The Last Gracelings

[Roseshine12]

Name; Zachary Taylor
Eyes; Enhanced Silver
and Grey
Age; 19 yrs
Tags; Anya

Zachary helped the woman up onto the horse as she took his hand, pulling her up behind him. He placed his foot back into the stirrup that he'd allowed her to use to get herself up and looked back behind him at her with a smile as he allowed his raven bangs to fall back into place over his eyes, pulling his hood down a little farther. "As the lady wishes. Though you may wish to realize they will likely harm the people, whether you are present or not," he informed genuinely. However, as she wished, he turned the horse back towards the woods and let the horse trot off further into the woods, back in the direction he'd come from since that village should be safe. He had come here originally to help the village but if he could save a Graced, that would be all the better in the long run.

He rode on in silence for her answer before glancing back to her. "You may call me Zach, if you so choose. What do I have the pleasure of calling you?" he asked with a gentle smile. He might as well have something to call her if he planned on staying by her side. Even if she wouldn't fight against the King, it was better to have a comrade, even if on the sidelines, than to be on one's own with such a large undertaking. Also, he didn't want to see her hurt because he decided to be a hero and she didn't. It would be selfish and rude and if he was going to take up his family's land and village once more, he couldn't allow himself to be either unless it was to keep another safe. Right now, however, he would focus on befriending her and hope that she doesn't feel alarmed by his presence.
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{It's perfectly fine, so long as you replied. XD Do you know if the other two scenes are taking place in different villages from the one Anya is running from?}

[Speak]

ｒｏｓａｌｙｎ .ａｚａｄ

❝ｙｅｌｌｏｗ ａｎｄ ｌｉｍｅ❞

[gender] female [age] seventeen [abilities] intelligence [ location ] outskirts of the city [ tagged ] zachary, anya

The air was different today, as soon as Rosalyn had risen from a fitful sleep haunted by fire and smoke she'd known that something wasn't right. It was at times like this that Rosalyn wished her grace had been precognition, being able to know the future in such uncertain times would make things that much easier. Rising quickly the young girl moved swiftly to the small dresser on the other side of the room and reached for the pitcher of water to splash her face and perhaps try and wash away the images of burning homes that were still seared to the inside of her lids. A little more awake and aware Rosalyn finally noticed the sounds of commotion that were rising up from the streets below.
Without even having to look out her small attic window Rosalyn knew exactly what must've been going on, her time of hiding in plain sight was over, the king had apparently renewed and reinvigorated his efforts to find all those like her and eliminate them once and for all. Throwing on her soft blue dress Rosalyn reached under her bed and removed what appeared to be a crudely carved box about the size of a book. When she'd been about six her father had helped her carve it in an attempt to prove that though she was intelligent she still needed help from her parents. Remembering the days they spent huddled in a corner of their small hut carefully crafting the box brought a smile to Rosalyn's face but also clouded her eyes with the pain and sorrow that now tinged all of her memories. Lifting the lid revealed the set of throwing knives she'd recently commissioned as her old set had gotten too dull over the years. After stashing the blades about her person it didn't take Rosalyn long to pack up what few belongings she had into a small pack that was easily slung over her shoulder.
Hearing a knock at her door Rosalyn jumped to her feet and cautiously moved to the window before calling out "Come in." Soon after an older woman entered with a terrified expression, "They're searching every nook and cranny of this city, won't be long before they find ye here..." Adelaide rattled away her voice breathy and clearly betraying her jumbled nerves. Smiling at the old woman Rosalyn shook her head, "Don't you worry about me I'm leaving now, I wouldn't want to bring any more danger to you than I already have" she told the old woman embracing her for what might be the last time, "Thank you for all these years I will never forget you." and with that Rosalyn clambered out the window and was off across the rooftops.
From the beginning, Rosalyn had known that she wouldn't be able to stay with Adelaide in her inn forever. It was clear that the King had other ideas and that left a sour taste in the graced girls' mouth. She had never asked for her gifts nor had she wanted them to be used the way they had been before, and yet because the king felt threatened she was told to lay down and die. Not today. Determination shining through her brightly coloured eyes Rosalyn reached the end of her rooftop road and began the challenging part of her escape.
By this time every street was laden with soldiers searching homes and alleys for any graced who had escaped the massacre ten years ago. Clearly not strong enough to take down such men in close combat Rosalyn's only hope was her quick reflexes and her wits which not to brag were pretty extraordinary. Using the narrow alleyway to her advantage Rosalyn clambered down to the street and quickly blended in with the crowd. Allowing her hair to fall in front of her face Rosalyn kept her head down as she walked towards the one stable where money mattered more than loyalty to the crown. Managing to stay in the shadows of others it wasn't long before Rosalyn had reached her destination and passed the stable boy a handful of coin to guarantee herself a horse and a path to freedom.
Getting out on foot was impossible but on a horse not only was it plausible but almost too easy, people cleared out of her way less they be crushed and before the soldiers at the gate had even registered her she was gone. Streaking through the forest Rosalyn went over the layout of the kingdom in her head trying to decide where the safest place to go would be. In truth, the forest seemed to be the most attractive option but Rosalyn knew that it was easier for a leaf to hide among the trees than it was for a human. Ten years before Rosalyn had tried hiding out in the forest but the king had soon mobilised a large force to comb through every stick and blade of grass that grew there in search of graced. Still deep in thought, Rosalyn was startled by movement to her left and a chill immediately went down her spine. They'd found her already? Pulling on her horses' reins Rosalyn quickly came to a stop, her hand going to her waist in a flash her arm was in the air and the steel that had once been in her hand was sent flying through the air towards the dark shadow.

I'm so sorry, I did not intend to write this much...}}

[Roseshine12]

Name; Zachary Taylor
Eyes; Enhanced Silver
and Grey
Age; 19 yrs
Tags; Anya, Rosalyn

Zachary listened to Anya's reply, waiting to see if she would. He figured, though, that the Graced wouldn't trust him enough to give him a name, or at least not her real one. Still, it would be nice to have something to call her other than 'Hey' or 'Hey you'. That was just plain rude, especially towards a woman. He had been taught better manners than that... even if that was forever ago. He couldn't help but grow a little solemn at that. No family. No friends. No town perhaps even. What was left to his name, he wondered? He hoped that if the manor was still there, he could use it as a base for the Graced, even if the town and manor were abandoned (which he also hoped the manor at least was and not reused for a different noble family).

In his thoughts though, he lifted his head up and listened carefully as he heard an extra set of hooves nearby but not close enough for Anya to pick up. He listened quietly as they suddenly came to a halt, silence, the sheath of a blade and then the sheen were seen. At the unsheathing of a blade, he only told the girl, "Hang on, tight!" just as he reared up the stallion in such a way that he made the beast back up on his back hooves just as the flash of a blade whirled past them harmlessly, the stallion's whinny heard at the sudden pull on the reins. He was forced up into such a rearing stance that if the girl had not held on, she would have fallen and if he wasn't careful, he would have, too.

He immediately eased the reins just as quickly as he'd yanked on them, letting the beast drop back down as he pranced and shook his head in discomfort. Zachary immediately looked in the direction of where the blade had come from, focusing his vision through the dark canopy of the woods onto the figure on the horse. It was another Graced. He could tell by her bright colored yellow and lime eyes. They stood out like the sun would in the night sky to his vision in this darkened forest.

He focused his sight back to normal and watched the direction she was in. "We mean you no harm. My friend and I are simply fleeing from the King's men," he called to her in his gentleman's voice. It held an icy-calm undertone to it but the friendly yet faked warmth above that iciness was no lie, either. His voice held a double meaning, in a way, a double life. One life filled with heartache and loneliness. The other life was one where he wouldn't allow it to affect him. He was certainly a nobleman's child, one could tell by the accent underlying and the words used but he was a noble child who'd lost everything dear to him and even then some... as it also included the fact he'd lost his emotions, at least on the surface. What drove him forward was anyone's guess at this point without seeing the man in person.
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{I happened to love your reply Speak. Also, I figured to reply first since he'll spot the dagger before it even gets too close with those eyes and that hearing of his. He won't hesitate to interrupt if Anya is talking to protect them. }

[Espeon101010]

Aɴʏᴀ Sʜᴀᴇ Cᴜɴɴɪɴɢʜᴀᴍ

.:. Purple and Brown .:. 19 years .:. Female .:. Zachary and Rosalyn .:.

The reality that the people she had known for so many years were likely going to be hurt and likely be killed simply for harboring a graceling. Either way, they were going to suffer, and Anya would rather not risk her own life as well as this new stranger's life by going closer to the soldiers that were ransacking her village. As Zach introduced himself, Anya noticed that his patterns of speech were also very formal and well mannered. He certainly hadn't grown up on a farm or in a local village, it was clear that he had been raised in a well-off setting or at least had learned how to speak like someone from a highly-ranked family. "My name is-" Before she could finish her sentence and properly introduce herself-at least as well as any farm girl could, Zach's horse reared back and she was nearly unseated if it hadn't been for his sudden warning. She had no idea what had spooked the horse, but she realized that Zach had pulled on his mount's reins- for whatever reason. As Zach spoke to the forest, Anya tried to see if there were soldiers, but couldn't hear armor or voices. She could pick up a small trace of fear coming from somewhere beside them, but whoever it was was well hidden. Anya realized that Zach must be speaking to them and was surprised that he could even pick them out amongst all the trees and shadows. Considering how Zach reacted, Anya places her hand on the hilt of her sword, just in case things got ugly. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a knife sticking out of a free, where she and Zach had been moments before.
Obviously this newcomer was at least as on edge as they were. And they could throw knives with dangerous accuracy.