ＦＡＤＩＮＧ ＩＮＴＯ ＡＳＨ ＡＮＤ ＤＵＳＴ

[nymphadora.]

◤

◥

Ｒｙｄｅｒ Ｓｅｒｉｌｄａ Ｌｉｎｓｔｒｉｍ

Gender: Female
Age: 21
Kingdom: Istoth
Job/Rank: Soldier, Assassin, Spy
Species: Dragon Shifter/Fire Element Controller
Sexuality: Straight
Crush: Crushes are for children
Tagged: Leonidas
"You wouldn't do that."

◣

◢

I watched him swing the but of his sword at my arm and it contacted my arm painfully. It started a throbbing pain in my arm that would probably cause a bruise. I cursed under my breath and watched my sword fall out of my hand. I frowned as it skidded a good two maybe three yards away. I looked up at the soldier and grabbed my bow off my back before notching an arrow quickly. I looked at him and took a few seconds to set my aim. I should kill him, let him die. "I don't only carry one weapon." I spat before spitting some blood out of my mouth. I stared at him my green eyes cold and determined. I wasn't going down without a fight. I had the arrow aimed perfectly when I felt something go right through my stomach from the back. I gave a short cry before falling on my knees and dropping my bow. I had enough strength to put the bow back over me and see a man who had stabbed me. He looked at the man I had been fighting and said something about the king being dead. I smirked a bit at the thought. "Good riddance." I spat blood coming out of my mouth. I could see the other man wanted to kill me but instead he kicked me hard in the ribs and I saw black dots dance around my eyes. I watched him run off without another word and I began rolling.

I didn't think he would find that chink in my armor so easily but he had. Blood was pouring out of both sides of the wound as I rolled. I grabbed my sword and shoved it in my sheath. I was breathing heavily but I stood up. I wasn't going down without a fight. I was practically gasping for breath now. "Care to finish me off?" I asked the soldier before spitting out some more blood. I gave a small cackle before taking out my sword and beginning to use it as some kind of cane. I was trying to walk off but I failed miserably as darkness began to dance around my eyes. I fell to the ground painfully and I put away my sword again. I couldn't stand the pain it was everywhere and it was going to bleed me dry. The Seulghem were ruthless and I wouldn't be surprised if after the king's death the soldier just left me. I hoped he did, I would rather die like a warrior then in a Seulghem execution.



{ Thought I would get that done with so you can capture her or not. Also Leo can now know the king is dead. }

[Dragonette_11]

Ｅｌｉｚａｂｅｔｈ Ａｎｎｅ Ａｒａｂｅｌｌａ

╔═════════════════════════════════════════╗
Ｔｈｉｅｆ | Ｓｅｖｅｎｔｅｅｎ | Ｉｓｔｏｔｈ
╚═════════════════════════════════════════╝

╔══════════╗

At the
Battle Field
↽₋⇁
With Alvere, Aeron,
Evan, & Beinethiel
↽₋⇁
Single &
No Crush

╚══════════╝

Green eyes popped open when the two men had returned from the battlefield. The first words she heard from one of them was that the king was dead. Ah, so you're prince Aeron, Elizabeth thought to herself, seeing how he seemed rather upset, too upset for it to be anyone but the prince. Sighing heavily, she was relieved at this, yet also worried. The prince would now be filled with rage, anger, and grief, and he would then become the king. What he'd do with all his fury worried her, now that he would have true power over Seulghem.

She began to gnaw on the cords around her wrist out of boredom now, since she could still move her elbows. Plus, it might prove to be helpful in the long run if she weakened the strength of the rope. There were still the ropes around her upper arms that were still in the way, however. Sitting up, she continued to bite at the sour rope, and gazed around at the servants and other hostages. No one really seemed to care for her, only the man that had brought her here, and even then it was most likely because she gave away her little secret.

[Keriae]

◤--------------------◥
ＡＬＶＥＲＥ.
male :: royal guard :: twenty :: seulghem
tagged - aeron
◣--------------------◢

He could see reason taking over Aeron's mind as the Prince stared at the body of his father. While Aeron stood and retrieved his father's brilliant orange sword, Alvere let his head hang as he brought the King's arms up and crossed them over his chest. He then made sure the legs were straight and together, and he set the helmet straight upon the magnificent head. There was nothing he could do for the blood from all the wounds he had received, and he did not have time to move other bodies out of the way so that he would be spotted easier by those that came to collect him.

Then Alvere himself stood, picking up his sword from the mud. At the same time Aeron spoke, and immediately he knew that his friend would punish the hostages. He wanted to protest, but his throat was tight and his mouth was dry and he knew that in his grieved state Aeron would never listen. His judgement was clouded and he would not listen to the voice of reason when they were on the battlefield. He watched silently as his friend strode away, quite calmly: he would have preferred it if he had stormed off and shown his anger in every step.

The Royal Guard did not ride his horse back. Instead he just grabbed the reins and followed the young monarch back to the burnt healing tents. He stood a little away as Aeron announced the news and he bowed his head as wails of grief surrounded them. The King had been seated on his throne since before most of these people were born. It was like loosing the sky, or the ground tearing open. Nothing would ever be the same again.

Alvere beckoned a group of servants and whispered to them. "Get an empty cart and four mules. Tack them up and go to the battlefield. Get the King, bring he back, and then place him in the Royal Cart." The Kingdom would want to pay their respects to their King: he could see a messenger racing away at top speed.

Now he returned to Aeron's side, guilt gnawing at his insides. If he hadn't been messing about with that stupid criminal, he could have saved the King's life. He was a Royal Guard, for God's sake! It was his duty to stay with the monarch and protect them, and he had failed. If he had performed his duty correctly, the King would still be alive and Aeron would be happy and the Queen would be happy and the Kingdom would be celebrating. Instead they were in mourning, despite their victory. It was a hollow victory, and Istoth would be celebrating such a moment, before they noticed that their Princess was missing.

Speaking of the Princess, she was nearby, begging. His face turned to a sad sneer but he urged his friend. "Talk to her. I'll start organising the Army for our return."

[Dark.]

Pʀɪɴᴄᴇ Aᴇʀᴏɴ ᴏғ Sᴇᴜʟɢʜᴇᴍ
Currently;; Talking to the Princess| Tagged;; Evangeline, Beinethiel, Elizabeth, Alvere

Aeron ignored the wails of anguish as best he could, their grief mimicking his own. Except he couldn't allow himself to outwardly show his, he envied them for that. Aeron stood still as Alvere began to organise the Seulghem men. He was a good, loyal man of the King's Guard, and Aeron couldn't say how thankful he was to have him there at that moment in time.

Aeron watched as a messager sped away. That was it then. The bells would be ringing out upon their return. One bell in particular; the large crystal bell housed in the Royal Tower of Seulghem's Temple of the Gods. To this day, Aeron had never heard that bell toll. It was only rang to mark the passing of a King and the last time it had rang was quarter of a decade prior, when his father's father passed at the ripe old age of 80. It was a sound he desperately didn't want to hear; and one that he would never hear again. The next time that bell rang, it would mark his own death. That thought sent chills up Aeron's spine.

The Prince was aware that Alvere had made his way to his side and he tilted his head towards his friend, Talk to her. I'll start organising the Army for our return. Aeron nodded, "Make sure the hostages go in a covered wagon. We don't want the mob get to them before we have the chance to make use of them ourselves." Aeron still wasn't exactly sure what he planned to do with them. He would get Alvere's opinion back in the privacy of the Castle. Deep down he badly want to put each of them on the chopping block, but on the surface he forced himself to quench his anger and appear uncharacteristically calm. One thing he could be sure of was how the Seulghem commoners would react if they spotted such valuable hostages; they would turn into a bloodthirsty mob, acting out in vengeance. That was something Aeron could not let happen.

Aeron had been ignoring the Princess's pleas, however when Alvere told him to talk to her, he sighed begrudgingly. Walking forward, he looked down at the Princess, his stare calm, but cold, "Given the position your in, that's Prince Aeron to you." And soon-to-be King Aeron. That thought made him a little nervous. He suited been a Prince, aye, but being a King? People would look to him for leadership. If he wanted respect he could no longer spend his time drinking and gambling with the commoners; or frequenting the brothels for that matter. It hadn't fully sunk in what the crown would mean once it was placed upon his head. Aeron stuck Fury into the ground beside him and folded his arms across his chest, "You wanted to talk, then speak. Grovel pathetically for your people."

[duckworth]

♛

♛

ＥＶＡＮＧＥＬＩＮＥ
Princess Evangeline "Evan" Blythe
female | eighteen | Isoth
tagged: Aeron (mostly)
not really sure where she is
talking to Prince Aeron
no crush & single
❝ If we don't end war, war will end us. ❞
- H.G. Wells
format © vita.anima

Evangeline let out a small sigh of relief when Prince Aeron agreed to talk to her. She would have to thank the Royal Guard soldier later, if she ever got the chance, because it seemed he was the one who convinced Aeron to even acknowledge her presence. But maybe it would've been better if the prince had kept ignoring her, because as he glared at her so angrily, Evan nearly bit her tongue trying to push the words out. It didn't exactly help that Prince Aeron said something about grovelling, which Evangeline had actually planned on doing, but now that he brought it up in such a vicious manner, she didn't particularly want to admit that she had been about to beg.
"I'm not going to, as you so charmingly put it, 'grovel pathetically' for my people," Evangeline replied with a bit of bite in her voice, something that she regretted almost immediately after she spoke. Sighing, she rubbed her eyes tiredly with the heel of her hand, some dirt and blood coming off of her face as she did so. Meeting Prince Aeron's gaze, almost a bit defiantly, Evangeline quite willingly said her next words, "I'm sorry."
Rubbing her face again, Evangeline continued a bit awkwardly, not entirely sure where she was taking this conversation, especially since she had decided against grovelling, which was easily her best option right now. Talking a bit slowly since she was so unsure about her words, she added, "To be honest, I was going to beg at first, but I decided at the last second that I'm not going to. There's really no point, is there? You strike me as a stubborn man, and I doubt anything the enemy princess has to say would change your mind." There was a sad sort of humorless smile that didn't reach her eyes. It was almost a knowing smirk, because Evangeline knew that she was going to die no matter what she said. As she realized this, she was glad she didn't grovel and beg like the prince was probably expecting. There was no point. So she might as well keep stalling for time, maybe calm him down a bit, although that was near impossible.
"So, I'm sorry. I really am, Prince Aeron," she forced herself to keep looking into his eyes, as much as she wanted to look down at the ground. "Seulghem may have lost their king, but you lost your father, and I think that's a much worse pain. I can't imagine how you're feeling, and I'm not going to lie and say that I do. But that doesn't mean I can't be sorry for your loss." Evangeline knew she was rambling at this point, but there wasn't much else to do except continue talking until Prince Aeron said something in reply. Evan had a horrible habit of talking and talking aimlessly—she wasn't very well-trained in speaking in public, despite being a princess (she had always skipped out on her lessons)—but hopefully it would work in this case. Probably not, though. "It's not pity, mind you," she added quickly, "it's more sadness, I suppose."
Hesitating before saying her last bit, Evangeline made sure to keep eye contact, the defiant sort of blaze in her eyes coming back again. "You want to kill the hostages. That's no surprise, and it doesn't take a genius to guess. Your people all probably want us dead too. So you might as well kill me now, behead me or poison me or whatever you're planning on doing, because it'll make no difference to me whether I'm dead sooner or dead later."

♛

♛

♚

♚

ＬＥＯＮＩＤＡＳ
Leonidas "Leo" Gorgon
male | twenty | Seulghem
tagged: Aeron, Alvere, Ryder
near the prince and hostages
handing over Ryder
no crush & single
❝ When the rich wage war, it's the poor who die. ❞
Jean-Paul Sartre
format © vita.anima

Leonidas wasn't expecting another weapon. He had been hoping, quite stupidly, in fact, that the shapeshifter had only had her sword on her. Obviously, he was wrong, something he was very deeply regretting as she aimed an arrow at his chest. Suddenly, he saw a shiny metal tip sprout from the woman's stomach. A sword, Leo realized as the woman fell and a man was standing in her place. He recognized him as a fellow foot-soldier. He said something quite hurriedly about the king being dead, which made Leonidas's heart nearly stop, his stomach dropping. Lightheaded, nauseous, and not at all feeling prepared to take this shapeshifter hostage, Leonidas knew it was the only thing he could do. The man ran off, most likely to try and pay his respects to the dead king while he could, while Leonidas was left to deal with the injured prisoner. Well, soon-to-be prisoner, considering she wasn't even properly bound yet.
Kneeling down next to the woman, he bound her wrists with some rope. He always kept some on his person, just in case moments like this presented themselves. And also, since she was bleeding so heavily, Leonidas stuffed some bandages into her hands. Bandages, another necessary piece of equipment Leonidas always had on him in abundance during war. "Press them onto your wound so you don't bleed out. You're a hostage now. Prince Aeron will decide what to do with you,"
Picking the shapeshifter up roughly, he half-walked, half-dragged her over to the medical tents, where he had dropped off the female elf before. Upon his arrival, he nearly dropped his hostage. He had never seen Prince Aeron look so angry. Of course, it wasn't that big of a surprise. Of course the son of the noble king would be furious. Leonidas himself was too, for he had a deep love for the great king of Seulghem, as well as the kingdom itself. The loyalty extended to Prince Aeron, who was now the king, although the coronation hadn't made it official yet. Leonidas would have bowed, but he was keeping a prisoner, so he should probably dispose of her before bowing.
Spotting Alvere, from the Royal Guard, Leonidas walked over to him, speaking in a low voice so as to not disturb anyone, "This is the dragon that had been laying waste to the battlefield and the woods surrounding it. She's a shapeshifter, so I thought she would make a valuable prisoner." Wincing, Leonidas didn't want to mention the king or the prince, so he kept his mouth shut after that, releasing the woman shapeshifter at Alvere's feet.

♚

♚

[nymphadora.]

◤

◥

Ｒｙｄｅｒ Ｓｅｒｉｌｄａ Ｌｉｎｓｔｒｉｍ

Gender: Female
Age: 21
Kingdom: Istoth
Job/Rank: Soldier, Assassin, Spy
Species: Dragon Shifter/Fire Element Controller
Sexuality: Straight
Crush: Crushes are for children
Tagged: Leonidas
"I will burn Seulghem to the ground if it is the last thing I do."

◣

◢

I didn't really keep the bandages on my wounds as he told me to. At the time I just glared at him. Once I got my strength back I was going to burn Seulghem to the ground if it was the last thing I do. "You are a coward you know! If you were a noble soldier you would have let me die!" I yelled at him as he half dragged half carried me. This man was pathetic and I hated him. Once I was brought before the prince I glared at him angrily. "I will burn Seulghem to the ground if you take me hostage. It will take a while but when I get my strength back you will be sorry you too me prisoner. I will burn Seulghem to the ground starting with the new king." I promised before spitting some more blood on the ground. I noticed the Princess was talking with the prince, well new king of Seulghem and I also noticed the elf general of the Istoth army.

"Your alive." I breathed as I looked at her. I thought she was dead, I was hoping I was dead. I would rather be dead then be put to execution as entertainment for the Seulghem. If they sold me back to Istoth along with the Princess and the General I knew they would get a load of money. I hated this all, to much for my own good. I began struggling against the rope as I tried to make a fire, any king of fire. "Come on." I muttered. There was smoke rising from the rope but they weren't being set ablaze. Useless friction. I cursed under my breath about Seulghem, about this foot soldier, about burning Seulghem to the ground. When I was powerful enough they were going to wish they hadn't taken me as prisoner. I will turn into my dragon and blast the cell they put me in apart, then I will burn the kingdom to ashes. I saw black dots dance around my eye lids but I wasn't ready to stop now... Oh no, I wasn't allowing myself to pass out. I was going to stay awake until I killed the new king and the one after that and the one after that.

[Dragonette_11]

Ｅｌｉｚａｂｅｔｈ Ａｎｎｅ Ａｒａｂｅｌｌａ

╔═════════════════════════════════════════╗
Ｔｈｉｅｆ | Ｓｅｖｅｎｔｅｅｎ | Ｉｓｔｏｔｈ
╚═════════════════════════════════════════╝

╔══════════╗

At the
Battle Field
↽₋⇁
With Alvere, Aeron,
Evan, & Beinethiel
↽₋⇁
Single &
No Crush

╚══════════╝

She gazed up from her gnawing and saw that they had also captured that dragon shifting girl, Ryder, as she gazed around. Clearly Elizabeth merely wanted to slam her head onto a stone wall right now. It was one thing if she was captured, for no one is Istoth except the peopled she helped cared for her any ways. Yet when the princess, captain, and one of Istoth's more powerful fighters were captured, she found it a bit sad.

Gazing down to her wound, she noticed that it was still bleeding a bit. Least her lying still for a bit was helping to slow the bleeding. Sighing heavily, she spat at the ground, the sourness of the rope a bit over whelming, but she continued to chew at it any way.

/derp post/ Couldn't think of anything better to write xP

[Keriae]

◤--------------------◥
ＡＬＶＥＲＥ.
male :: royal guard :: twenty :: seulghem
tagged - leonidas, ryder
◣--------------------◢

When Prince Aeron agreed with his words Alvere turned away. He would leave him to talk to the Istoth Princess, for it was obvious that she wanted to speak to him alone. All around him he could see women next to the supplies hunched over, or holding onto each other while salty tears stained their cheeks. The men, injured footsoldiers or servants or healers all stood quietly. Some were getting on with their duties, but some of the injured footmen looked distant and scared. Alvere ignored them. They would be no use at the moment. Instead, he stopped one of the healers and gestured towards the women. "Get some men to help gather everything up. We leave as soon as the Prince is ready. Get the injured into some carts, make sure that they're comfortable." When the servants returned with the King's body he would make sure the mules were changed to four magnificent horses. He would have liked to have used the King's own steed, but the handsome beast had been slaughtered.

He could see the cart sent to collect the King weaving through the bodies, and the Royal Guard watched with a detached expression. Then he looked over his shoulder and saw the horn blower. A small signal and the horn was blown once more in order to ensure that all the soldiers returned. There only seemed to be a few still to return from the battlefield, as the Istoth Army had long since disappeared and most of the soldiers had already returned. Some of the Royal Guards moved over towards him and he gave them orders to make sure the Army settled into their ranks, ready to move out. The supplies and the injured would be placed directly in the middle, in order to protect them. The deceased King would be placed directly behind himself and Aeron, with Royal Guards at the back. Alvere doubted that any Istoth would follow them and then dare to attack them on their way home when the battle was lost to them, but it was better to be safe.

As they walked away, he was joined by another person. This time it was the foot soldier he had exchanged words with before the battle. A woman was placed at his feet. Why were there so many women in the Istoth Army? Not only that, but why were all the important ones foolish another to get caught? According to Leonidas, this was the dragon, and she was a shape-shifter. Well, at least they had caught her.

He toed her side with his boot before giving a small nod. "Take her to the other hostages, then get a secure cart to put them in when we leave. Get some other soldiers to help you, and then you'll be in charge of guarding them," he raised his head from looking at the black haired female, "when we enter the city, do not let any citizens near them. We need them alive and well." Their injuries would be treated, no doubt, and a message sent to the King of Istoth. The hostages would need to be in good condition when they were given back, or else another battle would be on the cards, and Alvere would prefer it if this particular savage battle was the end of the war.

He wrinkled his nose as the woman spat on the ground, staining it scarlet with her blood. She ranted and threatened Seulghem and Alvere just laughed. "Then we will get a magician in order to put a spell on your cell, so you can't change and you can't create any of that stupid fire." A crook of a finger brought a bucket of water over and he made a move to tip it on her: that should stop her from being able to produce flames for now.

[Dark.]

Pʀɪɴᴄᴇ Aᴇʀᴏɴ ᴏғ Sᴇᴜʟɢʜᴇᴍ
Currently;; Talking to the Princess| Tagged;; Evangeline mostly.

Aeron listened as Evangeline spoke. She rambled endlessly, and he didn't attempt to break her speech. Admittedly, he was slightly surprised she hadn't grovelled, filled with a strange feeling of both disappointment and respect. As she spoke, it occured to him that this was a woman who had given up hope. Sure, she still had plenty of bite in her voice, but she'd seen the obvious just as clearly as him. With the King dead; the playing field was evened. There was no longer a pressing need to keep her, or indeed any of the Istoth hostages alive. Aeron could order their executions with no consequences; the war would never end until the King was avenged. As she mentioned his father, Aeron averted his gaze, casting it down onto the floor between them. Her voice sounded genuine enough, but Aeron couldn't help but feel bitter. The Princess of Istoth saying she was sorry for his loss only worked to rub salt in his wound.

Aeron highly doubted she felt any sadness; he knew he wouldn't if the shoe was on the other foot and it was her father who had died. In Istoth right now they would be celebrating, despite their defeat - at least until they found out the Princess was missing. He would love to be a fly on the wall when the King and Queen realised their beloved daughter was missing. Every cloud has a silver lining, however grey the cloud may be.

The Prince brought his gaze back up, meeting Evangeline's eyes, surprised by the defiance that still burned within them. Beheading would be too quick, and poison was the weapon of women; a weapon of cowardice. Aeron's featured had softened a little. He had been running on an adrenaline high through the course of the battle, and now he was falling; everything taking it's toll. His armour felt like it was pulling him down towards the floor. He frowned slightly, "Don't tempt me..." Slowly, he brought a hand to his face, rubbing his fingers across his forehead. The blood had dried on his face and was beginning to flake and itch. He briefly closed his eyes before opening them and glancing back at Evangeline, "You want to truth Princess? I don't know what I'm going to do with you yet - with any of you." He glanced at the other hostages. A new woman had joined the haul, rambling threats to his life and to Seulghem. Aeron frowned, turning back to Evangeline. He sighed and it became apparent he was now voicing his thoughts to himself, rather than to her. His voice was mumbled, "I need to talk to my council.....to my mother. I need to THINK..... God knows I need to think."

Aeron looked up, gesturing to a servant. The servant scurried over, and he pulled up Fury, passing it to the servant, "Make sure it goes in my father's hands." he couldn't bare to place the sword there himself, "And get me a horse." The servant scurried away and moments later, another returned, leading a chestnut mount. It was dressed in standard Seulghem armour; one of the mounts of the reserve cavalry. It was no beast fit for a King; but it would suffice. Aeron placed his half-helm back over his head before placing one foot in the stirrup and hoisting himself up into the saddle. He glanced down at the Princess briefly before kicking his mount on, leaving her to be loaded up with the other hostages. Aeron steered his horse in a gentle walk, making his way around the forming ranks of his army. The battle had been swift but brutal; and although they had prevailed, their number was still noticeably reduced. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the cart bearing the King return, and he turned to watch as the mules were unhitched and swapped for a team of black horses. None were as magnificent as the King's mount had been, but they would do. Aeron highly doubted the King would mind. The servant he had spoke with earlier hurried forward, placing Fury between the King's hands. Aeron swallowed hard. He had large boots to fill, that was certain, but he owed it to his father to try.

[nymphadora.]

◤

◥

Ｒｙｄｅｒ Ｓｅｒｉｌｄａ Ｌｉｎｓｔｒｉｍ

Gender: Female
Age: 21
Kingdom: Istoth
Job/Rank: Soldier, Assassin, Spy
Species: Dragon Shifter/Fire Element Controller
Sexuality: Straight
Crush: Crushes are for children
Tagged: Leonidas, Aeron, Evangeline, Alvere, Elizabeth
"Seulghem's rivers will run red with the blood they have spilled."

◣

◢

I shivered slightly as the water was poured onto me and I watched as it ran red. It ran down me running red after going down me and as I watched it finish covering me the wounds began to bleed again. "Go to H*ll." I spat at the other soldier that wasn't the one that had seen me shift but the new one that had ordered water poured on me. Even if he put a wizard's spell around my cell I could find ways. I knew little magic but there was always a loophole... Like reaching outside of the cell. I could burn the whole place down by just reaching outside it, or growing a claw. You never knew what you could do and every spell no matter how powerful had loopholes. "You wouldn't want me dead anyways." I mumbled mostly to myself as I began to slip out of consciousness. "I know secrets you wouldn't dream of possessing." I continued before beginning to doze off slightly.

I jolted my head up to stay away and grabbed a knife out of my back belt before stabbing it into the other soldier's foot ( Alvere ). This was the best I could accomplish before I rolled away not daring to take the knife out. I could have been off on my calculations though, it could have stabbed between the toes... Either way it would draw blood in those boots of his. I rolled away weakly feeling the burn of my wounds and the water. I knew they would kill me, heck I would rather die with the secrets I possessed then let them know the secrets.



{ I have a random plot idea to fit Ryder in better if anyone is interested on hearing it they could PM but I would rather PM Dragon about it first so if you get to Dragon, try to PM me. It involves other characters as well, anyone really. }