OOC: This is a semi-open thread, but PM me or post here (http://www.spiritsoftheearth.net/smf/index.php?topic=16657.msg186699#msg186699) if interested in joining!
@Alegretto and
@Ivory - your characters are totes invited <3
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The day was beautiful and the sun was shining- but as it were,
everyday was beautiful and
everyday the sun would shine. This was Essyrn, the heart of the desert- and it was all around her that it's opulence sprang to life, slaves holding fans to cool her and her serving men off as she laid back on her royal traveling throne and stretched out her limbs and snapped her fingers so her slaves could bring her a drink- and some grapes. She was awfully fond of grapes.
As the Great and Powerful Shah, she was drawn out of her home in the capital and now made her annual 'pilgrimage' towards the Niafi River Delta, past the West River Bank where the majority of the wealthier merchant prince and princess lived, and towards where the river opened up into a great outstretching of arms of water that spilled out into the sea.
Perched from her vanity seat, she could see for miles out across the desert, even with the lush palm trees swaying in the wind, and it was only at the sight of the ocean glittering on the horizon did her lips warm into a smile and her green eyes began to glitter like twilight. It was definitely something to behold, and despite the fact she wouldn't necessarily remain at the beach for long (for the event was only to take most of the morning- and to end well before it got dark); but it did not mean she could not enjoy the calming sounds of gulls and ocean waves crashing- and the silky wet sands here- that were far more kinder to her feet than the hot sands of the city.
Part of her was curious if she might find herself a few sea shells to add to her collection, one she could place inside her garden.It was something she had adored to do since childhood, and memories taking her back reminded her of her father, and how terribly she missed him so.
But as it were, she was alone now, and it would be Persea's first real attendance at the annual Crocodile Hunt in her honor. She couldnt lie, she was squirming with excitement to see what sort of trophy beasts would be brought in just for her on this day. Nothing could stop this feeling and oh how she beamed. Today would mark such a great occasion! And any mistakes she had made before were washed away, and seemed to be carried off into the sea.
Once they had made it to the ocean, the commands were given to set up camp, and while before her stretched endless miles of oceans, she turned to observe the
real location of these games-
The Niafi River Delta.
It was several miles of twisting, lush palmed forests thriving with life of all kinds- and the bggest and baddest of the river animals were the Niafi River Crocodiles. She had once seen a crocodile so big it could have swallowed her whole in one great big snap of it's jaw. Though this idea both thrilled and fascinated her, it also terrified her to no end. To think... so many were risking their lives to be in her favor- and she had no idea of the consequences of such a game....
The long ride across the dunes wore on Mal'hin's patience. He understood that this entire expedition was a grand tradition, and he did appreciate tradition, but each year it felt as if the Shah was being put in unneccessary danger. He looked up from his mount at the traveling throne where Persea reclined. Especially this year, odd tidings were in the air, and the Captain-of-the-Guard didn't like it.
He looked away from the Shah and broke off from that chain of thought. He instead peered at the ocean ahead. How often had he made this trip in service of Persea's father? How many times had he seen great crocodiles and warriors alike brought low? He wasn't sure he could remember. He was quite positive about how many times the current Shah had experienced it, however. Zero.
Once, he would have thought that he could predict her reaction to the upcoming carnage, but he felt as if he barely knew the Shah recently. He wasn't sure how he felt about Persea in her new role. Realistically, it wasn't as if the Shah had to actually rule her kingdom, but she did have to represent it. And he still wasn't positive that she was equipped to do that.
Well, time would tell. In the meanwhile, all he could do was protect her as best he could, from threats both internal and external.
When they arrived at the site where they would set up camp, Mal'hin dismounted and approached the Shah. "Your Highness," he addressed her with a bow, "I must politely request that you keep at least two guards with you at all times while we remain outside the palace. The danger of the crocodiles notwithstanding, your presence here today is well-known and anticipated, and there are some who may try to take advantage of that. Your safety is paramount, so please, be careful."
"Two guards at all times? That sounds awfully stifling. Are such measure necessary?" For she hadn't recalled there being such tightened security measures when her father had been on the throne, and she stared at the Captain as if she just asked her to eat worms. She was hoping to steal a chance away to enjoy the ocean. Now it seemed any chances to get away for but a moment were thwarted as she remained, tense and poised upon her little traveling throne.
Mal'hin saw the look she gave him. He recognized that look. That was the, "I don't want to do this," look. He sighed. He decided that the best way to get her to take the escort would be to reasonably explain to her why she needed it. Persea was an adult, surely she'd listen to reason?
"I know this sounds painful your highness, but it's really for your own good. It's dangerous out here, what with the crocodiles, the thieves and bandits, and the merchant lords? All of those groups might find some reason to attempt harm to you on this trip, the crocodiles for obvious reasons, and the merchants for more subtle ones. I just want to protect you from these threats."
Persea gave a frown, but nodded at Mal'hin's suggestion. She knew he was only trying to protect her as she gave a resigned nod.
"I suppose we have to put the other guards to use," she said before sighing. And her eyes tore away from him from the river delta and back out towards the sea. At such a sight, her eyes sparkled in wonder, but she tried to keep herself composed as she gave a snap of her fingers and barked to her slaves, "I would like a drink! I am thirsty after such a long journey!" And it did not take long for anyone to oblige her, a gentle palm fan keeping her shady tent nice and cool as she sipped at her drink, and as she did so, she gave a casual wave to Mal'hin.
"Why don't you search my tent, be sure my guards all know what they have to be doing," and with another sigh, she rested back into her throne, trying to keep her drifting gaze off of the vast ocean, but the sight was so dominating, it was quite the impossible feat.
Mal'hin nodded at Persea's acceptance. Maybe he hadn't given her enough credit, he was sure she was going to take more persuading then that. As he bowed and left the Shah's presence, a glimmer of hope shone in him that Persea might be developing some maturity...
He shook his head to clear it of those thoughts. Persea was plenty mature already, she was a grown woman. It was just hard sometimes to forget about the small child he had known when he was in service of her father.
As he walked to Persea's tent, searching it was actually a rather good idea, he barked orders to his guards. He set one of his sergeants and another guard to watching over Persea, men he'd trust with his own life, and he assigned his other sergeant to the duty of creating patrol routes and sentry positions for the men.
This trip would be as uneventful as possible if Mal'hin had anything to say about it. The guard captain sighed to himself. If only he could guarantee that. Still, he thought as he pushed away the flap into Persea's tent. He could try his hardest to make it happen.
After some time, Persea was growing antsy. What was taking her captain so long? Peering over towards her tent, she barked out the command,
"What is taking so long? Is my tent ready?"
Did they wish to make her sweat out here longer than she had to? At this rate, she and her golden throne were going to melt clean away!
Mal'hin stepped into the tent, actually it was more of a large pavilion, and set about making an inspection. He wasn't paying much attention, the chances of someone sneaking into the Shah's tent were pretty low, so he almost didn't hear the sound of a blade sliding on leather.
Mal'hin spun rapidly bringing his khopesh up from his belt as he turned. He had the weapon in front of him just in time to block a strike from a long-bladed knife. His assailant, a man swathed in a common white robe and wearing a scarf as a mask, leaped back and spun, sprinting out of the pavilion.
"Catch that man," Mal'hin bellowed as he charged out of the tent giving chase. "Somebody stop him!" Oddly enough, the assassin, for that is what he appeared to be, wasn't traveling towards the nearest edge of the camp, instead he was heading towards the center, towards... Persea!
"Protect the Shah," he shouted as he continued the pursuit. Confused courtiers and servants jumped out of the way to dodge the two armed men, but Mal'hin couldn't catch up. "Blast it somebody stop that man!"
One of his guards stepped around a tent and raised a spear, but the nimble knife-wielder dodged around the weapon's point and slashed the guard's neck. The spearman went down in a spray of crimson and the assassin continued without even slowing down. Mal'hin shouted a curse and kept up the chase. Somebody would stop him, they had to, for the man was getting ever closer to Persea.
When no reply came to her orders, Persea was a little more than angry. How dare Mal'hin ignore her! He had known her since he was little, respected her father, even the mothers before her own- how could he be so foolish as to ignore her question! Standing up from her throne in anger, even her petite form seemed to tower over the world below her, and like her golden throne, she too glistened, though with the sweat from the heat.
Though as she stood atop of her throne, anger forcing her fists tight at her side, she couldn't make out the barks from Mal'hin as she noted some odd stirring among the servants and slaves all around her. Her eyes searched around wildly, and the colorful cooling fans and umbrellas that had been used to shield her from the sun were moving about and drawing in pocks of light that dared dance against her skin. And in the moment of confusion, she snapped out,
"What is the meaning of this!? Keep those fans going and the parasols held high!" Did they truly wish to suffer under the ire of the Shah herself!? What fools! What amateurs, and the second she'd get a hold of Mal'hin, he'd get a tongue lashing that he'd feel until the end of next week!
"Where is Mal'hin!? Fetch me my Captain!" she said, barking out her order to the first tall and compliant servant. A tall man with obsidian colored skin gave a nod towards the Shah before breaking away from Persea's entourage as his dark eyes cleaved the area, looking for signs of Mal'hin. But as he stepped away from her, he was surprised to find himself being nearly knocked over by the swathed form of a swift moving person, and had the man not been over six feet tall, he could have lost his footing, but as it were, he stumbled in only one foot fall before blinkingly allowing his eyes to follow the unknown person who pushed past him and continued straight forward, knife in hand, their direction towards none other than the great Shah herself.
As Mal'hin ran past the dying guard he stooped to retrieve the man's spear. He paused in his running for a moment to line up his shot and then threw the weapon in an arc towards the assassin. The spear was a bit heavier than the average javelin that the guard captain had experience with, so Mal'hin wasn't able to gauge the strength he needed with complete accuracy. He missed his mark, the man's torso, and instead hit his robe. The heavy pole-arm buried itself in the mud, pinning the assassin in place.
Still more than ten meters back, there was nothing Mal'hin could do as the robed man reversed his grip on his knife and lined up a shot at Persea. The guard-captain's flying tackle knocked the man to the ground just as the knife left the assassin's fingers, flying straight for the Shah.
And it hit her, though she did not bleed, nor did it penetrate her flesh. But in a snap, the beads and ornaments adorning her hair popped apart, scattering to the grounds and unleashing the heavy, intricate layers of hair from the shah's wig. This off set the very crafted angle of the wig to keep it up right, and like a wounded calvary man, the wig jerked sideways, swaying but a moment before toppling to a heap upon the ground. And there the Shah stood, green eyes wide as the sun before a shriek left her throat and the woman began to swoon.
Mal'hin looked up in complete alarm as the screaming started. What he saw though made him sigh in relief. The Shah's intricate wig configuration was in ruins, which, judging from the general reactions of the ladies and servants around the ruler, was a great tragedy, but she was still alive. And not bleeding.
His concern momentarily alleviated, Mal'hin set to tying the assassin's wrists together behind his back while the man was still winded from being tackled. As soon as the job was done he hoisted the assassin up. "You and me are about to have a long talk my friend," he whispered menacingly in the man's ear. The affect was slightly lost, though, because of all the screaming going on in the background.
Mal'hin cleared his throat. "As soon as I get the panicking to stop."
And in that vein, the captain shouted for one of his guards. One came to him promptly, and he told the man, "find Malika, please, she'll know how to calm the Shah." The guard ran off, leaving Mal'hin flustered, and hoping that the man came back soon. He had no idea what to do right now, so he just held tight to his prisoner and waited for help.
The Shah was barely coming around. With her wig long gone, and her true hair in disarray, she immediately panicked.
"Malika!" she cried. "Bring me Malika!" Oh, where was she!? Had she truly sent her away at such a time? The reason seeming so trivial, and when the moments ticked by but there was no trace of her, she began to panic again and seeing Mal'hin near, she rushed to his side, and clung to his arm.
"Mal'hin! Oh, Mal'hin!" she cried. "Surely you will stay at my side and protect me at such a time as this!"
Holding an assassin in one hand and having the man's mark clutching his other was a nerve-wracking experience for Mal'hin. It was all he could do to stop himself from throwing Persea away, for he could feel the white-robed man tensing up in anticipation.
So, instead of throwing the Shah he pushed the assassin. The force of his shove and knocked the man off balance, and he fell with a crash, unable to use his arms to stop himself. "You!" Mal'hin pointed at another one of his guards, thinking about the man's name for a moment. "You, Tar'ru! Take this man and tie him to a post near my headquarter-pavilion. Make sure you tie up his legs and his arms, I don't want him going anywhere."
The man saluted with a "Yes sir," and hoisted up the assassin again, pushing him roughly towards the guard headquarters.
That taken care of, Mal'hin could turn his attention to his other problem, the Shah. He smiled in what he hoped was a reassuring way, and spoke softly in an attempt to calm her. "Don't worry Persea, I'm sure Malika is coming as fast as she can. In the meantime, why don't we get you to your tent and call the royal, ah, hairdresser? Or wigmaker? Or both? Maybe both. But anyway, I'm sure they can be here soon too, and then everything will be as good as new. Does that sound like a good idea?"
The moment the vandal was taken away, Persea wasted no time clinging onto the arm of the captain of the guard. And her eyes grew quite large as she peered up at him.
"Oh, yes, of course, but you will stay with me as they work?" she asked, pressing herself closely to him and giving him a little pleading pout.
Mal'hin looked down at Persea, and he was suddenly reminded of when she was a young girl. He'd seen that expression so many times, though more often aimed at her father than at the guard-captain.
He looked around, and noticed that several of the onlookers were staring at the pair with odd expressions. It was at that point that Mal'hin noticed how close Persea had gotten to him, a he realized what they were staring at.
He swept his gaze around, making sure to meet each onlooker in turn, staring them down until they looked away, making sure they knew that he remembered their faces. If any odd rumors popped up, he knew where to ask.
He sighed internally, it was a pain to have all of one's actions dictated by politics, but on the outside he smiled benignly, and said: "Of course I will Persea. I'm not letting you out of my sight until I'm sure this camp is safe." He said the second sentence with a bit of volume, to make sure that anyone nearby would hear him. Best to squash as many rumors as possible before they started.
"Now let's get going to your tent," He told Persea. He nudged her gently in the direction of her pavilion, and gestured for her retainers and court to follow. "I'll send someone to fetch your hairdresser. And wigmaker." And so saying, the guard-captain looked meaningfully at servant that the assassin had almost knocked over. The man nodded in understanding and walked away. With that taken care of, Mal'hin put his attention into making sure that Persea didn't swoon or something during the short walk to the tent.
If Persea was aware at what other's might perceive of her closeness to Mal'hin, she didn't seem to notice as she clung to his arm and stared up at him imploringly. Once it was confirmed what his plans of action were, she gave a relieved smile and hugged his arm a bit tighter out of gratitude.
"Thank you, Mal'hin," she told him in a soft voice as the pair entered her tent. She then stepped away from him, keeping her hands in his as she turned around to face him. She had to crane her neck to look up into his face, but look up she did as she smiled.
"Your service to my father,a nd now to me, has always been appreciated. When you are near, I always feel safe. May Hakeshna always bless you."
As he looked down at the small girl, no that wasn't right, the young woman in front of him, Mal'hin felt a warmness, a protectiveness that he hadn't felt in years. Persea was still the same vibrant little girl that he'd befriended so many years ago. When had he lost sight of that?
"He smiled benignly down at his charge. "And may she bless you as well Pers- Your Highness." The guard-captain felt a moment of concern, he'd slipped up a couple times back in there in the confusion. Well, hopefully no one noticed.
Mal'hin, suddenly on impulse, knelt down in front of Persea and lowered his head. "Let me take this chance to make an oath to you, Your Highness, that I will always protect you. Your father held me to this same oath, and I wish to continue upholding it. No longer, however, shall I uphold it in his service. I wish to uphold it in yours."
A blush touched her cheeks and warmed at her heart, and she felt a little fluttering inside her belly as he bowed before her, and he made his vow.
"Your service is always welcomed and appreciated, my captain," she told him with a broad smile. "But do not remain too long on your knees for my sake. I heard the others say you're getting old. I would not want you to harm yourself."
ANd her eyes danced at her jest, for she felt close enough to him to make one, where as most she did not. She was a figure head, the leader of her country, after all. But with Mal'hin, things were different. And it was nice to be more relaxed around someone. Sometimes she just felt so stifled in this life style. But she was the Shah. And much responsibility came with this power of birth.
Mal'hin noticed the Shah's jest and was surprised by it. It had been sometime since he had last heard her make a joke. He chuckled, and said "I'm not so old yet that I can't protect a youngling like you my dear." and now his eyes flashed revealing that he too was making an attempt at humor.
Suddenly, a small spike of pain ran through his knees. "Then again, maybe I am getting on a bit in the years," and as he moved to rise he heard the tent flap peel back. Standing in the entrance way was the tall servant that the Shah had been ordering around earlier. The man stood silently for a few moments, as if considering the scene before him, but suddenly he seemed to remember his reason for coming to the tent. "I've brought the royal hairdresser and the royal wigmaker and Her Majesty's grooming staff and everyone else appropriate that it seemed to bring."
Mal'hin coughed awkwardly as he finished standing. "Yes, well please, by all means bring them in. The Shah needs to be attended to, after all."
Persea gave him a grin, one that was smug and playful.
"Do not fear old age. There is wisdom in it, I'm sure," she said with a shrug, then moved past him as her hair and wig maker entered. They fuzzed over her like busy bees, making sure everything was perfect, and as they worked, she stole another smile his way, glad that he was nearby. He reminded her of her father, whom she missed. Things had become dreadfully lonely since her parents had both passed. Now it was just her and her servants and slaves-
and of course, Mal'hin.
Mal'hin winced a bit when Persea all but called him old, but he kept most of it off of his face. He watched for a while as the Shah's attendants worked on her, and when she smiled at him he gave a quick grin back. He looked on only for a moment longer before losing interest and instead took to watching the pavilion's entrance. Where was Malika? He was sure that he had ordered her brought here.
A bit of concern touched him. Not for the slave girl, but for the Shah's feelings if something had happened to her. She was already so isolated nowadays, Malika seemed like one of the few people she trusted. That circle didn't need to get any smaller.
Persea too, had her thoughts drift to Malika, and after a time she turned to him and asked, "Malika, was she not called?"
Mal'hin frowned at the Shah's question. "I requested that she be sent for. When was the last time you saw her, your highness?"
Persea blinked and thought it over before quickly replying, "Before the incident.. in the tent."
And her voice was soft at this realization.
Had something happened to her? And a cold sensation of dread dropped into the pit of her belly, making her inwardly squirm.
Mal'hin's eyes narrowed. "Well hopefully she'll be here soon. In the meantime, is there anything else that you need, your highness?"
((OOC: Is Ivory around and able to get involved? I thought I saw her on a little while ago))
Persea bit her lip, and unlike her- a woman who was trained to showcase only power, found her small hand into Mal'hin's and held onto it lightly.
"Just... stay here. Nearby.." She gave his hand a squeeze. "Without my servant here...." She didn't want to admit she'd be lost but...
She wanted someone at least familiar to be around while she was feeling this helpless and vulnerable.