Please, Tell Another Tale...

DragonSong · April 02, 2018, 03:40:02 PM

Krysta rolled her eyes. "Unfortunately, I do not make the rules. I am as bound to them as any in Dreamhaven," she huffed. Waving a hand airily, she added, "The rules are just...a little different for nobility, I suppose. Anyway, you in?"

quaggan · April 03, 2018, 09:37:55 AM

That was quite a rude awakening, but perhaps something he should have already known. Even royalty couldn't command the sun to shine throughout the night, after all. He could sympathize with her situation. Caerwyn did tell him not to break any rules, but she also said he should do what he's told to.

He cautiously nodded. The latter was more important than the former, wasn't it?

DragonSong · April 03, 2018, 12:30:00 PM

The princess beamed delightedly and grabbed his hand. "Wonderful! Follow me."

Wings buzzing excitedly, she towed him after her out of the hall, zipping down the halls of the palace toward one of the smaller doors out into the gardens.

quaggan · April 03, 2018, 03:02:52 PM

Maldwyn followed, his mind awash with questions. Where would she take him? Would they be trespassing, or would the rule-breaking only begin once they arrived? What if they got caught? And-

All the questions and doubts were wiped from his mind the moment they entered the royal gardens. The Niahi Woods and Dreamhaven were beautiful places, but they couldn't compare to the vision before him. For the first time for quite a while, he was at a loss of words, the language he wielded so well could no longer properly describe this feast for eyes.

DragonSong · April 04, 2018, 09:53:47 AM

Krysta paused, glancing over her shoulder at the minstrel, and smiled. "It is beautiful, isn't it?" she murmured, pausing the buzzing of her wings for a moment to let her feet touch the grass, sighing happily at the sensation.

"See that path there, through the starblossoms?" She pointed, then started off at a more sedate pace, waving for him to follow. "This way, come on!"

quaggan · April 04, 2018, 01:57:11 PM

To his great shame, he had to admit that he forgot himself for a moment. The sheer beauty of this place overwhelmed him, and for this one perfect second nothing else existed. He quickly shook himself out of his reverie and followed the princess, reluctantly biding farewell to the beautiful garden. He was getting curious about where was she leading him, and what kind of rule breaking would be involved.

DragonSong · April 04, 2018, 07:41:45 PM

Technically, Krysta had already broken several rules- those of her parents' forbidding her from leaving the palace- but they were still on palace grounds.

"This way, this way," she called to her companion with a laugh, darting through flowers that grew in ever tighter clusters, until they reached the trailing edges of the willow branches that marked the edge of palace territory.

quaggan · April 05, 2018, 05:16:22 AM

He followed the princess carefully through the willow branches, his wings brushing against the weeping twigs. Were this a ballad, perhaps she would be taking him to a secret location to ensorcel or murder him. Maybe it was for the best that he didn't take his harp along - he wouldn't want it in danger. But he could no longer keep his silence.

"My curiosity now prevails
Princess Krysta, I must know
Could you please tell me the details
Where are we about to go?"

DragonSong · April 05, 2018, 08:15:38 PM

"Shh!"

The princess suddenly zipped back, tackling him into a nearby cluster of dewberry bushes. She clapped one hand over the minstrel's mouth as she lay on top of him, craning her neck slightly to see back out onto the path, wings perfectly still.

A pixie in a bright uniform marched by their hiding place and she held her breath until he'd passed. Once he'd gone from sight, she relaxed and removed her hand from Maldwyn's mouth, wincing and giving him an apologetic look.

"Sorry, couldn't risk getting caught. I didn't hurt you or anything, did I?"

quaggan · April 06, 2018, 06:50:49 AM

His squeak of surprise was muffled - thankfully, he would have a hard time finding a rhyme for just a sound. He lay still, deciding not to struggle - he didn't know what was going on, and didn't want to do something that he might later regret.

He watched the guard march by, her wings stiff and ready to take off to pursue a danger. So was the rule-breaking trespassing after all? Were they about to visit a place that not even a princess was allowed to see? His curiosity was stoked even further as they waited for the guard to pass. When he spoke up to answer the princess' question, he kept his voice appropriately low in order not to attract even more attention.

"I think I'm unharmed and fine.
It's just some dirt I don't care for
Your eyes here far exceed mine.
Have you been in this place before?"

DragonSong · April 06, 2018, 07:38:08 PM

She nodded quickly, rolling off of him to crouch at his side. "Yes. There's a tunnel just past the forest grounds that leads out into the forest proper. It's meant to be an escape route for emergencies- and I'm not supposed to know it exists." She crinkled her nose up, then bounced to her feet and held a hand down to him. "C'mon, I'll help you up."

quaggan · April 07, 2018, 12:11:32 PM

So the castle in Dreamhaven did have an escape tunnel! He was thinking about it recently - a tale a fellow bard told him featured the last heir to an imperial bloodline fleeing through the tunnel, only to find it caved in, to her despair. He wondered if they were about to share her fate. Doubtful - the worst thing that could happen, should their route be blocked, would be that they'd have to turn back.

He accepted the princess' hand, wriggling his wings a little to get off ground easier.

DragonSong · April 08, 2018, 09:01:36 AM

Krysta pulled him to his feet with a quick smile, buzzing up to hover at his height. "This way. Try to keep quiet," she encouraged as she ducked back out onto the path, glancing around before she hurried along.

quaggan · April 08, 2018, 11:31:59 AM

The minstrel followed her, every now and then taking a look around his surroundings. The princess was far more perceptive than he was, so he doubted that he'd be able to see anything before she did. But it was still a new place he was curious about, and wanted to see. It wasn't likely that he'd ever need to write a song featuring the escape through the Dreamhaven tunnel, but it was best to err on the side of caution.

DragonSong · April 09, 2018, 10:26:26 AM

The mouth of the tunnel was well-camouflaged under the branches of the willow, tucked away in a pile of river stone. Krysta gripped Maldwyn's hand as she pulled him toward it, then folded her wings to her back to wriggle inside.

"Don't worry, it widens a lot after you get through the entrance," she murmured over her shoulder.

quaggan · April 09, 2018, 01:20:21 PM

He wouldn't have guessed that the entrance was hidden there! He supposed that it was one of its strengths - this way, should someone try to sneak out of the castle, or pursue someone taking the secret tunnel, it wouldn't be easy to get there.

He waited for the princess to get inside the tunnel, then followed. The feeling of the earth pressing against his body was quite claustrophobic, and it was dark inside. Fortunately, there was only one way as far as he could see, so the chance of being lost was rather small. And he had no intention of exploring this place anyway.

He wiggled experimentally and pushed through. The princess seemed to be getting further in, as far as he could see in the darkness of the tunnel. She was far ahead - was he moving too slow? Oh no. He realized what was going on.

"It looks like I am out of luck...
I think one of my wings got stuck."

DragonSong · April 09, 2018, 06:44:44 PM

Oh." Krysta paused, then turned around with a chuckle, tripping lightly over the dark earth toward the entrance to the tunnel. "Here, give me your hand."

She reached out and grasped his hands, wrapping her fingers around his wrists and leaning back, beating her wings for extra leverage. "Almost- gah!"

The minstrel came suddenly free and for the second time that day she found herself sprawled across the ground, though this time it was Malwyn on top of her instead of the other way around. "Ah! Sorry," she giggled, smiling up at him. Silver light surrounded her faintly, glinting off her hair and eyes.

quaggan · April 10, 2018, 08:16:39 AM

At least it wasn't his lute that got stuck - the case he carried his instrument in got through, and now was sadly dangling on the side, waiting for the rest of his body to get through. He tried pressing his wing closer to his body to get himself free.

The Princess pulled with such force that he came unstuck and landed on her. He quickly rolled over in order to free her - his first instinct was to take to the air, but the tunnel was low and there wasn't a lot of space for him to do so. There was barely enough that two pixies could fit in it side by side. He was about to apologize - and thank her for the help, when he heard rustling coming from outside. Did someone hear a suspicious sound from the secret tunnel and - or worse, saw him sticking out - and come to investigate?

They waited, with bated breath. Perhaps the smarter option would be to get away, but more movement could draw the patrol's attention, alert the guard to their location. The rustling grew more distant, until finally it faded, allowing them to breathe with relief. He waited a few blinks before speaking, just to be sure.

"That was quite close, that I must say
I couldn't have done that by myself
But before we go on our way
Thank you so much for your previous help."

DragonSong · April 12, 2018, 08:29:47 PM

The princess giggled as she fluttered back a few steps. "Don't mention it," she murmured, still keeping her voice low. "Now come on, hurry up! We'll have to be back before sundown so my parents don't get suspicious."

quaggan · April 13, 2018, 05:47:32 AM

Maldwyn followed the princess, thinking. The royal couple couldn't probably be persuaded - unlike him, Princess Krysta knew them well and if she couldn't get them to relax their strict demands, there was little to be done. But could they manipulate the limit itself? Maybe he could charm his neighbour's fireflies to illuminate the windows of the royal palace, make it look like the sun is still shining? Then again, it wasn't likely that she'd let him near her pets again after what happened last week. Maybe he could sing to the sun and convince it to stay up a little longer?

His eyes grew accustomed to the darkness of the tunnel, but soon, its grey air turned lighter. Were they close to the exit? He was curious to see where would they end up.