[IC] The Seven Kings (Azena x LadyBella)

[Azena]

"That's it! I'm absolutely bored!" Nicholas finally cried out after most of the day was spent in silent. After they ran out of stories to tell in the morning, the Knights had continued quietly on their path to the Weald. It was driving Nicholas mad. He was used to the cries of gulls and the pounding of waves against the wood of his ship. Sure, they had the songs of birds in the trees and the bursts from the wagon wheels hitting a ditch, but it just wasn't the same to him. He missed the shanties that his men sang as they sailed. He tried singing one a few hours ago, but again it just wasn't the same and he let the lyrics fade away with only half the song performed.

"We'll be there before long, Nicholas." The ride had been uncomfortable for Ryder. His stomach felt like a war was raging inside. He continued to cough up blood as discreetly as he could. He must have taken ill after their time in the ocean. Once they reached Weald, he could get some proper rest and buy some medicine. In the meantime, he had to deal with the rough ride.

"Humans are so easily bored." The soft voice came from the wagon. Nicholas stood up and drew his rapier to a young boy standing behind him. The boy had cat-like features including a tail and ears as well as some more fur on him. Ryder had heard of his kind, though they were endangered and not native to Aldrina. The boy, about fifteen years old, if they aged the same as humans, didn't flinch from the rapier. Instead, he playfully touched the tip and sucked the blood from his finger.

"That's sharp. You shouldn't point that at people."

[LadyBella]

Lena allowed a smile at Nicholas's outburst. It was quite boring, in fact, she thought that Triston had been sleeping. When she looked back at him, she realized he had been. Lena hadn't moved from her leading position, Quinn prefered leading than following, silly horse. She sighed, stretching her arms over her head and yawning. She thought about hunting a little bit, but Ryder had bought all of the meat they would need for a while. Triston took a deep breath and looked around. He had been snoozing, but he hadn't expected to actually fall asleep. He stretched in his saddle, adjusting his seat and saddle. Goliath must have been trying to snooze as well. Before he had been plodding along, head down, but now he was stepping lively, head up, ears swiveling and eyes forward.

Triston looked over at rider when he spoke, wondering how much he had missed while he was sleeping. Was Ryder getting worse or was the blood just a one time thing? Triston didn't know. It was worrisome, but what could Triston do at the moment? He could tell Lena...she could mix him up something and then give it to him without him knowing....that didn't seem like a good idea but it was all he had. When they stopped, Triston would tell her.

When the voice came from the back of the wagon, Triston's eyes bulged out of his head for a minute. He'd never seen a creature like this before. He wasn't even sure if he had heard about it. Lena turned her mare on a dime, stopping by the cart with an arrow already in her bow, aimed at the creature. She didn't want to shoot him, he was adorable, but that didn't mean he wouldn't kill them or steal their food. She just wanted to scratch him behind the ears and carrying him around like a baby, but all the showed on her face was a slight twitch of her lips. Lena's eyes flicked to Ryder, wondering what they should do. She'd never been in this situation before...

[Azena]

"Easy, Nicholas." Ryder spoke softly with a smile. It was actually kind of amusing. The Kato people were a very brave race, but notorious for their playful and trickster personalities. It was hard to take one seriously, even if it was threatening your life. Talented warriors, where the Kato really shined was in stealth. They made excellent thieves due to their feline bloodline. The fact was if he wanted the Knights dead or wanted their supplies, then it would have happened before any of them managed to realize it.

"What the hell is it?" Nicholas blatantly asked as he put away his rapier. He traveled the seas for years and never came across any boys with tails. He noticed the cat-like qualities of the child and actually imagined him on a ship. The natural agility he'd possess would make him a valuable sailor when it came to the rigging. The boy didn't seem to like his question and actually hissed, which made Nicholas jump back down to his seat.

"I'm not an it! I have a name."

"Well, what is i...um... your name, then?" Nicholas was careful not to use it again for the time being. As fast as the boy had become threatening, his fur relaxed and the smile came back to his face.

"The name's Felix. Weald sent me to escort you." Ryder stopped smiling. Weald was known as a wise king, but for him to know that the Knights were coming was a little concerning. He could easily see a message being sent ahead to expect the company, but to know that they would be derailed and end up taking this path. Furthermore, Weald clearly knew who was coming. The boy picked them out as more than random travelers.

[LadyBella]

Lena couldn't help but let her jaw go slack. They'd been sent an escort? How debilitating. She lowered her bow, eyeing the creature, curiously. She still thought he was cute, but she wouldn't say that to him. The way he reacted to Nicholas's misuse of the word 'it' was enough to keep Lena's mouth shut...for a few moments anyway.
"Why did the king send you? Did he think we'd get lost?" She asked, glancing over at Ryder. She was irritated and tired of riding, the wounds from the lion attack were itching and she just wanted a long bath and a giant mug of mead. She didn't wait for an answer from Felix. She put away her arrow and replaced her bow all while steering her mare away from the cart and back to the front of the group, her lips set in a firm line.

Triston blinked at the boy, still a little dumb-struck. His sisters tone shook him out of it and he smiled a little, studying the cat-boy. He was different, interesting and really weird. Nothing Triston had ever seen before.
"Well, word travels fast in these parts," Triston said, sitting back in his saddle. Goliath lifted his huge head, taking in the air around Felix. The stallion snorted, and took a step back to see him better. Perhaps if he licked it...? A tug from the reins told him that was not allowed as he tried to reach for the cat-boy's fur. The black giant sighed and turned his attention elsewhere no longer interested if he couldn't lick it.

[Azena]

"Not really. Weald knows everything." Felix acknowledged Triston's comment as he sat down next to Nicholas on the wagon. Nicholas sat up straight, eyeing the boy for a minute before taking the reins again and kicking the wagon off. Ryder kicked his horse up and the little party was on the move again, apparently with an added member. Ryder kept his horse slightly behind the wagon. He was cautious now. It easily could all be a trick and the boy just knew of their destination.

"So why did Weald send you exactly?"

"The forest is dangerous these days. There are things lurking in the shadows now. We've been fighting, but more and more come every day." It sounded similar to the situation they just left from. The exaggeration on the word things hinted to Ryder that the forest may going feral as well. Nicholas scoffed at the explanation.

"No offense, lad, but what are you going to do? Scratch their eyes out for us?"

"They don't like the Kato. We don't know why yet, but they stay away from me."

[LadyBella]

"Maybe they don't like cats," Lena mumbled under her breath. She was irritated, the king had sent them an escort. Them, the Knights of Rexil being escorted by a...what did he call himself? Kato? Whatever, it was cat-boy to her. She sulked in her saddle, feeling slighted and achy. Perhaps she needed to be more active, although she couldn't imagine what she could do. Short of dismounting and walking. That just sounded ridiculous, she was more agile on horseback anyway. If that cat-boy tried anything, she'd be better prepared on Quinn's back than on her own two feet. She watched a bird fly overhead, feeling jealous of it's freedom. Perhaps after this mission was over she would take a very long vacation, somewhere sunny, with no weapons nor anyone to help. Just the sun.

Triston considered Felix's words carefully. Granted he was no genius but that seemed odd to him. Why would these things leave him alone while all other creatures were targets? It seemed too good to be true. In his experience, if something seemed that way, it's because it was too good to be true. His eyes narrowed as they moved along. Best to keep an eye on that one, he decided.
"How long had you been in the cart?" Triston asked.

[Azena]

"Since you left the village." Felix stared at him strangely. He really didn't think that the group of Knights had no idea that he was in the back. He knew he was sneaky, but he hadn't even been trying. He shrugged and turned around and reached for an apple.

"Hey!"

"Leave him alone, Nicholas. He's our guest now so be polite." Nicholas scoffed at the wide smirk that spread across Felix's face. It was going to be a long ride for the grumpy sailor. Ryder rode ahead to walk alongside Lena.

"So what do you think? He could be lying."

[LadyBella]

"I think we should stuff him in a box and leave him on the side of the road, a nice family will come along and adopt him," Lena answered with a sniff. She flicked some dust from her pants before slumping and shaking her head.

"We didn't even know he was in the back of the cart, if he wanted to kill us, he'd of done it already," She said, "If he's a spy, well," She paused, shrugging. She avoided looked Ryder in the face. She'd been acting a little childish sure, but she was a woman. She was allowed to overreact sometimes.

"I guess we won't know until he slips up, Triston is pretty good about catching what people say, the way they say it," She said not bothering to look over her shoulder. Triston would be asking questions, analyzing the way the creature spoke, the words that he chose, the way that he said them.

Triston blinked at Felix, surprised that it had been that long.
"So you heard everyone's life stories hm?" Triston asked. He urged Goliath forward, to take Ryder's place beside the cart. He leaned forward in his saddle, adjusting his seat, before leaning back and relaxing into the leather. He glanced over at Felix, watching him eat the apple.

[Azena]

"I've been having the same worries." Ryder glanced back at Felix. The Kato was extremely sneaky to have been able to go unnoticed for so long. The question was his motives. if he was sent by Weald, then why didn't he announce himself earlier. He would have gladly accepted the boy as an envoy. Instead, he had to surprise them and force the Knights to question the story.

"He could be a spy and that means he could lead us into a trap. We'll have to stay alert in the forest." Ryder was going to look back again, but he felt the welt in his throat go. He pulled out the cloth he had been using for the trip and coughed into it. He tucked it away without looking at the blood he knew was there. This was close to the tenth time it happened and he was getting sick of seeing his insides.

"Mhmm...you humans..." Felix bit into his apple. He filled with glee as the juice dripped down his chin. He hadn't tasted something as sweet as a fresh apple for months. He took another bite and another before he looked at Triston with puffy cheeks and struggled to balance talking and swallowing. "Humans think...they have it rough. Like him." Felix pointed at Ryder to reference his life story. He swallowed the apple and spoke clearly with a disappointed tone.

"He thinks his bandit life was hard. The Kato are endangered. I'm the only one left in Aldrina. Last I checked the humans are fine!" His voice elevated as he spoke, rising from disappointed, to irritated and ending on some anger. In one graceful move, Felix grabbed the back of the wagon seat and flipped over. He landed in the back, tucked his feet and tail close to his body and crossed his arms. The moment of silence passed as Felix just stared at the road behind them. Nicholas shifted uncomfortably before turning back to the road and leading the horse.

[LadyBella]

Lena glanced over as he coughed, wondering if he was coming down with something.
"I can make you a tea to get rid of that cough if you like," She said, looking forward. She had tried to sound unconcerned as she said it, but she wasn't sure if she pulled it off or not. Her nose wrinkled, wondering if Ryder had taken that differently than she had meant it. How had she meant it? As a friendly gesture or something more than a friendly gesture? Could offering to make tea be more than a friendly gesture? Gods, why was she being so damned complicated? Just make the man some tea so he wouldn't get sick. Simple, easy, uncomplicated. She glanced at him, um...what had she been, or right, tea for his cough.

Triston blinked in surprise at Felix's outburst. Maybe he was so small that he could only feel one emotion at a time. That would make sense. Triston was pretty sure he could carry him around on his shoulder for days before getting an ache in his neck. The Kato sat in the back of the wagon, seeming to withdraw from everyone. Triston frowned, wondering if he should continue to ask questions or just leave the little creature alone. Perhaps a little of both was in order. Triston looked around, pretending to be interested in something else. He'd ask another question in a few minutes, like it had just come to him.

((OOC- sorry it's so short, :( ))

[Azena]

"That might actually help. Weald's people are great healers. I'll have them check me out." Ryder smiled at her. It was a thoughtful gesture, but he was full of lies. He had serious doubts any tea could be of help to him. He felt like he had been stabbed, and he was familiar with that feeling. The pains in his gut were starting to get unbearable. It was taking everything for him to not keel over and just call it quits. He kept his eyes on the road, but it was starting to get darker.

"I...I think I'll ride ahead. Make sure we don't have any more surprises." Ryder suggested. He didn't want to worry the others, but he needed to see a healer. Something was wrong. He had never felt this sick before in his life. He kicked his horse up and rode ahead. Before he could spur the horse into a gallop, the road went black and he felt his body become weightless.

"Shit!" Nicholas stood up and yelled. He saw Ryder fall right off his horse and hit the ground, hard. He flicked the reins hard and pushed the horse to speed up. Felix's curiosity turned his head and peeked over the crates. He thought he smelled something wrong with the human, but figured it was just an odor like the big one.

[LadyBella]

Lena nodded, beginning to think up ingredients for the tea. When he said he was going to ride ahead, Lena sensed some hesitation. She watched him carefully, gasping as he went limp and fell from his saddle. She spurred Quinn forward, the mare going from a walk to a gallop in a second. Lena didn't slow Quinn as she approached Ryder, she simply dismounted, hitting the ground at a run. Quinn stopped, circling back to meet up with her rider. Lena slid on the ground next to Ryder, touching him and rolling him on his back. She didn't cry out or gasp or worry over him, she simply place her fingers under his chin, searching for a pulse. She concentrated, it was faint, but still there. She searched for blood, thinking he had been wounded but didn't tell anyone. She didn't find any.

"Nicholas, get his horse, Triston get him in the wagon, we need to ride like hell for the forest kingdom, I can't do very much with herbs for this, maybe if he had said something at first but not now," Lena said, checking his head for blood. He'd hit the ground rather hard, but she hadn't seen if he'd hit his head.

Triston followed the cart, and dismounted at his sisters orders. He walked over and carefully lifted Ryder. Lena followed, supporting his head and he walked around the wagon, placing him in the back with Felix. Lena whistled, her mare coming to her side. She tied her to the wagon and reached into her saddle bags, pulling out her herbs and supplies.
"I can give him something to help, but we need to get to a healer now," She said as she pulled out leaves, roots and water to make a paste for him to swallow.

[Azena]

Nicholas didn't waste time with orders. Once he saw that Ryder was safely positioned in the wagon, he started the horse off again. Lena was right. Ryder needed help and he needed it now. He had no idea how far the Forest Kingdom was, but that only meant he had to assume it was far and push the cart as fast as it would go. The cart bounced against every stone and crack on the road. Nicholas found himself praying. To who, he didn't really know nor care. If someone was listening, then he was bargaining for his friend's life.

Felix curiously crouched over Ryder. The man's face had gone pale and he didn't seem to be breathing. The woman was sure that he was still alive. Felix reached down and tried to open Ryder's eyes. He withdrew slightly when one of his claws scratched under Ryder's eye, but he went back in more carefully. Felix pulled apart Ryder's eyelids and flinched back at the sight. The man's eyes sat pitch black with red specs floating around. He had seen it before. It was the curse from the forests. Now only time would tell if the man would die or become feral like so many of the others had.

Felix reached into the pouch on his belt and pulled out a small, blue herb. The flower on it sat bright orange and seemed to give off a faint glow. He handed it over to Lena, careful now to watch his hands around the dying man.

"Here, this will help. It is Sun Root from the ruin in the forest. The elders are using it to help slow down the curse."

[LadyBella]

Lena was putting things into a bowl quickly, muttering to herself as she bumped along in the cart. Her eyes flicked up as the Kato checked his eyes and she jumped back as far as she could in the tiny cart, horrified. What in the hell had happened to Ryder?! She glanced at the flower and then at the cat-boy's face. She hesitated. If he was who he said he was it would help, if he wasn't he could be trying to kill Ryder. What did she do? She reached for the flower, glancing between it and Ryder's pale face. She didn't trust him, but Ryder had seemed like he did. She closed her hand, looking back at Triston. He hadn't told her what he thought yet. Sun root...she felt like she had heard of it, but she couldn't remember where or what exactly it did. It must have been rare. She growled at herself, she was wasting time! He could be fading right now! She grabbed the root, smelled it, wiggled her nose and threw it in the bowl, grinding it up furiously.

"If this kills him, cat-boy, I'll hunt you down," She mumbled. She wasn't sure if he heard her, and she didn't really care. She wasn't threatening him, she was making a promise to the universe. She ground her ingredients together, creating a green-ish, yellow-ish paste. When she was finished and opened Ryder's mouth and poured it in, stroking his throat to make him swallow it. At first, he did nothing, and she started to panic a little, but then she saw him swallow. She sat back, resting her head on the railing of the cart. She couldn't for very long because it was too bumpy to be comfortable, but she relaxed a great deal. She leaned forward again and checked his mouth, making sure he'd swallowed all of it. She then felt his forehead, skipped looking over his eyes, she'd seen enough of that, and checked his pulse again. She rubbed her face, looking over at the Kato.

"How far are we from the forest kingdom?" She asked, looking at him from the corner of her eye.

[Azena]

Felix stuck his tongue out as Lena threatened him. He was used to humans giving him a hard time. They didn't trust the Kato. Kato and humans have a long history of unrest. He stood up and turned around to check his surroundings. He wasn't sure just how far they were, but he quickly figured out that they were close enough. Felix dropped down and tried to scurry into the corner of the cart. He reached for a small sheet of cloth and tried to hide under it.

Nicholas slowed the horses down as three goblins walked on to the road. They had a dark green tint to their skin and their eyes were a similar shade. Their armor and shields appeared to be made of a dark and dense wood. Their swords, unfortunately, were still made of finely crafted steel. All three swords were drawn and pointed at the carriage.

"Out of the way, I got an injured man here!"

"You approach the kingdom of the wise Weald. Turn away if you know what's good for you, human." The middle goblin spoke with a deep and commanding voice. Under normal circumstances, Nicholas would probably be convinced enough to turn the wagon around. He urged the horses forward some and the goblins quickly surrounded the wagon. The larger of the group placed himself between Triston and the wagon while the last goblin circled around to check the back. He poked his sword at Lena.

"You, out of cart. Stand over there."

[LadyBella]

Lena watched the Kato scramble out of sight, she narrowed her eyes at him and went to reach for him, but found a sword tip in her way. She growled audibly, her eyes dancing with anger and desperation as she looked at the goblin. She refused, not vocally, she just simply didn't move.

"We are Knights of Rexil," Triston said, "We also have an injured man in the cart who needs a healer," He said, praying that Lena would stay still. He was surprised that she hadn't leapt from the cart and attacked the goblin, yet. She looked like she wanted to murder someone and the goblin was standing in her line of fire. Maybe if they were humans Lena wouldn't have hesitated. Humans were more fragile than goblins, easier to kill simply because of their weak bones and pressure points. Breaking a goblins neck required upper body strength that Lena didn't possess on a normal day. Perhaps if she had some leverage, or some kind of momentum, but no, she couldn't do it with just her muscles. Maybe she'd wait to see what the goblins had to say....

[Azena]

"Not our problem, human. You bring curse. You no pass." The goblin spat out at her as he poked her again with his sword. Felix did the best he could to stay hidden from the Goblins as they circled the wagon. The green warriors kept their eyes on the humans. The air was growing tense and the young Kato expected a fight to break out at any moment. Felix's eyes focused on the pale hand moving across the cart. In the next instant, the goblin poking Lena had a bolt in his neck and staggered back.

Ryder let the heavy crossbow fall back onto the wagon. It bounced off the wood and sort of rolled to the edge of the wagon. It was enough effort on his part and his eyes closed shut again. At best, he could listen now and that was it. The action was the only command that Nicholas needed. The wild captain lept from his seat on the wagon and threw his body across the lead goblin's. They both fell to the floor, but the goblin quickly kicked the sailor off.

"Not my brightest idea..." Nicholas drew his sword just in time to block an attack from the goblin. They locked for a moment until Nicholas pulled away. He caught a big whiff of the goblin's foul breath and couldn't stand to stay that close. "What did you eat?"

Nicholas ran in for his own attack after realizing he really didn't want to know what a goblin may feast on. The image of it devouring a carcass was difficult to keep at bay. The two attempted to break through the others attack and the goblin was winning. Nicholas developed strong arms over his years of sailing, but it still wasn't enough to maintain a direct defense against goblin strength.

[LadyBella]

Lena looked around wildly to find the owner of the arrow. Her eyes bugged out as she realized it was Ryder. She leapt for the crossbow, landing heavy on the wood of the cart. Her hand stopped it from rolling off the edge and she picked it up, rolling onto her knees and raising it.

Triston looked at the goblin standing in front of his horse. Goliath snorted at him as if he was offended, and the goblin moved towards them, sword raised. Triston removed his foot from the stirrup and kicked the goblin backwards. He laughed as the tiny thing stumbled almost falling and received an arrow in his back from his sister who was standing in the back of the wagon. The arrow stuck from his back and the goblin turned, only enraged.

"I hate crossbows," Lena grumbled, as she watched her brother dismount and lunge at the goblin. They tussled for a minute, until Triston wrenched the goblin's sword from his hand and impaled him with it. The goblin fell to the ground and Triston looked at the sword. It was too small for him, but it would do nicely for the minute.

Lena moved to her horse, still tied to the wagon and grabbed her own bow and one arrow. She put the arrow in the bow and pulled back, aiming for the goblin fighting with Nicholas. It took a minute to get a clear shot and she let it fly, aiming for the goblins neck.

[Azena]

"Ha, you're getting sluggish!" Nicholas taunted the goblin as it lunged for him and he side-stepped the brute. A quick slash across the goblin's back didn't do much, but at this point Nicholas was playing with it more than trying to kill him. The goblin prepared another strike when an arrow pierced through his throat. It fumbled forward and landed at Nicholas's feet. He quickly overcame the shock and looked up at Lena in her archery pose. "You ruined my fun."

Felix quickly peered from behind the barrels to see that the goblins were gone. Satisfied they were dealt with, he leaped over the wagon and into the seat. He quickly grabbed the reins and pushed the horse into a run. The wagon instantly moved from its spot and rolled off down the road. Nicholas watched in disbelief as the stinking Kato stole the cart right in front of him. He ran off after it.

"You little fur ball, give me back my wagon!"

[LadyBella]

Lena smiled at Nicholas, her chest rising and falling heavily. She almost went head first off of the wagon, but she managed to keep her balance as Felix took off. She stared at the back of his little furry head for a moment before she moved up towards him.

"Felix, what are you doing?" She asked, getting into the seat next to him.

Triston watched the wagon roll down the road for a minute, before he hurried back to his horse and swung up into the saddle. Goliath seemed to sense the urgency and he pranced as Triston urged him towards the captain. Triston leaned down, grabbing him by the collar and swinging him up onto the back of his horse.

"Hold on Captain," He said, sending a sharp kick to his horses belly. Goliath responded accordingly, jumping into a gallop after the wagon. The horse snorted with each step as if he was racing the cart, throwing his enormous body into the race. It took only a minute to catch up, he could see his sister in the front seat, so he slowed Goliath to keep up with the wagon. He didn't say anything, just shot his sister an odd look.