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Post by Chani {♥} on Oct 17, 2007 19:15:31 GMT -5
"Ailonwy! Hurry, daughter, we mustn't be late!" Feiniel's voice called up the stairs.
"I'm trying, Father!" Ailonwy cried back. Her arms were stretched behind her, trying to tie the back of a beautiful dress. It was the second dress her father had bought her within a couple weeks. There had been one for the festival and another now. She finally gave up trying to tie it and used magic. This one was silver. Most elves were planning to wear either green or silver to the coronation to honor Aviel and Eria alike. Ailonwy had never seen so many races besides her own in Balavan before. Despite the extremely short notice, many people from other places had gathered and the whole city had been decorated and cleaned beyond its usual tidiness.
Ailonwy's hair was tied in a braid with two silver sashes pinning it to the left of her head's back. It was slung over her shoulder. Glittery make-up had been wiped on her eyes and lips. She snatched a forest green shawl and wrapped it around her naked shoulders before lifting her skirts and rushing down the steps. Ailonwy was bare-footed, it was another Erian tradition. It was also tradition for the women to wear silver, and the men to wear green. Ailonwy couldn't convince any of her male friends to go with her (or chose not to ask them simply because she didn't feel like being pressed into a marriage all night), so her father was to take her. Of course, he had a woman waiting there for him, so she would be partnerless for some of the dances, but she didn't mind. As if to read her thoughts, her father then spoke:
"I really wish you would have taken a young man to accompany you," Feiniel said as he opened the door for her and followed her out. He locked it behind him. "I even had three green suits of different sizes tailored."
"Oh, Father, do hush," Ailonwy said, though she was smiling. He shrugged, took her arm, and they started off for the town center.
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"How much further?" Aviel called in her powerful voice out of the window of the carriage to her driver.
"Only a few miles, Your Highness," the driver replied politely.
"Very well," Aviel said, sticking her head back in the window. There were men on horses with bows all around her, and even a few without who were magi. It was odd how possibly the most powerful magic-user in Eria was also the most heavily guarded. The horses the men road on had metal plates with green symbols emblazoned upon them for armor. All of the horses were well-equipped except for the those pure white ones that led Aviel's carriage. They had green silken cloths draped over their backs with Aviel's name inscribed in Elven in silver. The carriage itself was wrought of the crystals of Aluen. The brilliant noon made all shine vibrantly.
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Post by »Kamui Syvil VII on Oct 19, 2007 4:05:45 GMT -5
"So, this should be interestin'...," Kamui said to Sakurako, putting his feet up on his ratty brown rutsack and leaning against a building on the fringe of Balavan's square. Kamui sat on the ground, in the shadow of the building, in the entrance to an alley. Yibbles was in his lap, Sakurako sitting next to him. A large crowd of people had gathered in front of them, filling the square. It was quite a turnout, with commoner and nobility alike. Mostly elves: high elves, wood elves, wild elves, half elves, even a few grey elves and sea elves. There were also some humans and gnomes, mostly magic-users who sought to study with the elves, then even a few halflings. They were all gussied and fancied up, in their best dress, but Kamui wore his usual disheveled clothing: worn out black boots, baggy black pants, black cloth belt, white long-sleeved shirt, and orange long vest with it's tattered ends, having no fancy clothes. Even his once shiny silver chain necklace and cross and earrings only had a dull glint when in sunlight. Not that he cared much about fashion. His bound and chained scythe leaned against the wall near him, on the side of the alley, not the crowd. As always, his sheathed sword remained slung through his belt. 'I jus' hope no one here detects me or my weapon's demonic auras, not with all the security. My bounty doesn't extend ta' this continent, but all the same...,' He gave a small, self-effacing grin, 'Demons aren't too welcome much of anywhere on the material plane...' Sakurako responded with a soft bark. "Ah, yeah. That's right. You weren't born at the time...," He sniffed the air, "All right, her procession is still a few miles off, so I guess I have time ta' fill ya' in..." He went on to tell Sakurako and Yibbles in on the events that transpired well over a hundred years ago. How by chance or fate, a young Kamui found himself unwittingly caught in the crowd formed to see the king and princess. About the hex cast someone hidden in the crowd and his attempt to counter it, which was only partial successful. At the time he know not what its effect was, but seeing the princess still alive, pursued the caster. "...But I never got a good look or whiff of 'em, so they got away in the end. I just moved on, knowin' the princess had ta' have had own security ta' watch 'er." He grinned, feeling nostalgic. "It would seem our lit'le princess has grown inta a queen." This was the reason Kamui and company had come back to Balavan. Originally they had left after the festival, but encountered much traffic that slowed their progress. After making some inquiries, Kamui soon learned of the coronation and decided to go back.
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Post by Chani {♥} on Oct 19, 2007 11:13:00 GMT -5
ooc;; I'll hold off the queen for a bit to give others a chance to join. xD
bic;; Ailonwy hurried alongside her father, trying her best to hold up her skirts so they didn't get dirty while he practically dragged her along. They finally arrived near the town center. The whole road through Balavan was packed with people. Her father slipped amongst them, squeezing his daughter through behind him shamelessly. Ailonwy apologized repeatedly, since her father didn't do so. Finally, her father stopped near the roadside, nearly causing his daughter to stumble over a gnome, who looked very disgruntled and affronted that Ailonwy had narrowly missed tripping over him. "Sorry," she said, her cheeks turning red. "Hmph!" responded the gnome indignantly, stepping into the road and walking down it to get a different spot.
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"I wish to ride atop the carriage now," Aviel said out the window. On top of the beautiful carriage were four walls, only a couple feet high, and two comfortable-looking chairs.
"With all due respect, my fair queen, we have not reached the town yet," the driver replied.
"Yes, and it would be very hazardous for you to come out into the open while we are still in the woods," added an archer. "We haven't much left to go." The queen sighed and relaxed within the carriage again. "And we wouldn't want a similar incident to the last happening."
"Let whomever tried blinding me the last time try again!" the queen retorted. "I am not as defenseless as I once was." But the archer had seemingly not heard her.
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Post by »Kamui Syvil VII on Jan 5, 2008 20:13:51 GMT -5
Kamui yawned, shifted his position on the ground, and leaned against the wall of the building behind him. His nose twitched as he caught a familiar scent. Looking away from the sky, he scanned the crowd, spotting the source of the scent. "Huh." He watched Feiniel pull Ailonwy through the crowd, watched her almost stumble over the gnome, grinning a little bit. He gave Yibbles a little nudge, nodding toward Ailonwy. The little piglet rolled out of Kamui's lap and trotted from the alley, right up to Ailonwy's feet. Yibbles gave an oink and hopped up and down, hoping for some attention.
(Heh. Kinda crappy for my first post after being away...)
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Post by Chani {♥} on Jan 8, 2008 13:23:53 GMT -5
Ailonwy had refused to move anymore, fearing that she would cause another gnome to be angry. She wasn't used to having to watch her feet. It was then that she heard a snort. Her face, which had been filled with guilt before, lit up immediately.
"I know that oink," she said, looking down. "Yib!" She scooped the piglet into her arms and rubbed her nose against his. "Awww, how's my little buddy? But where's..." She looked up, but it didn't take her long to spot the bright orange hair. "Sy!" She stepped out into the road.
"Wait, Ailonwy," Feiniel started, but then he, too, caught sight of the bright orange hair. Ailonwy had turned at hearing her name, but he shook his head. "No, nevermind. Go greet your friend." Ailonwy turned back to roll her eyes, but couldn't stop smiling as she hurried across the street to Kamui.
"Greetings!" Ailonwy addressed him in her native tongue.
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Aviel waited impatiently from inside the carriage. Her people were her life, as they had been her mother's. She didn't want to wait to see their beaming faces, to speak to them. She had been locked up in the castle for so long.
She was wearing a grand dress. There were several layers in the skirt, silver aglow as if they were made of the liquid mineral itself. The neckline stopped just below her bellybutton, but the bottom half of it was held closed by a see-through material. She wore three necklaces; her grandmother's, her mother's, and her own. On her hand was her father's ring, an emerald glittered from it. There were three silver bangles with the same stones embedded on them all the way around on each wrist. Another, completely emerald bangle was around her left ankle. Her hair was in its normal, abstract style. A headband was tied around the back, from which the hair was spiked magically.
"How much further?" she asked out the window. She could tell the archer was trying his hardest not to show irritation with her questioning.
"You should be atop the carriage within the next five minutes, your highness," he answered. Aviel liked his reply enough to decide against bothering him for the remainder of the trip.
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Post by »Kamui Syvil VII on Jan 8, 2008 13:39:04 GMT -5
Yibbles responded warmly to her attention, as the little piglet always did. Kamui gave a small wave and genially returned Ailonwy's greeting, likewise in her native tongue. He stood up and brushed himself off as she came over to him. "Gnomes are just everywhere these days." He teased good-naturedly. "It's like they're the new Halfling... So, uh, what brings you here this fine autumn day? Doesn't seem like much is goin' on, huh?"
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Post by Chani {♥} on Jan 8, 2008 13:53:13 GMT -5
Ailonwy blushed as she realized that Kamui's joke meant he must have seen her nearly tripping over the gnome a moment ago. But the joke made her laugh, nonetheless.
"Oh, no, not much at all," she replied sarcastically. "Just a coronation, Queen Aviel gracing Balavan with her presence... the usual stuff." Sarcasm wasn't her best event when it came to jokes. Of course, jokes in general weren't her thing. She loved laughing at them, but was never quite good at creating them. She kept her voice low as she said that, anyway. Most of the Elves that lived in Balavan were much older than her and traditional, they might have taken her joke as disrespect toward the queen. Humans used a different nature of jokes, Kamui brought humor from all corners of the world and a little had rubbed off on her. The other Elves might not understand it as she did.
"The Queen is nearly here!" someone shouted. There was a great hum of gasps and conversation that exploded from the announcement. Ailonwy could hardly contain her excitement.
"Oh, Sy!" she cried, jumping on the spot with Yibbles in her arms. "I can't wait to see her... My father says that the paintings never do the queens justice, and she looks so beautiful in her portrait in Aluen." She was standing on the tips of her toes. She was short for an Elf, but she wasn't done growing yet. "I bet you're excited, too, Yibbles." She nuzzled his head affectionately. "Is it your first coronation as well?" She couldn't stop smiling, not even if she had wanted to.
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Post by »Kamui Syvil VII on Jan 8, 2008 14:16:22 GMT -5
"Oh, I see, I see. That all then? I suppose I'm here for the same reason." He said in a mock casual manner that was belied by the grin on his face. Someone shouted about the Queen being almost her and Kamui's nose twitched, glancing quickly up at the sky. He knelt down and reached into his rutsack, pulling a pair of round spectacles from them, the lenses darkened. "Gotta look stylin', right?" He said, putting them on. The little piglet nuzzled her back, oblivious to things like coronations, but quite aware of the attention he was getting right now. Sakurako remained still, sitting near the rutsack, as cool as ever.
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Post by Chani {♥} on Jan 8, 2008 14:31:23 GMT -5
Ailonwy could hardly hold still. The others around her didn't seem to have much of a problem with it, but of course, she was quite young compared to most of them. She didn't care if she looked immature -- she'd rather appear so than hold her excitement in until she exploded.
Kamui had said "stylin'". She understood the word, but Kamui was the only person she had ever seen with spectacles like his. Then again, an oddity like him had his own style. She smiled.
"Lookin' great!" she commented with a laugh. She had learned that humans often took the "g" off of the end of their present-tense verbs. All languages had a little slang. She knew Common fluently, but was constantly catching on to their traditions and slang.
---------------------------- "We're in Balavan, my lady," the driver informed Aviel in Elvish. Happily, Aviel opened her own carriage door, not waiting for the archer to do it for her. She also climbed atop and seated herself, when the driver normally should have stopped the carriage and helped her.
"At long last," she whispered to herself. They were at the first set of buildings, entering the cheering town. There were so many people on each side of the road, even more than there had been the last time. They were of all shapes and sizes, of all different races. She had been royal all her life, and for the first time in a long one she actually felt honored. She sat straight-up in her chair, regally. She didn't smile often, but there she was, a genuine grin spread across her soft features. She waved to those around her elegantly, and, though she didn't show it, she was just as excited as a particular raven-haired Elf holding a piglet among the large crowd.
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"Where is she? Is she getting close?"Ailonwy asked those around her, but they paid her no mind. She again stood on her tiptoes, trying to see over the many high Elven heads. Judging by the excited roar that had burst out further down the street, she was in town.
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Post by »Kamui Syvil VII on Jan 8, 2008 15:04:59 GMT -5
"Huh." Kamui tilted his head a bit when Ailonwy took off the "g", but just shrugged. He heard the din of the crowd down the street, looking in that direction. Looking back, he watched Ailonwy practically hopping on her tiptoes trying to see. "Hmm... Up we go!" He came up behind her without hesitation and unabashedly scooped her up with ease, gently placing her on his shoulder, bracing her with his arm around her waist. He gave a flick of his tail and stood eye level with the backs of the taller elves, but he didn't mind so much. After all, this wasn't exactly the first time he had seen the Queen. He could listen, and he had his acute sense of smell that told him where the Queen was. He never forgot a scent, especially of a pretty lady. That and he wasn't sure he wanted to be seen, lest he be recognized and attract undue attention.
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Post by Chani {♥} on Jan 8, 2008 15:20:59 GMT -5
Ailonwy let out a sound of surprise as she was lifted, but she was grateful all the same. She noticed a few others sitting on shoulders in the crowd, most of them either gnomes or children. She felt like a child, with all this excitement bubbling up in her, but she didn't much care if she looked like one. She was quite young for an Elf after all. Surely she would be forgiven.
Feiniel smiled from across the street, doubtlessly taking Kamui's kind gesture as more than that and already planning their wedding. Ailonwy smiled back at him and waved, then turned back to the street, looking for Aviel. She saw her. And she stopped breathing.
Though Aviel was still a ways up the street, Ailonwy could already see her. Her heart seemingly stopped. She was looking at the queen of Eria. She could hardly believe it; she felt as if she was in a fantastic dream and she was afraid to pinch herself for fear that she'd wake up.
"See her, Yibbles? Do you?" she asked, but she wouldn't take her eyes off of the approaching carriage.
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Aviel continued waving and smiling. She wished she could look into everyone's face before she passed them, but she couldn't. She tried memorizing the ones she did. She wanted to remember this moment forever. Memories are such fickle things.
"Long live Queen Aviel!" some shouted. "Look at me, Queen! Look at me!" others begged. Others just cheered and whistled.
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Post by »Kamui Syvil VII on Jan 8, 2008 15:39:37 GMT -5
Yibbles was positively estatic, for in his little piggy mind, which was oblivious of the coronation, all this excitement was for him. He oinked happily and puffed out his chest with pride. "So then, is she as pretty as the people say, Ai?" Kamui said from below, staring at the backs of the other people without really seeing them. He was concentrating on listening to the royal prcession, and tracking its scent, not easy to do in a large crowd.
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Post by Chani {♥} on Jan 8, 2008 16:00:40 GMT -5
Aviel watched the crowd... She couldn't take her eyes off of them. Pride and happiness shone through her face as it hadn't in a very long time. This only enthused the crowd more. Aviel's mother had been rumored to hardly ever smile, and the same was true of Aviel.
Ailonwy thought she might have an anxiety attack, she was so filled with emotion. She waved frantically as Aviel approached them, and then stopped breathing as the queen looked at her. It wasn't a sweeping glance over the crowd, no. She actually looked at Ailonwy.
A piglet? Aviel thought to herself comically. That's not a very common choice for a pet. It was then that she noticed the shock of orange hair on the man that was holding Ailonwy up (not the first to do so, of course). Aviel, unlike the others who had taken note of this man's hair and strange spectacles, took a bit more interest and held her breath. She stood up, seemingly without thinking, and totally against safety protocol, so that she might see him better. Was it...? It was him, surely it was.
"Stop the carriage!" she ordered. The crowd seemed to quiet itself immediately as her lips moved. They didn't know what to expect from her. A queen hadn't been known to stand up on the royal carriage since before they had added special seats, perhaps.
The driver obeyed only out of respect, as he saw no reason to stop. He looked up at her, as most of Balavan was doing, in utter surprise.
"You there," she said, pointing to Kamui. Ailonwy, thinking that the queen was pointing at her, fainted. Her eyes rolled up and she fell from Kamui's shoulder as if the finger Aviel had pointed had been a gun and her words had triggered it into her heart. She landed on her back, with several people trying to catch her as she fell so that she didn't land too roughly, and Yibbles landed on her stomach, still in her arms. Aviel seemed to just then notice the consequences of her actions, the dramatic look on everyone's faces almost made her blush. "Is... is the young woman alright?" Several men nodded, not really knowing what to say to someone of her stature. "And the pig?" The men nodded again. "Very well. You," she pointed again. "Will you come sit with me on the carriage?" The crowd inhaled deeply. The spot beside Aviel was reserved for the king, if there was one, and there wasn't. No one knew quite what to think about her strange, sudden, spontaneous request. No one except the archer.
"Your highness, if I may, the seat adjacent to yours is for the king alone," he said in a low voice, though it carried far among Elven ears and a silent audience. "And might I ask why?"
"We are old friends," Aviel replied shortly -- she didn't want this drama to carry on any further than it had to. "You'll forgive me if I stretch the traditions a bit so that I may speak with him. It has been a long, long time."
Ailonwy stirred somewhere during the crowd's words, confused at the silent nature and trying to remember what had happened. She hugged Yibbles to her and stood a little shakily. The queen was staring right at Kamui, as was the people who were close enough to see him. She felt intimidated by all the tall heads turned toward them and huddled closer to Kamui.
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Post by »Kamui Syvil VII on Jan 8, 2008 16:51:27 GMT -5
'Its in front of us now, the procession.' Kamui thought, his nose twitching. "Stop the carriage!" The Queen cried out; 'Crap,' Thought Kamui. "You there," The Queen said and Kamui felt Ailonwy's body go limp, so he let her go, into the hands of the other people reaching out to catch her. He was silent for a moment before looking up at the Queen, quietly saying, "Me there..." 'Maybe this was a bad idea, coming back. What if they find out I'm a half-demon, sittin' up there with their queen? Or if they... nah. I'm pretty sure my disguise was foolproof.' He grinned. 'But how often do ya' get ta' ride with a queen?' He looked at Ailonwy and then back at the Queen, and said in Elven, "Uh, sure... One moment, your Highness." With that he turned and quickly disappeared into the alley, Sakurako following him. He couldn't very well leave his bound and chained scythe in the alley. No, not this scythe... Yet, he thought it better to not take it with him to ride with the Queen. "Ki Kekkei..." He whispered and made a hand sign. Anyone adept at the manipulation of Ki in the area would feel a slight flutter, nothing more. The scythe vanished, along with his rutsack. With that, he emerged from the alley not a moment after he entered it and walked up to the carriage, Sakurako at his heels. "Yo, what's up, man? 'Tis a fine day, huh? Bit chilly, but... I like the cold," Kamui said casually to the coachman, flicking his tail. "Will ya' watch Yib, Ai?" Kamui asked suddenly, looking back.
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Post by Chani {♥} on Jan 8, 2008 17:02:33 GMT -5
Ailonwy's mouth was agape, though she wasn't the only one. When Kamui asked her to look after Yibbles, all she could do was nod and hold the piglet closer to her. She somehow forced her mouth to close.
The coachman was, like the rest of Balavan, speechless. But he climbed down from his seat, next to the ladder, to help Kamui up regardlessly. Aviel watched him, hardly able to believe her eyes, though she was entirely calm on the exterior. Her cool demeanor had been inherited from her mother. All of Eria could be in chaos, but the Queen could always be depended on to have control. Balavan was beginning to whisper, the roar gone, only a hum.
Feiniel's hand was on Ailonwy's arm then. "What's going on?" he whispered harshly in her ear. Ailonwy couldn't take her eyes off of Kamui to answer him, even then she only provided a shrug. "Pay attention to me, Ailonwy! Who is he to the Queen?" Several of the people around Ailonwy were listening in to the conversation, hoping to catch some information. Ailonwy looked at him. He hadn't seen her bottom lip pouted out like that in ages.
"He didn't take me with him!" she said, her lip trembling.
"Oh, of course not! You're not a personal acquaitence of the Queen," Feiniel responded. "Did you know that he was?"
"He didn't take me with him," she whined, rather childishly.
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