ravenDivinity

When the Flames Die

"Oh my, thank you both, my lady and Eva." Gareth graciously accepted the food from Sophia, and he took it into his hands, the young half-elf mumbling a small offering and a prayer, before he began taking small bites out of the loaf. Harker swallowed when Jezin approached, and he bowed curtly. "Pleasure to meet you, sir." The two fighting men approached and he delivered a formal greeting to them both, Gareth nodding to Thomas in return. All of the competing would run for at least four more hours, Harker calculated, long after sundown, and he assumed that by the evening he'd be shooting arrows into the night. "It will be the first of many amazing nights I will treasure, I am sure, Sir Morgan."

When the Flames Die

Harker smiled again at Jezin and Thomas when they looked over, but his focus on the knights was broken when Sophia's silky voice singed to him through his foucs. Gareth heard 'hungry', and his stomach almost immediately growled in response. "Oh my... pardon me... yes, my lady!" He seemed more eager for a meal than a commoner for good work, and he grinned with delight the moment he spotted the bread in the hands of Sophia's servant. The day drew out for so long after the morning feast, and he ate so little since then.

When the Flames Die

Alright, looks like we can get the ball rolling again!

When the Flames Die

Gareth stared at Sophia with a raised brow. "How in the Spirits do they consider that a match?" Although he found himself happy with the results and stood to clap with the others in the crowd, Harker was in disbelief for the decision to call the match a victory for Thomas even though there was no true sport in it beyond a flat-out draw. He looked towards Thomas, Gareth leaning against the edge of the stands and looking for the knight. "Oh dear... I say, he won, my lady, and I am glad, but... that was an oddity." A weak smile crossed his face to greet Sir Morgan nonetheless, despite his intrigue around the decision. He supposed that perhaps the match was a little lengthy and dragged out for too long, but he would've thought that in the King's tournament fairness would've been priority.

When the Flames Die

I'm sorry for not posting for the past couple of days, but I'll post as soon as Quadrophenia's and Sightles's fight is resolved.

When the Flames Die

"You are very much welcome." Gareth took his hand off, eyes back to the skies. "They say hawks only hover where there is dead prey." Whether it was a dead animal or a dead man, Harker knew not, but something had fallen. He took his eyes off the bird and focused on the fight, Gareth biting his lip, and in his mind he scolded Thomas and the Order for wearing such thick armor in a fight of agility. Certainly they knew such weight would inhibit performance... The half-elf only hoped Thomas could dodge enough hits to win and not tire early. His opponent was quick, and not only quick, but crafty. Winning the fight seemed a gamble now.

When the Flames Die

Gareth reassured Sophia with a hand on her shoulder. "It will be alright." He said, reading her expression carefully. She seemed to also read him equally well, and they sat there for that moment, comforting each other. Harker also noticed the hawk circling above, a peculiar thing for them to notice, particularly because birds of prey only flew in such a pattern over a carcass. Something nearby was certainly dead. "That hawk..."

When the Flames Die

Gareth paid his attention to Sophia's face again. "Oh, nothing, my lady." He hummed for a moment. "Nothing but the stuff of dreams." He neglected her curiosity, shrugging off his little imagination as something not worth speaking of, a bland conversation topic, for everyone certainly sought some sort of greatness, especially in their ambitious youth. Maybe if there existed the potential for his dreams to be realized, then they would warrant talk, but alas Harker saw them as hopeless in their time. "Why? Is there something on your mind?"

When the Flames Die

"Haha, indeed, at least the targets have no sentience." The half-elf chuckled. "My parents taught me." Gareth twiddled his thumbs, and also stared up at the clouds in the sky. He wondered if it would rain later, for if it did, he would have to leave the palace in the midst of a storm, which would be no fun at all. And sitting there next to Sophia, Harker couldn't help but daydream of a life bigger than his own, just outside his grasp, of an adventure or a great tale told in a legend or a song. He seemed faroff in his thoughts, distant in a dream, but he was still there with Sophia, and he looked at her, and at the bracelet on her wrist. 'Fancy,' he thought, but with no surprise. It was a sight to see, fit for a princess like Sophia to possess such jewelry.

When the Flames Die

Gareth crossed his arms and intently heard her talk about her siblings, the half-elf noting the tone shift. He smiled nonetheless and looked to her, while he recalled his lack of participation in any sort of formal competition. His only training with the bow came from his parents, and even then he couldn't determine that he was well-trained, but perhaps others could. "Hmm, I can't say I have. I hunt, but comparing skills against other men is new to me."