Perilous Waltz

[silvanis2.0]

Forrester cocked an eyebrow and glanced at Lachlan, "Lord? What a strange thing to call a man such as you."
Lachlan ground his teeth and said nothing. Bran, meanwhile, rubbed his hands together with a wolfish grin.
"All good questions! Yes, you may go home and live your lives once you accomplish this task. The weapon lies far from here, at the highest and loneliest peak of the Shrouded Mountains that separate us from our enemies. About two month's journey, I would wager. And this weapon, my dear, is one that tames legends and calls the most vicious beast to the aid of its master. It is the Tome of Renaud, the sole surviving manuscript that thoroughly details the summoning and care of this land's most fantastic creatures. There are seven in all, and all are more powerful than any militia could ever dream to be. If this kingdom held their loyalty, we would never have fear of war again."

[Ally-Ann]

The noble had no time to protest as she was thrown over the man's shoulder, and she instinctively struggled. "There no need for you to carry me as if I'm a sack of potatoes!" She snarled furiously at the man. "Unhand me, you vile, insufferable, pathetic excuse for a--" And she was suddenly dropped onto her feet, her face still blaring-red with anger. Taken aback by being let back onto her own two feet, she huffed, brushed any left-over dirt or leaves from her dress, and allowed the man to steer her down the main hall of the back of the castle. "Keep your hands off me," she snapped, her back straightened as she walked down the hall. She swatted the man's hand away-- though the cuts on her right arm and collar bone protested-- not wanting the man to touch her again. "I am a keeper of my word. There is no need to keep a steady hand on me. I'm not going to run off."

[Wolfsong]

Maxwell was quiet, then said, "And what's to stop you from using this...weapon...to try and master the world?"

Christina shook her head. "No I don't...ah, I wish Stephen were here! He'd know what to do..."
She breathed in deeply, trying to calm down. She needed to be calm. "We'd best get moving to find one then," she said. "But I don't think we dare move her...would you please try and see if you can find one? I'll try to at least make her comfortable..."

[silvanis2.0]

Brann met Maxwell's gaze and said, "The beasts will only acknowledge the ones who call them. My plan is to have you lot obtain the tome, return here, and I shall allow Princess Maev to do the honors of bringing the beasts into obedience. You have nothing to fear from me, that is, as long as you follow instructions."
He shot the Overseer a brief look. He pulled his hood closer to his face with shaking hands and bowed his head.
"Which reminds me! There has been a bit of a problem with a renegade Sneak out there. She has allowed two witnesses to escape and run off without permission. That is not only unacceptable, but jeopardizes my plans should word spread about what we are setting out to do. If, in your travels, you get wind of her, there will be money in it for you if you capture her and return her to me."
Lachlan's straightened slightly, but kept his voice casual.
"How will we know her?" he asked.
Bran smirked, "Take a good look at our friend, Forrester. She looks very like him."
The color drained from Forrester's face. Brier.
"What have you done with her?" he asked with a dangerous growl.
Brann spread his hands, "I have done nothing. It is she who ran away. She knew her mission and failed. She must be reprimanded."
Forrester's hands clenched into shaking fists. "If you so much as touch a hair on her head, I swear on my honor that I will-"
A bolt from a crossbow cut through the air and stuck in the seam between two stone bricks at his feet.
"Threatening me will not do any good," chided Brann, "I suggest that you instead focus your efforts on completing your quest. And the same goes for all of you, my champions. I will have Sneaks keeping a close eye on you in your travels. Do not think that I will be blind to you when you have left the castle grounds."
---
Brier heard echoes of familiar voices, but all was dark. Her heart thudded hard. Bran must have caught them and put them in a cell. Why else would it be so dark? But then she heard a horse whinnying. That wasn't right. Perhaps she was dreaming; if that was the case, she needed to wake up. She willed herself to move, her eyes to open, something to pull out of this dark place in her head. She felt her eyes flutter. There were figures watching her.
"Who is there?" she rasped, lifting a hand to reach for them.

[sarahleinaar]

Serephine felt bad for Brier. She would have done the same if given a chance. Will came over towards her and smiled.
"Don't worry Princess. Everything will be fine. You heard the man, find the weapon and we can go back home," he whispered encouragingly.
She shot him a look. "And who's to say we can trust him," she said a little louder then intended.
"How do we know that as soon as we find this weapon for him, that he won't have his Sneaks kill us all. Yes, we may be good fighters but somethings off Will. I don't trust this man," she whispered. He sighed.
"I never said i did either. But, what choice do we have," he asked.
Serephine sighed as well. He was right. What choice did they have? They would have to find this weapon for the man wether they liked it or not.
Only other choice, obviously by what he said about Brier, is death.

[DecooPunk]

Bertram nodded and mounted his horse riding into the city, "Pardon me." he said, catching the attention of a peasant, "Do you know of any doctors located near here?"
"There is one around the corner I believe." She said pointing.
"Thank you." Bertram replied as he rode to the building. He dismounted and knocked on the door of the building, hoping that they had not gone to the ball.
OOC: Silv should you be the doctor or what?

[Wolfsong]

"Brier?!" Christina gently put her hand on the wounded girl's shoulder, eyes brimming over from happiness. "You're still with us...stay still. Don't move, perhaps if we don't disturb the wound so much..."
She was quiet, then sighed with a sad smile. "I'm sorry, I really don't know much about injuries like this..."

Maxwell jumped when the crossbow bolt was shot, and his hands clenched in anger. Angry words threatened to escape him, and he bit his tongue hard to try and keep them in. "Right," he said finally. "So we'll find this special tome, and perhaps a renegade sneak. Sure, why not..."
His face twisted into a sneer as he turned his back to the man, walking over to Forrester to lay a hand on his shoulder. "It'll be alright," he whispered quietly so only Forrester would hear. "You tried to help me protect my sister. I'll try and do the same for your Brier, whatever her relationship to you." He smiled at Forrester. Then, on a sudden thought, he turned back to Brann, his face neutral. "By the way, if you may tell us, my lord, who were the two witnesses that escaped? Are they not as much a liability as the Sneak?"

[silvanis2.0]

OOC: This could offer a fun situation. I'll take the doctor role.
An old wizened fellow opened the door and squinted at Bertram through a pair of very thick glasses.
"Hello, my lad. What brings you to my door?"
---
Brier's eyes shot open at Christina's voice and she attempted fruitlessly to lever herself into a sitting position. She tried to shake away the throbbing in her head and hand.
"Wh-what are you doing here? You must leave at once! If you are seen-"
She looked around. They had traveled quite a distance down the road to the castle. It was safer than the castle grounds, but it was very likely that they were being watched even as she lay in the ditch.
"I will be fine after I get some food in me. Let us leave from this place. My master is sure to have Sneaks roaming the streets looking for us," she said with a groan as she finally was able to sit up.
---
Forrester nodded curtly to Maxwell though he kept his gaze on Brann.
"Thank you, my friend."
Brann's face suddenly turned stony, "One Sir Bertram and Lady Christina. You will not have to worry about them. If I know Brier as I think I do, she will be trying to protect them and will not keep them far from her. My Sneaks will find them and bring them here. We have spent enough time chattering, my friends. Doubtless you are tired and there is quite a journey ahead of you in the morning. Dear Overseer, please show them to their rooms."
The Overseer wordlessly ushered the group out of the main hall and into the west wing with the help of several armed Sneaks. Forrester and Maxwell were given a room together, as were Will, Orion, and Lachlan. Josephine, and Serephina were also given a room together, and Stephania, and Erin. Each room was comfortably furnished with a large bed for each guest, basins of water, a small fireplace, and trunks full of clothes to choose from. The doors were locked from the outside and Sneaks could be heard patrolling the corridors.
Forrester slammed a fist against the door and muttered an oath under his breath. After a moment, he turned to face Maxwell.
"I suppose that all we can do is pray that our sisters are safe."
---
Lachlan cursed his luck. Here he was, locked in a room with one of the king's own knights and a body guard from another kingdom while he carried a bag full of stolen goods. He pulled back the sheets of one of the beds and shoved Stephania's pack under the pillow. He looked up at his roommates.
"I suppose neither one of you feels up to fighting a slew of Sneaks tonight," he said, fidgeting with his fingers.

[sarahleinaar]

-- Serephine --
Serephine was put in a room with one of the other girls. The poor girl looked not even 17 years old. Only a few years younger than herself.
"Hello, I'm Serephine, what is your name," she asked with a kind smile.

-- William --
Will sat on one of the beds and shot a glance at Lachlan. "What exactly are you thinking," he asked.

[Wolfsong]

"But we can't go yet!" Christina said. "Betram's getting doctor...you really shouldn't be moving..." She supported Brier as she sat, looking worried. "I'm scared, Brier. Don't die on me, please..."

Maxwell stiffened like someone had thrown a bucket of cold water over his head. he didn't notice when the sneaks arrived to take them to their rooms, and he had to be led there by the shoulder. When they were left alone in the room, he fell back against the wall and slid down till he landed on his rump.
"And you thought she was safe," his thoughts mocked him. "She's in greater danger than she would have been down in the dungeons with you!"
"Your sister, huh," Max said dully. "Man, I'm feeling a right fool."
He stood suddenly, eyes blazing. He walked over to the door and tried it, it was locked. "Dang it!" He slammed his fist into the wall, shaking from emotion. "Sure, its fancied up, but its still a prison. One made of silk and gold but still a stinking bloody prison!!"

OOC- Silvanis, is there a window?

[silvanis2.0]

Lachlan shrugged, "I am fairly certain that I can work the lock, but we are more than outnumbered. I know that both of you are well trained, but am not sure if we would make it out alive, to be honest."
---
Brier used her horse's reins to pull herself up.
"There is no time! We can meet him in town. I can promise you that I am not going to leave you. I've done far too much to put you in danger without making it right. Please, get on your horse."
Brier was all too aware of the spots clouding her vision and her sense of hearing fading, but leaving Christina to wait for Bertram was not an option. She pulled herself with numb hands onto her horse and clumsily tied her good hand to the metal loops of her saddle with one of the reins. An arrow suddenly whizzed by her ear.
Brier's knees instinctively pressed into her horse's sides, "Fly! Now!"
---
Forrester sat on one of the beds and put his head in his hands for a few moments before springing to his feet and pacing, muttering things like, "reckless" and "unreasonable". He looked around the room. The door was heavy and wooden. Every inch of it was stone brick and undoubtedly thick, save for several very small windows that were placed too high on the wall to reach. He went to the door and heard to the Sneaks gossip about their victories during the night. Anything that he and Maxwell had a chance to think up might be heard. Carefully, he made his way to the fireplace and picked up a piece of charred wood and waved Maxwell over.
Any ideas? he scrawled on the floor with the burnt wood.

[DecooPunk]

"You must come quickly!" Bertram said anxiously, remembering that Christina and her friend were being chased when he had found them, "A young woman's been hurt, I'm not sure how bad. She's been stabbed through the hand though. You must hurry!"

[silvanis2.0]

"Oh dear," said the old doctor, and he hurried to put on his coat, "as you say, my boy. Show me where she is."
He picked up a knobbly cane that sat propped up by the door, lit a lantern, and followed Bertram.

[DecooPunk]

Bertram went to his horse, and hesitated. "Should I walk so you can keep up?" he asked the doctor. "Or do you have a horse?"

[silvanis2.0]

The old man gave a wheezing laugh.
"Do not trouble yourself, young man. I am a bit more spry than I look! There is something to be said about knowing how to take care of your body. Ride on, I will stay with you."

[DecooPunk]

Bertram nodded while mounting his horse. He rode back to the castle, looking back now and then to make sure the doctor hadn't lost him.
"Christina!" He said when he spotted them, "I've brought a doctor."

[Wolfsong]

Christina nodded reluctantly and mounted Silver, riding behind Brier. ""Do you have anywhere we can safely go?" she asked. "Perhaps we should take refuge under one of the lords. But then," she mused. "If they've infiltrated the kingdom, I doubt we'll be really safe...we'll have to flee the kingdom, won't we?" That thought filled her with sadness, for it meant she would not see either of her brothers again for a long time.
She rode up alongside Brier, saying, "But you need some sort of doctoring, whatever we chose to do." She bent down carefully, tearing off a part of her dress. It was tattered from running through those hedges anyway, so it wasn't like she was ruining a fresh dress. She smiled brightly at Brier, telling herself, "Okay, this is a bad situation, but I don't have to be glum about it. besides, if I remember everything my brothers taught me, then its not like they're gone."
"This will have to do," she said, bringing her horse as close as she dared, then leaned over and set to work, talking quietly. "You know, you do look a lot like Forrester. Are you two siblings? Forrester reminds me a little of Stephen, so calm. But Maxwell is more of a wilder spirit, and he loves having fun. Once, he tried to test a theory of his with a prank, which he talked me into doing with him. We played that we were an eloping couple escaping from a cruel old uncle, and we begged the families of the nobles and other such people we passed for help. Forbidden love seems to bring the sentiment in people to the surface, and we received a lot of sympathy and stuff, like food. We meant to double back before night, but Max wanted to see if our 'predicament' could convince people to let us stay a night. It did, but that was when my father's guards finally caught up with us. We were amazed when the lord of the estate was even willing to fight to defend 'our honor', which led to a lot of difficulties before the captain of father's men could explain. Max and I laughed so hard when the lord learned we were actually siblings out causing mischief. We were punished, for course, and we did promise never to do it again, but we did prove that sentimentality makes people do funny things." She giggled. "Now call me mature." She glanced up at Brier's face, then smiled. "There. I knew that would make you smile. And I'm done." She straightened, and saw Bertam coming. "That's wonderful!" she said. "Brier wasn't willing to listen to me..."

Max was quiet, then walked over, grabbing a piece.
I could reach that window, if we could just push enough stuff under it without getting caught. I did this sort of thing with Christina once, back when we were little. We got stuck in one of the sheds. I don't know that I could still fit through a window that small, but it could be worth a shot. Or, if you're up for a fight, we could try to make for ourselves some weapons. If you can find me a wire, I'll unlock the door.
He sighed, shaking his head. This all felt so stupid and worthless, but at least it beat doing nothing.

[silvanis2.0]

Brier smirked at Christina and stopped only to help the old doctor onto her horse.
"You are going to be a handful, m'lady," she teased when she caught up with her friends, "and to answer your question, Forrester is my older brother, by about twelve minutes. Bertram, thank you for finding a doctor. I am in your debt. Now, I know of an old barn on the estate of one of the missing noble families. Until we can break into their home, we may have to stay there."
The doctor piped up behind her, "What are you running from in such haste? I can heal you, but I do not want to get into any trouble with anyone."
"Do not worry, sir, you will be paid over your usual fee for your efforts and sent home safely. We just need to find a safe place to hide first."
"And you tell me not to worry," he huffed, adjusting the glasses that were slipping down his nose.
Another arrow flew just over Christina's shoulder. There was only one Sneak capable of such speed, and Brier grimaced at the thought of what he would do with his hidden blades if he caught up to them.

Forrester nodded and wrote, I can lift most of the furniture in this room without making too much noise. If we can find a wire, we will use it as a secondary plan. Does that sound good to you?

[Davidizer13]

Stephania paced back and forth, hardly acknowledging her roommate. She had been driven to near-madness by the wild events surrounding her, their captor/benefactor's great mission and the strong implication she must complete it, her repeated imprisonments in the last couple hours, losing everything she had brought with her save the dress on her back, and she was convinced that worse was to come in the future. She was strongly inclined to find this book, if only to get out of the mess she was in. Maybe she could escape back home instead of going to the ends of the earth - but the "sneaks," would they pursue her there? This man didn't seem like the kind to give up on his targets.

Looking up and down in the room, she searched for a way out, some sort of escape route. The door was locked, the window was several stories up, and any other escape route was not obvious to her. Finally, she lay back on the bed provided, stretching back as her body sinking into the cushy blankets, unlike anything she had ever slept on before. Above her, the candles in the room cast flickering gray shadows on the ceiling, as her brain worked furiously, trying in vain to find a solution.

She rolled over on the bed to face the other woman in the room. The girl was around her age, maybe about her height, bright red hair. Whoever she was, though, she was definitely no coddled noble. "Who are you?" she asked, too overwhelmed for niceties.

[Wolfsong]

Christina jumped when the arrow flew past her face. She glanced back, though she didn't see anything. "Lets get moving," she said quietly.

Max nodded. Lets do it.

OOC- man, this is short...sorry. man, how often are my posts this short?

[silvanis2.0]

Brier led the group into town and then took a very convoluted path to the empty estate, hoping that it would throw the attacker off of their trail. He was one of the most dangerous at her master's disposal and she knew that she could not defend her friends from him. Fortunately, the estate's fields were dead and could offer no cover for the Sneak. That made Brier feel a little safer when they reached the tithe barn. The big doors were locked, but they were not above Brier's lock picking skills. Inside were large piles of stale oats and wilted sheaves of wheat, but little else. It would do for a bed at least. Once she was certain that the entire party, horses included, was inside, she untied herself from the saddle and closed the doors... barely. Whatever strength was left in her body's reserves was nearly gone.
The doctor finally stepped in and made her sit, focusing on her still-oozing hand first. When he hand cleaned it and wrapped it, he took a skin of water from his bag and had her drink it.
"I am amazed that you are still able to stand," he said as she drank, "with the amount of blood that you lost, you should never have woken up. It is well that your friend was able to stall you as long as she did and the young master found me. Were it not for them, you would die within the hour."
He gave an appreciative nod to Christina and Bertram.
"It is probably of little use to tell you to rest for a few days," he smiled.
"If we had more time, I would obey your orders," said Brier, "but as you say, I do owe these two my life. If we stay still too long, I will fail to preserve theirs."
"It seems, then, that I will simply have to come along with you, young lady Caldwell."
Brier stiffened, "How do you know me, sir?"
"I know your father well, and I was there when you and your brother were born. That is all I will say for now, but I swear on my honor as a doctor that you may put your trust in me. If I ever step wrong, you may feed me to whoever it is that chases you. Speaking of food, have you any?"
Brier frowned and shook her head. The old man waved a dismissive hand.
"No matter," he said as he pulled another water skin from his bag and gestured to the piles of oats, "we shall have porridge tonight."
---
Forrester began with the largest pieces of furniture first, moving one of the beds a little at a time so as not to alert the guards outside. He tried to formulate a means of reaching the windows with the height of only two beds, an end table, and a large trunk to work with.
"I wonder how far we will travel for this tome," he said conversationally, in case the guards were listening.
He used the burnt wood to write, How is your balance? We may need to be creative.
---
Lachlan sighed, picked up the bag beneath his pillow, and strode to the door. He rapped on it and called to the guards outside, "May I send my bag to lady Stephania? You may search it. There is nothing in it that any of us may use to escape."
The door creaked open and he was met with the blade of a sword.
"Set the bag on the floor and we shall bring it to her room," said one of the hooded ones.
He did as he was told and slid the bag toward the obscured man with his foot.
"All that is within the bag is hers. There is enough money and jewelry in it to stay well dressed and comfortable for a week. If you steal so much as a copper, she will know and she will tell me. I am sure that your master does not take kindly to thievery."
The man took the bag with a curt nod and shut the door. Lachlan heard him rifle through the coin purses and jewelry, and then open a door somewhere down the hall.
"Lady Stephania? I was told to deliver this to you."
Lachlan sighed. Hopefully she had enough sense to keep quiet about the contents of the bag until he could talk to her. It was better in her hands than under the noses of his current roommates.

OOC: Not to worry, Wolfsong. It is quite a rarity with you

[sarahleinaar]

William sighed and laid down on his bed. "Honestly, I think we should find this weapon. It only seems like the best way to go. Yes, we all may be great fighters but these "sneaks" are quite powerful themselves. Plus, I don't want any harm to come to Serephine, and I'm sure you guys don't want any harm to your company as well. The best way to protect them is when we are all together, which will only happen if we get that weapon," he said.

[Wolfsong]

OOC- I'm so wordy usually...

Christina smiled faintly at the doctor's words, though it occurred to her that if he was to travel with them, she needed to know his name.
"Porridge sounds alright," she said with a smile. "I'm not picky. I'll help you if I can, just tell me what to do."
She was quiet, then glanced at the tattered remains of her dress. "We'll probably need to find some new clothes," she murmured. "And if we're on the run, then they'll need to be something a little more...well, not so colorful or flimsy, I suppose." She smiled, walking over to squeeze Brier's hand before turning to the doctor. "I'm Christina Sereas. What's your name, good sir?"

Maxwell helped Forrester where he could, wincing at the slightest sound. The realization that what he was planning was not just a simple prank, that his life, his sister's, and Forrester's lives could depend on it, made him alert to the slightest noise or movement. He was tense, despite his best efforts to relax. When Forrester spoke, he jumped slightly, then grinned. "I'll just pretend this is a prank," he decided. "Except...with Stephen instead of Christina. Of course, that wouldn't happen in a million years, but...."
"Probably days," he replied, helping stack on the end table. "If the tome even exists in the first place." He shook his head. "But it beats staying at home doing nothing I guess..."
My balance is good. Has to be, considering that I do things like this a lot.
He considered the stack a moment, then adjusted the trunk so that it was a little more under the window. He grinned at Forrester. "And I believe this will be my first time traveling." He grinned wider. "When we ride out, would you like to go out first? Age before beauty, after all." Trying not to laugh, he motioned to the window.

[silvanis2.0]

"A wise plan, m'lord," agreed Lachlan distractedly, removing his ear from the door and returning to his bed.
He folded his hands behind his head and stared up at the ceiling for a good while. What had he to lose in this quest? It was not as if he had family to go home to, and if all that Brann had said was true, he'd wind up a hero and perhaps be able to put his thieving habits aside for good. But did he want to? When it really came down to it, wasn't it all about the thrill of stealing anyway? Perhaps he was looking at this all wrong. Perhaps he ought to be planning a means of stealing the tome for himself. It would fetch him an estate full of pretty pennies to be sure! He grinned to himself at the prospect.
---
"An honor, m'lady," said the old doctor with a grin as he retrieved a few handfuls of oats and put them into a decorative pot he had found hanging on the wall, "for some reason that name rings a bell somehow. Heh, I am Herbert Lennox, but my friends usually call me Lenny. As for your clothes, well, I am not sure we will have much luck finding any here... Now, if you could put together some wheat, Christina, dear, we can get a bit of a fire going."
"We will not stay long in the kingdom," Brier said, standing to unsaddle her horse, "I am sure that we will find clothing shops in our travels."
"Doubtless we will. Sit down, Brier. Your horse can stand to carry a saddle until you've gotten some food in you."
Begrudgingly, Brier gave her horse a pat on the nose and returned to where she had been sitting.
---
Forrester gave Maxwell a conspiratorial wink and tied together what bedding that he could remove. Once that was done, he began to climb. When he reached the top of the teetering pile of furniture, he braced himself to give Maxwell a boost.
"As it is your first time, I would not dream of taking away the feeling of being the first on the road at the start of an adventure. There truly is nothing like it."
The stack was still woefully short of being able to reach the window, but Forrester had a good amount of faith in his friend's abilities. One good throw would land Maxwell at the windowsill, and from there Forrester could climb up the makeshift rope of bedding.

[Wolfsong]

Maxwell grinned at Forrester as he started climbing. "Quite nice of you, but I see what your game is. If I'm the first one out, then I'll take the brunt of any trouble we run into." He stepped over to Forrester, grinning. "Tell you what. We'll ride out together. You take left and I'll go right."
He jumped as Forrester gave him that boost, grabbing at the windowsill. He hung there a moment, measuring the size of the window. Satisfied, he climbed in and gave Forrester a thumbs-up. He glanced out the window, wincing.
"That's gonna be one heck of a fall," he thought. He turned to Forrester. "These sheets really are comfortable," he said, holding out his hand to Forrester. "Almost wish we could take them along...they're pretty sturdy too." He sighed. "But I'm gonna have to learn to live without, I suppose..."

"Alright Lenny," Christina said, smiling. As she set to work, she asked, "Brier, that one chasing us...how long do you think it'll be till he catches up with us?"
The fire blazed merrily. She watched it, smiling, mentally thanking Stephen for teaching her to do things like this.

[silvanis2.0]

Forrester tossed the rope of bedding up to Maxwell, climbed it, and managed to swing up to the window to the right of him. It would be quite a squeeze for him to get through.
"It is a pity to leave such nice sheets behind," he agreed, "and I am sure we will not see a proper bed for a long while. Then there's the whole business of taking shifts for keeping watch and such. I am used to it, spending so much time in the field, but it is nasty work sometimes. I wish you were able to get away from all of this."
He pointed at the window and then to himself and shook his head. There was no way he would fit through so small a window with his build, but Maxwell seemed to be more svelte and flexible than he was. He certainly had a shot at it if they could devise a way to get him down safely.
---
Brier's mouth quirked into a frown.
"He is one of my master's fastest Sneaks, but he is not very skilled at tracking. Hopefully we have already lost him, but if we have not I would guess that he is already here and waiting for us outside."
"Why would he wait? Why not just attack and get it over with?" asked Lenny as he stirred oats into the water that had been heating over the fire.
"He enjoys playing games with people's heads," said Brier with a sigh, "it is part of his strategy. If he can throw an opponent off guard it is easier to best them in battle."

[DecooPunk]

Bertram shivered. He couldn't believe just today he had started out from his family's home to attend the Princess's ball. Speaking of the ball, what is going on? Why are people getting shot at? How did I get involved in this? Why, why, why did I go out into the garden?Bertram sighed, Why was he being so unchivalrous? Turning to Christina he asked "Do you have any idea what's going on?"

---

Erin flopped onto a bed in the room her and another girl were lead to. She closed her eyes, sighing. The was certainly a very odd day. "Who are you?" She heard the other girl ask. She sat up, and turned to the other girl. "I'm Erin." She said smiling, "Who are you?".

[Wolfsong]

Christina considered that, then sighed. "Sounds like a nasty man," she said to Brier. She shook her head at Bertram's question. "No, I don't. But...Brier? While we have time, what can you tell us about...whatever happened back there, and why?"

Maxwell was quiet a long moment, realizing what exactly Forrester was saying. For a long moment, he stared at the man he had come to think of as a friend. Slowly, he nodded.
"If I could, I would take you with me," he said quietly. "But I guess, sometimes, when something is truly important, we can't make our own choices. I only hope I'm making the right one."
He glanced down again. The gardens were below, and there were a few trees and things he might have a chance of landing on or grabbing hold of. Maybe if he slid to the windowsill first...
He looked at Forrester, smiling sadly. "May the heavens embrace you, whatever comes," he said, then added much more quietly, "I'll find our sisters, friend. I'll lay down my life if that's what it takes to protect them."
He took a deep breath and jumped.
Though at least he had the presence of mind to hold on to the sheet.

OOC- Oh dear...

[silvanis2.0]

OOC: Leave it to Maxwell to jump out a window ^w^

Brier studied her hands while she explained.
"I do not agree with my master's techniques, but we were in need of fighters better than ourselves. The kingdom is on the brink of war. I followed my master because he promised safety for the kingdom and its people with a weapon that nobody could take from us. There is a tome hidden away that holds the secrets to calling and mastering beasts of legend. If we could sway these beasts, we could ensure safety from war forever," she glanced up and met Christina's eyes for a brief moment before looking down at her hands again, "that was what he told us, anyway. When he spirited King Alastair and Princess Maev away, I could not support him anymore. There was too much deceit and his plans sounded more and more dangerous. It was as if he had gone mad. I changed my face and voice and tried to run once. Only once. The lashing he gave me when I was found was more than enough incentive to keep to his ranks. Even now he is preparing the people he has tested to find the tome. I would not be surprised if he put a price on our heads as well, should Clancy fail to catch us."
She rubbed her eyes with her good hand.
"I should never have gotten you tangled up in this," she said, unable to keep the quiver from her voice.
---
Forrester grasped for Maxwell's arm, but it was too late. He had already gone through the window.
"And may God protect your path as well, my friend," he said quietly, "perhaps we will meet somewhere along the way."
He carefully began to deconstruct their tower of furniture. With any luck, he'd be able to put everything back in its place before morning.

[Wolfsong]

OOC- yeah, should have seen this coming...

Christina shook her head. "It wasn't your fault, not really." She was quiet, then said, "Do you know...who all was...well, recruited?"

The sheet snapped about halfway down, so he sort of tumbled the rest of the way. He managed a breakfall, though it wasn't quite perfect, so he lay on his back for a little bit while he assessed damage. Nothing was broken, just a general soreness. He shifted into a low crouch, debating.
"I'll aim for the stables," he decided. "I'll want my horse. But first, I'll need something to blend in."
Considering this, he started moving.

OOC- I'll try to work out something better for tomorrow.