Legends of Erandor

The Festival

Ainsley wanted to cry. It had been perfect up till now, up until Ellion had decided to ruin everything with his temper... not to mention his knack for getting into fights. This always seemed to happen, and now to top it all off, he had yelled at her too. What next?

"Why, Ellion? Why today?" she whispered. Her voice rose in volume and had an edge of anger that was rare for sweet-tempered Ainsley. "You can go home if you want to, but I'm staying. I'm sorry, but I won't let you ruin a perfectly good day with your antics." She put her hand lightly on his sleeve and spoke quietly again. "Kye's right. We need to get you cleaned up. Maybe you should go home to take care of yourself." And hopefully avoid any more fights today, she silently added.

Legends of Erandor

Tain Manor

Young Galileia collapsed onto the enormous king-sized bed, and inhaled the cool fresh air of the spacious room. Her hand caressed the velvety sheets, and her short brown curls seemed to melt into the giant, fluffy pillow. Among the thick sheets and multiple pillows, the nine-year-old's tiny body seemed to disappear entirely. Such a large bed, such a large room, for such a small girl. "And it all belongs to me," she whispered to herself.

Birds could be heard singing, but some other noises as well - sounds much more exciting. Attempting to swim her way out of the massive fluff and velvet, Galileia finally made her way off the bed, and once standing, ran over to the room's open window. She took in a deep breath. The festival. There was no mistaking the smells, the sounds, even from so far away and high up. Her eyes turned to the ground beneath her, and she surveyed the lands around the manor. And once again, she repeated to herself that it all belonged to her. With her chin in her hand, she rested by the window, and gazed out at the sky.

"Playing royalty, Princess?" spoke a voice behind her.

Galileia wheeled around. There, in the door way, stood a man who, at the very sight of him, made her heart pound with both fear and hatred. It was Glimril, the slave-master. In the bright sunshine, fresh air, and soft breeze, he seemed very out of place. This was a man who did not appear to be anything one would expect to see in the sunny, comfortable hours of the day. His long black hair was greasy and ratted. His white skin looked sickly and scarred, and was so thin that every vein could be seen colorfully shining through it. He was thin and hunched. His bright green eyes gleamed at her as he polished something small and silver in his hands - a menacing looking dagger.

Shutting the door behind him, he approached her. "What a pity, isn't it? Such life, such... beauty out there in the world." His long, cold, spindly fingers grabbed Galileia's chin and forced her to once more look out the window. "Isn't it a shame you do not get to see such sights, smell such scents, while you are down in the scullery? The very thought of it has brought a tear to my eye many a time. It is no wonder you would wish to escape, just once... just to get a taste."

Galileia made no answer; she couldn't. She could only hold her breath. The breeze that blew in from the window, which once felt cool and comfortable, now seemed as cold and harsh as ice.

"Of course," he continued, "even as lonely and dim as your life is, there are still some who deem you fortunate. For although you are not among those who have the opportunity to see riches --" he held the dagger dangerously close to her eye -- "there are some who cannot see anything at all."

The moment was interrupted by a knock at the door.

Glimril's fiery green eyes turned toward the sound with anger. "What do you want?"

"A message from the Master, sir."

His face clouded over with annoyance. "Enter."

The door opened and one of the lesser servants peered in. "The Master desires your immediate presence in his office."

~

Glimril quickly made his way to the office of his Master. Once inside, he awaited further instruction. Whenever the Master spoke, Glimril listened intently. Whatever Xeras Tain said was good; whatever Xeras Tain said was correct. In the darkness of Glimril's mind, there was little happiness or joy to be found. But what little specks of light did shine through came from the magnificent light that was his Master. Xeras Tain was an honorable man; admirable. Being a mere slave in his presence was more than any commoner could hope for; being a criminal sentenced to death by him was a glorious way to die. And joy of all joys, Glimril was respected and esteemed by him as Head Servant.

Master Xeras Tain told him of his plans to go to the festival, and bestowed upon him the honor of looking after things in his absence.

"Yes, master," Glimril said, his voice shaking. "You are most kind to me, My Master. All things will be done as your lordship desires." He bowed deeply.

A knock on the office door echoed through the room. Getting up quickly, Glimril went to answer it. There, waiting to be allowed entrance, was Aedra.

~Riella

Legends of Erandor

Tain Manor

"Ugh," Aedra made a face when she saw Glimril standing on the other side of the door. She brushed past him quickly, trying her best not to get close to him. Her bare toes sank into the expensive carpets that rested on the floor as she made her way to her brother's desk.

Despite the fact that she mostly hated her brother, there was a part of her that would always love and respect him. "Xeras, you have a pest in your room." She turned to glance at Glimril.

With both palms flat on the desk, she leaned toward Xeras and said, "You know, Xeras, you should really consider hiring a new stable boy. Flint doesn't know how to take care of horses. He only knows how to flirt and flatter. It's really quite annoying...I can't even go by the stable without him whistling at me. What does he think I am? A common dog?" She scoffed.

She plopped down into a large, maroon chair. "I believe only women should flirt. We're naturally better at it, anyway. You men just fail miserably and end up embarrassing yourself. And us women just smile and blush, because honestly, we feel bad for your sad struggle...and aren't sure what else to do to keep you from repeating the same mistake, which you will, of course."

"Now, Miss Jade...she is very well-trained in the art of flirting. Perhaps not as good as I, but very close. But I will admit that she's prettier than I am. All considering, she's a good catch." She paused, looking up at the ceiling, "Although, Miss Adele is a much better catch if you're looking for beauty. If you're looking for personality, she's as boring as a brick. So my original idea still stands. Jade is the better choice..."

Aedra looked at her brother. "But I suppose it doesn't matter what I think. They're both after you, so you're the one who would have to decide for himself..."

Legends of Erandor

"My antics!?" Ellion breathed, knowing this would only end badly if he lost his temper with his sister. He was already frustrated and didn't need Kye's badgering and Ainsley's fussing. He clenched his fists, and closed his eyes, feeling his heart pulse in the wounds on his head. His sister lightly touched his arm, and he resisted jerking away, even if it was from the slightest thing. "Fine. I will go home." he gritted, turning on a heal and not bothering to give either of them a second glance.

He disappeared through the crowds, and ran a hand through his mess of hair. He felt something inside of him twist, painfully, as he cruelly left his younger sister and her bestfriend. But the feeling was short lived and replaced with the ever present tugging of discontent. He loved Ainsley. Yes. How could one hate their sister who had done nothing to 'cause his separation from her? But he didn't want to be close to her. He didn't know why, he shook his head in disgust with himself and half shoved someone in the crowd out of the way as he picked up his pace to reach home.

*****

Bare feet ghosted over the rough surface of a log. Grass, jingling golden ankle ornaments, softly came to enclose skin. Black hair, thick, gleaming tresses tossed in the wind, and a smile spread across a slender pale face. Freedom. Wild, untamed, mysterious and ever so alluring...Jade.

She ran in the meadow, a pink sun rising, kissing the horizon. She smiled into the light, velvet cloak enclosing her like a wraith, silhouetted against an breaking sky. She gave out a laugh, tossing her head, feeling the fingers of air caress her cheek.

A bracelet jingled on her wrist as she took off in sprint toward the dark outline of a road. Her horse was already there waiting, where she had left it, it's head up in greeting and ears pricked, ready for her command. Her gleaming dark green eyes danced as she approached, swiftly, throwing her arms around her mount's polished neck. The rhythm of it's pumping heart mirroring her own.

Oh, she wished to only be like this in Xeras Tain's arms! But in no way would she ever display that desire to him openly. If he wanted her so very near, he would take her. She teased him, waiting for his passion. I'll get it someday... she thought, purring, as she mounted, and gave a ghost of a kick. A cloud of dirt was what she left behind, as the only sign she was there.

~~*~~

Jade looked down at the fine attire she wore. The colors complimenting her dark features, bringing out the pale in her skin. She smiled faintly, as still bare feet approached the doors to Lord Tain's manor. The clamorous sounds of a festival, not too far away drifted on the wind. The wild part of her hidden deep with her eyes, she grasped the handle to one of the large doors, and slipped inside, shooting coy and shining smiles at the guards. They knew her, and would not object to her entrance.

Xeras might have the desire to go to out today, and if he did she burned for his company. Yes, she loved him, with a fire, but she played often with his fancies and patience. She often frustrated him by forcing him to buy information from her. His payment, sometimes something valuable, but more often than not, his time. She was a very good listener, and an expert at silence, so she learned many things he would want to know. To do this day she still with-held things from him...but those were her secrets.

She let the delightful smell of his home surround her, as she weaved her way slowly up the staircase toward his chambers. Her ebony skirt, hanging several inches above her ankles and fitted with many folds, to as provide luxury if she ran or danced, bounced as her knees touched it. She gracefully reached the last stair, and stopped, faintly chuckling as she laid out on a divan placed some way down the hall. When Xeras exited his room, she would be one of the first things his eyes would see.

True Justice

"Good evening." Zachary said, nodding to both of them. "I'm sorry to interrupt you. I hope I didn't cut in on anything important." he scanned them both with brown eyes, watching them for any signs of suspicion. He was able to mask his natural born accent, and hoped his attempts at appearing Tierrian would pull off. "I was wondering about your friend, the one who just left." he chuckled. "I bumped into him coming from the Rivera Manor, and was wondering who he was."

Legends of Erandor

The Festival

"Ellion... wait--" Before Ainsley could say anything else, he was gone. She blinked away tears as she turned to Kye. "What went wrong this time?" she said, mostly to herself. She shrugged and tried to regain composure. "Never mind. Let's just try to enjoy this festival." She didn't let on how much she was hurting inside, and instead pasted a smile on her face. "What should we do next?"

Tain Manor

Xeras nodded at Glimril. "Right, right. All I ask is that you keep the servants in order and make sure no one gets in trouble, particularly my sister." He folded his arms. "She has the most unfortunate habit of letting her tongue get away with her." At this point, he started pouring on the flattery. "Anyway, I'm sure you can handle watching over things while I'm gone. There's a reason you're my head servant, you know."

Just then, there was a knock at his door. Glimril opened it, and in breezed Aedra. "Xeras, you have a pest in your room," she said.

Xeras raised an eyebrow at Glimril as if to say, See what I mean? He kept his tone cool and distant. "Aedra... we were just talking about you. As for there being a pest in the room, the only one that's here has just walked in." He paced around his desk, then listened as she complained about the stable boy. He said nothing, and his expression was as cold as stone. Her speech then turned to flirting, and he listened disinterestedly.

However, it was only when Aedra's conversation turned to Jade that Xeras begin to show some interest. "Jade is after me, you say?" His face showed the briefest amount of fascination, but then Xeras swatted his hand through the air as if shooing away an invisible fly. He took a couple steps towards the door as if to leave, then spun around. "Never mind. What did you come for, Aedra, other than to lecture me on the ways of love? I must leave soon. Festivals don't last forever, you know."

True Justice

Shay shot a look in Terence's direction. "No, you didn't interrupt anything important." Not unless you consider arguments important, she added silently. "Actually, I just met that man myself, so I'm afraid I don't know much about him." She elbowed Terence as she addressed him. "But maybe you might?"

Legends of Erandor

Tain Manor

"Festival?" Aedra asked excitedly, ignoring his last question. She jumped up and padded after him like a puppy. "You're going to the festival? When did you decide this? And why haven't you invited me to come along?" She snickered. "Although, it's not like you could stop me from going anyway..."

~~~

Erivale Festival

Kye watched Ellion stomp away. She turned to her friend and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't let him ruin your day, Ainsley."

She looked around the town square. "Well...there's plenty I haven't done yet, so let's just start anywhere, I suppose. Do you want to go look at those scarves?"

----------------------

True Justice

Terence narrowed his eyes at the man. At first, he thought the man may have sat down to get Shay's attention, but that was not the case. "His name is Adrian. A sailor and a very good friend of mine." He glanced at the man as he rolled his white sleeves up to his elbows. "Who are you?"

True Justice

"My name is Ellery....I'm in...." He hesitated, scanning them for a minute. "the King's business." He didn't enjoy lying, but it was for his protection...and possibly Aeryn's, that he use a false name for now. Though, he didn't lie about his job; he was in his king's business. "I just ran into, um, Adrian, coming from the Rivara manor and wondered whom he was. Wasn't that woman arrested?" he feigned ignorance. "Is he associated with her?"

Legends of Erandor

Ellion arrived home, his mood hardly improved, and his head hurting harder. He entered, banging the door loudly behind him. His light blue eyes were hard, and he stood for a moment, breathing quickly and just looking around. His mother came rushing out of a bedroom and gasped when seeing the sight of him.

"Ellion!" She scanned the blood on his face, and the disarray that was his garments. "What have done this time?" her voice softened considerably, but the her words, resembling his sister's and Kye's, stung him.

"I've gotten into a fight, Mother." He said, all too harshly. "I don't know how I can make that more obvious." he brushed past her and into his room, closing the door and bolting it. He turned and leaned against the rough wood, feeling tears p***k his eyes. Why did he always have to be that way? His Mother had done nothing....neither at Kye....or Ainsley. He wondered, faintly, what made him lash out, what made him lonely....what made him so distant.

The cold splash of water in his voice cleared any emotion from it. He began to wash himself off, ignoring any thoughts that crept up during the process.

Legends of Erandor

Torin took the rag and the cup of ale… Well, whatever it is you wanted to call it after Elaina had her way with it. “If this does end up killing me, you bury my share of the two hundred with me. I earned that coinage, and the last thing I want is you going out and wasting it tonight” he said, in a jokingly tune.

He swallowed the mixture, yup, the taste was horrendous and his face said as much “What the heck did you put in that?” Torin asked, through his coughing fits. Once he recovered, the boy (through the rag) thanked Elaina for her help then turned to Alex and stuck out his hand.

“Hand it over” Torin commanded, his eyebrows arched, Valon had walked off with his money numerous times in the past, and he wasn’t about to let it happen again.

Legends of Erandor

"Fine, fine... Granted, the money won't do you much good in the afterlife." Alex retorted as Torin drank the drink mixture Elaina had fixed. He tried muffling his laughter once his friend started coughing uncontrollably, but it was too hard to resist.

After glaring at Alex again (something she seemed to do regularly), Elaina tried to explain the mixture she had put in the drink. "It's a combination of Redal weed, Brunhine grass and dried Mellow tree bark. It's a family recipe that I learned from my Aunt. Sorry it tastes so bad..."

Elaina's glare didn't affect the young blacksmith's laughter, but being asked to fork over the winnings did. "Fine. Since it appears you are going to live, I guess I can't keep it..." Alex pulled out the coin bag and handed over Torin's half.

"I honestly don't understand you two and your fascination with gambling and betting." Elaina said shaking her head after putting her herbs back in the satchel. "Anyway, I'll be around town for the rest of the festival. If you need anything or if your symptoms worsen, just send for me. I'll be staying either in the lodge or with Kye." Elaina said with a smile to Torin. "Just take it easy and you'll be fine."

"What about me?" Alex said as Elaina started to leave. A slight roll of the eyes told the him all he needed to know. Heh, she still likes/hates me... "I don't suppose you would be willing to give an old friend 15 for going to the trouble of getting you a doctor..." Alex slyly asked Torin as he sat down across from his friend.

-------------------------------------------

It didn't take long for Elaina to find where Kye and Ainsley had there little pie stand. "So, have the prices gone up any this year?" Elaina asked teasingly as she eyed the various desserts on the table.

(((OOC: I hope this last bit is O.K with y'all, Jade and Mountie!)))

True Justice

Terence observed the man before answering. He seemed like he was hiding something, but Terence didn't want to jump to conclusions or accuse him of anything yet. He leaned back in his chair, glancing at Shay.

"Ellery, you say." He shook his head. "Never heard the name before. I'm Terence Rowland." Terence extended his right hand out to the man for a shake. "She was arrested. For treason, they say. More than that, I don't know."

Clearing his throat, Terence continued, "My friend knows the Lady, yes. What does that matter to you?"

True Justice

Zachary, now named the foreign name of Ellery, shook hands with Terence. "Well, Mr Rowland." he glanced at Shay, wondering about her silence, not wanting to think she was intently watching him, but he suspected she was. I didn't see her anywhere in town did I!? he thought, in panic for a minute, trying to calm himself. His eyes swerved back to Terence. "Eh, well." he acted calm. "I was more curious then anything. But, it is my business to know." he didn't want to hint too much at what his work was, for that would mean more lies, and he didn't wish to tell anymore false-hoods.

Terence seemed nice, for the little he could glean from him. Cautious, but naturally friendly. He would be a good man to most likely have on your side in a fight....judging by his build. He wasn't large, but definitely not scrawny. Zachary didn't want him as an enemy, but he needed information on Adrian. That man knew his sister, and though he hadn't kept up with his sister for many years, that didn't mean he loved her less. The way Adrian had acted, it was like he was distraught over her capture. Does he like her?

And the woman. She was quiet. Almost too much. He couldn't help his eyes from looking at her for long periods of time. He couldn't deny that she was attractive, but that was far beyond the reason he watched her. His life had pounded into him observation...to notice everything. He noticed now her silence.

True Justice

"Your business?" Terence asked, arching a brow. "Care to tell me more about that?"

Terence noticed the man staring at Shay and it made him uncomfortable. Very much so. He slid a few inches closer to Shay and continued, "If it's private, I understand, but now you've got me curious."

True Justice

Zachary's jaw clenched as Terence asked him about his work. He hadn't strayed far from the truth when telling him he worked in for the King, for he did, and the missions he undertook, messages he carried, and information he risked his life for was confidential. There were many other jobs for the king....but at that point they were slipping his mind and he groped for an excuse. "I probably shouldn't tell you what it is..." Zachary/Ellery said, voice lowering. "Not that I'm ashamed of it, but....I might have to kill you." he chuckled, and turned as someone was passing by with a tray of drinks. He asked for one, and was happily given a mug.

Sipping it he looked back at Shay and Terence. He hoped they took his last statement as a light-hearted joke. He had many more questions about Adrian, but he had to go about asking carefully. "What do you do for a living, Terence?"

True Justice

Terence snorted as Zachary reached for the mug. "I'd like to see you try..." he mumbled, for his own and Shay's ears only.

When Ellery asked about his job, Terence said, "I own a shipyard in Griande. A profitable business which gives me connections to many higher people...In my opinion, building boats is much better than sailing on them..."

---------------------

Legends of Erandor

Erivale Festival

Kye smiled at Elaina. "Elaina! How are you?" Kye embraced her friend, but then looked at the pie stand. "Oh, it's not my pie stand this year. Mildred asked to guard it this year. She says she's not as young as she used to be, so it would be the perfect spot for her. I just made some pies this year..."

True Justice

Shay remained silent for the majority of Ellery's conversation with Terence. He was making her highly suspicious. Something about his eyes...

Still, she was willing to give him the benefit of doubt until he proved otherwise. Terence, on the other hand, was acting more uncomfortable by the second. He scooted closer to her, and she frowned at him. "What is your problem?" she whispered.

The conversation moved on, and Shay continued her silence. She had to restrain a laugh when Ellery said he'd have to kill Terence, and it came out as more of a snort. "Don't kill Terence. It doesn't work. I've already tried."

Legends of Erandor

The Festival
After taking a quick detour by the scarf booth, Ainsley returned to the pie table with Kye. All of the scarves were very pretty, but she couldn't bring herself to buy any of them. Pies looked far more appealing, but even then her appetite was waning. The encounter with Ellion earlier that day had stolen the joy away from everything.

She managed a slightly cheerful smile when Elaina's voice met her ears. "No, the prices are fairly reasonable from what I can figure." She extended her hand. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Ainsley Roe."

Tain Manor
Xeras looked down on his puppy-like sister with obvious distaste. "Aedra, please. I'm trying to walk here. You don't have to follow me. It's like you're nipping at my heels." He sighed. "That's just it, Aedra. I didn't invite you to the festival because I knew you'd be coming anyway."