whereas her's was an older blade she cared nothing for. It was dull from wear of her practice against shadows and dummies. Holding her own blade slightly lower in a single hand she watched him. He stood on the flat of his feet, confident in his ability; whereas she bounced slightly on the balls of her feet, ready for a strike. Her eyes narrowed, the pale green darkening to an aqua beneath her lashes. She watched him from multiple angles, though the animals made no moved to attack or threaten him. Her sight was her one advantage against the Dog of Dorne; she'd be damned if she wouldn't use it.
The Dog's soft brown eyes hardened, they became the twitching eyes of someone who had seen combat before. He watched the bounce in her step, the single handed grip and always flicking to the eyes. The eyes that had since changed hue. Aeryn raised an eyebrow and smiled. He'd only fought a skinchanger once, it was an interesting affair that had led to the rippled spots of a wolf bite scar on his arm. He stepped forward slowly, his style with his blade was frowned upon in the flash and style that was so prevalent in Dorne. Aeryn instead resembled a hound, stalking its prey. He strode purposefully in to range and grinned
"COME ON!" A growling command came out
"I said hit me."The taunt was lost of her as she watched him, studying how he moved. One of her instructors before had taught her about some men taunting. If you fell for such a thing then you were as good as dead. She took two steps back, balancing on the balls of her feet, her gaze flickering to the left for a moment to catch the uncomfortable movement of Shiva along the wall. Echo was less soft about her irritation at not being allowed to attack the man who posed a threat, though if he really hurt her there would be no way to stop them.
"You do not command me, Dog." Manasa's voice was firm, cold, and low. Her movements were swift, unpredictable, and sudden, as she dropped beneath his arms - still held forward with the blade - , and ducked beneath them. Her left hand struck upward to offset his right arm, throwing off the counter attack she knew would be coming soon enough, just as her right struck forward. The tip of her blade was aimed at one of the cracks in his armor, on his inner thigh where, at a break between the plates.
The Dog grinned, the cold fury of a Stark glimmered in his foes eyes as she rebuffed his challenge. Oh but how he would enjoy commanding her. An idle thought popped in to his head and the smirk played on his lips as he he watched her begin to move. She struck quickly, unbalanced and furious. She dropped beneath his arms and pushed up against right arm, a smart decision. Her blade was aimed at the gap in his armor. Of course, she had not anticipated a warrior to drop his weapon and catch the blade in his hand. The blade bit into the leather glove, he could feel the force she struck with and the intent behind it. He twisted the sword sharply, enough to wrench it out of her hand but not cause much harm. Aeryn brought his hands up and raised an eyebrow
"Very good, you strike like an aggressive wolf," he rubbed his hands together.
"Again."Annoyance in her gaze she slipped back and righted herself, passively brushing the dust off of her tunic, adjusting it slightly so it was back in its proper place.
"Clearly." She took her sword back from his hand, re-familiarizing herself with it's weight though this time she held it delicately in her left hand. Was the girl not right handed? She threw a glance back at Echo, the massive wolf just barely holding back. She could feel Manasa's pain, knowing that she had injured herself the previous day shadow boxing, though she refused to show it. There was a stranger here, and she would never show such childish weakness in front of anyone but her brother. She lifted pale orbs to focus on him, sharp of a razors edge, watching him. She was wide awake, even though she had clearly been here since before the sun came up. It was as she took a step to the side, her foot landing softly on the stone that her eyes clouded over. Recently fluid and relaxed, her muscles seized, joints locking in place, eyes wide and unfocused. The pale yellow-green shone, descending into a deep and seemingly bottomless pit of forest green, swallowing everything in sight. The animal companions moved to go to her, knowing exactly what was happening when the Dog of Dorne would not clue in at first. Her body slumped, falling to her knees as her sword fell to the ground, the clang of steel on stone echoing in the sudden silence. Even the birds had stopped singing.
In her mind, all Manasa could see was fire; burning and devouring everything around her. She felt the heat on her skin, the flames licking her much like that of a cat. Dragon flame. It had to be dragon flames, because no other thing could create so much fire. She turned, skirts whirling to see a great red eye staring at her maliciously. There was nothing else for her to see. The flames had vanished. Stuck in what seemed to be an endless expanse of darkness. A flash of silver caught her attention, when she looked back there was no eye. A blade. Blood. Howling. Snow. Moon. FIRE.
Aeryn smirked at the younger Stark's response. She was interesting. Her grip shifted, her left hand curling around the blade she used. Aeryn raised an eyebrow, not many were ambidextrous and he highly doubted she was. She stepped forward and Aeryn readied his blade. His eyes flicked around to the animals that Manasa commanded before fixating back on his sparring partner. She stepped forward once more, but those wolven sharp eyes of Manasa clouded over. Aeryn's eyebrows furrowed together.
"Shit." He spat and dropped his sword as the woman began to sway and her animals came to her aid. He rushed forward and slid in behind her on his knees. He was not sure what was happening, but the pale yellow in the usual clear eyes was sign enough something was happening. He looked to the animals and placed a hand out, palm out
"I mean no harm" he whispered softly.
Manasa lilted to the side, slowly coming too. Sweat drenched her skin, her body shaking as she wrapped her arms around her torso. Folding in on herself she smothered the tears in her eyes. Her heart pounded, beating so fast she thought it would burst in her chest. She would have collapsed against him if not for Echo holding her up, though as the male looked at the two animal companions they allowed him to touch her. They knew they would need to trust him for now, since neither of them could bring her inside to safety.
"T-take m-me to m-my room." Her voice was barely above a whisper, her eyes closing as she leaned against him, shivering. She would still feel the heat of the fire in her vision, see the eye watching her. It sent chills down her spine.
The Sellsword wrapped an arm around the girl. He felt her coming to
"What just happened..." He nodded slowly and placed an arm underneath her legs. Forcing her to wrap her arms around his neck, he held her close. She shivered against his chest. He stood up quickly, her slight frame a trivial weight in his arms. The Sellsword began off back in to the Red Keep.
