Glaw

The EarthGiver [Nem & Glaw]

Ohai! Found and subscribed. B)

Just a Fairy Tale | Glaw & carsgovroom

"Tar 'n' feather!" Coralie piped with a devilish grin.

"Donkey ears?" Florian suggested, even as he heaved up the Marshal's feet.

"I don't think we're sure yet," Alphonse answered with a smile, replacing his hat on his head. "We'll tie him up at camp, and decide some creative use for him later. But now, come along, Sam and Dorothea! I see you've named your cat after the Princess of Eldonia. A brilliant choice, if I do say so."

Florian winked at Sam. "Al's had a crush on the Princess for years!"

"I respect the young royal," Alphonse snapped hotly. "She will be a fine queen one day." He smiled again, quickly changing the subject. "From which kingdom do you hail, Sam? Your style of dress is most peculiar. Our home is in Verinia -- just across the border here in the wood. It's not far."

Coralie led the way through the demolished front door, passing cracked burning pieces of wood and metal, hauling the Marshal's shoulders while Florian followed with his feet. Once they were out in the open, they hoisted the Marshal over their heads and set off at a quick pace; they were apparently much stronger than they looked.

Dorothea clung tightly to Sam's shoulder, making every effort to avoid digging claws into her shirt. She whispered into Sam's ear. "In the morning, Prince Liam will be on his way into the Verinia capital to look for me -- he thinks I've been kidnapped by their soldiers." She didn't exactly have a plan, but she couldn't keep the Queen's goals to herself. "The queen is planning war between my kingdom and theirs."

Just a Fairy Tale | Glaw & carsgovroom

I hope I'm not overstepping the story, but for a fairytale story it seemed to be getting a bit too serious. x3

I also never meant for Dorothea to have such a mean streak, but she's been biting people's heads off left and right. I guess she's a little unhinged. XD

Just a Fairy Tale | Glaw & carsgovroom

The dwarf cleared his throat again, rested a hand against his chest, and took a breath to speak -- but his sharp-eared female accomplice beat him to it, calling from the room down the hall.

"We saw you bein' hunted by that Jockal," she explained, even while she kept a dagger leveled at the Marshal's unconscious head. "And then we saw you bein' herded up by this one, and we knowed he's a minion of that damned witch --"

Feather-hat interrupted her by raising his voice, "-- and this is the witch's hideout. We've been watching her a long time, enough to know that it's bad news when a pretty girl like you is shut up in a place like this. I'm sorry we took so long. We couldn't risk facing the Marshal unprepared, and we'd had a bit of trouble with the explosives."

"You're tha one who busted the barrels!" the little lady huffed.

Feather-hat chose to ignore her. He took off his hat with a flourish to Sam, and he bowed. "But let me make introductions. My name is Alphonse. The lovely lady is my sister, Coralie, and big-nose over there is Florian."

Florian grinned sheepishly and gave Sam a shy wave. He was sitting sturdily on the Marshal's chest -- a fine job, for he was the biggest of the three.

Dorothea, having been let out of her cage, rubbed against Sam's legs and purred. She wasn't quite sure yet whether it was wise to speak in front of these hooligans -- they may still betray her to the queen, or assume her a witch, herself, and kill her. For now, she would trust Sam's judgment.

Alphonse cleared his throat again politely. "I would like to extend to you an invitation to supper. Since, really, the nearest civilization is a full night's journey on foot. You're bound to be hungry?" He grinned up at Sam, hopeful.

Coralie and Florian, assured that the Marshal wouldn't wake anytime soon, began gathering him up between them to carry. They had themselves a prisoner -- at least, they couldn't very well leave him to cause any more trouble.

Just a Fairy Tale | Glaw & carsgovroom

"Very well, My Queen." The Marshal pocketed the mirror and stood stoically, rigid and fierce, the very picture of obedience and strength despite the bloody state of his uniform. He waited like this even after the Queen had gone, and Dorothea released her posture to turn on him, all fangs and bristled fur.

"She can't be serious!" the princess hissed, flexing her claws. "You can't be serious! To instigate a war with Verinia of all places -- with her sister. What could she possibly gain from this? What are you getting out of this, August Derrick? Is she paying you? Has she promised you the throne of Verinia? Do you hate us so much that you would destroy the five kingdoms for revenge?" She snarled when he only gave her a condescending look, and he turned to leave. "Derrick!" Dorothea shrieked at his back. "August Derrick, don't you walk away when I'm talking to you!" But August was gone, out the back door, and Dorothea thrashed against the side of the cage in desperate anger. She managed to move it just a little along the table.

August paused in the hall to collect himself. War with Verinia. He had been expecting some kind of corruption of Itelia in preparation for its acceptance of Raquelle as its queen -- but war with an outland country that had been nothing but peaceful? Where were the limits of her greed?

He set his jaw and screwed his eyes shut. He could follow her, strike her down with his sword, accept death in consequence for his crime -- but her witchcraft was still unknown to him. If he failed, he would not get another chance. If he gave Dorothea to her father, explained to him what had happened, Narissa would vanish to spread her corruption without boundaries or secrecy -- a greater enemy than one enclosed by secrecy and castle walls. No, August had to be certain. He had to remain in her confidence. He had to start a war.

There was one element in all this, however, that Narissa wasn't counting on. August paused at the door. He thought he heard the Otherworld girl sobbing. His expression turned grim. She would have to endure much more than this before long.

"Sam." He raised his gruff voice to be heard through the door. He wasn't sure how this girl was supposed to solve anything -- only that he had an instinctive knowledge that she would. Maybe if he could make her trust him --

His thoughts were cut off by a crashing and thundering at the front door of the fortress, like an elephant trying to kick it down. Dorothea screeched bloody murder. August snarled, shouted through to Sam "Stay where you are!" and he ran full-tilt back to the front room, wincing as he pulled his sword from its sheath, his wound reopened and trickling blood.

The front door exploded into a thousand pieces, blown apart by fire and gunpowder. Dorothea screamed again as pieces of wood and ash rained down on her cage.

In the next few minutes there was a scuffle, the rise of voices shouting, feet scuffling, blades clashing. There was a full-blown war in the front room, while the noise of the explosion rang in their ears. Something heavy hit the floor.

Then, silence.

All was hauntingly quiet for a few heartbeats -- and then, there were footsteps in the hall. Someone knocked low on Sam's door, gentle and uncertain.

"Miss?" came a strange, high voice. He cleared his throat. "Are you all right? We've come to rescue you."

Standing here at Sam's door was a small man: a dwarf, wearing a dashing feathered hat and a tasteful goatee. He waited with his little fist poised to knock again. His dwarfish accomplices -- a younger man and a feisty woman with a long ponytail -- kept daggered watch over the Marshal, who lay unconscious after taking a tranquilizer dart to the neck.

[Casual - Advanced] Hunting the Potent and the Peculiar (ignore post count)

Genkai, Zhaliora: Sorry, but I've gone and got myself filled up with RPs -- I couldn't possibly keep up with any more, though I'm sure your writing and ideas are awesome. I'm honored for for the invitation but I'm forced to decline. :(

Just a Fairy Tale | Glaw & carsgovroom

Brilliant! :3

I gotta admit, it's not even 8 pm now and I am literally nodding off at the computer. I probably won't be able to write anything coherent tonight. :(

Just a Fairy Tale | Glaw & carsgovroom

The Marshal quietly closed the door on Sam's candlelight. "Fine," he muttered under his breath; if he never heard that word again it would be too soon. He rolled his eyes, laid his hand on his sword and returned along the courtyard, back to the front room. He stopped in his tracks, breathless, when he heard the voice of the queen. He stifled a swell of hatred.

Dorothea was sitting regally, her eyes sarcastically half-closed as she stared through the queen. The princess refused to acknowledge her stepmother's existence, let alone stoop to respond to her questions. There was nothing Dorothea had to say to her.

The Marshal stepped in quietly through the back door, and he stood at attention behind Dorothea's cage to await further orders. Surely the queen trusted him completely, now. He was after her plans -- her next steps, what was happening at the castle, where the King fit into all this. He'd done everything to be indispensable to her.

---

The King sat very still. He stared at that scrap of cloth -- that telltale insignia -- his lips parted and his brow furrowed. His always-cheerful eyes were glazed and shimmering. He gently took the cloth from Liam and he ran his thumb over it, imagining what must have happened, the battle, the horses, the men that took his Dorothea away.

"Why would Verinia --" He cut himself off and frowned, taking a breath to steady himself.

Raquelle, meanwhile, had slipped around to Liam's side, an arm around him in a half-embrace, a hand squeezing his arm. "How horrible," she said in a quiet, terrified voice. "How gruesome," she went on. "If there's anything I can do, anything at all, for you, Liam."

The King, meanwhile, was not satisfied. "This is an act of desperation," he breathed. "Why hasn't someone come to me? A messenger? a letter? What do they want?" Tommen remained very still while he thought, except for his fingers running over that piece of cloth.

Finally, he looked up, grave. "Liam, if you love her you won't do anything rash. War won't bring her back. I suspect this is an independent group trying to instigate tension. They won't succeed." He paused awhile longer, his eyes distant again in thought. When he looked at Liam again, it was in determination. "Take everything you need -- take supplies and men, take Derrick, he will support you -- go to Verinia and tell their king what you have told me. Make no assumptions. Do all you can and all you must to return her to her people. I will send a message ahead of you."

Just a Fairy Tale | Glaw & carsgovroom

There's way too much here for me to reply to at once. x3 I'm honestly a bit overwhelmed. Mind if I break it up? I also want to know what Sam does here before I assume what happens next.

Just a Fairy Tale | Glaw & carsgovroom

August gripped the door handle, poised to slam it, only Sam was standing in the way. Asking questions. Shouldn't she be afraid for her life? Shouldn't she do as she's told with her head down and her mouth shut, as anyone with half a brain would do when faced with his heartless reputation? He set his jaw, and anger flared just for a moment. No, she wouldn't understand. That was the point.

He took a long breath, and he glanced back toward the room where the Princess was kept. A shadow of a snarl crossed his face, and he glowered at Sam.

"There's very little nowadays that the queen doesn't know," he hissed sourly. "You're an anomaly." He was giving her that curious look again, guardedly thoughtful -- but he shut it down again, and his eyes were cold. "The minute the queen knows you exist she'll have you executed. She'll have me execute you," he clarified, distinctly. "And I will have you kneel, and I will make a clean cut of your head from your shoulders in front of her," he moved slightly closer, his voice low, "if you don't do as I say."

He stepped back again, paused a moment, and held the handle of a hunting knife out to her. He watched her carefully, wondering whether she really would use it against him. "Don't let anyone in but me."