Lasting Decisions [Lion]

[CalamityMei]

It was the morning before, before her world was about to change forever. Marriage, a word so particular and acute that it made her shudder at the very thought of it. She shook herself from her reverie, starring out of the window into the gardens nearby, the weather miserable, rain assaulting the ground.

She had recently been dressed by the maids, her hair in an intricate updo with all kinds of jewellery adorning it, while her dress was deep emerald green in colour, cascading gold leaf detailing draping across the expensive fabric. The hem at the top dipped, and the corset pulled her tightly together, causing her endowment to be accentuated, while her waist was cinched. In short, she looked like the Lady of the house, but her golden eyes just stared at herself in the mirror, the same image reflecting back. Make-up helped to emphasise her most prominent features, her lashes long, hugging her cheeks and her lips rosy.

Her heels clicked along the wooden floors as she exited the room, making her way to the dining hall. Guards stood at their posts, while maids bowed to her as they passed and cooks hurried to prepare the marriage banquet, ready for tomorrow.

Her eyes were lost, her mind was lost. She was dreading the moment she'd walk down in her gown and marry a man who was notorious for being cruel and lecherous. But her parents didn't care, all they cared about was the wealth of the Dewitt name and the prosperity behind it. She remembered their cruel words:

"If you don't marry him, we will cast you out, call you a whore, and forever be lost to us as a daughter. Then everyone will know how the Dewitt family doesn't tolerate weak, stupid little children, even their own child. Look at your brother, he is a prime example of an excellent son, now be the daughter you're meant to be and marry!"

The moment played over and over in her head until upon turning a corner she bumped into something hard, her head dizzying slightly at the impact.

[Lion]

Admittedly the blow did make Christer stagger backwards  just as he too turned the corner and he hit the side wall with a dizzying crash.  His armor clanged against the stone wall of the hallway, almost matching the clanging in his head as he tried to steady himself.  He peered at one that sent him scurrying almost half way across the entire estate and was about peel the skin off the young hooligan that wasn't watching where he was going.

"Ah!  Lady Rose!" he fumbled suddenly, straightening and standing at attention, bowing and squaring his shoulder once more.   "My apologies, my lady.  I should have paid more attention.  But ah, yes, I was looking for you, actually."

He gave her a smile and another bow, clearing his throat and trying not to make the moment anymore awkward than it already was.  "Lady Rose, your father asked me to retrieve you in preparation for the dinner rehearsal in the main hall downstairs."

[CalamityMei]

She rubbed her head gingerly, the impact probably will end up leaving a small bruise or lump. It was then she caught the guard in her vision and she too stood briskly straight, making sure her posture was lady-like instead of slumping like she did when alone.

"Ah, at ease Christer, it's fine, my fault actually." She waved her hands in front of her and offered a smile of forgiveness. Christer, one her fathers top bodyguards, she had known him for a while now, having been in their company for quite some time. Brushing down her dress she tried not to respond with a scoff at her father wanting to see her.

"I see, thank you." She continued to walk, all the while her heart aching as she stared out of each window she passed, longing for freedom of the ties of the Dewitt name. To not marry was her greatest wish, but her life was set, she'd be used for the sole purpose of bearing her husbands children and retrieving a wealth beyond even their families own.

She soon approached a massive archway, two massive wooden doors opened up into a grand hall, the floor decorated with intricate art pieces representing stories from religion. Her heels clicked as she walked and Rose saw her Father shouting at a maid who had laid the dinner cloth incorrectly. She shook her head, and kept her face stoic, emotionless, it was the best she could do with these circumstances, she might as well be a puppet for she truly wasn't herself.

"Father, you wanted to see me?"

((OOC: Feel free to act out her fellow family members, they're quite the harsh bunch!))

[Lion]

Christer followed not too far behind Rose, keeping a respectful distance but just close enough to allow other guards to know he was in her attendance and yet not actually escorting her as he might some hooligan down into the dungeons.  He was nervous, he had to admit to himself, though he had no real reason to be.  But there was a discernible tension in the air as they entered into the main hall.

The décor was set out for the next day, and the rehearsal was assumed to go off without a hitch, must like the wedding.  Lord Dewitt was a stern man, almost as cold as the stone of Castle Dewitt.  His eyes twitched, small dark beady things that looked as if they could dissect you with the intensity of their gaze.  Christer gulped unconsciously, as he stood at the door way, bowing and keeping to the corner.

"It's about time you showed up," Lord Dewitt replied, the coldness dissipating for a brief second upon sight of his daughter.  But his disapproval was readily apparent.  "I was afraid we'd have to start without you."

[CalamityMei]

She winced at his words, the disapproval of her father not foreign to her any more, yet it still ached her to know, that she wasn't the daughter of his expectations. She threatened to look back, hoping that in her eyes someone would help her, see the lost, helpless girl within them, but she didn't, her eyes fixated on her fathers as he spoke to her.

"And I suppose you think it suitable to arrive late on your own wedding day too? Bah! Preposterous!" He didn't even give time for her to answer, assuming things like he usually did, his voice echoing in the hall, all servants freezing, the air eerily quiet.

"I-I'm sorry." She could have cursed at herself in that moment for letting her voice falter. That's one thing her father didn't tolerate, weakness.

He gave her one last disapproving stare before clapping his hands, gathering everyone into position for a night of mock feasting and fun, all in preparation for the wedding. Even though the party was simply a rehearsal her father went all out as per usual, inviting guests she didn't even recognise.

As the night dragged on and the whole hall became a ballroom she took her opportunity to quickly sneak out, hoping her fathers attention was elsewhere. She leaned back against the doors, looking up at the ceiling as she just stared at it for a second, an angel reaching down on the intricate painting, almost as if it were trying to pick her up and take her away. Anywhere other than here would be like heaven, she thought to herself absently. As she stared at the painting for that moment longer, the other hand of angel's pointed across and she followed it, her eyes looking down in the general direction.

There was a door, open, into the courtyard, into the darkness and pouring rain, and her body moved by itself walking out of the door as if the angels themselves had told her to flee. 

[Lion]

Even Christer jumped at the force of his voice.  It was not his place, however, to question or falter at the voice of his lord and liege and Christer forced himself to straighten, peering silently at the exchange.  He knew Lord Dewitt was a hard man, but he'd never seen this side of him before.  He almost felt sorry for the poor girl.  No one deserved to have their own parent come down on them like that.

All for the sake of what?  The family name?

There you go again, Christer! he chided himself and the bodyguard's expression soured.  Know your place.  Just like your father said.  You're invisible, apart of the background, and yet everyone knows you're there.  You're nothing more than an armed decoration.  Keep your rambling thoughts squelched like normal people

That thought calmed his mind for the majority of the night, but occasionally he found his eyes lingering on Rose's soured expression, and he supposed he couldn't blame her for her reaction.  He didn't want to get married anytime soon either.  Thankfully, he had a lot less pressure on him than she did and.  Wait, where did she go?

His eyes scanned the crowd, and he moved along toward the back, until he found the open door, leading out to the gazebo and out into the courtyard.

"Lady Rose?" he called out, seeing her form in the pouring rain.  "Lady Rose!  You'll get drenched!"

[CalamityMei]

She didn't think, she just ran. Her heart hammered and her hair stuck to her face as the rain soaked her to the bone in a few mere seconds, her dress ruined, clinging to her form.

She discarded the shoes as they grew muddy and dug in the grass, her feet getting soiled instead. In the distance behind her she could have sworn she heard a voice, calling after her. She risked turning her head, a faded blur of a figure running through the rain.

"Don't follow me!" She screamed her voice lost in the assault of rain as she made her way into the nearby woods.

[Lion]

Where in Ansgar's blue heavens was she going!?  Christer panicked and nearly slipped as he started off in a jog, getting soaked in the rain and soon following after her in a steady run.  "Lady Rose!" he called out again, his voice a little hoarse.  "LADY ROSE!  Come back!  You'll....you'll get hurt!  Where are you bloody going!?"

Christer ran faster, tripping over her discarded shoes and stumbling into the mud.  He quickly climbed to his feet, laboring as he watched her vanish into the woods.  He dusted himself off and pursued.  "Lady Rose!  Please come back!  It's dangerous!"

[CalamityMei]

Branches caught in her hair as it ripped free, her intricate updo becoming a drenched mess. She clambered over low rising logs her dress making the effort that more strenuous. Her mind was blank and her actions were frantic, maybe she wanted this freedom more than she initially thought?

She recklessly started out in a run again but not until her dress caught on a stray branch, causing it to rip with an almost deafening sound. Next thing she knew she was slipping, down a muddy bank as her dress became slicken with dirt and her knees grazed upon impact.

She cried out in pain as her dress became unbearably heavy and she couldn't distinguish if she was crying or if it was just the rain.

[Lion]

The night was unbearably thick and made traversing the woods even more difficult.  Christer tore through the low-hanging, branches, mud sliding underneath his boots, rain tearing across his sight.  He moved a lot slower now, and had thought he lost sight of her when at last he heard a cry.  "Lady Rose!" he cried out after her, stumbling through the dark.

It was only by the grace of the moon that he thought he saw her slumped form in the mud, down a hill side and he clutched onto a tree to slide his way down there.  He stopped down at the resting curve of the slope, sliding down onto his rump beside her unceremoniously.

"Ooof!  Lady...Lady Rose!  At last I have caught up with you," he said, panting.  "Oh!  Oh dear, are you hurt!?"

[CalamityMei]

Mud was everywhere, on her dress, her feet even small parts of her hair were slick with it. As Christer fell next to her she ungracefully scrambled to her feet, her hands grabbing a stray branch and holding it out in front of her as a makeshift weapon.

"D-Don't take me back, don't!" Her lips quivered as the cold of the night air turned them a slight blue, her eyes red and swollen from crying, the rain making her tears unnoticeable. There was silence now, only the pitter patter of the constant assault of rain upon the ground, if anyone were to pass by Rose, she'd be indistinguishable, not even her own father would recognise her.

As her vision cleared through the rain, she managed to make out the figure, Christer. Her compassionate side coming through, wondering if he was okay, even in moments like this. In her peripheral vision she caught site of a river, rushing waters had loosened the bank, making it flood and become unstable. She took a step back then, and another, the idea of her jumping into the freezing waters becoming more apparent. Her eyes darted behind her then back at Christer, the branch still shakily in front of her, keeping him at bay.

Then she did the unthinkable. Discarding the branch, she turned around, ran and jumped into the freezing, muddy waters of the river.

[Lion]

"Don't take you back? What do you mean don't take you back?  My Lady it is pouring out here!  You're drenched and cold and miserable and are not thinking rationally.  Please!  Your Father will be sick with worry and...My lady?  Lady Rose, where are you going?"

Christer suddenly turned in horror as she ran off into the river and he stood with abruptness.  "Lady Rose!"  But it was too late.   He panicked, momentarily before he dashed after her, only to get sucked into the current along with her.  He did his best to stay afloat, especially since the waters were freezing and he was weighed down by his armor.

Christer sputtered, gasping for breath as they were both swept swiftly downstream.

[CalamityMei]

The water hit her like a thousand knives, the cold breaking through her skin making her numb to the bone. She gasped as she struggled to breathe, the current too strong for her to always stay afloat. Her feet fumbled to keep her steady but the current just pushed her along with uneasy force, the mud now washing from her skin.

She tried her best to stay calm, but with the murky waters submersing her every now and again, her breathing became erratic. Her hair had come out completely from its updo now, the length of it pooling down her back, sticking to her face. Her dress made it difficult to control which direction she was going, her eyes darting in front of her, then behind her to see where Christer was.

It was then she noticed the waterfall, her mild calm turned into panic as she kicked and flailed frantically to try to reach the other bank. Her arms reached out, her fingertips scraped along the surface as her eyes stayed fixated on the gushing waters. But it was all in vain, the current was too strong and as her life flashed before her eyes, the next thing she knew was she was airborne; falling. Her scream pierced through the forest as she plunged into the unknown.

[Lion]

He didn't know whose screams were louder.  At some point they just melded together and the next thing he knew he was washed ashore on the river and awoke with a splitting headache.  But despite his shiverings, he sat up, his armor heavy and clothes soaked with water. 

"Lady Rose!  Lady Rose!" he said, trying to stand on the muddy bank.

[CalamityMei]

Everything that happened next was like a blur, the current at some point had slowed, washing her onto a muddy bank unconscious. Her head was mildly bleeding, the culprit of her state, she lie there practically lifeless. It took her a few more minutes to finally open her eyes, the murky waters lapping at her feet. She felt dizzy, tired, cold and hungry and as she still heard Christer's cries, she forced herself up hoping that somewhere, somehow she'd find somewhere to hide.

[Lion]

[Lol!  She's still trying to get away! XD]

Christer staggered to his feet and he felt exhausted underneath the weight of his armor.  His hands struggled with the clasps, taking off the pauldrons and throwing them into the dirt before seeing Lady Rose - or her form anyway - staggering away from him.  Christer jogged after her, finding his footing a little worse for wear. 

"Lady Rose are you hurt!?" he tried hollering after again.  "Lady!  If you're hurt you must stop to rest!"

[CalamityMei]

[Not for long!!! XD]

She tripped, her fatigue evident and her ankle sprained as she cried out from the pain. Her head was bleeding, her ankle sprained, her form muddied and scratches were almost found every inch of her body. It was then she felt a desperate need to just give up all together then, she just lied there in the mud, gentle sobs coming to the surface as they threatened to force her to cry any second.

She didn't want to go back, she didn't.

[Lion]

Christer stopped just short of her and walked gently, quietly until she was a few feet away.  "My Lady," he murmured, but didn't know what else to say.  He moved around her, his feet sloshing with water as he walked.  He gasped as he knelt before her and held out his hands, palms first.  "My lady, you are hurt," he said and hesitated to touch her.  "May I?  I wish only to look at your head."

[CalamityMei]

She shivered as he approached her, her lips trembling and her hair stuck to her face. His voice had a shred of tenderness in it, and even though she knew he was her fathers bodyguard, she couldn't move, not like this.

Her head? She brought a hand up to touch the side of one of her temples and when she brought it back blood coated her fingertips. She felt faint again all of a sudden, the pounding in her head threatening to send her unconscious once again, but she knew if she did she'd awake back home, a wedding postponed but not forgotten.

"I-I'm fine." It was futile to reassure herself that she was in fact 'fine', it was quite the opposite, she was battered and bruised, her head thumped with enthusiasm as if it were her father praying the Gods to punish her. She raked up her soaked dress to take a brief look at her ankle, mild bruising dotted around but nothing broken. She wanted to stand and keep running but she couldn't, and that was when one last resort rested in her head, she needed help.

"I-I need s-shelter." She shivered, wrapping her arms around herself in the hopes of conserving whatever heat she had left. 

[Lion]

Christer blanched a little.  He hated the sight of blood.  Yeah sure, go on and laugh.  He was a knight and bodyguard and here he was feeling a little queasy for a little bit.  But, she was a lady in distress and in need of assistance.  Let it not be said that Christer shied away from giving aid when it was needed the most.

He sat on his haunches, mindful of her state and peer at her head for a moment before he pulled out a handkerchief from his belt pouch.  It was soaked with river water but otherwise clean and he used it to gently dab her head.  "Do not worry, Lady Rose.  We will find a suitable place to rest and replenish," he said as he cleaned her wound and directed her to hold the cloth to her head.

His voice grew morose as he peered at her ankle and his frown deepened.  "But unfortunately, you're not going to get very far with that ankle.  I'm going to have to help you walk.  Now, I'm afraid I don't know where we are.  We can't be that far from your father's estate.  Maybe just a few miles up...er."  Christer turned his head this way and that, trying to make sense of his directions, and pointed up toward a random direction.  "That way, I'm sure of it.  Now, don't fret.  You'll be safe at home in no time."