Aims

REBELLION {Aims&Sunflower}

Southern.

REBELLION {Aims&Sunflower}

Port, which is the town they come from. That's really all that I need.

REBELLION {Aims&Sunflower}

Daryn clenched the reins of the horse, enjoying the gentle sway of the beast under her. She had always liked horses. Animals in general, really. Daelyn had too, which explained why he was brushing his fingers through the horse’s mane, making clucking noises to it. The horse’s ears swiveled around when he clicked his tongue, and he patted its neck periodically. Daryn liked to see him so happy.

They led the group through the woods, Daryn leading the convoy. Daelyn took a guard position behind the rest, a typical guard position. As they walked, the listened to the woods, the birds in the trees and the creeks running through. The woods were a solace, a peace for the twins. These were the same woods she had been telling Triver about earlier, but when she glanced over to tell him, she changed her mind. The boy looked broken. Instead, she fiddled with the bow she’d picked up before they left.

She pulled the group into the small village right outside the woods, a place the twins hated to stop. The village was known for its black market and thieves. Daelyn remembered the place in passing, but the images were vivid. Hurrying through on the way to the capital, afraid to let his hand stray from his money. Bandits, he remembered bandits. Daryn had slowed the group down, and he came in a lot closer, shutting the space between them. He rode up beside Triver and Ser’deni.

“Let us hope we do not stay long in this place,” he said quietly, “No good comes from this village.” The buildings were broken stone, falling into the streets in big clumps. There were no signs telling visitors what was what, and the air surrounding them smelled of strong liquor. Beggars leaned against the same buildings, sleeping with gray matted hair and dirt smeared face. Daelyn couldn’t stand to look at them. He looked towards Daryn, who stared straight ahead, sitting tall. They were still wearing guard uniforms and would be easy targets for the thieves.

Daryn thought, walking the horse into the center of the village. They needed disguises. Everyone would know who the prince was in a matter of seconds, if they took the time to look at his face before they stole all his money. She dug through her mind for anyone she knew through the rebellion that would be here. Sanuel. He owned a tavern in this God forbidden place. She remembered him mentioning it in passing once. Where had he said she could find him?

She pulled her horse up to a building with a solid wooden door, painted red. A big ‘R’ was painted in black across the front in swirling letters. Daryn got off her horse, handing the reigns to Daelyn, who peered at her.

“We need to hide who we are. I know a man who works here. He will provide us with the disguises we need. Just stay outside and wait on me; I’ll hurry back out.” With that, she smiled at Daelyn and walked in, leaving him standing , holding her horse. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the darkness of the tavern, the thick smoke, and the stench of liquor. Men piled around tables, staring at her as she passed, but she looked at every face, searching. He had to be here. She got to the front of the store, where a man was watching her carefully.

“I’m looking for Sanuel,” she said, in a low whisper, leaning carefully over the counter.

“No one here by that name,” he grunted.

“My name is Daryn Lyker. He will know me,” she pleaded, feeling light headed. The man gave her a once over, disappearing through a back door. He came back out a moment later, nodded and led Daryn around the corner. Through a door, she followed him, glad to be out of that room. Back here, it didn’t stink. She could breathe. A man stretched out across a bed, hands folded behind his eyes. His sandy blonde hair was long, in a single braid that lay over his shoulder. He was dressed nicer than the men outside, leather vest, clean new boots. His eyes were closed, but she saw his chest rise and fall. When the door shut behind her, his eyes opened, and he sat up. The sight of him made her nervous, twisting her stomach into pieces. Few men could made Daryn swoon. What she felt for the man was a mix of admiration and fear. He gave her a smile, swinging his legs off the bed and standing.

“My girl, how far you’ve come,” he said, looking her over.

“it’s good to see you, Sanuel.”

REBELLION {Aims&Sunflower}

Hey! Sorry for your wait. My weekends are kinda crazy now a days. I'll try to type up a reply right now.

REBELLION {Aims&Sunflower}

Awe. Get well soon! Take your time.

REBELLION {Aims&Sunflower}

You don't have to do that. I'm just trying to be a better partner. ^^

We can take turns leading the plot. That way no one ends up following and being A filler.

REBELLION {Aims&Sunflower}

Daryn's heart hurt for the prince. She couldn't imagine being cooped up inside these walls, trapped. She needed space to run, struggle. Yet, she also needed company. She glanced up at Daelyn who was watching Triver’s face closely. What would life be like without her brother? It was rumored that they came out of the womb cradled in each other’s arms. How true that was is to be guessed, but Daryn didn’t know who she would be without her brother. To imagine a life spent with Daelyn gone on dangerous battles without her hurt. She felt the desire to go over and hug him, but the Prince started crying. Her eyes went wide, and she scooted away from him.

It was Daelyn who reached over and put a hand on Triver’s shoulder. He couldn’t begin to imagine what the Prince felt, couldn’t even begin to. It was a lot for anyone to deal with. Daelyn commended the boy for being so strong, and he made it a point to try harder to deal with the mages. It was Daryn he worried about treating the mages badly. He knew how much she distrusted them, and he understood why. He glanced over at her to see her wide eyes and chuckled to himself.

The crow flew down and told them about Inaris. Daryn wasn’t outright surprised, but Daelyn was. The man had seemed alright, if not a bit cold. It was clear that Ser’deni and Triver were shocked. Either one of the twins could have seen that. When the prince fell to the ground, out cold, Daelyn leaned after the boy, catching him before he hit the hard ground. The alarms blared over the two of them; guards ran everywhere. Daelyn scooped the boy up into his arms, looking to Daryn for instruction.

“I don’t know,” she said, giving him a look, “I guess we head back to the castle. Find Ser’deni.” The bird was long gone, the sounds of metal armor in its place. Daryn weaved her way through the mess, Daelyn right behind her. It wasn’t long before they ran into a familiar face.
“Twins. I was looking for you,” Enn said, giving Daelyn a odd look.

“Prince Triver was a little shocked,” Daelyn answered.

“No doubt. It is a shock to us all.” Enn shook his head, reaching for Daryn’s elbow. “Come, quickly. Garrod wishes to speak to the two of you and the prince.” They took off then, finding it a lot easier to weave through the crowds with Enn leading them. They ducked inside the castle, where the alarm didn’t sound quite to loud. Daryn felt like she could breathe again. Enn led then down a long hallway that ran the length of the castle, not towards the center. They followed him into a room with a heavy wooden door. Garrod looked up at the three of them.

“Thank you, Enn,” he said, his voice deep. Daryn had to admit the man was handsome, in a kind of scary way. He was built, tanned from years training outside. Yet, in his face were shadows, ghosts of things that Daryn could not have imagined. “Orders from the King are that his son, Ser’deni, and the two of you are to leave the castle immediately and search for Inaris. I know you two are new, and he might be hoping you get killed while you’re out there. Yet, the fact that you’re with the prince right now shows some potential.” He stood to face them both, crossing his arms. “As soon as you wake sleeping beauty, have him call for Ser’deni, so we can prep you all to leave.”

Daelyn sat Triver down in a seat, shaking his arms and hands. The idea of leaving the fortress was exciting, frightening but exciting. Daryn was jittery, ready to move. He could see her out of the corner of his eye.

“How do you suggest we protect ourselves from his magic?” she asked, her back to the prince.

“Wit,” Garrod replied, “You in particular showed some intelligence during the trials. And your brother showed immense strength. Be smart, be fast. Be ready to drive your sword home.”

REBELLION {Aims&Sunflower}

I like the idea! I think it allows us to do some character development as well.

I'm concerned about how much I can really do while you're leading me around and telling me what to do. So, I may do something with the leader of the Rebellion, Sanuel. I'm about to type something up, so let's see how this goes, I guess.

REBELLION {Aims&Sunflower}

Okay!

REBELLION {Aims&Sunflower}

Daelyn kept a close eye on Daryn as they walked around the grounds. She was quiet, unusually so, but she was taking in every sight. He could see her eyes scale the wall that surrounded the castle, the guards standing at the top, and the dents and cracks. While he understood what she was doing, he chose to ignore her. They stood on each side of the prince. Daelyn made a note to come back and check out the stables; he loved horses. Daryn's attention was brought back to the journey when they entered the garden. Everything was overwhelming. The colors, the smells, the sounds. It was like stepping out of the royal grounds and into the wild. Daryn couldn't keep her eyes still. She was breathless.

Daelyn sat down beside the Prince; Daryn sat on the other side. When the Prince asked where they came from, Daryn smiled at him. Daelyn took a deep breath and looked at her. She nodded.

"Not far from here, at the edge of the sea, there's a tiny village called Port Danycia. Most of the people there live on boats or raise goats. The ground isn't fertile enough for crops; it is mostly rock and cliffs. We grew up on a fishing boat there with our father," she told him, looking down at her hands. "It was a beautiful place. When the sun set, it would reflect the most amazing shades of orange and pink across the water. The air always smelled like salt and sand. We had a festival, called Festival of Moons, and everyone would help build this giant fire in the village center. There was a man who would tell stories all night, using the light from the fire to cast shadows on the ground." She looked towards Daelyn, who was nodding.

"Once a month, the children and their mothers would make a trip into the royal city to buy medicine and supplies we could not get on our own. It was always a big deal, because we put on our best clothes and brushed our hair. We had to walk through a thick forest to get there," Daelyn continued, "If it rained, we would hide in the caves that you could find strewn through the forest."

Daryn laughed, remembering clearly how small the caves had been. After their mother died, the twins stopped going on those adventures. The last walk back from the royal city had been the hardest journey they had ever taken. It had rained, but the three of them didn't stop.

"When it would storm, the lightning would hit the water, and so we would have to pitch tents on land. The fireflies would come out, and we would open the tent and let them in, only to shut it again and trap them. Waking up covered in dead fireflies was worth watching them create a night sky in our tent."

Daeyln watched his sister talk, seeing her face relax. He missed home, just as much as she did. Yet, he didn't know if they would ever get to go back. It seemed so far away.

"We would love to take you there, your majesty," Daelyn said, "But I'm sure your mages would not allow it. Tell us about your childhood here."