a king with no throne -- tryout form

[casiopea]

The forest seemed harsh and unforgiving to outsiders, but to the many living within it seemed like a land of possibilities and opportunities, not to mention danger as well. Nobody ever knew what would happen next, it was unpredictable. The creatures of the forest didn't sense the weary traveler crunching past the autumn leaves on the ground.

His eyes were a glowing red, his pelt as black as obsidian. There was something about him, an air that felt somewhat regal and respectable, but also very dangerous. The forest creatures asked themselves, how could this be?

The traveler lay against a tree trunk, watching the crimson and amber leaves flutter down through the air, as if giving their last dance before the winter came to freeze everything over. He seemed to take everything in one at a time, appreciating this patch of peace before moving on. Little did he know that he would come to see this forest for many years to come.

He was young and rather humble. He wasn't the arrogant "king" he would be in the future to come. He was kind and knowing, not manipulative or tricky. The castle seemed to change people, strip them from everything good they had and make them into a monster. But he was not a monster. He fought the castle for as long as he could, before it finally took over.

A sad king with no subjects, cold and alone as the first snow of winter fell, with only the cold, unforgiving stone to talk to.

[casiopea]

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► name: Antares
► name meaning: rival of ares; anti-ares
► gender: male
► age: 21
► birthday: november 1
► theme song: fake you out -
twenty one pilots
► occupation: a "king"
► resides in: Cynrik Forest

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art by bright star

personality: arrogant | indecisive | mysterious | tricky

Antares is not the type of person you'd want to cross on a bad day. He'd take advantage of you, make you feel safe and secure, and then leave you out in the rain without returning. He's very full of himself and will ramble on and on about how great he is and how he is better than anyone, when truly he is not.

He can be a bit dark and mysterious at times, and he'll hold back any information if needed. Antares is a smooth talker and fast thinker, which can get him to persuade anyone for anything, and he'll quickly make up things to get your attention.

Antares can be a bit manipulative, using you and promising great things only to leave you in the dust. He does it to everyone, he charms them at first, uses them to get him things or do things for him, and then finally...he's gone and he's nowhere to be found. He's a bit tricky, but if you spin things around, he'll probably stop trying to trick you and reveal who he truly is.

Antares has a soft spot for fluffy animals and anything sweet. He's a bit of a hopeless romantic as well, but instead of drawing people in he sends them away, for fear of them being manipulative. Antares will play small friendly pranks on whoever they like, and mostly keep his identity secret, since he doesn't want to scare them away.

He likes acting brave and shuns everyone who's cowardly, but he's quite the opposite. Antares has many deep, dark fears he'd rather not share. He is a bit boastful and exaggerates everything he does, but he means well...most of the time.

[casiopea]

► It was the night after October thirty-first that he had been born. Wind whistled through the bare tree branches, the night sky cloudy and uncertain. His parents couldn't afford to take care of him after his fourth birthday, so one day, Antares found that they had left him on the streets. Alone and uncared for.

► At only eight years old, Antares had managed to survive on the streets by scavenging and stealing. He had started a small band who teamed up to scavenge things, share their riches, and then go separate ways. They only met up on certain days, and it wasn't often that they all found good enough things.

► One day he came across a nice old lady at the park. They sat and talked together, and the old lady asked Antares to call her "Auntie Rosa". They met up everyday, in exchange for food Antares told stories. Auntie Rosa offered him a place to stay, and he kindly took the offer. He lived with Rosa until he was seventeen years old.

► With his mind set on fame and glory, he gave Auntie Rosa one last goodbye and ventured out into the real world, in search for a new place with new opportunities. Antares came across a storm that blew him off course, and he found a dark, intimidating forest with a shadowy castle ruins and decided to live there. He still does live there to this day.

[casiopea]

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There was just one foggy memory of who he was - what he was - and Antares remembered him as a nervous wreck. It was funny to him though, how there could be someone so nervous! But he was taught by his good Auntie not to laugh at others, as they would laugh at him back. A childhood friend of some sort, one of the only few he had remembered, and the only one to stay in his memory. Ky was his name, he remembered, the only friend that stuck with him in the city he had lived in. Never to be seen again, only in his memories.

[casiopea]

The sun was setting, slowly and peacefully down the horizon. It cast long shadows and orange glows on the snow on the treetops, and during the couple of moments when the sun slid down the sky, everything seemed peaceful. But Antares was not.

Antares was frantically running back and forth, from tree trunk to tree trunk. Being chased by a pack of wolves isn't what you'd call entirely "peaceful" at this time. He tripped over undergrowth, leaped over bushes, and crawled under logs, all the while panting. Accidentally crossing wolf territory was not okay, there was always a risk you could be ambushed if the wolves were hungry enough. And they were. During winter, prey was scarce. There wasn't enough to go around. And what happens when possible food shows up in your territory? You hunt it down.

It was a huge risk chasing Antares. They never tried to eat creatures like these. Too dangerous was something they all agreed on. But what choice did they have? In the deep of winter, with barely any food left other than scrawny hares and mice, they had to take a risk.

So here they were, both running for the sake of their lives.

Antares was sly and quick-witted. He'd think of something, wouldn't he? In the midst of it all, he couldn't. It was as if all senses were blocked. He couldn't think. He couldn't see straight. He seemed to trip on every root in his path. It was as if the whole world was against him. It's fine, he thought. I kind of deserve it. It was really ignorant of me to ignore all the signs that I was crossing dangerous territory. But I crossed it! Now I'm here.

The castle was within eyesight, you couldn't exactly miss it. Its towering shape loomed over all the trees, the dull gray stones seemed cold and uninviting. Nobody would quite expect this large, staggering place to be a refuge, but to Antares it was all he had.

The wolves weren't far behind, leaping over logs and bushes with unimaginable strength and never-ending energy. Their energy wouldn't last long, and they could tell that their prey was going to make a run for the large stone mountain. It was now or never, and they hadn't a second to think of what they would do. It was act now or retreat.

Antares made a run for it. The castle was near, he knew the path through here better than the wolves did. They didn't know this territory, he hoped that they didn't.

He ran through the path he knew better than himself. The woods welcomed him, as if sensing his return. The dark and confusing branches of the trees seemed to move him forward, the bushes seemed to give way for him to pass, and he grinned. Antares sprinted through the patch of forest into open, snowy ground, straight into the clutches of the castle.

For a couple of hours he sat unmoving on the grand staircase that led upstairs to his room. The stone was cold, but Antares didn't feel the cold. The only thing he felt was his heart beat in his chest and the last rays of the golden sun shining through the broken windows.

Night was coming.

[casiopea]

The darkness cast huge shadows in the castle, moving slowly towards Antares as if trying to grab hold of him and pull him in. He whimpered, but then thought, I'm the king of this castle! The shadows must obey me, I will not fall to them.

He remembered an old song and started humming it, which seemed to fill him with courage as he stepped through the hallway, passing the dark doorframes leading to different rooms. Upon his arrival here he had not explored each room, not yet, but a king needs to know his castle, doesn't he?

He knew that in every castle there must be a ballroom. Antares kept humming, intent on finding the doors to the ballroom. Of course, you couldn't miss it. Huge golden doors engraved with flower and swirl patterns indicated that this was a very important room, a room for hosting huge parties, dances, a ballroom.

Antares pushed the doors open, and they creaked in return and dumped waves of dust onto him. He sneezed, and the sound echoed throughout the large room. He gasped as he entered the ballroom.

The room glittered with a faded glory, what was once extravagant seemed long lost but some of the magic was still there, and Antares could feel it deep in his heart. A flutter, and for one moment he seemed to let go of all arrogance and his heart warmed again by the sight of the chandelier, the paintings on the wall, the sky blue dome up above.

He took a couple of steps, the magic seemed to pull him in, and he started to dance.

The room filled with music, chattering, light, and the sound of footsteps as they danced in time with the music. Antares was not sure if he was imagining this or not, but he chose to live in the moment and let himself go along. He spun and twirled across the room with a passive smile on his face, and once he finished he let out a sigh of contentment.

For once, he didn't feel as cold, as if the sharp pangs of winter had suddenly melted and turned into a warm spring inside of him. For once, his heart warmed and he could feel himself be free.