Aims

REBELLION {Aims&Sunflower}

That works just fine for me. In the morning, when Enn gives then duties, I'll move them closer to Triver.

REBELLION {Aims&Sunflower}

No, I'm okay. :)

So I guess we need to figure out where we should place the twins.

REBELLION {Aims&Sunflower}

Daeyln helped Daryn stand for the choosing, knowing it was proper. She groaned the entire way, barely able to keep her eyes open. Despite this, she held her head up high. Her heart skipped when the king pointed at Daelyn, only to stop when he picked the other man, the one whose win was near impossible. Daelyn had to sit her down on the ground to join the other knights at the table, all the while feeling numb. She should have been chosen; there was a mistake. No, the king knew what he was doing. Daryn would need to return to Sanuel with her head low; she had lost. She watched the table from her seat on the ground, wondering how she would even make it back home. She would be punished greatly for her failure, Sanuel would be sure of that.

Daelyn kept one eye on his broken sister and the other on the man who had taken her place. The man drunk two glasses of wine; Daelyn did not eat a thing. It was clear that the other knights at the table did not like the man, as he kept filling his stomach. The mages came over to the king, proposing the man was a cheat. He looked towards Daryn, noticing she was standing a little straighter. When the fight broke out between the man and the prince, Daelyn snuck away to his sister, falling on his knees in front of her.

"Do you know what this means?" he asked, picking at her hair. She nodded, her mouth agape. It wasn't like Daryn to be surprised, but she did not see this coming.

"Bless the gods," she whispered, when the king stormed out of the room, leaving his son bleeding on the floor. They had made it. An odd feeling washed over the both of them, a little relief and excitement. Daryn was just glad the whole ordeal was over. Two of the mages came over to heal them, and Daryn gladly showed them her hands. She tore the wrapping off, flinching as it took skin and all. Daelyn apologized, but Daryn hushed him. He had done what was necessary.

"Thank you," she said to the mage, although it hurt her to say it. The woman was already walking away, though, toward the prince. The woman had been unable to heal her completely, but already, she felt better. The wounds on her hands were just faint pink scratches, itching from the healing. She stood, with the help of her brother, testing out her back by bending over several times. A good night's sleep would do the rest for her. Daelyn let go of her, walking back over to the group of knights, huddling around the prince.

The man in charge of the trials found them, pulling them to the side. He greeted them both, saying his name was Enn, and he was second-in-command to Garrod, who Daelyn had heard the king speak of earlier. He shook both their hands, cautious of Daryn.

"I must say, I am glad you two were chosen. You both showed great talent in the arena; you will be good knights to the king and his heir. At day break tomorrow, you will be given your jobs, whether it be guarding someone or protecting the castle in general. For now, we are at a time of peace, but do not let your guard down." He turned to face Daryn. "You should know that you are the first female knight to the king. He will not want you to guard him. It puts you at a great disadvantage being surrounded by males." Daryn shook her head, beginning to tell the man she was more than a fair match for all the knights he threw at her. He cut her off, continuing, "I assume that you are okay with staying in the same quarters. The original plan was to room to male knights together."

The twins both nodded, feeling more than comfortable living together. They hardly spent any time apart.

"Good," he said, nodded his head, "I will show you to your quarters when the prince dismisses himself. For now, eat. You will need your strength."

Careful not to bother the prince, they walked around the mages, picking up whatever food they could hold, and then they walked back to watch the scene unfold. Daelyn was intrigued by the work of the mages, particularly healing. They both ate quickly, mesmerized by the work they did. Daryn, although amazed, felt her stomach turn, images of the trials flashing back over her. The mages were powerful, dangerous forces. If they were to bring the rebellion into the castle, they would need to fight through the mages. She was not sure that was even possible.

REBELLION {Aims&Sunflower}

You did fantastic!

I'm trying to find time to get a reply up. Weekends are weird for me, because I've got a million things to do. XD

REBELLION {Aims&Sunflower}

I'll be looking forward to it!

REBELLION {Aims&Sunflower}

Go for one more. Or more. It doesn't matter. Just as long as the king and makes pick Daryn and Daelyn. Otherwise, the story's over

REBELLION {Aims&Sunflower}

No one could have been more glad for a break than the group of competitors. To know that they could just lie in the grass and catch their breath for a few minutes was unimaginably sweet. Daryn flopped back on the grass, feeling Daelyn rise to stand beside her. He didn't look physically hurt, but his stomach cramped up as he looked at all the people around him hurting. As Daelyn stood, the prince was beside them, surveying them all. Daelyn bowed politely, standing still until he moved on. Yet, he didn't move through right away. Daelyn knew the look in the young man's eyes. He gave wounded things the same look. Then, the prince commanded the mages to heal them, which surprised everyone in the company. It would have been pleasant, was it not forbidden. Daryn picked herself up and watched the prince leave, looking distraught. She guessed he was used to bossing people around, but not to being ignored.

Daelyn then moved around the group, stopping and binding wounds. Most of the individuals had deep lacerations and blisters from the water. All Daelyn could do was rip sleeves off tunics and cover the areas that still bled, making the best tourniquets that he could. The wrappings wouldn't last, but it would shield their bodies from the impacts of the fight that was coming up. His stomach pain didn't cease as he came to Daryn, his last person to help. She held out her hands for him, which she now felt very clearly. They ached, a dull pain that would not cease. Daelyn ripped off one of her sleeves, apologizing, and bound both of her hands tightly. She flexed her fingers, making sure they would still move.

"I can not bind your back," he said, touching the heated skin where her shirt had been ripped open in several places. Nothing inappropriate could be seen through the rips, but her bleeding skin was red and hot. She flinched at the touch of his hand, moving away from him.

"It will be fine," she said, "I will just have to keep my face to the enemy." They shared a laugh, and Daelyn realized how absurd it would have been to waste time on her back. They would be healed after the trials, according to the conversation between the prince and his mages.

"It's almost over," he said, quietly, more to himself.

"We have to do this," she said, to herself.

The two of them jerked back to attention once the prince began to approach them again, heading towards the platform. He wished them all good luck, which summoned a laugh from Daryn. Daelyn shot her a look, and she glared at him. They stood, the entire group moving as a whole to where the knight stood, waiting for them. He explained the rules.

"Each of you will have to fight one of our experienced knights. The fights will take place one at a time, in this circle." Daryn ran her eyes along the circle, noticing how small it was. "The fight will continue until one is pushed out of the circle, or until death." The twins glanced at each other. A lot of people would die in the next few minutes,, more than likely. "You will be given one weapon, and if it falls out of the circle, you may not retrieve it. This is not a partner exercise," he said, looking right at the twins. They both nodded. "Beware," he said, his tone changing, "our knights have the help of the mages."

With that, six men strode out of the shadows, each of them carrying a long silver sword. The men looked to be young, probably in their prime ages. They had the build of knights, handsome faces and thick muscular frames. Daryn noticed that not one of them was a woman. She felt a little out of place, then her mind wallowed in the pride that would be hers if she beat one of these trained professionals. Daryn gave them all another look, noticing their eyes. Glazed. Unfocusing. If she had to guess, the men looked possessed. She glanced up the mages. Six of them stood a little closer than the other four. Six of them stared ahead at the fight.

They might have been physically fighting these knights, but they were mentally going to have to battle the mages. Daryn took a long breath, realizing just how challenging this just got. The strength of the men tied in with the magic of the mages. The six of them were fighting a battle that was impossible to win.

It was announced that they would go in the same order which they had went through the maze. The man who lost his partner to the wires stepped forward and was handed a silver blade. He swayed under the weight, adjusting his grip. The first knight stepped forward as well, and they greeted each other politely. He didn't even look strong enough to hold the sword, and he strained to walk forward. The fight started, a simple sparring. Everything was going rightfully, until the man knocked the knight's sword out of the arena. Before he could even celebrate, the knight held a hand forward, and the sword returned to him. A wave of anger passed over the knight's face, and the sword was ripped out of the man's hand, slung across the arena. Panic set in on the man. He chased after the sword until it was out of the ring, and then he turned back to face his opponent, who still held his hand outstretched. Daelyn focused on the knight's eyes, which swirled grey and white. The man was pushed to the ground by an invisible force, gasping for air and not getting any. His face turned red, purple, then still. The knight used his magic to pick up the body and then the knight's strength to pick him up and slam him to the ground. The man's head hit the arena floor with a loud pop, and Daelyn knew he wouldn't get back up. Daelyn let out a breathe he did not know he held. He felt sick to his stomach.

Daryn squeezed his shoulder as he stepped forward and took his own sword, surprised at how heavy it was. The knight was stepped forward for him was shorter than him, but he was wider. Daelyn was strong, tanned from years working in the fields with his animals. That strength was his only hope. He could wrestle a wild animal with his bare hands, but the sword felt awkward in his hands. He looked around the ring, knowing he would have to find a way to push the knight out of the circle. There was no way he would kill him, even if he was in the middle of trying to kill Daelyn. The fight started, and Daelyn stepped forward and swiped the sword out of the man's hands before he could react. It slid out of the circle, and the knight moved to take Daelyn's sword too. Instead, Daelyn threw the sword out himself, listening to it crash into the other sword. He heard Daryn gasp behind him, knowing exactly what he was attempting and not knowing if it was against the rules. Daelyn dove at the knight, crashing into his body with intense force. They slid across the ground some distance, until a wall hit Daelyn, sending him flying through the air and off the knight. The knight whipped up a wind, making it harder for Daelyn to stand up and regain his footing. He was close to the edge, pressing forward but not getting anywhere. The knight summoned his sword, and Daelyn felt his stomach drop. As the man charged, he got into stance. When the man was within grabbing distance, he grabbed the hilt of the sword, yanking the man toward him. Caught of guard, the knight didn't fight back as Daelyn picked him up by the waist and propelled him over his head, out of the ring. The wind stopped, and he was met by silence.

Daryn's eyes were wide behind him. There was no way she could do that. The knight stood up, leaving the four other knights standing there in shock. Only four mages remained standing in the line closer to them. Daelyn left the ring, handling his sword back to the knight in charge. The knight simply handed the same sword to Daryn as she stepped forward. Her opponent stepped forward and into the ring, his sword raised in front of him. This wasn't about strength, no, Daryn had to find her own hope. The sword in her hands felt natural, even if it wasn't the right size for her. She began to walk around the circle, her opponent walking in a slow circle in the middle to mimic her. She used the time to stall, to make the man impatient. His face burned in fury as this continued for a few minutes. He dove at her, crying out as he did, and she ducked, diving under him with her sword raised. His cry continued, this one of rage, as he noticed the large gash cutting across the bottom on his arm. It ran the length of his sword arm, and blood was already pouring to the ground. He dove at her again, and this time, Daryn rolled away, catching his knee. He screamed again in pain, but his eyes grew a strong white. The wounds were gone in a blink. Daryn felt like cursing. Her next shot would need to be fatal. The man kept his distance from her for some time, catching his breath. He began to run around the circle, catching her off guard. He grabbed her by the hair, throwing her to the ground on her back. The pain from her wounds caused to her scream, her sword slipping out of her hand. The same invisible wall that killed the first man held her to the ground. She reached for the sword as best she could, watching the man with his own weapon move forward, smiling confidently. Her fingers met the blade just as the man reached her, pushing his sword down and into her shoulder. She roared out in pain, instinctively thrusting her weapon into whatever was in front of her. The man crashed down into her, pressing the sword further into her skin. She closed her eyes.

Someone picked the man up, or he picked himself up. Daryn didn't know, but the weight was gone. She looked at the sword in her shoulder, finally seeing the knight in charge standing over her. He had his hands on the hilt, and then he yanked, ripping it out of her shoulder. Daryn let out a scream that rivaled banshees. She had to be pulled up, but she could limp out of the arena. She collapsed onto the grass, pressing her fingers into the wound.

"You won," Daelyn whispered to her, standing close to her, but not daring to help her this time.

"Not if I die before I am chosen," she said, anger in her words.

REBELLION {Aims&Sunflower}

But now that I think about it, that's not a very long fight. Since they are pretty broken.

Still, I thought this might be just a magic-free regular fight. We could do some enchantment stuff on the swords. Or on the knights themselves.

I'll give it some serious thought before I reply.

REBELLION {Aims&Sunflower}

It's an elimination. They all fight each other.

REBELLION {Aims&Sunflower}

Daryn looked up as the rain began to pour. As much disdain as she had for mages, not even she could deny the awesome capabilities. The rain was warm, and it plastered her curls to her head, running down her shoulders and arms. Although the clothes could use a good washing, this wasn't how she wanted it. She looked over at Daelyn who looked just as sad as she probably did. He ran a hand through his hair, smoothing it back against his head.

Both of them took a minute to face the obstacle course. It wasn't long, and it didn't look particularly hard. First, there was a rope about the width of Daryn's forearm. It led straight upward into a platform where more ropes ran horizontally to another platform and a ladder back to the ground. Next was a field of wires strung across the ground. Daryn couldn't tell if the wires were sharp or charged with magic. The space between the floor and the wires was just enough for someone to crawl on their belly. Next was a pool of green water. The rain picked up the current in the small pool, and there were several tall waves cutting across the surface. On the other side of that lay a wall, clearly for climbing. The challenging part was the very few hand holds present on the wall. They would be nearly impossible to climb with the rain.

The knight in charge told them to pair up, making four even groups. Daelyn pulled Daryn in line to be second, wanting to get it over with but not wanting to go first. He wanted to watch, to know what to expect. He watched carefully as the first pair took off running, scaling the ropes easily. They got down on their knees and swung themselves to hang upside down on the ropes, sliding across them slowly. This took much more time that the first rope set. Then, the cawing started. Daelyn's head jerked up to the ceiling where a massive bird sat. It was black, with a long red neck and black eyes. It's feathers were falling off as it sat there, mouth open, eyes watching. It swooped down right as the men made it across the ropes, both of them jumping off the platform instead of taking the ladder. The bird returned to its perch, sharpening its claws where it sat.

The two men got down on their bellies, using their flattened elbows to propel themselves forward. The ground was wet, making it hard to move at an appropriate speed. It was going fine, and Daelyn felt himself relax. The air cracked; the smell of burning hair hit Daelyn. One man was still, poised in the same position he had been when his back touched a stray wire. The other man looked back at him and crouched even further to the ground, emerging at last from this part. He dove headfirst into the pool, easily swimming to the other side. Daelyn strained his eyes to see the blisters that rose from the man's uncovered skin. The water was green, because it was toxic. The man hoisted himself up to the wall, just as the barking on the other side of the arena. Daelyn watched the dogs, massive black dogs bolt across the area, nipping at the heels of the man who was just crossing over the top of the wall. He fell over the side, laying there with his arms and legs spread out, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

Daryn looked at Daelyn, finally letting go of his hand. She wasn't strong. She was smart. Daelyn was the strong one. And this was a test of strength. The knight gave them the signal to go, and Daryn watched Daelyn pull himself up the first ropes with ease. She, on the other hand, struggled as the rope swayed and bucked under her. Daelyn had to climb back down and hold the rope still so she could climb back up. With an eye on the vulture overhead, they both got down on the ropes, moving as quickly as possible. Daryn felt the wind around her pick up, smelled the rotten flesh of the bird before she heard it. But it was beside her head, cawing, before she had time to react. She tucked her face into her shoulder, feeling the bird's beak rip into the skin of her hands and legs. Daelyn finally reached a leg out and kicked it, stunning it enough to get himself and Daryn across.

She fell to her knees on the floor once they got down the ladder, holding her hands in front of her. They were a mess of open wounds, blood dripping into the ground.

"Are you okay?" Daelyn asked her, grabbing the hands. She simply nodded, trying to catch her breath. "You have to make it," he continued.

"So let us go," she replied, dropping to her stomach to crawl under the wires. This part was simple. They took their time, crawling around the dead man's body that hung from the wires. Daryn didn't even dare touch the edge of his tunic. They pulled themselves up, jogging for the pool of water. Daelyn swam across, pulling himself up. He took a moment to inspect his skin. Time was key, he thought, as he found no marks from the water. His eyes searched the water for Daryn, who had been pushed against a wall by a wave. She found against the water, feeling it bleed into her open wounds on her hands. It felt like needles being pressed into her skin. She moved along the wall, afraid the rest of her body would fail her, too. Daelyn pulled her from the water, leading her shaking body to the wall.

The dogs were no where in sight, but they could hear them waking up, barking the alarm. Daelyn found him a hand hold and started climbing, surprised at how difficult it was. He looked down at Daryn, who stared at her hands.

"I can not feel my hands," she yelled up at him, her hands shaking. He leaped down, kneeling.

"Get on my back," he commanded, and the dogs appeared. Daryn linked her legs around his waist, her hands around his neck. He turned as the dogs ambushed, find Daryn's back and ripping into it with teeth and claws. The woman buried her face in her brothers neck, bearing down on the pain that emanated from the wounds. The pair of them tumbled over the edge of the wall, landing in a tangle mess of limps and blood. Daelyn stood, his legs shaking under him. He pulled the man, still spread out on the ground, and his sister over away from the course, pressing his fingers against his temples. Daryn lay on her stomach, awake but unable to move. Her body was a mess of pain, crippling pain. She found Daelyn's hand and the strength to push herself into a sitting position. She leaned against him there, waiting for the rest of the group.

A long time passed, as the next two groups made their way across the course. Many came across bloody, covered in boils and scratches. One man fell from the first ropes when the vulture attacked, only to be carried away by the dogs, allowing his partner to come through unscathed. The group huddled there, waiting on their next trial.