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Post by Deleted on Aug 21, 2014 22:02:21 GMT -6
Cen was told to protect the man's daughter at all costs. He couldn't afford to lose her. She was precious to him, the only light left in his life. He was paying an extreme amount of coin to boot. 100 gold a week. The man had lied in his bed weak and sick. When his daughter was around he acted strong with every bit of strength he had left. The moment she had left the room to tend her horse Peanut the truth of his condition came forth.
"I am not going to make it lad. I have been poisoned with no antidote available to me." The man grimaced. He coughed and wheezed. "Also don't let her know this. I don't want her to suffer more from my passing than she already will. She is too honest a girl." He stared at the ceiling and sighed. "One last thing you must know, her necklace was a gift from her mother, but it is also the symbol of our house. If she is ever to remain in charge she will need it. Now, I need to rest." He chuckled a cynical laugh, "Hopefully I'll wake up." With that he closed his eyes to sleep.
Outside Elaina was brushing Peanut's mane. She was singing as she worked, a melodic and soothing voice. She put ribbons in the horse's hair and stepped back. "Yup, you look perfect."
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Cen
Cavalier
Cowards die many deaths, the valiant taste of death but once.
Posts: 196
Profession: Bodyguard
Affinity: Light
OoC Alias: Selibas
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Post by Cen on Aug 22, 2014 14:18:49 GMT -6
Cen gripped the hand of the older man laying in the bed. Cen lowered his head, and let the hand slide back to rest on the bed. Cen's hands had always been large, but the man's seemed like a child's withered as they were. Cen stood from the chair from which he'd listened to the man speak. He said, "Ah'll keep her safe sir."[/color] Cen walked through the door and then outside without making another sound.
As he approached the girl, she was singing. He cleared his throat. "What's the name of that song Miss? It sounds like one my mom used to sing." It wasn't the best way to break the ice, hey, I'm your skinny bodyguard, your father is probably gonna die while we're gone but what's that song? Cen had always been good with emotions, but human's dieing was hard for him to relate to. He'd never had a family member die while he was near or around them.[/font]
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Post by Deleted on Aug 22, 2014 16:46:48 GMT -6
Elaina turned around with a smile. She clasped her hands to her chest over her necklace. The stone radiated it's warmth and was comforting to her. Mothers indeed. "It's an ancient song in a language forgotten. I don't really know what it means but my mother used to sing it all the time. The women of house Gall have to learn it perfectly and it is passed down through all the generations. Like my necklace."
She gave a curtsy to Cen to be polite. "You must be my new guard? I'd very much like to know your name and story." Ah stories, everyone has one and no matter how mundane it may seem there is always a highlight that captures the interest of any. She loved to hear these tales and learned much through her books and previous guards.
"I think you're the 23rd replacement." Or was it 33rd? Ten people was a large jump to forget but they never stayed long. Many left due to pressure, sudden illnesses or once even the guard asked for her hand in marriage. Her father personally escorted him off the premises.
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Cen
Cavalier
Cowards die many deaths, the valiant taste of death but once.
Posts: 196
Profession: Bodyguard
Affinity: Light
OoC Alias: Selibas
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Post by Cen on Aug 23, 2014 19:29:09 GMT -6
Great, Cen thought, now he looked like an asshole who thought everything was about him. That wasn't a quality people would want from someone meant to sacrifice themselves to protect someone else. Cen scratched the back of his neck as the girl continued. She curtsied, which terrified Cen. He shot his head left and right to make sure no one saw it. A lady curtsying to a commoner wouldn't work out great fro the Commoner. Cen quickly bowed and said, "Ah'm Cen ma'am, and yes, Ah-I'm here to guard you in whatever manor it's needed."
She didn't seem at all stuffy, which was good, he hated working for most noblemen. They immediately assumed he wanted to serve them. If by some way Cen ever rose to power he'd make sure his concerns were not those of the rich but of the poor and common people. Yeah, Cen thought, definitely something we need to be worried about. Cen scratched his left shoulder as she kept talking.
"What!? 23rd? What could you possibly be doing to get that many men killed? Because Ah'm sorry but one guard's definitely not enough for it, you need a whole mercenary troop lady. Have you been fighting dragons? Have you been throwing yourself into dens of Bandits?" Cen realized that he'd just made a few accusatory statements towards someone of higher birth than him. Good, he'd love to be executed.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 23, 2014 21:03:22 GMT -6
Elaina couldn't help but snicker. "No, no, no, you misunderstand. Well, not that you're the first to. None of your priors have ever died," that she was aware of. "They just come and go a lot." She thought about what he had asked and she found it quite humorous to picture. She laughed. "No, no dragons for me. Could you imagine?" She held a pose much akin to a fencer's and changing her voice to be deeper began speaking. "I am Elaina, I've never fought a day in my life but avast! I will slay thee dragon!" She did an absurd swishing with her arm acting as though she had a blade before stepping onto her own dress and falling to the ground. "OOF!!!" She laughed. "Do people even say avast?"
Peanut whinnied and she grinned over at him. She didn't bother to stand or ask for a hand up. Instead she laid flat onto her back in a dress despite the dirt. "Oh, by the way Sir Cen, I like the accent." She began cloud watching and sighed. There was a deep longing in her eyes and a smile on her face. Her hair laid out around her head. "You're free to do as you like right now. No one ever bothers me out here."
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Cen
Cavalier
Cowards die many deaths, the valiant taste of death but once.
Posts: 196
Profession: Bodyguard
Affinity: Light
OoC Alias: Selibas
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Post by Cen on Aug 25, 2014 14:51:08 GMT -6
Okay, time to calm down. It's important not to breath too fast, just breath slow like nothing's going on. Maybe the squire was just going for a light jog, not about to be killed for speaking out of turn. Maybe they wouldn't hang- What? "What? Oh, well okay. That's not what I expected, I'm sorry." Then the girl began to fence with an invisible dragon, which was pretty ridiculous considering Dragons don't fight with swords, but then the girl fell over. Cen cried out, "Oh, my lady!"
My lady? Was he a playwright now? He began moving to help her up, but the girl started to laugh. Cen was going to die of a heart attack guarding her. He slowly sat in the grass, and said, "What exactly do we think I'll be guarding you from? Your father was pretty vague."
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Post by Deleted on Aug 25, 2014 16:55:12 GMT -6
Elaina sighed. Her guards only ever cared about the job. They never wanted to do more than get paid. She couldn't blame them but having a wall follow you around telling you no all the time got old. Cen was seeming to be the same.
"There is nothing to worry about. I got kidnapped at five once and since then guards have been attached to my hip for ages. My father is just a worry wart." She rolled over onto her stomach and supported her head in her hands. She began to play around with a bug she saw crawling on a blade of grass.
"So, how old are you anyway? You can't be much older than I." He still hadn't told her about himself. "I'd like to know a but about 'my knight in shining armor' before he leaves." She was already ready for him to be replaced. It wasn't a fault of his own it was just how it went. She'd grown accustomed to speaking with others as though time together was fleeting.
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Cen
Cavalier
Cowards die many deaths, the valiant taste of death but once.
Posts: 196
Profession: Bodyguard
Affinity: Light
OoC Alias: Selibas
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Post by Cen on Aug 28, 2014 19:13:41 GMT -6
The squire breathed another sigh of relief. No immediate threats were good, incredibly good. It meant there weren't going to be any sudden cases of sudden arrow impales his chest with threat on this girls life. Far fetched? Maybe, but he'd been hit with a bottle containing a ransom note once.The bottle didn't break, so he was fine, but he did have a bruise there, and it wasn't a regular bruise; it was one of those bruises that turned brownish green, and stayed for a really long time. It hurt.
Cen watched as the girl played with a bug. Cen hadn't done anything like that since he was six. Nobles had it too easy if this was the type of young adult the class produced. Not that Cen needed this evidence to deduce that. "I'm seventeen, at least ah think so. Ah-I had to keep track of it myself, my dad thought birthday's would spoil us, so we had to guess our ages. My sister said I was born sometime in the fall, so when the leaves turn a different color, Ah recount."
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Post by Deleted on Aug 28, 2014 21:05:32 GMT -6
Elaina looked very surprised. "Wait what?" She looked up and disturbed the insect causing it to fly away. "You never did birthdays? That's so sad. Birthday's are the one day out of the year people actually stop and recognize that you exist." Living the life of a pampered noble she was primarily raised by servants. In fact she knew her uncle better than her own father. She had tried many times as a child to spend time with her dad but always, always he was busy and had to leave her. She would always be left behind with Peanut and her roaming habits. After puberty started and she 'was becoming a woman' she wasn't allowed to even be friends with the servants anymore. She became very lonely and birthdays were her day to be loved again, thus she held them with the utmost importance.
"I have an idea! We can celebrate your birthday when it comes around. You can see why they are so amazing!"
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Cen
Cavalier
Cowards die many deaths, the valiant taste of death but once.
Posts: 196
Profession: Bodyguard
Affinity: Light
OoC Alias: Selibas
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Post by Cen on Aug 29, 2014 19:20:35 GMT -6
Cen shook his head. "Ah don't think ah-I can do that ma'am. Wouldn't be fair to my sister and brothers, me having a day where people treated me like I was something special. No little lady, I'm just Cen. No more, no less." Cen reached up at the bug as it flew away, quick as he could, and to his own surprise, he caught it. He lightly opened his palm, lowering his hand to the ground. The bug flew off onto a blade of grass in front of the younger girl.
Cen looked at the girl for a moment before looking up at the sky. This was probably very dull to the noble in front of him he thought. "So, where do you go around here? To spend time and all that? When you're not in the courtyard I mean." Cen hoped she would take him to a spot that would be easy to monitor! he didn't need to be taken on a side he couldn't see by some brigand from the wilderness.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 30, 2014 11:23:31 GMT -6
"Okay then, Just Cen, you shouldn't look down upon yourself like you do. It's not healthy. You need some more confidence, a stronger self esteem. Don't be a jerk but stand tall, lean back, and be the biggest presence in a room!" She didn't hold back when it came to her two cents. The girl was very open about her opinions and thoughts. For a moment it seemed like she had completely ignored everything Cen had said after her initial spiel, but then she addressed him about the rest of it.
"I usually only ever spend time at appointments and out here with Peanut. I'm not allowed to do much." the girl looked longingly at the ground. "If I spend too much time out here I get yelled at for 'messing up my fair complexion.' It just kind of..." Could she say it? Well the others weren't around, maybe she could. "IT SUCKS HERE!!!"
The grass is always greener. She'd learn eventually. She had a life most commoners would kill for and here she was complaining and being ungrateful for the blessings of a noble birth. She must have come off as a spoiled brat. Maybe Cen was different and could understand. Either way she'd learn soon enough. She expected to receive dirty and hateful side glances.
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Cen
Cavalier
Cowards die many deaths, the valiant taste of death but once.
Posts: 196
Profession: Bodyguard
Affinity: Light
OoC Alias: Selibas
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Post by Cen on Sept 1, 2014 21:37:24 GMT -6
Cen covered his mouth. He hoped the sound that came out of his moth sounded like a cough, but he knew it didn't. He closed his eyes and placed the other hand over his mouth just as the first. He slowly lowered himself onto his back and began to shake. Eventually, it became too much, and Cen threw his hands out to his sides, "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA haha HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHa. Ha." Cen continued laughing until his stomach started to hurt. It wasn't until a few moments after he'd calmed down before he realized there was grass rubbing his face on either side. The squire sat up, and looked at the noble girl in front of him.
He snickered again, "I'm sorry, I was just thinking of a joke, a joke a woman of your standing definitely wouldn't want to hear." Looking around at the small area she was allowed in, Cen could see that from her limited perspective it might suck. Cen doubted she even knew what that meant, she'd probably just heard a servant say it under his breath and got from context that it was negative. He stood up, "Well, would you like to go look for some new clothes in town with me? I'm sure they can't get mad at you if you're with your guard."
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Post by Deleted on Sept 1, 2014 23:52:30 GMT -6
Elaina watched as her guard entered into a laughing fit. She felt embarrassed and foolish at the same time. Here she was showing everything with her heart on her sleeve and he laughed at her. She crossed her arms and turned away waiting for the fit to end. Waiting and waiting and waiting. Boy, he could laugh a long time. "I-It's not funny!" She protested. She actually looked ready to cry. Finally at long last he stopped. He snickered once more before falling silent.
Suddenly he offered her an option the likes she had never expected. To go into market? How she longed for it but... no, she couldn't. People would get mad and then Cen would disappear just like all the others had. This was the first time though. For once someone offered her a momentary freedom. How she so wanted to say yes. It was there for the taking. Her inner turmoil showed as her expression constantly shifted with each new thought.
"I can't." after some time this was all she was able to manage. She realized just how trapped she was and began to cry. "I-I'm SORRY! I-I shouldn't be crying!"
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Cen
Cavalier
Cowards die many deaths, the valiant taste of death but once.
Posts: 196
Profession: Bodyguard
Affinity: Light
OoC Alias: Selibas
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Post by Cen on Sept 3, 2014 19:57:50 GMT -6
Cen's face flushed, if he looked at himself in a mirror, he was sure he'd have light shining through his skin like when you put your hand in front of a torch. He had no clue how to handle a noble woman crying. A common woman, he could definitely work with. There was common ground there and Cen had never had trouble discussing emotions with women. He shuffled over to sit closer to her. "Um, you don't need to cry, but if you want to, that's good. Crying is the way to remind yourself that you're a human, and that it's your right to be sad. If you want to talk about what's making you so sad, you can. I'm sure it's not just going to the market."
Cen lifted his hand, and almost placed it on her shoulder, but thought better of it. In the case of her life being in danger, Cen putting his hands on her would be entirely acceptable. However, Cen touching her now, no matter how innocent his intention would be seen as crime. There was a fine line between helping and apparent attack, and it was whether or not it resulted in the commoner who jumped in the way being dead on the floor or alive and asking if someone was okay.
Cen scratched his brow. Then lowered the hand away from her shoulder, placing it on his knee. He didn't look at her, she was probably embarrassed and didn't want anyone looking at her. The squire coughed and said, "I'm here. Don't worry, I'm here."
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Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2014 21:20:52 GMT -6
"I-I-I I do not need to remember I am human! I just want a chance to have a better life! I know I have no right for this! I'm so selfish but but but..." She trailed off not uttering another word. It was frustrating. She just wanted to be able to have a little freedom without living in fear. She wanted to travel and see beyond the walls that 'kept her safe' but alas that was not her destiny. She was destined to marry a nobleman who would take over the property at which time she would produce an heir remaining ever behind these walls till death whisked her away. If she were to remain attached to this earth however then maybe she could leave then. Or would these walls become a personal Hell for her?
"You're here, I'm here, this is the only place I'll ever be is here." Peanut whinnied and left the barn sensing his master's distress. The horse nuzzled the girl helping her to instantly cheer up. The connection between man and beast here was impressive to say the least. Elaina wiped her face which was beet red now. She sniffed hard trying not to look a mess in front of this man she had just met. "I am really sorry about all that Sir Cen."
She regained herself and pushed back all her desires and wants. A proper lady did not have selfish desires she reminded herself. Proper ladies never cried or showed unpleasant emotions as it tarnished their beauty. A proper lady was anything but imperfect. She suddenly had another smile with vacant eyes.
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