Fallen

[Anonymous]

The auburn horse had no strength left in him to carry on at the pace its rider was beckoning it to go. Yet, as they went on, all the strength of its rider had faded away too and the horse was left to wander the barren trail between Adela and Serendipity until it finally reached Serendipity village. The horse was heaving to catch its breath and desperately needed a drink of water. The auburn stallion walked over to a barrel beside a shop, one that had collected rain recently, and began to drink to its heart's content.

Nellija, the horse's rider had fallen asleep from exhaustion half way to Serendipity and had been clutching the horse's reins the entire time, even if she was not aware of what was happening around her. When her horse finally stopped, Nellija fell off of its back and into a patch of grass. Her eyes groggily opened to see her surroundings, but her body still begged her to continue to rest.

Aside from the dirt which had been kicked up onto the base of her golden-orange dress. Nellija, despite her fatigue, still looked absolutely perfect. It was as if she were a goddess. Her copper skin was radiant even if her energy was not nearly as high. Her golden eyes complimented her skin tone and attire so well she looked as though she could be royalty, but in reality she was merely a Lady of Adela--or at least, played the part of one. Her life was a lie and she'd have to force herself to continue it for the sake of the one man who saw her for who she truly was....

[Anonymous]

Ayeth had been following this rider for about a day now.  What had stopped her from ambushing her was unknown to even herself.  It would have been simple enough for her just to jump out and stab her before grabbing all of her belongings.  But something stayed her hand...until now.  As the horse stopped the rider fell off and Ayeth leapt out of the nearby undergrowth.  She had no fear of being discovered for it was still early morning and very few were up and about yet.  She grabbed the girl by her shoulder and stabbed sharply with one of her knives.

[Goldie]

After the knight had left the castle, he took his journey to the village at a leisurely pace.  A luxury he had not been accustomed to but found he liked quite a lot.  It was so different to be away from the castle, away from the duties of being the Master and Arms, to just be himself and enjoy the scenery.  And the silence!  He could not leave out the silence!  Or rather, the silence of human sounds.  He greatly enjoyed traveling through the paths that led to the village and hear only the birds and an occasional snap of leaves as a deer or someother animal walked closer to the path.

Before Fenway left the castle, he had changed his castle attire for something a bit more comfortable but made sure that he still wore the emblem of the kingdom on his arm so anyone he met would know him for a defender of the castle.  His tunic was a dull green that helped him to not stand out as much as the royal blue of Serendipity would pin point and his breeches were a dark brown.  Of course he still rode with his sword at his side and a few daggers within arms reach in case someone had stayed behind specifically to ambush the first people to travel the road.  It wouldn't do well to meet with a sticky end on a leisurely ride to the city.  That would be quite embarassing.

Luckily the few people he had met on the road were citizens and they had been more than excited to hear the kingdom had come out victorious and the news seemed to spread quickly enough.  As he neared the village more and more people grinned in his direction, or shouted their thanks for helping to keep their homes safe.  Well that certainly was a spirit lifter, to see so many people truly appreciate what had been done, to be thankful for the Serendipity Guard rather than just take them for granted.

As he neared the edge of the village his attention was caught by a rider who looked clearly exhausted, holding tightly to her reins as the horse stopped to drink water from one of the many barrels that rested by the houses.  It didn't surprise him to see her fall from the horses back, she looked that drained even from the distance he saw her, but it did surprise him to see a figure leap out of the undergrowth, a blade flashing in her hand.

With as much speed as he could muster, the Master at Arms grabbed a dagger of his own from his belt and threw it with the precision of many years of practice straight at the attackers blade as she pulled it back to prepare for the strike.  As the two blades collided, the knight lept from his hourse toward the thief.

It sickened him, when someone would attack another from behind without so much as a second thought...especially when they were as weak as that Lady who had fallen appeared to be.  She could have easily stolen all of her belongings without injuring her, but some people were just set on the kill and it disgusted him.

Another blade as in his hand in a split second and pressed firmly against the attackers neck.

"I wouldn't make another move." he whispered, voice dangerously low.

[Anonymous]

The thief's attempt would have been in vain, anyways. Though killing Nellija may have had its rewards (in its own gruesome nature), the thief would not have found anything of value with Nellija--except her horse and the few jewellery she wore. She wore a silver anklet jewels in Adelan colours, her hair was kept up with red and orange pins, though strands had fallen from their places during her journey and, finally, Nellija also wore a matching bracelet to her anklet.

The auburn stallion meant to run away as confrontation exposed itself right beside the beautiful horse, but its loose reins caught a chip in the wooden barrel and as the horse tried to run off, it was snagged back by its reins. Scared and furious, the horse reared up and tried to kick out to fend off anything around him but was off his mark. He rounded to Nellija's side, his rider being the only thing of familiarity near him.

The sound of the rearing horse forced Nellija's eyes to open. Her head pounded both from her own exhaustion and falling from such a tall horse. She remained where she'd fallen, leaning against the shop wall. Her vision was blurred at first, but as it began to clear up she saw what was going on in front of her and quickly reached for a dagger--one she had forgotten to equip herself with when she left her Adelan estate. Nellija was completely defenceless and did not even know what was going on. Were they both attacking her? No, they were confronting one another. Perhaps she was not even involved?

[Anonymous]

Ayeth snarled viciously as she felt the cold steel pressed at the back of her neck.  She viciously whirled around and brought her second knife up to face her attacker.  She cautiously circled the man.  She didn't want to underestimate this man as she so often had done before with other attackers.  This situation reminded her of the myriads of times that others had threatened her with blades.  Hissing viciously like an animal, she feinted to the left and prayed that her attacker would fall for it.  She couldn't afford for him not to.

[Goldie]

As she whirled away from his blade and pulled out a second knife, Fenway drew his sword which reflected the sunlight.  Reflection, he had learned, was the best way to disarm your opponant.  Blind them, and then attack.  But he had also learned to wait until your attacker attacked you first so you wouldn't make any stupid mistakes like attacking on a feint.

His perfectly trained mind watched the movement in her muscles and knew immediately and she really was not going to attack left.  Stepping aside he didn't even pull up his blade as he avoided her.  It was clear that she knew what she was doing, but her moves weren't as polished, making it easier for him to predict what was going to happen next.

"I'm a Knight of the Kingdom." he informed her, "And I find it hard to have any mercy towards a thief who tries to stab their victims from behind, after it is clear they cannot fight back."  His amber eyes were cold as he stared down at the highway woman.  "If you choose to fight me I promise that you will have a nice room in the palace dungeons, awaiting a trial for your life."  He glanced down at the woman who had falled from her horse and cunningly moved the attack away from her.  With lightning speed he spun his blade around his head with every intention of not hitting the thief, simply turning the battle around so he could see the victim and keep her away from harm.  It wasn't a good idea to have his back to the one he was trying to protect.  Best to keep her in full view.

[Anonymous]

Ayeth knew she was lost.  It was too easy for him to win.  There was no way in Heaven or Hell she could defeat this soldier with this sword.  She lowered her weapon, eyes burning with rage.  Not at this man in front of her, but at her own stupidity and incompetency.  She raised her head high and glared at the man in front of her.

"Take me, put me in chains, but remember me and remember my face, Knight of Serendipity, for it shall surely be the last thing on this god-forsaken earth that you shall see."

This was no bluff, Ayeth meant every word that she said.  She watched the man, daring him to come near to arrest her.

[Goldie]

As much as this thief's methods disgusted him, Fenway couldn't help hesitating when she gave in.  After all, she had given up on her own free will.....but no, she had nearly killed an innocent person just for pleasure and that definately did not fall well on his conscience.

The threat meant nothing to him.  After all, he was a knight of the kingdom, law breakers cursed him a thousand times before this and he was still standing on his two feet, helping to uphold the peace.  Every person he had killed in battle had probably cursed him hundreds of times before they finally died.  This woman's threat was no different from the rest, and he regarded it with as much importance as previously described...none.

Almost as if on cue, three village guards appeared from behind the criminal and grabbed her arms, placing shackles on her arms and began leading her away to the local jail.

Well, that certainly helped that predicament.  Now he didn't have to be the one to arrest her, so he wouldn't have to sit there pondering the "noble" thing to do and the "right" thing to do which would eventually let her get away any ways so it really didn't matter what he thought.  Now with the guards appearing (probably having seen Fenway enter, not to mention they were right on the boarder of the village where most guards stood watch) the knight could also make sure that the Lady was all right.  That fall had to have been a nasty one.

Sheathing his sword, he turned around and headed toward the woman, offering her a hand to help her up from her fallen position.

"Are you all right?" he asked her pleasently, a note of concern in his voice.  As he looked down at her, he felt his heart race in his chest.  Never before had he seen someone so beautiful...even after such a tumble she seemed to radiate...

He blinked.

His job was to help people, not to goggle at their beauty.

Pushing the thoughts aside he continued, "I hope that thief did not harm you."

[Anonymous]

Nellija blinked, trying to focus on the situation at hand when the Kingdom's guards came to take her attacker away. So, it had been the woman who had attacked her? That seemed logical now that Nellija could see the emblem on Fenway's sleeve. He looked the part of a knight, too. Tall and valiantâ€"how could she have confused her attacker for her defender?

Easily. Her head was pounding. She was almost as thirsty as her horse had been and, after the previous night's events, she was worn out and tired both mentally and physically. Her emotions always suffered the worst, but last night had been routine and she learned to deal with her fate. Which reminded her... Quinn. She had to visit him in her homeland.. was it tonight? No... Tomorrow night? How much time did she have? She could not forget his orders.

Nellija became anxious. She refused Fenway's help, her hand shaking as she reached for the loose reins that strung from her horse's neck to the water barrel it had visited to take a drink. She slowly pulled herself up, her horse amazingly patient with her. He was an old friend. He was the horse she had left her native country with and had yet to fail her.

"I'm fine," she said rather bitterly, but there was a scared tone in her voice as well. It almost shook as her hand had. She paused, leaning against her horse for a moment to stop her head from spinning. The sun was so bright, and it was attracted to her dark features. She brought her wrist to her forehead and leaning on it for a moment, her other hand holding the side of her horse for stability. She tried to calm her breathing.

"I thank you for your concern, good knight, but I was not harmed." She added, taking her arm away from her face. She hoped it wouldn't be obvious that she did not like the company of men--except Owen, of course--and she tried to be as polite as possible without seeming too inviting.

Nellija slowly let her foot find the stirrup and tried to pull herself up onto her saddle but when she tried, her arms began to shake and she was forced down, almost falling again...

[Goldie]

He wasn't the slightest bit offended when she didn't accept his hand. Many times he'd attempted to help someone and they'd ignored his help just to show that they were strong enough to take care of themselves....but this woman didn't seem to be trying to show off her strength, in fact, she looked more scared than anything.  It surprised him to hear the slight waver of fear in her voice although she had attempted to mask it, and it made him think.  What exactly was she afraid of?

Was she still scared about the thief?  About falling off the horse?

No, it couldn't be that because she was holding onto the animal like it was her life-line, and it didn't seem to be the thief although he could always be wrong about that.  It made his head hurt to think about what was possibly bothering her, so he decided to just stop thinking about it.  If she wanted to tell him, she would.

But as she started to stand, his eyes were immediately draw to a deeper patch of reddish brown that stained the back of her deep orange dress that definately was not suppose to be there.  And then she nearly fell.

Jumping foreward he placed a gentle hand on her back to help her from falling.

"Are you sure you are all right?" he asked, genuinly concerned, and then he noticed some marks just appearing along the rim of her dress, "Please, let me take you to the palace;  there are healers there that can help you.  I wouldn't be doing my job if I let you leave like this."

What had caused those marks?  And the splotches on her dress looked like blood...like she had been bleeding earlier and not taken the time to bind the wounds....who had hurt her like this?

[Anonymous]

Ayeth spat as she felt her arms grabbed by the guards.  She felt this urge to kill someone but memories of past experiences stopped her from doing anything rash or stupid.  The shackles were cold and hard, but she had felt their confining grip on her wrists many times before.  This time was no different, another jail sentence, another escape, another man to be killed before she died.  Life was like that.  She could feel the vicious tugging on her wrists as the guards dragged her away.  

With one final burst of rash anger she yelled back, "I know you, Fenway of Serendipity.  You don't know who I am or what I am, but I know you.  Beware the wrath from above!  You sha-" her words were viciously cut off by the guards knocking her out cold with a blow to the head.

[Anonymous]

"Healers?" Nellija asked, gathering up the spunk she naturally had but rarely had an opportunity to show. "What are you insinuating?" She added, pushing a few stray strands of hair from her eyes.

Nellija sighed quietly. What was she doing? She couldn't snap at the first man she encountered because of the things that had happened hours ago. She knew she couldn't and yet that was all she wanted to do. Strike the fear in the eyes of one man and maybe the rest would follow--maybe Quinn could get it through his head and leave her alone? That was something to laugh about.

"I'm sorry," she said at least, bringing her eyes up to look into his. "I'm just tired. I came from Adela early this morning; I'm not your Kingdom's concern, so you needn't worry over my well-being, sir." She added.

She wasn't sure if all men were like Quinn. Of course, Adela was no shining example to waver her opinions. Owen wanted to be as great as King Akkiel, someone who was known for using women for his own entertainment. He was no shining example for other men to live by and yet he was Owen's hero. He showed Owen that a man like him could rule an entire Kingdom. This Knight of Serendipity would probably be no different. It seemed that, so far, highly ranked men had a certain lust for power especially when it came to women. Nellija believed Fenway would be the same way, so it would be best for her to stay quiet and polite.

[Goldie]

Well this certainly wasn't something that he delt with everyday!  A woman who was bitter and then apologetic...usually it was one or the other but it was certainly rare to see both emotions in nearly the same breath.  It appeared that she wanted to be short with him, to try and get him off her case, but something kept her from being completely herself.

Or was being poliet herself?  Not that it mattered, whether she was blunt or not he was not going to be deterred from getting her to the palace, at least to rest if she flat out refused the help of the healers.

"I don't care what kingdom you're from."  He informed her, eyebrow raising in question, "I'm not from Serendipity either, but I have sworn myself to this place and you were attacked here.  If I let you leave without at least resting for a time I would be neglecting my duties.  Not to mention, you should think of your own health.  Do you honestly believe you can ride back to Adela without falling off your horse again?  What happens if another thief tries to rob you when you're this exhausted?  Don't try to deny it," he continued before she could argue, "I can see it in your eyes, and the way you can't even mount your horse, that you need to rest.  Please, I insist that you come to the castle, just to rest for the night."

Maybe it wouldn't work, but he was determined to get her help before she went riding off into whatever dangers awaited the unwary traveler.  He couldn't risk her being attacked again, not when she had come this close to being killed in the past few minutes.  He decided not to bring up the fact that he could see the cuts on her upper back realizing that she would probably just shrug it off and deny that anything was wrong with her health.

The thiefs last words did make him turn around and look at her just as the guards brought their fist down upon her head.  Now that was certainly something that he hadn't expected.  Of course his name was known throughout Serendipity as the Master at Arms from the castle...but to actually have someone recognize him by sight?  That didn't happen often and it was usually by people who had met him at the castle....no one from his homeland ever left, beside himself and a few others, but certainly not enough that he would meet one of them....how had this thief known him?

Well, it was something to contemplate later.  Right now he had to focus on getting this Lady of Adela somewhere to put up her feet.

[Anonymous]

Nellija would have fought back until she finally wavered Fenway from his seemingly valiant cause, but at the current moment she just wanted to fall into the silk cushions of her own bed, though she could hardly even relate her own bed to a place of safety anymore. Quinn had destroyed that comfort as well last night.

She wanted to say one last snappy remark before turning her back and leaving, but turning would cause her quite the head ache and she was in no state to continue an argument. If she was well she could have won. She couldn't remember the last argument she'd lost with Owen, and this Knight seemed to put up half the challenge Owen usually did--but then again, he was trying to be polite himself. Owen could always use the fact that he was her brother and throw away the rules of etiquette. Not that he did, but she knew he could.

"I can only rest a short while," Nellija said finally. There was a look in Fenway's eyes that reflected his determination. As much as she loathed giving up--and to a man--she felt that she could be safe. If she was going to a palace there would be enough people to make sure this presumably valiant knight did not attempt to use Nellija.

"Is it a long way to the castle?" Nellija asked, trying to look around to see it from where she stood, but the shop they were beside was blocking her view.

[Goldie]

He nearly gave away his relief when she finally agreed to come to the castle, but hid it quickly by walking over to his own mount, pulling the gelding closer to her own mount.  Without a word he swiftly tied a lead to her horse, making sure that the animal wouldn't run off coarse if she were to fall asleep again while riding.  He would have offered to let her ride with him, but something about the way she stood told him not to offer.

Instead he headed over towards where she stood and smiled kindly down at her, trying to relieve her fears of going to the castle.

"You don't have to stay long at all." he informed her, "Just long enough that you are rested before your journey home."  Reaching up to her mount, he stroked his main once before turning his attention back towards the Lady as she asked her question.  

"The castle isn't that far." he informed her, "Maybe an hours slow ride, but nothing more than that.  Would you like help?" he offered, motioning towards her horse.  He wasn't sure if she would appreciate his help, but maybe she would need it considering her near fall trying to mount him before.  Oh well, at least she was coming to the castle....

Damn...but what would the Queen think?  He had been relieved of his duties, told to go to the village, enjoy himself and inform the villagers that they had won...well he had certainly informed many of them, and the village didn't look like it had been hit at all during the attack...it seemed that the Dread Army had only hurt the castle....but...on man...this would be interesting to explain to her...and now that he was going back he knew that he wouldn't want to come back to the village....

[Anonymous]

Nellija paused as Fenway tied their horse's together and would have stopped him but, well.. It was a good idea. She was sure an hour's ride back would be more than enough to waver her attention on riding and her horse, however sympatic he was toward Nellija, would be more than happy to wander. Though, she was sure he would not be enjoying another journey. Thankfully, this would be shorter than the one previous.

Adela was a day's journey from Serendipity at least, but with the way Nellija had beckoned her horse's speed, they'd made it to Serendipity it, literally, a quarter of that time. Her slim body and powerful stallion had been a good combination to let the horse run almost effortlessly for the first little while, but once the sun began to brighten and the journey's length began to get to the horse, he had just completely given up.

"Thank you," Nellija said quietly as she accepted his help and mounted her horse. She ran the fingers of her left hand through his mane and made a fist to keep her steady, while she held the reins with another, waiting for Fenway to lead the way to Serendipity Castle.

[Goldie]

After making sure she was comfortable in her saddle, Fenway headed back to his horse and mounted quickly, pulling on the rope attatching his horse to hers just to make sure it was secure.  Once satisfied he looked back at her, waiting to make sure she was ready to move.  It would be bad if he started riding and she tumbled off!

"If you feel like you're going to fall again, please tell me." he told her, sincerely worried that she wasn't fit for another ride, short as it was.  "Don't hesitate to ask for a rest."

As he was sitting there, waiting patiently for her to get settled, the Knight realized that he had not even had a formal introduction.  Sure, she probably had heard the thief shout his name, but he knew absolutely nothing about her...except that she was from Adela, but that wasn't all that strange.  He himself wasn't from anywhere NEAR the two kingdoms!  But...come to think of it, Adela and Serendipity although on friendly terms, didn't intermix much when it came to people.

Huh...curious...

"I don't believe we ever had a proper introduction." a small friendly smile pulling at the sides of his mouth, "I am Fenway, Serendipity's Master at Arms."  He bowed his head politely as he would addressing any noble lady, from Serendipity or Adela, or any kingdom for that matter.  In his mind, woman deserved a high level of respect and he was more than willing to give it to them.

[Anonymous]

Nellija ignored Fenway's prudent warnings to her. She figured he was only saying it out of the goodness of his heart, but at the same time Nellija had come to know that men were deceitful in their own individual, special ways. She assumed that all of Fenway's kindness had some dark motive and that she'd find out soon enough.

Not that Nellija was pessimistic or anything, really!

"I hardly think this is the time or the place for introductions, Fenway, Master of Arms." Nellija replied. She was a Lady of Adela and she hardly though that facing his back was any place to meet him. She'd been raised around Lords and Ladies and knew proper etiquette--but, well.. it seemed Fenway didn't care. And it would be rude to ignore him much more, wouldn't it?

"I'm Nellija," she replied shortly after.

[Goldie]

He couldn't help but raise his eyebrows at her comment and chuckle softly to himself.  Perhaps it wasn't the best place to have an introduction, but he would rather seem lost in his courtly manners than have no idea who he was riding with and then have no idea what to call her when he informed the queen...

Oh dear, the queen...he had nearly forgotten that he needed to come up with some story to tell her...oh well, at least now he had an excuse to get back!  Even if she wouldn't let him back to his duties until the ceremony and celebration was over.

"Well, Nellija" he replied, a twinkle in his eyes although he kept his face clear of any smile, "If you're ready, we'll start our trek to the castle."  Turning back to his gelding, he flicked the reins once and the horses started off at a slow pace.  After all, there was no rush besides the fact that she looked like she needed a nice, soft bed to sink into and rest.

Once again he wished that she would accept the help of the healers, something told him that she needed more than just a short rest, but that would definately help.  Maybe...maybe he could talk to the queen and have her talk to Nellija...possibly figure out why she had rode away from Adela at what seemed like a great amount of speed, and then said that she needed to get back there quickly.  It didn't make sense to him, and it was clear that she was uncomfortable around him...maybe the queen would have better luck.