Ellion

Prized Bride (A New Beginning)

_{Bride of Kagan@ghastlyInc and Sister Bride of Adorabella @eclecticwitch}

Bree’s eyes narrowed and her lips pressed thin in irritation when Kagan ordered that she thank the, frankly ridiculous, drakkan. The whole situation left her wondering who on earth the two of them were trying to fool. It was obvious that the two knew each other and were pretending not to, with her being the only one around for the show. Which was stupid. She stared at Kagan for a few more seconds, waiting for the joke to stop, but he was serious. Grudgingly, she turned to the other drakkan, she tilted her head slightly. “Thank you for returning my ring,”

Thankfully, that was all Kagan expected, as she’d barely spat out the words before being pulled into the stormy night.

The walk in the rain wasn’t half as unpleasant as Bree originally thought, it was twice. For the first few blocks, Kagan drug her through the muddy streets at such a pace that she was forced into a semi-run to keep up at all. Her husband also chose to stomp like a child through the mud, splashing it everywhere, on himself, on her.

"Next time you're approached by a Drakken you dont know, I suggest you play it smart and keep your mouth shut and wait for my lead. You talking freely nearly caused me a problem."

“ I don’t see how I was given another choice,” she muttered, her words coming out sharply, had the memory of the situation not been so fresh in her mind, she would have tried to handle the situation better. “But, next time I’ll let you handle the talking, Sir”

By the time the hotel came into view, Bree was soaked through. Her hair heavy on her head and the flowy aspect of her dress became clingy, catching on every curve of her body, while the thinner areas of her dress grew shear. Her feet and shoes were caked with mud, as was the bottom part of her dress. Violent shivers wracked her body with every breeze that shot through the streets. The hotel looked almost round in shape, three stories high, but it lacked the sharp edges that were traditional with most structures.

Her husband stopped her just out of the rain in the entrance of the building."Hold still." Her eyes narrowed on his hands as they reached up and took hold of her face. Willing her body not to stiffen as Kagan ran his hands down to her hips. The sensation of having all the water pulled from her skin and clothing was like a having a handful of tiny, icy beads running down her back, arms and up her legs. Her body gave a few involuntary quivers as the water flicked across more sensitive areas of her body. The back of the neck, lower back, between her shoulder blades. Once she was no longer leaving puddles of water, her husband did the same to himself. While she was certain she still looked like a drowned rat, he managed to wear his water well enough. Once they were a little drier, Kagan lead her down a long stone hall lit by large candles on platforms.

The building had a distinct feeling of being scantily occupied. There were a handful of drakken milling about, brides glued to their sides. The only other creatures she saw were the workers. Strange creatures, about the same size as gems, but covered in corse brown hair like a bear. Thick collars of iron were welded around their necks.

Kagan stopped in front of a large door. The handle rested near her elbow. As Kagan tossed open the door, Bree took a step to follow, only to collide with his back. She stepped back to catch herself, eyebrows raised. She peered around her husband to see if there was anything on the door that might have cause his sudden pull back. But there was nothing.

Clearly whatever is bothering him is in the room. Aubree watched Kagan check the door a few more times before shoving the door open and pulling her in behind him. She gazed around the room, expecting to see another drakkan or...something.

Adorabella was not one of those somethings. The girl seemed to be the exact same as she had been at the castle. Full of confidence, sassy...a total lack of self preservation.

Bree’s face flicked up into a tight smile that vanished almost as quickly at her wave, nodding in acknowledgment. It wasn’t Adorabella’s fault, and she knew she shouldn’t be bitter towards the girl. But she was too wild. Too unpredictable. Had it been someone like Arden, a sister-bride might have been a good thing.

Still trembling with cold, Bree glanced around the rest of the room from behind Kagan's back. Bright, thick rugs covered the floor, a huge bed was lined along one of the walls. At the foot of the bed lay her truck. Something she was thankful to see. On the far side was a large stone tub that stood under the window. A hazy layer of steam rose off of the heated water. Kagan had mentioned a bath earlier a bath with him, judging by the size of the tub , she suddenly felt another tremor go through her body that had nothing to do with the cold.

Her eyes flicked to the wall that held the door. A long table next to the door had an open bottle of wine, beyond it other simple foods covered the table. Her hands seemed to move of their own accord. She snatched the bottle and poured herself a glass. She took a sip of it, still watching the two others in the room participate in their strange interrogation.

Slipping from behind Kagan, Aubree entered the rest of the room, drawing close to the fire, choosing to stand on the stone hearth to avoid making a muddy mess of the rug and to reap the rewards of the nearby heat. While Bree was pulling off her shoes, Adorabella crossed the room and returned to Kagan with a tightly wrapped scroll.

“What does it say?” Bree asked lightly, glancing down at the wine glass in her hand, disappointed to see that half the amount had vanished already. Whatever was written, it was clearly important and had something to do with getting an extra bride, something that shouldn't be scoffed at as an accomplishment.

Summary

But Daddy, I dun wanna say thank you. It is raining and wet and now there is Adorabella and now Bree is going to get drunk and be nosy

Prized Bride (A New Beginning)

@Belle.... what are we waiting for ?

Prized Bride (A New Beginning)

@Athoriel @Melody00

Hey friends! This is the last day of the cycle. Don’t forget that all characters must be posted to avoid the slaughter.

Have a grand day!

Prized Bride (A New Beginning)

Bree

_{Bride of Kagan@ghastlyInc}

A gust of icy wind wrapped around Bree’s body as she was pulled from the arena to the world outside. Her view of the drakken capital coming in had been almost nonexistent and the view she was left with now was that of a nightmare. The storm had blown out all fire based torches that hadn’t been properly covered, so that only a few lit the city below. The only other lights came from the windows of nearby homes and the brightness of lightning as it illuminated the area.

Goosebumps exploded across her skin as yet another gust of air shot towards the arena. A shiver shot through her body and she pulled her one free arm in closer to her body. She longed to bring forth a flame to help ease the chill away. But it wouldn’t have lasted long once they entered the storm.

"Its a few blocks to the hotel. I dare to assume you've no strong aversion to water?"

Bree had simply assumed that, with the weather being the way that it was, they would take a carriage. She tried not to focus on the stains the ever growing puddles would leave on her hemline. It was just a dress. But it was also home, a familiar thing in a foreign world.

There was also the minor irritation of having to fix her hair. It's length made tending to it a rather...labor intensive affair. But that argument would have been the most risky and the most childish. Hair could be fixed...and Kagan would probably just remind her that it was soon to be chopped anyway.

Besides, It was more than apparent that Kagan has made up his mind and the question had been rhetorical.

“I...suppose walking will be f-,”

“You! Gem! You dropped this. ”

“Hey, Gem,”

A large hand reached out and tugged on Bree’s outward shoulder. Done in a way to get her attention, rather than pull. Half-turning, Bree saw a hulking drakkan. Shorter than most, but what he lacked in height he made up for with bulging muscles.

The drakkan held up a thick iron ring, far too large for her fingers. “Ah, no... That's not mine,” she said without hesitation.

“Yes, it is yours,” the drakken insisted, this time pulling her free hand, trying to press the hard metal into her palm. Despite talking to her, touching her, Bree couldn't help but notice that the drakkan seemed to rotate his focus between Kagan and some spot behind them, treating her mostly as an after thought.

summary

Bree doesn't like the wet stuff from the sky. And some werido is trying to give her a ring

Ehkota

_{Interacting with Adorabella @eclecticwitch}

“So?” said Ehokta, the door swinging shut as he put a hand out to stop it, looking at his bride, utterly ignoring Adorabella.

“If her bite is as good as her bark, then you have selected wisely,” muttered Twenty, her head tilted down, but her tone stayed.

~

The desert storm was showing its fangs. The paths around the city that were only dirt soon turned to mud and the ones with stones formed small puddles. Lightning flashed, crashed about the sky and thunder followed quickly after. The storm had cleared the majority of the streets, but every now and there, little pockets of drakken could be seen, howling at the storm and fighting each other.

The prince sat in the carriage, the gem girl across from him. The Inn where the royals kept the drakken who needed accommodations was close to the arena. Had it not been for the storm, it would have been faster to walk. But he wasn’t about to let his little gem ruin her appearance.

The rooms were some of the finest in the land. A few daring souls spread the rumor that they were created by the original owners clever gem-bride. The owner was long since dead and his holdings turned over to the royal family.

Each of the rooms was large, vaguely rectangular in shape. The center point of each room being a massive bed, large enough to hold four or five people. Large chairs surrounded an even larger stone fire place. Under the far window, overlooking the center of the capital, was a large stone tub. Deep enough that a small gem could stand in it and would cover her waist, with plenty of room for all. It was heated by a low burning fire underneath, with buckets of cold water nearby to adjust the temperature as the user saw fit. Slaves would be in each morning to change the water and...anything else that might need a cleaning.

The final wall held the door, as well as a long table that was filled with wine, cheeses, fruits, loaves of bread, and water.

Ehkota lead the girl to the center of the room and motioned for her to get on the bed. “Now, I shouldn’t have to tell you that you not fucking this up in very important for your wellbeing. I heard about your little stunt when you were first brought to Castle Worth. In part, that is why you were selected, as you know. You are no innocent creature, best use every bit of that to your advantage tonight. If you are returned to me, well, let’s just hope that the Kinner mercifully puts you out of your misery before that point,”

“Don’t move from that spot, I suspect your husband and ‘sister’ will be here soon,” Placing a sealed scroll in front of the girl, he turned leading his guard out of the room. “Don’t do anything stupid, after all it would be a shame if someone else got hurt because of your antics,”

Note from the Prince

Kinner,
Think of her as a deposit. If you enjoy her, she is yours, simply meet me at the castle tomorrow. If not, come to the castle tomorrow and I’ll find you something better.

summary

Ehkota ding dong ditches the bride at a hotel room with a sneky note.

Inspiration for the rooms

Prized Bride (A New Beginning)

_{Bride of Keregar @Legion02; and sister bride of Nadia @Vesuvius00}

The journey from the hot springs back to the castle seemed like a mere moment compared to the journey to. Perhaps it was because they were now running towards the end of their journey.

Most of the items that Xaeila brought were simple in nature. Her most beautiful dresses and silks left behind with friends and cousins. It seemed a shame to drag such beautiful things into such an ugly world. The drakken, however, surprised her by leaving her a light blue, flowy dress, very similar to something she might have owned back home. The neckline plunged into the belt, but it was modest enough with a few adjustments. The few touches of her own were the bands on her arm. Gifts from her teachers and a nod to her profession.

Or the profession she would have had.

Xae left her hair unbound and free to air dry, knowing that waves would eventually take hold of her hair. The make up she selected was minimal, and done mostly to fill the time she was given to ‘get ready’.

The only struggle came to her feet. Although the burns were healing, the skin was still sensitive and it was painful to wear most shoes for any amount of time. She had been taking to wrapping her feet in soft clean cloth everyday to lessen the impact walking had on them. Today was no exception, choosing to favor the cloth rather than actual shoes.

~

The journey to the capital was far longer than the trip to Shadow Worth. The scenery changing drastical from hour to hour, starting with an alpine tundra and ending in a desert. By the time they had arrived, night had fallen and storm had blown itself in.

For the most part the girls were kept dry, ushered from the carriages to the arena. After a quick speech, the high prince had lead her and another girl, one she hadn’t spoken much with, towards one of the more elderly look drakken. If elderly meant ‘could still rip you in half,’

Her companion spoke first. Easy, uneventful talk. It was clear by the girl’s voice that the meekness was more than just an act.

Her husband followed after. Asking simple questions and giving information in return.

Keregar.

That name sent Xae’s mind spinning. It was a name she had heard before. Keregar, one of the few remaining drakkan that had been around when drakken used to come and select their brides directly from the supply. Although it was his father, Korag, who had been many more times before. A story. One that once broke the hearts of many, although now seemed like a dime a dozen tale.

“ I know who you are,” said Xaelia, raising her head to look the drakken in the eye. “Keregar,” The name came out slowly as Xae took the time to speak every sound in his name. “You’ve been to my village before, as all drakken who enter Geminia do, although it has been many, many years since you last crossed. I also suspect you and I will cross through it again the same number of times,”

The story of Keregar was known by a few who followed the history of the Gem/Drakken conflicted. Although the story of his father was the one more often told. “You shadowed your father across the great spine to seek your prize, all the way to the capital… The rest of the story is sad, although I suspect you find it glorious and full of honor,” Not every gem had a story worth remembering, although there were some people in her village who strived to recall every girl, Xaelia only focused on the ones worth talking about.
“My name is Xaelia,”

summary

Xae gets ready. Meets Keregar, and talks about his own story. Also arm bands

Prized Bride (A New Beginning)

@WeepingLiberty

I also threw myself under the bus

Prized Bride (A New Beginning)

Bree

_{Bride of Kagan@ghastlyInc}

Am I your first bride?

You are

It’s a rare thing for a Kinner to acquire one of your kind

The more the drakkan spoke, the more Bree wished he would just stay silent. He wasn’t cruel, not in the way that she could see other drakken were. He wasn’t chaining her or yanking her or making her do anything humiliating. If anything, she supposed, he was being kind.

Kagan did bring up a point of something she’d never considered and that was the cost of a Gem. The reaping always just was, but if the killing of a great drakken was the value of a bride, then what would he have to do to get a second? Bree tried to size Kagan up with the larger drakken. While tall, he wasn't as broad as some of the monsters in the room. But that didn't mean he didn't know how to fight. After all, he had won her? Hadn't he? But he also said that he killed the crippled and broken. So, was the murder--Kinning of the 'great drakkan' a fluke or could he do it again?

They whole concept of a Kinner phased Bree very little, after all, he was only killing drakken. She did struggled to follow was how she played any role in it at all. But it obviously made sense to Kagan, as his hand found its way to her shoulder, trying his best to explain the honor she brought. The whole movement felt awkward, as though he wasn’t quite sure what to do with himself.

“You are very gracious,” she said finally, her eyes flashing briefly to his hand. “I’m sure it will be lovely,”

She felt, rather than watched him struggle to find a place to hold her. Catching his hand softly as he re-positioned again, she pushed it towards her wrist. Short of holding hands, it seemed like the least awkward placement.

At the same moment she thought she heard Ardens voice, turning her head sharply towards the sound, she expected to see the girl standing there. But the space beside her remained empty.

Just the breeze

It was probably for the best, it was foolish to have befriended the girl. Arden would only draw her mind away from the goal. Even as the thought crossed her mind, she felt a hollow guilt enter her stomach.

“There is no one I need speak to,” she said finally, before she could changed her mind. “If you are ready to go, I should probably mention that the drakken that brought me to you said ah 'Tell your husband to enjoy the feast if he must, but it’d be best if he...hurried back to his accommodations,”

A tiny quiver shot through Bree’s body as the thought about what returning to Kagan’s accommodations would mean for her. For as little as the man seemed to know what to do with her body now, his ending statement gave her a pretty clear idea about what he wanted to do.

Or perhaps he was just that careless with his words. But if she ever stood any chance of seeing Allie again, sex was probably the best way to convince him to see things her way.

summary

Bree teaching Kagan how to hold a bride
But for reals.
Bree thinks that sex is the quickest way to Allie.
Also the prince wants you home now. It is pass your bedtime

Twenty

_{Interacting with Adorabella @eclecticwitch}

The young woman looked rather irritated by Adorabella’s light attitude towards the situation. Her face hardening with every word the girl spoke. “I have no idea where you are going. Nor do I really care. I was told to come down here, so I did. I was told to fix you up, so I am. And I was told to instruct you on the finer things of the bedroom, which I will,”

The moment Adorabella mentioned the pregnancy, the guard at the door shifted. “Be silent,” he growled, as though her very words were a threat to the unborn child.

The girl on the bed shifted, “Names would be a waste of time, as I doubt I’ll ever need yours again, or you mine,” Reaching up she gently, but firmly, push Adorabella back onto the bed. ” Even now, I suspect our time is together is down to minutes,” Climbing on top of the girl, she spoke softly. “ I don’t know why my husband asked me to come here. Or why he thought I’d be able to make something out of you so quickly. But I’ll give you some advice. If your husband wants you to be ashamed of your body, you better act ashamed. I know you’ll have a sister-bride, my advice there is to use her as well, drakken men seem to like that sort of stuff. If-” But whatever else the girl was going to say was cut short by the door slamming open for the third time.

”Change of plans, we leave now,” Said Ehkota, gesturing his bride off with a careless flick of the wrist. ”Fe, take Twen back to my room. And get her looser clothing,” he growled, glaring at his wife, before grabbing Adorabella by the wrist.

Summary

Adora gets a mini lesson on pillow dancing before Ehkota decides it is time to go

Prized Bride (A New Beginning)

@Athoriel@BlackPanther@Melody00

Just a reminder fam that we’ve got a short cycle this round and it is over halfway. Be sure to post for all of your characters unless you want them to be dropped! Cut off time for posts is Friday 11:59 mountain time! I’ll ping ya on the discourse as well!

Shamefully notes I had to tag all the Gms in this post. What kind of example are we setting for the children?????

Prized Bride (A New Beginning)

Ehkota

The population of the hall had nearly halved by the time all of the girls were delivered. The few pockets of drakken who remained behind were familiar faces at the reaping. Those who had brides to spare, and, occasionally, those who had something to gain from those who lingered.

“Another year, another reaping that keeps all your biggest threats properly sated for the time being. Good job brother,” Ehkota had appeared alongside his brother and niece, keeping a careful eye on the Kinner and his new bride. The night seemed to be progessing peacefully. Almost suspiciously so. But he wasn't about to complain, not dealing with messes caused here gave him more time to deal with his own projects.

“Well, I think I’ll retire for the night, I’m sure you’ll be able to handle any scuffles brother. I have a new toy that needs to be played with” without giving the High Prince the breath to argue, he vanished into one of the side halls, careful to take a round-about way to his destination, less his pesky niece decided to make herself more of a hindrance than usual.

~Elsewhere and Meanwhile~
Twenty

_{Interacting with Adorabella @eclecticwitch}

The room that the Gem had been delivered too was one among many that were hardly ever used in the stadium. At one point it might have been a medical facility or the original rooms used by drakken who lacked estates in the capital. Today, the rooms were mostly used by those who lacked the will power to make it back to their own holdings before ravishing their brides.

A few moments after Adorabella was left, the door open again. A tall, androgynous Gem entered the room. Her dark hair was cropped short and her clothing loose. Only tightening around her stomach where an obvious bump was starting to form. Across her shoulder was a large bag. The guard that followed her in stood as a hulking shadow by the door, hand gripping the hilt of his weapon as though expecting enemies to attack at any moment.

“There isn’t much time,” said the Gem quickly unwinding her pack and setting it on the bed. “My husband said that there would only be a few minutes to, well, get you ready,” The girl reached out a hand and gently held Adorabella's face, turning it from side to side before reaching into the bag on the bed and pulling out a tiny paint brush and small bottle. “We are lucky that there is very little you need appearance wise,”

“Tell me, how experienced are you with men?” The girl seemed to be pleased with her adjustments to Adorabella’s face and put away the little brush and paint, now looking the girl in the eyes. “From my understanding, my husband selected you because you had little problem with spending the day naked at Castle Shadow Worth. That's not something a shy girl would have survived. So, speak quickly.”

~

The heals of the prince's boots echoed around the hallway, matched only my the sound of screams, grunts and moans coming from the rooms as they past. There was precious little time left, but he had known it was going to be tight from the start.

The prince was soon joined by his most trusted guards. The few he had selected himself and knew to be loyal to him before the crown. Efren, his best fighter, was with his pregnant wife, the keeper of his heir. He called her Twen. His twentieth and oldest bride. If she had a name beyond that, it was unknown to him. Originally, he had bothered to learn the names of his wives, but they had the unfortunate habit of falling out of high windows once their pregnancies became known. Which was why Efren had become Twen’s near constant shadow. This left Efren’s brother Declan as his go to.

" You know who to watch, Declam. If they try to leave before me, stall them," The Prince then added, his voice caring a light agitation. " If you must fight him, let him win, if he gets injured, than all of this will be for nothing,"

"As you wish, M'lord," with that, the drakken guard vanished, heading back to the main hall.

summary

Ehkota leaves the fun for some fun of his own. His wife goes to teach Adorabella the ropes

Prized Bride (A New Beginning)

_{Bride of Azilon @WeepingLibertyand sister bride to Lienna @Obscene Symphony}

The princess’ departure left Rya’s face a deep scarlet. Her hands wrapped around her stomach, as though trying to protect the nonexistent life within. Protecting it from the taint that the princess infected everything with.

She'd recognized the female drakkan the moment Azilon left to fight, the woman standing observing the battle between father and son with interest. And after, during her little scene, well, the side Rya was rooting for lost.

When in doubt, defer to your husband judgment.The advice from the year before echoed briefly around her head when she saw the woman approach. Since Azilon had never specifically instructed her what he expected her to do with royalty, she took that to mean do nothing. Which was more than fine by her. Still, she kept her head looking towards the floor, afraid that the princess would somehow see her secret thoughts. The second the woman was out of earshot, Rya's head shot up.

“She’s a self righteous-slagger eating munter,” Rya’s words coming out low, her eyes screaming with her poorly concealed hatred. It took a great effort for her hands to relax and return to her sides.

The princess has made an appearance at Shadow Worth the year before and it wasn't well received.

The air gem sat in the middle of the floor, trying desperately to hold up her dress as the crimson liquid seeped into the grey material. A nameless girl lay beside her, eyes staring into nothing as the stream of red turned into a puddle of anti-life.

“Perhaps the next girl will be a little smarter,”

Standing tall and proud and oh so superior and flocked by suiters too stupid to know better.

They were dead now.

Shaking her head of the rage, her eyes turned back towards the girl. Her….sister.

Tiny, willowy and pale. The girl radiated Gemmenia in a way that all the older gems had lost. Reaching out a hand, Rya rested her hand on the girls face before tossing her arms around the girls waist and pulling her into a crushing hug.

“I’m sorry you’re here,” Rya’s voice keeping a low tone. Her heart filled with pain as she held the girl. Pain that didn't start with the reaping and wouldn't end with it either. With great effort, Rya pulled away, although she still kept a protectively close distance to the girl. “But I hope you’ll find some happiness. I’m Rya,” As few moment passed before she seemed to have a sudden realization. ”Oh...this is Azilon. What are you known by?”

summary

Rya hates the princess and hugs her new sister