Anarion

Dark Age (playtest): The Lands of Pendragon

“Of course! She ought to have...” Sir Hector starts and pulls up short on her answer, a small blush coloring the center of her cheeks. “Well, no, I suppose she still needs must answer as a knight, I cannot ask her to humble herself so deeply that she would sacrifice her dignity. Hmm. I would have preferred that she offer her gratitude to our lady for inviting her to join the hunt rather than defend her worth to me. She has taken on the vows of the knight penitent, she ought not be so quick to claim that her actions are of worth. Even if I accept that she should retain her dignity as a knight.”

She gives you an appraising look, Tristan. “You are a better judge of character than most knights I have known. Tell me what you think then. Should I give Sir Coilleghille the benefit of the doubt? I will be her hunting partner for the final hunt, if she makes it that far. How much aid should I offer?”

Dark Age (playtest): The Lands of Pendragon

Robena

The conversation still suddenly. The dark-haired woman next to you does not rise to your claim, but she does rise. Silently, she stands and steps aside. Indeed, you realize that all conversation in the room has ceased. The diners rise and, one and all, stride out the door of the main hall in silence.

You find yourself seated alone at the table, a serving of soup still steaming in front of you, and another bowl, barely touched in the seat next to you.

They leave the door open and there, standing just beyond the hall is an apparition you cannot have thought to see here. Constance, wearing a winter dress and a fox fur, stands at the edge of the hall just beyond the threshold.

Constance

Perhaps this is not what you expected. Or then again, perhaps this is what you had wanted all along. Tell us how you enter in this moment. Tell us of your ethereal stride, of the way that the world cannot quite manage to hold you. Tell us how you already know of Robena’s hunt, and what you say to her after many months.

Tristan

From you, the castle does not hold secrets. Why should it? You are bringing life and joy to a place that was cold and dreary and more empty than full. There are children, but they are few in number, the children of servants and squires. There are only the handful of knights. Sir Harold, Sir Liana, and Sir Hector, the raven-haired lady who never seems to smile. It’s obvious enough that each of them is meant to be kept away from Uther for one reason or another. Harold knew Uther long ago, before he united Britain, and chose not to swear loyalty to the high king. Hector likewise and she seems to begrudge it. Liana too never swore an oath to the king, but she is younger and there is something about her that you can’t place. She seems out of place in this Britain, beautiful, sad, and filled with a wanderlust that will one day carry her past Castle Sauvage. Perhaps that’s why she’s so drawn to you, and you seem to find her always strolling in the gardens near where you were playing or singing.

As for the lady. She is not long for this world because she is tied to Robena’s doom. It became obvious the more you looked upon her. The cold features, the empty eyes, that same set of the brow. Mort was the one who noticed it first, and his discomfort in the lady’s presence might be what made you realize it at last. That what was left of King Pellinore beneath the beast pierced by Robena’s axe would carry out the doom on her behalf. Perhaps it is reassuring that there is a cold regal air to the lady. It must be reassuring that she invited Constance, for surely it would be a cruelty just to invite her to witness an execution. That you, Mort, and Constance are here says that there is more to the matter than an execution.

For now, however, you were asked to wait outside the hall with Mort, to give Constance her space, and you are met instead by the others departing in a grim and unnatural silence. Only when they have passed beyond earshot of the hall, taking you both with them, do they speak. And it is dour Hector who breaks the silence. “She claimed that the goodness of her fox hunt today is more pure than the winter preparations we make for our welfare” Hector says to you, her tone matter of fact. “I still do not see why the lady bothers with all this. The knight will never learn true humility, and what matter her nobility without it?”

She’s looking at you, as if you’d have the answer to such a question, Tristan.

Sunshards

Well that was just absurd. Luring the dragon out with a princess like some cheap novel?

Why was Qiu doing all these patrols anyway? They had escaped in a big chase and didn’t Qiu tell her to go to sky castle and see Jessic? Maybe that wasn’t meant for Yue though? Chen could fly, but she wasn’t going to leave her friends so they needed some plan to get everybody up to the sky. Chen wasn’t coming up with anything either, and there was Cyanis with her wagging tails offering an idea to lure the dragon.

Chen glanced sideways, trying to to look at anyone as she thought. Cyanis did have a point. Of course there wouldn’t be a sacrifice, but the dragon might want to whisk a tempting princess up to the sky castle, and maybe offer a ride to the whole group in the process. Of course, they didn’t need to tie everyone up, that was just exaggerating. But Chen would need to be a tempting target. Her outfit didn’t really stand out that much though, certainly not from the sky. She needed something to make her look bigger and with lots of folds and billows to draw attention.

Chen fidgeted nervously. There was a plan forming here, a bit of fox magic again, not even a need for a wish really, or perhaps the wish was to be the bait and have it work. Cyanis was making a very tempting offer and Chen wanted Rose to see...oh, ah, she couldn’t but!

A blush Rose to Chen’s face and she slowly raised her hand up as she looked towards Cyanis. “I um...I think that’s a good idea. I mean, um, we don’t need to tie up all three of us, but if we get the dragon’s attention with a princess like...um, me, then we can ask him to take everyone up to the sky castle and there’s no way that Qiu’s soldiers could keep up.”

Chen glanced down, pointedly not looking at Rose or...or anyone else. Especially not the fox tales that were going swish swish swish faster and faster once Cyanis realized that she’d got a bite with her bait. “But um...I’ll need a new outfit. The dragon won’t notice me normally, so we need something really...um...thick and...er poofy...and billowy even when I’m tied up, and, and in a color that will stand out against the ground so...so it can’t miss me. Then we can all pop out when the dragon comes down and ask for a ride in exchange for taking me captive.

If anyone thought she was reluctant, Chen dispels all doubt of that when she looks up and her eyes are sparkling despite the blush that’s once again suffusing her face. “We’ll avoid all of Qiu’s soldiers and go from a spot where only the dragon can see from above. It will work for sure, I just need Cyanis to make me a new outfit!”

Sunshards

Chen was much more relaxed now. Rose had given her the best reaction, oh that moment of hesitation with the collar. She had seen it! She had seen those fingers tap and bounce off and the big monk had tried to pretend like it was what she meant all along. Now she just had to figure out what to do with it. That was a head scratcher for another time though. The time now was to towel off and get dry before it got too chilly, then to inspect the new little castle.

Chen was still a bit suspicious of Kikil and even though she knew this little old place was almost certainly deserted, she still felt the need to poke about in every little nook and cranny of their temporary abode. She popped her head into little cabinets, zipped up to inspect the tower crenellations, and poked around the fireplace before she was satisfied that there wasn't some kind of spy device or...or something! Even this suspicion was a kind of relaxed one though. Chen was suspicious of Kikil but she didn't feel any pressure from her. She poked and zipped about and scowled a little, but it was all in good fun and she had grins for her friends, Rose chief among them as she passed them.

By the time that Hyra had finished her ghost story, Chen was overcome by a fit of the giggles. She looked over at Yue and tried to shake her head and get across gosh please don't say anything to Rose while nearly falling over. Rose hadn't seen her in Cyanis' maid costume before Yin cut that thread, she was pretty sure, and she didn't need Rose getting any silly ideas for dressing her up. No she wasn't blushing, the story was just fun and silly and the fire was making her cheeks a little ruddy. That was it!

After that little giggle fit, all eyes were on Chen, so she was, of course, obligated to tell the next story. "Okay I have a good one, but it's pretty scary" she said, giving a pointed glance to Yue and then Rose in turn. Obviously the two weakest links here. She cleared her throat, but giggled a bit more at the idea of a permanent maid in the burrows, ruining the initial suspense. She blushed, cleared her throat again, and started her story properly.

When the original princess shot the suns, they say that the first shard might have been the one that fell in the north because it's closest to the sky. It's always been wild, cold, and full of magic. Fun if you aren't afraid of anything out there. But I want to tell you about Jian the wandering monk.

Jian came from a town pretty far away from Sourcefall, somewhere near where they have one of those big towers nearby, so their phones work really well. Jian loved designing little pictures she could share as she traveled. They helped her make friends wherever she went, and sometimes she could even get pictures of demons that nobody else could see with something called an "AR filter."

When Jian got to Sourcefall, there were rumors of some kind of demon threatening the northern towns. The Princess at the time had recently been kidnapped by Ys and she wouldn't be ransomed for at least a week, so Jian offered to go see what was happening. A couple of handmaidens took her up north and she began to wander, questioning the townsfolk and looking around the tundra. She took picture after picture, but her AR filter couldn't find any demons.

Frustrated, she followed rumors from the townsfolk and made her way into the tundra, finding a deep cave. She thought for sure that she had found what she was looking for, but what she didn't know was that the northern demon wasn't a thing of the old world, but of the new. It was frost spirit, a powerful little one that jumped around from icicle to icicle, delighting in drawing in just enough warmth to start melting and then...boom trapping whoever it had found as things slowly refreezed. Jian didn't know what she was in for as she wandered into that cave, and the spirit was delighted at the new source of warmth it had found. Frustrated, but assuming herself safe, Jian made a fire and settled into her fluffy sleeping bag for the night. Above her, the icicles in the ceiling began to melt. Drip. Drip. Drip. But the fire was warm and Jian was all bundled up and tired, so she let herself fall asleep.

As she slept, the icicles kept melting, forming a little pool of warm water all around Jian's sleeping bag. Strong and powerful as she was, she didn't feel it subtly grow. Not until the drops started to hit her fire and caused it to sputter and go out on the now damp logs. Only then did Jian awake to find that the water had frozen and she was trapped in her sleeping bag.

With no other option, she pulled out her phone and took a picture, trying to capture some of the cave and send for help to whoever she could reach. But the frost spirit was delighted, for Jian had brought it a new, long-lasting source of warmth. A small one, but easily recharged with the right tools. So it snuck into Jian's sleeping bag and nestled next to her as she sent her pictures.

It's said that the frost spirit possessed poor Jian. Or perhaps she became the new frost spirit. None could say. But if you turn your phone on in just the right place in the north, it's said that you might get sent a picture asking for help that looks like it's from someone in a nearby cave. And if you go in, you'll never come out.

Sunshards

Chen came skidding out of the cloud, landed with slide next to the stopped car, and offered her friends a wave. Then for a few moments, elation and exhausted cooperated hand in hand to make her dead to the world as she lay down headfirst in the grass and just let herself breathe.

It was nice soft grass, and everybody was fine. There were sounds, something like an engine dying, air hissing, and a clang and clatter that sounded like a whole chunk of metal had just fallen off and knocked against the rest of the vehicle. They weren't important sounds though, much less important than the scent of fresh earth and the bundled touch of her dress and scarf spreading the tension from her muscles as she lay flat.

Chen considered staying like that forever. The idea was very appealing. It was comfortable, relaxing, no annoying phone calls, and the grass was not lecturing her about her obligations or giving her hurt looks because she wasn't empathetic enough to it. As it turned out, however, forever was about two and a half minutes. That was long enough to start feeling the itchiness of all the smoke and dust covering her skin, to have a few blades of grass start tickling her thighs, and to hear the running water right in front of her.

"Mmmmph" said the grass girl into a face of grass as she slowly gathered her legs beneath her, collected her scarf, and worked herself to her feet. "I'm going in the river" she added to nobody in particular as she made her way to the edge, took off her pack, and, before she could have time for second thoughts, jumped in feet first with a splash!

Chen came up for air quickly, throwing her head back to fling her soaked hair out of her eyes and wringing out her scarf as she just stood in the river and let the water flow against her chest and her open arms. She breathed out and it felt like she was dropping a whole mountain off her shoulders and letting it evaporate into the moonlight.

Only then did she look back at her friends properly. At Yue moving with Hyra out of the wreck and towards the water at a more measured pace, hands still slightly twitching and a wild look in her eyes. And at Rose carrying Cyanis by the scruff of her neck, and wearing a...Chen squinted, was that a pink dog collar with studs?! Rose hadn't been wearing that on the way in. A gift from Qiu then? She couldn't help a snicker. And here she thought Rose wanted to do all the capturing. But was she? Did she actually...?! Chen started laughing, great heaves of her shoulders as she nearly fell into the water, completely unable to help herself. Hopefully the others wouldn't think she'd gone mad or been cursed by the trapped stream!

Sunshards

At first, Chen thought that the guards backing up was her getting comfortable with her sword strokes, picking up a little speed, shaking off the stress that she had been under. But no, no that would be asking too much. No, the guards were backing off because Qiu was coming in a helicopter!

Of course she was, of course, and that meant the small fry were backing off. At least, it seemed like Qiu was focused on the escaping car. That’s good, right? That’s...Chen shook her head. A small part of her was mad. Mad that Qiu didn’t respect her as an equal, mad that Qiu was chasing her friends and not her, mad that she was being ignored, and mad at herself for treating Qiu like what she wanted didn’t matter, which was almost certainly why this was happening this way. She felt guilty for feeling mad on top of that, why shouldn’t her friends get Qiu’s attention, this was good in every practical way, and anyway this was her own fault. So...so she just had to make do.

Chen tried to shake off her feelings and settle into a rhythm. She really did love flying and she hadn’t been able to do it freely in a long while, not since her quick little race back to the shrine to buy horses on the trip over and that had only been a few minutes. Here, now, there was a bit more to it. The world was chaos and uproar! Missiles were exploding, sending clouds of dirt and chunks of road flying up into the air, assault ribbons were still all over the place, starting to fall behind the princesses and vehicles, and Yue was turning the van into a belching cloud of smoke and soot that was, miraculously, swerving around and away from the missiles.

Chen almost turned around to be a diversion but something stopped her. There was a framing to this scene and was Qiu slowing down? She wouldn’t but...maybe she wanted this to go a certain way. She seemed really intent, even from a distance Chen could see her body language hanging out of the helicopter and she was so focused. So, she didn’t. It felt wrong, like she’d break something. Instead she just, for a minute, let everything go and focused on her flying. The rest would sort itself out afterwards.

So, for a precious moment, princess Chen simply went fast and let the wind on her face her. Away from the dust and the heat, towards the cool open air. She settled her crystal blade below her and balanced with her weight forward, urging it faster and faster. And when the big explosion hits the bridge and the car skids to a halt, Chen comes zooming out of the dust cloud, hair and dress covered with fine gray powder, but a great big smile on her face as she finally let the rest of the world go to shoot herself through an explosion.

Dark Age (playtest): The Lands of Pendragon

Robena

Your entry to Castle Sauvage is perhaps less notable than you would have expected. No grand pronouncements or blaring trumpets. You do not pass through any ethereal barriers into the realm beyond nor pay toll to the fair folk for your travel. Compared to your adventures with Sandsfern and the vast and wild magic that fills the world, is the jubilation of a few hunters and the calm care of tending to their tired animals boring in comparison? Then again, perhaps that is an aspect of your penance too and with your months of travel already, perhaps this feels more like a home away from home.

These things at least may be said of your new abode: The fire in the fireplace is crackles with strength and wards against the cold. The table is of a sturdy wood hewn smooth by artisan hands. The plates and forks are unadorned and sturdy, fine things of quality and ageless design. A fox is worthless save for a little fur once hunted, so your dinner tonight is not so rich as it might be in future. It's somewhere between a soup and a stew made with chicken bone broth and some nameless variation on the root vegetable that would keep through a hundred winters if it stayed cool and dry.

You are seated to the right of Lady Sauvage in a place of honor. Next to you is the dour knight with the raven hair. She still has not introduced herself, and indeed this conversation is the most words you've heard her speak since you joined the group. "I do not see why my lady offers you such kindness" she says, offering no introduction. She waits politely for you to start eating as a guest before she begins her own meal, her eyes hard. "For my part, I think you toil in vain and we waste efforts better spent on preparation for the coming winter. What value was there in the fox today? What worth in leading dogs in circles?"

Tristan and Constance

Now is the time to tell us of your preparations for Robena's arrival. You preceded her by about two weeks. Long enough to gain some comfort with the castle and its inhabitants, not nearly long enough to feel that comfort. Tell us of the time you spent, and how you plan to introduce yourselves to Robena, or keep yourselves scarce until the right time. if there is some knight of the castle or page or servant that you wished to know better, tell us of that too.

Dark Age (playtest): The Lands of Pendragon

Tristan and Constance

For the moment, you are undisturbed. Mort is given a smaller room next to yours and the rest of the inhabitants are about their business. Please continue to plan.

Robena

The task is an arduous one. From the forest trail, the dogs have to backtrack, which forces you into an embarrassing loop around the hunting party in which the knights and servants are all giving you side eye for keeping them still in the chill forest. But the dogs do pick up the scent, and when they do it is a moment of riotous joy. They have a direction! Bark bark bark! They're off like an arrow, straight and true, and you right behind them, and then the entire hunting party with a whoop of joy and the clatter of hooves and harness. It is as though the whole forest were lying in wait behind a bush until just this moment to pounce and now it's a new place, full of life and power. Your heart beats faster and the wind caresses your face with a cool touch as you urge Apricot onward.

The first trick is a simple double back, the dogs cut, turn, circle a series of trees and then come back on themselves, excited yelping as they go in a full circle and look poised to do it again. The trick there is easy enough though, you know the way the beast would go and this is just a short diversion. You find the dog that hesitates on the cutback and, with a sharp whistle, you call him to you and as soon as he gets ahead of the section, he's on the scent and the other dogs have perked up their heads and are again hot on the trail.

The second trick is a bit of a swim. The dogs don't hesitate when they hit the creek (though the frigid water that splashes your heels as you cross sends shivers up your spine). But when they come out the other side, they switch suddenly into confused whines and whimpers and the rest of the hunting party behind you pulls up behind the creek. You have to spend some time searching. The fox must have swum, and downriver is a good guess, but how long? You end up having to dismount and look for signs before finally finding a tuft of fur caught on some low holly leaves and a few trampled berries. You call the dogs again, and again the chase is on.

The last almost breaks you. The dogs, ever eager, lead themselves nearly head first into a wall at least ten feet high. It's not hard to realize what happened: the fox used a low tree to scamper upwards, then jumped to a higher branch, then scrambled it's way up the last bit of shale and was off. What surprises you is the fluffy red and white snout peaking downwards and the high barking laugh from the top of the ridge. "You can't catch me!" it seems to say with those eeee heeee heeee heees! And for a moment, you're really worried. The whole hunting party is going to have to divert around who knows how far to find a trail that the horses can climb and the fox will have enough lead to disappear again. It's cold, the dogs are sweating, and you start to wonder how many clever tricks can you really overcome before dusk?

But, then you remember, if the fox weren't just as exhausted, it would be long gone by now. That it's here, taunting you at all, means you've nearly done the task. You order the dogs to stay, make a gut decision, and sprint east where you find a more gentle incline within five minutes. You're back quickly, the dogs with you, and the hunting party behind. Once you've crested the ridge, the fox's trail is clear, and when you drive it to cliff face, this time it has no trees to climb. The hunters spread out so that there can be no escape, and you allow the dogs to complete their work as they bring the fox at bay. It's over in an instant, the villain defeated, and you find yourself surrounded by hounds clambering all about you.

How do you feel after the day's work? What do you look forward to most when you get to the Castle Sauvage?

Sunshards

Chen was falling. It happened so fast that it took her a couple seconds for everything to catch up. time, blessedly, did decide to slow down a moment, long enough for her to replay the scene in her head. A few times. She had drawn, kicked forward, and used all the magic she could muster to rush at Qiu and far from even being a worthwhile match, she had been grabbed, pulled right out of her fighting stance, and flung out. But...what stuck with her were Qiu's eyes. Normally they were so smug, so full of life and sparkle and that burning passion that Qiu emanated. But when Chen had been right there, that close to her, Qiu catching the crystal blade impossibly in her teeth, Qiu's eyes had looked away, that had been sadness and a little pain.

She came to a sliding stop with her feet against the side of the pyramid, still about ten feet off the ground. Sword still in hand. She had trained for thousands of hours by now, so the first two assault ribbons that tried to pull her down were split in two so casually that the sword swipe barely even registered. She certainly wasn't paying attention to it and her eyes were staring back up the pyramid as her sword came to a rest by her side.

Damn it! Wasn't Chen supposed to be causing Qiu pain? She was supposed to be kicking her butt and stealing her shards and crushing her dreams for the good of...of...oh no. No, she'd messed up. This wasn't for anybody's good. Not even her own. Not her family's, not the other princesses, not Yue's or Rose's, least of all Qiu's. Qiu wanted something different and Chen had thrown it all in her face for...for nothing! No wonder she was mad! What was even the point?

She was constantly in motion. Those first two assault ribbons had been followed by twelve more that required a flurry of slashes. She moved through it like she was practicing the forms, slash up, slice down, momentum into hips and turn for another slash fading away only to go into another combination. Guards came up from below, a few trying to meet her head on and tie up her sword while others tried to grab her from below and behind. That made her have to speed up, like showing off back when Mom and Mommy were together and she would show off. Parry, press into the thrust, follow the momentum and kick for a sudden turn, then force backwards through the air turning to meeting the oncoming guards with a wide sweep and push them away. Step downwards, gaining height in the easy style, flying like you're walking up invisible stairs, weight on the balls of the feet. Parry again and riposte decisively, thrust into the opponent and knock them out of the sky before the next can be upon you.

Chen was going to have to take Qiu up on the trip to Sky Castle. If Qiu thought that Jessic really could help, that was a strong recommendation. Come to think of it, Chen couldn't remember Qiu recommending anybody to her before. Like, besides herself. So Jessic was probably really good. Besides that wasn't even accounting that Chen had basically promised to go if Qiu threw her out and Qiu hadn't hesitated in the slightest. It made her mad though! This all sucked. She just wanted a hug from Qiu! And like, okay, she wanted her to stop taking over the world too, but in the moment she had just wanted a hug. Instead Qiu had looked at Chen like...like she wasn't even supposed to be a princess and then flung her out like she wasn't one and it just...It just urgh! It made Chen feel like she was a million billion miles away from Qiu and she was never going to get there. Seriously, Chen was barely making it through a handful of guards and animated ribbons!

She kicked another guard, using that momentum to launch into a proper flight, not just stair stepping but leading with the sword and that speed meant finally breaking some distance between herself and the pyramid. That was when she saw Yue and Hyra fleeing from a thick mass of the assault ribbons.

Chen had a little spark of hope when she saw her friends. It was almost like a fog lifting. Or coming up for air. Like...exactly that, actually? Chen felt like she hadn't been breathing. Hadn't she come here for Yue in the first place? Oh winds, Chen had been the one to say not to pick a fight and now she had gone and done it and it looked like everybody else was in just as bad straights. But that at least gave her something to focus on. With a little space, Chen noticed that some parts of the pyramid weren't half so stark as Qiu's initial presentation. There were little lights for the barracks, and people milling about (probably dismissed from Qiu's military parade maybe?) not to mention old tech with little towers and wires. And, most importantly, some cars! They had too many non-flying members to carry, so shoving down memories of Zatoichi with a gulp, Chen resolved to get her friends an escape route.

She was at the parking lot almost instantly, but it was full of surprised guards and more coming from behind along with the constant stream of assault ribbons. Qiu must have made hundreds of the things! Maybe this was even a shard thing? Didn't matter, she was already coming out of her flying stance with a charging thrust (the unlucky guard nearest the big van was, shockingly, not up to Qiu's level of deflecting swords with her mouth). She sliced upwards, the crystal light rising and released a burst of light at the apex of her slash, briefly blinding the guards as she leapt into the car. There wasn't really time to get it going properly, and less still to drive it, so she settled for throwing down the break, sending it hurtling forward with a blast of raw magical power, and then rolling out of the driver's seat to keep the rapidly approaching guards off the van and on her.

Chen glanced back at the pyramid again, shaking her head. Her thoughts kept wandering back to Qiu. She didn't want things like this. She wanted to be a Princess, for real. Chen just...couldn't figure out what that meant yet. Chen was sure it wasn't throwing everything Qiu cared about in her face just because Qiu didn't understand her. It wasn't just running off and training until her moms were satisfied either. And...and it wasn't just doing what Qiu wanted and letting Qiu take over for Chen's moms in telling her what to do. That was something at least. Chen didn't want any of those things. It definitely did involve some good hugs and a new costume like...like that one that Cyanis made for her maybe...but poofier.

She blushed but didn't slow down as she circled. She wasn't trying to move to a new spot now, so her form had changed. Sweeping strokes one after another. Not fast, but without leaving openings, a constant flow as she used a free hand to quickly shift and steady her aerial position and make sweeping crystal strikes with her blade. The goal was to force the guards into a half moon with her between them and the van and it was working. There was a bang and a clatter and a noise like a hundred vroom vrooming cars all growling at once, but no time to turn her head backwards to look what was going on. She needed to focus and keep enough space.

Chen did spare a glance through the crowd for Rose. Where was she? Between the two of them, they could get everyone else out of here. Had Qiu had a demon ready to ambush her? Or some special trick? She prayed that Rose was okay, going back towards that pyramid seemed like the most dreadful thing in the world to Chen right now, she couldn't bear to face Qiu after that.

[Chen is no longer smitten with Qiu. They're just too far apart right now.]

Sunshards

For a moment, Chen didn't say anything. More tears slid down her cheeks, and she just...looked away.

***

Li came and licked the tears from the sobbing girl's cheek. Her tongue was warm and when she bumped her head against Chen, her face was soft. She was only a little snow leopard, but she knew her friend needed her, so she settled herself in Chen's lap and wrapped her long fluffy tail around Chen's waist. She growled in her friendly way for Chen to give her scratches and the girl couldn't help but do it even through her tears.

"It's not fair" Chen said, wiping her face with the sleeve of her blue cotton training shirt. Li nuzzled closer and ensured that pets were maintained. "None of the handmaidens have to train like this and they do swords and flying and stuff. I wanna be better than them, Li, but, but...this sucks!"

Li didn't know that Chen was exhausted, that she had just spent a day inside a shard-created world of ice and snow battling some kind of storm demons conjured by both her mothers in consultation, or that Chen's arms felt like they were going to fall off and she could barely stand. But Li did know that Chen's fingers were very cold, and the little snow leopard helpfully licked her friend's fingers to help warm them up so the pets would feel nicer.

Princess Hestia did know what her daughter had been through, which perhaps made it all the more surprising when she quietly sat down next to Chen on her bed and pulling her into an embrace. It had been several years since they'd hugged like this. Hestia was often busy and Chen didn't need a hug and kiss goodnight anymore and hadn't for a while so it was rare for Hestia to visit her in her rooms.

"You don't have to do this" she said quietly. "I know your mother and I put a lot on you. Too much maybe. The Princessship of Sourcefall has been passed from mother to daughter historically, but nobody ever said it had to be, Chen. The wind could choose anyone as a dance partner and we don't have to put you up for it. There are other things to do."

Chen had hugged Li then and let her mother hold her, but she hadn't returned the embrace. "It's always all or nothing, Mom" she had said. "If I don't like the training, I can stop, but then I'm not the Princess anymore. Why can't I be the princess and learn to paint?! Or...or play the arhu, or, I dunno, whatever!"

Hestia sighed. She almost clucked her tongue, but held it back at the last moment. After a pause, she said "because you're gifted. You're naturally fast and perceptive, and if you built the right skills, you could be a once in a generation talent. Because you're the Princess Promised of Sourcefall and Ys until you say otherwise and people really are going to expect more from you honey. Ysel and I want you to be ready." She sighed again. This wasn't what her daughter wanted to hear, and she could tell. "That said...it, is arguable that improved fine dexterity would also improve your sword work. That is to say, a painting tutor isn't entirely out of the question. I'll...ask one of my handmaidens about it tomorrow. I recall she does landscapes sometimes. How does that sound?"

Chen didn't say anything, but when Hestia had left, Chen turned to Li, giving her big ear scritchies and said "I'm gonna be a Princess Li, and I'm gonna be a painter. And...and more stuff too, just you watch!"

***

As Chen's breathing steadied, she looked back at Qiu. "You don't get it" she said slowly, letting out a shuddering breath. "You just don't get it at all. I wasn't ready to be here yet, but I came to help Yue and now I'm here. I'm not...ugh, I'm not trying to get out of being the Princess, I'm trying to get out of it being impossible to do it! You're like, 'oof, that's a lot Chen, go talk to Jessic' and meanwhile you're going to go conquer another kingdom or two. And look, I appreciate the thought, I...ugh, I appreciate that you care about me, okay? It's not like that doesn't matter, but you also can't see why you're doing this whole thing in the dumbest way possible. So, fine, I'll go talk to Jessic. If, If! you can throw me out of here. Otherwise I'm taking your shards now and all your armies and demons won't matter one bit. I guess you do get your duel."

Chen gives Qiu a face that's half grin and half shrug and draws her sword back out, its crystal light gleaming. The instant it's fully unsheathed, Chen is already in motion. She steps and launches, her blade cuts the air before her and the crystal flashes. She's not fool enough to think that Qiu will be taken on the back foot, but she does think she's fast enough to press an immediate advantage and so she strikes for all she's worth.

[Fight with Grace: 4+3+2=9. I choose
-Create an opportunity for an ally through prowess or distraction
-Take an object from your opponent or seize a superior position
-Qiu gets to pick an option

Please interpret the results as limited as they need to be. This is not meant to short-circuit the story and I don't really think that Chen can get a shard here. But she is upset and she's going all out as best she can in this moment.

Edit: also I rolled high enough to get a string on someone present for this from Impressive Fighting.]