DrowsyPangolin

When the Flames Die

Sophia looked up at Sir Walden as he entered, smiling weakly. She shook her head when he asked of their state. "No, Sir Walden, none of us are hurt." Despite her weakened tone, her voice was still smooth an musical. A look of worry crossed her face when Walden mentioned moving her to another location, however. She glanced around at Gareth, Jezin and Eva. "W-where are we going, Sir Walden?"

Jezin looked a bit concerned with Walden's course of action. "Yes, Sir Walden, where exactly is this place that you speak of?" He spoke in a respectful tone to the man, but he worried about moving the princess. Even if the new location was safer, moving between the two would be exceedingly dangerous. Tyler's sword hung loosely in his right hand, seeing that no one had followed Walden. He had respect for the man, a boast few others in the capital could make, but the thought of maneuvering through the corridors didn't feel right.

Uldor, Land of Glory. (High Fantasy)

Fitch watched as the waitress approached them, a faint smile crossing his face. The smile widened when Louis ordered the salted chicken, and he lost all control and lept for joy when the Captain mentioned the drinks. They deserved such a meal, after all, they had just completed their first voyage. They were well on their way to fame and fortune, as far as he could see. He wrapped an arm around Rarden's shoulders, slapping his friend on the back with a grin. "Did you hear that? Salted chicken! And drinks!" He slapped the man on the back again with the mention of the drinks, his excitement blazing out like a roaring flame.

When the Flames Die

Jezin had been about to comment on the legality of shipping a snake out of Lyok in the first place, but was interrupted by a knock on the door. As soon as he heard the sound he raised to sword in his hand, gripping the hilt tightly. As he heard the voice on the other end, however, he lowered the blade. Sir Walden. He didn't trust many people in the castle, but Walden seemed like a genuinely decent man. He looked toward Gareth and nodded, as if telling him he could open the door. The sword, however, remained hanging at his side. Even if he did trust Sir Walden, anyone could follow him in.

Sophia felt her heart skip a beat when a knock resounded across the room. Just as she was on the verge of panic, however, she heard Walden's gentle voice. She relaxed for a moment, and a faint smile crossed her lips. She looked towards Gareth, to see what he planned to do. Eva remained vigilant, tapping her dagger gently against the marble floor of the room. Sophia wondered what had happened to the woman. She had never seen her behave like this before.

When the Flames Die

Team Wallace vs. Team Thomas vs. Team Friendship

When the Flames Die

A faint smirk crossed Jezin's face. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Gareth had concocted a decent plan. They couldn't really trust anyone in the castle, but if they formed their own group, separate from the power struggle that was going on, maybe they would make it through this alright. The bodyguard nodded. "Not a bad plan Gareth, not a bad plan at all." Gareth's place within the Order, however small, would be extremely beneficial for figuring out what was going on. He glanced back towards the door. As much as he liked to think they'd be able to enact the plan without a hitch, he still felt nervous. They had no idea what was going on outside of the door, for all they knew the entire capital had erupted into a civil war.

Sophia nodded at Gareth's words. They'd have to stick together if they wanted to make it out of this alive and well. Eva patted the Princess on the back again with a reassuring smile. The girl forced a smile back, still trying to control her anxiety. After a moment, she spoke up. "That being the case, Gareth, what were you and Wallace doing earlier?" She hadn't thought anything about the boy's choice of company until now. Perhaps the regent had told him something. Any scrap of information was better than being left in the dark.

When the Flames Die

Jezin listened as the boy spoke, his eyes still glued to the door. "I believe Thomas thinks Wallace wants to take up a more... permanent regency." Jezin listened as the squire finished, fully expecting something to come through the door at any moment. "That being said, you're right about one thing. This feud between the two of them will probably foul things up quite nicely. Now whether that's just mutual arrogance or there is more to this is up for debate." He glanced towards the squire. "I don't particularly trust either of them, to be completely honest with you, but right now that's not important. Right now I only care about keeping Sophia out of this." Jezin noticed an odd look on Eva's face. The Tauran woman seemed lost in thought somehow. "Eva, pull yourself together." The handmaiden shook her head and looked up at Jezin with a glare. "I'm fine, I'm just trying to process all of this." Sophia remained quiet, still sitting next to Gareth.

When the Flames Die

Sophia hurried into the room after Gareth, taking a seat where he motioned. She looked around the room. They seemed safe enough, at least for now. She sat down on the floor, breathing deeply and trying to calm her nerves. She had no idea what was going on. Eva sat beside her, patting the girl softly on the back, her dagger still clutched in her other hand. "There there princess, you'll be fine." She nodded when Gareth asked the question. "Yes, Jezin, what did Thomas tell you?" Her orange eyes locked on the bodyguard. Her tone was a bit harsher and more serious than usual.

Jezin looked around the room, clutching the sword tightly in his right hand. He remained standing, watching the door like a hawk. He glanced towards Gareth when he asked his question. Eva repeated the question. He kept his eyes on the door and sighed, before speaking in a hasty, serious tone. "Thomas thinks Wallace is trying to seize control of the state. While I was in his office, I saw a letter he had received from Wallace. Something strange happened. It looked like the paper was burning, but it was near no fire. I saw that it had burned a message into the paper, but I didn't see what it said. Immediately after, Thomas rung the bells. I imagine he's mobilizing the Order to arrest Wallace." His eyes remained locked on the door. "There's something going on here that's much larger than we realize." He gripped the hilt of the sword more tightly.

When the Flames Die

Jezin caught the sword, tossing it back and forth in his hands. It was a well-made weapon, but not one he was used to. The Lyoki military employed very few straight swords, and the ones they did use were quite a bit shorter than Tyler's blade. Still, it was better than nothing. He gave the knight a nod of appreciation as he left the group. Gareth had been put in charge of the Order's defense of the princess. The bodyguard turned to the boy as he spoke, explaining that they should avoid the princess' quarters. Jezin nodded towards the half-elf. "Right then, let's go. Lead the way, Gareth." The squire had a good head on his shoulders to think so logically in a time like this. Jezin pulled Sophia close to him, whispering. "Stay close, Princess. Everything will be fine. You will be safe, I swear on my life." His voice was as serious as the grave. Out of the corner of his eye, the bodyguard noticed Eva rushing towards them. He thought he saw a flash of metal in the woman's hand. Taurans, always full of surprises. "I'm coming with you." The lady-in-waiting spoke quickly, with a touch of panic in her voice. Jezin nodded.

Sophia's eyes darted about as the chaos unfurled around her. She could still hear the bells chiming from the Tower of the Thistle. Gareth had been put in charge of her defense, and was taking them to his quarters instead of her own. His reasoning was sound, it'd be the last place anyone would look for her. She nodded, feeling herself being pulled close by her bodyguard. Jezin spoke reassuringly, but she couldn't contain her nervousness. "R-right, let's get out of here." Her voice shook, but she fought hard against the panic building in her mind. Eva took her place at the Princess' left side. Sophia looked towards her handmaiden, noticing a small silver dagger in her hand. She had no idea Eva even knew how to use a weapon, much less that she'd been carrying one. The formation placed Gareth at the front of the group, with Jezin and Eva on either side of the Princess.

When the Flames Die

Jezin lept to his feet when the letter's secret was revealed. Thomas was right, he needed to get to Sophia. There was one problem, however. Forgetting all the differences between them, Jezin called out as he ran out the door. "I'm going there now, but I want my weapons. Have someone, anyone, bring them to me." He darted down the hallway, and out into the long staircase. He made his way down the long stairway, end bolted out through the door of the Tower of the Thistle. He rushed towards the Great Hall, shoving his way through the doors. He found Sophia, Gareth, and Sir Tyler standing there. He arrived just in time to hear Sir Tyler's words. "My thoughts exactly.We should go, now."

The color flushed from Sophia's face as the bells began to ring. Gareth was right, they were in danger. She looked around confusedly, trying to find any detail of what was going on. Everyone bore the same confused expression, though. Tyler suggested they return to the room, and Jezin suddenly appeared, agreeing with the knight. "Yes, right, we should go." Her hand shook in a fist at her side. She looked towards Gareth as she followed the two knights, calling back to him. "Gareth! Where will you go?" The world kept tumbling down.

Uldor, Land of Glory. (High Fantasy)

A glimmer filled Fitch's eyes when the restaurant came into view. Food, real, delicious, food. He looked towards Louis with a frown when he said no drinking rum or breaking dishes. To be fair, he did have a habit of shattering valuable things on a semi-regular basis. "Aye aye, Captain Caesar..." He spoke with a bit of joking contempt. As he followed his friends inside, he though. "But Captain, what if they serve rum inside?" He laughed and continued walking, a slight skip of excitement in his step. He could already smell the food being cooked inside. The harpoon on his back bobbed around on it's strap. Frankly, bringing such an implement in a restaurant was a terrible decision, but Fitch hadn't thought about that.