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Post by L Y N X ! on Feb 11, 2013 19:51:47 GMT -5
The cobblestone streets were wet with rain that had finished falling a few minutes ago, and the clouds still held a dreary overcast that promised more to come. Roulette shivered and drew the black cloak more tightly to her body as she strode down the streets, avoiding meeting the gaze of any one that passed her by. She coughed softly into her fist, feeling a bit under the weather. She always got sick, even as a child, and found herself constantly having to sit down if she over expended herself. She hated being so weak, but it wasn't her fault, it was more of her stupid father's. He had brutally raped her mother, resulting in her creation, and growing inside a woman's body who was also trying to heal itself as well as create a child would leave her with a severe disadvantage in the health department. She just hoped she wouldn't catch anything serious- she caught a cold last season and she nearly died. Her mother may be a bit..disturbed, but she took care of her decently enough, and for that she was grateful. Seeing how awfully men treated women, a prime example being her father, she swore she would never allow herself to even become an object of a man's attention. They had less than saintly intentions, and didn't care how their tyranny affected anyone else once they got what they wanted.
Coughing again, she pulled open a tavern door and headed inside, pulling off her damp hood as she entered the slightly warmer place. Her vividly orange eyes seemed more vibrant in the glow of the fire that crackled in the hearth close by, before her attention turned to the tavern owner. "Do you have any honey-brew mead?" she asked, her gaze briefly flicking to all the others gathered around various tables, noting that she was the only woman here besides the maid that was sweeping the dirty, worn floors. "Sure," said the tender, and reached under the counter and pulled out one of the bottles for her. "Don't you think that's a bit strong for a lady to drink?" he asked her, raising a bushy eyebrow. She shrugged at him, pulling off the cork and taking a sip. "Keeps off the chill," she replied, turning to wander over to one of the empty tables, running her fingers through her hair, a dark brown with silvery highlights. Sure, she found her appearance unusual, and thought that the silver streaks in her fathers hair was just out of age, but as it so turned out was just genetic. Another thing she inherited from him was the orange eyes, which she cursed the fates for allowing that to happen. People tended to stare at her because of them, but she supposed it was better than having less interesting eyes and have men staring down at her chest instead. Pft. Taking another sip of the mead, her eyes wandered around the tavern, swishing the drink around her mouth thoughtfully.
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Post by ~Snowy on Feb 11, 2013 21:06:14 GMT -5
[atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,false][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,450,true]Ares
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[/font][/color] - now i don't know what to do with myself... === - The tavern wasn't as empty as it seemed at first glance, surprisingly, but then again, he preferred to stay out of the line of sight if he could. for once he didn't want anyone coming out of the wood works and recognizing him just for his father's guards to overhear and drag him back to the palace. he actually like his privacy today of all days. keeping his hand around the mug that sat on the farthest table from the door and anyone else, the young man pursed his lips, relaxing slightly at the quiet that surrounded him. he had to get out of that place for a while, out of that court and away from all those who lived in it. he'd done so before, and had traveled a good distance away from the castle at times, but every time someone always ousted him and he got drug back kicking and screaming... probably not the best image a prince sound give, but at that point he really didn't give a damn. that wasn't to say he didn't like his father, oh no. he actually loved his family very much - from his noble and kindly father, to his brave and thoughtful brother, and lastly to his adorable and tiny one year old sister... the young prince's strange colored eyes softened in grief at the thought of his baby sister, because with thoughts of her came thoughts of the woman his father had fallen in love with and fought so hard for, the woman who had become the mother that he and saber never had; had it really been only a year since the beloved queen of their home had been murdered?
growling softly, he suddenly picked up the mug and chugged down the contents within - nothing more than a mild brew diluted with water that had long since gone warm. ares then slammed the cup against the table, breathing in deeply to try and ward off his grief. the loss of the queen hit everyone in the kingdom hard; even though she was born of commoner blood, she had ruled side by side with their father like she had been born into the court herself, raising him and his brother like her own, and loving them all. she didn't deserve what she got, but at least the bastard who struck the final blow - her own father, he could laugh - got what he deserved too... too bad it didn't bring her back. now their little sister would grow up without a mother. without knowing the love she gave and the hearts she held... that was probably the worst part he figured. managing to hold off his grief, ares decided to distract himself by glancing around the tavern, his icy crystal blue eyes glancing here and there while he buried the fingers of one hand into his pale golden locks, sighing deeply in exasperation.
the tender of the tavern glanced over at him then, frowning softly before leaning over to fill another mug with the prince's favored brew. this wasn't the first time the prince had frequented this tavern, and it most likely wouldn't be the last with how things were going. the workers and the owner of the tavern were the only ones who wouldn't tell the guards that were now searching the streets where he was; as long as he paid for his drinks and didn't cause trouble, he was allowed to stay as long as he desired and they wouldn't tell a soul, for that he was thankful. the tender filled the mug a fourth of the way with the brew, then filled the rest with water and walked over to sit it on the prince's table, getting a nod in thanks from the golden haired young man as he grabbed the empty one to go clean it, neither saying a word to each other during this time. ares wasn't one for talk anyway, especially with what was happening up at the castle now; in fact he'd rather just push that out of his mind before it took over again. throughout the kingdom, his father had sent word to all members of the court and fellow nobles to bring their daughters to the castle, where his sons would chose their brides for themselves. saber had chosen his bride quickly, the young granddaughter of an friend of their father's; one look was all it took from across the room and the two were inseparable. for ares, however, it was a little more difficult than that - he had no interest in any of the women that arrived; too conceited, too vain, too... too much! he understood that to avoid the possibilities of kingdoms demanding their princesses to him, he had to take a bride soon... but how could he when he felt nothing for any of them?
the tavern door opened then, and a young lady entered, catching the attention of the prince. he watched her for a moment as she asked for a rather strong brew from the tender, shedding her hood and revealing her silver streaked hair and strange shaded eyes to his gaze. his light shaded eyebrows rose up on his tanned skin, surprised by the exotic appearance of the woman and more than a little intrigued. just who was this? that was when another stumbled into the tavern, a drunkard by the looks of it, and not one of the ones who preferred the better stuff; ares' nose scrunched up in disgust from the scent he could smell wavering off of the man from even his distance. he would've left it alone... had the filth not been heading towards the exotic looking woman with interest. within moments, the prince had vacated his seat and calmly walked over to take the seat next to the strange woman, his icy gaze glaring daggers into the drunkard and his body language a clear warning... the man wasn't as drunk as he thought, because soon enough he changed direction and took a seat elsewhere, away from them. you should be more careful, miss. these taverns are quite dangerous. he spoke calmly, his rough and handsome voice finally echoing through the silence for the first time that day. he probably shouldn't have done this, as even with his commoner's clothing on... there weren't that many people in the kingdom that had golden hair of any shade, save for the king and his sons that was. [/size][/blockquote][/color][/td][/tr][/table][/center] |
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Post by L Y N X ! on Feb 11, 2013 22:18:12 GMT -5
Soon after the first few sips of her drink, she could feel the pleasant warmth of the alcohol settling in her system, chasing away the chill that clung to her skin from her venture out in the drizzling evening. Being the daughter of a common seamstress allowed her some free time once the day wore down, when people were heading out to dinner or returning home instead of out shopping to pick up their needs for the day. She worked in her mother's shop as a source of income, in the days when she wasn't wandering the outskirts of the town for herbs and flowers for the local doctor. He paid her a few septims for whatever she brought him, and despite her fear and reservations of men, she was actually quite fond of him. She often visited him for company, though during the seasons of sickness she was often there for medical reasons. He prescribed any and every form of medicine he could think of to help her gain weight and become less prone to sickness, but to no avail. After so many attempts to help her, the old man just decided not to charge her any more money since she was adding up to a hefty sum with her frequent trips.
It was amazing that she didn't die from whenever she contracted something, but even so when she got over whatever bug she caught, it took her weeks to recover from the exhausting process of fighting off the infections. It was sort of amusing sometimes, that on her visits, the doctor would ask her to head up to the castle and try to win one of the princes' hearts, jokingly of course. He knew her views, but the idea of her prancing up to the palace like one of those prissy women pegging for attention was extremely amusing. Seeing as their town was the one stemmed right up to the castle, they were a bit more wealthy by the person, and every family could afford to dress their daughters up nice and present them to the princes. It was good business for her and her mother, who were overloaded with orders on dresses. The extra coin funded this trip to the tavern, and she was grateful for it; she needed a break from the constant sewing for the stuck up wenches that paraded around the shop as if they were already princesses.
Roulette looked up as she heard the door open, and her eyes quickly found a man stumbling in with the air of an alcoholic. She wrinkled her nose at the stench that rolled off of him, and immediately moved her gaze away from him when she seen that she had drawn his attention, though she had said nothing. She tensed up and looked at the bottle in her hand, preparing to ward the drunk off, but no sickly smell of alcohol breath or stupid pick up lines were thrown her way. Instead, a man sat down beside her that wasn't the one she was trying to avoid. She couldn't help but smirk and give a soft huff as he spoke, and she raised her eyes to see who had sat down beside her. She was surprised to see that there was a handsome stranger beside her, but even more so to recognize him as one of the princes that heralded from the kingdom on high. She tried not to let her surprise show up on her face as she tapped her fingers on the bottle, shaking her head at him. "I think it's a little more dangerous for a prince to be wandering around unprotected than a woman," she replied, arching an eyebrow at him. "Especially with King Jedi's announcement of you two finding a bride..I'm surprised you weren't followed by flocks of women hoping to have some time with you alone. Girls with intention on money and power can be quite vicious in their claiming, you know."
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Post by ~Snowy on Feb 11, 2013 23:18:48 GMT -5
[atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,false][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,450,true]Ares
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[/font][/color] - i let you in and you infected me! === - For the first moment, ares kept his gaze upon the drunkard, making sure he wouldn't try and throw a bottle or search for a weapon, but as the filth angrily demanded the tender bring him some sort of alcohol he relaxed a bit - with how drunk he was already, it wouldn't take much more time before he was passed out on the floor or kicked out by the tender himself. however, that didn't mean ares was gonna just get up and walk now, not while that guy was still alert and awake, and still sending evil eyes towards him for sitting nearby the woman, he wasn't budging an inch. call it whatever you wish, but he couldn't stand the thought of a woman being mistreated; something he inherited from his father he assumed, and like his father, he wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty in their defense either. a soft huff from his new company caught his attention, bringing his clear colored eyes towards her in curiosity as she raised her own gaze, a flash of surprise and recognition passing through the depths of her eyes before she shook her head at him with a tap of her fingers against her bottle. 'i think it's a little more dangerous for a prince to be wandering around unprotected than a woman.' she replied with an arch of her eyebrow. 'especially with king jedi's announcement of you two finding a bride... i'm surprised you weren't followed by flocks of women hoping to have some time with you alone. girls with intention on money and power can be quite vicious in their claiming, you know.' she added, and a short laugh escaped the young prince in return.
as expected, the young woman had indeed recognized him, so that wasn't much of a surprise. what caught him off guard was her wit, throwing his words right back at him instead of cowering down and agreeing or fawning all over him like others would've done. you might be right. he stated with a small smirk of amusement. it probably is dangerous for me to be outside the palace walls alone, but that's only if i'm found. i've got a good thing going with this tavern; i don't cause any trouble, they keep my presence a secret. he chuckled softly before throwing a glance back at the drunkard across the room. the filth over there is probably too out of it to recognize me as it is, so i don't think he'll be any problem. with that, he returned his gaze back to her, propping his elbow up against the counter and placing his chin against his hand. you however, are neither drunk nor do i have a deal with you to keep silent. however, i believe i can trust you, can't i? he asked, locking his icy gaze onto her in silent pleading. with how confidant he was acting, he was still concerned about being discovered. if this stranger did decide to turn him in, he would have to go through hoops to sneak outside the castle again... it was a pain in the neck to distract the guards long enough to make his getaway.
as he waited for a response, he let his gaze study this new stranger some; he normally remembered the faces he met, which was why he was certain, with that exotic appearance, that he'd never met this one before. her hair was a strange mix between brown and silver, the strands setting each other off fairly well in his opinion but still quite unique. her skin was fair, and her form a little thin to be completely healthy, which was admittedly a bit worrisome for the compassionate young man. what caught his attention the most however, were her eyes: an even shade of orange, set off by the glow of the fire in the fireplace in a way that made them resemble flames. blinking once, the young prince then gave a friendly smile. my name's ares, and you are? he asked.
ooc: not my best, but mom won't leave me alone. -.- [/size][/blockquote][/color][/td][/tr][/table][/center] |
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Post by L Y N X ! on Feb 12, 2013 0:31:58 GMT -5
Roulette knew that any normal woman should be completely and totally fawning over this man and the fact that he had decided to 'grace' her with his presence, but she still felt like he was just merely a normal person instead of royalty. She was still leery of him despite her outward show of speaking to him and her lack of showing true fear, but she still tread carefully on how exactly she spoke. He was a prince, and frankly, he could treat her however he wanted or do whatever he wanted with her without much consequence, and she didn't want to end up on his bad side. He seemed decent enough, and the royal family did have a reputation of being exceedingly kind to those they met, even handing out money to complete strangers. She respected them for that, but she still felt a bit of contempt towards the fact that the king had beckoned all of the young women in the hold for some sort of beauty contest to win the affections of his sons. It was quite an amusing thought to imagine some dim-witted girl planning out her entire life with one of them, it was entirely unrealistic. One of the princes, Saber, had chosen someone the very first day the women began arriving at the castle. Either he was extremely eager to get the whole thing over with, or they had hit it off right away.
It came a relief to her that he spoke about no one knowing he was here- that statement was true enough, because she doubted this tavern would be practically deserted if anyone knew of his presence. If he decided to have any malicious intent toward her, then she could easily blurt who he was, and slip away amongst the crowd that would flock around him to greet him. She gave him a reassuring smile, laughing softly with amusement at his words. "Not quite wise to put such faith in a stranger, but I digress, I have your back," she said, playing with the bottle in her nimble fingers before taking another sip of the drink. She set it back down on the worn table and away from her hands as she gave him her full attention, finding his eyes studying her with care. It made her feel uncomfortable to have that sort of attention, but what was she to say to him? Snap and tell him to stop looking at her? Hardly likely.
She couldn't help but smirk at him as he told her his name, shaking her head. "You're the prince of this country, and yet you feel the need to have to tell me your name? I know who you are," she said, her voice holding amusement as she looked into his icy eyes. She knew the princes were something to look at, even beside the constant fawning of other women over them at how they would take them into their beds any time. Even if the princes were ugly they would take them into their beds, it was nonsense; as long as you had money and power, you were beautiful to anyone. She even had to admit to herself that he was very attractive; his golden hair was a rarity, and it fit perfectly to his tan skin, which was such a contrast to hers. She could also see under his tunic he had thick cords of muscle that could be put to use in any battle field, which made her feel even smaller in contrast. She'd be lucky she could carry a sack of flower more than a few feet without needing a break. "But my name is Roulette," she said finally, offering a smile.
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Post by ~Snowy on Feb 12, 2013 2:21:06 GMT -5
[atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,false][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,450,true]Ares
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[/font][/color] - but you made the exception === - True, it was somewhat strange to give out his name when everyone in the kingdom probably knew it by heart, but for ares it was common courtesy. he had been taught since childhood that it was polite to give your name first before asking another's. just one of many of the traits of the royal family; the generosity of king jedi and his children was legendary; there was hardly any poor place or poor people in this country, the king seeing to it that his subjects were all cared for and protected, and in his kindness others shared the same with their fellow man; even their relations with other neighboring kingdoms were steady and unbreakable, especially so with the country of liberta. with saber's impending marriage to the lady scarlette, daughter of prince zeake and granddaughter of king lassan himself, the alliance between them and liberta would no doubt be stronger than ever. part of him had wondered if saber had known that when he chose scarlette as his bride, but then he saw the absolute lovestruck gaze in his brother's eye and decided against the thought. saber wasn't one to just up and marry for things like that. ares couldn't complain though - his brother's bride was beautiful, smart, and as far as he knew just as lovestruck as saber. as long as his brother was happy, he figured he could be happy too... however, when it came time for angel to be married off... that was gonna be a challenge for all of them; angel was their angel after all... maybe they could lock her up in a tower and find a dragon to train to protect her...? hey, a brother could dream.
dreaming would have to wait though, because at this moment he was certain his father was trying his best to calm down a horde of dim-witted women who were as close to attacking the king as anyone had ever come because the prize bachelor wasn't in his room. it was a funny thought indeed, if not a creepy one. again he was glad he'd managed to escape unnoticed, or like the lady beside him had said, he would be followed around by that rabid horde of women he wouldn't even think about talking to, let alone taking as a bride and bedding. he repressed a shudder at that thought, and was glad for the distraction of the woman's voice. he needn't think such thoughts like that right now... or ever. 'not quite wise to put such faith in a stranger, but i digress, i have your back.' he chuckled gratefully at her reassuring smile and words, a smile of relief crossing his own features. true as that may be, it is a trait of the family to give our trust, even those we've only just met; we've been met with both good and bad results of doing so. he explained, his smile widening slightly. i thank you miss, for keeping my secret. he added as he raised his chin off of the hand it laid on and rested the limb on the wood beneath it.
he noticed she had some discomfort in the way he was studying her, even though it had been completely innocent, and a frown crossed his features. he hadn't meant to make her uncomfortable in any way. he was mulling over whether or not to apologize for it when she suddenly smirked and shook her head at him. 'you're the prince of this country, and yet you feel the need to have to tell me your name? i know who you are.' he blushed slightly at this, but couldn't help but smirk in response. he could've said that some had mistaken him for his brother, but that wouldn't fly in the least. while ares' skin was tanned naturally and his hair was a soft pale shade of gold, his brother's skin was a pure as porcelain and his hair was such a deep shade of bright gold it could've easily been mistaken for the real thing, even their eyes weren't the same color; ares' being an icy crystalline blue, and saber's a molten amber brown. yeah, no use in denying his little habit. 'but my name is roulette.' roulette... he rolled the name on his tongue silently for a moment, then returned her smile in kind. a pleasure to meet you, lady roulette. and please allow me to apologize for making you uncomfortable earlier. i meant no disrespect. he stated, his smile fading for the time, replaced by a somber expression. [/size][/blockquote][/color][/td][/tr][/table][/center] |
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Post by L Y N X ! on Feb 14, 2013 22:49:57 GMT -5
Roulette couldn't help herself but to shake her head at the prince, an almost grin threatening on her face as he spoke to her. She had heard of how the royals were, excessively polite and kind, even sometimes too much so and were occasionally taken advantage of. Though not anyone in this country besides the truly malicious at heart, but rather other kingdoms who tried utilizing the vast wealth and protection that king Jedi had to offer. She knew that the single mention of war and men would gather arms to jump into the fight to defend the king, which was better to say for some other kingdoms. Jedi's subjects would die before they allowed their king to fall, in return for his kindness and how prosperous the country had become under his rule. The only place that rivaled their own was Liberta, with an equally kind king Lassan, which made the alliance between them ideal. Although Scarrlette was born of a common woman and the prince Zeake, she was still held in high regards, and with her engagement to prince Saber, she wouldn't be surprise if the countries combined. Though it still seemed like the two leaders weren't going to easily give up their thrones over a few youngsters just yet.
Her titan-colored eyes glinted with amusement as she continued to study him, still assessing on whether or not he was a threat to her, though by now she was very well assured that she was safe in his presence; he warded off the drunk that came stumbling after her, and didn't approach her with any sexual advances, but instead friendship. Though he was among a constant horde of women, he was probably lonely despite that fact, and she felt a bit of empathy for him. It was hard to deal with people that were intent on something, especially if that was you. She had to deal with men from time to time, some more pushy than others. Courting wasn't just something she was interested in, and usually once most men figured out about just how crazy her parents were, and exactly what was wrong with her, they fled quickly. Sure, she had to admit she was an attractive woman and drew some eyes, but physical appearance could only stand for so much before it wasn't worth it. Her childhood in the home of her mother wasn't exactly a loving and warm environment, and though she was never hit, she lived witnessing violence between her mother and father that was just as bad Most days when her father came around, she was sure he was going to kill her mother, but never did. It was a sick affair, but as of late he had disappeared, and she wasn't quite sure if that was a good or a bad thing.
She blinked as he spoke up and apologized to her about making her uncomfortable, and she gave him a fond smile, the tension in her shoulders relaxing. "It's fine, I just have a few quirks that keep me on my toes," she said, choosing not to elaborate on those 'quirks'. She reached for her bottle of mead and finished off the last of the liquid that remained, and smacked her lips softly in satisfaction before her gaze slid back over to Ares. "Is castle life really that bland that you have to sneak off into the farthest reaches of town for a drink? Because I'm sure servants could fetch you whatever you wanted without you having to lift much of a finger." She ran her fingers through her wavy hair for a moment to get out a small tangle, before propping her elbow up against the table to allow her slender arm to support her head up by her chin, peering at the prince with curiosity. She often wondered what it would be like to be catered to, though she figured she had some taste of it. She had to constantly ask help to carry things, or do something for her since she hadn't the physical strength. Her mother and father were both finely muscled strong people, but obviously none of that passed to her. For a moment she covered her mouth with her elbow and coughed, feeling the dampness lungs in her from her trip in the wet of the outdoors earlier. She would have to make another trip to the doctors soon.
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Post by ~Snowy on Feb 18, 2013 3:44:30 GMT -5
[atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,false][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,450,true]Ares
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[/font][/color] - what should a settle for? === - It would seem that for the first time in this day, ares' luck was turning around for the better. he'd yet to be caught by his father's guards, he wasn't being chased by hordes of man-eaters and gold-diggers, and he was sitting in his favorite hiding place in the entire kingdom speaking with a young woman who was not only proving to be wonderful company but also a trustworthy friend as well. yes, he did consider miss roulette his newest friend, even though they had only just shared names a minute ago; ares trusted roulette, and that was all he needed any day to call her friend. and with that title came all the perks of being a friend to the prince brought with it; loyalty, trust beyond measure, a shoulder to cry on when tragedy struck, an ear to be given when the need to be outspoken in any way came on, and an advice giver when times became trying. friends such as that were few and far between, and even rarer for one of ares' status to find; even amongst the court, the crowds, the only friends he'd had for the longest were his family and even that was questionable in some respects. his father loved him unconditionally and had always been there for him, his brother was his best friend and most trusted confidant with matters of trivial standing, and angel was always on his mind wherever he was at some point, and for a while, he'd even had a mother he could love and call his own, a woman who, despite not being his blood relative, had loved and cared for and treated him just like he was hers... now she was gone, and there was a gaping hole in his heart left behind, where something that had once been there had suddenly been ripped away and lost. ares had known what a mother was like for a while, before his birth mother had dumped him off on his father and never looked back, and losing haunted was much worse than that...
surrounded by such family, it was surprising one could get lonely, but with his father always busy with matters of the court, and saber now completely lovestruck by lady scarlette and busy helping to plan their upcoming marriage, the only one ares had left to speak to was angel, and while she was very affectionate and loving and a wonderful listener... someone who had yet to speak their first words didn't make for a great conversationalist. that loneliness, which was now even more intensified, was one reason why when his father called both him and saber to his chambers one month earlier to tell them of his plans for arranging their marriages, he had been admittedly a little excited. he had assumed naively that the women coming would be friendly enough to talk to, perhaps even form friendships with, people he could talk to openly when no one else in the castle would have the time and maybe find someone he could settle down with... then the hordes came and all excitement fled from him and all he wanted to do was escape with his limbs in tact. this lady roulette was truly a breath of fresh air for ares in that respect. although, he was more than a little concerned by her physical appearance; her rail thin form wasn't natural, nor did it signal a truly healthy condition. she might not be sickly or anything, but he'd no doubt she probably got sick often. the rainy weather the village had had today would only irritate and increase such threats to one's physical health as well; he knew because he was never allowed outside on rainy days when he was younger because of his sickly condition. yes, young and strong ares had once been as rail thin and sickly as the young woman at his side; it had been the reason his mother hadn't wanted him, and the reason he had ended up in his father's kingdom instead. had he been born strong and healthy, he would never have met his father or family at all. he'd grown out of it though, but it had been touch and go a few times... and he remembered each horrific time it had been.
a sudden feeling of protectiveness for roulette overcame ares then, the need to shield her from the horrors that the world had to give and the threats that would be raised against her health. it was nothing new for him, neither the feeling itself, nor the ferocity of it; it was nothing new for him or his family line, and he accepted it easily, not even flinching from the rush as he felt roulette's gaze turn completely towards him after she had finished her mead, a fond smile crossing her lips at his apology. 'it's fine, i just have a few quirks that keep me on my toes.' his shoulders relaxed slightly at that, the knowledge that he'd not offended her a true relief, and ofter he smirk in return, more of a smile than a true smirk though, his crystalline eyes sparkling in understanding. such 'quirks' as that were always good to have, kept one's guard up; ares himself had a few he liked to employ around less unsavory persons, like the filth that was still demanding drinks from the tender in the corner. she didn't detail those quirks, but he cared not; he didn't go giving out his secrets either. 'is castle life really that bland that you have to sneak off into the farthest reaches of town for a drink? because i'm sure servants could fetch you whatever you wanted without you having to lift much of a finger.' as she ran her fingers through her exotic hair and propped her chin her hand, ares merely chuckled mirthfully at the thought of castle life being 'bland'. these days, 'bland' was a moot word. not at all, rather i'm sneaking out because i'm in search of peace and some safety; yesterday the hordes got into the hallways. i actually had to barricade myself in my chambers to keep them out, although i left saber out there banging on the door. i honestly thought he was right behind me. yeah, saber had not been a happy camper after that. while saber had chosen his bride already, that didn't stop some from still trying their luck. when ares had left his brother to the lionesses, half of them had actually picked him up and carried him off while he called out for help. ares hadn't budged, but he had his reasons - saber had a bride, ares didn't - ares was the fresh meat, and brother or no, he wasn't opening that door for nothing; saber had been left on his own.
the guards and scarlette and jedi had found saber before anything bad had happened and managed to rescue him from the mobs, although his clothes and robes had to be repaired and he was nursing some bruises with some ice... and as of now was still not speaking to ares for his 'betrayal'. but he'd get over it. they'd had fights like these before and they never lasted. concern suddenly flooded his features as roulette let out a harsh cough into her elbow, icy eyes widening slightly before he reached into his tunic without a second thought. because of his bouts with illness himself, his father had enforced a rule that he was to carry some prepared herbs around; they wouldn't cure anything serious, but they could keep things from getting too serious. mr. able, can i please have some boiled water and a spoon? he asked the tender, who had by now returned to the bar from serving the drunkard, and was responded to with a polite 'yes, sir' and nod from the man. seconds later, a tankard of boiled water sat before the prince, who then placed the herbs into the steaming liquid and stirred them in, letting them soak a moment before handing the tankard to roulette. here, breathe in the steam; the aroma from the herbs should help dry your lungs. he explained kindly, reciting the exact words the castle doctor had told him all those years ago, when the then seven year old prince had been confined to bed with a cough because he had decided to play in the rain despite his father forbidding it. as his hands left the tankard, he reached up to place the back of his hand to her forehead, blue eyes narrowing in concentration as he searched for a heat that shouldn't be there. thankfully, his search ended up fruitless, and a relieved look came over his features before he let his hand fall back to the counter.
perhaps he shouldn't have done that, but his protectiveness over roulette had overtaken any thought he'd had against the idea. he didn't need the herbs anyway, he'd gotten to the tavern before the rain had started and was healthy enough to walk through the murky conditions outside without getting ill, and he'd rather not have his friend suffer in any way. so for the next few moments, he merely kept silent, watching over her concernedly as he waited for the herbs to do their job. he also might've explained, but as he began to open his mouth to do so, a sudden movement caught his peripheral vision, and without thinking he moved quicker than lightning; his arms came around roulette's body carefully but quickly and he snatched her from her seat just as a deafening drunken roar sounded and a chair slammed into where they'd been sitting just a mere second ago, wood splintering in all directions as the furniture shattered on impact. crystal eyes went wide at the sight as he cradled roulette's frail form to his chest protectively, his gaze searching for mr. able quickly to find him hiding behind the counter before his gaze turned violent and twisted to where the drunkard now stood, panting heavily and returning ares' glare with as much venom as he could muster, his glazed gaze pointed directly on the prince. roulette, get behind the counter with mr. able. his voice was soft, but the intent in it was clear as he released roulette and walked over to where the drunkard was, a scowl painted on his face and rage burning in his eyes. you shouldn't have done that, filth. if you wanted me you could've just said so, but instead you put my friends in danger with that little stunt, and that's something i can't forgive. the prince hissed, his arms crossed tightly over his chest in an attempt to restrain himself from just whaling on this meat bag, fists clenched so hard his knuckles were turning sheet white. i don't like fighting, so i'm giving you one. last. chance. get out and don't come back. the man heard the warning, but refused to heed it, and the fight was on.
the drunkard roared again and charged ares, throwing a table out of his path in his rage as he stampeded for ares like a bull towards a matador. and like a matador, ares merely sidestepped and let the man trip over his own feet, face planting in to the wooden floor of the tavern before bouncing back up again and flinging a punch at ares' general direction. again, ares dodged, moving his upper body out of the way of the punch, and then repeating the motion with the next one to come after that. after a few more attempts at punching, the drunkard leaped for ares instead, only to crash into a few tables as ares flung himself to the side. like before, the drunkard once again got back up, and tried to focus on where ares was; this time however, ares moved quicker. in one move, the prince had slammed his elbow into the man's gut with great force, causing the man to hunch over in pain, before slamming his elbow into his back just as hard to knock whatever air was still in his lungs out. the drunkard fell to the floor with a thud, but didn't pass out, rather struggling to regain his breath and get back to his feet. ares didn't wait that long, and instead grabbed the filth by the back of his tunic with with a firm hand. i gave you a chance, and you didn't take it. now, i'm going to make you leave. with that, he forced the man onto his feet and literally drug him to the tavern door, thrusting him forward and kicking him out with a harsh foot to his backside. he didn't turn around to see if the drunkard got back up, rather turning around and rushing to the counter to check on mr. able and roulette. everyone okay? he asked, rage melting into concern almost immediately as he leaned over the counter. he dearly hoped they were unharmed... both for their sakes and that drunkard's sake. [/size][/blockquote][/color][/td][/tr][/table][/center] |
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Post by L Y N X ! on Feb 19, 2013 1:49:29 GMT -5
To say that she was surprised by Ares would be an understatement, to say it in the least. Although the royals from the castle on high had the reputation of the gods, she still always felt that it may be a bunch of bogus and they paid people to spread that sort of praise around. The country was floating on money, so who could say that they were above that sort of thing to keep people quiet? But as it turned out the man beside her was about everything that everyone had ever said about him. He was very kind and friendly to her, unlike much what she would expect from anyone with power. Some of the neighboring kingdoms weren't as lucky as they were; ruled by lies and deceit, the citizens were far less happy than those who lived here. Although many other countries envied them, no one dared start a war with King Jedi- it would be suicide once the forces were rallied to war, which was why the country had been living in a comfortable peace for years since Jedi took over. Years beforehand- not as well. She wasn't alive during that time, but it wasn't the greatest to say the least. But under this breed of rulers, the country had repaired itself and become flourishing with prosperity and happiness.
The continued peace was probably why it was announced to the kingdom that it was about high time that the princes found wives. She could understand the king's reasons to choose from the common rabble than to have an arranged marriage with one of the other kingdoms. If relations got bad, there would be nothing they could do, since the prince would be married to one of the princesses of that country. It would be a huge mess if things were to go wrong. She was surprised to hear that the granddaughter of Lassan was announced to be Saber's bride; did he even know who she was before he decided that he was going to marry her? It was both annoying and amusing that foreigners were pegging for the princes' attentions; what part of citizens didn't the announcement state? But there would always be rule breakers, and there would no doubt be women from the surrounding countries trying to get their hook in the bachelors to marry them. She felt bad for Ares; now that Saber was unavailable, he has become the main target, though she doubted some women would quit trying to take Saber from Scarrlette.
She had a hint at what the princes may of had to deal with, and still deal with. The business at her mother's shop had increased tenfold, with a bunch of younger, and occasionally older women coming in to order a gown that would set them apart from the crowd. Making a 'unique' dress for several dozens of women in a few weeks time was stressful to say at the least, and considering that a lot of the women had it set in their heads that they were going to be married to royalty, they began to act like Prima Donas that needed to be waited on every moment of the day. Most of the times she wanted to strangle them, but she restrained herself, which was why she had to mostly deal with the customers directly while her mother did the seamstress duties; more than a few of the girls that came into the shop would have been dead if her mother got a hold of them. Perhaps the motions of sewing calmed her down, but since she set up shop she noticed her mother wasn't having psychotic reactions as much anymore. She was still as mean as a shrew to most and very sadistic, but more apt to act normal. Guess it was better than nothing.
She gave an amused smirk towards him as he told her about escaping the hoards of women that were invading the castle daily. She could only imagine the chaos that he had to endure from the women who constantly pegged for their attentions like a bunch of rabid wolves. She felt a great load of sympathy for them indeed. When she coughed into her arm, she looked up and was surprised to find Ares procuring a bottle of herbs from his clothing, easily recognizing the mixture since it was something that her doctor would prescribe to her this time of year. She remained silent as he asked the bartender for boiling water, already knowing the drill of how the herbs would work for her. She smiled warmly to Ares though, watching him stir the herbs together in the roasting water. "Thank you, you didn't have to do that," she told him, her eyes studying his face before she turned to breath in the steam of the mixture. She held it in her lungs for a moment before releasing the deep breath she had taken, already beginning to feel the cough leaving her throat. Her eyes shifted to him as he placed his hand on her forehead, tensing but not pulling away from his hand. She opened her mouth to begin to speak, but she froze when she saw the drunk making his way over to them.
She made a noise of surprise as Ares suddenly grabbed her waist and pulled her from the table, and looked with horror as a chair crashed down right where they were previously sitting. Dear god, what was wrong with this man? She looked at the drunk as she backed off slightly before scrambling behind the counter to stand behind the bartender, wary of what she knew was about to occur. She recognized the look in the drunk's eyes- he was going to fight, and it was a look that her parents wore well when they saw each other. She swallowed nervously, turning her gaze away from the violence that soon occurred, feeling that watching it would bring back some bad memories if she did look. Once she heard the door finally open, she looked up, watching Ares boot the man out the door and into the mud. She nodded as he returned inside and came up to the counter, still a bit shaken that a chair almost came crashing down on her. That guy must have been really pissed.
She looked up as the tavern door opened up again, tensing as she expected the drunk to come flopping back in again for a second round, but instead she recognized the horse symbol on the armor of the pair of men that entered, and knew that Ares had been discovered by the guards. They might have come in for a dispute, but she knew that they had spotted the prince that was leaning across the counter. "Looks like you have company, Ares.."
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Post by ~Snowy on Jun 5, 2013 22:45:51 GMT -5
[atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,false][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,450,true]Ares
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[/font][/color] - there is no cure! === - As both mr. able and roulette stood up from behind the counter, ares felt himself heave a great sigh of relief, his hand clenching his chest in an attempt to calm down his raging heart as he took comfort in the fact that neither seemed injured. had even one hair on their of their heads been out of place, neither hell nor high water could've stopped ares from gutting the drunkard right in the middle of street for all to see. forgiveness and trust came easily to the royal family, yes, but there was only so much one could forgive and few things that no amount of penance could atone for. each member had their lines that never could be crossed, and the lowlife had been dangerously dancing along one of ares' for those few minutes. slowly as not to stumble on his own adrenaline high legs, ares made to come around the counter and join them, but the sudden sound of the tavern doors flinging wide had his icy gaze flying back around and his body tensing up for action. sadly, what came in through that door was not the drunkard... and honestly ares would've preferred it to have been. for there, gleaming in pristine armor forged of some of the strongest materials known to man were guards of the royal court, the banner of king jedi himself proudly symbolized upon their breastplates in the form of a rearing white stallion set against a background in the shape of a glowing sun. they'd probably noticed the ruckus and came to see what the problem was... but now instead they were staring straight at him. 'looks like you have company, ares.' came roulette's voice, and ares barely managed to choke back a humored, nervous laugh. company indeed...
tension filled his form once more as the two knights shook off their surprise at finding their prince here of all places and sprang into action, one blocking the entrance, while the other attempted to step closer. 'prince ares, by order of the king, you are to return to the palace immediately! you can either agree to come quietly under escort, or we shall use the permission given to us by his highness and cart you back ourselves.' honestly, neither choice of the ultimatum sounded particularly fun to ares. going back willingly to the hordes? not a chance! being carted back in an undignified manner... yeah, not gonna fly either. that only left one choice really then. a spark of mischief entered the young man's eye as he let the tension flow from his muscles, bringing himself to sit upon the edge of the counter, a wily smirk crossing his features as he stared down his father's men. hmm... go quietly, or be dragged back kicking and screaming? huh... let me think about- no. and with that he flipped his leg up and over the counter just in time to avoid being grabbed, landing right in-between roulette and mr. able before turning to the tavern owner. sorry about the damage mr. able. leaning over the counter then, his hands snatched the coin purse upon the then floundering knight's belt before tossing it gently into the stunned tavern owner's hands. this should cover it. i'd love to stick around and help clean up the mess, but i gotta get going. then turning towards roulette, he gently grabbed her arm, and that cursed twinkle in his eye now became a shining beacon that screamed mischief was about to go down. come on, things are about to get crazy here, so let's bail! he laughed softly, taking her frail hand in his before moving towards the back entrance of the tavern.
slamming the door open just as he heard the knights' call back for him, ares lifted two fingers from his free hand to his mouth and released a shrill whistle. almost immediately, a shrill neigh answered his call, and his steed, a young stallion he called nune, appeared before him, nuzzling into his hand and sniffing his tunic for treats. horses, both wild and tamed, were well known in the country, a symbol of its wealth and power. the stallions were said to be faster than the wind, and the mares completely fearless even in the face of overwhelming danger. the royal family's horses were especially well known, as each member literally grew up with theirs, and each had their own attribute. jedi's was a powerful and glorious beast, who's towering white presence brought awe and respect from every on-looker, and not even a draft breed could pull as heavy a load as saber's young colt. but as for nune - it was said that no horse ran faster or smoother in the land. a perfect getaway. turning to roulette, ares flashed her a smile that was three fourths mischief and one part apologetic before grabbing her waste and lifting her fluidly upon the stallion's saddle-less back, leaping upon next once he was sure she wouldn't fall. i'd ask if you'd ever ridden before, but nune here isn't like other horses. he said, and he meant it. it didn't matter how much experience one had riding, it was a completely different experience upon nune's back than any other horse. hearing the clatter of the knights' armors, ares took hold of nune's mane. hold on tight! he warned roulette before nudging nune's ribs with his heels. at that lightest of touches, nune took off, racing around the corner of the tavern and onto the rain slicked cobblestone street.
racing down the street at incredible speed, ares navigated nune through the turns and twists with pinpoint accuracy, slight nudges being all the stallion needed to know where his master wished him to go. already though, they faced obstacles at every turn. word had gotten out that the prince had been spotted, and knights were beginning to crowd the streets and exits. once, a pair of knights even tried to block the path with an overturned cart - nune hadn't even hesitated before leaping over the annoyance and continuing his mad dash without slowing down, running off into the nearby forest just outside the town limits. now, without the buildings and closed spaces to use for barricade attempts, all the knights had were their own horses, and even without all the saddles and armory that adorned the beasts, none could match nune in a race of pure speed. within moments, ares had lost them, and carefully he slowed his steed down to come to a stop beside a great oak. heh, that was an adventure. ares chuckled softly before turning to check on his passenger. you okay? he asked. [/size][/blockquote][/color][/td][/tr][/table][/center] |
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Post by L Y N X ! on Feb 9, 2014 19:49:58 GMT -5
Roulette's titian eyes were full of both amusement and uncertainty as she watched the guards slowly approach the prince. The look on his face told her that he was not going to comply with whatever they asked, and she couldn't blame him. It could just be her aversion to men - or other people in general- that caused her hesitation, but she would hate to be trapped like he was. She knew the king had good intentions in mind, but how could he possibly think that the princes could find a wife among such thirsty women? How did he know that they didn't have bad intentions in mind? Scarrlette herself seemed like a nice girl, as she had met her once before all this happened, and she knew that Saber was going to be fine with her. But what about Ares, who was like a deer among wolves? He was just as likely to fall victim to a girl who was attracted to the power than an actual nice one who cared about him. She had known him for such a brief amount time, but she couldn't help but feel protective over the prince who had been kind to her the moment he met her. She could only wish him the best, and hope that he found someone that made him happy in the end. She couldn't see herself at his side, or any one else's for that matter. Her parents' relationship had ruined any prospective one for her; what if something similar happened to her? She was better off staying with her mother and making dresses for customers. The closest she would think that she would get to a wedding would be making a bridal gown for someone. Who would want to marry someone so sick and fragile all the time? She didn't even think she would be able to have children. She would be a useless wife, and better off alone.
Her eyes widened in surprise as Ares launched himself over the counter between her and the bar tender, and she stepped to the side slightly to allow herself a bit more room. Her gaze flickered between the guards and the prince, unsure on what exactly they were going to do, and if she would be able to keep herself out of harm's way.It seemed like he had other ideas in mind, and she stared at him as his hand easily circled around her thin arm before he began to run off with her to the back of the tavern. She wasn't sure how this would be an effective method of evading the guards, and once they burst outside, she could hear their calls from inside. They had probably announced a sighting of the prince, and both women and knights would be flocking to the scene at any moment. She looked up when he whistled and received a replying whinny, and was greeted with the sight of the prince's famous stallion, Nune. He was a gorgeous horse, as all of the royal horses were. She made a soft 'oh!' as he lifted her up onto the horse's back as if she weighed nothing (which was close to true), and felt a twinge of fear. She never rode a horse before, but she trusted Ares to not let her fall off as they took off.
She had to admit, this was kind of fun. Even though at first it was a bit scary at the pace they were moving, and most things were just blurs as they galloped through the wet streets, she realized that she was safe upon the stallion's back. She couldn't help but grin and laugh as they bobbed and weaved through guards and bystanders alike, who looked quite confused as they watched them roll by. Her grin faltered as she saw the guards toss a cart in their path, and closed her eyes tightly as her stomach dropped as they sailed over it. She opened back up her eyes and glanced behind her, surprised to see a whole troop of knights on horseback running after them. They continued to run away until they left town, and left the troop far behind them once they were in the safety of the forest beyond. Once they slowed down, she relaxed, not realizing how badly she had tensed up. Once Ares spoke, she turned her head to look at him, a bright smile on her face. "That was certainly something," she said, and gave a gentle laugh. "How long until you think they'll come after you again? You can't run forever, prince," she said, a bit teasingly. Which was true; you couldn't expect a prince to hide away in the woods simply because he didn't like a bunch of attention from the women. Hell, most men would be delighted to have the chance to fulfill a bunch of conquests, though it would be risky business for a prince. You couldn't have a bunch of royal bastard children strewn about the kingdom, not that she could see Ares doing such a thing, no matter how little she knew him.
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