Fantasy World of Arstider // Closed

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Neve Juniper

And there it was. The crumbled note from Aspen, the wedding ring from Astoria, and the wanted poster for Marxine. "If it was Marxine she wouldn't be posting her own wanted poster. Someone's trying to frame her and Aspen." Neve didn't ask about the incident he had when he was a child; now was neither the time nor place. Besides, if he had wanted to talk about it then he would have. It wasn't her place to pry. However, as she observed his note she noticed the similar handwriting from her note. "You may want to reconsider folding in the towel already Aspen, compare the writing."

Neve handed Aspen her note and his crumbled up note before letting out a small sigh. "You won't be put away for this, you're not just a barkeep." With that said Neve turned around to the others, sat on the desk and began to make a plan with everyone. The ball was tomorrow and something was sure to happen, they just needed to be prepared for whatever that something was.

--

The following day the castle prepared for the traditional ceremonial ball. Neve had gotten up early in the morning to get ready and make it seem like she was going along with tradition, though there was nothing traditional about today. Neve wore a floor length sparkling blue dress with a tightly strapped corset, a train of the sheer sparkling blue fabric coming off from the off the shoulder straps of her dress. Her hair was curled and fell to her shoulders, her diamond tiara resting comfortably on the top of her head. A pair of blue heels held her short stature a few inches taller, daggers strapped to her thighs underneath the dress. It wasn't if so much as a matter of when her brother would show up, and apparently he had been somehow involved in an attack on Aspen. Now Aspen was being framed, threatened, and the kingdoms at stake.

Thankfully the others seemed to be ready for the worse as well. Everyone had everything at stake here. As the others were busy getting ready Asher was supposed to check out the ballroom. River was supposed to talk to his father to see if he knew anything. Max was going to make sure Aspen is far away from anything that could put him at risk again, so once Neve was ready she made her way down the hall to gently knock on the door. "Aspen, Max? Are you guys doing okay?" The ball was starting soon and she wanted to see if they needed anything, or to see if her brother left any more notes for Aspen. The whole thing didn't sit well with her and she was worried for him. Nervously she bit at her red painted lip, her pale blue eyes looking around the hallway to make sure no one seen her.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Ember Siegfreid

Everything became more complicated when all the evidence was brought to the table. If they had confronted the King and Queen with this it wouldn't go over well, hell her uncle may have even burned it to make it go away permanently. It wasn't the first time he had evidence tampered with to frame people to just have a case solved. Ember never spoke of it but she always felt like there was something fishy with what happened with her family's killer. The case closed so fast, and the guy they said did it didn't seem like he would be the type. Unfortunately Ember wasn't able to speak with the man before he was beheaded.

Today was the day of the ball and to be completely honest Ember was scared. The coup of royal perpetrators were going to make a move today, and clearly the presence of every royal guard didn't phase them. Thankfully everyone seemed to be responsive to Ember's plan, and everyone also seemed to have something invested in this. So once Ember was secured in her red to orange to white ruffled dress with a sparkling jeweled neckline. Her golden floral tiara rested on her head as her brown locks were in a half up half down hairstyle. Normally the advisor wouldn't wear a crown but her uncle adopted her as his own, she just didn't go around bragging about that. It wasn't something she wanted but he said it was the only way to stay in the castle without marrying her off.

Quietly Ember sighed and put the final touches of her makeup on, a bright red lipstick, a quick swipe of blush, and some mascara to make her long lashes pop. Once her look was completed she slipped into a pair of simple black heels before heading out of her room. Ember walked down to River's room and tapped on the door a few times. "River, it's time to go. We can't be late."

 

[Sir Damien]

River Siegfreid

This was too much for River to deal with. He just wanted to run off back to his kingdom and hide in his library. But Dante had been his best friend, and he knew his father had something to do with all this. Someone was already dead, and if Dante was out killing, hurting, and framing people then he had to answer to that. On top of that there was the whole Marxine situation. Some of the others thought that Marxine was a culprit and he had to nip that in the bud. Why would she hang up her OWN wanted poster? That didn't make sense, but then again they didn't know the Autumn's Queen. She was a professional manipulator, and she already framed Marxine once. River wasn't letting it happen again.

River tried one last ditch effort with his father. He pleaded and urged him to pause the festivities but his words fell on deaf ears. River was ordered to keep his mouth shut, go through with the last few days, and they'll be able to go home and forget this mess. River didn't want to forget the mess, he wanted to clean this mess up. That was enough for him to agree with Neve that his father was indeed apart of this, though they had no actual solid proof. So he went back to his room to get ready as he was ordered to. Thankfully he was just finishing up putting on the intricate blue tuxedo and black bowtie as Ember knocked on the door.

"Yeah, coming." Quickly he tossed on his simple gold crown before he walked out the door and let out a long sigh. "He obviously didn't go for it. Let's see if Asher's made any progress." River walked down the grand staircase and made his way to the ballroom. The room was decorated nicely, though it only had a few people inside. His dark gray eyes landed on Asher across the room, motioning for Ember to follow him. "Asher, did you find anything?" As he approached the guard he made sure to keep his voice low, his eyes darting around to make sure no one was around them.

 

[Colt Voltage]

Asher Forrest

Asher completely misread the situation with Astoria. She wasn't homesick she was scared, and Asher's job was to make sure she didn't feel like that. This whole coup put everyone in danger and he was going to be sure to bring an end to the whole thing. So once he was settled in his royal uniform with all his medals on his breast Asher kept to the plan and slipped into the ballroom after the staff was done cleaning and decorating. The windows were all locked and secure in the ballroom, he pressed on every stone on the fireplace to make sure there were no secret exits. Knocking on the walls proved ineffective, he checked every tile on the floor. Nothing. Every ballroom had an exit though. Most rooms in a castle had an escape route just incase a siege happened, it was just in the design of the castles. But, unless you knew where the exit was, there was almost no guarantee to find it.

As Asher checked out the statues holding the candelabras he began to feel frustrated. However at the next statue he checked he felt his body buzz. Immediately he perked up and observed the statue. The hand of the statue that wasn't holding anything looked slightly different than the rest of the statues, so once Asher double checked to make sure he was alone he twisted the hand. Viola. The wall behind the statue opened a small door and his heart started to pound. It would be dangerous if Asher went and checked it out, he had no clue who or what was waiting for him at the end of the dark exit.

Quickly he twisted the hand again and watched the door closed. Asher adjusted the strap around him that held his sword and turned around to see River and Ember approach him. "Ah, it's almost time to start the ball isn't it? You lot look lovely." With a small smile he gave a firm nod to River's question. "I found what I searched for. I can only assume the discussion with your father didn't go over well. Did you see our Vasna royals at all?"

 

[KAYDEN]

Aspen Rift

"I thought we were supposed to be staying far AWAY from this thing Max, not high ABOVE it." Aspen growled as he followed the small guardsman across the old rafters of the ballroom above the party that was slowly beginning to bustle. At first the two of them had decided to just spend the night in Aspen's quarters but Max got worried and decided this seemed to be a better option. "Is this even SAFE?" As he said it the piece of wooden walkway he stepped on cracked and he quickly jumped to the side. At this point he would rather be back in the cells in the dungeon. At least there wasn't 30 feet in the air to sudden death.

After a few minutes of walking they were finally posted up on top of one of the marble awnings of the ceiling, if they needed to get down quickly there was a rope that Max tied to the support beam and was ready to toss down.

Aspen took a seat and let his legs dangle over the edge, no one should see them where they sat, they were against the corner of the room and way above anyones line of sight unless they were looking for them. It seemed like the ball below them was slowly becoming more exciting and Aspen let out a small sigh. He just wanted to be back home... he never realized how much he loved his shitty little house until he wasn't allowed to be in it anymore. Damn him for having a moment of niceness when he agreed to attend that fucking ceremony for Neve.

"So how do you want to pass the time until all hell breaks loose?" Aspen looked over at the guard and flicked some of his long silver hair from his face before smirking at Max, "Cards? People watching? Oh I know, what about you tell me why a girl is pretending to be a man in the guard of the Autumn Kingdom?" He had noticed, honestly he was shocked the others hadn't though he supposed he had been spending much more time with Max than the others since his imprisonment. Though that didn't excuse Asher.... "You cover your face but you're much smaller than all the others and your voice is a poor attempt a fake mans voice. So, one criminal to who I much assume is comminting a crime as well, why?"

 

[EclipseRosee]

Astoria Primrose

"Have you seen Neve yet Ash?” Astoria yelled into their shared living room from where she sat at her vanity, finishing her preparations for the ball. Her hair was braided along the crown of her head and pinned up in a simple up do while her makeup was left dewy and plain but elegant. The pale pink ball gown that she wore was adorned with flowers sewn on the tulle and lace that looked like leaves. “I’m worried that she will get worried about Aspen and Max. They weren’t able to get to her this morning to tell her about the change in plans because of all the preparations for the ball.”

Astoria finished up the last bit of her hair and stood, making her way out to where her fiancé was and smiled softly at him. Outside of their room she could hear a small bit of nose that caused her to near the door and press her ear up against the wood. "What's that?" She opened the door after pulling away and peered to the left and right until her eyes landed on Neve near Aspen's door. "See Ash I told you she would worry!"

Astoria beckoned Ash to follow her before heading out the room and making her way down to where Neve was standing."They're okay." She gave a polite smile and put on her most comforting voice, "Max came by to let us know the plans have changed slightly, they weren't allowed into your quarters to bother you about it due to the preparations for the ball I guess." She placed her hand on the woman's shoulder before making her way towards the ballroom as she continued to explain. Max and Aspen were hiding in the rafters above the ball that evening. Max had been worried about being unable to help if things went sour and felt this was a happy medium. "That guard seems capable so I wouldn't be too worried about Aspen. He will be okay."

They reached the ballroom and Astoria quickly scanned the gathering crowd for the familiar group of people they were supposed to meet. It didn't take long to find them and soon she was walking up behind the group and giving a small bow. "You all clean up rather nicely."

 

[ZombieBaee]

Maxine Augustine

“Oh will you stop complaining.” Marxine growled at Aspen as they climbed through the dusty old rafters and made their way to her scouting point. Last night had been brutal after everyone shared their experiences. No longer was she comfortable with just sitting back, the longer she thought about it the more she realized that there was no way this ball would go off without issue. Plus River had gotten her wanted poster, that meant some how she was part of this and she wanted to see how. It had to be whatever her step mother had been planning when Marxine overheard her all that time ago... but she didn’t know what THAT was. So late last night Marxine found her hiding spot and told Asher her new idea. He was reluctant but agreed. Then when they woke up in the morning she attempted to leave a message for Neve but was unsuccessful and ended up leaving one with the Vasna royals instead.

“It’s perfectly safe if you pay better attention.” Marxine turned and glared at Aspen as they got settled in their spot and she prepared the rope for them to use when needed. She was done and about to sit down when Aspens comment made her stop in her tracks and turn and look at him with wide eyes. “I assure you I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She refused to believe that this idiot had actually figured her out. Instead of giving him any more of a response she leaned against the wall and let out a grunt to tell him she wasn’t interested in speaking any further.

-
After a while Marxine finally told Aspen after a near half an hour of questioning. She didn’t say who she was, just that she needed to do this for family reasons and thankfully he seemed to accept that answer.

The ball was starting to come to a close as the last few songs of the night played and Marxine was about to pack it up and call it safe when the lights went out yet again and she jumped up from her spot on the rafters and struggled to look through the darkness for the rope. After a few moments of fumbling she was able to find it and begin scaling down to the floor. In the distance she heard a few screams and people running to find an exit. She couldn’t really blame them after what happened last time. This time it was taking a lot longer for lights to come back but that meant her eyes were able to slowly adjust.

“Asher!” Marxine yelled and drew her dagger from her boot as she looked around slowly. In the crowd she saw a glimpse of Embers bright dress and took off towards them. As she pushed through people she noticed something was off, a man was pushing aggressively through people and looking each woman in the face that he could get his hands on before pushing them away. He was looking for someone specific! Panic shot up in her throat, this wasn’t a random target like the first killing... this must be someone targeting the royals.

Marxine reached Ember and grabbed her shoulder, “Don’t worry it’s me, Max. Where are the others?” As she asked she looked around and noticed River nearby but the others were unseen by her in the crowd.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Neve Juniper

As much as Neve appreciated Astoria explaining everything she felt incredibly nervous knowing that Aspen and Max were in the rafters. Yes she trusted Max, she didn't trust anything that high in the air though. All throughout the ball she would occasionally peek up at the rafters to make sure they were okay. The rest of the time was spent mingling with whatever nobles her parents sent her way, and Gods above that was the most boring thing of all her life. The men bragged about money, their supposed good looks, land, or status. No one inquired about Neve, they knew that she was the soon to be Queen and that's all they cared about. That would be the type of man she would spend her days with if her parents had their way.

Yet another man was asking her to dance, and unlike the others this one was most persistent. So when the candles suddenly went out and left the room shrouded in darkness Neve was partially thankful. Everyone began to run to the door, and before Neve could even reach for her daggers something sharp bit into the skin on her neck. "Ah ah ah sister, don't move a muscle. Can't have you spoiling the fun for the others, my friend just wants to collect what's rightfully his." It was dark and if she moved her neck would be sliced open but she knew that was her brothers voice. Part of her wanted to cry and hug the guy that used to be her best friend, but he was attacking his own kingdom. He was an enemy.

Suddenly the knife fell and her hands were yanked behind her back and tied together tightly with what felt like rope. "Now listen for once in your life and don't cause too much of a fuss." Neve groaned as she struggled against the rope. "H-Hey, Dante wait!" As soon as she spun around she found herself standing there by herself. This was so frustrating! Why was he doing this?! "Everyone are you guys okay?" Her eyes adjusted to the dark as she looked around at the small crowd still on the ballroom floor and called for the others.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Ember Siegfreid

The fact that the royals were dolled up, mingling and dancing while the others had important jobs made Ember feel guilty. Her uncle made her socialize with some noblemen he had approved of for her, pretending to be interested in what they had to say. All the while she kept looking around the room to see if anything was out of place. The ball was quickly coming to an end and it almost seemed like nothing was going to go wrong. Well, almost. Just as she made her way back to her cousin she noticed her uncle was gone, and just as she went to ask River where he went the lights all simultaneously went out. And if there was one thing she wasn't okay with it was the dark.

"O-Oh!" Ember spun around and squinted to look through the crowd to try to spot the others. People were running to the door only to find that the double doors were locked, people banging on the doors loudly to get out. As her heart started to beat faster her whole flinched as someone grabbed her shoulder. "H-Hm? Max?" Ember turned to see the guard in the dark and Ember slightly felt better about the situation. Max and Asher had this under control. Right? "Tori and Ash were on the dance floor when I left, I have no clue where Neve is though-" Just as she said that Neve's voice could be heard from across the ballroom. "River and I will go get her, you go look for Ash and Tori okay?"

With that said Ember picked up her long ruffled dress and began to make her way through the frantic crowd, though it was easier said than done.

 

[Sir Damien]

River Siegfreid

River's job in this was to keep an eye on his father but his father was a hard man to keep track of. He went about socializing, and when he wasn't socializing he was seeing to Ember had someone to dance to and talk to. His father insisted River do the same and socialize, so River fell back from the crowd to keep an eye on him from a distance. There wasn't many suspicious things going on with him, he socialized with the King and Queen of Inverno a few times but mainly congregated near the King and Queen of the Autumn Kingdom. Which was extremely suspicious to River. The Queen was a manipulative woman who was the reason Marxine was labeled a criminal.

A few girls approached him during the ball and River awkwardly pardoned himself from the conversation. He really had no interest in women who wanted him for his crown. He knew he was supposed to find a pretty woman and build a life with her, at least that was the expectation his father had for him. River wanted a like minded individual and most of the noble women were not up to his standards. So, as he stood on the outside of the ballroom as the evening came to an end he looked around to spot his father with, once again, Marxine's mother. His silver eyes glanced at Ember as she approached him and he gave her a small smile. "It's almost-" Over. Before he could finish his sentence the candles all went out and he immediately stiffened up.

Though River couldn't quite see Marxine at first he could tell her voice and instantly looked over at her. Ember began to walk away and he couldn't help but smile slightly at her. "How about you just come with us and we'll grab Tori and Ash on the way? No need to split up." He motioned for her to follow but as soon as he stepped towards the crowd his eyes noticed a shadow slip behind the red headed female. "Marxi-Max get down!" River pushed Max out of the way and fell on top of her, his arm getting sliced open by the blade intended for the disguised guard.

"Shit..." River looked up at the assailant to find them already disappearing into the crowd. "Fuck. Are you okay?" For a moment he glanced down at her before he realized he was on top of her. "S-Shit, sorry." Quickly he jumped to his feet and applied pressure to his bleeding arm.

 

[Colt Voltage]

Asher Forrest

Knowing that the others were in the rafters was a little nerve wrecking but Asher trusted Max, he was his partner and they had to have trust. So while Max covered up the ballroom from the rafters he covered it from the ground level. Asher paced the ballroom throughout the evening while his green eyes watched over the guests. Every time he passed by the hidden exit he glanced at it momentarily before continuing his rounds of the bathroom. Neve and Ember were busy mingling, River was keeping an eye on his father, and Ash and Astoria were busy watching over each other and dancing. Overall? The night seemed to go over well, though he had that nagging sense in the back of his head that things would go awful the further the night went.

As Asher was making his last lap around the ballroom all the candles went out at the same time. Quickly his left hand went to the hilt of the gun as his eyes quickly adjusted to the dark. His eyes darted from the hidden entrance to the crowd where he could make out the man observing the women and then shoving them away. "Hey!" Asher drew his sword and ran at the man. The man didn't pay Asher any mind, he had grabbed a girl a pale pink dress. No, not just a girl. He grabbed Astoria. Which only meant that the man was that psycho after her. Right? "Fern let her go!" As soon as Asher got near the man he took off towards the exit, Astoria's arm firmly held by the man to drag her with him.

"Halt! I said let her go!" Asher placed the sword back in its hilt as he came up with a game plan to not hurt Tori. At an almost unhuman speed Asher ran and tackled the man to the ground to force him to let her go. Something sharp pierced his side and he let out a loud wince before he managed to wrestle the mans arms behind his back. "Don't move." Thankfully the doors to the ballroom opened and some light poured in. Below him he could see a man that looked similar to Ash with his face smashed into the marble floor. Asher failed to see the blood seeping from the wound the knife was stuck in though. "Princess Astoria are you okay? He didn't hurt you did he?"

 

[KAYDEN]

Aspen Rift

When the lights went out, Aspen was slow on the roll and Max was already bounding down the rope to the floor below. "Ma-Max wait up!" Aspen stood up from where he sat and reached around for the rope before taking in a few deep breaths. Was he even in shape enough for this? Sure lifting the barrels at the tavern was hard but its not like hes ever done anything like this before! Below him he could hear the yelling and chaos. Max was already yelling and he heard some sort of commotion happen in her direction. But then another voice rang out, Neve's voice. Something in Aspen clicked and he just jumped without thinking, sliding down the rope as quickly as possible causing a bit of bleeding on his palms.

"N-Neve?!" Thankfully Aspen was used to working in the dark and his eyes were adjusting quickly. Most of the room had cleared out by now but the decor and tables still made it hard to make out where people were. In the distance his eyes cued in on a small bit of motion and finally he recognized the sparkling blue dress. Aspen went running in the direction of Neve but was blindsided by someone running toward him, knocking into his shoulder roughly and turning to grab him by the shirt. The man was someone he didn't initially recognize but as his face twisted into a wicked smile Aspens stomach fell into his feet. "D-Dante?"

The memories came quickly flooding back and Aspen stared forward in sheer terror before being thrown to the floor and laughed at. "We could fight again but, for the evening my job is complete. See ya Aspen. You made a mistake coming back here. I knew I should have waited until you stopped breathing that day." It took Aspen a while to start breathing again, his breath hitched in his throat from the scare. Seeing that face brought back a whole hell of a lot of trauma for him and apparently there was a reason his mind chose to forget... For so many years it was a face that he thought was his best friend until one day their spar turned near deadly. He never knew why... one day it was wooden swords and then next Dante showed up with a taste for blood and left Aspen for dead. He grew up in this castle, for as long as he could remember he was here. He never knew his parents... but the King and Queen had been charitable and helped him stay alive. He made friends with their children despite his status... then that.

After a few minutes of fighting through the chaos in his brain Aspen finally sat up and went back to the task at hand. Quickly he found Neve and reached down and reached for the ropes that were tying her back. "Shh, it's okay Neve. I got you." It wasn't a complicated knot and he tore it apart quickly before turning her around and holding her by her shoulders as he quickly scanned over her. "You okay? Hurt anywhere?"

 

[EclipseRosee]

Astoria Primrose


The night went like any other event went for her. Astoria spent the evening dancing with Ash and day dreaming that something exciting would happen... she hated to admit that considering the recent events but... when she said something exciting she didn't mean death or trauma. She just meant she wished her life wasn't so cut and dry. She wished Ash and her were in love dramatically like some of the other women in her Kingdom spoke of. She wished maybe one night they were more exciting people in general. It happened every ball, ceremony, celebration. This embarrassing self pity that she hated to admit and would never voice out loud.

It was finally the last dance of the night and Astoria smiled up at Ash softly before stepping away and patting his arm, "Go dance with one of the other ladies, my ankle is starting to kill in these heels. I want to take a seat before we head back to out room. But as she was turning away and heading for a table the lights went out and she let out a small yelp. Chaos was happening quickly and she turned back to face Ash, grabbing his hand and getting close to his side. Nearby she heard Max yell and then a few moments later she heard Neve. In the moment that she turned in the direction of the noise, all hell broke loose.

Astoria's body was yanked away from Ash and she let out a girlish scream as she was yanked across the floor, her heels flew off as her feet struggled to keep up with the person who had grabbed her. "Let me go you heathen!" As they ran she reached out with her free hand and yanked the cloak from the mans head before letting out another scream. "F-Fern! Let me go this instant! Stop this!" At this point her legs were giving out from fear and the man was basically dragging her across the floor as he laughed at her misfortune. Thankfully soon she was able to stop, dropping to the ground as her am was free and a large body went barrelling past her and into her captor.

The doors opened and light began to flood the room so she was finally able to get a good look at the situation. "Asher! I-I'm okay." Astoria winced as she moved to get up, "I think my ankle may be sprained but that's all-Oh my!" As she spoke her eyes landed on the blood seeping into Asher's coat and as badly as she didn't want to get any closer to where Fern laid... she trusted the situation. Tori slowly moved across the floor until she was at his side and pulled off her shawl, carefully weaving it around Asher to avoid affecting the hold he had on Fern's arms. "Y-You're bleeding. T-This should help for now. R-Right? I don't really know. I read it in a book once." Her voice was shaking as she tied the shawl off around the wound as best she could avoiding the knife that was still sticking out, hopefully this would slow the bleeding. "You're not supposed to pull the knife out until you can get stitches. I-I can take you to the medic after this. R-Right? A-Are you okay?" Her eyes darted down to the man on the floor and panic rose in her throat. This was not what she meant by exciting.

 

[ZombieBaee]

Ash Maidenhair

Ash spent the ball constantly looking over his shoulder, he meant it when he said this seemed stupid. How were these royals always so stupid? Tori and her parents were nice people, lovely even, but it always stunned him how much they cared about appearances. Ash came from a high society family as well but they spent more time behind the scenes and living their lives as normally as possible. Well most of them... His brain was also still reeling from the information he had gotten from Astoria during their meeting with the others. Why had she never told him about what Fern did? Ash would have put an end to it a lot sooner if he had known. Fern was always a bit of an outcast in the family, the Maidenhair family had been royal advisors for years and he thought they were destined for more. Ash always thought it was dramatic and just his brother wanting more out of life but... clearly it was much more aggressive than he thought.

The night went by with him caught up in his own anxieties and not paying much attention to Astoria as they danced. When she did finally speak up during the last song he felt his heart sink a little. "No it's okay. I'll head back as well. Hold up." Then the lights went out and his heart jumped into his throat as Tori grabbed his hand and he pulled her in close. "Stay close to me, we will find the exit okay?" Ash started to move through the crowd but soon someone hit him in the back of the head and he could feel Tori's hand being pulled from him as he fell forward and onto the ground.

The next couple of minutes were a blur... Ash was fighting to stay conscious as blood dripped down the back of his neck. He held himself up with one arm while reaching back and making sure the wound wasn't too serious, which it wasn't but hurt like a son of a bitch. He could hear Tori screaming but couldn't manage to stand, the room was spinning too much from the force. Somewhere he heard someone say what he thought was Marxine's name but that had to have been a mistake...After some time passed, he wasn't sure how much, he was able to stand and slowly make his way around the room. The ballroom was getting lighter and he could see Tori across the room wrapping her shawl around Ash as he sat on top of a body that made Ash's brain go all dizzy again as he fell down on his rear and stared at nothing in particular. That was Fern. Right there. H-He was the one that attacked... it didn't make any sense...

 

[ZombieBaee]

Marxine Augustine

"W-Wait Ember be careful!" Marxine called out as the woman began to head towards where Neve could be heard yelling something. Thankfully River stepped in as well and told the woman to stay together. However in the moment that she turned her attention to the other side of the room, scanning the area for Asher, someone slipped behind her to try and take her down. Thankfully River noticed and shoved her out of the way but she had to admit her pride as a guard was hurt and her identity as Marxine was terrified by the fact that River nearly let her name slip in front of others. The pair hit the floor hard and Marxine let out a groan and winced in pain at her tailbone hitting the marble floors. Though she supposed it was better than getting stabbed.

"Y-Yeah I'm fine. River are you okay?" Marxine shook of the shock of the fall quickly and opened her eyes to see his close to her face. Her face heated quickly as he stood up and her idiotic body reacted to the proximity before her brain could remind her the situation she was in. Marxine got to her feet and spun around the room, for now it seemed everything had stopped. The other guards were successful at getting everyone but the young royals evacuated and holding a line at the entrances of the ballroom. The next question was was Asher successful at protecting all of the royals, considering Max had royally fucked up. A quick glance showed everyone was kind of beaten up and shocked but alive and present. That was good.

"Everyone is accounted for, that's good." Marxine let out a heavy sigh and tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear before returning her attention to River and Ember. "Gods!" Without much thought she shredded off a piece of her tunic and draped it over her shoulder before pushing River's hand gently away and replacing it with her own before wrapping the linen around the wound a few times with a glare. This was her fault. She wasn't even supposed to be here but her superiority complex and worries got the best of her. Whoever swung was swinging at her, not River. "Why'd you push me you idiot. I'm here to protect YOU. Not the other way around." She grumbled and realized that it probably wasn't really appropriate for a guard to be calling a royal an idiot but... she couldn't help it. Marxine finished tying the linen before looking up at him with eyes that tried to be mean but came off more like a pouting child, "You have to let me do my job River."

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Neve Juniper

For a few moments Neve was left to reflect alone, tied up in the darkness while everyone made their escape. Everyone she was ever close to left her without notice. When she was younger her and her brother were best friends with a boy that they grew up with in the castle, one day when she was twelve her brother told her that he was gone and wasn't coming back. It saddened her, he had made her realize that it didn't matter your status in life. Then her brother disappeared suddenly and left her completely alone. Neve lived her life without friends and without people to care for. Everyone had someone to care for them save for her and it made her regret every decision she had in life.

That is, until Aspen ran to her. Quietly Neve sniffled as he ripped through the rope, her hands instantly brushing away the tears that stained her face. Save for the cut on her neck she was fine, at least physically. "I-I'm okay, it's just a scratch. Are you okay?" Her arms wrapped tightly around him and she buried her face in his chest. "Thank you for not leaving Aspen. I don't deserve your kindness." After a long moment of hugging him she pulled away and spoke with a sad and defeated voice, her pale blue eyes avoiding looking up at his face so she didn't cry. "Tomorrow you'll be able to return home, I promise I won't bother you or put you in danger anymore."

Guards swarmed the ballroom and took the rest of them to the doctors in the castle, Fern being placed in the dungeon for intense questioning.. Thankfully Neve only needed three stitches to close up the cut on her neck. Afterwards she was sent back to her room to where she could get out of her now blood stained dress. The castle was on lockdown and Neve knew that she wouldn't be able to escape for even a moment to a bar, so she decided to slip down into their meeting room so she could drink away her sadness. So many people were hurt and they were still expected to proceed with the damn Ceremony tomorrow...

Neve poured a glass of the good red wine she had been saving, walked to the plush couch and sat down to watch the crackling fire.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Ember Siegfreid

Did River just say Marxine? That caused her to stop in her tracks and look back in the dark at the pair on the ground. She didn't have time to respond to his words. A man in a black robe was running away from them and she could see that River was clutching at his arm. "Hey wait!" Ember took off after the man, but with the heels on she couldn't keep up with the assailants pace. She didn't even see Ash on the floor and ended up tripping. "Oof...W-wait!" But it was too late. The individual was already gone and Ember let out a small defeated sigh. Her eyes scanned the room to look at everyone and most of them were still standing despite everything that happened.

Her golden eyes finally fell onto Ash who was on the floor with her. He looked to be in shock. That was his brother that tried to take Tori, wasn't it? When the doors to the ballroom opened and shed some light in she finally could see the blood coming from his head. "O-Oh, Ash! You're bleeding. Hold on, dear." Without thinking Ember ripped off a piece of her multi-layered ruffled dress and began to apply pressure to his head with it while she wrapped it tightly around his head. Gently she held his face in her soft hands and shown him a gentle smile. "Hey Ash, you're okay. Let's just get you to the doctor to get checked out. Alright?" Ember looked back and seen that guards were already attending to Asher and Tori.

Ember managed to get away scratch free, only a few bruises on her legs from the tumble. Her main concern was on Asher, and of course Ash. River and Neve needed a couple stitches, Aspen had some burns on his hands, and Astoria sprained her ankle. Asher had a literal knife stabbed in him, and Ash had head trauma! Ember was sent back to the suite she shared with River. Despite taking a hot bath and braiding her hair like she did every night she couldn't fall asleep. It was late, was anybody still awake? Ash had to be, he wasn't allowed to sleep right now with his concussion. So Ember slipped an orange intricate shawl on over her black nightgown, slipped out of her bedroom, and headed down the hall to Ash's and Tori's suit. River had to of been sleeping, tomorrow was a big day for him. He'd be the new King of Zomer, possibly even the new leader.

Gently Ember knocked on the door of the suite and hugged the shawl close to her. Even with it on it was still cold in the halls of the castle. "Ash? Are you doing okay?"

 

[Colt Voltage]

Asher Forrest

The doors opened as Tori came to Asher's aide and applied pressure to his wound, which earned a small wince from the man. "Don't worry about me Princess, I'm tough as nails." Guards swarmed the room and a few rushed to where Astoria and Asher were, the men assessing the state of the two. "Get her to the doctor first, I'll head there in a few." The tough as nails front was hard to keep with the amount of pain he felt. Once Tori was escorted to the medic he accepted the other guards assistance in standing up, even leaning on one of them as Asher limped his way to the medic room. As he exited he could see Ash and Ember being attended to, he could see them rushing Neve out and holding pressure to her bleeding neck, and he could see Max and another guard attending to River's sliced open arm.

At least the others weren't too seriously injured. A half inch to the right and Asher may not have been with them, the knife would have pierced an organ and cause irreparable damage. Asher was very grateful that he survived with just six stitches in his abdomen, though he wasn't happy about the lead of the Autumn Guard questioning his intentions. If Asher would have struck Fern with his sword he wouldn't have been injured, but he also posed the risk to injure Astoria in the process. As much as he didn't like to explain himself he did, thankfully the man understood. Asher was a valuable asset on the Guard, especially during such a critical moment. He was ordered to sit out the interrogation and ordered to get some rest.

Of course, Asher didn't listen too well. He tried to lay down in his quarters but felt irritation building inside. HE was the one to catch Fern! He deserved to be a part of the interrogation, and damn them for not letting him in on it. No man should lay their hands on a woman no matter what the situation was, and women were not property. Asher crawled out of bed with a small wince and threw on one of his non guard issued jackets, slipping the belt with his trusty sword on as well. Tori was really shaken up and he didn't get to see her after he got his stitches, so he wanted to check on her.

"Oh? Princess Ember I thought you would have been asleep by now. It is late, and tomorrow is the big day." His green eyes darted from Ember to the suite to the suite of Ash and Astoria. "Are you checking in as well? It's dangerous to walk the halls alone right now. I'll stay with you and see you back to your room afterwards."

 

[Sir Damien]

River Siegfreid

"It is not in my nature to let women get injured or put them in harms way, my mother would roll over in her grave if she knew I didn't do anything to stop it." As soon as the words passed his lips he winced and scolded himself, hopeful no one heard him. But he knew a few of them had already heard him nearly drop her name. River wasn't ever good at lying or secrets. His steel colored eyes looked down at Marxine as she attended to his sliced open arm, also noting the guards that had approached them. "I'm fine. Nothing I can't handle." His cheeks heated slightly when he looked at his arm to Marxine. "Thanks. Don't go getting into anymore trouble while I'm being patched up, okay?"

With that said River followed the guards as they escorted him to the doctor. There he received four stitches and a very firm scolding from his father for getting himself involved in such drama. He was told he should have been protecting Ember, not Max. Max was a guard and should have handled it himself his father said, they had no time for this. The ceremony was tomorrow and that was priority. His father was a corrupt and selfish man, he could see that now. River prayed for the Gods to make the right decision tomorrow and choose worthy leaders for the Kingdoms.

River had just gotten done washing up when he heard to the suite shut. Quietly he sighed and shook his head, Ember was sneaking out and she knew she shouldn't have. "Dammit." As much as he wanted to follow her and make sure she didn't get into any trouble he figured she was just heading down the hall to check on Ash and the others. River had to apologize to Marxine. He buttoned up his black pajamas over his chiseled chest and slid on a warm jacket and slippers, tying his shoulder length raven hair into a small ponytail. The hand of the wounded arm rested in the pocket of the jacket as he made he too made his way out of the suite.

River went down the opposite way of the hall towards Aspen's room to see if Max was still guarding him, though he was pretty sure they would drop the accusations against Aspen soon enough. They had enough proof that he wasn't guilty, he was even injured trying to get to Neve. That had to count for something to the King, right? "Hey Aspen, is Max still in there? Just checking to see if sh-he's okay." River knocked twice on the door with a small sigh. Gods above, he was a TERRIBLE liar.

 

[EclipseRosee]

Astoria Primrose

As it all started to come to an end Astoria fell into a state of shock as the other guards took her off to a medic. Why was he here skulking around like that? Fern would have been welcomed to this party with open arms if he had asked for an invite. He was of high enough status to be here and no one except for Astoria knew about how vile he truly was. The guards got her to a lovely woman who wrapped her ankle and advised her to stay off it the rest of the evening so that she could be fully rested for tomorrows festivities. Honestly she was just thrilled it was nothing worse than this. She couldn't say that much for Asher... which she felt terrible about. Tori knew the man was just doing his job but even so, it was a horrible injury to have taken. Then came the other guilt, the fact that she didn't even realize Ash had been hurt as well. She didn't even realize until he was sitting next to her getting stitches on the back of his head as he held her hand.

After they were all fixed up Ash carried her back to their room to avoid any pressure on her ankle but they walked in silence. Ash was hurt emotionally... she expected he had been before this as well from her lie. This was only salt in the wound. When they got back to the room though all hell broke loose. Ash wanted to leave, go home, forget the ceremony. Tori did too! She really did but she COULDN"T. She had a duty to be here. She told him he was welcome to leave and just send another carriage from their castle but he called her an idiot for staying. Told her that her priorities were completely off base. At that point she just stopped talking and rolled over in her bed. This wasn't a fight worth having. They would never understand each other on these things.

"A-Ash?" Astoria called from her spot on her bed as she watched Ash walk past her doorway finally from where it seemed he had been sitting at the fireplace for hours now. "Ash!" He didn't respond and just left to his bedroom and shut the door. It made her chest feel tight... He was her best friend since they were very young and never had the had a time they didn't speak. Never had they fought! Tori sat up in bed and winced as she stood up from where she laid and headed out into the common area before stopping as a small knock came to their door. The sound caused fear to spike in her mind as she limped over to the door. The fact that Fern was still somewhere in this castle made her uneasy. Thankfully as she placed her hand on the door handle Ember's voice rang out and she was able to breath again.

Tori opened the door and gave a polite smile as she gestured the woman inside, "Please come in." She went to close the door but then looked up and stared wide eyed at Asher. "Oh I'm sorry." She pulled her robe tighter around her body before nodding, "I didn't see you Asher, please come in as well." Once the two were inside she let the door close and limped over to the couch and took a seat near the warm fire. "Lady Ember, Ash is in his room. I don't think he wants to speak to me right now but... I'm sure he could use a friendly face and someone to talk to if you don't mind. And I didn't get the chance to tell you earlier but thank you for helping him when he got hurt. I really do appreciate it." She gestured to the door before turning her eyes back to the fire. "And Asher how are you feeling? Was your wound tended to well after my botched attempt at helping?"

 

[ZombieBaee]

Marxine Augustine

"Max you cannot let anything like this happen again. You're promising but you're new, you cannot afford to make any enemies especially not a king." The lead guard grumbled as he scolded Marxine after everyone was fixed up and headed back to their rooms. Apparently River's father was already on a rampage for her head after what happened back in the ballroom and honestly she couldn't blame him, though she couldn't shake the feeling that he had other motives behind wanting her out of the castle. "It won't happen again sir." She nodded and turned to leave the room. Honestly she wanted to ask to be allowed to watch the interrogation of Fern down in the dungeons but considering the thin ice she was currently on she didn't think she would be allowed to anyways. Plus they had informed her that Aspen wasn't free to go but thanks to her watchful eye on him and Aspen's actions to help Neve, he was under much less suspicion of any involvement. She was still to watch him but not as intently as before unless she felt the need. Which she super didn't.


After her meeting with the lead guard Marxine headed to the meeting room to see if anyone was there, hoping to find Ash honestly and let him know the update but instead she found Neve. "Oh I'm sorry mi'lady. I didn't mean to intrude." She moved to close the door and leave but stayed for a moment and turned back to the couch. "Aspen isn't free to go but I'm now fully in charge of his watch. They don't suspect him but want to make sure Fern has nothing to say about him. I could send him down here to see you? I don't really want to deal with his mouth right now anyways." Max growled the last part before running a hand over her braid. "Sorry that was unprofessional. I'll leave now. Have a good night."

Marxine made her way down the hall and up the stairs to head back to the room her and Aspen had been sharing to let him know the news. "Turned over in her grave. Tch. What a low blow." She grumbled as she walked, looking back on the events in the ballroom. She owed River an apology for her attitude but she couldn't help it. Ever since her banishment she had been on her own, fought on her own, protected herself and the people in that small farm. Then when it really mattered she fucked it up? God she was mad at herself. "Fucking idiot." Max yelled and slammed her hand against the wall, thinking she was alone only to be met with sheer embarrassment and annoyance when she looked up to see River knocking on the door to Aspen's room. Quickly she walked up to him and grabbed his hand knocking the door roughly before unlocking the door and yanking him inside.

"Why are you roaming the halls. Do you know how dangerous that is? I mean for fucks sake River are you trying to get hurt? And how many times you going to drop she? Huh?" Marxine looked up at him with a soft glare before pointing towards where Aspen sat with wide eyes at the small table. "You're lucky he KNOWS I'm a woman. I'm already in enough shit. Your dad is looking for my head on a stick because you got hurt and I don't blame him! I couldn't do my job! The job I took despite Asher telling me to stay away from the situation." As she rambled she could feel tears welling up in her eyes. Not because she was upset over her job or anything. But because she was such an idiot that after years of not seeing a friendly face the only thing she was doing was yelling at him. What kind of person was she?

Marxine sniffled and turned to Aspen with a glare, "Neve is in the meeting room. You wanted to talk to her right? So go." She turned back to River and swallowed, "I-I-hows your arm."

 

[ZombieBaee]

Ash Maidenhair

"Y-Yeah. Thank you Ember." Ash struggled to get a grip on reality as Ember tied the fabric around his head and helped him get off the floor and make his way to the healers. There Tori was already getting her ankle wrapped and he swallowed hard as he took a seat beside her and wrapped his hand around hers while the medics placed a few stitches in his scalp. He felt strange... When Tori told her story about Fern he didn't think she was lying but he also couldn't believe that his brother was a bad person. But today that changed, he had to be faced with that thought. Someone who he grew up with, someone that helped mold him into the person he is today... was capable of something like this? Did this mean he was also responsible for the murder that happened a few days ago?

Once the medics finished up with him, Ash carried Astoria back to their room in silence as he lost himself in thought. They needed to go home. He needed to be with his family... get Astoria away from the danger that existed here. He knew they should have after the first night but now this was all just too much. When they got back to the room Ash took the time to get Astoria comfortable before telling her to pack her bags because they would be leaving in the morning.Thats when the fight began. "Tori no. We are leaving. No excuses." Ash yelled, trying to just get her to listen but when she kept arguing about her duty he simply exploded. He knew he shouldn't have but he did, he couldn't handle it anymore. Tori was his best friend since they were 3 feet tall but he could never wrap his head around this undying claim she had to duty. Was it really worth that much? The crown? He sure as shit didn't think so, look how it made his brother act!

After their fight Ash simply walked away and sat in front of the fire for a long while before getting up and trying to sleep to calm his brain. He heard Tori yelling for him when he moved but he couldn't speak to her right now. Not after how he acted and not after how she refuses to think clearly. He shut the door to his bedroom and flopped down face first into the plush bedding and let out a long heavy sigh.

 

[KAYDEN]

Aspen Rift

Aspen was taken back to his room by a guard who wasn't Max this time and received his medical treatment there rather than with any of the others. It wasn't anything too serious just a couple of bandages around his hands to protect his palms from any infection or further trauma. After that he was left alone to his thoughts and told someone would be by to speak to him later. That was just fine... he needed some time after that. His brain was completely scrambled. It was a mess of a life that he was starting to remember versus horrible scary memories that all he wanted to do again was forget. Aspen wasn't ever that big of a people person but... when he did decide to think about his family, he hoped that when his memories returned it would be a warm one. A happy family that he would remember fondly. Turns out with or without his memory he was destined to be alone...

After a while of waiting he made himself some tea and sat at the table in his room. At least there were fond memories of Neve and Dante. Clearly she didn't remember him but why would she? They were fairly young and Neve was even younger than him when he went away. Not to mention that he was just some servant boy who grew up in the castle. Maybe Dante did him a favor that day... at least this way he met his "father" and got to own the tavern.

Soon enough a knock came to the door and Aspen went to stand, assuming it was the guard coming for an update but instead was met with Max pulling River inside and slamming the door. It didn't take her long to start yelling and even less time for Aspen to feel like he was watching a conversation he was not welcomed to. "R-right on." He stood from his seat and grabbed his jacket to pull over his tunic before heading toward the door. He paused for a minute to pat River on the shoulder. "G'luck with that."

Aspen left and headed for the meeting room, Neve had been his friend for years now again. Apparently she had a thing for befriending the help... the thought made him chuckle a little as he opened the door to the meeting room and cocked his head to the side at the sight of the woman. "Well you look pitiful. At least no one died tonight Neve." Aspen tried his shitty attempt at a joke before sinking into the couch next to her and leaning forward to peer at her face. "Are you okay... you know after seeing him?"

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Neve Juniper

When Max joined the meeting room Neve situated herself on the couch and prepped herself for company. She had known for a few days that Max was a female, her figure was definitely feminine despite the clothes she wore, even her facial features were feminine. It wasn't her place to question her or bring it up, though she was sure she had her reasons. From the sound of things Aspen wasn't officially off the hook, but so long as Fern didn't blame Aspen he would be in the clear. Not that it really mattered, tomorrow the kingdoms would be under new leadership. Hopefully it would be Neve to take over Inverno and she would release him. "Thank you Max." Before Neve could even offer Max a drink she was on her way leaving the white haired princess by herself once more.

By the time the door opened again she had finished off half of the bottle of wine. The sorrows were not easy to drink away this time, now part of the reason she was so glum was moving across the room to sit next to her. "Ha ha. Friendly advice? Don't quit your day job." Quickly she poured the second glass full with the wine before setting it in front of him. "He sliced up neck neck, tells me to behave, then runs away again. He's been missing for forever and decides now's the time to come back around?" It wasn't uncommon for her to rant to Aspen, he was her only person she considered to be a friend and he was her bartender.

Her pale cheeks heated when he leaned in to see her face. "I-just. Everyone I get close to leaves. We used to have a friend, his name was Aspen too, and he grew up in the castle with us. He just up and left one day without so much as a goodbye. Dante said people come and people go, and then after that he left me too. You're the only person I have left and I'm not letting you get hurt." Neve looked over at Aspen's wrapped hands and her sad smile fell into a frown. "How are you doing?"

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Ember Siegfreid

"Asher aren't you supposed to resting?" Ember smiled over at Asher as he approached her in the hallway and gave him a small nod. "Yeah, sounds good. Let's just peek in then we'll get going." The door to the suite opened and instead of Ash opening it there stood Astoria. "Lady Tori aren't you supposed to be resting that ankle? You and Asher need to take it easy." When she mentioned Ash was in his room and needed a friendly face she gave her a small smile, her cheeks heating when she thanked her. "O-Oh, no problem. Just glad I could help. I'll go check in with Ash." Ember bowed slightly before she moved over to the door to Ash's room.

Gently she knocked on the door and tucked a loose curly lock behind her ear. "Ash? Tori wanted me to check on you. I'm coming in, okay?" Ember covered her eyes as she entered the room, peeking through her fingers after a moment. Once she seen that he was decent her arm fell to her side and she smiled sweetly at him. "How are you doing? I heard you got a few stitches. Do you need me to fetch you ice or anything? There's plenty outside and I'm sure I could go find some."

She was rambling at this point. Ember shone him a sad smile and tucked her hands into the pockets of the dress. "Seeing your brother like that had to be hard, I've been worried about you. Do you want to talk about it at all?"