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Post by TK on Dec 12, 2004 0:46:21 GMT -5
Is this it?
Leun opened his mouth again, but it was not a torrent of enraged words that came out. "You have to believe me, Ariena. That wasn't at all my intent." It was a near-silent murmur, spoken to the shaking of his hands. Not anger anymore. "That was the last... the last thing I wanted to do. Light, but I tore my own heart out by saying it! The army is no place for anyone; you saw what happened with the Trollocs and the... you saw. You'd have been safe away but here, and that's all I wanted." He made step closer. He had to let her know this. "Please, just understand... it was all I ever wanted." With that, Leun let saidin slip from hs control.
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Post by Crystal on Dec 12, 2004 0:55:11 GMT -5
Keep me safe? He wanted to keep me safe?
The shield slipped and Ariena could touch saidar again. Absently she wove a ward against eavesdropping and tied it off.
She just stared at him, biting her lip. The silence was awkward and seemed to last too long. "I'm sorry, Leun," she said in a small voice. "I-I misjudged you. I should have told you I was coming. The other Aes Sedai left. Tanreall chose me because I was the only one there."
She wanted to be angry. But she couldn't. Not right then.
"I'm sorry."
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Post by TK on Dec 12, 2004 0:59:49 GMT -5
Leun kept himself from biting down upon his lip as he listened. He felt an added weight to his throat, like a stone lodged within, and he nodded somewhat distantly. The fury could not be further from him now as he looked down at her. Tossing thought away into the wind, he bent his head forth and kissed her.
It was like drinking in a thousand pools of saidin.
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Post by Crystal on Dec 12, 2004 1:14:29 GMT -5
((AWWWW!!! Kodak moment!))Ariena almost resisted for a moment, until she realized that her arms were curling up around his neck, her fingers entwined in his hair. It was surprisingly soft. They were alone. No one would come in, and twilight was already falling. They wouldn't be moving until the next day. She closed her eyes, and then all thought fled. ((Err... should we just leave it at that? Before Kiddo comes in and murders me? And IDL... please don't RP Tanreall/Braendar into looking in. That would be just.... nasty.  ))
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Post by irishdragonlord on Dec 12, 2004 17:52:48 GMT -5
((AWWWW!!! Kodak moment!)) Ariena almost resisted for a moment, until she realized that her arms were curling up around his neck, her fingers entwined in his hair. They were alone. No one would come in, and twilight was already falling. They wouldn't be moving until the next day. She closed her eyes, and then all thought fled. ((Err... should we just leave it at that? Before Kiddo comes in and murders me? And IDL... please don't RP Tanreall/Braendar into looking in. That would be just nasty. Besides, Braendar's a minor. )) ((*snickers* *chortles* *laughs his head off* Yeah, Braendar will keep his head out Not to say he won't eavesdrop, but that's what wards are for, right? Btw, when does he get a girl?  XP  )) Braendar simply watched Ariena go. What under the Light was going on? And then he heard the fight. At least he knew where Leun was now; of course, he also knew he and Ariena were about to bite each other's heads off. Was it his sensitive ears that made it loud, or could everyone in the camp really hear? He climbed out of bed and risked a look outside. There they were, going... somewhere. He began to follow, but not before hitching up his swords. He sat against the tent and listened. "...it was all I ever wanted." With that, all sound inside the tent died. Braendar pushed against the tent and snatched back as if burned. They must've seen him leaning against the tent! Light! He took off at a run; let them think it was a soldier. Braendar had planned to run back to his tent, but found himself running to the king's. He decided there were some questions to be asked. The king was looking at him over steepled fingers; at least he thought it was him, until he noticed the vacant look. "Your Majesty?" he said timidly, with a deep bow. Paendrag jerked upright, and then, seeing Braendar, gave a relieved and embarrassed smile. Then it was gone; just... gone in an instant, replaced by steely contemplation. "What do you know of that bounty hunter? The male one?" Braendar stared for a moment. What did Leun matter now? Did the king... Light! The king seemed to notice something on Braendar's face. "Were you aware he could channel?" Light. "Yes..." murmured Braendar warily. What was going to happen? "He told me so. He claims to be as strong as Kinslayer and offers his services to be my... intelligence. And the hunt down Amalasan, so to speak." That took a moment to register. Was Leun finally mad?! Something else, registered, too. Shadowhunter. Hunt Amalasan; Shadowhunter. Could it...? Braendar couldn't help grinning. That was one mystery solved. Braendar looked at the king. That compulsion was back; Braendar gave in very easily this time. "The White Tower wanted him, and they wanted me, thinking I could channel - which I can't - and all I know is we were journeying together when..." Did he know about Ariena's part? Better to leave it out. "We needed money and decided to turn me in." Let him figure out how Ariena played in. Something was truly tugging at Braendar; very strongly tugging. Artur regarded him. "Why are you telling me all this?" Good question. "You... you asked, Your Majesty." Weak excuse, but weak excuse nonetheless. Paendrag regarded him for one more moment. "Leave me," he ordered. Order was not too strong a word, but at least it wasn't harsh. Much. Braendar left wordlessly and back to his tent, sitting with his chin on his fists. Time for some very serious thinking. |
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Post by TK on Dec 12, 2004 20:22:40 GMT -5
((Aaaw, IDL could RP in some sweet little Wolfsister for Braendar <3<3<3 ))The sunlight beat down in torrents, great bouts of weight to crush even the strongest of folk. The Aes Sedai trio continued on, strength greatly sapping. Pertrova growled as she eyed her two zombie-esque Warders, fumbling along their sand-ridden path under the compelling veil of the bond. Warders gained benefits against hunger that she did not have. She could order them to bond her back so she could gain the extra strength, but... whoever heard of a double-bonding? The notion was entirely preposterous. The constant maintainance of the compulsion through the bond only weakened her more. If I don't lower it ever so slightly, she thought bitterly, I will die.So she did. *** For the first time in weeks, Gendowin felt. It was like awakening from a dream, from a sleep through which she could see, or possibly even being born anew. Just barely, though. She gained thought, but little more. She had no control over her movements. She had no control over her physical actions. She could only continue, looking through the eyes of a body that might as well be another. She felt the second bond inside his head. The boy was there, the channelling one, and she sensed his emotions. Ecstasy, it seemed. He was her only hope... there was no other way to survive. With every whit of control she could muster, Gendowin felt through to the fuzzing she had forcefully applied to the bond, and lowered it to naught. It was nothing much... but perhaps it would be enough. Light, let it be enough! *** Morning light filtered into the tent as Leun pulled his boot over his foot and tied the fastenings. She was still asleep, and he could not so much as manage to stifle a meagre grin. Light, but there was love. Stepping out, he squinted, the sunlight somehow seeming that much brighter. The world seemed that much brighter. And then, quite suddenly, he felt something. He could sense Ariena in the tent, and then... Gendowin. She was there... but she was so far off, as far east as he could comprehend. She was weak, he realized, and in pain. Great heat. But it was winter! She's in the Waste. It was the only possibility. Something else, too - Gendowin wasn't herself. It was impossible to comprehend, but... no, it was impossible to comprehend. She wasn't herself entirely, and that was all he knew. He pushed the notion from his head.
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Post by Crystal on Dec 12, 2004 21:29:06 GMT -5
((What about some sweet little wolf? 
You know, I just realized that I've never seen a marriage ceremony in WoT. Nyneave and Lan's marriage wasn't shown, Perrin's was pretty informal, and Rand just never got married, the horny lecher. XP
*considers god-moding a church in there and forcibly marrying Leun and Ariena*
^__________^)) It was dawn, and Leun was gone by the time Ariena opened her eyes. The camp was already waking, but she knew it would take another half-hour at least to get everyone ready. Pulling on her clothes, she brushed out her hair, singing softly to herself, a simple song she remembered her mother singing to her whens he was a child. The ward against eavesdropping was still there - she untied it and let it drop. Ducking out of the tent, Ariena stretched before assuming her customary serenity, pulling her cloak about her shoulders. Idly, she wondered if Leun would walk up with her, as her Warder, or stay back with the soldiers. A guard walked up, offering to strike her tent, and she nodded to him, catching her belongings with flows of Air and pulling them out. His eyes bulged, she noted with an amused smile. Digging through her pack, she found something inside, a soft, sturdy cloth. It was the Warder cloak. Perhaps when Leun was her Warder and could admit it. Stuffing the other things into the pack, she made her way to the makeshift corral where Iena was to saddle her. Ariena hummed softly as she did so, the notes of the song all the more beautiful with or without their lyrics. Everything seemed so beautiful that day.
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Post by irishdragonlord on Dec 20, 2004 17:36:42 GMT -5
((Did the RP die or my abscence kill it? ^-^;;; Either way, I'm posting )) Braendar slumped over in the saddle. He hated being awake. Welts covered his body; he blamed himself for that. Not paying attention, to much thinking; even with the twin-swords that had been carved to teach him how to fight with them his "teacher" of the swords, Grendon, had beat him. Badly. "Look, boy, keep your mind on the swords," Grendon had said. "You have to be with the void; ignore all else. With the swords and the void; nothing else exists." Did the bloody man know how hard that was?! Braendar swayed. Better than the bow-and-arrow lessons. He didn't even think about those; the best he had done was hit a bull's eye due to a crosswind - he knew it was a crosswind because it had been a breezeless day and the wind had just picked up all of a sudden and he hit the target. What was even worse was Paitar knew as well and preached on and on about it. What a horrid, horrid day. At least they would be moving soon; at least he would have something to occupy his mind besides that lingering thought about the Myrddraal. *** "I'm sorry, did I hear you correctly?" King Kandar looked down at the floor. He was in his small clothes, so covered in welts he looked like raw meat. Guaire Amalasan showed no mercy; if only Kandar had been able to get away from his country. He would have spit, had he had any. Amalasan grinned. "No need to run. Why, I had a special place in store for a man of your position." Kandar snorted with the small amount of breath in his body. Amalasan was a cruel pig, and Amalasan knew it, toying with him. Kandar felt the invisible whip on his shoulder; no disrespect, Amalasan had said. To the Pit of Doom with him! "You are to have the honor of being my personal slave." Pig. Pig pig pig pig pig... "Don't look so sad. It is this or death, but I'm not too merciful today, as you know." Kandar fell weeping. Why not death? Stripped of home, of family, of title, and he had not been a cruel king, not really, he had always given to the poor, if ignored them, but even the Creator knew he had not been so bad as this! Amalasan smiled again. "And just remember: no disrespect." Kandar spit blood; it was the only thing left. |
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Post by TK on Dec 21, 2004 19:05:58 GMT -5
((Tell me if you want this changed. A month of riding on and on seemed a bit dull, but if you don't want this sped up, just say the word ))The month wore on in monotony, though, quite simply, it was far better than before. His agreement with the king forbade him from riding along up near the front with Ariena and al'Taren, despite his added duties, but there were other things. Leun smirked at the thought. At the moment, however, he was not riding alongside the king's army. Along with two other scouts, both too young to even have shaved a day in their life, he served as a scout, some several hours ahead of the troupe. Any day now, by the carteographer's estimate, they would reach Amalsan's encampment. The horse he had been issued, a palomino he had dubbed Ilied, stepped carefully amongst the mountainous terrain of the Shadow Coast. Leun scanned from peak to peak, ledge to ledge, to the valley below and beyond. And then, only then, he saw it. Off in the distance, nestled in the valley between six towering peaks, he could just barely seem them. Thousands upon thousands, and then some, of men, resting in the early dawn. "Aerin, Thilt," Leun muttered, addressing the two young men, both of whom a year older than al'Taren, by the looks. "Make haste back to the camp. They're here. Amalsan's camp; this has to be them. They're here." The exchanged worried glances and reined their geldings, the pair of them speeding off along the cliff's sudden ridge. Leun would stay.
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Post by Crystal on Dec 22, 2004 7:19:18 GMT -5
It was early morning, and the camp had just broken. Ariena was riding in her customary place by the king, bored out of her life. A month of this could drive anyone mad. Even the acting that made her seem like Aes Sedai was second nature now. Two figures scrambled down toward them, scattering stones down the rocky mountainsides and making her wince. She recognized them both as scouts, not much older than Braendar. Knew nothing more about them though... they never came near her, likely as not scared of the Aes Sedai. Where was Braendar anyways? Ariena nudged Iena closer to the king. The white mare tossed her head but did so obediently. Absently she sought for the bond. Leun was somewhere in the direction the scouts had come from. "....army is just beyond that ridge, a few hours ahead." "Good. Tell the men to prepare themselves." A cold little knot formed in her stomach. Time for the dying to start. ((Did the RP die or my abscence kill it? ^-^;;; Either way, I'm posting )) Actually, TK was just busy doing unspeakable things over AIM. To me. |
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Post by irishdragonlord on Dec 23, 2004 9:34:22 GMT -5
Actually, TK was just busy doing unspeakable things over AIM. To me. ((Say no more - really. No more ^-^;;; )) Braendar, had a lightning bolt shot out of the clear sky and killed him, would have praised the Creator. As it was, he was in his saddle - and bored. Boredom was not new to him, but this... this! This was horrible! No relief except for his lessons, he hardly got a word in edgewise with Ariena and the Light knew what happened to Leun. Bored, bored, bored. He noticed some scouts coming over the ridge; Aerin and Thilt. Braendar didn't much like Thilt, all bones and hot air, but Aerin was a good kid, and good at the swords. Single handed swords, anyway; Braendar preferred his two swords, the short sword and medium-length variant, to the single, long, traditional sword. And a buckler would always do for a shield, in his eyes. Aerin was a good six months Braendar's elder; Thilt was a year younger. The bony thinness and his height made him seem much older. They were both good picks for scouts; Aerin was loyal and a hardworker, in fit condition, while Thilt... Thilt was fast. Period - very, very fast. "Your Majesty," said Aerin. Surprisingly, Thilt looked complacent, being quiet instead of the blowhard he usually was. "Amalasan's army is just beyond that ridge, a few hours ahead. Leun stayed behind," he added as an afterthought. Braendar actually rode to the left and behind of the king, to draw little attention to himself. But he would have caught the words, even if he had been five rows behind, thanks to his ears. Braendar didn't know whether to be happy or afraid. On the one hand, they would fight; the other... he would be forced to stay behind. Light, but he was bored! *** Amalasan sat in the saddle of Regnar, his horse. Black, in the Old Tongue. He was five row from the front, in the center, giving good view but not vulnerability. And with saidin inside him, all his senses were enhanced; a very good view indeed. Good enough, infact, to vaguely sense... a prescence. A presence of saidin. Amalsan had always been good at finding male channelers; finding them and killing them. None would challenge him when he reigned supreme. This was a third of his force with him; now that Darmovan was utterly his, the rest of his armies were in Elan Dapor and Balasun, securing the Aryth Coast. Kharendor would take longer to claim, simply because the King was not the whole power; the strange system in that empty country divied power between some of the stronger nobles, if very little. But enough. And Amalasan planned to be unquestionable ruler - completely unquestionable. Amalasan drew in more saidin; he held three-quarters of what he needed, now. No need to tire himself; that man he was sensing was a way off. A scout, and one who probably did not know of his curse, for it was indeed a curse, to all but Guaire Amalasan, the soon to be ruler of all the lands from the Aryth Ocean and those across the Waste, when he was finished. Amalasan waited. He knew of this planned attack; news of an army coming for him had reached him long since, led by the very young and even newer King of Shandalle. Amalasan had patience; he was itching for a fight, another land to take, another step to power, but he could wait for it, so long as he could get it. |
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Post by TK on Dec 23, 2004 11:58:20 GMT -5
Leun had drawn on the tainted glory of saidin from the clifftop, vying for a better chance to get a look at Amalsan. He scanned the massive throng in the far distance, eyeing several men who could possibly be the False Dragon, but then...
The Power. The male half of the One Power, the befouled half of the True Source, was being drawn upon, in a shocking quantity as well. It far outstripped his own ability to channel, far outstripped his own ability to channel with Ariena's angreal, and... he could not tell if it was strong enough to combat against Ariena and himself linked after having embraced and seized through the tiny pendant, but her surely hoped not.
"Light, let it be all he can hold," he whispered. "Let it be all he can hold."
He bit back the temptation to weave a torrent of flames or as much as he could in Earth Singing, for it would do no use to him at all - he was too weak - and it would merely provoke the man and his army.
Leun remained there, waiting. Let Ariena and al'Taren hurry, the Creator granted.
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Post by TK on Dec 23, 2004 12:07:35 GMT -5
"We take little sympathy on those who enter the Three-fold lands without permission," the older woman muttered, eyeing Pertrova up. "And less on those who purloin our rations."
The gall of this woman! Pertrova did not say, staring coldly, all bristling fury, at the Wise One.
They had had to live; that was the simple matter. The band of Wise Ones had been travelling to Rhuidean or some such ridiculous name thought up by these savages. What else would she have done but slipped food out for themselves?
The three woman stepped up, all old and leathery, a rather impressive sight - or at least to any other woman but Pertrova Gerantt. "Bind them!" she shouted to her minons.
Gendowin and Sherique nodded, all zombie-like acquiescence. They strode forward, forming ties of Air and binding the woman like the hogs they were, before they could so much as attack them with their knives.
Pertrova let out a sudden shriek, realizing her skirts were ablaze. Stamping them out, she eyed the Aiel women. "You can channel," she murmured. They were not strong, no - she herself could split her weaves and shield all three of them quite adequately. Not strong, no, but... strong enough.
Stepping up, she placed a finger upon the eldest wise woman's jowl. "This won't hurt at all," Pertrova whispered, bonding the woman to herself.
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Post by Crystal on Dec 23, 2004 12:17:44 GMT -5
They made better time than Ariena had expected through the rocky mountain passes.
There was a palomino horse waiting there at one of the ridges, with it's recognizable rider. Without a word, Tanreall and a few of his officers turned their horses off and picked their way up there, probably to see for themselves the size of the army. After a moment's hesitation, she nudged Iena off as well, deliberately ignoring Leun when she got to the top. No need to let Tanreall know, but as it was the king was squinting at the valley below.
She drew in a sharp breath as she assessed the numbers and compared it with theirs. She guessed they would be lucky to be considered outnumbered. Not quite a quarter more than them, but a goodly amount still. It was evident Tanreall was thinking that was well, the way his brow was furrowed. Without saying a word, however, he turned back to the army, conferring in a low voice with the other officers who had accompanied him.
Ariena glanced at Leun and then followed him back down. It would take more tactics than she knew of to win this battle.
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Post by irishdragonlord on Dec 27, 2004 9:59:49 GMT -5
They made better time than Ariena had expected through the rocky mountain passes. There was a palomino horse waiting there at one of the ridges, with it's recognizable rider. Without a word, Tanreall and a few of his officers turned their horses off and picked their way up there, probably to see for themselves the size of the army. After a moment's hesitation, she nudged Iena off as well, deliberately ignoring Leun when she got to the top. No need to let Tanreall know, but as it was the king was squinting at the valley below. She drew in a sharp breath as she assessed the numbers and compared it with theirs. She guessed they would be lucky to be considered outnumbered. Not quite a quarter more than them, but a goodly amount still. It was evident Tanreall was thinking that was well, the way his brow was furrowed. Without saying a word, however, he turned back to the army, conferring in a low voice with the other officers who had accompanied him. Ariena glanced at Leun and then followed him back down. It would take more tactics than she knew of to win this battle. Blackhoof snorted and began to pace. Braendar did his best to quiet his horse, whom he had finally thought up a name for, if not an all-too regal one; ah well. That was another matter for another time - the current matter was staying in the saddle. Braendar considered himself and adequate rider, and Blackfoot managed to stop threatening to throw Braendar out of the saddle, if not quite calmed down. Braendar was still wrestling when he saw Leun and Ariena coming back towards the army. At last he found the man and he still had no chance of getting near him; he was beginning to think there was some unspoken order that he was to stay away from Ariena so as to not draw suspicion, and therefore, Leun as well. Blast it. Blackfoot finally stopped and resorted to pawing and snorting. Some of the soldiers outside his "guard" ring, the soldiers who always just happened to be around them, even if he no longer had a strict guard of his own, those soldiers outside the ring began to snicker. Braendar stared them down quickly; his yellow eyes were finally coming in handy. Braendar felt a sensation beginning to come over him, as he looked towards where the King was with his officers. A sense of the wolf. Small Bear was trying to get to him and he knew it. Maybe that would be an asset; maybe not. All those worries, all that loss of sleep, all that fear and stress stemmed from this: Small Bear was more wolf than man, and Small Bear had no regard for his own life. None. No matter what, it would be Braendar who held the cards, Braendar who inhabited this body, Braendar who would be in control. Small Bear would not take over; he would not! Blackfoot began to pace again, sensing his rider's anger and fear. No matter; the har- the horse would calm down soon enough. The False Shadowkiller waits. Be ready.Braendar was too busy wrestling with himself to hear the voice in the back of his head. |
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XP 
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