Advertise/Affiliate Other Forum Main Page The World Before You Play

Of Fae Wings & Frozen Landscapes (Dragonsong)

Started by KingTyrant, August 24, 2017, 08:24:08 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

KingTyrant

OOC: This is a continuation of the thread To Be Found.

The nights were always the harshest when it came to the Sionad tundra... The wind seemed to blow the hardest, the snow seemed to pile the highest... It was generally unforgiving. As soon as night hit when the king and his men arrived, they took shelter in a thick patch of trees, set up a warm fire, and tethered their horses to where they couldn't run off, if anything was to spook them. Here, they were safe from the frigid wind, and could have a hot meal and drink to warm what of their bodies that the fire didn't.

Most of his men were around the fire, the ones who brought their lutes, drums, and other instruments playing old Serenian hymns to keep spirits high. He, however, was a little ways back, sipping from his cup of tea with his eyes trained on the glowing embers of the fire. He looked over, between the frozen trunks of the trees out at the rolling hills of snow and the tundra itself, but with how foggy it was from the snowfall, all he could see was white. It had its own beauty, in a way, with how bleak it was.

He gave a sigh... None of his men were facing any illnesses or after-effects of the cold, but their journey through this expanse was somewhat early. They still had a day's travel to Hyoite, and they had to cross the whole tundra to get there. That was where the demon said he was heading, back at the Arcane Catacombs, where Anoria's wings were robbed from her yet again. A demon, with an artifact of that power. The thought of what could happen was bone-chilling.

As his mind shifted to Anoria, he looked over in her direction with a frown. She was an interesting character... Very hard to get along with. Still, he had to put himself in her place. What if he had lost such a vital piece of himself? What if he had lost Qiana? He'd probably be just as bitter, if not more. Many in his service had questioned why he was helping somebody so ungrateful for everything that he was doing. Well, the answer was quite simple, really. Anoria was a being who had her entire existence ripped apart by Serenians. In a way, this was him giving back.

"Still prefer to drink that tasteless shlock over a fine ale, eh?" A big-bellied, bearded man said, stumbling over to him with a full tankard of the stuff. From the slur in his voice, it was safe to say that he was pretty drunk, and his eyes had that distinctive glaze that most drunken bastards tended to have. Still, he couldn't fret the soldier for having a good time. He'd regret it in the morning, though. "Yes... I prefer drinks that don't leave me a weak-legged mess. Besides, I have to lead you boys come sunrise." He explained in a teasing fashion.

DragonSong

Despite her best efforts to keep to herself, Anoria found herself beset by the occasional rather tipsy soldier who slurred out a question or an insult- or perhaps they were compliments, she really wasn't sure- before swaying their way back to their companions.

She started to gather that it was becoming a dare among the men: who was brace enough to approach the frigid Fey woman, how much coin if they actually spoke to her.

Unwilling to indulge the ridiculousness any longer, she stood and approached the king. "Where do you sleep?" she demanded without preamble. "I believe I plan to retire."

KingTyrant

OOC: Sorry for the long wait. The drama seems to never end in my life.

"Well, lass, you could always join me in my tent! I'm sure you won't regret it..." The drunken soldier slurred out at her, his body swaying as if he'd fall over at any second. Viktor sighed, rolling his eyes as he patted the man on the shoulder. "Go and retire in your tent alone. That's an order." He told him sternly. The man hiccuped, stumbling away towards the others, their tents set up close by.

Viktor took a moment to watch him leave before looking towards Anoria. "Over there." He answered simply, gesturing towards his own tent, which was somewhat larger than the others that his men occupied. It was set a good distance away, near a rocky overlook where the treeline seemed to end and begin again, leaving the area open to the frigid wind, with the tent acting as a barrier. "I think you'll find that it's far enough away so their noise won't bother you."

He looked back out towards the whiteness of the rest of the tundra, his arms crossing over his chest as he imagined the harsh cold out there as opposed to the safety of the trees, or near the fire. "Long way to go until we reach Hyoite... Do you Fae have some sort of resistance to the cold that I don't know about?" He mused. Serendipity was full of lush life. It was green. This tundra had none of that life, and the temperature of death itself. He hoped she was prepared.

DragonSong

Anoria curled her lip at the drunken soldier but didn't deign to answer him. Her eyes flickered to the king's tent and she nodded, then glanced sidelong at him when he asked his question.

"I suppose we do, in a sense. We are not such fragile things as you mortals- unless the magic that birthed us is in direct opposition to cold, I would imagine my kind would feel minimal ill effect." She shrugged. "I've never been inordinately bothered by temperature, at least."

KingTyrant

"Good... Then I have little to worry about." He said, eyes remaining focused on the journey to follow. He tried to block the thoughts from his mind, but he couldn't help thinking of the inhabitants of the land before them. Few and far between they were, with settlements near the hot springs which scarcely dotted the land here and there. Those that lived near the springs weren't what bothered him, though.

His mind of course wandered to the Sionad trolls... Barbaric, green-skinned, apelike beings who raped and pillaged without remorse... Most hated their kind, and they hated most of everyone who weren't trolls themselves. Somewhere, he hoped he could navigate where there would be none, simply to avoid conflict. This was due to the knowledge of how hard it was to kill a troll, let alone an entire tribe. It'd be easier if they had an army, but this simply wasn't the case.

"Have you ever been to the tundra before now?" He asked her, raising a brow in her direction.

DragonSong

Anoria, already turning toward the tent, paused and glanced back over her shoulder. "Once." She shrugged. "Many summers ago now. I doubt much would have remained unchanged." She seemed to consider that statement a moment, then shrugged again. "Although I suppose one never knows- the tundra has a sort of stasis about it quite unlike any place I've ever been, save perhaps the Faerie Realm."

KingTyrant

At her response, he raised his brows in surprise. He didn't expect a being like her to have gone far from her homeland, let alone to a place like this. Any experience in the harshest lands known to man was worth something. It made more of a difference than one going in completely unprepared.

"Let us hope the trolls spare us trouble, eh?" He smirked, passing by her as he made his way to the tent as well. "One thing that never changes about this tundra, Anoria... The trolls rule the tundra. At least the more lifeless areas of it. Though, nowadays, the trolls go wherever they please. And gods' help those who get in their way. I would know. I was one of them." He remembered his days as a soldier and general, driving the barbaric monsters from Serendipity, and even rescuing his dear mother from the clutches of Rk'stl, the warchief himself.

They were brutal... No tactics, just shock and awe. Overwhelm, and terrify. They weren't smart, but they were certainly strong. A run-in with one would be a hassle. With many, let alone Rk'stl himself, was a living nightmare. He'd never want to subject her, or these young men to Rk'stl's wrath.

DragonSong

The faerie smiled coldly. "I appreciate the...concern of your warning," she said slowly. "But I highly doubt it will be relevant."

She'd dealt with trolls before. True, then she'd had her wings and so full access to her powers, but she doubted it would prove too much trouble.

KingTyrant

He stopped where he was, brows raised at her. He was impressed by how confident she was. Nodding slowly, he chuckled. "You have moxie... And you've shown yourself to be good in battle. So I have high hopes that you can back up such confidence." He said as he resumed his pace towards the tent.

Ducking and slipping in, she would notice how large and cozy it was, a planning table off to the far side, a collapsing desk, and to the far left, a rather large bedroll. A tapestry on the far wall was the Serenian banner, enlarged, with an old war hymn written along the edges. "Make yourself comfortable... But not too comfortable." He joked with her.

DragonSong

Anoria slipped easily into the tent and glanced around. She frowned and glanced at him, evidently genuinely puzzled. "I do not understand- how can one make themselves too comfortable?"

As she spoke she stepped further into the tent, toward the tapestry. She reached out and traced two fingers along the embroidered words that lined the hem. There was a coolness in her chest and her eyes went icy...but there was a core of something like grief in her expression.

I remember these words. Ellaena had sung them to her, so many summers ago. She clenched her eyes shut and quickly drew her hand back, fingers curled into a shaking fist. "Sleep. You'll need it, human king."

KingTyrant

Viktor glanced up at her, removing pieces of armor from his arms, and then his torso. He frowned at her puzzled expression... Was she that bad at reading humor? Or maybe he just wasn't as funny as he thought he was. "I... Erm... Never mind, Anoria." He shook his head, finishing getting out of the clunky, rather uncomfortable armor.

Sitting on the edge of the bedroll, he massaged one of his shoulders, the clothes he wore under the armor noticeably dirty and worn from travel. He watched as she read the hymn written on his tapestry, sensing the pain in her body language. Moments like these made him wish he understood her past a bit more. Even if he couldn't do much to comfort her, it'd at least help to have an idea of what she'd been through.

As she suggested he rest, he didn't argue with her in the slightest. His eyes were stinging with exhaustion, and his body was screaming for rest as well. His muscles felt as if they were ready to burst with how much strain they had been put through over the course of the day. He nodded, scooting over to give her room, if she chose to sleep. "Likewise, you'll need your rest too. Try not to take too long getting to bed." He advised, laying down and rolling over to face away from her.

DragonSong

Anoria gave a noncommittal sound in response to his concern, her eyes still fixed on the tapestry. slowly, she managed to tear her gaze away and turned to see the human evidently asleep, or near to.

She sighed and allowed some of her walls to fall, her magic curling out in relief as it sought life, green and growing things. There was not much, this far north, but the earth always had some life in it, if one looked deep enough. She sank down, crossing her legs, and closed her eyes. To an onlooker she almost appeared to be meditating.

A hazy blue glow lit the air around her, soft enough to almost be starlight trapped inside the tent.

KingTyrant

The morning sun finally hit the frozen land soon enough, with traces of light twinkling into the tent. It didn't take long for Viktor to rise from his sleep, rubbing his eyes and yawning as he sat up in bed. Looking over, he reeled back in surprise as Anoria wasn't sleeping, but rather meditating, illuminating their tent as she did so. He didn't want to go over and shake her... He had a feeling she wasn't much of a morning person. Unless she was conscious? Perhaps this is just how the Fae rested...

He stood, going around her and keeping a few feet of distance as he grabbed his things, putting on his armor groggily. Soon enough, one of the king's men entered the tent, looking equally confused at Anoria's meditative state, but quickly diverting his attention to Viktor. "The troops are ready to head out, your majesty... The blizzard from last night has ended, which will make the road ahead far less treacherous." He explained.

Viktor scoffed. "My boy, the blizzard was the least of our problems. We'll travel along the edge of the tundra, and let the hills cover our advance." He left it at that, not wanting to scare the rather young man too much. Most who served Viktor at this point in his life were blissfully unaware of the Sionad trolls, and their iron grip on this cold, dead land. He especially didn't want him to know the kind of things they did to humans... He wished he never found out, himself.

"Should we wake her?" The soldier asked, nodding towards the seated Anoria. He advanced to do just that, Viktor holding out an arm. "Not too certain she's asleep, boy. If she is, the last thing you want to do is give her a rude awakening." The king said, looking at him seriously. With a gulp, he nodded, leaving the tent. "Fae? Are you prepared to head out?" The king crossed his arms, tilting his head at her.

DragonSong

Antonia came back to herself slowly, by degrees, as she heard the human king and one of his men talking. She blinked her eyes open when he addressed her and nodded, climbing gracefully to her feet.

"I am ready," she reaplied with a dip of her head as the blue glow around her faded.

KingTyrant

Viktor nodded, twirling his spear slightly. "Gather your things, and meet me with my men at the base of the hill, near the edge of the treeline." He told her, deciding to leave then to give her a bit of privacy. As he left the tent, the white glow of the sun hitting the soft snow was almost blinding. From where he stood, his men were folding up tents and framing, gathering drink and rations, and placing it all in the carriages, or saddlebags of their horses. A few men dumped water on the dying fire, which had apparently gone all night, with how long they were all drinking and singing their songs.

Soon enough, the majority of them were on horseback, making their way down the hill and to the edge of the treeline, where beyond it, only rolling hills of snow could be seen. Viktor didn't like this, not one bit. From here on out, they'd be completely uncovered. Still, there was no other way to do it. They just had to do it. "Remember, along the edge of the tundra itself. We'll attract less attention that way." He alerted all of his men, who gave an, 'aye' in response.

When Anoria finally joined them is when Viktor gave the signal to march on. They all traveled in a defensive formation, with Anoria and Viktor wedged in the center, along with the carriage full of supplies. As they neared the bank of the tundra, snow became thick, slippery ice, and traversing the land became much, much more difficult. It was a quiet trip, too. Normally, the soldiers would be singing out old Serenian war chants, but they remembered their king's orders about remaining undetected.

"You're the closest thing I have to detecting an ambush... If you sense anything along the lines of danger, don't hesitate to tell me. We may all die, otherwise." He urged her, looking over at the Fae with a grim expression.

DragonSong

The fae woman nodded mutely in acknowledgement of his request, and took just a few moments to collect herself before going to join him.

She was mostly silent as the camp set out, almost gliding over the frosted ground. She looked over at the mortal king when he spoke and nodded, thoughtful.

"I sense no danger to your men presently, but I will let you know if that changes," she murmured.

Tags: