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Post by Brynn Eoflyn on Jul 15, 2017 22:09:08 GMT -5
Despite the tension with the humans, the castle of the Elves was quiet and calm. Brynn had been left to her own wandering after her father and mother left the throne room to talk to the advisors. She spent her free time running up and down the stairs to keep fit. She'd never let her parents know that she'd been training with a master archer in the village. You're a princess, they'd say, you have no need to learn to fight as you will be protected no matter what.
But the what-ifs were what kept Brynn going to the archer.
Even if the humans hadn't declared war yet, they could at any time and she needed to be prepared to defend her homeland. She wasn't going to allow her people to die and not even have blood spilled by her own hands. With all her hardwork though, she still wasn't very good - hitting only three out of ten targets the last practice session.
"Clear the throne room!" Guards called as they led the king and queen into said room, their formation one of defense. Brynn frowns, ducking behind one of the tapestries hanging in a darker corner. What's going on?
Her father and mother sat on their thrones, obviously shaken and angry (her father). She's about to reveal herself to ask what's wrong, her concern for her parents overwhelming her need to keep them from knowing about her exercise, when there's a human tossed down onto the floor at her parents' feet.
"What business do you have here, human?" Her father spat, green eyes darker from his anger. "We've not come to your home and disturbed the peace. You must want something, so tell us."
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Post by Aime' on Jul 15, 2017 22:45:53 GMT -5
The human looked up defiantly towards the so called elf king, refusing to say a word. Struggling to do so, he slowly made his way to his feet to stand and ready himself for whatever type of punishment awaited him for not following orders and displaying such defiance. He had been found in armor and with weapons at his side in enemy territory and somehow had been sucker punched and dragged back to the very headquarters of his enemy. He was loyal to the cause and wouldn't reveal any info that might incriminate any of his comrades or coconspirators.
One of the guards standing near him gut checked him with the but of their halberd. The breath knocked out of him he doubled over from the pain. He was defenseless without his armor that had been gifted to him by one of his most powerful allies as a thank you for assisting in leading the rebellion against the self-appointed elf king that now sat before him. He was given instructions not to let it be discovered that he could speak elf and even use some of their more basic combat spells. Anything he could keep from the enemy would turn into an asset later on. For now his rescue was not coming. This was all part of the scheme to get Aime' close to the king.
"I despise repeating myself but I shall demand your answer again. Why are you in my kingdom human??" the king yelled.
Catching his breath Aime' regained his feet and stood before the king again. At his full height he was approximately 5'9 with his hair cut short to disguise himself from his enemies while he was under their custody. His appearance however was almost of elf caliber beauty. His hair was as black as night. His eyes burned with fire against the man before him. While he did not have the pointed ears he had a face it almost seemed a waste to tarnish. His now ragged clothing from the struggle revealed the bottom of his abs that were just some of the many muscles honed over years of training in combat and warfare.
Struck again he fell to his knees and gasped for breath.
"I grow tired of your insolence boy! You will give me the information I desire or you shall suffer with the rest of the vermin down in the dungeon."
Finally catching his breath again Aime' looked up at the king from his kneeling position and finally deigned it the time to speak.
"Far be it from me to upset the patriarch of the land I was taken against my will into. Apologies your majesty but the only question I am willing to answer is that yes, your enemies do take you for a tyrannical fool. Satisfied? Can I go to your dungeon now?"
With that the guards were ordered by a mere hand gesture to pummel him and rough him up before dragging him off to the dungeon. Meanwhile the elf king's entire face was red with fury and humiliation. Aime' had been rendered unconscious from the beating he took from the guards before he was thrown into a cell of the dungeon. Completely bereft of any sunlight his limp body was tossed to the floor rather unceremoniously and the door to his cage was locked behind him before the guards walked off to resume their normal duties.
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Post by Brynn Eoflyn on Jul 15, 2017 23:09:38 GMT -5
Brynn watched in shock as her parents allowed their guards to beat up the lone human. He might have a smart mouth, but that didn't give them just cause to beat him unconscious. It isn't the first time that her parents have made her wonder about their kingdom and their rights to the throne.
She was younger when they came to the castle, but she believed it belonged to them, inherited from some noble family - cousins or some such nonsense. Many times the last few years, she'd begun questioning their presence in the castle and even the village. There were remnants of human history and religion, things she'd stumbled across many times, but whenever questioned about it, her parents deflected with some excuse or another.
She turned her head, eyes clenched tight as the beating continued, only daring to open them when she heard the unmistakable sound of leather boots scrubbing the stone floor as the human was dragged out with little care to his wellbeing.
Brynn watched her parents for a short time, knowing her father would take some time to calm down. Her mother looked worried, or maybe frightened? She couldn't truly tell anymore. If there was a time when she looked at her parents in a new light, that time was now. They'd had no reason for the cruel beating that she could see.
After a short time, they were distracted with whispering amongst themselves, so Brynn finally snuck out of her hiding spot and left the room through a window. Dropping down, she made her way to the backdoor of the kitchens, fetching a bucket of water and a ladle. It's the least she could offer to the human - to show some kindness that her parents hadn't.
Then she was off to the dungeons, but not before grabbing a shawl to cover the top lacing of her tunic and her necklace identifying her as the princess. She slipped into the dungeons carefully, avoiding the guards at the entrance by distracting them with a sound down the hallway.
Once she was in, she tiptoed to the end cell where the human was, the only prisoner. "Psst," She hissed softly, "Human? Wake up..." Her eyes darted around to be sure no one else had heard her even though there was a thick wooden door separating her from the guards.
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Post by Aime' on Jul 15, 2017 23:32:21 GMT -5
Aime' awoke in a damp mildew place to the sound of a pleasant female voice. Slowly he sit up and went to rub his head until he realized that his ribs were in too much pain to raise his arm that high. Cringing in pain he looked up to see the woman at the door.
"What do you want? Come to try and torture information out of me?"
He stared at her cautiously, staying seated at the rear of the cell. Noticing what was in her hands he maintained his distance.
"Or are you attempting to poison me?"
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Post by Brynn Eoflyn on Jul 15, 2017 23:59:27 GMT -5
Her concerned expression went dour at his accusation, though it wasn't unfounded, so she had to force a smile onto her face. "I assure you, human, I have no reason to be cruel to you. I am but a humble person trying to show a kindness to someone who hasn't had any in this place..."
She purses her lips before making a deal out of showing him that the water was perfectly alright, lifting a ladle to her lips and takin a long sip. "It is fine, I promise on my deities..." She holds the ladle out to him through the bars. "Come and drink - I cannot promise it is very cold, but it is wet."
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Post by Aime' on Jul 16, 2017 0:16:24 GMT -5
Aime' hesitated at first still unsure whether or not to trust the source of the water. He eyed her up and down before standing up through the protests of his sides and walked slowly to the front of the cell where he watched her cautiously to make sure that she didn't make a move to either hurt him further or to add anything to the water she was about to give him.
"Thank you then I suppose," he stated before sipping from the ladle. "I appreciate your kind gesture fair maiden."
He handed her the ladle back.
"You should go before you are discovered. I am sure that the king wouldn't appreciate one of his citizens sneaking in here to water prisoners that are supposed to be starving and dehydrated as part of the torture process."
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Post by Brynn Eoflyn on Jul 16, 2017 0:25:34 GMT -5
"You should drink some more while I'm here... I am not sure when or if I can sneak in here again..." Brynn frowned at the small amount of water he consumed, staring at the ladle even as she accepts it back.
Despite herself, she snorted at his words. On the way to the dungeon, and seeing how the human was, she'd decided that she would somewhat enjoy disobeying her parents. She fully intended to bring up their cruelty when she knew she could get the wording right.
"Here... hide this within your cell," She reached into her shawl, taking a waterskin from one of the hidden pockets. It paid to snitch a shawl from a bard. "I will fill it with water and you may sip as you please. Be sure to keep it hidden, sir." As she spoke, she filled the waterskin with a healthy amount of water, surprised that it could hold such an amount.
Once it was filled, she slid it through the bars of the cell. "If I can... I will bring bread to you. It will fill your stomach at least. I will be by tonight, when the sun drops. I will put it through the grate up there," She pointed to the small barred grate that gave only the barest hint of sunlight. "I will wrap it with parchment to protect it from grime and dirt... Keep a watch for it nonetheless..."
She stood, bowing her head to him, before making her way out of the dungeons carefully.
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Post by Aime' on Jul 16, 2017 20:04:19 GMT -5
He accepted the kind gesture and gift from her.
"As you wish. But do not get caught yourself fair maiden."
He bowed his head to her in return before returning to the rear of the cell and hiding the water skin amongst the hay on the floor between his back and the wall. The guards wouldn't have any reason to come into his cell for the night at least. They would let him rot in there for the night until tomorrow when the king would want to see if he had changed his mind about giving up his allies and comrades. Between the beating he had taken earlier and starving him of food and drink for the night they would chance dragging him to the throne room to attempt to get the information out of him. He would ensure the girl's gifts would not be discovered by the guards until he would be tossed back into his cell again presumably after another beating and interrogation. He had survived war and rebellion for years now. He was only caught by dumb luck. He would not break that easily but the elf king always underestimated his enemies.
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Post by Brynn Eoflyn on Jul 16, 2017 23:28:05 GMT -5
It was hard for Brynn to sit at the table for dinner that night and keep her mouth shut. Oh how she wanted to stand up and point at her father and call him on all the lies he'd been telling for years. She wanted to look at her mother and ask her why. She no longer felt like a princess, and she knew now why her parents didn't want her to be a part of their talking with the advisors. A princess should know how to run a kingdom, shouldn't she? But now... now, it all made sense.
The entire afternoon, she'd been thinking on all the things she'd seen, everything she'd overheard, the lies and deceit her parents fed to her. Her resentment only grew throughout dinner, as did her determination to fix what her parents did to the human in the dungeons.
She didn't bring it up at dinner; she managed to keep a smile on her face and food in her mouth to prevent her from making that mistake. But when dinner was done, she dashed to the kitchens and snuck more than just bread.
When the sun began to set, she wrapped the bread, slices of cheese, and the handful of jerky she'd snitched from the larder in a large square of leather, folding it and tying it with some twine. Once that was done, she made her way to the dungeons, actually sneaking into the large room rather than dropping the bundle through the grate.
"Psst... I'm back," She called softly, kneeling in front of the door of the cell. "I snuck more than bread," She grinned. This time, in her haste to bundle the food, she'd forgotten to remove the circlet from her forehead, the bright purple gems catching on the moonlight filtering in through the grates.
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Post by Aime' on Jul 16, 2017 23:34:56 GMT -5
Watching her from the back of the cell Aime' noticed the moonlight gleam off of the circlet on her head. His eyes widened in surprise. He made sure to whisper so as not to alarm anyone.
"Princess, you should not be down here. There are scum in these barred walls. It is far too dangerous a thing that you do right now for a lady such as yourself."
He looked down at all of the supplies she had pilfered for him.
"I appreciate your kindness milady but you need to get out of here and do not risk returning. I wouldn't be able to live with the guilt if something were to happen to you due to your kindness to me."
He looked her in the eyes as he took the supplies gently from her and hid them in the rear of the cell along with the water skin in the hay he sat in front of.
"You risk too much for someone you don't even know. Eventually when they get tired of just having me sit down here I will be added to the servants that work around the castle in an attempt to humiliate me into giving up my comrades. Until then I would stay away if I were you."
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Post by Brynn Eoflyn on Jul 16, 2017 23:45:53 GMT -5
Brynn stilled when he called her by her title, wondering just how she'd given herself away, only to feel the weight of her circlet on her forehead as if it were saying 'I'm here' to her. She cursed loudly in Elvish, scowling at her own stupidity.
"I could lie and say I am a handmaiden to the princess and I took this and intend to steal off into the night to be rich elsewhere..." She narrowed her eyes, lips pouting. "But you are much too smart to fall for that..."
Ignoring the dirt and grime, and whatever else was on the ground, she curled the cloak under her and sat down. She sighed softly, placing her hands in her lap. "I witnessed what my parents did to you... what our guards did..." She frowned, keeping her gaze down. "They do not know yet... even if my kindness is seen as treason or such as that, I could not let what my parents did to you shape how you see my people. I never even knew that my parents could be so cruel..."
She shook her head gently. "I had never seen hate in my father's eyes before, not like that... flashes, perhaps, when I would bring up human artifacts found in and around the castle..."
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Post by Aime' on Jul 17, 2017 0:04:33 GMT -5
Aime' shook his head at her mentioning hatred and her people.
"Do not misunderstand me milady. I harbor no ill will to your people in general, In fact your people comprise some of the numbers of my allies. It is your father and those that support his tyrannical rule. He is a self-appointed king who took his throne by force. You see milady this used to be a human kingdom with human servants. He didn't take it over out of revenge or treason for being a slave or mistreated. Your father just wanted power for himself. So late at night either he or one of his minions snuck into the castle and slew the royal family in stealth and then proceeded to slay the entire house. With no heirs or family in the country left to assume the throne and continue the lineage, your father stepped in. My family were among those slain that night but I managed to escape thanks to my mother and a knife given to me by my father that had been handed down through the generations of my family."
He smiled and placed a hand on hers gently laying it on top of hers.
"As for what the guards did they were only following your fathers' orders. They have good reason to fear me after all. I was one of the leaders of the rebellion against your father. I have slain many of their brothers-in-arms. Your father somehow devised trickery to capture me. He sent wave after wave throughout the day to keep me exhausted from battle. While I was resting during a break in the fighting someone snuck up behind me and struck me unconscious. They dragged me here and the rest o fthe story you witnessed first hand."
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Post by Brynn Eoflyn on Jul 17, 2017 0:16:18 GMT -5
She tensed once again when he reached out to touch her hand, but soon relaxed, even laying her other hand over his. "What you are saying... it is hard for me to believe, I must be honest. I am not saying it is lies or slander, but I--" She bit her lip to prevent it from trembling, "I want to believe my parents can redeem themselves, though, even if they did, your allies would still come for them?" She tilted her head up to look at him now, pain clear in her eyes.
"My parents hid the way we came to own this castle from me. I knew something was amiss - I've known it for years now, but my father treats me like I'm precious glass and will not let me know anything beyond what he allows my mentors to teach me..." She removed her hands from his to scrub her face.
"I swear on the goddess of justice, I will get you out of the dungeons..." She nodded her head, slowly standing up. "You do not deserve to be here, just as we do not deserve to rule. I am sorry my family did what they did. The words seem empty even to myself - no words could ever bring back loved ones..." She smiled sadly, "Eat and rest. I will take my leave now."
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Post by Aime' on Jul 17, 2017 0:25:26 GMT -5
"I understand your hesitancy. He is your father after all. I appreciate the heart felt apology milady. My allies would still come for them and remove them from rule. If we can avoid casualties of course we will. But it would be rather difficult for your father to redeem himself your highness. He's taken many lives as well and stolen things that do not rightfully belong to him. He proclaims himself king over a land that is not his to rule and treats the people poorly."
He looked up at her with a sad smile on his face as well.
"Just as I will have to live with the fact for the rest of my life that I am but a killer as well. I did so in self defense and for what I believe to be a noble cause but a life is a life regardless of sides and species."
When she announced she would be departing he figured he had given her enough information to ponder.
"My gratitude once again milady for the king gifts and gestures you've given. Sweet dreams to you princess."
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Post by Brynn Eoflyn on Jul 17, 2017 0:39:03 GMT -5
She paused just a foot away from the door, looking at him over her shoulder. "Brynn. My name is Brynn. Please don't call me princess, I'm not one." She smiled a little then. "That is the difference between you and the people that my parents are... you know that you have taken lives, that it is the same as being a killer, but you still regret what you have had to resort to. My parents," She trailed off, her eyes distant as she stared ahead. "They do not. Power is nothing but a sin, and they are greedy for it, I see it now."
She shook her head, sighing, "Rest, human... tomorrow is a new day. May your God smile upon you, and may my gods give me strength. Good night." She bowed her head once more before sneaking out and back to her room.
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The next morning, her parents attempted to wave her away to her daily lessons, but she refused; instead reasoning that she should be present when they meet with the advisors. Her stubborness won over without much of a fight thankfully, and so, when they brought their human prisoner in to be questioned, she was standing to her father's left, hands folded in front of her. She kept her expression neutral, though it was a struggle to keep her concern off of her face when she saw just how bloody the human's face looked.
"Are you ready to tell us what we want to know?" Her father asked, voice icy. Her mother's eyes narrowed at the human, giving him the same demeaning look that her father was giving him.
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Post by Aime' on Jul 17, 2017 0:53:26 GMT -5
Despite the pain from the beating Aime' managed to smirk and then spit some excess blood onto the floor before the guards started beating him down again. Despite the agony he had to be in he did not let out any cry of pain. He refused to give them the satisfaction.
"Enough! My daughter should not have to witness the slow and brutal death of a man right before her eyes. Add him to the riffraff we have scrubbing the castle floors and other menial tasks. Just don't let him near anything dealing with food or drink. He'll have to earn that trust when he is broken and wants to earn it. Shouldn't take too long. Humans are such weak and short-lived creatures. Put him to work immediately."
The queen turned to the king as he finished speaking and whispered into his ear.
"You would have this thing cleaning where we walk and sit and sleep? The thought is disgusting milord."
"My darling the degradation of having to do the royal laundry and being at our beck and call will break his mind and spirit until he will do anything we say willingly. What better way to punish an enemy than to have him clean the undergarments of those he attempted to slay?" the king replied with a chortle.
Aime' had to keep himself from rolling his eyes. The guards dragged him out of the throne room and he was immediately put to work without a chance for first aid or to recover first. He would finish scrubbing a spot only to have blood from his face fall onto the floor and have to wipe that up before moving on to another section of floor. If the guards didn't think he was working fast enough or hell, if they got bored, they would give him a strike with the but of a weapon or a well placed boot to coerce him to work harder. Aime' bore the humiliation well however, not daring to retaliate. He would have to convince the king that he was in fact breaking without telling him the location or information on any of his comrades. How he would do that while cleaning the castle he had yet to figure out but he would.
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Post by Brynn Eoflyn on Jul 17, 2017 1:05:21 GMT -5
Brynn's hands moved to her sides, where she clenched them, glad that they were hidden among the folds of her long afternoon dress. She cleared her throat as the human was taken away, calling her parents attention to her. She had no idea what she would say yet, but there had to be something.
"Mother, Father," She began, stepping down the few steps to kneel in front of the thrones, much like a commoner would when asking something of the king and queen. "If you wish to break the human, why not put him to work in training me?" She held up a hand when it looked like her father would protest.
"Let me finish, Father..." She stood and began pacing, her hands clasped behind her back. "As I see it, someone should keep watch over him, yes? Assign him to me - after days of starving and being made to clean my room and such - he will be too tired and sore to bother with an attempt on my life. As for training, we have wooden swords, do we not? Give him one of those and I shall take a real sword - what better way to break a warrior than to humiliate him with being beaten by a princess, yes?"
She stopped her pacing and looked at her father seriously. "I am no little girl father... let me help our people with this creature. I am my father's daughter, yes?" She smirked, the look not suiting her kind face, but she was selling this idea to him the best she could, hoping against hope that he would agree to her terms.
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Post by Aime' on Jul 17, 2017 1:14:15 GMT -5
The king glared down at his daughter wondering what she could have been possibly thinking. She wanted to be put in charge of one of their greatest enemies. She was right in assuming he wouldn't be at full strength since he had been starved and dehydrated and beaten severely for two days but a man with his admitted prowess even at half strength could easily overtake a princess. The king pondered for a few more moments before he relented due to his daughter glaring back at him. She had always had that face since she was little. It was adorable back then. Not as much now that she was grown.
"Fine but even with a wooden sword in his hands he is potentially dangerous. As such when you two are training there shall be guards in the room as well," he replied until he saw his daughter double her glare. "For now. Maybe some day far down the road when he is fully broken he might be trusted enough to train with you without an armed guard. But that is highly unlikely."
The queen looked nervous again but the king dismissed her with a hand gesture before she could give word to her doubts. Meanwhile Aime' had moved on from cleaning floors to tending the gardens in the interior courtyard of the castle. At least the sunlight felt nice and warm on his back. It was certainly a welcome change from the cold dark dampness of the dungeon.
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