→ your obedient servant

[roman]

@tore ⠀no please don't die !! we've already had a dose of that *cough*
no dying allowed. we wouldn't want schiller to be even more distraught

[Pyjaks]

I haven't read everything yet but o BOI you're such a good writer ;_;
I love your writing style so so much. It's so poetic and poignant??? I dunno. It's just so pretty and I can't wait for moreee!

[roman]

ＷＯＲＤ ＣＯＵＮＴ // one thousand, thirty-seven

after a great amount of poking and prodding from arryn, I finally agreed it was time to leave. people were beginning to awake, and I even heard a lone vendor shouting advertisements at a probably non-existent crowd. there wouldn't be much of one today I guessed. most people would rather stay inside their homes then risk getting a little wet.

before mounting lincoln, which I was dying to do, I rung out my hair as best I could. I was afraid to get more water than necessary on his gorgeous black leather saddle. arryn seemed to notice that I did so, because she stopped cinching her horse's saddle and walked over to me. being very cryptic, she grabbed my hands with hers, closed her eyes, and began mumbling something I couldn't understand.

I raised an eyebrow, and opened my mouth to ask what she was doing, but I was silenced by my own astonishment. water droplets were being extracted from my clothes and hair, and were falling upward until I couldn't see them any more. it seemed rather useless since it hadn't stopped raining, but arryn continued undaunted. only when she finished did I notice that it had stopped raining. no, it hadn't; not entirely. just in a small circle around me.

she released my hands and went back to work adjusting her saddle before I could thank her. I looked at lincoln quizzically and he returned the same look.

what? he asked.

she just preformed a powerful spell and walked away like it was nothing, I said incredulously. how could he not be impressed?

that spell was no more powerful than a simple levitation spell, he countered, obviously puzzled at I was so amazed with her abilities.

arryn interrupted our conversation. she had a habit of doing so, whether it was my own thoughts or any other discussion. but she wasn't talking to me. rather, she was cursing under her breath. I made my way around lincoln, and found her sitting on the cold cobblestone breathing hard enough that anyone might've guessed she'd just run a marathon. sweat dripped down her face, and she had her hands clenched in her lap.

"arryn!" I exclaimed, rushing to her side.

she made a feeble attempt to push me away, but I ignored it. "what happened?" I asked, trying desperately to remember a healing spell I'd learned. "blast this city and it's magic restrictions," she gasped. "I used too much magic. now I'm tired. help me into the saddle before the guards get here."

I wanted to say, something like "you can do it yourself for being so rude," but I settled for an exasperated "okay." I didn't want to deal with the guards any more than she did, but I didn't know why they would've been summoned. she'd said something about magic restrictions, and my understanding clicked into place. just as I'd suspected earlier: beona was somehow limiting arryn's magic.

I'd read somewhere that magic took as much energy as it would if you were to do the task by hand. arryn was suffering fatigue because her magic abilities had been tampered with as soon as she entered the gates. a spell that usually took no more than a thought had drawn on energy the city had somehow taken.

as a vampire, my strength was greater than that of a human's, but I was still surprised at how light arryn was. I didn't break so much as a sweat lifting her onto her dalmatian appaloosa. he swayed at the new weight he was to carry, even if it wasn't much.

soon, she was sitting hunched over in her brown saddle, with matching reins gathered up in her hands. she nodded an "I'm okay" at me, and I nodded back before walking again to lincoln. I crossed in front of her stallion, looking into his beautiful eyes as I passed. but their shine wasn't as bright. they didn't portray the same intelligence I had seen in lincoln.

as I swung into my own saddle, I asked, "you brought a normal horse?"

arryn grunted before she nudged her horse onward at a steady canter, and I urged lincoln to keep up. it wasn't hard for him. their hoof beats rung in unison against the stone streets. as we approached the gates, the keeper (who had been asleep and was still very groggy) shouted, "hey! you two! stop!"

I started to pull on the reins and do so, but arryn didn't stop. I followed her example, but I still expected her to halt before we exited the city. the gates were approaching rapidly. any time now, I told myself, and I was and wasn't surprised that lincoln heard this. she's not going to stop, he said with wonder.

the gate keeper was clambering down from his station and I realized what he was going to try and do. if he made it to the gate before we did, he'd drop the gate, whether or not it was on top of us.

arryn drove her heels into the appaloosa's side, and I mentally urged lincoln to a fast gallop. the gate was one-third closed.

arryn shouted, "faster!" and her stallion rushed on, lincoln easily keeping pace. the gate was half-way closed.

almost there, I thought, trying to quell my worry. the gate was just ahead.

I had to duck to get through, and the gate clipped lincoln on heels. he snorted in pain, but I muttered a spell that soothed the sting he was obviously feeling. arryn rose her hands in victory as they galloped on. the lines on her face had disappeared, and her eyes displayed new energy. for the first time, I saw a wide smile on her lips.

"arryn?" I asked cautiously. maybe she was delirious. that was the only logical explanation that presented itself to me.

she turned to in the saddle to face me, as lincoln had fallen somewhat behind. I didn't blame him. the cuts on his legs looked painful. I muttered another soothing spell. I cursed myself for not being able to remember my healing spell. I hated seeing him in pain.

"victoria," arryn replied with a laugh. "welcome to the world."

[roman]

@pyjaks ⠀ahh thank you so much. you're not too shabby yourself <3
I'm really happy you're enjoying it so far! thank you for the nice comments ^^
so original, I know. forgive my sins (,:

a new poll is up ^^'
I really do value everyone's opinion, so be sure to vote!
I have a rough plan for beona, but this will definitely help me out uwu
it's up to you guys: is the city evil and corrupt? or are they just trying to protect their citizens from the empire?

[roman]

ＷＯＲＤ ＣＯＵＮＴ // four hundred and eighty (it kills me omg)

ideas for an upcoming one x one ^^
here's the character I'm planning on playing
sorry it's so short ughh but I'm sick and currently am writing whatever
comes to mind (,: I might delete this later or add some idk

yuuki knelt down to the ground in one fluid motion, resting his arms on his thighs. a small girl twiddled her thumbs, too scared to make eye contact, in front of him. around them, all was quiet. muffled by the new snow that had blanketed the lower vales earlier that day. only a small sparrow was brave enough to sing it's song.

the soldier's soft voice barely made any noise itself. "I'm yuuki. what's your name?" he asked with a wide smile. it wasn't something he did often. it kind of hurt.

the young girl hesitated before responding, "saki."

her voice was shaky and full of fear. he understood. anyone who grew up under the guren empire was sure to be afraid of any sort of soldier, rebel or not. the four vales of hope were the only safe place for families like this girl's. the army had barely managed to keep this district to themselves. "emperor" guren's soldiers attacked the border almost every day. recently, their attacks had died down, allowing a new flow of refugees.

"here," he said, unclasping his cloak. he managed to hide a shiver as the cold air bit into his uniform. "you look cold."

saki finally mustered up the courage to look into his unwavering brown eyes. she reached out with a cautious arm and took the cape, eagerly throwing it around herself. her mouth immediately curved into a smile. she must have been freezing.

"thank you," she mumbled gratefully.

"did you loose your family?" he asked, surveying the road they were standing upon and the forest nearby. there was no sign of anyone. the sparrow flitted over their heads, off to spread it's cheer somewhere else, leaving the two in complete silence.

saki shook her head decisively. yuuki ruffled her hair as he stood again.

"then you had better get back to them. they're probably worried about you."

she laughed and went turned her back to him, waving goodbye as she ran down the road. she almost tripped once on the black cloak that was ten times too big for her, and yuuki had to resist the urge to walk her home himself. he had other matters he needed to attend to. saki would have to wait.

"so the ice general does have a soft side," a voice said behind him.

if he were anyone else, he might have jumped in surprise. without turning around, he ran a gloved hand through his hair and said, "don't you have somewhere else to be akane?"

the girl emerged from her hiding place behind a tree, walking out into the road behind yuuki. her long blonde hair was pulled into a neat bun, and her uniform was unusually straight. she had spent extra time that morning preparing for the ceremony.

"no sir," she said with a smile, " I've been sent to fetch you for the welcoming."

[leda.]

LOOK ITS ME I THINK

aah wonderful as always! also guren looks so nice ashjshfd

[roman]

ＷＯＲＤ ＣＯＵＮＴ // seven hundred and fifty

I soaked in my surroundings with excitement. the feeling of freedom was bubbling up in my chest. I had never felt so alive. beona must have taken more energy from me than I formerly guessed. energy coursed through my veins. no wonder everyone in the city was so unhappy all the time.

we were surrounded by huge fields of wheat that went on forever. the stalks swayed with the gusts of wind. the dark sky merely helped the grain to appear a shining gold. the road ahead of us stayed diligently straight for almost as long at the fields went on. lincoln shared my feelings. I could tell he was overjoyed to be away from the walls of beona, his injuries long forgotten.

we rode three days. arryn was a totally different person. she was cheerful and loved to talk to me. she was curious and kind, yet she still had an air of cold command around her. her eyes gleamed with vigor and youth. the scar on her cheek had been replaced by a magic illusion, replacing the shape of her face. she was truly beautiful.

we had become more than fetcher and fetchee over the course of our time together. I found that arryn was a progenitor in the counsel, not as high as a duke or duchess, but not as low as a recruit. she had moved up the ranks quickly. every time I asked her about her past, though, she would shut me down. I guessed she was from some high-up family, and had maybe done something to get herself disowned or something of the sort. it wasn't all that uncommon.

we passed cracked buildings and crashed metal birds. arryn told me that before the war, the world was very different. technology, weapons other than swords and bows, and a bunch of other stuff I didn't understand. she seemed to understand it all perfectly. when she spoke of the war though, her eyes became glassy and hollow, so I tried to stay away from the subject.

there wasn't much to talk about when it came to me, and arryn seemed to tread delicately when it came to my past. most of the things I wanted to know were "strictly forbidden" by the duke that had sent her. I learned to accept that. I'd been kept in the dark most of my life, what was a few months more?

but arryn did tell me my name. that was the single most important detail that I had been striving to remember. I had actually cried when she told me what it was. she told me to guard it though, and that I shouldn't be giving it out like a vendor handing out pamphlets. I wasn't sure exactly why she was so strict on the subject, but I didn't argue. the elf had become someone I trusted. someone I cared about.

on our breaks for the night, she had taught me some fencing, and some fist-fighting. she nodded at my progress, but refused to talk about it when I told her it came naturally. that I didn't have to think about what I was doing before I did it. it was because of this that I didn't mention how I often had to stop myself from actually injuring her.

it didn't take long before it seemed like she talked to me like she was talking to an equal, and not some kid she'd just retrieved from the most reclusive city in forviel. she spoke to me with a sort of awe, or maybe I was just imagining things. but she treated my like some old friend, and I was scared to ask her whether we'd known each other. maybe her "nice-guy" attitude was just a cover for feelings of loss or disappointment at who I'd become. I ended up feeling that way with most people. it usually went away after a day or so. but with arryn, it lingered.

the dawn of the fourth day brought sunshine for the first time since we'd left beona. arryn said we would reach the capital by lunch, and that she'd gladly treat me to some of uriel's delicacies. I was in a good mood, but that wasn't new since arryn had opened up to me. I felt like we were on the road to becoming really good friends. I was looking forward to the day ahead of us.

at least I was, until arryn was shot in the head.

[roman]

ＷＯＲＤ ＣＯＵＮＴ // one thousand and one

tears were already streaming down my cheeks as she slumped off her saddle. I screamed something like "I can't loose you too!" where that came from, I have no idea. I hadn't lost any other significant person in the life I could remember. I jumped off lincoln and cradled arryn's limp body in my hands, but before I knew what was happening, I had identified what had killed her and from where. I didn't have the strength to look her her face. blood had stained her once gorgeously white uniform eternally red. the dirt was matted together underneath her.

all at once, my grief turned into burning anger. I didn't know why I felt so helpless. it was like I was trapped within my own body. I couldn't move like I wanted to. I was cemented in place, crying over arryn. I couldn't help her. even with the magic I felt at my fingertips, ready to take action. just like I couldn't help them. they didn't deserve what they had gotten, and neither had she.

I rose from my spot over arryn, grief stricken and weary. one might've likened my appearance to a ghost rising shakily from the ground. my head hung from my shoulders and strands of brown hair were plastered to my face. I threw off the black cape that had been covering me. the black cape that was now stained with her blood. she didn't need to die.

I used the vast reserves of magic now open to me, and materialized a sword. I immediately felt the draw on my energy, but the adrenaline coursing through my veins covered it up. a black silhouette rose from the field before me and turned to run, but froze in place when he laid eyes on me.

I had drawn the magnificent blade and was walking menacingly towards him. the sun glinted off the unblemished metal. I didn't really notice anything but the figure in front of me. tears were still streaming down my face. I pushed off one leg, and came at him with full speed. he barely had enough time to raise his own sword before I bore down on him. the shear force of my attack made him stagger backward.

his eyes widened in fear as I continuously struck at him. by the time I needed to halt and catch my breath, I had landed multiple scratches all around his body. a realization hit me as I examined the damage I had inflicted. he was just hoping to survive. he wasn't defending anything that wasn't important. he wasn't attacking me. he was just trying to cling to life.

"y─you're ade─adelaide noble─noble," he spluttered breathlessly.

I straightened by back at the sound of my name. he knew my true name. how? arryn said that the duke who sent for me was one of the only people privy to who I really was. but why would a duke kill someone he sent to retrieve me? if he wanted me, he could have had the man in front of me kill me or injure me enough to drag me in. and why so close to the city? I was almost there, he could've just killed us when we arrived.

"why did you kill her?" I screamed. the pain in my voice visibly shook the resolve of the assassin. he stood there, transfixed, unable to speak, and I rushed at him again. he snapped to just before I could strike him in the chest. "why?" I repeated.

he fell backwards onto the ground, and I lowered my sword to his neck before he could rise again. fear, confusion, anger. these crossed his face before he spoke. "they told me the one on the left was adelaide noble," he growled defiantly. his words only infuriated me more. "human, you had better start explaining, or I'll feed you to the worst thing I can find. that would probably be me out here."

he raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, but I didn't falter. "look," he said. "a girl from beona wouldn't understand how politics work." he winced as the point of the blade drew a button of blood from his neck. obviously, he didn't fear death. he wanted to live, yes, but he would rather face death than fail in his task. he coughed, and I lightened the weight on the hilt. I didn't want him dead just yet.

"you see," he said, a sardonic smile spreading across his lips. "the emperor can't have another noble on the throne. he didn't know how much you remembered. but instead of risking it─" he rose his hand and shaped it in the likeness of a gun. "pow!"

I closed my eyes, digesting the words just spoken to me. "how dare you," I whispered indignantly. "you will die for what you've done." I brought my sword up, preparing to end his miserable life, my arm shaking as I did so. a huge gust of wind bent the grass low and hit me in the back, and I had to fight to not stagger forward. clouds covered the sun, covering us in shadow. the walls of uriel looked down upon us, completely oblivious to what had just taken place.

what was I doing? was I really going to kill him? arryn's blood on my sleeve served as a cement for my intended actions, but not only was her blood on my sleeve, but this boy's. he couldn't be much more than seventeen. did he have a family? he knew who I was, and he was sent to kill me. but was he something other than a hired gun? was he forced into service by someone?

"I'll see you in hell," he laughed. it took me just too long to realize what he was doing. he had unclasped something small and black from his side. understanding donned on me, but I was too late. he aimed at my chest as I let my sword drop, and fired.

[Asherwy]

lol rom i'm probably being really picky and it's totally up to you if you wanna put polls like that or not but i haven't read chapter 7 yet and the poll kinda spoiled it for me, so if u could put spoiler-friendly polls that'd be nice pls
sorry for rambling, you absolutely don't have to listen to me I just thought I'd get this out there

[roman]

@asher ⠀agh I'm so sorry !! I totally didn't take that into account.
thank you so very much for bringing that to my attention, and I promise to be more careful in the future ^^