Baranthia Time: The Month of Ruan, 5056 Roleplay Time: The Month of January, 2006 The Monthly Baranthian: Please visit to get updates on each kingdom. Shout Box 1/9/06: Everyone's getting involved with The Kidnapping, so that's awesome! There are a couple of threads you may want to check out: The Kidnapping and Summon The Brotherhood. Other than that, I think we're off to a good start :) 12/30/05: The Runath Royal Feast is up and running! Anyone traveling through can visit all month long!

[Ielenia Dirin]

Date: 1st - 4th of Ruan
Time: Varies
OOC: Continued from this thread: The Kidnapping

"Quite something isn't it?"

All she could do was nod, the picturesque scenery definitely calming her. Living in the city, she had never seen anything so beautiful. She was mesmerized and she really wouldn’t mind building a small house and staying there forever. Though, she knew the task at hand, and she could hardly get away from Raef, or could she? The scenery had sparked some sort of flighty perspective in her mind, and she looked to the sky, wishing she could indeed fly. To soar over this beautiful area for as long as she liked was looking fairly well at the moment.

"This has been one of my favorite spots in my few years of traveling."

“You travel often?” She inquired as he helped her down from the saddle. She could see the stags grazing with difficulty on the icy earth. They started to come over towards the two and she looked at Raef a little oddly. What did they want? She had no idea that the small animals were hungry, and that they expected to be fed with food.

This will be a good treat for them...hold it out in your hands and walk toward them slowly."

She’d gone to the stables before on occasion and knew that horses liked to eat hay, but she had no idea about these stags. They certainly weren’t horses, but she expected that they would eat anything if given it to them. Especially because of the fact that the ground was covered with a wintry, white ice that blocked them from obtaining their vegetation.

Holding the hay in her bare hands, she felt the rough surface against her skin. Looking up, she noticed the stags inching closer, realizing that the pair of them held no threat whatsoever. Nia herself inched closer to the animals, holding her hand out as if enticing them.

The stags continued their slow movement closer and Nia smiled. Once they reached her hand, two proceeded to eat the hay that lain there. Nia laughed as they tickled her palm, quickly making the hay she had offered, disappear.

“How do they find food in the wintertime?” Nia asked, moving a hand forward to place on the stags warm fur. She wondered if they were ever skinned, their fur taken and used for clothes. Looking at the own fur she was wearing, the one that Raef had so easily given to her, she wondered what kind of animal it came from.

“How did you get this?” She asked, turning to him and pointing at it. She didn’t really like having to wear an animal, though she knew it was the best thing to keep her warm. As long as she didn’t see it, she assumed that it wouldn’t bother her. She had never really thought about how she got her clothes before, they were just always prepared and sewn for her.

[Raef Veruste]

Raef had been very patient as she moved toward the Stags, his arms crossed and a smile on his face. She looked happy as the Stags ate from her hands. He didn't know that she was thinking about building a house here in this little area, how could he? But the thought also occured to him, many a time in his visits to this place. But for now, maybe forever, that was just a nice thought, dream, whatever you wanted to call it, in the back of his mind. It was nice she was enjoying herself. A frown came to his lips...he had know way of knowing what would happen to here when the next few days had passed, and he felt that 'unhealthy' twinge of remorse pulling at his conscience, his stomach...his heart.

Perhaps he would have felt none of that if he had just ignored her for three days...but being near her for even and hour, it was hard to not admire her defiant spirit, intelligence...her beauty. He shook his head and the smile returned as she rest her hand on the Stags head. That was interesting. He was surprised that they didn't bound away even at the slightest touch. They were either really hungry or she was very soothing to them, and comfotable to be around. He noticed her speak, looking at the fur he had brought for her, he couldn't make it out. Then the princess turned around and spoke a little louder to her assasin captor.

“How did you get this?”

At this, however, the Stags did start running away, they only moved a short distance however, and began scraping for their meals again, he took his horse by the reigns and nodded toward the stream, for her to follow him. Soon they were at the bed of it and the horse moved forward on its own drinking thirstily from the cold refreshing water. Raef moved to the saddle bags and removed their canteens, handing hers to her and holding two more in his hands. "I bought it on the way into town last night." Raef knelt down and emptied the two containers, before taking one and holding the open end to the water to aquire its fresh contents, slowly filling it up, then took the liberty to answer a question he had stayed silent to as to not disturb the stags.

"I'm always traveling. It's very rare you'll find me at a tavern or inn spending the night. I don't really compain though." He smiled at her and looked up at the sparkling trees on the other side of the stream. "Then I wouldn't be able to see places like this."

[Ielenia Dirin]

"I bought it on the way into town last night."

“Oh.” She replied, realizing that it was okay and wasn’t at the same time. The reason it was, was that he hadn’t killed for the fur himself. The reason it wasn’t, was that he had come prepared for her kidnapping without a seemingly second thought.

"I'm always traveling. It's very rare you'll find me at a tavern or inn spending the night. I don't really compain though."

“If you travel so much, why don’t you sleep in an inn?” She asked, wondering why he wouldn’t if he passed through so many places. Obviously each town would have an inn or tavern, somewhere to eat and spend the night. Though, she could tell that Raef was more of an outdoorsman. Maybe, he liked to sleep beneath the stars, looking up at the endless world beyond. Nia really didn’t know anything about her captor, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to ask anymore questions. The more she knew, the more she would become involved emotionally. She wasn’t exactly sure she wanted to go there. They had three days, and then she would be “free.”

"Then I wouldn't be able to see places like this."

Giving a nod of her head, she looked around the stream, at the beautiful sparkling trees and the almost frozen water. She figured that being outside amongst nature was probably better than being surrounded by walls in a room with nothing much to do. At least outside, she could turn and see something completely different and new.

“Have you always traveled?”

She knew the questions were getting personal, but she wanted to pass time along. She walked over to the horse and put a hand on his mane, smoothing down the hair. For a moment, she wondered if horses hooves ever got cold. The snow was about ankle-deep and Nia was glad that she was wearing the boots that Raef had given her. The wind blew, a nice chill making her face sting and keeping her nose and cheeks rosy.

[Raef Veruste]

"Have you always travelled?"

It was innevitable question, and one he would have to answer. Indeed, he had the feeling he'd be answering alot of those kinds of questions before the days were up. Strangely enough, he felt more and more comfortable having discussions with her. He couldn't really remember the last time he had had one.

"No, not always..." He took the now full canteen out of the water and dipped the second one in, starting to fill that one as well. Mostly after such simple answers to her questions he stopped speaking. This time was different he continued on. "I'm twenty-two...well..." he laughed a little. "At least I think I am...I lost track awahile ago I think...but I'm fairly certain I am. Anyway..." Raef removed his hand and shook it to remove the numbing cold sensation the water was causing, heat began to course through his fingers again.

"I didn't start traveling really until I was ninenteen...since then I've been just about everythwhere in Baranthia, more than once."

He lifted the canteen from the icy stream and then took hers from her hands gently, giving her a small smile and let that into the water to fill up as well, shaking his hand once more. "I have to say, aside from my assignments, the fighting, the wounds...it has been a very nice experience seeing our world, and learning about it. Most would say I have a dreary and distasteful line of work...The killing always has been...but everything else has been more rewarding than I could imagine."

He gathered up the canteens when he was finished and began to load them into the saddle bags. Raef sighed and paused a moment, before closing the bag back up. Though his experiences had been rewarding, he had never intended for his life to take that direction, and the reason that it did would always haunt him.

[Ielenia Dirin]

"No, not always..."

Well, of course she didn’t think he had spent his entire life traveling. Surely, he had to have been born somewhere and lived for a little. But, maybe his parents traveled and moved around a lot and that was why he did too. Even if he did kidnap Princesses for ransom money.

"I'm twenty-two...well..."

He wasn’t that much older than she.

"At least I think I am...I lost track awhile ago I think...but I'm fairly certain I am. Anyway..."

She laughed with him, “You’re not sure? Have you spent that much time away from people?” She knew that most people must not document their births, especially in some places where they lived secluded from the rest of Baranthia. Being part of a Royal house, her parents had had a huge celebration the day of her birth and had documented it as soon as she was born. At nineteen, she was definitely sure of how old she was.

"I didn't start traveling really until I was ninenteen...since then I've been just about everythwhere in Baranthia, more than once."

Her eyes widened at his remarks. He was her age when he had first started traveling. She felt naïve and slow, like she should be doing something important – or even traveling as well. Sure, she didn’t want to slip into a life of crime, but at least he had seen places and done things.

"I have to say, aside from my assignments, the fighting, the wounds...it has been a very nice experience seeing our world, and learning about it. Most would say I have a dreary and distasteful line of work...The killing always has been...but everything else has been more rewarding than I could imagine."

“Killing?” She choked out. That was another part of her naïveté. She didn’t really think he actually killed people. How could someone go out there and kill someone, just for money? She knew that she had been trained to fight, skilled in the art of a sword, enough to kill a man, but unless she was in extreme danger, she doubted ever doing it. The men in the army did it, but not for pleasure or money. They were paid to protect the family as well as the kingdom. Who was Raef protecting? No one. Was he going to kill her too? The thoughts made her heart quicken. She was starting to get a little nervous as she watched Raef fill the canteens in the icy water of the stream. She bit down on her lower lip and looked around. They were in the middle of nowhere. What was that saying, that if a tree falls no one hears it, so does it make a sound? Well, if he killed her, no one was going to hear her sounds.

He moved back over to the saddle bags, but Nia was stuck in her spot. She was looking at him differently, the expression on her face scared and vague. She wasn’t sure about him now. He seemed caring, but maybe that was a façade he put on. Maybe, he was just coaxing her into calmness so that later she wouldn’t be as frightened. But, it was too late, her thoughts had come full circle. She didn’t want to die, especially at the hands of an assassin. No, she wouldn’t let that happen. She’d kick and scream and fight back, just like her father had taught her. There was no way she wasn’t living past nineteen.

[Raef Veruste]

He noticed the choking in her voice as soon as he had said the word 'killing.' He sighed and slowly turned his head to what he was already expecting to see there...her slowly inching away, a look of sheer dread on her face. His hazel eyes looked tired as he gazed into her blue ones. He slowly turned back to the saddle bags, and once they were closed up his hands didn't move, he didn't turn to look at her. She looked as if she would turn and run at any moment, but somehow Raef knew she would not. Where would she go? His voice broke the tense, crisp silence.

"You're just becoming an adult Princess, and I mean no disrespect when I say this...you're regal life in the palace has kept you sheltered from the lands you may someday rule over as a queen...Fordin, Gavan...indeed, anywhere you go in Baranthia there is killing. Killing is as much a way of life in this kingdom as is breathing. Everyday there are countless murders and slayings, some noble, many not. Thiefs, bandits, assasins, mercenaries, rogues...normal citizens, royalty. It doesn't matter. Who is your father protecting when he writes laws that have children's fingers or hands removed when they steal a piece of bread from a baker who has plenty? Who is he protecting when he writes laws that have someones head chopped off for a few simple offenses? It's a hard world we live in princess, some kill out of bloodlust, revenge or thievery. I kill because it gets me through each day...is it respectable, or always fair? Never. Is it uncommon? Not in the least."

He clenched his hands against the saddle bags. The only way he was ever going to regain what fragile trust she had in him, was by telling her why he did what he did, it was the only way to make the rest of the journey peaceful and put her at ease, and perhaps restore whatever goodness she saw within his cold heart.

"You know, I never expected to do this when I was growing up. Believe it or not...I'm somewhat of royalty myself. I'm sure you've heard the old stories and folk tales about the small kingdom of Armaria in the Viruse Mountains...At the age of ten, a large band of raiders crossed the border and moved up the mountain like savages. No, they weren't simple raiders, they were well armored soldiers...but from where, I don't know." His eyes closed, he remembered who they were, but he didn't think she would have believed him had he told her. His mind once again flooded with those terrible memories.

"They plundered our small kingdom. It was only a matter of time. When they finally made it to our village...it was...merciless slaughter, they killed those far weaker than they, our village of simple farmers and few soldiers was set ablaze, and those who valiantly tried to defend themselves, and their loved ones, including my father were murdered. Men, women, children, no one was left alive. I was separated from my brother in the chaos. My mother found me and hid me son in the small cellar of our home and covered it with a rug." He paused again his head sagging a little.

"That was the last the I ever saw of her mother. The next morning I emerged from the ashes the to find the rest of my village, and my life, in smoldering ruins." He shook his head. "I was the only one left. Some of the villagers were gone, possibly taken as slaves, my brother included. I found father though, the king of our tiny little land, headless, feet from our home. The next few days, I spent digging numerous graves and filling them with his friends, neighbors and loved ones. With every corpse I buried my sorrow and anger grew, and everything inside, my heart and soul hardened, maybe that's why it's so easy to take a life...." He swallowed a little to keep his voice from cracking then slowly continued. "I gathered whatever meager supplies remained and struck out toward the more populous lands.

While in one of its numerous cities, Fordin actually, I became a street urchin, pick pocketing, thieving, and begging to make it through each day. Until one day I met him...I was making my rounds about the town, when a cloaked man appeared from an alleyway, pursued by three officers, the man grabbed me and put a dagger to my throat, using me as a hostage against the officers. After many minutes of attempted negotiation and careful pursuit, the man managed to slip down a back alley with me and disappear. He took me into the surrounding forest and deliberated his next move. That evening, the man casually pointed out he was hungry. Though I was scared, heh, very scared, I hadn't prepared a meal in a long time, and offered to cook dinner for my captor. The man reluctantly agreed. I cooked up a delicious meal from the kill the man had hunted earlier that day, he was very impressed with the meal that had been prepared for him and soon offered some to me, wasn't bad if I do say so myself. It was also the first act of kindness the I had seen in months..If you overlook the hostage ordeal. The man was Belizar Kaird, an assassin. He had just completed an assignment in town when the police had discovered him.

I don't know why, but he offered to take me to a school, said I had 'potential'. I remember for the next few days him taking us both down secret trails and winding forest paths to a place most ancient and of the utmost secrecy. A path and a name I cannot repeat as is my oath. He bid me farewell, and left me to the guild master...to what you see today as my destiny. There was reunited with my brother." At this he laughed a little in remembrance. "He had escaped his captors." That is how Raef had known their identity. "And he had come to find the school as well, destiny was kind to us for the first time since our kingdom had perished. It's eerie, The last of your people, sitting at one table and discussing everything from what happened to the village to what we'd been doing for the past two years. The last Armarians. We trained diligently. Under the school's tutelage, I quickly became proficient in the arts of shadow, marksmanship and assassination...advancing quickly, I soaked everything up eagerly. The way of life fascinated me so much back then, and presented me a wonderful challenge, a sense of belonging, and excitement...most of all I knew with those abilities that I could seek my revenge. I practiced over and over what he was taught, and became better and better. When I wasn't training, I was able to spend my time in the guild library, and resume the studies of history and languages I had lost after that night in the village, and to catch up with my brother brother; the two of us began practicing together again when we had spare time. In the kitchen I was able to develop my skills once more as a cook, feeding my teachers and fellow students. When I was eighteen, my brother, being a year old, graduated. We said our goodbyes, and I haven't seen him since.

When I finally turned nineteen, I was finally released to pursue my new life. The guild master left me with words of encouragement, and his blessings. I took the vow of silence as to the guild's location and went on my way...and three years later, here I am...a good cook, fallen prince, a lowly assassin for hire and someone who's out for revenge...all laid out for you." He turned to face her again, meeting her eyes, his hazel orbs tired and gleaming with and a terrible sorrow. He turned away again. He had done what he had to do, he was angry, not at her, but for doing what he didn't want to, and he was pained. She had looked at him like he was some sort of monster, why that had never struck a cord with anyone but her he couldn't grasp right now, maybe it was because he was starting to care what she thought of him. He slowly mounted his horse and extended a hand to her. She had looked at him like that because she didn't understand, and maybe she never would. "Come on, we have alot of riding left before dark."

[Ielenia Dirin]

He was speaking and she wasn’t really listening. All those words about it being the same as punishment. Did innocent people deserve to die? Did she deserve to be kidnapped? She shook her head, taking those few steps back and reaching a nearby tree. It startled her, her thoughts on anything but the scenery. She could feel the hard bark against her back and she realized that she was breathing sort of heavily. She didn’t want to be killed by him, and now she didn’t know if that was his intention or not. What would she do if he tried? She would fight back to the death, but for the moment, she was terrified.

"You know, I never expected to do this when I was growing up. Believe it or not...I'm somewhat of royalty myself. I'm sure you've heard the old stories and folk tales about the small kingdom of Armaria in the Viruse Mountains...At the age of ten, a large band of raiders crossed the border and moved up the mountain like savages. No, they weren't simple raiders, they were well armored soldiers...but from where, I don't know."

He was speaking calmly, but she just wanted to close her eyes, breathe in and open them to be in a different place. His words never left her ears. Amaria? Yes, she had heard of it, read about it to no end. She was extremely interested in Amaria. What else was there to do in a castle, with no one else to really talk to? She didn’t have a sister, and well, her mother had that standoffish air to her. She opened her eyes then and looked at him differently. He had been just as she, a royal, though his past was more troubling. She had grown up with prestige and ease, an almost boring existence.

"They plundered our small kingdom. It was only a matter of time. When they finally made it to our village...it was...merciless slaughter, they killed those far weaker than they, our village of simple farmers and few soldiers was set ablaze, and those who valiantly tried to defend themselves, and their loved ones, including my father were murdered. Men, women, children, no one was left alive. I was separated from my brother in the chaos. My mother found me and hid me son in the small cellar of our home and covered it with a rug."

Her eyes turned sympathetic, rather than accusatory. She watched his head sagged and frowned, her back sliding down the bark of the tree and resting on her haunches. The ground was wet and cold underneath her, but she didn’t notice. Her eyes were transfixed on the tortured soul before her, as he divulged what seemed like, his entire life story to her. Nia’s head cocked to the side, watching him, observing him, wondering why he had chosen to release so much information about his past to her. She had read about what happened in Amaria, many times, but of the time she had read about it, nothing came over as heart-wrenching as this man explaining what happened there.

She let him speak after that, watching him as he told her everything up until now. She gave him a nod, her eyes widening at some points and gasping at others. He had such a hard life, troubled, having to be taught trades by other people rather than his parents, or even the villagers. Unfortunately, that whole life was lost for him, and Nia didn’t know what she would do if her kingdom was destroyed and everything was lost. She didn’t think she could live knowing she was the only one who survived, much less be very happy about it. “I am sorry, I did not know…” She replied, apologizing for all of the fear that had consumed her towards him moments before. It didn’t mean that it had suddenly left her. On the contrary, she was still fearful that this kidnapping might end in disaster, or death on her part, and she wasn’t letting her guard down as of yet. Continuing her observations of the captor before her, she watched.

Finally his words differed from his story, "Come on, we have alot of riding left before dark." and she gave him a nod, standing back up and letting him help her back up onto the horse.

“Nothing is ever going to be the same, is it?” She asked, sort of staring off into space. She knew, that after this, she would return to her life at the castle, but this had been a defining moment in her life. Like Raef was plagued with the loss of his entire village, she will be haunted by the memories of this and everything she saw and will see. It is hard to live through such an experience as this and not have life changing experiences.

[Raef Veruste]

The horse started slowly off into the woods, a soft breeze behind it kicking up the fresh white powder, making it swirl and sweep over the creek, being absorbed into it's original liquid state or continuing it's short life on the opposite bank. The question came as softly as the breeze had swept away the snow. "Nothing is ever going to be the same is it?" The stags raised their heads to look at the captor and captive one last time before returning to their scratchings for food.

Raef stared straight ahead, silent for a few moments, like her, the assasin was also a bit out of it at the moment, and still angry that he had to repeat his life story, but more than anything, he was hurt, he hated that memory, and it was one that was going to haunt him forever. Finally he spoke, breaking the silence, another breeze breathing it's icy breath on them. "That all depends, on what you make of it, what you do. That's how it always is, and that's how it always will be. Soon you'll be home, safe and sound."

He didn't speak much after that, the day wore on and the heat of the late morning and early afternoon came and went, taking a little snow with it and making the rest moister, packy. The temperatures cooled off and things got chillier again, the weather remained clear however, and that was good in the mind of Raef, they needed to cover as much ground as possible today, especially since he was constantly changing directions and leading the horse down various trails and areas of woods, he did all he could to throw the trail off of them, because by now they were being pursued. Raef also knew that the pursuers were probably many many miles away and looking in a completely different direction, but in case they were not, it was better to be safe than sorry.

It was past lunch time, probably in the mid-afternoon. She was probably going to be hungry, he reached into a saddlebag as the horse continued to trod along in the breezy forest, snow sliding across the trail in front of them, encircling the hooved feet. A loaf of bread was retrieved and he broke off a good portion of it for her, and reached around her slight form, placing it in her hands. It wasn't much, but it would have to do until they ate dinner later that night.

The day wore on and the wind got colder as the the temperature dropped, as it was winter, by the late afternoon the sun had dropped drastically, basking the magnificent orange light of dusk on the forest, it would be dark soon and they would need to find a place to bed down for the evening, get a fire going, and eat. It really was a beautiful evening, the light shining through the trees in various patterns and intensities. As they reached the top of a hill that began during their walk through the forest they were rewarded at the crest with a breathtaking view of the sun setting behind the distant and silhouetted Viruse Mountains. Raef stopped the horse and smiled a bit, taking in the sight of it.