Eeqaofield: The Closed City

[Dagfinn]

There are no beginnings or starting over new. How can one begin again when nothing really comes to an end? Scars forever etched into the skin.
​

Deep, slow, breaths. Eyes closed, too much sand. Could this really be safe? A new home? Walt had some doubt, as dangerous as it was Posleigh would always be his home. Night sky seeped down to the ground, cold would come soon however it looked as if his group would continue walking. As far as he was told they were the last to take the journey to Eeqaofield. A city of walls, a city of safety. People have lived there for at least two decades now, and everyone proclaims it to be a holy and perfect land. Walt doubted...

"Walt?" A soft voice called to him, urging him to continue on. When did he stop walking? How did his brother get so far ahead? A deep breath turned into a sigh and he continued forward. Doubt or not, soon he would be there.

 

[AzileQueen]

•  In a tower looking down at the vast city of Eeqaofield, a young princess watched as the last group of people walked through the entrance of her home. Gatherings had already formed, welcoming the newcomers with cheers. It was truly a celebration to be known until the end of time. But to Moira, it marked one thing--that that giant gateway which opened every now and then to let the world in, would stay closed forever.
  

• The girl appeared to be sighing, for as soon as her middle sister--followed in suit by her many friends--marched in, she questioned,"My dearest Moira, don't dream over a humongous block of stone. Or was it the boys that caught your attention?" The girls behind her stifled a couple of giggles and snorts, while the girl next to her(we shall call her "Witch"), Witch, cackled in a high-pitched laughter. Georgian(the sister) looked up to the heavens momentarily, as if she had prayed earlier that Witch wouldn't have done that, telling her quietly,"Mary, that laughter is rather unbecoming, I keep on warning you.." Witch smiled sheepishly, staring at the ground.
  

• "Well, Moira?" Moira turned around, faking a smile through gritted teeth. "You wouldn't believe how handsome the boys from the last group are, Georgie," she commented, running a hand through her hair and sighing blissfully like she would. Georgian was grinning from ear to ear. Altogether, the girls began to crowd around the tight-spaced area of the window, evidently pushing Moira out of the way. The princess rolled her eyes, folding her arms across her chest as the girls fought over who would be with who, who was the cutest or the most handsome, and what each of them would wear on their wedding day.
  

• Moira, staring blankly at a wall, was snapped back to the not-so-real world when Georgian shouted in her ear. She reeled back, letting out a scream of her own. "What the heck, bitc--" before she could finish her sentence, she found herself staring at the girls, whose looks of shock shut her up. "I was going to ask which of the boys piqued your interest," that glint in Georgian's eye told her that her incident-that-could-have-been would not go without a tattle-tell to sweet momma and papa(don't worry, the other one isn't immature:3). Smiling sweetly with a tilt of her head, she walked toward the window. Holding onto the ledge, her eyes searched the crowd.
  

• Her eyes lit up, and before she knew it, her stomach was in a whole bunch of knots. She pointed, and the girls looked. A boy with ruffled white hair, cocoa skin, and stark blue eyes stood next to a dog with a pelt so gold, it shone in the sun. "Really, the dog?" the girls said in union, whilst Witch cackled like she always did. "Isn't he absolutely dreamy?" Moira batted her eyelashes, earning herself a glare from Georgian. "This is why none of the boys like you, Moira. You're too childish; immature! You'll never find yourself a husband," with that, Moira watched as a very annoyed Georgian turned on her heel and stomped down the tower. Her friends followed her in a chorus of "wait for me!"'s.
  

• "Who said I wanted to marry?" Moira said after them once they were gone. The girl turned back to the scene outside, resting her chin atop her folded hands as she stared after the dog.
  

 

[Dagfinn]

"Oh look, Walt has gone and made himself a friend," Alfric grabbed Walt aggressively by the shoulders looking down at the dog in front of the boy. His voice a little too rude to just be teasing, Alfric was always a bit meaner then the rest...
The dog stared blankly up at Walt, it seemed like it was expecting him to do something.
"There is no way you can keep him," Cyneric cut in, pulling Alfric off Walt. The oldest, at 24 he would normally be wed and off by now. Now as if it was hard to him to find someone, many women threw themselves at him. Though after the death of his father he kept around to keep things in order. Helping his mother and guiding his little brothers and sisters.
"I am sure mother will let us keep the mutt, she kept Walt after all!" Cyneric merely rolled his eyes and continued walking. The rest of the group was already starting to get out of sight. They were being guided to their housing. Nothing great relative to the rest of the city, though from what everyone could tell the new houses were a great improvement from the old.
Alfric stared at Walt a minute, he was about to say something but figured it wasn't worth the effort. Running ahead to catch up to the others. Walt knelled, the stay still in front of him.
Walt's eyes narrowed, "what do you want?" The dog gave his face a big and sudden lick.
"Ah! Gross," he turned, wiping his face with his shirt. Standing back up, "I don't need your slobber," he growled irritated.
The dog appeared unfazed, rubbing his head against Walt's hand. Clearly the mutt wanted Walt's attention, but why?
The dog wimpered slightly, Walt almost did not hear it. Though after a second he finally succumbed and stroked the dogs head.
"You know some might say this is a sign..." More magic rubbish, probably.

 

[AzileQueen]

• Moira watched as the crowds only became larger. The sun was just about touching the earth, warning of the coming night. While dots of light popped up around the quaint city, she knew that the evening festivities would soon commence--without her, the least favorite princess. A mischievous grin tugged at the corners of her lips as she thought of some diabolical plan to escape her prison-keep. 
  

• The girl acted fast, descending down the spiral of stairs in a frenzy. She ignored the sounds of Georgian and her friends giggling in her sister's bedroom, dressing up for the huge party Moira wasn't supposed to be attending. With her mind set on the goal just up ahead, she failed to realize that two guards were posted at the giant door. The guards were caught unawares as well, and ended up chasing after her rather clumsily. Lucky for her, perhaps.
  

• She took her chance, sliding under the guard's legs with ease. They tripped over each other to avoid tripping over the lithe girl, and in union cried out,"Princess!" As if dodging between a man's legs was as much taboo as what she was about to do now. Moira clutched the door handle, twisting it 'till it finally gave. Out of breath, she inhaled the smells of the world outside. It's not like she hadn't been out of the castle in years--but it had been a couple of weeks. And it was just invigorating. But there was no time to stop, for the guards would soon be upon her.
  

• Sprinting through the crowds among crowds of people, she found herself being pushed between larger bodies. "Excuse me!" she shoved back, though it hardly made a difference. Eventually, she was no longer the one in control of where she should go, the crowds becoming a strong current with no definite escape. Well, at least she lost her pursuers.
  

 

[Dagfinn]

Out of nowhere the dog jumped up on Walt's shoulders, stealing the scarf from his neck and running off. What was the deal with this dog? It took Walt a moment to registered what happened, standing in spot dumbfounded. Once he realized the dog was beginning to get out of sight he started after it. The crowd a bit in the way, but he managed to worm his way through as he went after the dog.

The dog took a sharp turn, escaping the crowd and darting into an alleyway. Once at the entrance Walt realized that there was no where else for the dog to run. So to did the dog and it stopped, staring at Walt again.
"Y-you are a pain" Walt said through heavy breaths.

The dog dropped the scarf, barking at Walt. But it was too late, someone grabbed Walt. His automatic response was to pull away, though the grip was too tight. The dog barked at the stranger for a moment longer, but was ignored.
"I can't believe they brought even more trash into the city," the stranger growled, shoving Walt to the ground. Before Walt could get up he was kicked in the stomach. After catching his breath Walt tried to get up, finally getting a good look at the stranger. The boy was rather tall, but it was clear he wasn't much older than Walt. The dog went up to the stranger growling, but was greeted with another kick. The dog tried to bite back, but was unable as it was kicked again. The poor mutt was just a bit too malnourished, and couldn't put up a fight.
"Give it up," the boy hissed.
"Wh-" another kicked to the ribs, and Walt clutched to himself.
"Don't play stupid," before Walt could answer the boy picked him back up. Shoving him against the wall, "your money."
"I don-" A punch to the face interrupted him... Was that blood? His nose started bleeding.
"That's fine, I'll just take this then," the stranger pulled Walt's necklace from his neck. The boy must of thought he could get some money from it.
"I better not see you around here again," he spat, shoving Walt to the ground.

The stranger seemed to disappear quickly, or maybe Walt was just disoriented. He sat on the ground, back to the wall, face in hands. He didn't attempt to stop the bleeding. Instead he started laughing... Unnerved and nervous. Whatever he could do to stop from crying.
The mutt came over to Walt and started licking his hands, trying to cheer the boy up.

 

[AzileQueen]

• Moira was finally able to get past the crowd. It didn't look like there was many people where she was, however, and it frightened her. The strong scent of smoked meat filled her nostrils, tearing up her eyes as she got near the smell. Eventually, it was everywhere. The girl blinked rapidly as her vision blurred. She stopped to rub at her watery eyes, and was shoved to the ground unexpectedly. "Out of my way!" a voice rang out, fast footsteps fading.
  

• She couldn't help but furrow her brows in anger. "Excuse you, too!" she called back, getting up to dust her dress off. Once she regained her composure, she began to walk again in longer strides. Eventually, after many twists and turns, she came across a dark alley. With wide, fearful eyes, she suddenly realized that she was terribly lost. But she said to herself that she wasn't scared. She wouldn't be(she is, though lol). At the sound of faint laughter, she froze in place.
  

• "H-hello?" she cleared her throat, hearing the shakiness. She echoed a more confident "hello?", willing her feet to shuffle toward the noise. It sounded scared, too. Upon seeing a dog and a boy, two curious partners, she let out a sigh of relief. They looked harmless enough. "Hey, are you alright?" she asked as her steps became more pronounced; self-assured. "Ohmigosh, y-you're bleeding!" she reeled back at the sight of the beaten and bruised boy.
  

 

[Dagfinn]

The boy did not seem to notice the girl at first. His head buried in his hands as well as his thoughts. The necklace had little value, though it was possible the most valuable thing he owned. Ever so slightly charged with magic, infused with the weakest kind of healing spells. Something that could be made by almost anyone, at least anyone who cared to exert the effort. He made it himself, with the help of his father...
When Walt was six, and still called Waltlynn, he went out trapping with his father. Trapping for meat, not monsters, as the family had always been made up of hunters. This was his first time out, and he was understandably excited. Though far more with the prospect of spending time with his dad than with the trapping itself. For the occasion the other boys were left behind. It would be just Walt's luck to get hurt within the first hour of their outing. He climbed a tree to get a better look around, his father had gone ahead to check a trap not aware of Walt's heedless actions. The young boy fell from the tree not long after he finished climbing it. While the injury wasn't detrimental there was a lot of blood. Like any young man 'should' he stifled his tears and, not wanting the trip to end prematurely, attempted to fix the cut himself. While it hurt worse than anything he could remember, the cut wasn't all that deep. Long and shallow, snaking down his forearm. Walt found the nearby stream to clean up his cut. The young boy didn't notice at first though the water glowed faintly with his touch as he sloppily cleaned himself.


"Waltlynn..." a slightly confused but curious voice echoed in Walt's mind. He thought of how they day turned from work to magic rather quickly. While anyone could learn magic, not everyone was good at it. To Walt, his father was always the greatest. Though he knew now that this couldn't possibly be true, the sentiment still resonated with childish innocence.
He needed to get the necklace back.


The boy quieted after some time and with the palm of his hands he wiped some tears from the corner of his eyes. His bleeding stopped and his crimson blood already drying a muddy brown. He already hated it here. Once he noticed the dog stopped licking his hands, he noticed a girl. Dressed to nice to be from here... He was startled slightly, but it didn't appear so. As he stood up, looking her over. No longer seeming to notice the blood on his clothes and hands.
"H-hasn't someone taught you it is rude to stare," his voice sharp and annoyed, though still shaky as he came drown from the crying.

 

[AzileQueen]

• Moira could tell that the boy was crying, from the way he held his head in his hands. Pursing her lips, the girl reached forward, about to put a comforting hand on his shoulder. As the dog shot up in a series of growls, however, she reeled back in instinct. Moira decided it'd be best to watch him from a safer distance. Once the boy was able to pick himself up, she offered one of her lopsided grins. But the boy, too annoyed, seemed to loathe her immediately. "I-I wasn't staring!" she quickly averted her gaze, folding her arms across her chest grumpily. He made her blood boil-- why would he do that? It's so rude! "I was just wondering why you were in that condition," with a whip of her head, she was staring him down again, hands on her sides. "I thought you might need help."
  

 

[Dagfinn]

"I am, I am just fine," Walt mumbled, embarrassment barely contained. Blatant as the lie was it did not much matter. The bleeding finally slowed to a halt and there was nothing she could help him with. He glanced down to his hands just then realizing how much blood he lost. Using his shirt he wiped off what he could off the stuff, trying to ignore the girl. Though a moment more and it became apparent that she would not leave straight away.
Once more Walt looked over the girl, her attire was entirely too rich... He wondered just who she was. Celebration or not... Sure most would wear as formal as they could. Though he figured her outfit was just a bit too high class.
"What are you doing here anyway, shouldn't you be out... At the celebration or something?"

 

[AzileQueen]

• "You're obviously not," she retorted, a soft scoff escaping her lips. The dog's eyes trained on her, seemingly wary of her negative remarks. It made it clear how protective it was over Walt, despite having injuries of its own. Just what was this dog's problem? 
  

• Walt began to study her, and she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. As soon as he popped the question, she averted her eyes to look up at the sky. "Ah, well, I got lost. But maybe three can find the way back. You and the dog look hungry," she suggested. She was lying, of course.
  

 

[Dagfinn]

"Not like I have any money for food," Walt mumbled, not really to her though that didn't matter. Lost... He had not thought on it, but he too was lost. The dog ran off and now, where was he? The boy picked up his scarf and the dog seemed now completely uninterested in it. Stupid mutt. The shaggy thing stood by his side, looking up at Walt as if it was waiting. For what?
"I can't help you get back home, I don't exactly know where I am either."

 

[AzileQueen]

• Moira shook her head. "It's alright. Some of the stuff is free," and by some, she really meant that she'd use her Royal position to get some. The dog stared up at Walt, making her wonder even more about the animal. "Well, we should get a move on. This place doesn't exactly scream "the safest place to be at night."," she commented, waving a hand for him to follow her. "We'll find it eventually; you'll see!"
  

 

[Dagfinn]

A good hesitation washed over Walt, should he really trust this strange girl? He certainly just wanted to walk away from the situation, find one of his own and see about an early sleep. Before he could make up his mind there was a tugging at his pants, the dog getting his attention. Wanting the boy to go. Possibly follow the girl, but at least move from his spot.
Walt was hungry, long as the journey had been who wouldn't be? With an unhidden sigh he begrudgingly followed the strange girl. He needed to eat and after all he was lost, finding family would not be all too simple. This is, admittedly, best.

 

[AzileQueen]

• Moira didn't know how many twists and turns she took, or how many times she had to look over her shoulder to make sure that the boy was still following her, but eventually she was back at square one-- the castle. Two very familiar figures guarded the entrance, obviously waiting for someone. As soon as their heads turned to her, she grabbed Walt's arm and pulled him to the side, behind a random pillar. She offered him a smile, before looking over her shoulder to make sure they weren't watching for her. They were gone. She breathed a sigh of relief, finally walking from her hiding place, almost dragging Walt along. Now, where was the food? 
  

• The smell of something cooking alerted her, her feet moving toward it all on their own. "Hey, uh, can you just wait here? Maybe? I'll be back real quick!" before the boy could respond, she was moving fast toward an extravagantly designed tent. One that branded the Royal symbol. 
  

• Moira ducked under the flaps of the tent, immediately being welcomed with the overwhelming smells. In front of her, however, were the biggest obstacles. A flitter of laughter forced her to roll beneath a table. 
  

• Georgian.
  

 

[Dagfinn]

"You, do not belong here," a calm and soft voice seemed to come from no where. Walt did not see the girl coming, instead she seemed to simply appear. Though she was slightly behind him, perhaps his wits were not as good as he might boast.
"No... I," he turned slightly to get a better look at the girl. The strange girl wore deep purple garb, something simple though clearly royal in nature. Long curly black hair, bangs that covered just about half her face. An odd sort of beauty to her. Though there too was something familiar.
The girl knelled down just slightly, a hand out stretched for the dog. Apprehensive, though not defensive the dog moved to sniff the girl. She managed to lightly pat it's head, though it moved back to stand by Walt.
"Smart animal," despite her bangs covering her eyes Walt could tell she looked back up to him, "you would do well to keep him by your side."
Walt took a moment more to look over the girl, who...? Who exactly was she.
"I should le-" she cut him off.
"I suggest," her voice a bit authoritarian, but not harsh, "you stay away from my sister. She is bad luck."
Before he could say anything the strange girl walked off, vanishing into the crowd.

What the hell was that all about?

 

[AzileQueen]

• When Moira turned from her hiding spot to see if Georgian still walked near, but found herself staring at the two guards(from before) just across the room. With a shrug, she got on all fours and began her journey under the tables, picking pieces of food from their supposedly secure places and into a sack cloth -- enough for two. 
  

• With a satisfied nod, the girl looked around before crawling out from a table. "Found you!" she heard Georgian cry out from behind her, making Moira yelp in surprise as she turned to face her devilish sister. "Hey just where do you think you're going?!" Georgian began to back Moira into a wall. "What do you think mom and dad will say when they find out you've gotten out of the castle, and stole food?" Moira growled. "It's not stealing if it's free!" "Then what are you doing crawling under tables, huh?" Tch.
  

• Almost on cue, the two guards came into view from around the corner. Moira ducked behind Georgian just in time, however. "Oh I see. You want to continue your little crusade without getting caught!" "Georgie you can't tell them! You don't know what it's like to, to be cooped up!" Moira searched for a solution quickly. "I-I'll do your chores for a month!" "Oh, like last time? When mom came into my room to see it as unclean as ever, she grounded me!" "T-this is different!" Georgian tapped her finger against her chin, knowing she was in control. "I guess.." she mumbled, a grin forming on Moira's lips. "..NOT! Harris, Tobin! I found--" before Georgian could say anything else, Moira was up and under the tent with her bag of grub. 
  

• "Hey kid, we gotta run!" Moira yelled at poor Walt, grabbing his arm roughly and running out of the crowd. Shouts of Harris and Tobin could be heard from a ways away.
  

 

[Dagfinn]

The chase did not last long, Walt would not let it last long. This girl he did not know, this girl he found annoying. He pulled the two of them away from the main streets, they would not be found so easily by whomever was after her.
"Look," Walt started bluntly, "I just want to go home... Wherever that is. So, you do whatever you're doing, but leave me out of it," he hissed.
With that Walt started walking away, before she could say anything. He certainly didn't know where he was going... But he defiantly wanted some time to himself, away from weird strangers. The dog, still following him.