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A Journey for Peace

Sounds good!

And thanks for the heads-up :) Have a lot of fun with this so far!

A Journey for Peace

Well, Kiara had Ostus going for a minute at least, haha!

A Journey for Peace

Princess Kiara was possibly the first woman of "proper upbringing" that didn't balk to Ostus's words. Intrigued, he actually listened to what she had to say, and took a better look at her in the process.

He decided she wasn't bad-looking for a princess. Pretty, actually, especially considering her plain attire. He had a certain weakness for redheads, and the direct, no-nonsense way she responded to him only reaffirmed his appreciation for them. However, he knew his place and hers. He was a guard hired to protect her, and she was a person who couldn't possibly understand or even accept his way of life. He couldn't simply seduce her, bone her, and move on to more conquests, as was the norm for this very single individual. Though, if his friends thought he did, what a story that would be...

As though reading his thoughts, Kiara rolled into a joke about pleasure. He raised an eyebrow, slowly releasing a smooth, bemused smirk. Was she flirting with him? There was nothing wrong with a little harmless verbal exchange with the princess, right? "I wonder what kind of pleasure is conducted in the pleasure room?" he commented in a velvety tone, relaxing his stance a bit. "Surely it involves more than a bit of heavy...reading? Or penetrating... politics?" He mirrored her mischievous smirk with one of his own, throwing in a wink for good measure.

The more Kiara talked, the more appealing she seemed. Ostus couldn't believe his luck on his latest assignment. Either Princess Kiara was putting one hell of a show, or she was not at all the mold of a typical princess. Could she drink, and if so, how much? Was she hiding any tattoos under that tunic of hers? Did she know any raunchy jokes? What other sort of exciting secrets did she harbor?

That curiosity instantly turned into a chilly indifference as soon as she questioned his skill and intentions. His easy smirk morphed into a hardened scowl and he narrowed his eyes at her. "Pretend?" he snapped, straightening his posture once more. "You think I'm some sort of bumbling idiot, like every other guard you probably had the displeasure of knowing?"

Gently but firmly, he took Kiara's bow from her, plucking an arrow from her quiver. In a quick, fluid motion he knocked the arrow on the bow as he shifted into proper position, raised the bow towards the target, and released the arrow. As it shot through the air, he felt, for a split second, that old, familiar sensation of the terrible anticipation for the kill. How tough this war had been, turning him from someone that dreaded every kill to a person that prayed for every strike of his fists, swing of his sword, and release of an arrow to fatally hit its mark. It was that bloodlust that had saved him from a life on the streets, but at what cost?

The arrow sank into the target. Satisfied, Ostus held the bow back out to Kiara, his expression grim. It had taken him a second to realize that he wasn't on a battlefield strewn with the dead or struggling bodies of Astorians and Berinikens but in the peaceful archery grounds of the Astoria royal family. "I have fought continuously in your war for almost ten years," he said. "In that time, I have saved countless Astorian lives and killed many, many Berenikens in the name of our king and queen. I was hired to protect you because I am one of the best there is. Of course I have a fucking plan."

He crossed his arms, sniffed, but seemed to relax, calming down. "Because no one is to know who you are, I will be your only escort," he remarked, slipping into a more business-like tone. "A cluster of bumbling idiots surrounding you will draw too much attention. We will slip away in the evening as the market caravans leave the city gates, just like anyone else. We'll stay with them for a while, hopefully blending in to the trade traffic. Bandits watch those roads, though, so after a while we will take a mountain path that I have scaled before. Not many know about it. Before you know it, we'll be in Berenike with enough time to spare to make you look like the pretentious doll the prince probably expects you to be. That is why we're doing this, right, so you can marry a prince and restore peace to these lands?" He shook his head, smirking a little. It still astounded him how important this mission was. If he could get this princess safely married off to the prince of Berenike, he would have had a direct hand in finally establishing some sort of peace across the lands. He could only imagine how the princess must feel... "If I could establish a truce just by fucking someone, you bet your ass I'll be all over that one a hundred times over."

A Journey for Peace

(double post GAH)

A Journey for Peace

:D

A Journey for Peace

Hahaha! Oh yay! Glad you like Ostus; I had wondered if he came across as too strong. He is full of contrast, which is one of the things I adore about him :)

A Journey for Peace

Ostus Osaron stepped confidently through the lawn that surrounded the archery area. Tall, his broad shoulders and muscular build easily filled in the plate chest-piece, matching leg guards over dark leather pants and boots he wore as he sighed, eyeing the figure in the distance. After accepting the contract from the king and queen, he had wandered all over the damn palace looking for the princess; he had checked libraries, sitting rooms, dining rooms, and how-ever-many other rooms that all looked the same but probably all had different names... so much wasted space. At last a servant informed him that she was probably outside practicing her archery.

Since when did a princess mess around with a bow and arrows? Did she think she was a Berinike princess or something?

Ostus expected to see a girl in a loud, ridiculously puffy dress, big hair, and a face hidden beneath a mask of makeup. Noblewomen typically looked like this; he could smell them coming through their overuse of perfume before seeing them. Instead, his gaze fell upon a woman in practical clothing holding the weapon in a correct, familiar stance.

Ostus was an elf; he was quite familiar with archery, though he preferred the satisfying resistance of his broadsword as it cleaved through the enemy's body to an arrow impaled through the enemy's chest at a distance. Ostus wasn't so slender in build like his brethren; in a crowd, he could easily pass as human. However, he did retain the the typical elfish chiseled features -- a handsome face framed by short, unruly dark hair that he would forget to comb smooth half the time, like now.

Sharp storm-grey eyes widened a little in surprise; he would have not believed this woman was the princess if she wasn't the only one on this field. The public image of herself she portrayed was apparently very different from the princess behind closed walls.

So she could shoot with a bow for show. Didn't mean she knew anything about using one in combat.

Ostus cleared his throat as he stepped to her side. "And here I was expecting you to be drinking tea with a gaggle of pretentious twits out in the... the... sitting room or whatever the fuck you people call a place where you sit and have tea."

He cleared his throat again and straightened to attention, suddenly remembering his place. She was the princess; he had to watch his tongue, as irritating as that was. He bowed stiffly to her. "My name is Ostus; I'm your new bodyguard."

A Journey for Peace

My weekends are hit-and-miss. Sometimes I'll disappear for the entire weekend, and sometimes I'm sitting in front of my computer seeking things to do. This time around, I'm busy but I choose to procrastinate, hehe...

A Journey for Peace

BTW, I refer to your original post a lot, so gonna post that info here to keep my sanity (to keep from post-hopping)

Long ago, three kingdoms were founded: Astora, Berinike, and Callum. The tales of how they came to be have been lost to time, but in that time they have grown to represent very different ideals.

Astora is built on peace and love for all its people. Elves, humans, dwarves, and goblins alike are treated as equals. Everyone is important in they eyes of those who rule. The best doctors and caretakers come from this country. Many of this country are slight in build with fare skin, and light hair. This is not surprising considering the entire country is comprised of forests, with the towns being the only places trees have not taken over. Their banner is a white cross on a blue background.

Berinike is built on military and combat. Many of their workers are blacksmiths or soldiers, and they look at everything with military position. If someone is not useful, there is no reason to treat them as though they are. Racism is not common, but nor are the humans kind to any other. The people of this country are tall, and strong. They tend to be dark skinned form all their work outside. The kingdom itself is located in a mountainous terrain. This is useful for the blacksmiths located in the country. Their banner is a black dragon on a yellow background.

Callum is built on pain and deceit. Slavery is still a part of their every day culture, and the people are encouraged to treat those who are not worthy like vermin. It is believed that this kingdom was the one who started the Great War. This country takes all, and so their appearance is hard to categorize. People born here are even fairer in skin than the Astoran's because of the volcanic ash that covers the sky most of the year. Their banner is a black skull on a red background.

The Great War has been going on for as long as anyone can remember and no one can say how it was started. Sometimes only Callum is fighting, while Astora and Berinike defend their lands. Sometimes Astora and Berinike decide that they would be better without the other and start to fight along the mountains that divide them. But mostly, it is the three kingdoms all fighting each other at once. This has led to death and destruction everywhere the battles reach.

The royals of Astora are tired of seeing their people killed and raided, and so much worse. They long for peace, and intend to get it. The King and Queen have made a deal with the rulers of Berinike: an arranged marriage. Astora's only princess will be married to one of the princes of Berinike. The hope is that this will cause a bond between the two kingdoms that cannot be broken. When the fighting finally stops, they will be able to focus all their efforts on defending the land from Callum.

A Journey for Peace

Well, it got to first post out sooner than expected, bwahaha!

*cracks knuckles* Now to take a break from my homework to respond...