[IC] A Twist Of A Knife, The Birth Of A Legend.

[RomanAria]

Aery flinched, looked up. "I... I don't know." She said softly. "I'm just scared to death for Ame and for all of us and Ansel nearly killed you and I feel like it was somehow my fault." The pain in her head was still there, but like all the other agonies, she had gotten used to it. With a gasp of fresh pain she levered herself to her feet and stumbled over and wrapped her arms around Rowan, burying her face in his chest. "I'm scared, Rowan."
~~
Ame looked around, by this time in the main keep of the castle. A sound overhead and she flinched. "Lady Ansel? I've held up my half of the bargain. Where are you?" Again she called it out in addition to sending it out with her mind.

[The Slenderman]

"Don't be Aery, Just please stay strong for me and it'll be ok soon.. I-I-promise just you wait and see, You will feel a hunger of revenge that you will never satisfy but this is good at this time you only grow stronger, the real enemy is out there and she is looking to kill Ame and Celaena when we roll out there we will kill Ansel, WE WILL NOT BE DEFEATED OR KILLED, WE ARE THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE DAMNED AND WE FIGHT TODAY, lets go" Rowan clutched his swords and climbed out of the ditch they were in and waited for the rest of them to run to and storm The Briarcliff castle

[The Slenderman]

Ansel watched Ame enter and immediately bound in the castle and appeared behind her and slowly stalked up to her and smiled sweetly at her before swirling her fingers to put Ame in the Witch Hunting Grounds which represented Ame as the Sweet Hedgehog and Ansel the wily Fox " Now I want to join your group but couldn't bring myself to ask Celaena and I feared of being rejected due to my killing of the Silent Assassins fifteen years ago and I'm regretful because of that" Ansel immediately fell to her knees holding her face crying and sobbing

[RomanAria]

Ame saw the fox, but rather than be scared was cooly analytical. Surely, since I'm a hedgehog, I've got spines if she gets close to me.
Okay, something was DEFINITELY trippy. Ansel knelt before her sobbing, on the one hand, and on the other hand she could see the fox circling hedgehog-her looking for a kill. When Ame approached Ansel to offer comfort, Ame-hedgehog rolled over and exposed her soft underbelly to the fox. When Ame-Hedgehog scrambled to her feet and backed away, so did real Ame, drawing the knife. Real Ame felt sick from experiencing two separate environments from two separate points of view, and sat down abruptly with her head in her hands lest she throw up. She forced herself to say the words, "How can I help you?" and then, unwisely, "Your mistakes are not mine to undo."

[The Slenderman]

"I just want to be forgiven... Please, I'll train you to make myself forgiven, you do know where you are don't you .. All witches know of this place " Ansel sobbed out Infront of Ame, She then backed away to prove she didn't mean any more harm " I'm just so so sorry to all of them" She assured Ame and then chanted a spell to disable what ever she'd done to group and gave Ame a vision to prove that she had canceled the magic caused on the group and reached out her shaking hand out to Ame as sign if she placed her hand on her hand, a common witch trust gesture, if Ame chose to place her hand on Ansel's hand she had given her trust.

[RomanAria]

Ame hesitated. Of course it would fall to the youngest one in the group to test this woman's loyalties.
"How can I go on only what you've told me when so many people have told me you can't be trusted?" She frowned. Ame-Hedgehog curled into a ball and bristled up at the fox. Again resisting the urge to be sick, Ame-Girl rose to her feet and stared up into Ansel's eyes, searching for any hint of malice.
"Just tell me why you tried to drive Aery insane. And why you tried to kill Rowan. And justify it to me, justify it to my gods, and I will make my judgement then." She clapped her hands over her mouth and forced her breakfast back down into her stomach. In anger she looked at the hedgehog image and visualized herself, her human self, crumpling it into a ball, and instantly that image fractured and she brushed it aside. "And let me contact the others and tell them what you say and have their guidance. It is not only myself, and my gods, that have to deal with the repercussions of whatever decision I make." But she knew that the second request would probably not be honored, even though the first one probably had to be.
Cautiously Ame probed Ansel's mind, searching for any hint of uncertainty, especially questing for any thread of lies.

[The Slenderman]

"Just like Rowan harshly trains Aery.... And you might want question them about their moment in the inn " She smiled " I just wanted to better your skills, I had a powerful cloak hiding my location and you broke it and found me don't that mean something Ame" She flicked her hand and the representational Magic trap dissipated and they found themselves back in the real world

[RomanAria]

Ame gasped at the change of place. "Training. Wait. Rowan and Aery?" She clapped both hands over her mouth lest she giggle. "Rowan and Aery. No way. Celaena will flip." She thought back to the tickling. "THAT was what tickled? Gods help me, if that's what love is, I want no part of it!"
The witch had passed the test. She placed her own hand firmly on top of Ansel's, sealing the bargain.

[RomanAria]

The witch Ansel smiled. "Good, good, deary." She snapped her fingers and the two teleported to the middle of the road to find an exhausted Rowan, panicked Aery, and bouncing Silenia.
Aery had a dagger in the air before Ansel even saw the hand move. With a word the dagger fell out of the air.
"Aery, don't do it!" Ame shouted. "We've made a deal. She just has some interesting ideas of how to train young people."
Aery laughed insanely. "Interesting. She nearly killed Rowan! Rowan who can't be beaten!"
And a magic covered Aery's mouth, but it was purple, not gray-green as Ansel's was.
"Just hear us out, Aery. Celaena." She said, for overhead she could feel the presence of Celaena still in her fae form. "Don't you dare, Celaena."
Ansel countered the blast of magic from Celaena, even as Ame shouted, "Listen to us, damn it, Celaena!"
Celaena touched the ground lightly, switching back into her regular form. She smiled, all toothy, and Ame felt a shudder run through her. Ansel stood her ground, even as Celaena's sword tip touched her throat.
"Give me one reason I shouldn't kill you." Celaena said.
"Because Ame and I made a pact, and if you kill me, then she kills you, and I'd really rather not force a four-year-old to kill her mother figure." Ansel smiled.
Without looking away from Ansel, Celaena said, "How did she coerce you, Ame?"
"She didn't at all. I checked her mind, and she let me, and I saw no traces of betrayal anywhere there, except regret over betrayals of the past."
Celaena huffed but sheathed her sword, and at that moment Ame's world turned upside down and she was given a violent shake by Rowan, who held her upside down by her foot.
"You idiot! What possessed you? You're only four years old and you went off to go fight a WITCH?!"
"I knew she didn't mean me any harm!"
"Sure you did. You idiot. Until you learn to THINK rather than just DO, you're staying RIGHT HERE." And he dropped her into the mud and took a length of rope and tied her wrist to Silly's.
Celaena looked at the rope and at Ame's petulant expression and laughed. Even Ansel cracked a smile. Aery just fell to her knees and wept and hugged Ame. But they had to keep moving if they meant to reach Adarlan by dark.

[Eklispe]

@user
Leon grunted angrily, his prey wasn't going to escape that easily. He grabbed onto the horse's front legs and swung himself foward using the power of his muscular arms and the force of the horse's legs slamming to the ground. He flew under the horse's body, its tail slapping across his face and he rolled to the ground outside of its kicking hooves and just behind Charles. Leon reached into his coat and hurled a cruely hooked bola at Charles legs as he regained his own feet and attempted to tackle him to the ground. Either the Bola would get him viciously cutting his legs and removing any hope of escape as well as entangling them or if the man somehow manged to dodge the bola Leon would simply tackle him once again, since there was no way he would be able to dodge both. Either way Leon would bring him to the ground and once again utilize his knives to penatrate the weak points in Charles's armor.

[The Slenderman]

The witch Ansel smiled. "Good, good, deary." She snapped her fingers and the two teleported to the middle of the road to find an exhausted Rowan, panicked Aery, and bouncing Silenia.
Aery had a dagger in the air before Ansel even saw the hand move. With a word the dagger fell out of the air.
"Aery, don't do it!" Ame shouted. "We've made a deal. She just has some interesting ideas of how to train young people."
Aery laughed insanely. "Interesting. She nearly killed Rowan! Rowan who can't be beaten!"
And a magic covered Aery's mouth, but it was purple, not gray-green as Ansel's was.
"Just hear us out, Aery. Celaena." She said, for overhead she could feel the presence of Celaena still in her fae form. "Don't you dare, Celaena."
Ansel countered the blast of magic from Celaena, even as Ame shouted, "Listen to us, damn it, Celaena!"
Celaena touched the ground lightly, switching back into her regular form. She smiled, all toothy, and Ame felt a shudder run through her. Ansel stood her ground, even as Celaena's sword tip touched her throat.
"Give me one reason I shouldn't kill you." Celaena said.
"Because Ame and I made a pact, and if you kill me, then she kills you, and I'd really rather not force a four-year-old to kill her mother figure." Ansel smiled.
Without looking away from Ansel, Celaena said, "How did she coerce you, Ame?"
"She didn't at all. I checked her mind, and she let me, and I saw no traces of betrayal anywhere there, except regret over betrayals of the past."
Celaena huffed but sheathed her sword, and at that moment Ame's world turned upside down and she was given a violent shake by Rowan, who held her upside down by her foot.
"You idiot! What possessed you? You're only four years old and you went off to go fight a WITCH?!"
"I knew she didn't mean me any harm!"
"Sure you did. You idiot. Until you learn to THINK rather than just DO, you're staying RIGHT HERE." And he dropped her into the mud and took a length of rope and tied her wrist to Silly's.
Celaena looked at the rope and at Ame's petulant expression and laughed. Even Ansel cracked a smile. Aery just fell to her knees and wept and hugged Ame. But they had to keep moving if they meant to reach Adarlan by dark.

@RomanAria

After Rowan had tied Ame up, he reached into his saddlebag and pulled out three bottles of Alcohol, he looked for a spot to drink them at and then settled for a spot near a tree he then looked at Ame and Aery and then opened one bottle and begun drinking the pain away, but he seen Celaena walk into a building of some sort but pretty soon he was wasted and he called Aery over letting his drunk mind take over.

Celaena looked around the building and seen it was a courier service and sighed, this road to Adarlan would be ever so long and they needed Water, food to keep them going all this journey, she had ran from Adarlan due to a imbecile named Charles Richardson, Adarlan is her city and she would not move over so easily

[RomanAria]

Aery flinched as Rowan motioned her over, his motions over-exaggerated. Was he... Drunk?! She'd never considered that he ever might like alcohol... Cautiously she approached him, stopping a few feet away. "R-r-rowan... You... You're... I d-d-don't t-think... W-w-we better n-not d-do a-a-anything wh-where... a-anyone might s-s-see us..." Her stutter had come back in force along with the nervousness.
Silly and Ame focused themselves extremely intently upon the horses, reaching over and plugging each others' ears instinctively.

[The Slenderman]

Rowan felt his mind slipping due to the alcohol and fell asleep right Infront of Aery, his head touching her booted feet after that he had begun heavily snoring, he tried to wake up but that drunk he couldn't and let the sleep continue, before he fell his hand had placed itself in Aerys right hand, why had he taken alcohol, damn he was stupid and a curr

[RomanAria]

Aery leaped back in alarm as Rowan collapsed. "Um, Ansel? Or Ame? What's the best way to get someone un-drunk?"
She knelt down. He'd grabbed at her hand... Well. She supposed he wasn't sufficiently drunk to entirely lose control of himself. "Rowan, you idiot. Wake up, we've got to get moving." Also, seeing him sleeping reminded her again of how exhausted she was. She vaguely wondered what Celaena would do if she came out of the couriers station to find her and Rowan sleeping next to each other...
Aery, you idiot, keep your eyes open. You can't close them until you get back to Adarlan. But her mind, exhausted and still reeling from the Ansel-induced headache, couldn't hold on, and within moments Aery was snuggled up against Rowan's side, sound asleep. He did make quite a nice pillow, and he was very kind, not to mention strong and handso--Nope. Nope. He's bad for you, Aery. Bad bad bad. He's always been on the other side of the conflict from your bloodline; how do you know he won't murder you in your sleep?
And Aery's irrational mind, very politely, told the rational side to shut the hell up and let her sleep.

[The Slenderman]

Celaena sighed in disgust and left the Couriers Building, she was disgusted at the dirtiness of the building and was going to get a book from her Saddle Bag, she loved reading and wanted to read ... That is until she seen a sight in the corner of her eye Aery and Rowan curled up together.. To any other person it would have been sweet and she couldn't help but "Aww" suddenly realisation dawned on her face.. Rowan with Aery "ROWAN, YOU URGGH" She ran to him and slammed her foot on his head a few times and stormed off in a rage, she ran for eighteen minutes before stopping from exhaustion

[RomanAria]

Aery, as exhausted as she was, was not so tired that she missed Celaena kicking Rowan's head and back. She jerked awake, pulled herself out from under Rowan's arm (when had he even pulled her that close in the first place?!) in time to see Celaena storm off. She rose to her feet, slightly alarmed when they didn't give her a warning of pain. Then she took a deep breath. Neither did her ribs? What...
Wait. Rowan was a fae. Did drunk Faes lose control over their powers or something...? Had he inadvertently (or perhaps deliberately) healed her? "Celaena?" She called. Still couldn't hear. Okay. But her legs and arms felt fine.
She jogged after Celaena. "Celaena? Celaena, it's not what it looked like... I was just so tired and I was kind of cold and Rowan and I well he said he loved me and he kissed me last night and..." then she realized what she said and clapped her hands over her mouth. "Crap. Why do I always say too much?"

[The Slenderman]

"Continue " Celaena on the outside was calm but on the inside was broken inside from that confession, Celaena slowly knelt down and softly lay her hands on Aerys shoulders, All it took was one wrong word and she would send Aery back to the king and Celaena was sure that Aery knew that " I trusted you to learn things about combat not freaking sex " Celaena couldn't hold the emotions back and crumpled into a sobbing wreck, slamming the ground with her fist and completely wide eyed

[RomanAria]

Aery started crying too. "No, Celaena. It's not him. I-it's not." But then more words tumbled from her mouth. "Celaena, you have no idea how scared I am...Rowan wants to protect me and help me through what... what..." She took a shuddering breath. "T-the man... The one who...Who hurt... us... Y-you s-s-saw what he d-did, that first time... And... a-after you'd blacked out he...took me to another room and... No... I can't say it." She herself curled into a ball as well. "I asked Rowan what... that... meant, and he got s-so mad, and he p-promised me he'd k-k-keep me safe and he'd n-n-never let i-it happ-happen again, and... I t-trust him, Celaena." But she felt like a terrible person inside. Her mother was right... Not saving herself made her worse than filthy.
"I wish the man had just killed me." she whispered, so softly that she didn't even realize her mouth had formed the words. "I wish I could just die now so that the world doesn't have to bear the blemish that is my life." And from her sleeve she took one of her daggers and with trembling hands and tears in her eyes held it to her chest, lightly cutting through the cloth and the skin. "I should be dead. So I will take that matter into my own hands. T-tell them I love them, C--Celaena."

[The Slenderman]

" They say I'm the wolf, the one who never forgives but I forgive you" Celaena realised what Aery had tried to do and quickly took the dagger away from her and her face filled with sorrow " Continue the thing with Rowan and take my body back to Terrasen" And then slit her own throat, she dropped but felt something suck away from her body and felt her life force lock into a pendant.

Ansel watched then talking and eventually seen Celaena slit her own throat and Ansel swirled her fingers around to save Celaena's soul from the other side and locked into a pendant and started crying because of Celaena slitting her throat " Ane quickly do a healing spell on Celaena NOW!!!" Ansel choked out

[RomanAria]

Ame flinched. "HOW?!" she shrieked. But some amount of instinct took over. Magic into the slit arteries and muscles and veins and nerves and tendons, push the blood back in where it's supposed to go, restart her heart. Panic trying to find her soul until she gets chased back into the body. Then push on everything until it all melds back into a life-force.
And then Ame realized what she'd just done, or tried to do, to save the woman who was practically her mother. And at that point her concentration nearly failed as her whole mind was nearly overwhelmed by the very darkness that was in Aery's and Celaena's.
Aery snatched the dagger away from Celaena, her hands shaking. "YOU EVIL THING!" She shrieked, and THREW the knife as hard as she could into the distance, before she knelt down, hands clutching at Celaena's. The woman was breathing thanks to Ame's spell, but Aery couldn't tell. "Celaena, celaena, oh god, Celaena, No, please..." She sobbed.